#did see the girl in the water and again that was okay but also meh

[wowbright]

I watched Knock At The Cabin and I'm not sure how I feel about it but it was better than I expected. I mean, at this point with M Night Shyamalan I just go in prepared for deep disappointment, and I didn't get that!

[mrchiipchrome]

The Drunk Dial

W.C.- 3.8 k

a/n; i know that this is extremely shitty

------

Alessia Russo hated you. You would go as far as to say that she despised you. You don’t know when it started, but it’s been one of the only constants in your life ever since. Your parents divorce? Meh, she couldn’t give a damn. You break your arm? Good going trying to get her to sign your cast. You get called up? Ugh tell someone who cares.

It wasn’t like you didn’t try to become friends with the blonde, it was just that she rejected your every advance. In fact that’s all you did the first year or so, until you realized it was futile of you to even try. Ever since the two of you had been living in disharmony, arguing with the other every chance you got.

That’s why you’re so confused when you hear the voicemail she left you the night before as you’re walking to training. The slurred words quickly makes the confused look disappear, a smirk replacing it rapidly as you realize the ammunition you now have.

The girls look on in confusion as you basically skip your way into the meeting room, eyes scanning for the blonde head of hair you’d gotten used to seeing daily over the last few weeks. When you inevitably don’t see her, you take a seat closer to the door than you usually would.

“Oi, Y/n you’re in my seat!” Katie whisper shouts as she takes the seat right beside you, wanting her favorite seat back. 

“Tough luck Katie, come earlier next time” You tease, adding an overdramatic wink at the end of the sentence to emphasize. You’re not even mad when the older girl pushes harshly at your shoulder, in too good of a mood to have it be dampened by anyone.

The meeting finishes as quickly as it had started, Alessia not appearing until the meeting itself had concluded and people had started to file out the door. Not you though, you stayed right where you’d taken your seat 20 minutes before. 

Your humorous glare didn’t even falter as you felt the harsh one coming from the girl with baby blue eyes, who’d coincidentally thrown herself into the seat opposite of you. Jonas looks at Alessia expectedly as the blonde girl slowly lowers her sunglasses, the tall man expecting an apology from the obviously hungover girl.

“I’m so sorry for being late Jonas” The gaffer looks on in slight disbelief before sighing loudly.

“It’s okay, just don’t let it happen again” He fixes her with a pointed look, quickly disappearing from the enclosed space with Alessia nodding vigorously.

“Can I get you anything Russo? Water? Smelling salts? An alibi for why you’re late?” The teasing tone in your voice is almost as prominent as the striker's headache, the headache that makes her feel like her head is splitting.

“No but you could fuck right off!” Alessia rests her forehead on the cool surface of the table in an attempt at easing her pounding headache. She runs her hands over her sloppily tied hair, the bun she’d hastily thrown her golden locks into quickly falling apart.

“Ooohh, that stings.” Your hand comes up to cover your heart, like the women in those renaissance paintings. “Not the words, but the cloud of vodka that accompanies them” Your teasing continues even after she gives you the finger. 

“Fuck you!” Alessia groans out through clenched teeth. With a response as quick as light, you counter.

“Oh you wish” You’re able to see the disgusted expression on her face from miles away, but strangely you also see the slight rosiness of her cheeks. 

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I went out with some old UNC friends last night” Your eyebrows furrow at her explanation, she doesn’t owe you one.

“Yeah, then you thought ‘Oh, I should call Y/n at 3 am’” The smirk on your face widens exponentially as Alessia lifts her face from the table, confusion on every corner of her expression.

“Really, yeah cause the first thing I do when I’m having fun is think abou-” Her sweet accented voice is cut off by her own, only the latter is slurred and barely audible.

“Y/n Y/l/n I’m ringing you because…what was it?” Alessia’s giggle on the recording of her voice cuts off her next words, “You’re probably asleep but you’re pretty…I don’t even know” The recording is cut off with the sound of someone shouting for shots. Alessia’s face is beet red by now, expressing every horrified thought running through her pretty head.

“The drunk dial. So much subtext. So much intrigue. So much booty call implication.” You’re oh so satisfied with yourself as Alessia opens her mouth to respond, but ultimately doesn’t. The chair bounces off the floor as the blonde legs it out the door, your laughter providing a back track.

The loud clicking of cleats against the floor catches your attention, and when Gio’s head pops into the room from the doorway. 

“What happened with Less?” The younger girl questions, having seen Alessia running to the locker room only moments before.

“Russo drunk dialed me! After years of hating me, she called me drunk last night and I got the voicemail to prove it.” Gio’s expression turns from neutral to worried faster than a lightswitch turns a lamp on.

“The drunk dial?! Ohhhh this can’t be good!” Now it’s your turn to be confused, the girl in front of you extremely worried.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. We tease each other all the time, she hates me” You explain apprehensively, not wanting to make the girl more worried.

“That’s the point! What can she do when you hold all the cards? It’s like when two people see each other naked in sitcoms, the balance shifts.” The girl in front of you grabs your shoulder wildly, as to implicate exactly how important it is that you understand.

“So you’re telling me I need to show Russo the lady parts?” Your smile indicates that you’re joking, and Gio shoves your shoulder telling you to go and get ready for training. Still, the talk with the younger woman sticks in your mind throughout practice, especially when Alessia can’t look you in the eyes and when she doesn’t tackle you as hard as usual.

Eventually when practice ends you all file into the cafeteria for lunch, and you end up in line right behind the blue eyed beauty. The blonde avoids your every attempt at meeting her eyes and starting a conversation, not giving you her usual snide remarks. You’re worried now, her snide remarks usually hurting you but in a good way.

“Russo, once when I was out at the pub with the team I hit on a dude who I thought was a chick.”  Her sky blue eyes meet yours for the first time since that morning, tens of different emotions swirling around in them.

“Why are you telling me this?” She questions.

“Well it’s to tell you that no one acts like themself when they’re drunk, I wouldn’t think about flirting with a dude sober. Sooo…” You answer her confidently, that confidence disappearing when she gives you a dirty look.

“Fuck off Y/l/n” Her voice is more venomous than a black mamba, and you have to hide the slightly shocked expression from your teammates who all look on in confusion at the interaction. 

After getting your food, you make your way to where Gio is sitting in a conversation with Kathrine. The chair thuds as you drop down into it and you effectively pull Gio’s attention away from her best friend, the girl looking at you with a knowing smile.

“You were right, it’s all awkward now and she won’t even insult me.” You throw your hands up into the air as Kathrine looks on in confusion.

“Wait, let’s hear that first part again” Gio demands with a satisfied smile. You sigh, knowing that this was the only way for you to get her to help you.

“You were right.” 

“And just one more time for good measure” You fix the brunette with a slight glare before once again telling her that she was right. “Oh it’s like music to my ears, now the only way to get everything back to normal is for you to even the score.” Gio tells you, Kathrine giving up on trying to understand what you were talking about.

“I have to show Russo my bits?” This time, unlike the other, you’re completely serious. Gio slaps her hand on her forehead at you as she tries to explain what she means to you.

“No, you have to drunk dial her! Have you ever acted drunk before?” The girl questions curiously, looking at you expectantly.

“No I’m not drunk, seriously I’m not drunk.” You slur your words painfully, swaying slightly in your seat to give it a realer look. Gio winces at the horrid performance, knowing that she would have to get you drunk for her plan to work.

“That was horrible, I’ll go home with you after the weight session and we’ll practice, okay?” You nod in response before digging into your food.

—-

After another rather awkward training session with the blue eyed girl, you find yourself in your apartment with your young companion who’s trying to coach you on how to act drunker than you are.

As Gio pours you another shot of the clear alcoholic beverage, you can’t help but wince slightly at the burning sensation at the back of your throat from previous shots.

“Bottoms up” The girl tells you playfully as you throw the liquid courage down the back of your throat. “Now, try again. Let’s see your drunk impression.” You imitate an old phone as you make beeping noises.

“Wassup Russo, your call was a nice surprise so I decided to give you a ring to thank you for it” The slurring words don’t help you in the slightest as Gio once again looks on in disgust.

“No, not like that, come on!” The young girl explains.

“Gio, I love you and all, but to be honest you’re a horrible drinking buddy.” You can see the girl's expression change drastically as she picks up the bottle of alcohol. Looking on in shock, you see how the brunette chugs the alcohol directly from the bottle.

“I thought you didn’t drink” You express, Gio looking at you like you’re crazy.

“I don’t, but it’s all for the plot. The things I do for you my friend, the things I do for you” Gio pours two shots for you both to take.

What follows is a night full of drinking with one of your best friends, and one very long very detailed call to your nemesis…

—-

The rude beeping of your alarm going off for the tenth time makes you groan, your head pounding viciously in protest of the light coming in through the blinds and directly into your eyes. Your back aches dully as you feel the hard floor beneath you, looking up to the couch you see Gio’s sleeping form resting all over it.

Crawling over to the girl, you slap her leg hard to wake her up from slumber. The girl wakes with a slight yell as she sees you lying on the floor, questioning where she was.

“What happened last night?” You ask, running your hand over your face, the apartment in shambles with empty bottles strewn around like it would after a high school rager. The young girl shakes her pounding head before perking up again.

“Did you call Less last night?!” You pick your phone up with a rapid pace, looking at your outgoing calls.

“One outgoing call to Russo, and one outgoing call to Kimmy…oh fuck me, that’s not good” You tell the girl, who nods with wide eyes nearly bursting out in laughter at your terrified expression.

“Oh fuck, oh shit, look at the time! We’re so fucked!” You scrambled up from your place on the floor, rushing into your bedroom to gather some new, not alcohol drenched clothes for you and Gio. Throwing the clothes on the youngster, you tell her to hurry up and put them on before you’re even later than needed.

You’re both out the door in record time, slipping the pairs of sunglasses you always kept with you over your eyes to block out the light even more. 

Pulling up to training, the two of you rush out of the car and into the building. The locker room is nearly empty by the time you reach it, the only people there being the only two in the whole world that you didn’t want to see at that moment. Kim raises her brow at the door slamming open and as you look into her eyes, you see the disapproving look that’s settled there. When Gio runs into your back only moments later, it only becomes worse.

You rush to your cubby, located only meters away from Alessia’s, Alessia who looks at you with a satisfied smirk on her face. The stupid smirk entices you, and you wonder what you possibly could have said to get her to look at you like that.

Pulling your shirt off, you don’t notice her Alessia’s eyes follow the movement, her eyes locking onto the shaped abs and the ridges that appear on your arms as you struggle to get the shirt off. Just because you don’t notice doesn’t mean that Gio doesn’t, she smirks at the obvious attraction Alessia holds for you.

After getting your training clothes on, you make your way to the door where your skipper is waiting for you. She holds the door open for you before slinging her arm around your waist, you bringing your arm up and around her shoulders. 

“Did you have fun last night?” The older woman asks you, your eyes widening slightly in surprise at her question.

“If I’m honest, I can’t even remember most of last night.” Your free hand comes up to rub at the back of your neck, the door behind you opening up yet again.

“Well, next time you and Gio decide to have a night full of drinking, please make sure that you dial Alessia’s number right away instead of calling me, okay?” Your cheeks darken exponentially at the blondes words, the woman a mentor to you.

“I’m so sorry Kimmy.” She smiles up at you in response, patting your stomach lightly before breaking away from you.

Back in the locker room Alessia is getting ready to get out of the locker room, that is before she hears Gio call her name.

“Alessia, I can see the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching you.” The shorter girl keeps her voice low, like she’s talking to a scared animal.

“What are you talking about?” The blonde questions, her eyes betraying her real feelings as the love shines through the apparent hatred.

“I’m talking about you and Y/n, listen I know that you hate her or whatever but the eyes never lie chica, the eyes never lie” And with that, Gio walks out of the room, leaving a stunned Alessia Russo behind.

—-

Only days later, it’s time for an away game and as you settle into your seat on the bus you can’t help but think about your blue eyed teammate. Staring out the window, you get startled out of your thoughts by a body flopping into the seat beside you. Looking to your left, you see the person you least expected to sit beside you.

Her ocean-like eyes look into your own for a second before she stares back towards the front of the bus. When she starts to talk, she does so in a whisper that barely gets heard over the bustle of the bus.

“So, you think I’m pretty huh?” She leans into your body slightly, her minty breath wafting over the side of your face. The cool mint contrasts the hot nature of your tomato red face, wide eyes scanning her side profile nervously.

“What? I’ve never said that!” Your voice comes out shaky and unsure as your eyes flit around the bus, now it’s Alessia’s turn to study you.

“Oh, so you don’t deny that I’m pretty?” She teases, your face becoming even more red than before if that was possible. The sputtering coming from your throat doesn’t help your case as you choke on your spit.

Alessia pulls up her phone to play the voicemail you’d left her only days before, the slurred voice on the recording obviously yours as it was your turn to be embarrassed.

“Hey Ruse-Cruise, I was just calling to tell you that you're so pretty. I can’t believe that you’re real, you always look like a fucking goddess and I’m so jealous that I can’t call you mine. Yeah, sober me is gonna hate myself for that but I don’t care. Kiss Kiss!” If you could, you would throw yourself off a cliff. 

Pulling your hoodie up and over your cartoonishly red face, you wish for the ground to swallow you whole or at least get Alessia to move away from you. And after a bit, it seems like your prayers are answered because Alessia moves over to sit beside Lotte and Gio moves into the spot Alessia had occupied only moments before.

“Gio, kill me” You plead to the younger girl, who looks on in part amusement and part concern.

“That bad, huh?” Your head drops down onto her shoulder and you hum in agreement. “It’ll be alright, don’t you worry.” The younger girl strokes your back to comfort you, catching the eye of her partner in crime and nodding. The plan had to be set in motion.

—-

Ever since you had heard that godforsaken voicemail, you had been ignoring the older girl who it had been sent to. The only time you actually gave her any semblance of attention was during training or games, and even then it was only a second of eye contact or a quick word.

The striker's friends had even started to notice the effect your absence had on her, the girl much more frustrated and closed off than normal. It had gotten so bad that her performance on the pitch was worsening slightly. Something had to be done, and fast.

Just to their luck, the two matchmakers had created a plan that was sure to work.

When Gio comes running for you after training one day, her worried expression fools you just the right amount and as she runs away in the opposite direction you were going in, you just had to follow her.

What you didn’t expect was to be pushed into a storage closet only moments after arriving to where Gio had stopped, another body being pushed into you seconds later before the telltale sound of the lock clicking shut sounds throughout the cramped space.

The person leaning against you soon jumps away from you, a voice sounding from the other side of the door.

“I don’t care how you do it, but the two of you need to make up. Only then will you be let out.” The scowl on your face widens at the smugness in Gio’s voice and your fist pounds at the door viciously as you scream and yell for them to open the damn door. 

In your attempts to get the girls on the other side to open the door for you, you don’t notice how Alessia starts to panic nor do you notice how she’s now on the ground. 

“Y/n shut up!” Her tone is harsh as you continue to bang your fist on the door. “No seriously Y/n, shut up!” The way Alessia speaks has you looking towards her, seeing the dark silhouette of her body sitting on the floor.

“I don’t like tight spaces” She whispers into your ear after you’ve dropped down beside her, taking her hand in your own, you don’t have the stomach to tell her that her death grip is cutting off all your circulation.

“Hey, Russo, how can I help you? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me how” The free hand caresses her shin in what’s supposed to be a comforting action. All the years of supposed hate disappears when she looks up at you with tearfilled eyes, begging you to do something.

“I don’t care what you do, just distract me please” She begs. The idea that pops into your head will probably make her hate you even more, but alas it’s the only way to distract her.

“Fuck it” You lean in closer to her, the fact that she isn’t pushing you away is definitely a good sign.

“Can I kiss you?” You whisper against her lips, in place of a response she leans in slightly and presses her soft lips against your own.

The only way to describe her lips was that they were heavenly, and definitely distracting. They move slowly, testing the waters before diving in. Without breaking the seal of your lips, the forward slowly moves over into your lap, her hands tasseling in your locks whilst yours settle comfortably on her hips. The bruising grip of your fingers doesn’t let up even after the blonde pulls away from the kiss.

She twirls your hair between her long, perfectly manicured fingers and her intense gaze settles on your face, eyes flitting over it like she’s trying to commit it to memory. Your thumbs find their way under the hem of her shirt, stroking the skin softly.

“I’m sorry” She speaks up quietly.

“What could you possibly be sorry for, pretty girl?” 

“The way I’ve treated you, I couldn’t even tell you why I did it.” Alessia explains, her fingers caressing your cheek sweetly. You lean into her hand, pressing a soft kiss to her palm before speaking.

“Eh, that’s all in the past, how about we make some positive memories to replace the old ones huh?” You whisper back, pulling the shorter girl in for another kiss. 

“Hey, Gio! Can we come out now? We’ve made up” Alessia’s cheeks darken slightly at the particular choice of words. You two stand up as the door gets unlocked and opened, letting Alessia exit first, you soon lunge at the brazilian who’d locked you in. Pulling her into a headlock, you hear the sweet sound of Alessia’s laughter and you can’t help but laugh yourself.

Let’s just say, Alessia Russo doesn’t hate you anymore, the kisses you share deep into the night a sure indication of that…

[our-aroace-experience]

Hi! I was on the asexual tag saw this blog and just wanted to see if anyone else who is aspec can relate to my ramblings. Rambling tldr: not claiming a label despite that label actually relating to my experiences because it just doesn't fit perfect enough and because it doesn't fit perfect enough in my mind I don't think I want to use it.

Now, back in 2020 I claimed being 'asexual' by name and then a couple of months later claimed being aroflux which eventually changed to 'greyaro' over a year later. And those two terms fit me the best, grey aro ace is me. However, because I'm greyaro I still feel romantic attraction though it is rare but its still present enough in my mind to continually be wondering about what label to put it as. For the most part, I don't have a label even when the attraction - romantic/sensual/alterous/aesthetic - arises. Which again doesn't rise often, but I daydream about it a lot or reminisce about old crushes - particularly the one about a girl way back in high school days. (Let me tell you that was a wild time in my mind). Back then I was thinking I was bisexual only to cancel it out because I didn't want to have sex with her. However I never questioned if I wanted to have sex with boys (I just assumed I would, thanks heteroallonormativity). But the romantic feelings I had for her were the same like the boy crushes (which came up every few years). And for a timeline purposes, before her my last crush (boy) was in the 7th grade, she was the 11th grade, and my last crush currently was senior year of undergrad college (the best one honestly I could actually talk to him and not be overly ridden with anxiety and embarrassment). And despite so many years passing I always wonder - does the bi label fit? Was that with her an bi experience? I know its whatever I feel like it was but also I'm wondering if my hesitation is because deep down having that bi label attached makes the 'im not straight' thought more permanent? If that makes sense? Like 'im not straight' in any way, not even hetero aro/ace? And maybe that thought just makes my head spin a little. I thought about the pan label too; but when I read the definition to see the differences between bi and pan I realized that pan definition doesn't connect the closest but bi does. However I still can't always make it fit. It's like when I was going by aroflux despite the fact it did not fit for me, it was clunky in my brain calling myself that. But then I read about grey-aromantic and it fit perfect! But not my romantic orientation is still in murky waters; I ID as a girl so for the most part of my life boys have been what I've been romantically attracted to, however hetero isn't me. I usually just go as fluid for all my attraction titles which I do like but that opens up more discussion of "okay, but who, what gender?" So in that case I guess bi would be the correct answer...despite the fact gender doesn't play a part (hence fluid label I go with and or queer) but it isn't all genders I fall for, I lean in some directions more than others. So it kind of does, doesn't it? But again I'm like "....meh it just doesn't fit/doesn't fit the way I want." And I am one of those people who agree that you don't have to use every label or any label including micro (for example, aegosexual I can relate to but I don't feel the need to have two microlabels) however, once I start thinking in depth I start to question myself as I do because I'm a thinker. And I think a lot because in real life I'm not in the space where I can speak about this openly with the people in my life.

Wonder if anyone else has had something like this on and off throughout their life too?

Thanks for listening~

you can be bi and greyromantic at the same time, if that helps! but not wanting labels is totally valid and if that feels best then go for it!

[leffee]

Top five favorite Vinnie moments from the show go!

Oh boy, okay!

His absolutely mad destroying rage when he found out Sunil is not coming in for the day. I don't remember if I first watched that episode when Sunil was still my favourite or when Vinnie was already that, but either way I loved it. Love me a crazy bitch like that. Me when a small, happy-go-lucky normally treated as harmless guy is angry and everyone else is suddenly scared shitless. Who else goes absolutely berserk cause they can't see their bestie for a while? Only Vinnie, the crazy bitch, love him.

Basically everything he did in "Bake It 'til You Make It" to help said bestie. Like he did so much just to help Sunil and also to commit an elaborate lie but shhhh, it's all for Sunil's sake so that's fine.

Whatever the hell he did at the beggining of "Two Pets for Two Pests", I just love everything about it. Him and Penny Ling both really, but I love how fucking cuddly he was with Penny and all like "Idc where I am as long as I'm with my friends" ^^ just <3333 boy can you love them any more. But then! Oh then, as soon as he found out he was the one chosen (again, along with Penny) he pulled out ol' switcheroo and was like "Aha, fuck you you, bitches I was chosen, I'm better than you!". He's such an asshole, I love him, love the immediate change.

His absolute disdain for Esteban in his episode, I love how lowkey passive-agressive he was cause you never again see him do it with anyone else really and that's a damn shame, I love this kind of Vinnie the most, cause the enitre time he's just "Bitch you so stupid."

Him leading the pets when it comes to that Chinese dragon dance. It was such a small part of this episode yet it was undeniably there, I love how he took charge and was all in all "Don't worry, I've got this. I might not normally take charge, but dancing is the one thing I know how to do so I'll do my best."

Those five favourite moments are really just the moments that came to my mind first that I liked with him, I'm sure if I were replying to it some other day I would choose different moments and/or change their order, but today this is it :3.

Honorary mention to literally every other Vinnie moment, but especially to *takes a deep breath*: when he tried to cheer Penny up and gave her a tissue, he (and Russell and Sunil) being stupid while the girls were in Blythe's room, him being sad when the judges didn't like his dance and then being sad about abandoning Blythe, being an absolute tsundere about Sharukh first being like "meh" but then absolutely fanboying, him being the first one to shake off the sugar rush and be like "Guys wtf we doing", being grumpy about being taken by Alice and being trapped in that aquarium (without water, phew!), being tsudnere when Sunil was scared and hugged him but then immediately jumping on his head when he got scared, basically whenever autotmy happens and he lost his tail with the first one being the best, Penny holding him when they found out Blythe was going to F.U.N., his whole dynamic with Zoe in The Big, Feathered Parade, when he tried to stand up to Wiggles cause they both reptiles, him and Sunil being absolutely unhelpful at first in Blythe's Big Idea and takinf that "bath" together, him not letting others watch Zoe's dog show in France cause holy crap insect channel, whenever his coldbloodness is mentioned, "and don't call me Vincent" and whenever Vincent is mentioned, him being done with Sunil's crush on Delilah he was just so 🙄 about it, Sunil calling him "undersized buddy", basically everything he and Sunil were doing in War of the Weirds especially them dising Uptown City that was so funny I swear (alright it was mostly Sunil but Vinnie was on it too), him laughing at Penny in gorilla costume and right after she was like "Won't I look ridiculous?" he did say she does indeed look ridiculous (sorry but that was so fuuny), his chase with Cashmere and Velvet (why did he shake his ass at them smh), like half of The Very Littlest Pet Shop's plot being revealed to be his imagination and pls he and Sunil were so cute in his imagination hmmmmmmmmm, him writing on his own a forumla of nuclear fission (the smart Vinnie episode we never got :(), his goofy ahh explanation for why Blythe can understan pets and being all :) about it while everyone else is just ???, "Dad!" "Roger!" "Sunil!" "Llama?", him being happy when Blythe called him smart (my poor compliments starved baby :( ), him sitting on top of Sunil's head basically the entire lenght of In the Loop episode and also any other moment when he chils on top of someone's head, making that disgusting dish with flies and being happy when no one else wants it cause that means he can eat it all, Jerry calling him a komodo dragon (another case of being misspecied smh), being obsessed with Royal Henry's, being really really (really) sad when Zoe wanted to leave the pet shop to be with doctor handsomeface, eating gecko nom nom treats cause why this name so cute ugh, being the goodest boy in the world and forgiving Pepper for breaking his lucky rock as well as him being all sad that episode, being so fucking sad about Penny this time leaving the pet shop (except she wasn't really but you know), being happy about being worth 10 000 dolars, giving his favourite pillow to Sunil when he was being all grouchy (he never got that pillow back), being absolutely done with that one male moose's dancing and just being a jerk the entire episode "He's been like this whole day" >:(, catboy Vinnie in season 4 finale and many many more.

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 20

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 2679

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks Half this chapter is from the promotional excerpt I did a while ago for it, but it's been altered to fit the route the story has gone :)

Chapter Songs: History This Everyday Love

****

Juliette

Rooster ambled into the kitchen, most likely due to the mouth-watering smell of bacon, eggs, and French Toast. Juliette bit back a smile at her hungover husband and wordlessly slid a bottle of ibuprofen and a glass of water over to him.

"How bad was I last night?" Rooster asked, scrunching his face in pre-mortification while he swallowed the medicine.

"How much do you remember?" she countered.

"I remember stumbling in and trying not to wake you and Ghost, but you two were already awake..."

"I'd been up, and Mav texted to let me know that I was about to have three men in a state about to enter my house."

"Fuck, I forgot Hangman and Coyote were there."

"I mean, none of you acted too differently than you normally do around each other. Coyote dropped to the floor to pet the dogs, you and Hangman were insulting each other, and Ghost, Mav, and I watched and laughed. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The funniest thing was you and Hangman trying to whisper but doing it so loudly that you might as well have been speaking normally."

Rooster rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm so glad I didn't wake you up. You weren't waiting up for me, were you?"

"No, I'd fallen asleep and woken on my own when I started craving ice cream," Juliette said, sliding breakfast in front of him. 

Rooster leaned over the counter and kissed her on the cheek, thanking her for breakfast. "How are you feeling?"

"Meh. I'm going to try to eat because I'm hungry, but I also feel like if I eat one wrong thing, I'll hurl. It's a very fine line right now."

"You take it easy today. I'm going to work on the nursery since the paint should be dry by now. I'll get the simple stuff out of the way- curtains hung, lamp put together, stuff like that- and then I'll start putting the cribs together."

"Do you need any help?"

Rooster stared at her in exasperation. "What did I just say? I said I wanted you to take it easy."

"I didn't mean from me. I was thinking Ghost or Mav."

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds good. By the way, is Ghost okay? She seems off."

Juliette hesitated, unsure how much her friend wanted Rooster to know of her inner troubles. "She's acclimating to returning from deployment and is trying to find her place."

"She's got a place with us. Why don't you call her and invite her over?"

"I will after breakfast. I think she's with Jackie at the moment, and I don't want to interrupt." Juliette took a bite of her French toast, relieved when the nausea didn't hit. She pulled out her phone and dialed Mav's number, putting it on speaker. 

He picked up on the first ring. "Hey, Jules, how are you? Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, so far, but it's still early, so it could change," Juliette joked. 

"How's Rooster doing?"

Rooster swallowed his food and replied, "Could be worse. Hey, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm at the hangar. Why?"

"Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to help me with the nursery, but I'm going to take that as a no." Rooster's brow furrowed. "Why are you at the hangar? You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, had to do some maintenance on the plane. Listen, I'll be back tomorrow. Why don't I come over and help then?"

The couple agreed and hung up. Rooster shook his head. "He's not telling us everything. He was just there last week doing plane maintenance. It shouldn't need it again already. Something's on his mind."

"He doesn't have to tell us everything, Bradley. If something is on his mind, he'll tell us when he's ready," Jules admonished gently, sliding her half-eaten breakfast over to him when nausea rolled over her. "Finish it for me. If I eat anymore, I'm going to be sick."

Rooster happily obliged, albeit eyeing her worriedly. Jules ignored the look and called Ghost in the meantime but quickly hung up after ordering her friend to go back to sleep. She recognized that tiredness all too well. Ghost promised she'd come by afterward to hang out.

Once Rooster finished breakfast and did the dishes, he headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower before tackling the nursery. Meanwhile, Juliette sat on the couch and reviewed some documents for work. Her boss had become extremely lenient with her working hours after learning of her pregnancy complications, and Juliette couldn't be more grateful. 

She'd gotten three-quarters of the way done when her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She snorted at Coyote's message: You'd think my hangover is from all the shots last night, but I'm pretty sure it's from Hangman and Rooster violently hitting me upside the head.

Rooster responded instantly: You should've been more quiet entering the house. You could've woken up the girls!

This time, Hangman chimed in: Says the guy who whispered louder than most people talk.

You did the same! Rooster said, his indignance clear through the four simple words. The text was followed by Rooster verbally saying from the other room, "The God damn snark of- OW!"

"You okay?" Juliette hollered in concern.

Ruefully, he answered, "Yeah, Raptor knocked the lamp over, and it hit my head."

"Maybe he was trying to tell you to lighten up." Silence ensued briefly, but she heard Rooster shuffling down the hallway. He appeared in the doorway and said nothing, only staring at her in entertained exasperation. Grinning, she said, "Oh, come on, you know you want to laugh."

He pursed his lips and then lied, "Absolutely not. Not a single laugh at that. I don't know watt you were thinking."

Juliette opened her mouth to respond, but an incoming text cut her off. Snickering to himself, Rooster returned to the nursery while she read the message. It was from Hangman, but this time, sent only to her: Joking aside, did we bother you too much last night?

Not at all. Ghost and I found the whole scene pretty funny. Besides, I knew you were coming. Mav forewarned me. 

Lol how's Bradshaw doing this morning? I haven't seen him drink that much in ages.

Shockingly well, actually. He's working on the nursery right now- trying to put the cribs together now by the sound of his cursing. How are you holding up?

I'm good. It takes a lot to get me drunk, let alone hungover. Texan genes doing me proud. Does Bradshaw need help with the nursery? Hangman queried. The question took her by surprise, but she wasn't going to pass up on the offer since both Maverick and Ghost were currently unavailable.

Bradley will never admit it, but yes.

Be over in thirty.

Juliette smiled to herself, pleased Hangman decided to join. She'd been concerned about him lately. While he hid it well, she could sense the hidden troubles in her friend that all started the night Ghost arrived. How much it had to do with her, and how much it had to do with the out-of-the-blue call from his family, Juliette hadn't figured out.

Right at the half-hour mark, the doorbell rang. Juliette struggled off the couch and hollered, "I got it!" 

Rooster let her, continuing his attempt (but failing) to construct the extravagant cribs that Sarah Kazansky had gifted the couple upon the announcement of her daughter's pregnancy. Jules shuffled to the door and, ordering Raptor and Lightning to stay back, swung it open, beaming at the man before her. "Hey, Hangman."

In his endearing Texan drawl and with his ever-present smirk, he replied, "Hey, Princess."

The two had formed a close friendship ever since the special training detachment mere months ago. Rooster didn't know it yet, but Juliette planned on making Hangman one of the twins' godfather. She'd seen him around her nephews at family barbecues and how wonderful he was with kids. She had swiftly made up her mind about it afterward. 

"How are my three favorite people?" Hangman asked, gently hugging Juliette and being careful to avoid her ever-growing belly. Then he knelt down to pet the excited German Shepherds.

"Nauseous, as usual, although it's slightly abated for now." Juliette moved aside to allow him entry. "Come on in. Bradley-"

"Hangman?" Rooster sounded from behind, his voice growing closer as he walked up behind his fiancée. "What are you doing here?"

"Princess said you needed help-" Hangman held out his arms- "so here I am. Your Lord and Savior."

Rooster looked down at Juliette. "Honey, I meant competent help."

"Any man who saved your life is competent in my book," she responded matter-of-factly, patting his cheek. "You work well together when you're not at each other's throats."

"And here I thought we were making headway, Bradshaw," Hangman teased. "Hell, I even brought sustenance."

Hangman lifted a six-pack of beer, and Rooster raised his eyebrows. "Sustenance or a bribe?"

"Both."

Rooster grinned. "Well, I guess some help is better than none. Come on."

"Before we get started-" Hangman pulled out a carton of ice cream and handed it to her- "I brought something for you too."

Juliette greedily snatched it up because despite having chills from all the nausea, something about the sight of the ice cream made her appetite return. Shooting Hangman a thankful smile, she hurried to the kitchen and ripped off the lid. Juliette grabbed a spoon and plopped happily on the couch, nausea miraculously gone, although she wouldn't complain or think about that too much. After all, she welcomed the reprieve.

For the first hour, Rooster and Hangman sounded like they were getting along. Juliette even swore they clinked beer bottles a couple of times. Of course, once that initial hour passed, she could hear some of their frustration coming out. 

After killing half the ice cream carton, Juliette went to put it away. As she shut the freezer, the doorbell rang. Perplexed as to who it could be, she went to answer it. Opening the door, Jules found Ghost standing before her. "Hey! What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so."

Ghost shrugged. "Couldn't stay asleep. Is it still okay for me to hang out?"

"Of course! Besides-" Juliette stepped aside and allowed her friend in- "you're just in time for the entertainment." 

"I always did have perfect timing," her friend joked, shrugging off her jacket. "Is someone else here?"

"Hangman. He's helping Rooster put the cribs together, and I use the term 'help' loosely."

Distaste flickered across Ghost's face at his name, but she refrained from remarking about it. The two girls made their way to the couch and sat down. Raptor and Lightning lay on their feet. Ghost asked, "So, how's the nursery coming along?"

Juliette started to answer but stopped short when she heard Hangman demand in annoyance, "Bradshaw, is there anything you're actually capable of doing?"

Rooster responded with equal irritation and without a beat, "Putting up with you. You're supposed to be helping here!"

"It's not my fault the instructions are in Chinese and that you can't find the ones in English!"

"There are pictures for each step!"

"They're not clear enough!"

"Come on, we're smarter than this," Rooster said. Juliette could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Clearly, we're not," Hangman retorted before laughing mischievously and adding, "What does this look like?"

"You have the mind of a child."

"And yet, I'm still more intelligent than you."

"That's rich coming from the guy who forgot the word for 'sting ray' and called it a 'sea pancake.'"

"What does it say about you that you knew exactly what I was talking about?"

"That I am fluent in child from having worked with you for so long."

The boys continued their jesting while Ghost and Juliette eavesdropped, smothering their laughter at the continuous insults the boys hurled at each other and watching TV, content with each other's company. Another hour passed before Rooster and Hangman emerged from the nursery. The latter zeroed in on Ghost the moment he laid eyes on her, but he swiftly shifted his gaze to Juliette. 

"So-" Jules began, barely keeping a straight face as she feigned ignorance- "how's it coming along?"

"We're getting there," Rooster blatantly lied. "We're taking a break to go get dinner. What do you ladies want?"

"I'll defer to Juliette," Ghost responded. "Whatever she craves is the best way to go."

"I am craving seafood," Juliette admitted shyly, not wanting to force anyone to eat something they weren't in the mood for. "Is that okay?"

"Seafood it is, Princess," Hangman promised, bowing his head. "What would y'all like, and from where?"

"If you go to Pappa's Seafood, Rooster knows my answer," Jules said, standing up with the help of Bradley. "Crawfish platter."

"Ooh, what's on that?" Ghost asked.

"Fried crawfish, crawfish etouffee, and French fries."

"How big is it?"

"Enough for one person."

Ghost looked at Rooster. "Make that two crawfish platters."

"You got it," he said. He kissed Juliette and bid Ghost goodbye before strutting out the door. Hangman pecked Jules on the cheek, bowed his head at Ghost in acknowledgment, then followed Rooster.

Juliette waited until the door shut behind them before saying, "Want to take a shot at putting the cribs together?"

"Absolutely," Ghost agreed, following her friend to the nursery. The girls entered a chaotic scene. Bits and pieces were scattered across the floor in no particular order; some were put together but with no obvious evidence of where they belonged on the crib, and Juliette could only be thankful it belonged to only one crib instead of two—at least the second remained safely in the box. 

"We have our work cut out for us," Ghost mused, sitting on the floor in the middle of the madness. Juliette gently lowered herself to the ground across from her. "At least they had the sense to leave the nails and bolts in the packaging."

"I knew I should've supervised them," Juliette said, shaking her head. "Okay, where are the instructions? The English ones, I mean. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Rooster probably set them down in some weird place. I'd say grab them from the second box, but I don't know where they are in there, and I don't want to risk adding-" she motioned at the parts strewn about- "to this insanity."

"You stay seated. I'll get up and look around," Ghost ordered, standing up. 

Juliette watched her friend, unable to hold back the question that had been on the tip of her tongue since Ghost's first day when she ran into Hangman. Leaning back on her hands, she asked hesitantly, "So, are you ever going to tell me how you and Hangman know each other? Because you are obviously more than old acquaintances."

Although Ghost didn't face her, Juliette saw the girl's shoulders sag. "How long have you known?"

"A while. Between the blatant tension between you two and the fact that Hangman called you an 'old acquaintance'- which is the same thing I called Rooster when Phoenix and Hangman picked up on our chemistry the day he arrived for the special training detachment- it wasn't hard to figure out."

Ghost scoffed. "Hangman and I don't have chemistry."

Uh-huh, and Rooster and I aren't about to have twins. Juliette disagreed with her friend but kept the opinion to herself. Now was not the time. "I wanted to wait until you told me about it, but something tells me it's been eating at you, him being here, I mean. So what is it? What happened between you two?"

Ghost sighed and shut the top dresser drawer she'd been searching. Facing Juliette, the female pilot said sadly, "Once upon a time, Hangman and I were best friends. We met in high school and were inseparable for almost a decade."

Bracing her elbows on her knees and leaning forward eagerly, Juliette asked, "What happened between you two?"

Ghost dropped her gaze to the floor. "He nearly got me killed."

****

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[castillodeleon]

An Unserious Serious Conversation Who: Leo and Seb What: The two have a talk about Sebastian's relationship. Where: The Castillo Deleon residence When: May, 2024

A/N: Mentions of @rebecca-anderson & @salvadorquiroz

Leo began packing his books into his bag along with some Pokemon cards gifted to him by Henry and some board games he had begged his father for. Even though his birthday was three months away, Leo already had a long list of games he wanted and was excited about playing with Henry and Jason when they had the chance.

"You're the only kid I know that packs books for a sleepover." Seb bit into his apple and leaned against their dining room set. "Isn't that a little heavy?"

"That's not true. You know Henry and Michael Sin. Literally, all my friends are giant nerds."

Seb almost choked on his apple and laughed. "Excuse me?"

"We figured it's best if we embrace our natural selves. Me, a possibly queer boy from San Fransico who reads at a college level, loves spreadsheets and Dungeons and Dragons. Henry, the language and arts wizard with an emotional quotient that would shame just about anyone, and Jason---he's just cute. I don't know. I've got nothing, dad."

Seb shook his head. "Speaking of, will you be asking Jason to the summer soiree? I hear Mr. Escobar will be chaperoning."

"Meh. Dad, I don't think he sees me that way and Uncle Thomas says that's okay and I can move on when I'm ready. Maybe we'll do a group thing. Henry refuses to talk tot he girl he likes and Jason is too busy trying not to go to summer school for third time in his academic career. Do you think that'll be weird?"

"Um, I don't think so. You're all still so young. Not saying I didn't try to date in middle school but there's a lot that comes with all of that."

Leo nodded and zipped up his duffle. "Trust me I know. Xavier is getting us all sundaes today and Winter is going to come with us to the comic book store in town before we grab dinner and go back to Henry's house. So, you can call me on my cell phone or text me. Don't set the house on fire while I'm gone."

"Who's the kid again?" Seb walked back into the kitchen to toss the core of the apple into a trash can. "And Winter will make sure you all stay together?"

"I'm 12, dad not 4. Besides, Winter is really mature for her age. " He smirked. "Are you going on a date with Rebecca or Salvador tonight?" Leo was curious about the information his dad had given him last month and now that they've done the appropriate research, Leo understood it better.

Seb smiled as he began the dishes. Xavier would be here any minute to pick Leo up but he wanted to answer any questions his son would have for him. "Both of them." He shut off the water for a moment and reached for his dish towel to wipe his hands. "Did you understand what I meant the other day when I said I was dating them both?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I understand it better now. I think. I just wonder what it's like to be in love with two people. I know you're not in love yet but when it happens, like will it happen for both of them at the same time?"

"Um, that's a good question. I'm going to say maybe not. Maybe in a perfect world it would but I feel like it's very possible for me to love them both at the same time at some point which is why I'm in the relationship to begin with. I see them both as two individual people but at the same time, it's like being with one person so all the rules o f dating still apply."

"Huh. What about when it gets more serious? Will you marry them both?"

"Perhaps. But it's too soon to tell any of that. Again, if it does get more serious, it would be a strong consideration. Is that something you'd be open to knowing more about?"

"Yes." Leo replied quickly. "I like seeing you happy. That's what matters most to me but I also want to understand it all. Do you think they like me?"

Seb reached out for his son and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "What's not to like?"

Leo shrugged. "I know, right? I'm delightful." He giggled and looked up at his dad. "Do you think people will say mean things about you all?"

"It's possible. People are unpredictable but I do know that there are nice people and there are mean people. I can't change that or their mindset but if I'm happy and Becks and Sal are happy and YOU are happy, I feel like we'll be okay."

Leo took a moment to take that all in. "You know they're like really rich, right? like Henry is rich but they're rich rich. I looked up their profiles. It wasn't hard..."

"Whoa...Lee. No hacking my boyfriend and girlfriend, okay? I know them pretty well by now. There isn't anything you've discovered that I don't know. I promise. We're open with one another like that."

"And they're okay with us having a savings fund for new brakes?" Leo asked genuinely, not wanting to sound unkind. He was just a realist.

"I mean, they don't know about the needing new brakes part but they're not opposed to dating someone middle-class. Would it make you feel better if I brought them here for a dinner date? And you can join us. You can bring Henry as your emotional support friend."

Leo nodded. "Yeah...that would be helpful. I want them to see our house and maybe they can play Scrabble with us."

"Maybe." Seb wondered when he could make that happen.

"If they don't care that we eat out of takeout boxes and play Scrabble on Sundays and have a brake fund then they're great in my book. They already make you happy, dad." He looked over his shoulder when he heard the doorbell. "That's Xavier. Do you want to come out and say hello?"

Seb nodded and ran a hand through his cirls. "Yeah, I do. You know, your uncle Xavier is the reason I met Sal and Becks. And your aunt Cel."

"Yeah, aunt Cel was ready to kidnap you and throw you to the auction." Leo giggled again as he shouldered his bag. "That was funny."

When they headed out the door, Xavier was standing in front of a car he's never seen before and Seb let out a low whistle. "Whoa. Riding in Style!" He did the Fresh Prince handshake with him as Leo and Henry began their banter about Pokemon. "He knows now."

Xavier arched a brow and looked over his shoulder at the chatting boys. "Oh yeah? Good. That's good, Seb. You deserve all of this. And I happen to know Sal and Becks are excited about you three." He extended his hand to shake Seb's shoulder slightly and then chuckled. "I gotta get Winter before she kills me but tomorrow you can tell me about your date and we can chat some more when I drop Leo off."

Seb nodded and then knocked on the passenger window to get the boy's attention. "Be good! listen to Xavier and Winter!"

Xavier rolled his eyes playfully, before placing his sunglasses back on and getting into the driver's seat. "Should have left it at Xavier. Winter is too bossy as it is." He smirked and asked the boys to put their seatbelts on before driving off.

Seb pulled his cell phone out and text Sal and Becks asking them if they wanted to do Sunday dinner at his house and yes, they were still on for tonight.

[a-chuffed-floating-panda]

Follow up from the last excerpt? Idk, this wouldn’t leave me alone. 623 words.

“… Yangchen gripped Sangmu’s hand as they stepped out into the water again. They got a little further out than they did earlier before Sangmu paused. “It’s just water, it’s just water.” She said underneath her breath. “Water is nice.”

“Water is nice.” Yangchen agreed with a nod. “Baths are nice. The water is always refreshing, and to make good tea, you also need water.” Sangmu looked down and nodded to herself. “Water is- the water is good.” She sighed heavily and gave her hand a squeeze. “I think I’ll be okay….”

“I think I can make a necklace with mine.” Sangmu said while they walked back to the camp. She turned to her, inquisitive. “Do you think Jetsun would like a necklace or a bracelet?” 

“Hm, I don’t know.” Yangchen looked down at the seashells she carried. Twelve shiny seashells. Sangmu found ten. “Maybe a necklace, since she wears the longer mala more instead of the bracelet ones?” She didn’t know if Jetsun liked one or the other. “I didn’t know you could make necklaces out of seashells.”

Sangmu looked at her and frowned. “You don’t? But we’ve made them together before.”

Yangchen blinked. “We have?”

“Yeah, and you said we’ll go look for seashells on Ember Island- wait, you’re not Kaito.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I’m Yangchen. You call me Chime though, and I’m a girl, not a boy.”

“Ooh, that makes sense. That was a long time ago, anyway. Maybe you just forgot. I’ll show you how to make them again when we get back to the camp.”

“Maybe it’s just gold fish brain that made me forget it.”… What’s a goldfish? And who was it that said that?

Sangmu scrunched her nose up. “What’s a goldfish?” She asked, and Yangchen wanted to reach out and pat her cheek. She would’ve done it if her hands were empty. “Is it an actual fish that’s gold?”

“No, it’s a tiny fish. It doesn’t have golden scales. Nothing is that extraordinary about it.” Who said that? And what’s a goldfish?

—

The question gnawed at her when she saw Sister Gawa and Sister Jamyang in the distance with Uma and Asahi. “Have we been like Sister Gawa and Sister Jamyang before?” Sangmu looked at her. “We’ve been like them many times and we’ve also been like Sister Jamyang and, uh, do you know Sonam Jetsun?”

“No.” The name sounded familiar, though. “They’re like friends that hug each other a lot. It’s difficult to explain. Do you remember yi xiongdi? Like a sworn brother or sister?”

“Yeah,” she remembered having many sworn siblings before. She loved them dearly. “They’re sort of like that, but like, also not?”

“Ooh-,”

“It’s the closest thing I can compare it to.”

A bond deeper than friendship, but not romantic. “I get it.”

“Do you remember?”

“I remember.”

—-

There're times like this one were Gawa’s envious of Jamyang’s spirituality. “Who are they playing with?” The children were drawing shapes in the sand with long sticks, and they paused as if they waited for someone and it was convenient timing because the sand started shifting and it wasn’t them. She caught murmurs between them, discussing the shape of a ‘something,’ before they started drawing in the sand again.

Jamyang always saw who it was. “Can you see them?” She looked up from her shoulder and squinted her eyes. “It’s…. Oh, it’s the silly painter.”

“Silly painter…?” Jamyang sat up and looked through her bag. “He’s this thin, quirky man with the silliest moustache I’ve ever seen and has a laugh that’s like a turtle duck quacking.”

She laughed at her comparison. “What?”

“I know.” She chuckled. “He’s never there when you’re present and now he is- where’s my sketchbook?”

---

It’s Chi-meh and it means immortal or everlasting. Fitting, isn’t it?

Sangmu’s confusing the past with the present. The past lives intermingle with the present so there’s things that they have known, but don’t know now. Not exactly visions and fevers like in the book, but there will be some.

Yi xiongdi is apparently one of many ways to say sworn brothers in Chinese

[purplekiwis]

OMG YES! Damaged goods blurb! Can you do a fluff one where one of them is sick with seasonal flu and the other has to take care of them, but they're being stubborn about it because that's just what they do and how they are 🤧

Okay, okay... here she is! It's a bit meh I think, but I hope you like it! 🥰

*

Harry is sick and grumpy, and Y/N takes care of him (from the Damaged Goods AU)

Harry feels miserable.

He’s worse than miserable, really,

because he has a cold… or is it the flu?! He has never known to spot the differences between the two, but he recognized all of the early signs, of course...

As per usual, it started with nothing but a sore throat one morning when he woke up, that ended up lingering throughout the whole day, then came a headache, and the tiredness, and the chills…

It wasn’t so unbearable at first… but the symptoms only kept getting worse and worse as the hours went by, to the point of leaving him with no choice but to skip his classes in favor of staying in bed… suffering.

The worst part about it? He wasn’t even suffering at home – where his mom could be taking her lips to his forehead every so often to see if he had a fever, and bringing him bowls of soup and fruit cubes on that same familiar bedtray that had accompanied him throughout all his periods of sickness.

Mom would also be making sure he stayed hydrated and took his medicine in time... which by the way, he wasn’t taking any. Logically speaking, Harry knew he should have gone to a pharmacy by now, to get something to make him feel better, but how? When he couldn't even muster the will to get up and go downstairs to fill the empty water bottle perched on his nightstand.

He couldn’t move.

Every single inch of his body hurt.

And now he was starting to get shivery under his bedclothes... for fucks sake.

If only he had Pepper, his spaniel mutt puppy, around to snuggle and keep his body cozy and warm like a hot water bag... then perhaps Harry would've been in a better mood. Yeah, definitely. Pepper would've let him bury his snotty face into its soft fur, and not even think to complain if its owner left a puddle of guck all over said fur.

But well, Pepper isn't there.

And being sick sucks.

Especially because Harry really wants some cuddles... and it hasn't been helping his case whatsoever that in this trying day of illness, his mind has done nothing but think of Y/N.

Pondering over what outfit she must have worn that day and what she might be up to while he’s laying there on his deathbed. He also wonders if she has noticed his absence, and if so… if she’s worried about him.

He huffs once he checks his phone again and realizes there are still no messages from her. She doesn’t have to check on him. He knows that, but he can't help that he likes to be cared for sometimes… and as it turns out illness has a tendency to turn him into a big, needy baby... who really wants to have Y/N taking care of him. It would be so good. She could play with his hair the way he likes, give him forehead kisses, hold his hand…

Harry sighs out loud. Her company would be even better than Pepper's, he believes... although Harry isn't so sure Y/N would enjoy having his snot on her as much as his trusty pup would, but that’s beside the point.

It’s even more beside the point because he knows she's not coming to see him.

She’s mad at him, he recalls now. Stupidly so, if he's allowed to think that - he did nothing wrong, after all. She asked him for a “brutally honest opinion” on a design work she was doing for one of her classes, and he simply gave her what she asked for, plain as that. But of course, then she didn’t like what he had to say and got sulky. Just girls being girls, he guesses…

Harry should've known better than to think that would stop her from coming to see him, though. His girl was a little box of surprises, after all... a true master in the art of keeping him on his toes.

She showed up only half an hour after she was done with her classes... softly knocking on his door before poking her head inside with a smile, only for her jaw to drop in shock at the absolute misery that oozed from his pores.

“Y/N…” His voice cracked sickly, almost comically. Harry could have laughed at it if he wasn't so utterly lethargic. “What- what are you doing here?”

“Well, what do you think?” The girl huffed, shutting the bedroom door behind her and heading towards the end of the bed to get a good look at him, hands on her hips. “Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Here I was, going about my day thinking you had slept in for being a bum, only to find out through your friends that you were unwell.”

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his downright amusement at her worried state. Y/N was worried about him? Well then, perhaps her irritation had passed and she had forgiven him… which meant maybe he’d get to have those cuddles he wanted so bad. “I thought you were mad at me?” He poked, eyebrows arching teasingly the best they could with the little energy the muscles on his face could muster.

“Well, I was and am now even more.” She punctuated. “But I still care, obviously. How am I supposed to leave you by yourself when you look like that?” She put down the bag she was holding at the edge of the bed and kneeled next to it on the floor.

“Look like what?” He frowned again. “All snotty and gross?”

“Precisely… and an awful lot like Rudolph the reindeer as well.” Y/N added, with a soft pat to the tip of his swollen, red nose.

Harry smiled at that, right before his eyes fell on the bag over his bed. “Did you go to the store to get those creepy sheet masks you wanted?”

“Huh?” She muttured confused, before noticing where he was looking at. “Oh no, um… these are just some things I got for you. Just vitamins and those gummies for when you have a sore throat, and also uh…” Y/N's cheeks went a little hot. “I got some chicken soup from the buffet restaurant as well, you know… the one next to the drug store. I thought it might do you good…”

“You went to get all that stuff for me?” Harry asked, Y/N hummed happily in confirmation, her eyes gleaming with tenderness. “Y/N... you shouldn't have. That shit is so expensive, and I'm fine, really. It's just a cold. You dont have to worry, let alone take care of me.”

“No offence, but I think I do.” The girl challenged his statement, picking up the halfway used toilet paper roll placed on his nightstand. “For a start, you shouldn’t even be using this to blow your nose. It’ll only irritate your skin and make it more sore.”

Harry rolled his eyes playfully. “That’s such a mum thing to say…” He grumbled in attempt to mask the fact that the secret big, needy baby in him was loving every single bit of the mom talk, and the same applies to when Y/N clicked her tongue chastisingly once he stubbornly snatched the roll off her hand and pulled out some more paper.

She took the chance that he had moved his arm to move a bit closer, sitting on the edge of the bed next to his pillow. “Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?” She asked, lovingly running her digits through his unwashed curls. They felt a little waxy and knotty in her hands, but she didn’t mind it in the slightest. She just wanted to make him feel better in any way she could. So she kept playing with his hair, scratching at the roots and combing her fingers through his strands just the way she knew he reveled in - only breaking contact once she was almost certain that he had fallen asleep on her... However, as soon as Y/N began to pull her hand away to check her phone, Harry let out a whine and bumped his forehead against her wrist, in a silent request for her to keep going. “You're such a baby sometimes…” Y/N whispered, proceeding to fulfill his wish.

“Mhm... your baby.” He sighed happily.

Y/N smiled to herself at the state of pure bliss Harry was in. So utterly distracted by the slow puffy nature of his breaths, that she almost didnt notice that his droopy eyes had opened and were now fixed on her. He cleared his throat painfully. “Y/N... can I have one of those gummies you got? My throat hurts and I really want to try one.”

Y/N let out a tiny chuckle at the pleading tone he'd used, nodding as she got up to grab the bottle from the bag. She threw it at him playfully to catch midair, knowing that his reflexes were outstanding. “Ohh these seem nice. I love lemon and honey flavored shit.” He told her whilst inspecting the label.

“Yeah?” Y/N couldn’t help but to grin, feeling quite proud of herself for picking the right flavor. But her smile quickly melted into an expression of concern once she watched Harry crack open the bottle and carelessly throw a bunch of gummies into his mouth. “Harry! What are you- that’s not candy! You can’t eat them by the handful!”

“Oi, chill out… it’s just gummies. What wrong could it do?” He asked as he blithely chewed them. Words coming out garbled since he was speaking in between a mouthful.

“Oh, I don't know, perhaps there could be anesthetics in them... but who knows? It was just a thought.” Y/N ironized.

“Really?” He made a wry face similar to hers, inspecting the label closer. “Do you think we can get high on this shit?” He smirked, still chewing as he rolled the container around to check the ingredients in the back. “Cause I'm not gonna lie, that sounds like a pretty good afternoon plan to me...” He half joked, cracking the bottle open again and dropping a couple more gummies in his palm.

Y/N heaved at the suggestion. “I think it’s more likely that you get a terrible bellyache, and we end up in the ER...”

“You really think so?” Harry asked teasingly, taking another gummy to his mouth.

“Okay, that's enough. Give me that.” Y/N demanded, pushing for him to pass the container, but all he did was shake his head with a mischievous, defiant smirk. The girl rolled her eyes at him. “You know what? Fine.” She shrugged. “Eat as many as you want. Can't wait to watch you shit the bed once those anesthetics give you a loose bottom.”

He chuckled at the warning, amused. “If you’re so bothered, why don’t you come get them from me?” He questioned, but before he could prepare himself Y/N jumped on the bed to try and take the bottle away from his hands, what forced him to abruptly sit up and hold it over his head just so she couldn’t reach it from where she sat. “That was... real cute. Is that all you got, hm?”

Y/N huffed and crawled over his legs until she was practically on his lap. Seeing right through his facade once he happily handed off the gummies without putting up a fight and wrapped his arms around her middle to pull her in for a hug instead. “You must think you're so sly, don't you?” She mumbled in question, going back to petting his hair. “If you wanted a cuddle, you could’ve just said so… I don't mind your germs.”

“I was trying to behave to avoid getting you sick, actually…”

“Yeah right...” Y/N grumbled, dropping her head on his shoulder for a moment. “But I guess, since you've already passed me the germs and all... might as well just give me a kiss, no?” She proposed shyly, waiting for Harry to make the move. He did, pulling away slightly and placing his lips in hers softly. “Mm, more.” She pouted.

“Greedy.” He joshed, pecking the girl's lips again, and again... and once more for good measure. The damage was already done, after all... they might as well just keep doing it. “I feel disgusting, though. If I knew you were coming, I would’ve at least taken a shower and brushed my teeth. Can’t believe you still want to kiss me when I am like this.”

Y/N scratched at the frizzy hairs of his nape. “I promise you don't smell or look nearly as bad as you think you do… and you taste like lemon and honey so, that’s nice.” Harry distrustfully scrunched up his nose at her allegation, sniffing up some in the process before his digits rushed to grab some more toilet paper. He took it to his nose, blowing noisily. “Alright, snotty boy…” Y/N laughed, swiftly crawling off his lap. “How about I go downstairs to plate up our soup while you pick a movie for us to watch as we eat? It can be one of those “guy movies” and all, I promise I won't complain... today only, cause I'm giving you privilege for being sick.”

His eyes strayed towards you with interest, the lower half of his face still covered behind the poorly ripped toilet paper sheets. “I was actually thinking more like a musical or a pixar movie, maybe?”

“God, Harry.” Y/N gasped in awe. “I swear I've never felt more attracted to you in my life. Snot and everything.”

[analyzingadventure]

Catching up on Ghost Game, episodes 43-49 Oh boy have I fallen behind, lmao oops

Quick note, since I do want to watch these episodes in one go without it taking forever I might try to keep the commentary to a minimum because. Commenting on shit takes time (since I need to pause, take a screenshot, crop it, save it, add it to the post, write some commentary... It slows things down)

43 - Red Eye

Man this episode is gonna be rough to anybody with a fear of eyes, huh

NO NO

NOT IN THE EYE

HHHHH

OHHH I DON’T LIKE THAT, I DON’T LIKE THAT A LOT

So what the fuck is Eyesmon really after? Just? Does he just want to see and know things for the sake of seeing and knowing? Having eyes on everything? Or is he looking for something in specific?

Emma what the fuck were you gonna do with those scissors 8V

You know there’s an Eyes of Nine joke to be made here somewhere

Yeah this episode was fine, nothing great, but not bad, just fine

44 - Rust

So we got shaking buildings, rusty water, limited edition items... Unknown Digimon is stealing shit for the kid in school who redistributes them or something? Anyway Espimon don’t be a dick and steal Gamma’s choco >:(

OH WE GOT TINY DEVA BUNNIES

Ah, so the monster of the week is Jellymon causing problems dfsghfdg

Tiny Antylamon are so fucking cute tho, and funny in comparison to the Lorge Antylamon from Tamers

That looks so much like a toy it’s so fucking funny (also, the design is interesting actually, like, would an egg shaped, round phone be easier for most Digimon to hold since their hands can be all sorts of funky?)

Oh the tiny bunnies are big bunnies now

This is definitely more of an action episode than anything and all things considdered, it was a nice change of pace! Again, it was a fine episode

Oh wow we still have a few minutes to go lol

OH THE ANTYLAMON WERE MAKING SHIT FOR HOKUTO?? Huh

45 - Ghost Newspaper

OH RYUDAMON’S BACK! That’s nice

Oh jesus the girl got ran over, oh god

OH THIS IS THE EPISODE WITH THE NOT-APPMON, RIGHT (although I’m really behind I haven’t really avoided the usual Twitter spoilers, so yes I did see all the Digimon who’re appearing in these episodes, although I kinda forgot most of them). And he’s voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi, of course

Man Publimon looks so much like an Appmon lmao

We’re not done with this episode yet but this is definitely my least favorite I’ve watched so far, like, actually kinda boring

Oh shit, Publi straight up just... died. I mean, kind of earned, but, man, brutal

Yeah, meh episode at best. NEW ENDING THO! Cute!

46 - Queen’s Banquet

Oh man, Kotaro’s hallucinating, that’s bad, that’s rough, Hiro please notice, dude’s clearly not okay

Oh man the animation on the new flower Digimon is so excessively smooth

Jellymon, couldn’t you have gone with Ruri soshe wouldn’t have been alone

Oh no the Digi wants to vore Kotaro... time for Digitamamon 2.0

Oleamon, eh, that’s a lovely name

HOKUTO AGAIN... YOU ABSOLUTELY USELESS FUCK

I’m actually happy Oleamon isn’t Digitamamon 2.0, that’s fun and charming. This episode was fine once again

47 - Memory of Eternity

Oh this is the Nanomon episode, okay. Dude’s just... allowing Digimon to linger longer through human bodies?

LMAO

Man couldn’t they just go directly to fucking Mummymon and ask him for help?

OH THEY DID, FANTASTIC

Omg he has a lab coat now, that’s so fucking cute

Mummymon is so fucking cute I’m SO HAPPY he’s a reoccuring character

Oh man Nanomon is TINY

Oh man I was literally just wishing Mummymon would show up guns blazing AND LOOK WHOSE FUCKING HERE HELL YEAH

Oh man... poor Shadramon...

JKGHFJKHDFJKHDFG don’t scream that’s not polite to your doctor

OH UVER?? I mean yeah he’s there for the egg but also Nanomon?? And another letter to Hokuto, okay

48 - The White Bride

Ah this is the new Mushmon variant eh

Ah random Geremon...

Ah, Ryudamon is in this episode too

Is it weird that these Mushroom Digimon eat mushrooms?

I love this Geremon lmao LOOK AT ‘IM (and ah, this is why the Geremon was here, to be a lil helper, how nice)

Wait don’t tell me the Geremon is actually evil and behind this all, oh no

RYUDAMON EVOLVES??? RANDOM BUT COOL??

Chamblemon, eh

Limit Break!

Oh man these Chamblemon are STRONK

Why does this look like a fake sub screenshot lmao??

KIYO WHY ARE YOU EATING YOUR OWN SHROOMS?? Bro that’s really weird

GEREMON??? WHAT???

THAT?? I??? WHAT???

Good episode, uh, unsettling ending???

49 - The Crimson Harvest Festival

Aaand last episode for now, a Halloween episode! And Witchmon is here, how fun!

So Witchmon is pulling Vamdemon’s shit all over again

I wonder how Mummymon would feel seeing Hiro and Gammamon dressed up as mummies for Halloween lmao

So Witchmon wants a world for just witches... bro just go to Witchelny jdfhgdsfg

Oh she wants a castle? I mean valid but excessive

PUMPMON IS BACK! HOW?! HOW DID YOU COME BACK I MEAN I’M NOT COMPLAINING I’M HAPPY, IT’S A HALLOWEEN MIRACLE, BUT HOW

Please tell me we’re gonna see Pumpmon and get to know how he’s here, I’m gonna be really sad if he got blown away and we don’t see him again this episode

Okay we got to see him again, I’m happy

LORE BOMB??

WELL, I GUESS WE KNOW WHY GAMMAMON’S BEING STALKED.... Those are totally his former followers

God

Man, no explanation to how Pumpmon returned, that’s balls

That was a fine episode again, nothing great though, but man... that lore bomb

Next epI OH OH MEICRACKMON?? MEICRACKMON??? OH MY GOD???

[the-fiction-witch]

Morning

MOVIE NOWHERE BOY

COUPLE PAUL X READER

RATING SMUT!!!!

I stood looking out the window seeing the dew across the grass and the clouds in the sky, the sky that strange colour before the sun rose but enough light that you could see. A little condensation on the inside of the window the little white paint slowly breaking off in little ways on the windowsill. My little box of guitar picks sat on one side on the other a small plant pot no bigger then tea cup with some dark dirt and a little yellow flower.

"Ummm paul. What are you doing up so early?" I heard her sweet voice smile her voice groggy and tried but still bubbly and sweet

"I can't sleep. I didn't mean to wake you" I told her turning away from the window closing the red curtains seeing the little room I had learnt to call my home.

I moved out of my dad's house he wanted to move away from the old place anyways, so I had got a little flat well I say flat it was a house someone divided up, I had the Downstairs and someone else lived upstairs I didn't know I rarely saw them honestly. My bedroom was nothing to shout about I had a double bed with soft white and red covers, a bedside table with a glass of water, the wardrobe built Into the wall, a chest of draws with my mirror, my comb and a few odds and ends scattered across the top a few boxers and socks leaking out the draws. But most importantly the most beautiful thing in my room...

Y/n, my sweet girlfriend. Laid in my bed wrapped up in the covers her sweet y/h/c hair matted and messy from tossing and turning in her sleep relaxed and loose from her usual sculpted curls. Her make up gone leaving her beautiful skin, pale lips and dark circles under her eyes. Her body was wrapped up so tight where she must have been cold, she saw me looking and sat up having a little strech keeping the covers around her waist as she wore only my white shirt that I usually had under my button downs using it as her nightie it falling slightly off her shoulder revealing bare skin from her Arm, shoulder and chest.

"You didn't, good morning" she cooed

"Good morning, what are you doing up so early?' I asked her going over and sitting on my bed hearing the springs creak as I did

"I missed you" she shurgs her shoulders playfully moving her head to one side with that adorable little smile "I got all lonesome without you" she giggled putting her knees up to her chest

"I'm sorry beautiful, I couldn't sleep is all. I didn't wanna bother you"

"It's okay, what are you thinking about?' she smiled moving down the bed and giving my nose a kiss "what's going on it that head"

"Just thinking"

"Your always thinking paul. You don't ever stop." She giggled "what are you thinking about?" She asks going back to lean against my headboard

"How beautiful you look in my bed."

"Awww your too sweet" she blushed

"You do. You really do y/n. I wish you could sleep in my bed every night"

"I'd like that too, maybe soon we could... Snuggle up every night and every morning" she giggled

"You- you'd really want to?"

"Of course I would, I love staying at yours" she giggled

"I love when you stay over too" I smiled giving her lips a little kiss "but if you want to then... I'd be happy for you to"

"Really?"

"Of course, y/n you stay here atleast four nights a week as it is. If you wanted to move in you'd be more than welcome" I smiled

"I'll think about it Mr" she giggled getting out of bed and giving my cheek a kiss she intentionally wiggled her butt as she walked my shirt barely concealing her from my eyes as she walked across the room and out the door to the rest of the apartment, I smiled looking at the mess she had made of my bed the pillows out of place, the covers a mess but I smiled you could almost see the indent in the old mattress where she always sleeps on this side when she wondered back she handed me a cup of tea and she sat back in bed with her own cup "what's the plan today?"

"I need a shower. Then tidy up, john's coming over got some stuff he needs to show me" I told her having a sip of tea

"Ummm" she hummed her fingers wrapped some delicately around the cup

"What's the ummm for?"

"That means we don't have time for cuddles this morning" she whined pulling a sad face at me

"You had cuddles. All night"

"But I'd like some more" she whines putting her tea down and opening her arms I smiled putting mine down to and giving her a hug she bundled up closely as snug as a bug with me I smiled and gave her a kiss before getting up leaving her all sad again

"I'm sorry beautiful, but I need my shower" I told her going to my draws getting some clothes for the day today

"Paul" she cooed making me turn to see her sat against the headboard my shirt hung low, the covers away from her, her knees pulled to her chest she smiled playfully at me with blush in her cheeks as she licked her lips looking at me and she opened her legs wide, my shirt doing nothing to conceal her, I couldn't help staring at her plump lips, her already engorged clit, her glistening pussy, her cute butt perched on my matress, I bit my lip hard feeling my shorts tighten just looking at her like that

"Ooh. I see." I smirked making sure my curtains where closed shutting the door to the rest of the apartment, I took a single specifically I put a spell on you. I know what that song does to her from the side throwing the paper on the dresser setting it on to spin and smirking crawling over ever with her "hummm my beautiful girl horny?" I whispered in her ear hearing the first beats of the song kick up she didn't even answer she just grabbed my face and pulled me to kiss her, I smirked kissing back adding a little tongue into the hot and heavy kiss till I pulled back winking at her before kissing down her jaw, then down her neck, down her chest feeling her breasts against me concealed by the shirt, I smirked wrapping my arms around her thighs licking her sweet pussy, kissing her clit and burying my head between her legs listening to her squeal playing with my hair oftentimes tugging or pushing when she wanted more, I licked and sucked and sometimes even gently nibbled on all her most sensitive of places I knew from years of dating, filled by her hormonal gasps and moans, I kept going becoming rather mercilous on her feeling her legs shaking as she got closer and closer to

"AAAAHHHHH! UUuughhhh! Paul!!! Uuuuuuughhh!" She sqeauled at the top of her lungs I smirked sitting up wiping my mouth with the back of my hand looking at her as she gasps calming down, in her own little wet patch from her squirt. I smirked down at her feeling myself throb for her, I pushed my shorts down revealing my hard erection she caught eyes on it immediately and blushed a little I smirked glancing down at myself and then back to her it was milliseconds but she knew what I wanted she smiled taking a gulp of the water on the side table before crawling down the bed and kissing her wet kisses all over my shaft

"Fuck beautiful-" I gasped feeling those soft kisses "y/n please!" I groaned struggling to watch those perfect lips kissing my cock she smiled up at me innocently and evily, before taking me completely in her mouth "uughhhh! Oohh god! Fuck! Y/n!" I moaned grabbing her hair my head thrown back in pleasure feeling her licks and sucks, moving her head back and forth, from base to tip. I pushed her back leaving her laid giggling at me I smirked pouncing on her and kissing those evil lips I knew I could taste myself on her lips and she could likely taste herself on my own but I didn't care I pulled back grabbing her hips and pushing her to lay on her stomach she giggled and did as I asked sitting her knees up, I moved and instantly slipped inside "fuck!! Y/n! Uuuuhhhhh!" I groaned not wasting a single second moving as fast, as hard, as deep as I possibly could listening to her scream all the while my hips working on there own going crazy just feeling his good she felt, the sounds of the bed creaking and sqeeking, our skin slapping together, get faster and faster "uuuuhhhhh uuuuhhhhh!! Y/n! Beautiful.... I'm gonna cum!" I groaned trying so hard not to loose it, I didn't need to last long I just wanna make her cum, one more time! She didn't respond still moaning and screaming for me, and I couldn't take it anymore I moved her slightly pulling her back against my chest so she now sat ontop of me reverse cowgirl as I sat on my knees I almost ripped my shirt off her leaving her naked moving her just as fast as I had been but my hands folding those sexy breasts making her screams get louder and louder feeling how much wetter she was getting as she was now practically dripping down my legs I moved one hand away from her breasts to mercilously rub on her clit making her grab my hair pulling me to kiss her neck "come on beautiful, cum for me" I smirked in her ear and that very second she screamed like banshee, I kept rubbing and kept bouncing her letting her ride it out even if I knew I and my bed were now soaked from her squirt I knew I was so close so I threw her back down and continued pounding fast and hard for a few more seconds before I felt that pleasure wave hit me and I instantly pulled out and came all over her back and butt before collapsing on my side of the bed in my back gasping for breath still getting over my orgasum. "Fuck I love you y/n"

"I love you too paul" she smiled gasping too as she just laid there on her stomach

"Now, I need to get pants on john will be here in like ten minutes" I laughed getting up slowly "you should also put clothes on" I told her as I got some boxes on and my jeans getting a clean undershirt

"Meh... John will understand that you fucked your girlfriend too good for her to move" she giggled

"Did I now?" I smirked going over and slipping two fingers inside her finger fucking her hard rubbing in her clit making her sqeaul kicking her feet

"Nooooo leave me alone, evil boy!" She whines kicking my hand away "I'll put clothes on" she sighed climbing out of bed "meanie" she whines bending over naked at her suitcase looking for clothes waving her butt at me and sticking her tongue out I put my shirt on going over and slapping her butt making her jump up into my arms

"Dirty tongue" I smirked

"It's not dirty" she whines

"Yes it is. I know where it's been beautiful" I smirked giving her a kiss "you get dressed, I'll tidy up. I'll make another tea when John gets here" I told her taking the cups and going out to the little flat setting the cups on the kitchen side by the burner, generally tidying the house up as y/n for dressed in the bedroom I saw her perched on the bed using my mirror to do her hair and make up just as I heard the door so I went and let John in "morning" I said giving him a faint smile fixing my hair as I did

"Morning" he laughs putting his guitar case on the side by the chair

"Tea?"

"Yeah go on then" he says so I went to the kitchen filling up the kettle and making the cups up he came and stood on the other side of the little counters that seperated the living room and kitchen looking at the cups and he smirked "hi y/n" he called to the bedroom

"Hi John, out inna minute" she called back

"I had a feeling she was here"

"How so?" I asked waiting for the kettle to boil

"She's always here" he laughs

"True."

"That and you need an air freshener"

"What why?" I asked rather confused

"Because paul it fucking stinks if sex in this flat"

"What does sex smell like?"

"Like jizz, sweat and squirt usually" he laughs

"That's not the flat, that's just paul" y/n smiled coming around the corner in her little black dress her hair done and makeup prestige "he didn't shower this morning"

"Hey!"

"It's true" she shurgs

"Nope it's the flat, or you two. Or both" john laughed as I made the tea up "you two have sex this morning then?"

"Yep" she giggled

"How could you tell? The house smell?" I asked

"that and I was here earlier, I waited outside having a cig and I could hear you two screaming"

"You know a weird amount about our sex lives" I told him sipping my tea

"I imagine so do you twos neighbors seriously... I can hear you from down the street" he laughs

"We just like being loud and passionate don't we paul" she giggled cuddling me

"How can I be quiet with my beautiful girl doing such dirty things to me" I smirked kissing her

"It's fine... Just rub in even more that I'm single" john sighed

"Sorry" she giggled

"It's fine, you two are adorable" he sighed.

[spideymarvelws]

i love your writing, hope you’re doing well 💞 could i request something where tom asks y/n’s dad for marriage permission and then flash forward to the proposal?

I changed up a few things I hope you don’t mind!

Also i kinda wanna do a social media version but idk i think it would be fun

Main Masterlist / Add Yourself To My Taglist

Warnings : some cursing, suggestive themes, nothing but floof and happiness

Word Count : 3.5k

Smiles and Pure Happiness

Tom Holland x Fem!Reader

Tom laid silently with your weight on half of his body. One of his hands supported the back of his head on the soft mattress while the other held you tightly against his bare body, keeping your warmth as close as possible. Your legs were tangled together beneath the sheets that only covered the both of you from the waist down, the rest of it spread across the floor.

You’d fallen asleep hours ago. After some lazy sex to ‘try out the new bed’ in your hotel room, you passed out almost immediately. The flight was exhausting, and with the time difference he wasn't surprised to hear the little snores coming out of your slightly parted lips as soon as your face hit the pillow.

But for the life of him he couldn't fall asleep with you.

No matter how much time he spent shutting his eyes, waiting for his body to relax, it never would. He constantly changed his position with the limited movement he had to maybe find a more comfortable spot but nothing. He even got up to close the curtains and grab his earpods to play some relaxing music but it didn't help in the slightest.

He just couldn’t stop thinking.

Today was the day, the big day where he would finally ask you the question that had been floating in his mind for the past months. The day he would bend down on his knee, pull out the ring he’d been keeping in the back of his closet and propose to you.

He already had everything planned out, whatever you wanted to do after you woke up he would go along with until it was sunset. From there, he would take you for a stroll on the docks nearby, maybe buy some ice cream to waste some time if needed.  Harry and the rest of his family, including yours, should be set up in a hut alongside the beach, hidden from the spot he would propose so they could take pictures and celebrate with you.

But what if he didn’t reach the spot in time for sunset? What if he messed up and stopped a few feet short so Harry couldn't film everything properly? What if you didn’t want to go to the beach at all? What if you wanted to go to the hot tub or the rooftop?

What if you rejected him, what if you said no?

Despite five years spent together, even more as friends and even having discussions about marriage, he still felt the doubt that you would say no. That you would run as soon as he pulled the ring out.

He looked down at your sleeping face squished against his chest, clueless to the turmoil happening in his head. He wanted this, he wanted to be able to go out and call you his wife, he wanted you to show off the diamond on your ring to the people who asked. He wanted to take this next step with you.

He just hoped you felt the same.

You shifted around, rustling the sheets as you cuddled closer to his chest, your face scrunching up when you nuzzled your cheek against his skin. He raised his hand to your back, his fingers walking up and down your spine. You hummed, letting out a big yawn as you mumbled some incoherent words.

“You’re going to need to speak up if you want me to hear you love,” he whispered, kissing the crown of your head as you moved around even more.

“I said i’m tired but I don't want to go back to sleep,” you sniffed, tracing random patterns on his chest, “That and I’m hungry,”

Tom chuckled, “Well you could’ve just started with that,” he rested his cheek on the top of your head, “We could order room service if you’d like,”

“Meh,” you raised your head to look up at him, “I wanna get out of the room for a while,” 

“Well, in that case...” He reached over to grab the pamphlet he took from the front desk when he checked the both of you in. 

Leaning back up against the bed frame with a sigh, he raised his arm for you to settle against his thigh with the new change in position. He rested his hand on your stomach while you played with the edges of the blanket that wrapped around your body like second skin.

“There's a buffet happening at six in the lobby,” he squinted his eyes as he read over the tiny writing, “That’s in like thirty minutes, we could get ready in that time,”

He groaned when you started to giggle, lowering the piece of paper to look at you.

“What is it?” he playfully flicked the top of your head.

You stifled your laughter with your hand, “This is why you don’t forget your glasses on the plane,” you smiled up at him with hooded eyes, “Such a sad loss for us all,”

He rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,”

“Hey, I offered to get you knew ones before we left but you were too much in a rush,” you poked his stomach, “You really wanted to get here quickly,”

He let out a deep breath, laughing off your words. He remembered rushing you out the airport, practically dragging you throughout the building and pushing you into the car he rented for the trip. You found it amusing while he was freaking out that he might not reach the hotel in time and mess up the entire schedule.  

“Yeah, well, I’m in need of a vacation after filming so many movies back to back,”

You hummed, sitting up to straddle his waist, something you always did when you wanted to talk to him directly with no distractions. Your arms went to wrap around his shoulders, pulling his chest against yours. He put his hands on your hips out of instinct, blowing a strand of hair that decided to fall in his eyes that moment.

“That you are,” you said, pushing the brown lock behind his ear before leaning in to kiss his neck, “So stop being so tense baby,” you mumbled, trailing your lips up his jaw to the corner of his lips, “We have a week all to ourselves, no work, nobody to interrupt us and a beautiful view everywhere we go,” you quickly pecked his lips, smiling widely when he chased them as your pulled away.

“And I couldn’t be happier,” he sighed, leaning in to press his lips fully against yours, sighing when they made contact. His biggest source of comfort were your lips, soft and plush against his skin. His neck, his cheek, his forehead, he didn't care, as long as they were on him, he was at peace.

“As much as I would love to makeout with you,” you giggled, pulling away and hopping out of his lap, “We have a buffet to get ready for,”

“The buffet isn't going anywhere!” he whined, crossing his arms and pouting like a child.

Maybe he was stalling, just a little, but he didn't want to leave bed just yet. If things went well, this might be the final night he would be able to call you his girlfriend, instead his fiancé which wasn’t a bad thing, it just all felt so surreal. That and he didn’t like that you were putting back on some fresh panties from your suitcase, covering your body from his view.

You rolled your eyes, walking back over to him and placing a gentle kiss on his nose. Grabbing his hand you pulled him out of the bed, groaning when his heavy mass crashed into you, nearly knocking you down but his arms wrapped around you just in time, keeping you pressed against his chest.

“Can’t we stay just a bit longer,” he began kissing the corner of your mouth, trailing his lips down your jaw and to the side of your neck where he began biting and sucking at the skin. He smirked when you let out a tiny moan, your hands moving from his chest and squeezing at his shoulders.

After a few more seconds, you finally caved.

“Okay fine, ten more minutes and then we leave okay?”

He beamed at your words, picking your up by the waist and throwing your back on the bed. You giggled as he crawled over you, locking his lips back on to yours, his hands moving up and down your body, caressing the soft skin.

Maybe being late to the buffet wouldn't mess up his plan too much...

…

“What would you like to ask me Tom?” Your father questioned him as he handed him a glass of water.

Tom gulped down the water, hoping that it would calm his nerves but it only added to his stress. He’s spent years as an actor, memorizing lines and whole scripts by memory to recite in front of a large group of people and yet he was speechless in front of your own father.

“I-” he let out a deep breath, “It’s concerning Y/n,”

Your father crossed his arms, leaning back on the kitchen counter with a serious face, “Continue,”

“I’m going to ask her to marry me,”

It was silent after that. He watched as your father began to process his words, what scared him more was the unidentifiable look on his face.

Until he sighed, passing his hand over his face.

“I’ve meet a lot of people my daughter has decided to date, but your different,” he sighed, almost as if he didn't want to say those words, “But I’ve never seen her this happy in a while, and that’s all i ever want for my little girl,” he slapped a hand on his back, “And if it’s you that makes her happy, then go for it. I’d be proud to welcome you into our family,”

Tom glanced at you through the mirror, watching as you smiled brightly at your reflection. You caught him staring, blowing him a kiss and walking back into the bathroom, most likely to fix up the minor flaws you pointed out. 

He palmed the box in his pocket, biting his lip as he took it out to look at the ring. He wanted to see that smile again, he wanted to see the same smile when he opened the box for you, the same smile when he slid the jewel on your finger, the same smile when you walked up the alter and the same smile for the rest of his fucking life.

“Are you ready?” you said, stepping out of the bathroom.

He could feel his heart stop as he took in every inch of you. You wore a beautiful sundress that complemented every part of your body, flowing gently at your legs paired with simple slippers that were easy to slide off your feet and a cute floppy hat on your head. 

No matter how many times he sees you, he always felt like it was the first time all over again. He could never get over your beauty, your charm, just your overall presence that he had the privilege of getting to see up close.

After all these years he just couldn't believe that you were his.

“More than I could ever be,” he smiled, offering his arms for you to hold wrap your own around.

“Always the cliche, aren't you Holland?” you teased, smiling while you hooked your arm around his elbow, pulling yourself closer to his side.

“Only for you,” he kissed your forehead, walking towards the exit of your hotel room and opening the door, “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

…

You and Tom made your way down the shore, shoes in hand while the other held onto each other’s. Both of your stomachs were stuffed full with all the food you could fit, making you both a bit sluggish while you walked but neither of you cared. His mind was focussed on much more important things, like the beautiful scenery in front of him.

And it wasn't the sun setting in the distance rather the beautiful girl that led him in that direction.

“I still don’t know why you’re caught up on this,” he groaned.

“It was awful!” you laughed, swinging your locked hands back and forth,“Like, I knew you didn’t like cats but come on! You couldn’t make one exception for mine?”

“The thing pounced on me as soon as it saw me! Fucking hissing like an animal,”

“Because it is one!” you smacked his shoulder lightly, rolling your eyes when he yelped in false pain.

“Okay, fair point, but doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he grumbled

“Like him, and his name is Leo,”

“Shit name if you ask me...”

“Excuse me!”

“I’m kidding, i’m kidding,” he brought your hand up to his lips, kissing the knuckles, “I’m sure I will grow to love...Leo,”

You sighed, “Him and Tess already get along so well, kind of like our own little family don't you think?”

Tom froze at your words but quickly caught himself, “Yeah, yeah our own little family. I’m sure Tess would appreciate the company,”

“Oh, so you’d give up your comfort for your dog but not for me,” you gave him a playful glare, “I see how it is,”

“To be fair, I did warn you that she’d always come first,”

“And I said the same with Leo, but you didn’t seem to like that!”

“I don’t like cats!”

“Your preference for dogs will be the downfall of this relationship.” 

He could help but laugh out loud at your words, the both of your falling into a fit of giggles as you continued further down the sand. His eyes darted around the area, instantly recognising the bushes Harry showed him in a picture earlier. 

He instantly clammed up.

But before he could suggest anything, you pulled at his arm, pointing at the shore line.

“I’m sorry why are we talking here when we could be playing in the water?” you let go of his hand when he wasn’t budging, spinning around and looking at him, “Come on! We didn’t come to a beach resort for nothing?”

He silently cursed at your words, turning to you with wide eyes that he was too terrified to hide.

“Well- uh, i mean, the water is probably really cold love, I don’t think we should be playing in it this time of night-”

“Oh come on Tommy,” you pleaded, tugging at his arm once again with a pout, “Please!”

He bit the inside of his lip. Oh how he hated that face

“Fine.” he grumbled, letting you drag him across the beach. 

You dropped your shoes in the sand before running into the shallow waters with your dress rolled up as high as you could get it, supporting the clothes with one hand. The other dragged itself across the surface of the water, letting the cold touch send shocks up the warmness of your hand.

“Are you joining me?” you called out to him, turning around to face him.

He swore it wasn’t the moon in the sky or the lights along the beach that light up the atmosphere but your smile. Your bright, wide smile that showed of your teeth and stretched out your lips, illuminating all the stars in the night sky.

He knew it was cliche, but it was true.

“In a second darling,” he bent down to roll up his pants before running into the water with you, immediately splashing you purposely with his hand.

“Hey!” you gasped, splashing him back with the same force.

He was quick to block the splatter but his arms were useless. Your playful banter soon turned into a fight for who could make the other more wet, laughing and giggling when your attempts at making the other soaked only did the same for you in the process.

Tom grabbed you by the waist, pulling you to his chest grinning like a mad man. He took off your hat and placed it on his head, twisting his face to make you laugh even more.

“Give me back my hat Tommy,” you reached to take it back but he swiftly raised it in the air.

“You’re going to have to kiss me for it darling.”

You rolled your eyes, “Seriously?”

He only shrugged, puckering his lips, “Yep.”

Without hesitation you leaned up and pressed your lips against his, not even thinking to pull away when he gently laid it back on your head. It was slow, savoring the feelings, the movements, the taste.

Reluctantly, Tom had to pull away, noticing the orange and red hue reflecting in your eyes.

It was time.

“Y/n?” he whispered.

“Yeah Tommy?”

It was now or never.

“I need to tell you something, well ask you something- but tell you something before i ask you the something-”

“Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re rambling.”

“Right, sorry,” he let out a nervous chuckle before taking a deep breath to recoup himself, “I- I’m just really nervous,”

“There’s nothing to be worried about Tommy,” you placed a comforting hand on his cheek, “It’s just me,”

You were right, it was just you. He had nothing to worry about, because whatever words he said or how many times he stuttered or stumbled that was just him. You looked at him for that, the imperfections that made him perfect for you.

“Seven years ago I met you by spilling my drink all over you at a bar,” you both laughed at the memory, “It’s crazy to think that you actually still wanted to talk to me afterwards, fuck you even offered to buy me a new one... I- i didn't deserve your kindness that day but you gave it to me. You gave me something that day that I just couldn't let go… and I didn’t,”

He took a step back, but keeping your hands in his, “Two years after that I asked you out, before that prick Jared could-”

“-you really didn’t like him,” you giggled.

“Yeah, yeah I didn’t. I hated that he was the one that pushed me over, it should've been on my own terms, or whenever I gained the confidence but- I’m glad it happened. And I’m glad you accepted. Because I am now the happiest man on earth and these past five years with you have been the highlight of my life. Every date, every moment, every late night talking about absolutely nothing has made me fallen deeper and deeper in love with you and I’d be a fool to ever fucking let that go,”

Without another second waisted he let go one of your hands and took out the box from his pocket and kneeled down on his knee. The waves crashed against his leg, soaking his trousers but he didn't care, not in that moment anyways.

As he opened the box to reveal the ring, your hand shot up to your mouth. The tears that had been silently falling throughout his heartfelt speech turned into loud, choked sobs, falling heavy down the side of your face, mixing with the water that moved across your feet.

“I love you Y/n Y/l/n, nothing I've ever felt with anyone has matched up to what I've felt with you. The freedom to be myself, the intense happiness that burst from my chest with just the sight of you looking back at me. And right here, right now I’m kneeling here to ask you-” he let out a deep breath.

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” you cried, nodding your head up and down vigorously, “yes, one hundred times yes,”

“May I?” he gestured to your hand, barely keeping himself together. 

All you could muster was a small nod, shakily holding out your hand for him to slip on the ring. He did so delicately, his hands shaking but his smile couldn't be wider. 

Once the ring was secure, you tackled him to the water letting it soak both of you, engulfing you in the freezing cold but neither of you could care, not in that moment. All that mattered was you. He felt like a fool to think that you would ever say no, that you wouldn't be as happy as he was kneeling down on his knee and muttering the words he’s been wanting to for so long.

When you pulled away to look him in the eyes, he took the opportunity to take your hand with the ring in his, kissing gem and intertwined his fingers with his. You pressed your forehead on his, his face hurting from how wide he was smiling.

“I love you, future Mrs. Holland, my future wife,”

“I love you too future husband,”

With that, you both sealed your love with a kiss under the night sky, lighting up the water with your ecstasy.

...

I tried to write from the reader’s pov for the proposal but i couldn't lmaoo I just felt more comfortable writing it from Tom’s

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Crossed out means couldn't tag:(

[rainydayhogwartsimagines]

Uhm hey! I love me some Draco hehe... What about a slytherin reader that's deaf? Both of them knew each other already since she's from a rich pure blood family? And just Draco protecting her from mean people (even tho he is a bully) and just like their relationship throughout the years (without voldemort and those shenanigans pls... I want Draco to be a happy boi, also both of them have cheesy moments like every 5 seconds)

Cheesy and cute? UHM FUCK YEAH MY DUDE

Warnings: Swearing. Obviously.

You met Draco when you were nine.

Your parents introduced each other and Draco said something but you didn't respond to anything.

It confused the kid, why weren't you listening to him? At all?

"And this is Y/n. Our daughter... She's deaf." Your father finally said making it register.

Draco didn't know how to talk to you but you had this journal that you just whipped out.

"I can answer yes or no questions." You wrote down.

He nodded. Okay... "Have you enjoyed your time here?" He asked.

You gave a "meh" response.

"How can... How can you talk to me?" He asked.

You started writing again.

"I read lips." You wrote.

Draco could work with this.

So you two ended up talking all night and you had a ton of fun with him.

Your parents saw the excitement on your face after you left and set up more dinners with the Malfoys.

So Draco started learning sign language. He was able to learn that quick too.

The next time you came over Draco was able to sign his name, ask how you were doing, "slow down" and "I only know a little right now".

You and him became quick friends and Lucius was lowkey grateful to see his son open to up to someone who wasn't Crabbe and Goyle.

When you two were together you'd show visible happiness and your parents were psyched because you hadn't done that before.

They'd tell you "Hey we're going to the Malfoy's" and you'd smile.

Your next few birthdays were spent with them and Draco's were spent with you.

By the time Draco and you entered hogwarts Draco knew how to use sign language almost completely.

You were naturally nervous about going to a place with a LOT of people who most likely didn't know sign language. Draco kept close to you though.

Dumbledore did issue a warning about you that you were deaf so no one would just walk up to you and start talking and be offended by no response.

The sorting ceremony happened and you were sorted into Slytherin and Draco was naturally like "FUCK YEAH MY BEST FRIEND IS WITH ME!" And you were pretty psyched to be with him too.

However a lot of kids who knew Draco were surprised to see him use ASL and so quickly too.

You would sign back and everyone was literally the embodiment of the "???" Meme.

Students around you were confused on how this was a means of communication but went with it.

However there was the added challenge of the fucking passwords on the doors.

They had to basically assign a kid to always be with you so you could get back in to the common room.

Any guesses to who the kid was? If you said Draco then congratulations, buy yourself something pretty.

Draco was always with you and if he was for some reason unavailable, Snape actually would help out.

To everyone's surprise, Snape actually didn't hate your guts

He seemed to almost enjoy your presence and he knew sign language as well so if you needed something he understood.

Course, this gave Harry Potter the wrong idea about you at first.

He didn't get the memo apparently that you were deaf and he was alarmed that you got along with both Draco and Snape.

He watched your every move like a fucking hawk.

And then he saw Draco use sign language and uhm.

He felt fucking dumb.

Harry actually went off and learned it on his own time

Draco was sitting in the library and Harry asked if he could sit with you two.

In sign language.

This shocked both of you because Draco thought he was the only kid who could do that

You nodded and Harry told you he was trying to learn

So Draco and you became somewhat of a teacher for Harry

Hermione, to everyone's surprise, already knew sign language.

She has a deaf Aunt apparently.

Ron learned it too and suddenly all of the Weasley's were interested in learning.

Draco was excited to see you have a friend group.

Like yes: he loved being your friend. But he wanted the best for you and he wanted to see you interact with other people too.

Fred and George would never prank you because that's just a dick move, but my God did they go to you for advice and alibis.

You didn't mind it either

When you were all able to go to Hogsmeade, Harry wanted you to meet his Uncles

You were down but also worried that they wouldn't know sign language

But apparently Harry had wrote to them like "Hey uhm guys, I met someone cool but they're deaf, can you learn sign language"

James already knew how to do it because Sirius's go to excuse was "You're deaf and I'm blind" when he did something... Not so legal

Sirius learned it from Remus

Remus learned it before becoming a substitute for Quirrell just in case

Lily learned it because she wanted to know

Peter also learned it from Remus

When a group of adults other than the Malfoys and your parents started talking to you in sign language you actually cried

Draco was panicked and they were all worried until you signed "No one except Draco has cared this much before"

From that point on you were to BE PROTECTED BY YOUR NEW ADOPTED FATHER JAMES

James is literally "I just met Y/n five minutes ago but if something happened to her I'd kill everyone in the room and then myself"

You loved hanging out with these adults and when they invited you for Christmas your literal response was "Only if Draco comes with"

So there you were at the Potter house, Draco next to you the whole time

He loved seeing you happy oh my God

He'd see your smile and it'd make his whole week.

You'd go to bed and sometimes Draco would stay up downstairs and read

Sirius talked to him one night though

"So. How long have you loved her?" Sirius asked.

Draco looked up from his book.

"...What?" He asked.

"How long have you loved Y/n?" Sirius asked.

"How did... You know?" Draco asked.

"Because James looks at Lily the same way you look at Y/n." Sirius told him.

So Draco vented a little bit and Sirius basically told him "Draco. Boy. Just GO FOR IT."

When you all went back to school you had your first wonderful experience with bullies

They tried to fuck with you

Bad choice.

Terrible choice really.

Ron nearly killed them, along with Draco

Fred and George pranked them later with some... Explosives?

Harry jinxed them

Hermione just did the normal thing and REPORTED THEM.

You almost felt bad for those two guys.

You felt glad though that you had this group of people who would go to the moon and back for you

Your parents suddenly had a very crowded house during the summer

But they didn't mind because they all made you happy.

Draco and you would take these walks in the garden though.

It'd just be you and him.

The whole group kind of shipped it and wanted you two to have some alone time.

Draco would talk to you and you'd smile and laugh at some of the things he'd say.

He seemed very happy with you.

Draco would have small moments with you where you'd be cold and he'd lend you his jacket or keep an arm around you.

Fred and George became DETERMINED to get you two together

When the Triwizard tournament happened Draco signed up as a "Meh. Why not"

And got selected...

He was wanting to die internally the whole time he was with the other champions

He was so used to being around you that he would sign when he spoke verbally.

Viktor and Fleur were very confused until they met you.

One day they strolled over to say good luck and there you were, signing.

Then it made sense like "OOOHH HIS GIRLFRIEND IS DEAF"

And the group had to correct them "No no, just friends... For now" "Wait what--" "Shhh Draco, look at the pretty girl"

Then came the first trial with a dragon.

That's the first time the group had heard Draco scream... Like a little girl.

You were on the edge of your seat, very worried though

When he managed to get the egg you were relieved.

He ran into the tent and literally collapsed.

The boy was COVERED in soot and dirt but you didn't care.

You hugged him and he was panting because he just ran a God damn marathon running from the dragon.

But you looked at him and he looked at you and... Well you kissed

Rita Skeeter ate it up and published an article and Draco nearly killed the woman.

She made it sound like he was with you because you were deaf and he pitied you

Like no. That shit does not fly with Draco

Guess what: his father did hear about that

Lucius LAID INTO THAT WOMAN HOLY FUCK

You didn't care though, you now had Draco

He'd always be showing you some sort of affection, playing with your hair while he read, sleeping in the common room with you on his chest

Because you couldn't speak, he would write you little poems and you loved them.

Fun fact: Draco is actually really good at putting up hair.

Whenever you needed to have your hair up for something Draco was the one that did it.

He always had scrunchies on hand and if he noticed your hair bothering you in class, he literally does not care who's watching he'd pull it back and just do it then and there.

Well one day Mcgonagall walked up to you while you were with Fred and George and asked for your assistance

She basically told you that you were needed for Draco's challenge

And so Draco was very confused when you weren't there.

"Where's Y/n?" He asked.

"Mcgonagall said she needed her for something, we haven't seen her since." George answered.

Draco's heart DROPPED.

The second that that shot went off he had no hesitation jumping in.

He was the first one out of the water with you.

He was PISSED that they would do that to a student they knew was deaf

You assured him though you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to help them though and he calmed down a little.

Draco did not let you go though, he kept a arm around you the entire time he was out of the water.

He was scattering kisses across your face apologizing over and over again and you kept signing "Draco I'm okay"

Then Fleur came up empty handed and you were looking at the lake like "DRACO. BABE. DO SOMETHING. PLEASE."

And because Draco would literally go to hell and back for you he jumped right back in.

He came back up with the kid and you were so happy that he did that and almost tackled him right back into the water.

He was smiling and holding you close.

Warming up in the Slytherin common room with cocoa and talking to the group

Slytherins watching you all like "Gryffindors aren't supposed to be in here--" and then all of you plotting their deaths in your heads.

Slytherin just becoming used to them being there.

Try saying no to you. Like truly. Do you want to be that asshole?

Draco asking you to the Yule during the dance course

You nodding enthusiastically and making him laugh before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Him seeing you and nearly dropping to the ground.

Him enthusiastically signing "YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL"

Your smile not leaving you the entire night

Draco signing "I love you" for the first time

You signing "I love you" back.

Draco going into his last trial and literally screaming like a little girl when that maze seemed to reach out and almost grab him.

Draco running and somehow finding the cup and winning.

You kissed him of course because CELEBRATION BIATCH

Slytherin celebrating but you and Draco slipping away and celebrating with the group instead.

Draco giving the money to Fred and George because he literally does not need more money.

Now that a bigger group knew sign language you were able to take other classes that wasn't limited to what Draco could do

Most of your classes were still with him though but you did enjoy herbology

You were literally the only student who didn't need ear muffs during the Mandrake lesson.

You actually loved herbology

You met your friend Neville there.

And then you met Luna

Both of which already knew sign language.

They were your buddies and you loved being around them

Your final year was approaching and you were taking an extra class but no one knew what for

You wouldn't tell the group, all they knew is that Dumbledore and Mcgonagall were both in on this.

Then there was one morning where the group was eating breakfast.

"Hi." You yawned and everyone didn't think anything of it until they realized.

You just spoke. Like... Verbally.

Everyone lost their shit and found out your were doing speech therapy.

You were a little insecure about your voice but Draco thought it was ADORABLE.

Your last year approached and while you rarely spoke it was still nice to see that you were doing things outside your comfort zone.

So graduation happened and Draco was talking about the future and something very unexpected happened.

You were watching this boy sign enthusiastically about how he loved you to James and the marauders and you just..

"Draco will you marry me?" You asked.

Everyone looked at you surprised and Draco smiled.

He said yes of course and so you got married

You, Fred and George all worked together.

You made their potions and grew whatever herbs they needed

Draco became a healer (I am absolutely convinced he does this after graduation) and starts a push for more accessible options for possible deaf students at hogwarts

You guys have a kid, Scorpius who is fluent in sign language (he's not deaf though)

James is the babysitter. You don't even have to pay the man

Just call him "Hey James we need you to watch our kid"

And he'll show up like "My daughter has called me"

Fred and George love seeing you happy when you work at the shop

Draco will occasionally pop in for a visit during the summer and he'll help out too.

You may have had a couple of mandrake accidents.

You kind of forget that the plants make noise and when you move the baby plants it knocks people out.

But it's okay because you never forget with the adult mandrakes for some reason.

Neville and Luna some times help out with you and you all have fun

Neville always faints for some reason.

"Didn't I give him ear muffs?" "He just fainted." "Again?"

You love to just look at your family when they're over.

Draco, Scorpius, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, James, Lily, Lucius, Narcissa, your mom, your dad, Luna, Neville, Molly, Arthur, Remus, Sirius, Peter... All of them... You loved the crap out of all of these idiots

Yes. They're idiots

But they're your idiots.

[flameo-firelord-hotman]

Idiot — Sokka x Fem!Reader

Genre: not sure...crack/fluff?

Warnings: none

Words: 2.1k

Summary: after spotting you in the marketplace, Sokka is head-over-heals for you and makes several foolish attempts to woo you.

A/N: I had to do it. This is yet another contribution to @fromthewatertribe’s 1k event! But this time I decided to write something a little silly with my boy Sokka. I used prompt #16: “you are like sunlight.” Enjoy :)

Masterlist

“Wow this marketplace is huge despite being such a small town,” Katara commented.

“Yeah, and it has so many cool things. Look at those pink lemons!” Aang exclaimed, pointing to one of the fruit stalls.

“And these Earth Kingdom hairpieces!” Katara added.

“And that bag over there!” Sokka said. Then, he saw you. “And her...” he said dreamily. Quickly, he approached your stall. Okay, be cool, Sokka. Be cool! he chanted in his mind.

You were organizing your products and making sure everything looked neat, when you heard someone cough to get your attention.

“Helloooo there!” Sokka greeted you in a lower sounding voice. He gave you a smug look and leaned his elbow on the countertop.

Ugh, not one of these guys again, you thought. It didn’t happen often, but it was still annoying when some customers would try to hit on you. Still, you had a job to do, so you put on your customer service smile and played nice. “Hi! How can I help you?”

“Well, I was just…inquiring what wares you were selling in this boutique here,” Sokka replied, still faking his voice.

Seriously?

Katara overheard her brother and stepped in to save you—and him—from an awkward conversation. “Pardon my idiot brother. He’s just interested in that bag over there,” she said, pointing to one of the bags on display. Sokka glared at her.

“Oh! Ahaha, sure thing. That bag is 10 silver pieces.”

“I’ll take it!” Sokka said enthusiastically. As he handed you the money, he tried to think of something clever to say to you. Come on, Sokka, think! Say something that’ll make her fall for you! When you handed him the bag, he got an idea.

With the bag in his hands, he admired it saying “this bag sure is fine, don’t you think?”

“It’s nice, yes,” you simply replied.

“So fine…just like yo—"

“Ugh, for crying out loud!” Katara suddenly groaned. She grabbed Sokka’s arm and dragged him away. “Quit hitting on her and let’s get going, will ya?” You chuckled as the siblings mocked and grumbled at each other while walking away.

“Why did you do that?” Sokka cried.

“Do what? Save you from embarrassing yourself?”

He scoffed, “if anything you embarrassed me!”

Katara groaned and pinched the bridge of her noise. She couldn’t believe how utterly stupid her brother was.

“She was totally into me!” Sokka continued, “didn’t you see the way she looked at me? We were connecting...and then you ruined it!”

“Or maybe she was looking at you, because you were being a complete weirdo.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Idiot,” Katara muttered.

“I know you are, but what am I?” Sokka jeered.

“Spirits, Sokka!” Katara cried, throwing her hands in the air.

The next day, the trio returned to the marketplace to do some more window shopping. Sokka snuck away from the group to talk to you again. He was determined to impress you and win his heart. As he approached your stall again, he devised a plan. Alright, here’s what you’re going to do, Sokka. You’re going to go up to her, introduce yourself, get her name, and then ask her out. Easy peasy!

Whistling as he walked, Sokka went up to your stall. “Oh heyyyy,” he said with a grin on his face.

“Hey,” you greeted. He leaned on the countertop just like he did yesterday. You noticed he was sporting the bag he had bought from you.

“I don’t know if you remember me, but—”

You giggled. “I do actually. You’re the silly guy who bought that bag from me yesterday,” you remarked, pointing to the bag.

“Yeah! Yeah...uh, the name’s Sokka. I’m from the Southern Water Tribe,” he said, extending his hand. You reluctantly shook it.

“I’m [y/n]. I live here.”

“That makes sense! Uh, you work here; therefore, you live here!” he commented awkwardly. He was trying to make conversation, but was clearly failing at it. You actually found it funny, not his comment, but the fact that he was making such a fool of himself again. None of the guys who hit on you were like this. You decided to play along purely for entertainment.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve lived here all my life,” you said.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! You know what else is amazing?”

“What?”

“You,” he said with a wink.

Okay, that was kind of smooth…but I’m not giving in just yet, you thought. “Why? Because I sell bags every day?” you playfully asked.

“Yeah!” Sokka immediately responded without thinking. Then, he dreadfully realized what you said. “Well, I mean, um…that is interesting, yes. But uh…” Sokka stuttered, trailing off. His plan wasn’t working out so well. You didn’t respond the way he expected you too. By now he should’ve asked you out, but now he was off track, and didn’t know how to recover.

“So, uh, are you here to buy something? Or…” you asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Shoot! I’m losing her. I need to think of something quick! He racked his brain, trying to come up with something witty or funny to say. “No, no...I’m, uh...um...” he scratched his head. Nothing came to mind. It was time to abort mission. “You know what? I forget. Bye!”

And he bolted. You kind of felt bad for him. That Water Tribe boy was trying his best to flirt with you. It was too bad he sucked at it. But at the same time, it was funny.

Sokka ran through the streets of Shí Zhèn. He needed a new plan, but he couldn’t think of anything. He needed help, but he couldn’t ask his sister for advice, because he knew Katara would tell him to leave you alone. That left only one other person: the 12-year-old, very inexperienced Avatar. I’m so screwed! he groaned. But he had no choice; he needed to find Aang.

At last, he spotted him at one of the marketplace stalls.

“Hey, Aang!” he shouted.

“Hi, Sokka! Check out this tiny sweater I found. I think it’s supposed to be for babies, but it fits Momo perfectly!” Aang smiled. He held up Momo to show off the little green sweater wrapped around Momo’s small body. Momo chirped happily.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fantastic,” Sokka quickly said, unimpressed. “Listen, you have no game, but you’re also a wise guy. I need your help.”

“Um, thanks, I guess? What’s up?” asked Aang.

Sokka sighed, lovestruck. “This girl at the marketplace...her name’s [y/n]. Everything about her is stunning: her face, her hair, her voice…so stunning that I keep making a fool of myself in front of her.”

“Aw, that’s so cute Sokka! Isn’t love a wonderful thing?”

“Uh-huh, yeah, so how do I impress her without being an idiot?” Sokka wanted to get straight to the point.

Aang thought for a moment. He had virtually no experience in the dating world. In fact, he was struggling with his own crush on Katara. “Well, the advice you once gave me was to not be too nice and act aloof, but—”

“That’s it! Thanks, Aang!” shouted Sokka as he ran off.

Sokka rushed back to your stall. When he got within sight of it, he slowed to a stroll. Then, he proceeded to walk past your stall multiple times while acting aloof. Every time he did, he would look at you from a safe distance to see if he caught your attention.

To him, it seemed you hadn’t noticed him. The truth was that his new tactic was so painfully obvious and cringey that you pretended not to see him.

Still determined, Sokka approached your stall and pretended to look at the bags on display. Well, if he’s going to play pretend, then I will too, you decided. And so, you put on that customer service smile again and acted oblivious to him.

“Welcome back,” you greeted him.

“Hi,” Sokka said curtly. He didn’t even look up at you.

This’ll be good, you thought. “What brings you here again?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Just looking, I guess,” he stated in a bored tone.

“Okay. Well, I see you’re looking at the wicker bag. That one’s pretty popular.” He merely grunted as a reply. You continued. “It’s made of rattan. Very durable, water resistant, easy to clean, and holds a lot. What do you think?”

“Meh, it seems alright.”

“Just alright? Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

“Eh, nothing really.”

At this point, you were entertained enough. You were done playing around. “You’re funny, you know.”

“Huh?” Sokka was completely caught off guard.

“Yeah! Flirting with me, and then suddenly acting like you don’t have a care in the world. I think it’s funny.”

“Oh...” was all Sokka could say. I’ve screwed myself again, haven’t I? he worried.

You leaned on the countertop, getting closer to Sokka. “Want to know what else I think?”

“Uh...”

“I think you’re trying too hard. I don’t normally let guys hit on me, because they’re usually creepy about it, but you’re actually nice and funny. Instead of pretending to be someone you’re not, I think you should just be yourself when you ask me out.”

“Wow,” Sokka muttered in astonishment, “even when you call me idiot, it’s amazing.”

You burst out laughing. “See? You’re funny! And, yeah, I didn’t want to say that out loud, but...you read my mind.”

“Alright, I’m going to start over!” Sokka decided. Dramatically, he did a jump and spin, then threw his hands in the air and beamed as if he transformed into his true self.

“Hi there! My name’s Sokka,” he said with newfound confidence. “Has anyone ever told you that you are like sunlight?”

You threw your head back and laughed again. He gave you look of confusion.

“You’re so goofy!” you laughed, wiping tears from your eyes. “That’s really sweet though, keep going!” you begged him.

“Okay,” he chuckled, “well, I think you and me should hang out tonight. What do you think? We could walk through the streets, eat dinner, stargaze,” he said, hands waving in the air as he spoke.

You put your finger to your chin, pretending to deeply consider his offer. “Hmm, I don’t know, goofball,” you mumbled sarcastically, while dramatically rolling your eyes.

Sokka smirked knowingly. “Oh, come on, sunshine. You know you can’t resist silly Sokka!” he said playfully. To top it off, he scrunched up his sleeves and flex his arms. When he gave you a cheeky grin and bounced his eyebrows up and down, you cracked up once more.

“Pft, okay, goofball. You’ve won my heart. Meet me here at sunset!” you cheered.

“YES!” Sokka shouted before jumping in the air and clicking his heals victoriously. If he could do a backflip, he probably would’ve done one right then and there. “Uh, I mean...great! I’ll see you then,” he said, pointing finger guns at you as he backed away into the crowds.

Tired from wandering and shopping, Katara and Aang relaxed in their room at the local inn. Suddenly, the door was forcefully kicked opened.

“Guys, I did it!” Sokka announced as he leaped into the room. Katara and Aang stared at him wide-eyed like a startled deer-dog. Then, they glanced at each other, unsure of what he was talking about.

“Did what?” they both asked.

“I have a date with [y/n],” he sighed dreamily. If heart eyes were real, they would be popping up on his face.

“That’s great, Sokka! I’m so glad everything worked out for you,” Aang smiled.

At first, Katara felt out of the loop, then she realized who he must’ve been talking about. “Oh, don’t tell me you harassed and that poor girl again!” she facepalmed.

“Oh, no, no, we chatted for a bit. She thinks I’m hilarious!” Sokka exclaimed.

“She must’ve lied,” Katara concluded.

“Nuh-uh, she was cracking up at my jokes,” Sokka assured. “By the way, Aang, your advice sucked.”

“Actually, it was your own advice...which you gave to me,” Aang carefully explained.

“Well...ugh, whatever! It doesn’t matter anymore. I have a date tonight that I need to get ready for. Later, losers!”

After the door closed, Katara shook her head and sighed, “why is my brother like this?”

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Squeeze that bunny tail!

Part 5 (final part)

Description: The RAD student council as well as the exchange students help out at a bar where, oops, the staff´s dress codes are those sweet bunny outfits that we all know and thirst for. The MCs, Violet and Clover, play a game of who can touch the most bunny tails over the evening without getting caught. Prepare for fluff, funny innuendos as well as my thirst over hot boys in bunny outfits.

This is the finale of this way too long "one shot". Find the prior parts here!

Story continues under the cut. You´re almost finished!!

Continuing to work at the bar for a while, Violet found a surprising guest on the other side of the counter.

“Clover! What are you doing here?"

Clover sank down on one of the chairs.

"A double shot, please" Clover joked, but probably wouldn't say no to a little refresher either.

"Tired?" Violet laughed, handing her a glass of water instead.

"Mhm..." Clover rubbed her face. "I´m slowly running out of energy... Well, how are your squeeze-points doing?"

They exchanged their data. While Violet was doing pretty well with a total of 17 points, Clover had (still) only gathered five points so far.

"Meh... I knew I'd loose" Clover mumbled.

"It's still not too late" Violet tried cheering her up. There's still plenty of time to touch Solom-"

"DONT." Clover shot her giggling friend a glare. "Look, it's not even anything personal, I just... Feel very weird inside when I imagine me walking up to Solomon like this."

Violet's smirk widened.

"You mean like... The fluttery feeling of butterflies in your stomach? Clover, could it be...?! That you lov-"

"I will eliminate you if you end this sentence."

She couldn't hide a smile at the joke, but soon Clover had to realise that her persistence to not squeeze Solomon's tail would have drastic consequences.

"You know...” Violet thought out loud at some point. "We never thought of a price for the winner of our challenge, did we?"

"... Nope."

The ideas kept processing in Violet's head. Then it hit her.

"Or maybe... Rather than thinking of a price, let's do a penalty for the loser."

Clover's eyes wandered up to meet hers, her face curling into a "I don't like where this is going" expression.

"How abooouut... The loser..." Violet began.

"Don't."

"... Has toooo..."

"Please don't."

"...Touch..."

"Why do you hate me."

"... Solomon's tail?" Violet grinned proudly.

"... You really hate me, don't you?"

"Come on, Clover" Violet cheered. "There's still time for you to score some points~!"

Clover wanted to reply something when a weird round of girly giggles caught their attention.

Around the dining tables, a group of female succubi where currently being served by Beel.

But they didn't seem to be interested in the drinks in his hand, but much rather in the man holding them. Even from the bar, the human girls could hear their excited squeals as they kept batting their eyes at the demon.

Clover's head landed on the bar counter in a depressed sigh.

"Whatever... I don't really care about the game anyway..."

In an instant, Violet's whole tone had changed.

"Clover..." She mumbled, voice soft as the patted her friend's head.

"It's been like this the whole evening" Clover grumbled, eyes pointing to the group of succubi. "I can't blame them, but... When I hear them thirsting over Beel, I…"

"Just go up to him" Violet said. "You know Beel, it's not like he'd be interested in some random demons."

The frown on Clover's face deepened. "... And in no random human, either..."

"Stop saying that. You know he likes your company. Likes you."

Clover shook her head.

"Just... Leave me, okay. Thank you, but... I'm just a little angry at myself. I also had so many chances to squeeze his tail but... Yeah..."

Violet clearly remained bothered, but Clover was quick to change the topic.

"Did you get that Luci-butt already?"

"... No" Violet cried. "He dashed away to grab Mammon, and they vanished in the staff room."

"... That's why Mammon was tied to the ceiling fan!" Clover called out. "Explains a lot."

Violet gave a nod, however continuing with her trail of thought.

"It's been quite a while, though... He should have been around the casino area, but wasn't there... And now he's on break, but, again, I have no idea where he is."

"Go search for him" Clover said. "I'll back you up here. I need something to do anyway, so... Go get your man. There's still his tail in need to be squished, right?"

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

They argued a little, but in the end, Violet accepted Clover's offer and excused herself into an early break. Violet was searching through the whole club. Asking some of the brothers, too, but none could give her a clue. She wasn't able to find him anywhere, so in her desperation, she went up to Simeon.

"Hey, Simeon? Have you seen Lucifer anywhere?"

The angel turned to greet her as well.

"Hello", he smiled. "Does he have a shift right now? If not, maybe he is using the restroom."

"Hm... I've been looking for him for a while now, though..."

Simeon mustered her for a moment.

"He might also be outside to catch some fresh air" he continued his trail of thought. "But I fear he might get a cold if he stays out for too long. Would you mind taking care of him?"

"Huh?" Violet's eyes widened in surprise.

"Lucy always had a bad habit of taking too little care of himself. So, could you check on him? I am sure he would be delighted to see you."

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

When Violet pulled open the heavy doors of the bar's back entrance, a head turned towards her immediately.

"Lucifer...!" she called out, looking down on the demon sitting on the stairs.

"Violet... Did something happen?"

He was already in the movement of standing up, worry spreading in his face.

"No no, everything's fine!" Violet quickly assured him. "I just came looking for you."

He stopped mid-motion, but in the end sat down again.

"Why?"

Violet bit her lip. She decided to plonk down beside him.

"I'm also on break now. I thought we could spend it together and relax a little."

She felt his gaze on her, but as soon as she turned to face him, he was looking off into the distance.

"I am pleased to hear you decided to grand me your free time" he smiled. Then, he gave a sigh.

"However... I should probably head back in soon. Someone might need my help-"

"S-stay!"

Violet impulsively grabbed Lucifer's arm before he could escape.

They stared at each other. Until Lucifer let out a breathy laugh.

"Well, if you demand my presence that much... I fear I cannot turn down a request from you."

A little silence came over them. From the side glances Violet threw him, the demon looked kind of... Odd.

"Ah... Is there something you need from me, perhaps?" Lucifer asked. "Or why is it that you want me to stay so badly?"

And from how he looked at her, his perfect attire not shattered, but shreds of exhaustion glistening in his eyes, Violet knew that he wasn't okay.

"I'm good", she replied. "I simply... Wanted to check if you're doing good, too."

Surprise crossed Lucifer's face.

"Of course" he replied. "I am used to working until late."

However, Violet kept inspecting him.

"... Are you worried about me?" he asked. She did not really answer with more than a guilty glance off to the side. "Your worry is misplaced. I am nothing out of the usual."

Violet almost gave a grumbly noise. So he wasn't going to break through his perfect face so easily, huh?

"Okay", she said, tone almost as if she didn't really care. "You know, because I feel kind of exhausted."

Lucifer was hesitating. "... Explain."

"We've been running around for hours" Violet began to list. "The music inside is rather loud, especially near the dance hall. Mammon keeps causing trouble... Well, not only him. It's always tricky dealing with an angry Satan, too, or Beel when he's hungry, or with Asmo when he's... horny..."

The demon interrupted her by giving a huff. He had seen through her plan.

"... So you've come to pity me? Do I seem that weak to you?"

"What? No!" she exclaimed. "I would never think of you as weak!"

She made a little pause. A little nervous, she stretched out her hand to link her pinky finger with his.

"But I... Also don't think it's a sign of weakness to share your exhaustion with others... Let alone to be exhausted in the first place."

His crimson eyes met hers.

"... Why would I be exhausted?" he mumbled. "Dealing with this scumbag of a brother, keeping Beel from illegally eating food supplies without paying for them... Asmo groping strangers, Satan mocking me on purpose... Levi clinging to my side, whining that he wants to go home like some toddler... Oh, did you know Belphie locked himself in one of the toilet stalls to sleep? For two whole hours?" he was waiting for her to laugh, but had to endure her worried expression. "And then there's Lord Diavolo... Mixing his own sparks of crazy into this chaos..."

Mumbling the last part, he looked down on his clothing... Or rather the places where he normally would wear some.

Then his head perked up again.

"Why should I be exhausted?" he asked again. "All that is... Nothing out of the usual..."

Violet's lips curled into a sad smile.

Now she placed his whole hand into her palms.

"You work really hard, Lucifer."

He tried a cheeky smirk. "Words of flattery won't be enough to convince..."

But Lucifer's voice trailed off.

One could even debate that his mouth fell open just a slight bit, seeing the look Violet gave him.

So warm that it truly caught him off guard...

As if admitting his defeat, Lucifer went silent.

He enjoyed how her thumb gently brushed over his hand for a while as he was taking breaths of the fresh midnight air.

Violet was patiently waiting for him until eventually, he would speak up again.

"Aren't you cold?" Lucifer asked. "Your human body surely isn't used to the temperatures of Devildom nights..."

"Huh? No, I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Oh, surely you are..." The teasing tone in his voice was back. "And I'm sure your outfit is only helping, isn't it~?"

He shot Violet some obvious glances, leading her to instinctively cover her body in a blush.

"Like you're one to talk...!" she mumbled.

"You got me there..." he chuckled. "I would lend you a jacket if I had one, but..."

Lucifer silently gestured at the arm sleeves, shrugging in a manner of "nothin doin".

He got a laugh out of her, and his relief immediately showed on his face.

"Your smiling face will have to keep me warm, then" he said.

Violet's smile turned into a blush immediately.

"Oh~?", he smirked. "A blush is fine as well, thank you~"

Struggling, Violet turned away slightly, trying not to embarrass herself even more.

Then, she felt arms being wrapped around her.

"However, I fear I have to take responsibility for keeping you warm as well..." he murmured close to her ear. "After all, it is my fault you have to sit here..."

The girl turned, and wrapping her arms around him as well, nuzzled her face into his warm skin.

"It's not your fault", she replied softly. "I chose to come and find you."

"... I still don't understand why."

"I told you" Violet smiled. "There's nothing wrong with taking a break from time to time. And if I, in any way, can help you with that, I'd love to do so."

She heard him breathe softly as he was searching for a response.

"... Thank you", he decided to say.

She squeezed him tightly. "You're welcome."

"...Stay like this for a little longer" Lucifer asked of her when it felt as if Violet was trying to pull away.

Of course, she agreed, and so they relaxed into each other’s embrace for a little longer.

Without meaning to, over time Violet's arms were sliding down his body a little, just enough to accidentally brush over something fluffy with her fingertip.

But, oh well, who would even mind gathering points for some silly game when there was something -- or rather, someone else to focus on...

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

They only parted after Lucifer's phone pulled them back into reality.

Sighing, he announced the end of their break.

"I'm glad we are closing soon..." he mumbled and helped Violet stand up. "Although, cleaning the place will probably leave us with another hour of work until we finally get to head home..."

"It will be exhausting… But we'll power through it" Violet assured, squishing his hand in encouragement.

"Yes..." Lucifer nodded.

Then, he pulled her closer one last time, wrapping one arm around her waist while looking down into her eyes.

"However... I would much appreciate it if we could keep our break a secret."

"Uhm..." the girl blinked, confused. "Sure, but may I ask why?"

"No reason in particular... I would simply ask that as a personal favour."

Then, he leaned in closer. Resting his chin on her shoulder, his hand reached to her lower back.

And Violet gave a gasp as she felt how he provocatively played with her bunny tail.

"In return, I will keep your secrets safe, too."

He pulled back, responding to her dazzled expression with a sly smirk, before passing her to open the door.

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

Being the gentleman he was, Lucifer held the door open, smiling at the lady as he gestured her to step inside.

"Thank y..." Violet was about to say,

Then both of them looked inside the kitchen.

Beel stood there, together with Clover, both giggling as they snacked on some sweets.

Violet wanted to smile at the sight… But the "shit, we got caught" expression on both of their faces, paired with Lucifer's tangible anger, made her frown instead.

"... Oops" Clover and Beel pressed out, simultaneously letting go of the meringues they had in their hands.

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

To understand how that situation came to existence, we should go back in time to take a look at Clover's side of the story.

She was cleaning the tables when yet another giggle pulled her out of her thoughts.

The girl felt tired, and had started to count down the minutes left until she could finally go home.

She was really done with life. And those certain giggles made it only worse. She would admit that she wasn't good with things like jealousy.

She just couldn't deal with it.

Not in a way like Mammon, for example, was expressing his tsundere feelings.

No, her way of coping was more... Self hating (like Levi I guess),

And hearing for yet another time how some hot demon girls called a certain waiter over to them drove her insane.

"Do you want to try my cake, Beel~?"

Clover flinched.

She peeked up to see how a demon caressed Beel's arm as she waited for his answer to her question.

Clover couldn't see his face, but, judging from his tone, he was wearing his usual frown.

"... I'm not allowed to eat the food we serve..."

"Oh, don't be like that..." The demon responded, loading some cake onto her fork. "It's my cake now, so I decide who gets to eat it. And I really want yooouuuu..."

She stopped, then one of her friends giggled.

"Are you going to finish that sentence?"

"It's already finished", she purred, seductively winking at Beel before leading the fork up to his face.

Beel was hesitating, for two whole seconds, before chomping down on both, cake and fork.

"Oh... Not again..." He mumbled.

The girls gave a giggle.

"Beel, you're such a beast!" The main (bitch) demon hummed. "That's no good, though... I wanted to feed you another bite, but how, without fork...?"

"Guess you´ll have to do mouth to mouth feeding...", Another chick chuckled.

And as the demon girl stood up to do exactly that, Clover stomped away impulsively.

In her fury, she didn't notice how someone was calling for her. She targeted the table in the most opposite corner possible as someone pulled her arm.

Belphie was staring at her, holding her by her wrist.

"... You're pathetic" he said.

"Thank you, tell me something I don't know yet." Clover pulled her arm out of his grip. "And, what, you've got nothing better to do then watch me be pathetic?"

Belphie blinked in surprise. “I would usually agree that it´s pretty funny to watch you get angry, but I´ve seen you be like this all night. What´s getting you this agitated?”

A deep frown spread on her face, but Clover didn´t answer. So Belphie looked back to Beel.

“Is it because of the succubi? Because of Beel?”

“… Please, leave me alone…”

She didn’t see his worried expression as Belphie was trying to figure the answer to his question.

“… Are you really this insecure?” He finally decided to ask.

As her only response was a short side glare with wet eyes, Belphie understood she wouldn´t talk about it.

“Really… Both of you can be such a pain to deal with…” Belphie breathed before leaving Clover alone.

And Clover felt even worse now.

Not only being so horrible inside, but Belphie tried to help her and she rejected it.

She fought tears as she furiously wiped the already clean table.

Pathetic. Yes, she was so pathetic. Honestly, Beel was probably in better company with those succubi than with an idiotic, childish human like her-

Clover got lifted off of the ground.

Squealing, she noticed too late how arms had wrapped around her thighs, leading her to now flail in the air in panic.

"Wh-what?!" Clover panicked.

"It's time for a break" She felt the culprit cheering into her back.

"... Beel?"

Beelzebub began to head through the local, the girl still in his arms.

"Let's go to the kitchen" he said. "Belphie just told you need a break, and I need your help with something..."

Clover gave some more confused noises, but it was impossible to move in the demon's grip anyway.

"O-okay, but... You don't have to carry me, I'm probably heavy..."

She felt him chuckle. "Heavy? I can carry you with one arm. Look!"

He stretched out his right arm to demonstrate. Beel led them into the kitchen.

The local wasn't serving any food at this late hour, so they appeared to be alone here.

"U-uhm... Beel, are you going to put me down somewhen soon, or...?"

"Yeah, soon..." he mumbled, then walked up to one of the shelves hanging on the wall. "Do you perhaps see anything on top of the shelf?"

Clover tilted her head.

"Yeah, there's a box of... What's that...? Meringues?"

Absolutely delicious meringues!"

Clover gave a little chuckle at the excitement in his voice, but her expression did a full turn when she saw the note attached to the box:

'BEEL. DO NOT EAT.'

"Could you get them for me?" Beel smiled innocently.

The girl hesitated, so Beel asked again. "Please, I can't reach them alone. The shelf is up too high."

"Well... I'm guessing someone hid them there on purpose..."

"Please, Clover... I'm so hungry..."

But as he realised she wasn't going to hand him the box that easily, he let her down to rest on the counter they had been standing in front of.

"Beel, I know you're hungry, but..." she began, however halted as she noticed how terribly tired he looked.“... Are you okay?"

The demon gave a little sigh. "No... I'm exhausted... Not like after training, but just... drained." He leaned against the counter next to her. "What about you? Aren't you tired? Have the customers been nice to you?"

"Huh? Yeah, they have."

"Good" he nodded. "We were afraid that some of the guests might harass you or Violet, but I guess Lucifer's official warning was enough to scare them off..."

Clover fiddled with her fingers.

"There was no need to worry, though. I don't think anyone would have approached us… or me, at least" she said, laughing awkwardly. "I don't have a fair share of people crushing on me like you, hahaha..."

Beel looked at her. "Good. You don't need any demons trying to seduce you. I wouldn't want you to go through a hassle like this..."

"... You don't like the attention?"

He shrugged. "Not really... But I have to be nice to them, so I tend to just ignore what they say. I won't say no to free food or extra money, but... I don't really see why they behave like this."

Clover chuckled, feeling relief at his words.

"Diavolo already said it... Good-looking staff makes more profit."

Beel blinked at her, processing her words. "... Thank you."

"Nothing to thank me for" Clover smiled shyly.

He went silent.

"No... No, there is", Beel then suddenly said, pushing himself off the counter to stand in front of her again. "I've been hit on the whole evening, but... somehow, it feels nice if you're the one to compliment me... You always make me feel nice inside. And for that, I should thank you."

He blessed her with a smile that, obviously, was directly followed by the girls' heart exploding in the love she felt for this man.

However, he still gave off odd vibes.

"...Beel?" Clover called out, seeing how he was deeply contemplating something.

"I was thinking of thanking you with some... Meringues" his smile widened.

"... Beel."

"They're supposed to be delicious! I could feed them to you... If I manage to contain myself. But I'd try really hard, because it´s for you.”

"Beel..." Clover sighed, watching as his puppy grin spread on his face more and more.

"Wouldn't that be nice to feed each other a nice treat...?" he changed into begging puppy eyes.

They stared at each other.

"Beel."

"Clover?"

"We both know you have wings, or could have simply climbed onto the counter if you wanted to get those sweets."

"... But I wanted to share them with you...?"

"We also both know how Lucifer tends to cast spells on the things that you are absolutely not allowed to eat. But those tend to apply to demons only most of the time."

Beelzebub went silent.

"What was that earlier?” Clover continued. “About you not wanting me to be lured by demons? And now, I find myself sweet-talked like this?"

His face had ultimately changed into sulking puppy mode.

"... But I... I'm... I really mean what I said…"

Clover crossed her arms.

"You're a sly demon, mister" she scolded. "And to think you'd take advantage of me like this...!" She fake cried in disbelief.

"I'm sorry..." he pouted.

Silence came over them, in which Clover fully knew that he was thinking of both, how to make it up to her AND how to achieve his goal anyway.

His idea surprised her, though.

"... Want to touch my bunny tail?"

"... Huh?"

"I've seen you and Violet do this to the others" Beel said. "I don't why, but you seemed to have fun, so..." He turned around to expose his tail. "AND I'll treat you with some of the meringues, of course", he added as he noticed Clover was seriously considering his offer.

Clover was grunting something. "Lucifer will kill us", she said.

"He doesn't have to find out."

"... You're evil..."

"Well, I AM a demon, after all" Beel laughed.

And as he teasingly wiggled his tail at her, Clover gave in to the temptation...

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

"Beel... Clover... Would you care to explain what I have to look at right now...?"

Lucifer crossed his arms as he spoke.

Yeah, they were SO screwed.

"... Uhm..." Beel started to mumble while Clover felt her stomach turn in guilt.

"Beel" Lucifer called out again. "Could those be the meringues that I have personally bought and reserved for me to enjoy after work?"

"... There was no name written on it" the avatar of Gluttony said.

Lucifer pierced him with an angry stare. Then he turned towards Clover.

"And you" his tone had the girl shiver visibly. "Demons were unable to touch that box. Hence, I assume it was you who got them? AND ate them, as well?"

"I forced her to do it" Beel immediately chimed in.

"Huh?” Clover blinked in surprise. "Beel, no... I got them! And asked Beel to try them with me. It's my f-fault" she lied.

Now Beel was the one to look confused, and the two kind of drowned in a spiral of trying to protect the other one. But the ruckus only fueled Lucifer's displease.

Already stressed out, he felt like he was about to explode.

If not for Violet who kept him steady.

"Lucifer" she mumbled in a mellow voice, stroking over his arm in a calming gesture. "Don't stress yourself. They will buy you a new package."

Lucifer shot her about the same angered glare as he had done with the others, but softened as he mustered her comforting smile.

With a sigh, Lucifer stepped closer to Beel and Clover.

"... You are lucky to have Violet standing up for you..." he mumbled. "As compensation, I order three boxes of those meringues. Oh, and when we close the bar, do not expect to leave until everything is as tidy as can be."

"Y-yes, sir...!"

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

Slowly (very slowly I know) but steadily, the evening came to an end...

A lot has happened, way too much to fit into this... One shot... Story... * glances at the total approximate reading time of one hour*

...Well. Let's not talk about that...

A little after 4 AM, every last customer had left the bar/ had been carried out of the dancing hall (like, a few of the most drunk ones literally had to be yeeted out of the local.)

Now everything that was left was cleaning up the local.

Lucifer took it upon himself to punish all of his brothers - and Clover - for annoying him at some point during this event. So those appeared to have an extra load of work, while he pulled Violet aside with him for some more leisure cleaning.

Around five in the morning, it seemed like the bunny crew was finally finished.

"Alright..." Barbatos mumbled, stepping out of the last hall he needed to check. "It seems we are done. All that is left is to take out the trash as we go."

"... How are we supposed to take out the trash? Mammon is still tied to the ceiling" Belphie mumbled casually.

"WHO DID YOU JUST CALL TRASH?!" Some Mammon screamed from the staff's room.

Clover mustered them in amusement, when Violet walked up to her.

"Ooooh, Clooveerrrr...." the girl hummed in a rather... Scary tone.

"... I don't like the look on your face" Clover stated in growing fear.

"You know... We still need to see who's won the challenge" Violet grinned.

Clover crossed her arms. "... Do we really need to compare?"

"Yes."

"Uggghhh..." Clover frowned. She pulled out her phone:

-------

Clover: Lord Diavolo? May we ask how many points you have?

Diavolo: I managed to gather 12 points, fair and square. How many do you two have?

Violet: I have 20 points in total... Although I'm not 100% sure if Lucifer noticed me earlier...

Clover: ...

* Clover has left the chatroom *

------

"Violet, I don't want to do this."

Clover's friend mustered her with a smirk.

"Well..." Violet hummed. "I'm not forcing you, but... You did loose, after all..."

"Violeeet..."

"And look" she pointed at the hall in front of the dressing rooms. "He's standing there, alone, for some reason... It's fate, Clover."

Clover gave the ugliest growl.

But in the end she walked up to Solomon.

She didn't even know how to approach this. Should she try to make it sneaky, or just awkwardly ask?

Legs wobbly, Clover came to a stop behind the sorcerer, reaching out her hand in the same moment that he turned around to face her.

"Oh, hello", Solomon cheered. "Can I help you?"

She flinched backwards.

"Uuhhhh..."

Solomon gave her a confused look, but didn't get to say anything.

Coincidentally, Levi happened to walk up to them as well, wanting something from Solomon.

The human turned around as the two talked.

And finally…

Solomon's bunny tail got touched.

...

Clover escaped immediately. Avoiding any kind of interaction, at all costs.

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

The last thing to do before everyone could return home was getting dressed normally again.

And everyone felt so tired that they really just wanted to hit the hay, when...

A panicked scream rang out of the stall Clover was changing in.

"... Clover?" Violet called out, already dressed normally again.

The girl gave continuous panicked noises, pressed out random “What is happening-?!”´s.

Then, all of a sudden, silence came over them.

“Cl… Clover…?” Visibly concerned, Violet was standing in front of the stall´s door, unsure what to do. As she didn´t get an answer, she was trying to open the door, but it was locked.

She had to hurry to get someone to help, and as her face screamed “we have trouble”, most of her friends came to look what was going on.

Barbatos had to help open the stalls door, and when Violet carefully pushed it open…

They saw a small, brown bunny sitting on the floor.

Its green eyes were staring up into the countless pairs of puzzled eyes as they tried to understand the situation.

Violet was the first one to move again. She slowly lowered herself, reaching out to the animal.

“Is that you… Clover?”

“HUH?!”

Half of the people there stared at the girl in disbelief.

“You´re telling me THIS is CLOVER??” Mammon asked with big eyes. Violet had picked the bunny up and stepped out of the stall to get a better look at Clover.

“What happened to her?” Beel asked, worry spread over his face.

Bunny Clover seemed to understand their words. Or at least, she suddenly turned her fluffy head, staring directly at Solomon.

And, well, the sorcerer stared back, an amused smile on his face.

"Ah... So Clover DID touch my tail, after all!"

"... What."

The whole group was now demanding answers.

Solomon chuckled, placing his gaze on Violet now. "I was waiting until one of you would finally approach me and touch my tail... But oddly, none of you seemed to have interest in touching it... I thought I had made myself an easy target, but I must have made it too obvious..."

Violet´s mouth fell open a tad bit.

"... So you really knew of our challenge?" She dared to ask.

But Solomon would only continue to laugh.

"I honestly thought my efforts would go to waste..." He mustered the bunny in her arms. "Don't worry though, the spell will wear off eventually."

"Eventually??" Levi repeated.

"Yes, in a few days or so."

"WHAT?!"

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

The whole way back to the house of Lamentation, Violet had to deal with this grumpy, pissed, simply angwy bunny in her arms. Clover couldn´t speak, but the little facial expression she could give said it all.

“Hey, Cloverrr…” Violet attempted to cheer her up. “Don´t look at me like that… It was fun, wasn´t it?”

Bunny Clover snuffled grumpily.

Yeah, yeah, she thought. It´s all fun and games until it´s about Solomon.

Meanwhile, Bunny Clover had to endure how the brothers kept poking her fluffy fur or took pictures of her.

If she could, Clover would have given a big sigh.

THIS is exactly why I don't trust Solomon... Never did, never will...

[twdmusicboxmystery]

FTWD 6x11: The Holding

Wow! Where to begin with this episode? We had some super-stellar parallels going here. I don’t think it was any secret that I wasn’t thrilled with last week’s episode. It was fine, but also kind of meh. I LOVED this week’s episode. So much good stuff!

***As always, spoilers for 6x11 abound below. Don't read until you've watched!***

So, we learn about these “end is the beginning” people. They’re staying in a place called The Holding, which is really an underground parking garage. (Um…cars, anyone? Let’s recall that Daryl and Carol walked through at least one parking garage in Consumed while looking for Beth. They also passed lots of above-ground ones, including one that had a red car with its door open in front of it. Also, the fact that it’s underground could make it a symbolic tomb/grave.)

These people are composting walkers to grow food underground. (People do use blood and bone feed to fertilize gardens. Like compost and waste, it really does help them grow. Of course in our society it’s ANIMAL blood and bone. Using walkers/humans is definitely more sinister and cringy. And they have proven that eating various parts of humans leads to things like Mad Cow’s Disease, so I do think Alicia’s question about food being grown that way being healthy is viable.)

But moving on.

It’s important to note that the showrunner called this group a cult, so are not they meant to be “good people.” Most of those that live there aren’t sinister, but they’ve been brainwashed into thinking their leader is a good man and that what he’s trying to accomplish is good. They’ve drunk the koolaid (or eaten the walker food?).

So, we have the ivy walker.

There really couldn’t be a more clear parallel to the blond girl Daryl saw on the tree in 5x15. Plus all the green ivy around her.

I believe we saw a promo of this walker early on. Like maybe nearer the beginning of S6. Which, thanks to Covid, was more than a year ago. I’d pretty much forgotten it, but we actually do see it in this episode.

The dogma of this group (“the end is the beginning”) is that from death springs new life. This walker is meant to represent that. Life growing out of death. And on its own, it doesn’t seem like an overly negative mission statement. After all, this world is full of death and people are trying to survive. But it quickly becomes obvious that there’s more sinister stuff at work here.

So what does this have to do with Beth? I think she’s the ultimate symbol of life springing from death. So, not only does this foreshadow her, but they’re also using her as a symbol here. I don’t know how this group may feed into future story lines, or if they’ll just be a FTWD thing, but it will be interesting to watch.

Some of the major things in this episode: a Sirius reunion, a Daryl/Merle parallel, Grady parallels, at least two major Beth/Bethyl proxies, and some tantalizing hints for what’s to come involving both this group and the CRM. (See why I loved this episode?)

Let’s dive in.

First, let me acknowledge all the background symbols. There are tons of them, and I don’t want to go into tons of detail about them. But we see cheese (think Morgan/Eastman), tomatoes, eggs (lots of food). We also see fire extinguishers, lots of green (especially paint), an elevator. You get the idea.

The first big thing that happens is Wes meets his brother, Derek, whom he thought was dead. 

Welcome to the first Beth proxy.

Okay, I didn’t remember much of this backstory or how much of it was told when we first met Wes. I do remember talking about his brother as a possible Beth proxy, but beyond that, I didn’t remember details. But they rehash it all here. Care to take a guess?

Wes went out for supplies and was overwhelmed by, you guessed it, a walker horde. He ran into a shed but it collapsed (becoming something of tomb) and the walkers were beating on the outside, trying to get in (think Beth and Daryl in the trunk). He passed out and woke up in The Holding.

That’s exactly like what happened with Beth, actually. She told Gorman she was fighting a walker and everything went black. She woke up at Grady.

The difference here is that Beth never bought into what Dawn was peddling, but unfortunately, Wes’s brother did. We eventually learn that he’s a true follower of “Teddy,” the cult leader and condones the murder that’s being done.

And of course that’s also what we think happened during the missing 17 days. Overwhelmed by walkers, left behind. Perhaps she woke up back at Grady, or somewhere else.

But the actual reunion between Wes and Derek is very on-the-nose. Because Wes truly thought this brother dead, he even says things like, “You’re alive?” and “What the hell?” Probably things that will be said about Beth when she finally shows up.

There’s also a serious/Sirius mention when they sit down to talk. And Derek keeps mentioning his bike. Like Daryl, he had a bike that Wes took when he thought his brother dead. But the fact that he mentions “bikes” like five times in this conversation is important.

I wanted to mention coffee. We’ve seen coffee as a symbol before, specifically around Carol. We first noticed it when Paula told her little story about the carrot, the egg and the coffee beans going into the water in 6x13. She said the coffee beans changed the water itself. So, coffee = a catalyst for change. But this episode made me realize it’s a catalyst for a change that’s not necessarily good.

Apparently, the supplies Wes’s brother went out for was coffee creamer. The change that came was not only him being left behind and presumed dead, but changing into a person that no longer empathized with other human beings. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t we see Carol making and drinking coffee just before they went to the caverns and Connie disappeared?)

There’s also a huge eye/sight/see theme. They take everyone over to see this green-ivy walker and ask them what they “see”. The idea is that they should see life and possibility springing from death, but it’s just a way to indoctrinate them and check to see if they’re willing to go along with what the cult’s beliefs are. Lots of talk of eyes (opening your eyes), what one can and can’t yet see, etc.

Later, we see walkers with their mouths sewn shut. So we have at least the see no evil, speak no evil themes. There might have been hear no evil that I didn’t catch.

The second major parallel is to Daryl and Merle, since these two are brothers. 

But it’s more than just that. Wes took Derek’s bike after he disappeared (same as Daryl and Merle). When Wes found his brother again, he was with a bad group (with Merle, it was the Governor) or rather a group of decent people led by an evil man. Derek has a skewed mindset, and is working for Teddy. Remember that Merle not only worked for the Gov but even tried to kill Michonne at one point. And how they die is…similar. Merle’s, in the end, was more chivalrous, as he died to help save Daryl and TF. That wasn’t the case with Derek, but his death resulted from him pretending to work against Teddy. Unfortunately it wasn’t real, and he betrayed them, but there are still parallels/anti-parallels between the two stories.

How is this place like Grady?

There’s the underground tomb aspect, the fact that they grow their own food. At the beginning, Alicia’s group keeps asking them questions about the community, which Riley (Nick Stahl) pretty much refuses to answer.

One of them is, “Are we allowed to leave?” or “Is anyone allowed to leave?” That, of course, instantly reminded me of Grady. Now, they never answer it directly, and at one point, Riley says they can decide if they want to stay or not. But by the time we get to the end of the episode, I’m pretty sure that’s BS. So, like Grady, no one’s really given the choice to leave. Even if they tell people they can.

They’re taken into a room with medical equipment at one point. It just looks a lot like Grady, though I could tell it wasn’t the same kind of medical equipment. We’re told that it’s embalming equipment.

In fact, Al says something that should catch your ear. She says, “they must have hit the funeral home.” Naturally all our minds will go to Alone, but she’s talking about the funeral home she and Dwight (I think) were at before. I don’t remember which episode, but we talked about it looking a lot like the funeral home in Alone. So, I think Al is saying these people, The Holding, raided that funeral home and took the equipment. Kinda makes me think the funeral home in Alone will come back into the picture at some point.

And it turns out, The Holding is embalming walkers. Al’s group ends up in a room with dozens of walkers strung up by their wrists (kind of like Daryl and Michonne were in Scars). They’ve been embalmed and their mouths have been sewn shut.

So, here’s where the plot becomes super interesting. I mentioned above that Riley told them they could choose to leave at some point, right? Al was saying that everything they’ve set up is impressive—food, power, water, they’re very self-sustaining—but it felt like they were preparing for something big.

He admits that they are. He says they are planning to soon close the doors permanently. He says they never want to go topside again, and the new way to live will be underground.

Later, when talking to Morgan, Al sort of implies that maybe it’s not so much about them choosing to go underground as that something will drive them underground for a long time. Almost like they’re preparing for a nuclear winter or something. But we don’t know exactly what it is.

I think what we’re supposed to infer is that they’re collecting walkers to use as compost in coming years. (They even call the walkers ‘posters.) They’re embalming the walkers to keep them “fresh.” Riley says the walkers last about 2 months in the composter before they break down entirely, so putting away 20 or 30 walkers really will last them for years.

CRM Ties

Wes and Al snoop through Derek’s room. They find maps of different communities and some of those transparent overlays that have the three rings of the CRM on them. That’s how they know that this group is attacking communities (like Tank Town) and that Derek knows all about it.

The other thing Al figures out from looking at Derek’s maps is that the group seemed to be tracking the CRM’s drop sites. She thinks they want to get their hands on a helicopter. (So, when it comes to Nora’s group, who was in the high rise, this group wasn’t after them. The roof was a helicopter drop site and that’s really who they were after. Though, they might have set the plague on Nora’s people because they are trying to kill humanity.) And given that this cult might be planning the end of the world, clearly them getting a hold of a helicopter would be a bad thing. 

Al tells Dwight she’s going to go look for Isobel and warn her. I think she’s just planning to go to the drop sites and wait for a helicopter to show up.

So, we have more potential interaction with the CRM through Al. And I’m really hoping we get some good Bethyl symbolism and clues through this storyline. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Morgan and Burning it Down

Wes confronts him and talks him into leaving with them. At one point, Wes mentions Morgan. I think he just does it without thinking, because what would Morgan mean to his brother, right? But Derek instantly gets weird when he hears Morgan’s name, and Wes doesn’t really notice.

When they try to leave, they get caught, and it’s obvious Derek set them up. They’re taken to the embalming room, and Riley asks where Morgan is. They won’t say how they know him or why they want him, but they’re VERY interested in finding Morgan. 

I was thinking it might just be because Morgan killed those two guys in one of the early episodes when they attacked him in his truck, but they both died and wouldn’t have known his name from that encounter anyway. So I’m not sure what this is about. There are the tapes they were leaving at gas stations and such. Maybe that’s it, but it wouldn’t explain why they would want Morgan more than the others.

They’re taken to the embalming room and threatened with death. Derek takes Wes back to the ivy walker to see if he can “see” what Wes does. 

A fight ensues, and Wes throws Derek into the walker where he’s bitten. He shoots his brother so he won’t turn. The thing about this part is that it doesn’t show it. It instead shows the (somewhat yellowish) mural Derek was working on before, and Teddy’s voice is talking about how light comes from darkness. Then, we just hear a single gunshot. 

That gave me *major* Beth vibes.

Wes then goes back to the embalming room to rescue the others.

Wes’s reaction at this part reminded me a bit of Daryl/Merle too. Not so much at Merle’s death, but back in 3x10 when Daryl returned to the prison. It just struck me that, while Wes did cry when his brother died and clearly mourned him, he got over it really fast. He went back to where the group was and no longer seemed terribly broken up about it. I was just thinking he seemed to have figured out who his true family was and where he really belonged, and that that was more important than his brother’s warped mindset. Much like Daryl and Merle.

When he goes back, he takes Riley hostage briefly and they all escape into another room and bar the door. This room is full of the hanging walkers full of embalming fluid. They have to walk between them toward an exit on the far side.

Al Parallels Daryl in 5x15

Here’s another super interesting parallel. Al sees one walker hanging that has the black CRM gear on it, including the helmet, so she can’t see its face. She walks over to it and lifts its helmet, clearly looking to see if it’s Isobel, which it’s not. Such an obvious parallel to Daryl looking into the face of the blond walker on the tree. It even lunges at her and she kills it, like Daryl did with that walker.

What I liked here is that Alicia freaked out about it. She said, “what the hell was that?” Aaron didn’t say that to Daryl, so they weren’t drawing as much attention to it there as they did here. But clearly we are supposed to notice that, without knowing more, that behavior is bizarre. And here, we the audience know that Al was worried it was Isobel. But Alicia doesn’t. Where the blond walker on the tree is concerned, the audience is in Alicia’s place, not being terribly clear about what’s behind Daryl’s behavior. (I mean, TD is, but most of the rest of the fandom isn’t.)

So then Alicia says they should take this place down. When Al stabbed the CRM walker in the neck, embalming fluid poured out. Embalming fluid is highly flammable. So, long story short, Alicia stays behind to “burn it down” and the others escape. (I don’t have to explain that parallel, right? ;D)

It all happens really fast. We see Alicia light the match (which Al had; just reminded me of Daryl having matches in Rick’s hallucination in 7x01, and clearly Al = Daryl in this parallel), and then it skips to Al, Wes, and Luciana back with Morgan telling him what happened. They say the fire was huge and burned hot, and Alicia could have gotten out, but they couldn’t FIND her. They also don’t know if any of the Holding people got out.

So Morgan just says they’re going to go back and start at the Holding location to look for Alicia. I’m assuming that will happen next episode.

So, we aren’t exactly clear on this group’s dogma or what they’re trying to do, but it does seem that they want to kill off everyone who lives up top. Which is, you know, everyone. And once again, that makes them a lot like the Wolves. They believe killing people is saving them. I’m not saying these are Wolves or anything (they might be; after all, both groups tied a blond walker to a tree and believed similar things about killing off the remnants of humanity) but rather that the Wolves were a foreshadow of other groups to come.

And the next question is, are they part of the CRM? Because of the CRM walker, and what they implied about them trying to hijack a helicopter, I’m thinking not. But there’s clearly a lot of entanglement going on.

Alicia = Beth

So, in the final scene, we have some interesting developments. This may be the scene that got my mind spinning the most, just in terms of symbolic Beth potential.

We see Alicia, very much alive, and still in the embalming room, though now all the walls look blackened. So obviously the entire place didn’t burn down. (That doesn’t surprise me. It’s an underground parking garage. It takes a lot to burn down cement.)

She’s being held hostage in there. Riley comes in and says some weird, cryptic things. He says new life springs from death, for MOST people, and that they plan to preserve Alicia exactly as she is. It’s obvious they mean to kill and embalm her.

But I had the thought that maybe they meant her to take the place of the Ivy Walker. We don’t know what happened to that walker. It might have burned in the fire, but they didn’t show us either way. I was thinking that it would make a twisted sense for them to embalm Alicia (who tried to take their community down) and put her in its place. Which would make her a Beth proxy.

Riley leaves her alone with the embalming guy, but she stabs him in the eye (Sirius) and then, after a brutal scuffle, sticks him in the neck with the embalming needle, killing him.

It’s then that we finally meet Teddy, the leader of the cult. We hear about him and hear his voice a lot during the episode (they play tapes of him talking throughout the garage as people work) but this is when we first see him. It’s John Glover. I don’t know if everyone’s familiar with him. He was on Smallville back in the day. I totally forgot he was going to be on the show. He’s usually a villain, but more of a funny villain than a scary villain.

Anyway, he basically tells Alicia he has a special role for her and that he’s been looking for someone like her for a long time. He seems convinced that he can convert her to his philosophy, but he’s also fixated on the fact that she sacrificed herself for her family. So, it doesn’t say what he means by “someone like you” but I’m assuming someone who is brave or else self-sacrificial.

But here’s the thing. I’ve been thinking recently that they haven’t really done much with Alicia lately. She’s one of the few surviving originals for this series, and one of the most well known actors going into it, because she’s been on other highly-watched tv shows, but they’ve kind of been ignoring her.

So, I think this is the beginning of a big arc for her, and I think it will be a major parallel for what happened with Beth after she was left behind.

Alicia becomes a proxy here for Beth, not only because she’s in the Grady-like medical room, and stabs a guy in the eye, but Teddy totally razzes her about being left behind.

He says, “they left you behind.” She says, “I made them.” He says, “Yeah, but they obliged.” And then goes off about how they’re her family and family is sacred and they shouldn’t have done that.

And in my head, I’m screaming, “Beth! Beth! Beth!”

So yeah. Super intrigued by this episode. They’re setting up some really intriguing things and it will be very interesting to see what happens moving forward.

What did everyone else think of the episode?

[cosmiclatte28]

Quick Escape (Baekhyun x you)

Warning : do not over drink, don’t get drunk. Slightly suggestive, but no smut

How are you all? Excited for the first Baekhyun Japanese album solo ?? What about KOLO?? 

Alright, here we go!!

"Are we ready to go?" your boyfriend asks as he closes the car trunk and helps you open the passenger door. "Yes, we're good. I've sent Mongryong to Kai yesterday. He'll take care of the corgi." you explain to Baekhyun who just met you today. He was staying in Chanyeol's home last night because his solo preparation ended too late and you don't want Baekhyun to drive in the middle of the night by himself. Today, the two of you have planned to take hree days two night quick break. Monday is a holiday and so you two emptied your schedules and make time for a self-treat weekend. Baekhyun is busy with his photoshoot and Japanese album preparation. You've seen your boyfriend looking tired from the big project, but he was happy to release the first Japanese solo album with not just one or two, but six versions! You sit in his Audi RS7, and buckle your seatbelt. Baekhyun detours and takes the driving seat. "Okay GPS set and here we go!" you cheer and Baekhyun just laugh at your excitement. With music blasted from your playlist and the two of you harmonizing to the songs, there are smiles over your faces that won't be gone any time soon. "Hehe looks like my girlfriend can actually make a featuring in my Japanese album." "Nani? I can only say nani and arigatou! I'll mess up the lyrics." you tease him and laugh when he laugh too. "I should probably ask the manager board if you can make a feature!" You just shrug your shoulder, what Baekhyun wants, he'll work hard for it right, so you don't really have the authority to stop him. It was a four hours drive, all done in the highway. When lunch time comes, the two of you pull over to a rest area. The rest area in Korea is unique, each area has different menu and specialized to their authenticity. "Let's eat lunch!" Baekhyun as always sounds happy on the thought of foods. You take your wallet and stretch your body when you finally get a chance to stand up. You reach out your hand and Baek knows the queue, he locks his car and pockets the key then takes your hand in his. Gladly the two of you swing your hands and enter the big room. "What should we eat?" You ask, knowing that Baekhyun is restricted to a diet usually and you don't want to torture him by seeing you eat the good guilty foods. Baekhyun lets out a small smile, always thankful for your attention and support to his activities and diets. "It's nice of you, I will just have kimbab. You can order whatever you want, it's okay... Don't hold it back." He rubs a hand on your shoulder and plants a quick kiss on your hair. "Okay, don't whine if I get something yummy." you taunt at him and walk to order what you want and his too.

You return with a number and wait for Baekhyun to get the two of you waters. He sets the table with chopsticks and spoons. When your number is called, you give the auntie the number and bring the tray of foods to the table. Baekhyun's eyes glisten and twinkle when he sees his favorite Tonkatsu set there. "Yaak how can I remain calm if the food you ordered is my favorite and looks soo good." he pouts as he opens his foil wrapped kimbab and pick one up to his mouth with the chopstick. "Just take mine if you want, several bites won't make you bloat honey." You calmly cut the pork cutlet and begin enjoying your lunch. Baekhyun munches his food while looking at you, it's like watching a mukbang show. He can feel the sauce taste just by looking at you. You laugh at his really cute expression and decides to push the plate to the middle, you turn the plate so the cutlet is facing his direction. "Eat up," you push some of the square cut meat to him. He smiles and finally gives up. 'Thank you, thought you'll be heartless and let me stick to the diet." He finally munches one of the pork cutlet and moans in delight. "I wasn't actually doing a good thing right? Breaking your diet." you raise your brow. He shrugs his shoulder, "Meh, I am happy now. So you're doing the right thing!" This is why the two of you get along well. You're one year away from marrying him, he has proposed and he wished to do the wedding before his enlistment. "Eat up honey, don't get sick. Your health and happiness comes first!" You put down your cutleries and let Baekhyun enjoys the rest of the portion. "If we eat without guilt, it's zero calories!" he grins as he takes in the last spoonful and you clap your hands like he was a baby who just finished his lunch. "Shall we grab coffee?" you know he enjoys americano after lunches and even though you did not drink caffeine, you never interfere his habit. "Sit down, I'll take the orders." Baekhyun points to an empty table in the corner and you sit down first. You take out your phone and play with your Instagram for a while, checking on fanpages and seeing if anyone caught Baekhyun and you. So long no one has discovered this relationship, but your family and his family have already met and agreed that the two of you can marry each other. His friends knew that you are his girlfriend, it's not a surprise for them when you come in randomly to drop lunch and even his choreographer knows. Only the boss and the director boards did not know, but Baekhyun said he did not violate any rules. He did not have a contract saying he cannot date a girl. Simply said his dating ban was removed already. Your boyfriend hidden in mask is back with a tray of ice americano, cold mint caffeine free tea, and a plate of cheesecake. You glance a "What is this" look on the cheesake and to him, he scratches his neck, "I tried to hold myself back. I want one bite." his puppy eyes are on his face and you can't say no. "It's okay, you drive a lot today. You have activities to burn your calories." you sneakily take a spoonful already and melt into the sweet salty fluffy creamy texture. "Woah this is the best!" you take another bite. "Told you." Baekhyun joins in. With that, you exchange story of what happened in your office last week and basically talk about random things. The break end nicely and Baekhyun is ready to drive again, well actually you offered him to take over the wheel, but he never let you drive. Not when you're with him. The rest of the journey was also filled with blasting song and singing on top of your lungs, plus teasing one another with cheesy jokes and pick up lines. You also talked to him what is lately happening in the fandom and he laugs at Aeri's funny memes about missing EXO. "We'll come back soon! Just keep on doing great Aeris, and we'll soon say we are one again." Baekhyun smiles secretly and you just nod your head. "We're here!!!" you scream when he parks into the small cottage and the helpers quickly handle your bagages. You did the check in and receive the key, Baekhyun ensured he left nothing on the car and parked it in front of the cottage. It is noon already when you two arrive and upon seeing the private pool and jacuzzi bathtub the two of you are turned into young kids. "Swim!!!" he runs to dip his toes into the water, "It's warm! let's dive in!" You toss him his swimming pants and you take out your swimming suit too. As soon as you're done putting on sun screens, you dive in first and wait for Baekhun who is struggling to put on the cream on his back. "Come here!" you gesture him to sit on the floor and you help him put on the cream on his pale back. "You need some tanning!" you groan He yells, "No way! I need to look bright..." You roll your eyes, 'No one ever saw your back!" His eyes pop out and he turns his neck to look at you, "You're not wrong." You click your tongue and toss the sunblock away. Baekhyun waits for five minutes and finally cannot wait any longer. "I don't care about my sun screen not being fully absorbed, I want to swim!" he canon balls into the pool and splashes water everywhere. You laugh and when he's inside you tease him by pulling him from under the water. Baekhyun is a good swimmer like you, so he did not panic and instead gets you back. You squeal when he can carry you easily inside the water and you lock your legs over his strong torso. Baekhyun carries you like a koala and you snuggle into his strong body. He leans in for a quick kiss and you give him one. "Hey we need to exercise! What about 5 laps race? This pool is so small, I'm sure we can do that." You stretch your neck and get ready to launch yourself. Baekhyun cracks his neck, "I'm in, three.. two.. one" he pushes himself and so do you. The two of you are neck and neck, but Baekhyun cannot beat you. 5 laps are done like that and the two of you are gasping for airs. Baekhyun won by a hair in the end, because you got tired in the middle. "I won!! What do I get?" he cross his hands over his chest. You think for a while, "I don't know.. me?" you giggle and he smirks, "Nice present!" he takes you into his embrace again and sits you down on the edge of the pool, your body shiver from the hot sun touching your wet skins and Baekhyun pulls you in to kiss you deep, he is still in the water, but with you bending your body, he can reach your lips. "I am not flexible." you push him away and groan at your sore back. He laughs, 'Said the girl who owned a Yoga video channel." You blush, hey you're just finding a way to end this. "Whatever, you got your reward. I want to use the jacuzzi." you stand up and wrap yourself in the bathrobe, and enters the jacuzzi bath that you have filled with water earlier. "No Fun! I also want!" Baekhyun runs to join you in. You give him space and the two of you just close your eyes there for a moment. Relaxing into the pulsating of the waters, hitting the tight knots on your shoulders. You almost fall asleep when you hear Baekhyun's stomach grumbles. "Uh oh it's from the swimming." he glances to the phone he brought, "Almost five, should we shower and prepare for dinner?" you nod and stretch yourself out from the water. You take turn bathing and afterwards prepare yourself for dinner. "You bring the dress I gave you last time?" he asks after he leaves the shower. You're drying your hair and nod at him, he gives a thumbs up, "Good! We'll need that for tonight." Baekhyun brings you to a nice fine dining restaurant, he said it was to make up the anniversary last month that he had to cancel. You can understand his cancelation last month, but having a make-up anniversary is good.

The dinner ends well and you thank Baekhyun for his sweet manners also for the good wine. You didn’t knew he had a good choice of wine!

“You really like that wine eh?” Baekhyun asks once the two of you are already lying comfortably in pyjamas on the big bed.

You snuggle into his big taller frame, “Yes I love it so much!” you peek to look his eyes.

He smiles and ruffles your hair, “Look at you being drowsy. You almost finished half of it.”

You nod, “I know right, it’s that good. And now I am feeling dizzy.

Baekhyun chuckles, you are not a heavy drinker too, but drowsy you is so cute and irresistible.

“Can you cuddle me like you mean it Baek?” you pout at him. Well here we go he thought. When you’re drowsy like this you become so clingy and demanding.

Baekhyun cradles you in his bigger frame and rubs your back, “Easy darling, you’re so demanding.” He breathes in your hair and smiles at the hint of strawberries hitting his nose.

“Your demanding baby,” you slurred

He smiles and kisses the crown of your head, “Yes, my demanding baby.” He lets out shaky breath as he gently hugs you to sleep and find the comfort, he has been missing this whole week.

Ah another nice sleep with you is everything he needs to heal his body.

 end :) thank you for reading