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spookyscarydemonbabe · 6 months ago

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Drive

A/N- During the normal April rain, i got the urge to watch some more of S4. Have i officially finished it yet? No. Does it still give me little ideas every now and then? Absolutely. And sorry to come back with such a (somewhat) depressing fic 😂 please know i’ve been working on a few things back and forth for the last two months so expect a few scattered fics here and there when i get around to finishing them. I still miss you all very much 😘 (P.S. i got this story while listening to Drive by The Cars, hence the title :p)

Summary- Late one night you get a call from Eddie that sends chills down your spine

Genre- Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

Warnings- S4 spoilers, mentions of death/dying

Tag List- @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @munsonology @esme-viridian @gvf23 @wheels-of-despair

(tag list is always open, let me know if you’d like to be added 🖤)

Word Count- 4.5k

Tonight was finally the night.

The last dreadful day of school before spring break, thank god. For another seven days you would be able to stay up late, sleep in, hang out with the guys, smoke, put a dent into the list of movies Jeff and Gareth had been making for you to watch before you die, and maybe finally dive into that stack of books next to your nightstand that you’ve been putting off reading. All the while you’d have full accessibility to the house while your parents were on vacation for a little spring break of their own.

It would be bliss. Save for the few shifts at work during the week, but it was a sacrifice you’d be willing to make for all that extra free time.

You had finally sat down after a shower, your hair still damp at your shoulders as you sat on the couch with a bag of chips at your side and a can of pop waiting to be opened at the living room table, you reached for the remote and as soon as you clicked the power button you could hear the incessant ringing of the telephone. As much as you wanted to ignore it and let it ring, something just didn’t feel right.

There was something that washed over you as you glanced down the hall at the phone on the wall, and just couldn’t help but carefully wander down to pick it up. Your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach before you could even say anything.

Eddie was at the other end. Crying, hyperventilating, and you could just hear his panicked pacing through his quick speech. It took a moment for you to even realize what was happening before finally speaking up,

“Eddie! Eddie, calm down, i can’t understand you. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I don’t know!” He shouted into the phone between sobs, “I was in my bedroom and then walked out and she was acting so strange and then she started floating and-“ He couldn’t finish. Whatever it was that had happened, you knew it wasn’t something that could be fixed with him calming down.

“Ok, it’s ok, you don’t have to tell me. I know you’re really scared right now, i’m here for you ok.”

“(y/n), i don’t know what to do…” He cried out, and it was heartbreaking hearing just how badly he was hurting without even knowing what was going on. The mystery of it all was panic inducing enough for you, you couldn’t imagine how Eddie was feeling on the other end.

“Eddie, i need you to listen very carefully to me, ok? I want you take a deep breath, i want you to get your keys, and i want you to drive over here. Don’t bother with going home, don’t bother grabbing anything or stopping anywhere, get over here now. I don’t know what the situation is but i can tell that whatever it is, it isn’t safe.”

He said not another word, and you heard the click of the phone on the other end, the disconnect tone playing in your ear wasn’t helping the situation.

Within minutes you could hear the screeching tires of Eddie’s van pull into your driveway. You watched from the front window as he struggled to pull the keys from the ignition, rushing to get out as fast as he could. When he saw you carefully open the door for him he couldn’t help but run to you, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace, his head buried in your chest and you could hear the slow sobs start once more.

“Ok, it’s ok. Shh, it’s ok…” You still had no idea what was happening.

All you knew was that Eddie was here, crying, panicked, scared, and he needed you.

You quickly shut the front door, clicking the lock and moving your arms around him once more, one hand moving to cradle the back of his head as you felt his tears start to soak through your shirt.

He was trembling, cold to the touch, and you were terrified not knowing what on this earth had made him feel this way. He was in a state that you had never seen him in before, and as painful as it was to not bombard him with every question you had floating around in your brain about what could possibly be making him like this, you let him be. He needed time, and what he needed now was someone to make him feel right again.

The moment you heard the sobs start to quiet and his breathing became slower, you carefully pulled yourself away, hand still on the back of his head to comfort him as his arms never left your sides,

“Shh, it’s alright. Take a few deep breaths ok?”

Eddie looked up to you and nodded, his bloodshot eyes slowly closing as he took a few shaky deep breaths. Your hands moved to his cheeks, wiping away the few stray tears that slipped through.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened right now,” Eddie opened his eyes as you held his cheeks, “but i need to know if you’re hurt, or if someone else is hurt…” You looked down to his Hellfire Club shirt, spotting a few stray droplets of blood, but Eddie seemed to be physically fine.

“Someone else…” The thought of whatever had happened made him muster up another quick sob.

“I’m glad you’re ok. We’ll worry about that in a little bit ok, right now let’s stand you up.” He nodded once more and your arms moved to hold onto his, trying to give him a reassuring smile as he did his best to slow his breathing back to normal, “Let’s go get you cleaned up, come with me.”

You still held onto his arm as you led him upstairs. This wasn’t the first time he had come over, he knew the layout of your home well, but you wouldn’t dare leave his side while he was in this state.

You slowly walked him down the hall and into the bathroom, letting him carefully sit on the toilet as you leaned over and fidgeted with the knobs for the faucet. Eddie leaned over, his elbows at his knees, palms at his forehead. His breathing had slowed finally, but he was quiet. You reached your hand beneath the faucet and once the water felt warm enough you pulled the curtain and started the shower for him, kneeling on the floor before him.

“Eddie?” He slowly moved his hands and looked to you, eyes still bloodshot with swollen cheeks from all the tears he had shed, “I know that whatever it is you’re going through isn’t easy, but all i want to do is help you. You know that right?”

He was still silent, but nodded.

“Take a shower, clean yourself up. I promise i’ll be nearby the whole time, and i’m going to come back in a few minutes with a towel and pajamas for you, ok?”

He nodded again, and you gave him another smile as you stood. You pushed the hair aside on his forehead and placed a gentle kiss to the space, and it seemed that this finally got a reaction out of him. His lips twitched at the corners, and you could see he wanted to smile back to you but he was just so exhausted.

You left the bathroom and shut the door behind you, standing there for just a moment to listen for anything. As soon as you heard a bit of shuffling and his clothes hitting the floor you smiled to yourself and wandered to the hall closet, grabbing a towel and then heading into your parents room to steal a pair of your dads pajama pants and an extra shirt for Eddie to change into. They’d be oversized and probably a little uncomfortable but they were better than nothing.

You walked back to the bathroom door, towel and clothes in hand, and waited. After a deep breath, and a quick shake just to get your nerves in place, your gently rapped your knuckles at the door,

“Eddie?” You opened the door just a crack, “I’m coming in, ok?”

You only heard a groan from him, but it was enough for you to enter once again. You saw his clothes piled up on the floor and placed the towel on top of the toilet, the extra pajamas on the counter. You could hear a few sounds from him through the curtain, a few groans and it sounded like he was doing his best to keep his composure. You left him to his business, grabbing his clothes off of the floor and quickly folding them into a pile and carrying them out with you, save for his underwear that you left with the extra pajamas for him.

“I’ll be in my room ok? Take all the time you need and i’ll be there when you’re done.” You said before stepping back out into the hall and softly closing the door behind you.

With one more deep breath you walked to your bedroom door, flicking the light switch on and leaving the door open for Eddie whenever he was finished and ready to come in. His clothes were placed on top of your dresser and you quickly wandered around to grab a few things for him. Extra pillow and blanket, a hair brush and some detangling solution, and you grabbed a few small snacks from your munchies stash under your bed for him to snack on. You didn’t know what he would’ve needed, but it was a good idea to be prepared for anything.

As you sat on your bed waiting for him you reached for the remote and switched on your TV, you heard the floorboards creaking at your door. Eddie was standing there in your doorway, towel in hand with his wet hair soaking the shoulders of the oversized shirt.

“Hey, come on in, close the door behind you.” You smiled to him, standing up and approaching him slowly, “Here, you take this, and i’ll take that,” You had handed him the TV remote and took the towel from his hands, leading him to the end of your bed, “you sit and find something to watch. Let me deal with your hair, i know you like how gentle i am with it.”

Eddie finally gave you a smile. A small one, but it was something. He sat at the end of your bed and you sat behind him on the mattress, reaching over and grabbing their hairbrush and detangler before lifting his wet hair and draping the towel over his shoulders.

He finally seemed calm as you sprayed the fruity scented detangler into his hair, gently brushing at the end in small sections as he finally found a channel to settle on. It was one of the local public access channels that showed old music videos while the host talked about all his favorite parts from the video afterwards. Music was always his happy place.

Eddie breathed deeply, quietly, sitting there before you with his eyes on the tv while you gently brushed his hair. He was always so grateful to have you to turn to when he wasn’t ok. Though it was odd to see him like this.

You had seen him cry when he was panicked over having to repeat another school year, you had seen him scared after Wayne found out he had swiped a few cans of beer from the fridge, but this was something new. This was a different kind of fear. He wasn’t trying to brave this one out and take it on the chest like he had before. It was like he had reverted to a scared little boy with no clue what to do or who to turn to. This was something he couldn’t face alone and he knew you knew that now.

You kept quiet as you finished with his hair, setting the brush down next to you and using the towel to scrunch his curls, gently pulling it off of his shoulders and bringing it to your hamper. He didn’t move as you went to sit next to him, only turning to you as you nudged his shoulder to grab his attention.

His face was still slightly puffy from the tears he had shed, his eyes were slightly pink, but his breathing was normal and that you were grateful for.

“Are you ok?”

His eyes wandered away from yours and he shook his head gently, still not speaking.

“Eddie, i know you might not think i’ll understand whatever it is you’re going through, but i want to understand. Please…” You moved yourself to sit in front of him, his view of the TV blocked by your form, “I just want to know what happened.”

Eddie clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath, and as he opened his eyes they began to water once more,

“You won’t believe me…” He choked out.

You stood for a moment and quickly ran over to your nightstand, grabbing the box of tissues for him to use whenever he needed them.

“Yes i will.” You reassured him. “Eddie, i know you wouldn’t lie to me, but i don’t know what’s going to happen if you don’t tell me. You said someone else was hurt and i saw the blood on your clothes… If you did something-“

“I didn’t do anything!” He shouted, cutting you off mid-sentence.

You sat back on your legs and reached over to turn down the volume on the TV, sitting and waiting patiently for Eddie to be ready to finally tell you what the cause of all his panic was. You could sense that he was ready, it was just hard to find the words.

With one last deep breath he looked down at his hands in his lap,

“I was at the trailer with Chrissy, i met her after school and she said she was going through some stuff. Asked for something strong. I left her in the living room while i went to look for it and when i came back she was acting… different.”

You tried to move closer to him but he backed himself away.

“Different how?” You asked.

His lip started to quiver and his eyes were shut tight again.

“She was just standing there… silent. Her eyes were rolled back and then her feet just lifted off of the ground, but not like she was floating, like someone had picked her up but there was nothing… no one…”

You gave him time. He needed patience, and you could see that whatever happened next was what caused him to act the way he was. He was terrified of something, someone, but he didn’t know what or who.

“I tried to wake her up and see if maybe she was just freaking out or something but…” His lip quivered as he tried to collect himself, but it was clear that this was an event he was having to relive every time he closed his eyes, “She floated up to the ceiling and it was like…” He started to hyperventilate again, and you inched closer, reaching out and gently grasping his arm, though this time he didn’t move away, “it was like something was inside her, breaking every bone in her body…” He couldn’t stop the flow of tears, and you couldn’t bear to have this go on any longer. Though it sounded crazy, Eddies reactions weren’t making it seem crazy.

“Ok, ok, you don’t have to tell me anymore, it’s alright.”

Eddie quickly wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in close as he sobbed into your shoulder. You held him gently, slowly moving your fingers through his hair to try and comfort him. It always worked before.

“You don’t have to tell me any more…”

You said to him quietly, the music on the TV softly playing in the background was helping slightly to dull the horrific reaction Eddie was having to this memory.

A few moments had gone by, and though he was no where near better, his breathing was slowing and the tears were slowly stopping. Or maybe he just didn’t have any left in him.

“You think i’m crazy, don’t you?” He said through slow breaths.

“No.” You said plainly, “I don’t think you’re crazy Eddie. It sounds unreal but… with how you’ve been reacting i don’t see anything else making sense…”

It was an insane scene to think about. It sounded like something straight out of a horror movie, and those things were fine, they weren’t real. But this was. And Eddie was horrified.

“Did you call anyone else about this? Did you tell the guys or the police?”

“No…” He whimpered, hiding his head back into your shoulder, “I ran… I didn’t know what else to do or who else to go to…”

“Eddie,” You carefully lifted his face away from your shoulder, grabbing a tissue and wiping away the tears that trailed down his cheeks, “I know it’s scary, but you have to go to the police.”

“I can’t…”

“Yes you can.”

“I can’t, they’ll know i did it!” He shouted.

“You didn’t do anything!” You shouted back, quieting him once more, “I’ll go with you, i’ll vouch for you, i’ll say that you saw her earlier in the day and then you came over afterwards, i know you couldn’t have done something like this Eddie.”

“No.” He said it with no emotion between every word you were saying, “No, no, no. You are NOT lying to the police for me (y/n).”

“Then what are you going to do?”

Eddie was silent for a moment, sniffling as he recollected himself. He brought his knees up to his chest and looked down into his lap,

“I don’t know… They’re going to think it was me anyways…”

“Don’t say that!”

He could hear in your voice that talking about this was making you more and more worried for him. That’s the last thing he wanted.

“I’ll figure something out.”

You were quiet.

Neither of you were sure how to go about something like this.

You moved yourself to sit back next to him, your legs crossed in front of you as you fidgeted with your fingers in your lap. The quiet music on the TV was fading in and out and as the song played, somehow it managed to calm both your nerves, at least a little bit. You slowly leaned over and put your head onto his shoulder as you sat together, bringing your hand up to wipe away a single tear that had fallen from your eye. But of course once the first one started, it was difficult to stop. Eddie only noticed your tears after he heard a few muffled sniffles from next to him.

He looked over to you and saw the wetness at your cheeks and reached one arm around your shoulder to pull you in closer,

“Why are you crying?”

“Because,” Another sniffle as you reached up to wipe your eyes, “I’m worried about you…”

The corners of Eddie’s lips curled up into a small smile as he rested his head on top of yours,

“It’ll be alright… I promise.”

You silently nodded, looking up at him with a pursed smile through your wet eyes. You didn’t know if he would be alright, but Eddie wasn’t the type to lie. Especially not to you.

With a deep breath, you slowly shut your eyes and let out a yawn, Eddie catching it and doing it himself a moment later.

“Why don’t we get to bed?” You offered, “We’ll get everything figured out in the morning.”

Eddie nodded, slowly getting up and stretching his arms over his head as you stood up next to him.

You wandered over to your bed, grabbing a few pillows and holding them in your arms as you started to pull one of the blankets away for Eddie to use before he stopped you,

“Wait! Um…” He was hesitant for a moment, but you let him take his time, “Could i uh… If you’re ok with it-“

“Do you want to sleep in bed with me?” You cut him off, seeing that he was a bit uncomfortable at the thought of having to ask. He nodded and you smiled to him as you placed the pillows back into their spots, “Of course you can.”

You pulled the covers back to make room for him as he wandered to the other side of your bed. He’d stayed the night plenty of times before, but never like this. Just the two of you sharing a bed. The thought of it made his heart flutter, and maybe under different circumstances he might even consider it a romantic thing between you with the music helping the mood. But he was just happy that you cared so much for him.

He didn’t know if you liked him or not, but he knew that you loved each other.

“Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.” You fluffed up his pillows as he sat at the edge of your bed, grabbing the remote as you walked over to Eddie’s side, “Here. Put on anything you want, i’m going to go downstairs really quick and make sure everything is locked up ok?”

Eddie nodded as he took the remote from you, closing his eyes gently as you pushed his hair back from his forehead and placed a gentle kiss onto the skin,

“I’ll be right back, but just in case, you call me if you need me ok?”

He nodded once more, the corners of his lips curling into a smile as he watched you leave the room. The quiet music and the sound of your fading footsteps somehow made him forget about the incident. Or at least forget as much of it as he could.

He kept his attention on the TV, listening to the music play to get his mind off of everything else that had happened that night. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he knew that he couldn’t have you getting hurt because of him too.

He looked at the remote in his hands and fidgeted with the buttons for a moment, looking back up at the door as he heard you enter the upstairs hallway and close your bedroom door behind you.

“All locked up.” You said with a smile.

Eddie smiled back and took a deep breath as he set the remote onto the nightstand next to your bed.

“Want to keep the TV on?” You asked as another song started to play.

Drive by The Cars.

Eddie nodded and pulled the covers up over himself, settling into bed, yet keeping his eyes on you. He needed to make sure he had you in his sight, just in case. You reached out and turned off the light switch, the glow from the TV softly illuminating your room.

It was strange.

You’d dreamt of a moment like this before.

Eddie in bed with you, safe and comforted, though you never had imagined it would happen like this.

You slowly walked over to your side of the bed, lifting the covers and laying yourself next to Eddie as he sat with his back against the pillows resting on the headboard. He had been staring at nothing and yet he seemed like he had been seeing everything at once. Glazed over with both fear and exhaustion. All you wanted to do was help, Eddie knew that, but a situation like this was so hard to read.

“Hey,” You said softly up to him, his head turning to look down to you, “lay down. I want to talk to you for a second, ok?”

Eddie slowly moved his body downward, lifting the covers up as he adjusted himself next to you, trying so desperately to keep himself at a respectful distance. His face was close to yours, noses so close to touching, and you could feel the warmth of his body as it lay close. Even in times like this he still kept so warm.

“I’m scared too… I don’t know what it is that you saw, but i promise you that i’ll do everything i can to make sure you’re safe.”

“(y/n), you don’t have to do that-“

“I do.” You cut him off sternly, “Eddie, i love you. I care about you. The only other time you’ve ever come to my house freaked out was when Wayne caught you swapping out his vodka because you didn’t know alcohol froze.” Eddie smiled to himself as he remembered that night, knowing he fully deserved his punishment for doing something that stupid, “Whatever happened, i know you didn’t do it. I know you. Do you have anywhere else you can stay? Some place safer?”

Eddie thought to himself for a moment. He didn’t know. He had a million things racing through his head, before finally looking to you and nodding his head. You were unsure of his answer, but you didn’t want to keep prying.

“I don’t want to tell you what to do Eddie, but you really need to tell someone what happened.” You reached your hand up and gently held his cheek, and you could see that though he didn’t know what he needed, he needed you to be there with him, “I just want you to be ok…”

He could hear the cracking of your voice, knowing how hard you were trying to hold back your emotions, but it was terrifying. For him, for you, and for god knows who else this may have happened to.

Eddie reached up and grasped your hand in his, holding it tightly as he looked to your eyes,

“I promise i’ll be ok.”

You couldn’t tell if he meant it, but you nodded as you looked to him. He wanted to be ok, and you knew he could take care of himself, but when Eddie needed help you knew it was serious. You just hoped he’d be able to come out of this unharmed.

Eddie took a deep breath and moved his hand to the back of your head, raising his lips and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. His arms slowly wrapped around your body, pulling you in close, and as he moved himself closer to you it was clear he was starting to cry again. Softly. Quietly.

Your arms moved around him and held him tightly, one hand slowly moving through his hair as the other gently scratched over his shoulders to comfort him,

“Shh, it’s ok…” His quiet sobs and whimpers only made you hug him closer, “I’m right here with you, you’re safe, i promise…”

It would take a while before either of you would get any sleep, you figured as much when Eddie ran through your door and into your arms. He needed someone there and you were so happy to be the person he came to, wether you knew how to help him or not.

As you lay in each others arms, the slow song playing softly from the TV soon was able to lull you both to sleep.

Every now and then throughout the night, Eddie would wake up in a cold sweat, seeing the scene that had unfolded before his eyes earlier. He’d look around the room, see you sleeping so soundly in his arms, and he’d calm down.

He was safe where he was.

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x yn #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson hurt/comfort #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fanfic

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chromations · 8 months ago

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The Robert Plant post that's been on my mind since the jimmy post.

EDIT: tumblr fucked up and deleted half the post AND put it without tags. Now complete

It's easier to write about psychology I relate to. To dive into something so clear, so easy to point out the faults of. Writing Jimmy's story was easy. What I'm writing now is less than.

This is how Led Zeppelin impacted Robert Plant. As usual, feel free to add, and the rest is under the cut. This is gonna be sad (and long)

Anyone can spot how, now, Robert reflects on his Zeppelin days with disdain. He doesn't perform nor relate to the majority of his Zeppelin songs anymore. Of course, just as the rest of the band, he's sick of the press asking for another tour. Another reunion. Another reminder of a dark spot in who we see as the golden god.

What happened?

What *didn't* happen?? At first, Zeppelin started out and grazed the sun. And the sun had been spun for years, so to speak. Popularity, sex, riches, women, freedom, *music*. Who wouldn't want that? Of course, there had been the lyrics written by a guy in his early 20s, the many meanings eluding and warping to the ears of the listener. There was criticism over the different lifestyles, tear gassing, police raids, there was Jimmy and Lori. Even recounted by Jimmy Page (Through the On This Day feature), they'd perform in Memphis, only to be stopped by a man with a gun when they'd wanted to perform an encore.

Still, each life had its faults. Robert would write Sick Again's lyrics with the groupees in mind, with the underlying sadness for what Lori had gone through.

Come 1975, and the wax starts to melt. Jimmy starts on heroin at some point during their tours that year. After Plant's family flies out, he and Robert vacation in Morocco. After, in Greece, Robert is driving with his family, and they get into an accident: Almost fatal on Maureen, a broken ankle + elbow on Robert, and bruises on the kids. Back in England, they'd receive care... Only for Plant to have to leave England due to his tax exile. He'd spend the time in a wheelchair, writing and developing Presence. Achilles Last Stand, about his time in Morocco with Jimmy, previously called The Wheelchair Song. Tea For One, about the loneliness and despair on tour, of being away from his family. For Your Life is about a friend of Robert's who had been heavy in drugs. Quote from faroutmagazine, it's reflected that Presence was "a cry from the depths"/"a cry of survival"

Presence is often shat on for what's perceived as a lackluster, boring, rehashed album. While I see where these statements come from, Presence happens to be my favorite album.

In 76, Presence is released, and in the same year, Zeppelin's concert film The Song Remains The Same, to make up for the canceled tours in pursuit of Plant's recovery.

1977 comes around. American tour. Everyone's unsure if the band will perform the same after such a hiatus, but it works out. Mostly. Page, as in my other post, is emotionally unavailable, to say the least, in his own struggles. The band in total is still imbibing in heavy drug usage (JPJ, however, more discreet with his use and not to be found in embarrassing situations), but the tour breaks records, a heavy hitting comeback.

Icarus falls, the zeppelin crashes.

Come summer, the third leg just there, and Robert gets the call: Karac Plant, his son, passed while he was away. The cause had been an unknown stomach illness, and he couldn't have even been there for his son. Gut wrenching. Karac was 5.

Tour canceled, and the last time Zeppelin played North America, Plant flies back home with Bonham and Richard Cole at his side. Jimmy and Peter Grant remain in America, while Jones takes time for vacation. During his time of immense grief, Plant heavily considered quitting music all together to be a teacher, as he just wanted to be with his family. While everyone else was off flitting about, Robert says John Bonham was the only one really at his side for the entire process. Out of the members of Zeppelin, Bonzo was the only one attending Karac's funeral at Plant's side. The darkest, most heartbreaking moment of your life, and your friends aren't around (Of course Bonham was, of course he was around. They were best friends). Jones had said, later, with what Elvis dying, all he knew was that he (Robert) should have his space. Lacking etiquette and not knowing consolation shouldn't mean you (in context, Jones and Page) lack the ability to be there for your friend, though.

Robert never fully got over Karac's death. I wouldn't blame him. He wrote multiple songs over the years honoring his son (All My Love, Blue Train, I Believe).

In addition, he would have a talk with himself, in which he would quit drugs. Quote below.

After everything of 1977, the future of Led Zeppelin became uncertain. Just about silence for a long time, while Plant went through the grief process. About 1977, he says: “[it was] the year it all stopped for me. Nothing could make it all right again and nothing ever will.”

"During the absolute darkest times of my life when I lost my boy and my family was in disarray, it was Bonzo who came to me."

Finally, Page and Bonham convince Plant to stay in music, to stay with Zeppelin, when Jimmy told him to take a break until he's ready, and that the band is nothing without Robert.

Zeppelin returns in 1979, though the light has dimmed. Jimmy and Bonham lose themselves further. If you take a look, In Through The Out Door is largely about Robert's feelings once more. When recording and writing, it's often said that the band had split in two: Sober (Plant and JPJ) and not sober (Page, Bonham) . While Plant and Jones wrote and composed, the other two would fail to show up on time, sometimes even at all. As previously mentioned, All My Love and I'm Gonna Crawl are tributes to Karac. In The Evening is about the struggles and stress faced even through his stardom and wealth.

Carouselambra tells the story of Zeppelin's fall. From kings, gods, to rust. In particular, it details the loneliness and betrayal felt by Plant after his band mates failed to be there for him.

"Where was your word, where did you go?

Where was your helping, where was your bow?

Dull is the armour, cold is the day

Hard was the journey, dark was the way, way

I heard the word, I couldn't stay, oh

I couldn't stand it another day, another day"

In particular, "Where was your word, where did you go?" struck with me.

The rest of the album is filled with lighter, story centered, and explorational songs. Plant knew that while Zeppelin was there, it was nearing its end. Come Knebworth, a great show, but Robert is different, you see it in his eyes. The naivety, the innocence, the belief that he could have it all, has faded.

And nobody else is the same at knebworth, either.

Fast forward a year and John Bonham dies, god rest his soul. Led Zeppelin breaks up. Robert loses his best friend and son in the span of 3 years.

Icarus burns. The zeppelin crashes.

Robert distances himself from the rock scene, exchanging most of his heavy vocals to explore different genres of music. He shies away from Zeppelin, but the public is calling for more. An encore. A reunion. Each one goes wrong, between being too stoned and ill timed, the improper rehearsals, the matter not being taken seriously.

Page and Plant starts and Robert finds himself back in his old shoes, polished and new. He enjoyed it this time around, digging up unreleased material and playing it "Unledded."

The masses want more. The golden god, playing the same old tune and having to visit the same old wounds of life. They want the sun to shine like it had been touched again, but the sun shined differently back then. The public dooms him to the same old song he's been fighting to escape, but the song doesn't remain the same, the song has changed.

He's still beautiful. Still Robert Plant. But he's not the same as he was, he's not the bright, young boy performing Stairway to the crowd for the first time, or 50 playing as Page and Plant. He's past that.

December 10th, 2007, O2 Arena, London. He says good evening. One last show. Jason Bonham on drums and backing vocals. John Paul Jones, keyboard and bass guitar. Jimmy Page, electric guitar. And himself, Robert Plant. A legendary show, honored to Ahmet Ertegun.

After, Jones and Jimmy want to continue with a reunion. Robert doesn't, won't. He has a solo career. He's fought to free himself from the golden boy he was. This isn't him anymore. These aren't his songs.

He grows disconnected from his songs of Zeppelin, a lifetime ago. He grows to hate stairway, until it's 2012 at the Kennedy Honors Center. Heart performs Stairway to Heaven with a choir and Jason Bonham. Robert tears up, seeing his best friends son out there. In that moment, he grows to appreciate Stairway: Only if it's sung by a younger voice, though.

The media wants more. The people want more. They will always want more, it's never enough, but he can't sing a song that's lost its meaning to him.

Robert Plant is a man of many times. The golden god we know of now is eternally different from who he was. I will always love him through all walks of life, each and every stage.

#robert plant #led zeppelin #tw child death #i guess

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coryothesub · 6 months ago

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Okay so "alright I'm gonna show myself out" apparently is going to become a new resident tag on this blog because I'm in a super kinky mood while vacationing idk how else to explain this

nsfw / mdni / sub!coryo / softdom!sejanus / switch!reader/ major piss kink

Just imagine fooling around in the shower with the boys and you decide that you want both of them to piss on your pussy.

Sejanus is immediately on board with the idea while Coryo is a bit shy although deep down it turns him on more than anything.

Sej goes first and Coryo's baby blue eyes widen as he sees you moaning like a slut as soon as the strong, warm stream hits your clit. You buckle your hips towards it, aching for more of this exciting new sensation. Sejanus chuckles softly at your despair and he continues to direct it right at your sensitive bud until he's done.

Coryo goes next and Sej encourages him, caressing his sides and trailing soft little kisses down his neck. Coryo shivers at the warm feeling of his friend's lips against his skin and his piss spatters all over your stomach and thighs.

"So excited, babyboy! Don't worry just let it go," you encourage him gently and he steadies the stream, directing it up and down your already dripping cunt and teasing your swollen clit.

"That's it, just like that, love!" Sejanus whispers into Coryo's ear as he soaks you in the warm liquid.

"Thank you, boys!" You smile at them before licking the last few drops off Coryo's tip.

After that they take turns fucking you and cover you in thick loads of cum, praising each other and marveling at their job marking you as theirs in every way possible.

After that you all shower together and cuddle up in bed, whispering sweet nothings to each other.

#alright i will show myself out #this is literally all I can offer y'all during my vacation because I'm so exhausted #but i will continue with the asks as soon as i get back #coriolanus snow #young coriolanus snow #sejanus plinth #snowjanus #snowjanus x reader #snowjanus x you #thg #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #thg tbosas #blurb #cts post

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ruinconstellation · 10 months ago

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Fic recs for The Hands of the Emperor

@rattyjol @wingedscribe @savrenim @far-sector @ariaste, and if you know an author’s tumblr handle and I haven’t yet tagged them, please do pass this along!

SPOIILERS AHEAD. Most of these contain spoilers for Artorin Damara's secret name, and some have other spoilers.

Trial by Fire by astrocryptographer. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 4,040 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: Kip/HR.

Cliopher sayo Mdang trials as the Sun-on-Earth’s personal secretary. Incidentally, they learn that the taboo against eye contact has lifted, and that the one against touch has not.

Refraction by astrocryptographer. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 9,249 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: Kip/HR.

“If each of my two natures, I told myself, could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable.” -The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde In a lonely tower, a young man without a name mixes a potion out of an old alchemy book, and in the mirror Fitzroy Angursell looks back.

Hold on Forever by SunInGlory. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 16,959 words, 2/2 chapters. Relationship: Kip/HR.

Kip hated the sense of desolation in the man's voice, the despair, the resignation at the foundering of the ship that was his ke'ea. No one should have to give up— “You could always stay here,” he offered. “No one would ever know.” The man’s head popped up in astonishment—and, for the first time since coming in through Saya Dorn's pantry, he looked right at Kip, directly into Kip's eyes. (in which the newly crowned Emperor keeps tumbling through to Saya Dorn’s house.)

In the Office of Friendship by astrocryptographer. Rating: General Audiences. No warnings. 3,079 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: The Imperial Household.

First Commander Omo suggested that his Radiancy retire, and that was bad enough, but then he just. Kept talking. Imperial Guardsman Elish was going to need a second vacation. If he survived this conversation.

Protocol One by astrocryptographer. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. Warning: Major Character Death. 18,836 words, 4/4 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR.

Protocol One: The Unexpected Death of the Lord Magus of Zunidh (the Last Emperor, the Lord of Rising Stars, the Sun-on-Earth, all ten thousand of his titles, his Radiancy, Cliopher’s dear friend)—how it is followed, and how it is not, and how the world somehow continues to turn.

Bloodstained Threnodies by astrocryptographer. Rating: Mature. Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings. 2,113 words, 1/1 chapters. Character: HR.

The Emperor of Astandalas died so that the Empire could live. The Empire in return sustained the Emperor with blood: a perfect, vicious symmetry which stabilized the magic of five worlds. We were never certain when precisely in our reign it could be said that we died. (The Emperor is a vampire.)

Arrest by astrocryptographer, complete series, 72,212 words, 2 works. The Arrest of Cliopher Mdang, rating: Teen and Up Audiences, no warnings, 69,381 words, 13/13 chapters. Acquittal, rating: General Audiences, 2,831 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR, the Imperial Household.

When the Last Emperor and Lord Magus of Zunidh declares Cliopher an enemy of the world, a threat to peace and prosperity, a Terror to rival those of the fallen Empire, what else can he do but live up to the legends? (or: the Moon Lady sets a curse on His Radiancy, causing him to hate Cliopher in an inverse of the love he bears. How can Cliopher break the curse?)

with a winged heart by celebros. Rating: Explicit. No warnings. 33,064 words, 6/6 chapters. Relationship: Kip/HR.

"Cliopher. Cliopher. Cliopher." I blink. It's Conju, standing with his hands on my shoulders, and I go to answer him and realize that I am already speaking, babbling, and Franzel is behind him, wringing his hands and looking near tears. I try to focus on what I'm saying, but it's like a stream, light and splashing past me, too quick to hold, not enough to catch, somehow, somehow – (A few weeks before the start of the viceroyship ceremonies, Kip finds himself the unwitting recipient of a truth serum.)

Inner Guard by rattyjol. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 903 words, 1/1 chapters. Character: Ludvic Omo.

His grandfather had liked to say that every piece of wood had something beautiful inside it, calm and quiescent like a wingfinger on a cold morning. It took a sharp knife and steady hands to bring it forth, but it took a carver’s eyes to show it the sun and let it fly.

Friday Keeps Coming Next by rattyjol, complete series, 44,495 words, 2 works. Friday Keeps Coming Next, rating: Teen and Up Audiences, no major warnings (temporary character death), 38,198 words, 10/10 chapters. Thursday Won't Ever End, rating: Teen and Up Audiences, no major warnings (again, temporary character death), 6,297 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR.

On Cliopher's first day as imperial secretary, breaking the taboo of eye contact causes a perpetual time loop for Cliopher and His Radiancy. What could go wrong?

The Virtue of Being True by electropeach. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 15,685 words, 3/3 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR, the Imperial Household.

"You're under an enchantment, Cliopher. The good news is that the protections his Radiancy has placed on you have shielded you; the bad news is that the protections that block the spell are also reflecting it, meaning that instead of you it affects everyone who comes near you. You may have noticed an unusual propensity for candor in your vicinity today?" (A reverse truth serum plot leads to Cliopher having a very strange day.)

The Ones We Call by Name by ketchupblood. Rating: General Audiences. No warnings. 7,222 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: the Imperial Household.

He was the Emperor, the Sun-on-Earth, and the Lord of Ten Thousand Titles. For just a moment, he let himself hope that someone might dare to call him by name. Or: his Radiancy realizes that his personal secretary and the groom of his chamber are... friends.

Dispatches from the Junior Secretariat by wingedScribe. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 62,321 words, 8/14 chapters (no cliffhangers). Relationship: the junior secretaries (Gaudy, Tully, Zaoul, Eldo, Iro, Iri), Kip & HR.

Gaudy Vawen is leaving home to follow his uncle. Eldo Vardes is doing the same to defy his father. Zaoul wants to find the answers to questions only he is asking, and Tully wants to find problems only she can sort out. They collide in Solaara, where they find the Imperial Bureaucratic Service poised to aid the greatest transition in government since the Fall. And also, where they find themselves the somewhat-captive but very intrigued peanut gallery to the lives of both Cliopher Mdang and His Radiancy the Emperor. A retelling of parts of Hands of the Emperor through the the sometimes-comprehending, often-bemused, always-intrigued eyes of Gaudy, Tully, Zaoul, and Eldo as they grow and advance in the Service.

Epithalamion by oliviacirce. Rating: Explicit. No Warnings. 10,611 words, 1/1 chapters. Relationship: Kip/HR.

"Right," Zemius said. "So—when Dora asked His Serene and Radiant Holiness the Last Emperor if the regency ceremony was a wedding, it reminded me of something, and well, Kip, I don't think you're going to want to hear this, but the thing is—it was a wedding." (in which the Viceroyship ceremony was accidentally a wedding)

a buried and a burning flame by savrenim. Rating: Mature. No warnings. 16,538 words, 1/15 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR.

Cliopher Mdang's hands were stained gold years before he came into the Emperor's service. (Or: the one where Kip went home after the Fall accompanied by Tor, a ghostly man, and returned to Solaara with golden soulmate marks on his arms.)

flies far, far home by nsmorig. Rating: General Audiences. No warnings. 5,576 words, 2/13 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR.

In Astandalas in the years before the Fall, far from home and desperately lonely, Kip makes a friend. If the Emperor can be a man without a soul then, logically, Kip can be friends with a soul without its associated man. (daemon au, albatross style)

Not a fic. A Fancy-Man and Foreign: A Case Study of Cliopher Mdang by Ariaste. Nonfiction meta, an analysis of the cultural byplay in The Hands of the Emperor. 9,909 words.

soon, they said, if not today by Ariaste. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No warnings. 44,417 words, 4/4 chapters. Relationship: Kip & HR.

Cliopher passes the Imperial exams on the first try. It changes everything. (In which Cliopher Mdang meets the Emperor two years after his reign begins.)

one for sorrow, two for joy by Ariaste. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. No major warnings (warning: imprisonment). 35,528 words, 4/4 chapters.

The Emperors of Astandalas did not have daemons. Cliopher knew this could not, technically, be true. Thinking this thought, even in the quietest whisper in his deepest heart of hearts, was undeniably treason, but…. facts were facts: The Emperors of Astandalas, though worshipped as gods on earth, were each of them born a human being before they were apotheosized by the crown and by law and custom. Every human being had a soul; therefore, every human being had a daemon. So the Emperors of Astandalas must have had daemons. But by tradition and ritual and magic and taboo: The Emperors of Astandalas did not have daemons. (daemon au, manatura style)

hélouzithe, hélouzanth by nsmorig. Rating: Explicit. No warnings. 7,546 words, 1/1 chapters.

In court’s long sleeves, the Astandalan greeting, gripping the forearms, might not involve any actual contact of skin, and Cliopher’s hands are holding his sleeves, but Cliopher is not in court’s long sleeves, and his fingertips spread across the curve of skin before the elbow.

Works containing At the Feet of the Sun spoilers that I haven't read yet but these authors are definitely skilled:

dream only of stars and songs by electropeach, 70k words, 3 works, rating: T.

when every no turns into maybe by Ariaste, 30k words, 5/5 chapters, rating: T.

Lastly: if you have any fic recs for HOTE, please add them to this post!

#long post #op #ruinconstellation recs #fic rec list #wow i haven't done these in a long while #the hands of the emperor #nine worlds #thote fanfic #hote fanfic

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violettavonviolet · 2 months ago

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Multifandom Fic Rec's

Fandoms on the list are Spn, James Bond, Harry Potter, Sherlock and Twilight.

All fics are finished and fantastic, the word count goes up as you scroll and the rating is noted. Def do check the tags though!

James Bond

Dramatic Arts

scioscribe

Summary:

In which Spectre is actually Bond's poorly written attempt at falsifying a mission report. Q wants a flight simulator, Eve wants more lines, and M wants a drink. Everybody's a critic.

2.9k teen 00Q humor

Love and Other Hazardous Materials

luchia

Summary:

"This is just getting ridiculous," M says when he finds Q trying to put motorized circular saw blades into a briefcase.

(Or, Q and James Bond love their jobs so very, very much.)

3.5k 00Q

Employee Relations, Friendly Workplace and Team Building: A Guide to Successful Relationships in the MI6

Rosslyn

Summary:

Because even MI6 isn’t exempt from British administrative features and its assorted exercises.

“Ah, bollocks. It says that all departmental heads have to attend or their annual budget won’t get approved. Can they do that?"

R finally sets down the iron and pats Q on the shoulder. “If they can make the Double Os take lessons in health and safety,” she says ominously, “They can do whatever the fuck they want."

6k 00Q crack gen

Q's Favourite

IBegToDreamAndDiffer

Summary:

How the double-ohs found out that James Bond is Q's favourite.

6.6k 00Q teen

Handle With Care

winterhill

Summary:

It’s not exactly a secret that Bond and Q are dating. Most people in the agency give Bond the shovel talk; everyone who doesn’t gives Q the “are you sure you know what you’re doing?” talk. Q and Bond ignore them all and have a lovely time, right up until an exploding pen explodes.

10k 00Q

The Mating Dance of Wolf and Fox**

epithalamium, TheCatOnTheMoon

Summary:

In which Moneypenny despairs of her boys, no one in MI6 is the least bit sane, Bond complains to HR about MI6's workplace policies, Q insists that he is not a fainting maiden, and he might have to sleep with 007.

Strictly for professional purposes, of course.

22k 00Q my favorite

Mistletoe

dhampir72

Summary:

She sits down at her chair, coffee in one hand, folded paper in the other. She is just taking a sip when she opens the paper...and promptly spits her coffee back into the cup.

The paper reads:

James Bond

That can’t be right. It’s impossible. It has to be.

Right?

10k 00Q teen

dawn

kiyala

Summary:

Bond honestly doesn't begin with the intention of courting Q.

17k 00Q teen

Yours, J

swtalmnd

Summary:

Bond sends letters. Q is vexed. Q-branch starts a betting pool. There are an appalling amount of sweets. Also, 002 is a bit of an arse.

40k 00Q explicit

Ordinary Numbers

BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria

Summary:

More than anything, Mike Taylor wanted to be ordinary. Being a genius, he learned early in life, meant people expected too much. A career at the MI6 Help Desk seemed the perfect way to guarantee a lifetime of obscurity, until he got a very unusual tech support call.

44k 00Q humor

Nodus Tollens

Only_1_Truth

Summary:

Nodus Tollens: the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore

Q's life at the technical help department of MI6 was decently quiet and paid reasonably well - it even gave him vacation time, although he rarely used it. So when Q was finally coaxed to leave work for a bit and relax, he thought that Paris might be fun.

Of course, that was before the gunfight, witnessing a shooting, and being kidnapped by a strange, blue-eyed gunman named James Bond.

88k 00Q teen

Ulysses

girlbookwrm

Summary:

“Paperwork for the new head of Q-Branch,” Tanner said.

“Of course.” The words were like glass in his throat. Smoke inhalation was a bitch. His brain felt slow and foggy, like it was full of smoke too. “Who shall I take them to?”

M lifted one white brow. “They’re for you, Quartermaster.”

Bond and Q are drawn together by names, work, and a certain Aston Martin. In which Q is kidnapped once, Bond is poisoned twice, and Eve is a badass on at least three occasions. AKA that time I tripped and wrote 80,000 words of 00Q.

All titles unapologetically stolen from Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

89k 00Q teen

Twilight

you woke the lion up

Tsume_Yuki

Summary:

Travelling through England and attempting to adjust to this 'vegetarian diet' that Peter had heard about, Jasper Whitlock comes across a pretty girl abandoned in the woods with far more despair than should be appropriate.

And really, as a Southern Gentleman, he can hardly leave her on her lonesome, can he?

20k Jasper/Harry Potter

The Future Mrs Jacob Black.

JessalynMichele

Summary:

Nobody told Jacob how utterly perfect it would be when he finally imprinted on his soulmate...

“I could kill you in ten seconds flat.”

... or how the moment could be completely ruined the moment she opened her mouth.

27k jacob black/harry potter

The Boyfriend

AverageFish

Summary:

"I like the trees here," Harry said, his accent placing him far from home. "They keep my wrackspurts away." It was twilight, and he wasn't wearing any shoes.

"You can stay at my place," Charlie said.

One night turned into teaching Harry to use the coffee machine, and then he grew used to fresh pancakes every Sunday.

Until Charlie realized one day, while calling Harry down from the old oak out back, that he didn't want the man to leave.

29k Charlie/Harry Potter

Green & Gold

JessalynMichele

Summary:

Harry Potter is a traumatized war veteran in a body that won’t die and a mind that won’t rest.

Jasper Hale is intrigued by this new student who looks so vulnerable but sends off such overwhelming waves of angst.

Everyone else is just concerned.

Set post Battle of Hogwarts, starting in the summer before Bella Swans junior year.

144k Harry/Jasper

Harry Potter

will you walk into my parlor (and ne’er come out again?)

Ellory

Summary:

Heiress Pleione Potter is sure she will not get entangled in the web Mister Mycroft Holmes weaves about himself. He proves her wrong.

11k mycroft holmes/harry potter

Magnificent

esama

Summary:

The birth of the Ministry of Magic and his relationship with the British Government.

20k harry/microft holmes teen

to refuse the givens

snark

Summary:

Daphne Greengrass makes a tidy sum selling contraband at Hogwarts, and a nihilistic Harry Potter wants to buy cigarettes.

33k Daphne/Harry

In Evidence of Magical Theory

bixgirl1

Summary:

When a hex meant for Draco accidentally catches Harry as well, they're forced to learn to understand each other in ways they previously might have thought impossible.

In which Harry and Draco can't fight, so they fall in love instead.

43k drarry explicit

Whispers in Corners

esama

Summary:

Everything started with a stumble - his new life in a new world as well as his surprisingly successful career as a medium.

64k mycroft holmes/harry potter teen

Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run

waspabi

Summary:

'You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work.

93k drarry teen

Harry Potter and the Welcome to the World of Grey

sobsicles

Summary:

When Harry fails to keep his anger at bay and Voldemort possesses his mind, the events that follow lead him down a long road to realizing the world isn't as black and white as it seems.

Chaos, hilarity, and tragedy ensue with a Dark Lord being honest all the time, a rival becoming something else, and a world demanding to be saved. Featuring frightened Death Eaters, deep conversations with a monster, Pureblood traditions being ridiculous, and the fight to do the right thing with no true options.

Harry's life just gets more and more bizarre with each passing moment.

~~~

Or, the one where Harry's life gets split in half, and he has to figure out how to bring it back together.

456k drarry explicit

Sherlock

Illusory Correlation and Confirmation Bias

VanillaBegonias

Summary:

Looking back, there were a few things that should’ve tipped Greg off long before that night at the pub. A few things Sherlock left fairly obvious, that on reflection, made Greg question how he’d gotten his job in the first place.

10k johnlock

Son of Mine

simoneallen

Summary:

Wilson shrugged. “Well, you’ve met him,” he pointed out. “What do you think House’s kid would be like, if House had a kid?”

13k crossover house md johnlock explicit

Working on the Edges

earlgreytea68

Summary:

No matter where you put Sherlock and John, they click. Including the Winter Olympics.

56k johnlock mature

Nature and Nurture

earlgreytea68

Summary:

The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

203k johnlock

Supernatural

I Like Batman

DarcyDelaney

Summary:

Dean's got enough on his plate, what with doing his damnedest to make sure that Sam has the best Christmas possible; the last thing he needs is to figure out a Secret Santa gift for another kid in Sam's class on top of it all.

3.2k weechesters angst

At the bottom of his glass

Mademoiselle_A

Summary:

It was perfectly normal for a Hunter to drink. John's sons were worried for nothing.

At least, that's what John Winchester thought at first.

3.7k genfic angst

Thumbnail Ridges

whiteraven1606

Summary:

As a child, Dean made sure Sammy got feed, even if that meant Dean didn't eat. It was hard work, right up until it wasn't anymore.

4k genfic angst

i drew our car for you

Septembers_coda

Summary:

Nothing kindergarten teacher April Huxley has ever learned can tell her what to do when adorable, troubled little Dean Winchester falls into her life—or when he vanishes abruptly back out of it.

5k angst weechesters

Runaways

keerawa

Summary:

We lost seven teenage boys from the shelter in the summer of '97. The last were a pair of brothers so wrapped up in each other that I never had a chance to save them. Their names were Sam and Dean.

10k gen angst

"I Need a Favor"

alas_horatio

Summary:

Sam agrees to drive a stranger across the country to join Cas while their brother is in the hospital, only to find out that his new road trip companion isn't so much a stranger as the most haunting one night stand of his life.

15k Destiel Sam/Gabriel teen

Neighborly

Spooks, thesuninside

Summary:

There are two kids living next door. They gotta be surviving off ramen noodles by now, and Christ, but it's none of Frank's business.

22k weechesters crossover

Dies Irae, or Something

AlchemyAlice

Summary:

It starts with headaches, and it ends in a clusterfuck. So, business as usual, Apocalypse-wise.

51k Sam/Gabriel Destiel teen

Angels, Alcohol, and Marriage: Awesome

Akira_of_the_Twilight

Summary:

For Sam waking up next to a supposedly dead archangel was shocking enough, then he learned that aforementioned angel doesn't remember him, and they may have gotten married. From there everything spiraled.

78k Sam/gabriel accidental marraige, mature

#vio's recs #fic recommendation #fic rec #supernatural #sabriel #destiel #bbc sherlock #johnlock #twilight #00q #james bond

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next-autopsy · 1 year ago

Text

A/N: Well, hi there! WTH TWENTY CHAPTERS! I can’t believe it!

Just want to thank everyone who has liked, rebloged, commented or just reads! I love and appreciate each and everyone of y'all x

Based on the actors portrayal/hbo show and written with no disrespect to the real life veterans. Also all images found on Pinterest.

TW: i dont think there are any... maybe swearing?

Tags: @malarkgirlypop, @panzershrike-pretz

Made of Glass

Chapter twenty: Call Her Bluff

The entire event of the previous night played in her mind on a loop. She hadn’t slept much, instead choosing to lie awake in her bed reminiscing about the time spent stargazing with Joe.

They had laid there on the scratchy blanket until after lights out, then the pair were forced to sneak back to Bernadette’s barracks without being caught. Plus Joe had to repeat the whole sneaking around schtick to get to his own barracks.

Now that the idea of crushing on the Californian man had been brought to the forefront of her mind, it was all Birdie could think of.

At first she disagreed, Joe was mean to her: why would she like someone who calls her names? But then she remembered how fast her heart was beating when he told her she belonged. His comment had sat with her for weeks, echoing in her head constantly. Her own flesh and blood hadn’t believed in her and yet Joe did. Maybe a crush wasn’t that far fetched.

“Well someone’s happy this morning!” Charlotte commented, watching Birdie as she skipped from one side of her cot to the other, tucking in the crisp white sheet as she went.

“Yeah, considering you came back so late.” Lucy smirked, all the girls had an inkling as to why the Mississippi born lady was so chipper. They had bets on which guy had captured her attention, little did they know it was not the obvious choice: Joe Toye.

“Sorry, Mother. I’ll make sure to be home ‘fore curfew.” Bernadette played along, teasingly rolling her eyes towards the Fox company woman.

“So…?” Blythe bounced on her bed, waiting to hear what tales the previous night held.

“So what?” She played dumb, continuing to flatten out her bedsheets and fluff her pillows. Even Connie, who didn’t typically approve of gossip had scooted closer, intrigued and curious.

“Who’s the guy?” Charlotte burst, she couldn’t take much more of the coy bullshit, she just wanted to be privy to the latest discussion.

“Please tell us!” Blythe added, begging the southern woman to just rip the band aid off.

“There’s no guy. Not like that by any means, fraternising is against the rules, ya know?” She wasn’t really sure how to explain a schoolgirl crush, especially one she wasn’t even sure was requited.

“But if it wasn’t, you would’ve?” Lucy waggled her eyebrows at her suggestively. She understood the implication and of course her cheeks tinted pink, the thought got her bashful. Birdie had to reign in her thoughts before they ran wild. She didn’t know if Joe even thought of her like that, so there was no point in fantasizing about something that had no chance to come to fruition.

“…no…” Birdie mumbled the word, fidgeting with the hem of her ODs and biting her bottom lip to try to hide a smile. Despite her attempt at checking herself, the imagery of how soft Joe’s lips might feel on her own would not vacate her mind.

“Never play poker, Bernadette Coldwell. You can’t bluff for shit.” Lucy laughed, shaking her head.

—-----------------

Yet another failed practice manoeuvre led by Captain Sobel had Easy company in despair. The afternoon mood had plummeted meaning not much chit-chat at the lunch table.

It was a Friday and Birdie still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her friends about her upcoming birthday, it wasn’t really a good time, especially with this morning's loss.

Plus she and most of the company had their weekend passes taken away because Sobel was having a tough week. It was dejecting to say the least, so when several letters and a parcel arrived for her mid meal, she perked up.

The package was from her family, as were most of the letters. Some came from highschool friends and neighbours, mentioning some video on TV that she had apparently appeared in, enticing young women to sign up and do their part for the country.

“What is it? Your birthday?” George had joked, but as he thought about the statement he began to realise he had known Birdie for close to a year and was yet to celebrate her birthday. His face went serious, smile dropped, “Is it?”

“Almost.” The southerner winked at her brown eyed friend while tucking away a letter she had finished reading.

“What? Why didn’t you say anything? When is it? What day?” George spat out all at once, hardly leaving space to inhale.

“Breathe Luz!” Birdie laughed.

“Not until you tell me when!” He puffed up his cheeks and scrunched his eyes closed, holding in his breath. His face coloured a light shade of pink that slowly got darker.

“Don’t you dare say anything, Little Bird.” Guarnere grinned, holding a hand out to stop her girl from intervening. George held on for as long as he could but ended up bursting and spluttering within thirty seconds.

“I almost died! You have to tell me now?” The radioman was leaning so far over the table he may as well have been on top of it.

Liebgott had emptied his tray and was walking past Birdie’s table toward the dining hall door when he overheard George yelling at the girl and couldn’t help himself.

“Tell you what?” He chimed in, curious to hear the girl speak. She smiled at him but before she could say anything, Luz butted in, “Birdie’s birthday is soon but she won't say when.”

“Well if you gave me a second…” She paused, giving her overactive buddy a look, “You’d know it's on Sunday.”

“What?! That's so soon! Give us some warning, lady! I don't even have a gift or-”

“Luz! Calm down.” Birdie couldn't help but giggle at his antics, “Your presence is gift enough.” It was cheesy but she meant it. She didn’t want gifts from anyone or special treatment. She missed home and her family and she knew any gifts she received would be tainted with the homesick feeling that grew in her chest day by day.

“I’d get a refund if I were you.” Toye jested, he smirked at George, then flicked him a quick wink so the man knew he was kidding.

“Hey!” George exclaimed, slightly offended by the comment. He began explaining to Toye and Guarnere how amazing he was and how truly blessed they were to know him.

“Sunday, huh?” Lieb leaned closer to the almost birthday girl, lowering his voice so only the two could participate in this conversation.

“Hmm? Oh… yeah. Sunday.” She had been watching Luz go off on her two closest friends but her attention was pulled to him and now she couldn't tear it away. She noticed the deeper tone he used with her and how he wanted her undivided focus, Birdie had to force herself not to blush.

“Ask me when my birthday is.” His voice was barely a whisper. Was he doing that on purpose?

“When’s your birthday, Joe?” Birdie whispered back, looking up at him as he leaned on the table. She blinked her eyes waiting for his answer.

“Monday.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. They basically shared a birthday! A grin broke out on her face and she squealed, “No way! Really?!” This gained the awareness of the three men next to her.

“Uh… hey, what the hell is going on?” Toye said, astonished at the behaviour change between the two who typically only fought and called out names at each other.

“What?” Birdie tilted her head at him, pretending not to know why Toye had questioned them. She knew exactly why he was confused but she couldn’t say anything, lest she embarrass herself.

“You two are… talking?” Bill spoke, just as astounded as the man next to him. Bill and Toye were arguably Birdie’s closest friends and they had no idea her and Lieb were suddenly on good terms; it shook both men to their core. They thought Birdie hated that man but here they were chatting like old mates.

“Yeah?” Lieb tilted his head too, feigning confusion. Toye noted the mimicked mannerism, he would surely be interrogating Birdie later.

“Not yelling…” Bill was still in the dark, genuinely befuddled, “Or trying to kill each other?”

George smiled and kept quiet for once, he knew exactly what was going on here, and he had good money on the pair hooking up before the end of the year. It looked like he would be winning said bet the way things were going.

“Didn’t you hate him last week?” Bill went on, trying to figure out what had transpired, “Yeah, the words you used were: Hate him with the fire of a thousand suns.”

“Poetic.” Liebgott nodded at the woman, his signature smirk plastered on his features. She was getting flustered and he loved it, watching her squirm.

“Oh yeah, I remember that.” Penkala chimed in, overhearing the discussion from down the table, “Didn’t you ask Johnny to smother him in his sleep?”

Liebgott’s eyebrows raised, he looked at the woman and awaited her answer. He knew it was all in good fun but he couldn’t give up the chance to tease her, in good nature this time.

“I decline to comment.”

—-----------

Since Easy didn’t have weekend passes, that Sunday was spent doing extra PT Sobel had assigned them. He didn’t hold back, really tiring them out with laps of the field and multiple combat sessions. They even had a designated hour of digging foxholes with their entrenching tool.

What a birthday.

The women didn't have to have escorts every second of every day anymore, the rules had eased up, but Birdie felt better when someone stood guard while she showered and Johnny wouldn't let her anywhere near the showers by herself. So after the day of taxing physical activity, Johnny found Birdie and walked her to the women's bathroom.

On the way out, Birdie slumped over, exhausted and ready to pass out. She was yet to have dinner but honestly she could do without for tonight, she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. Besides, the mess hall was closing in five minutes, so it looked like she’d run out of time anyway.

Johnny walked next to her in perfect step as the two made their way to Bernadette's sleeping quarters. When they would typically go left, Johnny stepped right. It confused Birdie, she had to stop walking and take stock of where they were. Was she so tired that she forgot her way to her own barracks?

“One quick stop first.” Johnny explained, detecting her hesitance. She didn’t argue, just groaned and nodded, following the man without question.

“Here.” Martin gestured to the three wooden steps leading up to a building identical to her own barracks. If her mind wasn’t foggy she would have recognised it but her brain was declining to function properly so she just hopped up the steps silently.

Birdie watched Johnny reach out for the door handle and hold it open for her like a gentleman. From inside Birdie heard ‘shushes’ and then nothing. How very suspicious. Had she been at full thinking capacity she might have understood the situation more clearly.

“Surprise!” A chorus of baritone voices called out to her. Birdie jumped, unexpecting the loud announcement.

The faces of just about every Easy company man stuffed into the small barracks building registered and Bernadette broke out into a grin. She looked back at Johnny who was amused, standing with his arms crossed and mouthed to him “For me?” He nodded at the young girl and she all but threw herself in his direction. He flung his arms out just in time to catch her in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you.” The southerner whispered to him while wrapped in his arms. Someone cleared their throat from behind her and she turned to face them.

“Um… where’s my hug? I planned this whole thing.” George stated, matter of factly.

“You did?” She spoke with a high pitched voice, wobbling with emotion. George nodded, “Thank you!” The woman embraced him with little hesitation, sniffling into his shoulder. She was tired and missing home and this act of kindness had broken her, joyful tears welled up in her eyes.

“Hey, are you crying?” Luz tried to pull away from her to see if she was sobbing but she refused to let go of him, holding on more tightly.

“Shut up and hug me, Luz.” He chuckled and put his arms back around her, squeezing slightly.

A few of the men had wished her a happy birthday and left for their own barracks, leaving her closer friends to host a little soiree. A deck of cards was dealt out and Toye was determined to show Birdie how to play poker. She decided not to tell him she had learnt the gambling game from her older brothers and allowed him to ‘teach’ her the rules.

Birdie purposefully lost the first few games, then begged Toye to let her play on her own. He was reluctant and when she suggested putting money on the game he outright refused. But she puppy dog eyed him and used the excuse of it being her birthday and he caved.

Bernadette played against Toye, Guarnere, Bull, Liebgott and Perconte while Chuck Grant was designated dealer. Stakes were getting high, they were betting smokes and Hershey's bars and the pool was an enormous mountain of tobacco and chocolate. Toye, Bill and Perco were confident Birdie had bad cards or didn’t understand them so they kept upping the bet, Bull was just along for the ride, calling cause he had nothing better to do.

When it came to Lieb’s turn to place a bet, he looked at his cards secretly, then to the cards in the middle. He took a second to watch the faces of the men and the one woman playing along with him, he was good at reading body language and something about the look Birdie gave him told him he should sit this one out. He raised his brow at her, a silent question. She tilted her head ever so slightly, her muted answer. He folded.

Cards were shown and Bernadette had swindled nearly sixty cigarettes and eight bars of chocolate out of her friends. She laughed as she pulled her winnings towards her, “Thank you boys! I won't have to buy smokes for a week!” She gloated, enjoying the looks on the men's faces. Toye showed devastation, had that really just happened?

“You minx! Why didn’t you tell me you could play poker?” Toye gaped at her, seriously what the hell had happened just now? She only laughed, eyes twinkling. She unwrapped a Hershey's before answering him, “First rule of poker: Play your opponent, not the game.” Birdie winked, biting into her hard earned bar of cocoa.

A/N: I think it's funny how the women have a bet on Birdie crushing on someone and its even funnier that Easy does too

~ next-autopsy ~

Chapter twenty and a half

#band of brothers #easy company #hbo war #made of glass #band of brothers fanfic #fem oc #oc #made of glass chapter twenty #joe toye #joe liebgott #johnny martin #george luz #bill guarnere #next autopsy

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mayalaen · 2 months ago

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Tag Game

@alicetallula tagged me for this one. Thank you 💜

do you make your bed? Never!

what's your favorite number? 42 (I don't really have a favorite number so every time I'm asked I say a different one)

what is your job? I own and manage a tattoo shop, and a tattoo, piercing, and medical supply shop

if you could go back to school, would you? I wouldn't mind taking some college courses on a few things.

can you parallel park? Yup

a job you had that would surprise people? Most friends know about my aversion to children, but when I was under 25 I really liked kids, and I babysat as much as I could, as many kids as I could. Biggest job I had was 9 kids. Longest job I had was 2 weeks straight when a couple went on vacation.

do you think aliens are real? Probably.

can you drive a manual car? Yup

what's your guilty pleasure? I never know how to answer this because I don't feel guilty about liking things so...

tattoos? A lot

favorite color? Dark purple

favorite type of music? I like pretty much all types of music, but what I mostly listen to is post-grunge.

do you like puzzles? No. They're tedious and it makes me anxious. I'm only interested until I figure out how a particular kind of puzzle game works, then I'm done.

any phobias? No phobias, but my body does not like big social situations.

favorite childhood sport? Basketball

do you talk to yourself? Sometimes

what movies do you adore? Lifeforce, The Thing, All Over the Guy, Princess Bride, Donnie Darko, Knives Out, Kingsman, Queen of the Damned, Star Trek (all of them), The Naked Gun series, and I'm sure a lot more but brain is not braining.

coffee or tea? tea - I *do not* like coffee

first thing you wanted be when you grew up? writer. Always wanted that even when I was very little.

No pressure tags from my activity list: @pugs-cats-bb-8 @whataboutthefish @tiffanybluesclues @hullosweetpea @wheels-of-despair @ellendd @jezapoof

#about me #tagging games

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cloudyyoungjaes · 1 year ago

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Shout out to me putting Ahn through a killing game. He survived, but he has more trauma.

For example: he can’t wear bracelets anymore :)

#begginonmyknees.mp3 (thana talks)#despairing vacation tag

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ao3feed-destiel-02 · 10 days ago

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The Want Of A Broken Man

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/v15q4wA by TheGoldenPen It's been two months since they defeated Chuck. Dean and Sam are free to live their lives, but with Cas gone and Jack not answering their prayers, it's hard to find joy in their new life. When Jack eventually shows up, he has Cas with him, human but fully alive. Dean rejoices in seeing him alive again, but he remembers all too well what Cas had told right before dying. And now he has to face the fact that Cas is in love with him. *** “So you uh …”, Dean turned around and looked at Cas. Cas met his eyes with uncertainty. For a minute Dean found it hard to get a word out of his mouth, then he cleared his throat and said: “How’re you feeling? Better?” “Yes, I feel more well-rested now.” Cas nodded and they fell into silence once more. Dean hated silence. He wanted to fill it with something, to say something funny that would make Cas squint, but he couldn’t come up with a single thing to say. The silence stretched on and just as Dean was starting to contemplate making some small talk about the weather (he had no idea what weather it was today) Cas emptied his glass and got to his feet. “I’m gonna …”, he didn’t finish the sentence and just left the room to Dean’s relief. Words: 36900, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel (Supernatural), Jack Kline Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester Additional Tags: Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair (Supernatural), Post-Episode: s15e19 Inherit the Earth (Supernatural), I mean it's kind of post s15e20 as well if you squint hard enough, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester is Bad at Feelings, cas is gone dean is devastated, but it's okay jack brings him back, Jack Kline is God But Also Still a Child, Castiel and Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester are Jack Kline's Parents, but it's mostly about destiel, Happy Ending, Castiel/Dean Winchester Happy Ending, Dean gets his happy ending, dean gets his beach vacation, Dean Winchester Gets What Dean Winchester Deserves, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester Lives, POV Dean Winchester read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/v15q4wA

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #(your tags here)

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drdt-superpowers-au · 5 months ago

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Intro Post

Why hello there! this is an AU blog for Danganronpa: Despair Time! This is just a fun little AU I made up on my own, so I'm not affiliated with DRDT or the DRDTdev in any way.

AU Explanation:

The AU is pretty self-explanatory from the title alone. Drdt, but all the characters have superpowers (I couldn't think of a more creative title oops). Everything else (meaning the LORE) will be revealed later and will most likely be added to this section of the post so that people can keep track of what's going on.

Rules:

-Since this is an AU and it's not about the canon drdt universe, I won't be using drdt tags (except for this post, since I want people to know this blog exists). I don't want to flood the tags with an AU that not everyone will be interested in.

-This blog may make references to canon drdt, so beware of spoilers.

-I'm a minor, so while suggestive asks are allowed, full-on NSFW isn't. I've tried to write that kind of thing and I can't.

-While I'll try my very best to include some art in every post, I've been a writer for far longer than I've been an artist, so sometimes I may default to writing. My goal is to include art in every post, though!

-Along with that, please be nice about my art. I'm trying my best. (And be nice to me and others in general, of course).

-I'll be honest, I haven't decided on which ships I want in the AU yet, and I'm a multishipper who's fine with any ship under the sun unless it contradicts canon sexualities. So within that guideline, feel free to push for any ship you want!

-My little monkey brain gets distracted easily, so I can't guarantee consistent posting. But for now, I'm on summer vacation, so I should be able to answer things relatively frequently.

If needed, more rules will be added. But for now, that's all. :)

About the blog owner:

I'm not going to reveal my identity, because I like to pretend that I'm cool and mysterious. But for your guys' convenience, I'll share that I use she/her pronouns (though I'm fine with people defaulting to they/them, too). You can call me...um...mod ace, I suppose. There's only one mod, me, but Ace Markey is my favorite character so being named after him seems fitting. I'm going to try not to show favoritism towards him in the AU (I will most likely fail).

I've never run an AU blog like this before, so if I didn't say something I should've, or am in general doing something wrong, let me know!

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #drdt au #intro post

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strawwritesfic · 1 year ago

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Takeshi Yamamoto x Female!Reader: But Uh-Oh Those Summer Nights [Ch. 8]

Summary: “Summer lovin’ had me a blast / summer lovin’ happened so fast.”

Challenge: “10 Summer Events” by someone on Lunaescence Archives.

Ratings/Warnings/Tags: T (Sexual humor; sexual dialogue; summer vacation; comedy; fluff; eccentric grandparents; Grease references; Takeshi & Hayato & Tsuna; Takeshi & Hayato & Tsuna & Reader; Reborn & Tsuna; Reborn & Reader; Original Character & Reader)

Pairings: Takeshi Yamamoto/Reader

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Master List

Chapter 8: Nighttime Summer Carnival

The crowd teemed endlessly all around you. Carnival goers jostled you left and right as they went from stand to stand. You tried your best to force your way through the throng, but this last festival of the summer was obviously a popular one. A sea of people separated you from your friends.

It might have been easier to find them if you hadn't arrived so late. Unfortunately, your grandmother had insisted on you wearing an entirely different yukata to this particular festival--and not just any yukata. She wanted you to wear hers. The modifications she attempted, however, had made the once-beautiful fabric into nothing but an expensive mess. This required an emergency trip to the store to find you something appropriate to be seen in in public. Now wearing a completely unnecessary outfit that included a mask strapped to your head, you despaired of finding the one person your grandmother had gone to all this effort for.

“[Name]!”

You looked up at Tsuna’s voice. It took you a little bit longer than usual to find him. There he was, standing by the chocolate banana stand.

“Tsuna!” you said as you shoved your way to him. “Reborn’s not making you sell things again, is he?”

“Not that I know of. But I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Me either. That baby is crazy.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, sorry I’m late. Grandma, um, had a heart attack.”

This was, of course, an outright lie. She just didn’t want the boys you’d spent your whole vacation with thinking less of her sewing abilities. And if the alternative to spouting this story to anyone who asked was her mailing Takeshi a pair of your undergarments, well...

“Is she all right?”

Of course Tsuna would buy it hook, line, and sinker. “She’s fine now. She just has to watch her red meat intake.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, why are you here by yourself? Where are Hayato and Takeshi?”

“I don’t know!” Tsuna looked close to tearing his own hair out. “I came by the banana stand thinking Reborn had set them to work again, but they’re not here either.”

You chewed at your lip as you cast your eyes about the fast-moving river of people before you. Hayato missing was a blessing, really, but you only had a few days left. So much for somehow geting Takeshi away from the other two for a few minutes. Not that you minded Tsuna’s company, but

Speaking of the Tsuna, his anxiety only appeared to be growing. Then it hit you:

“Where’s Reborn?”

“That’s what I’m worried about!” he wailed.

“It’s okay. Calm down. Maybe he’s hanging out with Kyoya.” That thought didn’t comfort you much either. On the other hand...“Well, no probably not. He’s probably stalking us.”

“What?”

“It seems to be a hobby of his. Anyway, if Reborn hasn’t done anything yet, he’ll probably wait at least a few more minutes. Let’s go find Takeshi and Hayato, okay?”

Tsuna did not look terribly enthusiastic about your suggestion. Nonetheless, he gave you hesitant nod before following you back into the current. You had to shout to get him to hear over the chatter all around you:

“So where do you think they’ll be?”

“What?”

“I said, ‘Where do you think they’ll be?’”

“Oh! I don’t know. Takeshi usually plays the throwing games, but I didn’t see him there earlier, and–”

“Perfect!” You could have kissed him on the forehead. Instead, you settled for waving and shouting, “Let’s split up! You look for Hayato, and I’ll look for Takeshi! Bye, Tsuna!”

There was no way of telling if he actually heard you before the crowd swept him away, but you had to hope so. Otherwise, Hayato might have been lost forever. Wouldn’t that have just been such a crying shame?

Luckily, the crowd around you soon began to thin. The sun had set entirely, leaving only the bulbs hanging on thin strands crisscrossing the paths to light your way. You caught snatches of conversations that involved the word “fireworks.” Maybe everyone was headed to a better viewing spot.

Your heart dropped a bit at the thought. Perhaps it was silly, but you still wanted to watch them with Takeshi, since you hadn’t go to last time. That plan was beginning to look more and more impossible, though. If you couldn’t find your boyfriend, you couldn’t watch anything with him.

“Oh no! No! Not all my wares! I beg you!”

A sudden cry brought you to a standstill. The voice did not belong to Takeshi, but you stopped at the obvious horror in the words. And of course, who should be there but Reborn coldly ruining some shopkeeper’s life?

“Just put it in the bag,” he said, though the man running the stand remained groveling.

“Hi, Reborn,” you said.

He looked up from his place at the shooting stand, then gave you a quick nod as he cocked the gun. “Good evening, [Name].”

“Tsuna’s afraid you’re looking for him, by the way.”

“Paranoia can be a helpful quality in a boss.” Another bullet zoomed through the obstacles. “If you’re looking for Yamamoto, he’s a few stands over.”

“Thanks.” You darted off again, as you were eager to get away before the game manager started crying again. Sure enough, just as you sprinted around another corner, you heard more sobbing. “Jeez, Reborn can’t be nice to anyone, can he?”

“Oh. There you are.”

You froze and looked up. Headed right toward you was a tall, grinning boy. Despite the fact the pair of you had been dating for several weeks, you could not stop your heart rate from picking up a bit as you answered with a sheepish smile:

“Here I am.”

“I’m glad I found you! The festival is almost over!”

“Yeah, my grandma, she–”

You stopped. Takeshi lifted one arm, the hand of which was wrapped loosely around a fluffy-looking stuffed cat.

“What’s this?” you asked.

“I won it for you,” he explained, “in case you weren’t able to make it. Well, I guess I would have tried to win it anyway, but–”

You cut him off with a hug, then tugged it from his hand. “I love it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Good. Now you have something to remember me by.”

You had nothing to say to that. At the beginning of the summer, you’d thought you weren’t going to find a single friend. All you had wanted to do was leave Japan as soon as possible. Now you had Tsuna, Takeshi, even Hayato. The thought of going home made you feel ill.

Maybe Takeshi sensed how you were feeling, because the next thing he did was push you away slightly and say, “Hey. Let’s go watch those fireworks.”

Slowly, you nodded. Then, with the hand not wrapped around the cat’s neck, you grabbed his hand.

Takeshi grinned and patted you on the head. “It’ll be okay.”

You took a deep breath, smiled, and looked toward the sky.

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