#expanding in the morning (6 hours from now ^^)

[hatkuu]

trying to sleep rn but imagine the possibilities of a kylar and whitney bodyswap. i will expand further in the morninfg

[itsnathateasy]

Armin Week | Day 6 | SFW Prompts | Bunny Armin OR Cadet Corps Shenaningans

word count: 863 warnings: none author’s note: there are a few shenanigans in there, i promise!

@armin-week-2024

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

i couldn’t resist writing some headcanons about cadet!armin and you dating!

cadet!armin DEFINITELY stays up late with you. you casually plan these dates during supper, then pretend to go to bed, only to sneak out a couple of hours later hehe

these dates are mostly reserved for snogging

and you literally always get caught by eren and mikasa who share your not-so-secret plan

cadet!armin is the cutest by always waiting for you to be done with your food and walks with you to the kitchen where you leave your empty plates and glasses

cadet!armin also makes sure you’re together for cleaning and kitchen duties, armin is so meticulous, but you keep distracting him, making up choreos with sasha and putting on the funniest of shows and connie always joins in the dancing

but captain levi is never satisfied with your cleaning, and even less with your terrible dance moves someone pls write a hc where levi joins in a broomstick and mop/bucket dance off to sum up, your cleaning duties tend to last quite longer than they should

cadet!armin isn’t the best at hand to hand combat but the fact that you practice together all the time has helped him greatly improve and has also filled his head with nasty thoughts

cadet!armin is very protective over you and gets kinda possessive (in a cute way) when you’re not allowed to pair up for tasks because why should you be allowed to gather apples with jean just the two of you when he’s stuck with mikasa?

and no, secretly saving him a few apples to snack on when you’re sneaking out didn’t really help, but no apples were left and armin was much calmer and confident about you hanging out with the other guys from then on

cadet!armin makes sure you study together, teaching each other the material you find most difficult to understand. you even expand those study dates to invite the rest of the group, which you both regret because no studying was done BUT you both find great joy in spending time with your friends, these study dates somehow make your alone time feel even more special

also, cadet!armin used to tutor eren and connie when they needed help, but he found out they only asked for help so that they could secretly plot their pranks and needed armin’s intel

cadet!armin takes AGES to properly confess to you and ask you out even though you two have been practically an item for who knows how long

“armin, we’ve been dating for months, what are you talking about?”

“i mean uh, we’ve never really- i mean it’s official now! we never properly discussed are relationship status before”

“have you been seeing anyone else besides me?”

armin is now PROFUSELY blushing and stutters at your remark “YOU KNOW THIS ISN’T WHAT I MEANT, I LOVE YOU”

“he has been seeing eren behind your back y/n”, a comment from jean which only earned him a glare from you and a punch from eren

“this was unnecessary” armin says to eren

“punching jean is never unnecessary armin, trust me” he said and rubbed his fist against his palm

cadet!armin is the one to pour you your tea in the mornings while you and the other cadets are still having breakfast, only to mess up and spill it all on you, him and whoever is sitting beside you because you kept talking to him and looking at him with those eyes “and this is how you waste an entire kettle of fine black tea cadets” a snear remark from captain levi

levi didn’t even bother putting armin, sasha and you on cleaning duty again, he knows this battle is long lost

cadet!armin pretends to have such a hard time getting his odm straps on once in a while, so he can come to you for help, only to see you tying all these straps and knots and have you touch him, he’s cunning like that

cadet!armin was often scared because he wasn’t as strong and skilled as his classmates, but he was never afraid to admit his fear or back down, he was particularly afraid the first time you tried your odm gear and he practically smashed himself flat on the wall, the incident was a running joke in your year

connie would always make fun of the incident and he even tried to imitate armin’s face when they took him down, “it’s not even funny anymore connie, just drop it” eren would step up for his friend

“yeah, remember that time captain caught you trying to cook when the fire was out? THAT was funny” said jean and pulled armin closer with one arm, ruffling his hair

“th- thanks jean. was my face really that funny?”

“yes, it was, but it’s been 6 months, connie should entertain himself with a new joke”

the blush on armin’s face was beyond words

“maybe we’d all be funnier if we were foods, right?” sasha asked, looking at you, then at mikasa

“drop it potato girl” reiner exclaimed in a pissed off way

“NOW THIS JOKE IS EVEN OLDER THAN ARMIN’S!” sasha screamed as she started chasing reiner around

[keysorsomething]

Before the Sun Rises / Caught

1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7

The double feature chapters I wrote :) Just wanna say thanks to everyone who's supported these fics, it makes me very happy to see all the likes and reblogs !!

Cross-posted on ao3

Before the Sun Rises

You awake the next morning with no pressure on your chest and nothing in your arms. Still half-asleep, you look around the room. You’re disoriented, like when you take a three-hour nap in the middle of a weekday and wake up covered in sweat and unaware of the concept of time. One thing you catch is that the room is still dark, but you would guess that it’s always dark in here. You haven’t seen a window, after all. You start to rub the sleep from your eyes, fighting a yawn as you try to find the man who seems to have disappeared into the night. Melting into the darkness, as he had each time before.

“Nikto?” You ask, sitting up. Or at least you try, before strong hands meet your shoulders and shove you back into the pillow. You spot his blue eyes staring down at you almost ridiculing, clearly not pleased with your attempt to get out of bed. It’s almost startling, the speed and force with which you’re slammed back, not the hardest you had been slammed into something, but it was sure lacking any form of gentle grace you would expect from the motion. In this context at least. But you’re too tired to really think about the strength in him like you had before or to think about how he had seemingly teleported into your sight and personal space with no sign of where he was prior.

“Stay,” Nikto’s voice growls out. You look up at him, confused and groggy. He lowers himself back on the bed, and then back onto your chest. “I was not done,” He huffs, taking the sleeve of your shirt between two fingers. He pulls on the fabric, turning it over in his hand. His eyes narrow at it, as if your sleeve had offended him.

“Okay,” You mumble, letting your eyes fall back shut. You spend a while like that, enjoying it. Laying on your back with him on your chest, feeling the gentle pull of his hand as he busies himself with your shirt sleeve. It’s a moment of peace, expanded when he stops pulling at your sleeve - it was actually kind of annoying - and instead, his hand rests on your bicep, unmoving. He lets out a soft sigh, and you assume he closed his eyes too. Your breathing synchronizes, as your hand goes back to rubbing his shoulders like you had been doing the night before.

“You will come back tonight,” He states firmly, breaking the shared moment of silence. Your eyes shoot open and your hands pause, unsure how exactly to respond. You did want to come back again. Hell, you wanted to move in with him. You dare to even think you want the world to melt away, for time to be this moment and this moment alone, always and forever, but should you really let him boss you around like that? Should you just agree? Should you agree enthusiastically, with a ‘yes, sir!’? Or do you say no on principle?

“Can you ask nicely?” In a patronizing tone is what comes out of your mouth instead. Like a mom talking to a toddler who just demanded ice cream or something. You don’t have many references for modern-day parenting in the army. Maybe you shouldn’t compare those two things, that was kind of weird. But it wasn’t mansplaining patronizing - and you knew mansplaining, since that was the only thing that came out of Graves’ mouth - it was the other kind. You had no other words for it.

Nikto groans, presumably rolling his eyes, “You will please visit us again tonight,” He corrects, but he doesn’t seem all too happy about it. “пожалуйста?” He breaks out the big guns. How do you deny a masked man who’s speaking in his mother tongue? It may be your biggest weakness.

You sigh, conceding, “Okay. I will,” And he lets out a pleased rumble. A sound you could very much get used to.

“Now go back to sleep,” He huffs grumpily. “пожалуйста..?” You almost listen instantly, but then another thought pops into your head.

“What time is it?” You ask, the thought of being caught once more nagging at the very back of your psyche. He lets out another less-than-pleased huff of a breath at you, this time through his nose. But, hey, is he really blaming you for worrying about both your careers? His head shifts so his eyes meet yours better, and you see a small smudge of eye black left over from him watching it on his right eyelid, hugging the lash line. It almost looks like eyeliner. You also see the curve of his nose. That is skin that is clearly scarred, looking like it would be rough to touch. Healed burns, probably. Chemical burns that stretch over from the right of his face. You aren’t too sure how the mask is doing that, as all of the points where it attaches to the blast plate seem intact, and it’s only a small dip from where it normally sits. You decide not to comment on it, however.

“Early. Four-fifty or so,” He replies firmly. “I would not let you overstay your welcome,” His words are aggressive in phrasing but soft in tone. An odd combo he seems to use often, which you can’t be sure if that is just him or because he isn’t a native English speaker. But, his brows soften too, his hand sliding up but hesitating to make contact with your face or hair. It retreats away. When you look into his eyes, you feel like he wants nothing more than to touch you, and you feel he agrees that this moment is ever so precious. But he doesn’t want to touch you. Perhaps he’s afraid, or perhaps he doesn’t like his face being touched, so he won’t touch yours. The Golden Rule and all that. But you still smile softly down at him, gently rubbing his back. A silent encouragement to do as he pleases, one that is not listened too. After just a beat, you speak again. There’s no point in making the fleeting movement a whole ordeal.

“Well, wake me up when I have,” You tell him, trying to keep your voice low and comforting, the way he likes. He nods in response, eyes staring up at you warily. You both share for a moment the fear of being found out, but you don’t voice it to him. And he does not voice it back.

“Of course,” Nitko mumbles, sliding back into the position he was before your question. You chuckle, wrapping your arms tight around him as he matches the gesture, and lean your head into his. You take a deep breath, letting the whole moment sink into you. The warmth and weight of the man on your chest, the sound of his breathing, the feeling of the cold, hard blast plate against your cheek. It’s all the best thing to ever happen in this place, and you have a feeling it’s the best thing to have ever happened to him.

You sigh, it's nice to share this moment with him. Every moment over the past few days had been precious. You let your head fall back - you had been keeping it up to look at him - but keep your eyes on him as best you can. You still your hand on his back, letting your arm fall limp. He shifts his head slightly on your chest, fully committed to using you as a pillow. The image of him and his peacefully rising chest is wiped away by your eyes falling back shut.

---

Caught

You reawaken to a soft patting of a gloved hand on your cheek. Your eyes open to Nikto just a few inches from his face, his hand gently twapping your cheek to wake you up. You groan, your muscles stretching as best you can under the weight.

“It is time you leave,” He mumbles, but you can see the disappointment in his eyes. “You do not have much time to get back to the barracks before the rest wake up.”

You pout, blinking up at him, “…How come you get a room all to yourself? It’s not fair,” You mumble, closing your eyes. His bed was so much more comfortable than your cot. And it was so much better than sleeping in a room with multiple other people. Just you and him. There’s a moment where you desire much more of this. So much more of this, in a much more domestic manner, but that fantasy is short-lived by a second round of pats on your cheek that don’t relent until your eyes open back up.

“It was a specific request,” Nikto replied, eyes narrowed on you as he tries to keep you from falling back asleep. As always, they are an icy blue that doesn’t match the feeling of having them on you at all. But by now they feel so much cooler than before, like a warm hug or a heated blanket instead of a hot iron. “I told them I would not take the job if they did not accommodate me.”

You nod, rubbing your eyes with a huff. That makes sense, you think. He seems like the guy to do that. Your eye opens now that your hand isn’t over it, and he hasn’t moved. Something a part of you deep inside is grateful for. You don’t know how well you could cope if he was gone just like that. Like how he had appeared earlier. That thought doesn’t last long, none of them do. He was just so much to think about. His eyes are wide, wild as they look down at you. He seems to think that you’re a lot to think about too. Or perhaps you’re assigning that to him, like when people speak for dogs and cats. You’ve been doing that with him a lot more often since that night in the armory. His eyes get a little less wide, and then even less wide. Until his eyes look closed, but you can tell they’re still partly open. God, he has pretty eyelashes.

He then, all at once, presses his still-masked face into yours. The fabric of the mask covering his mouth is rough against your lips. There’s no movement under it, almost as if he’s just smooshing his lips into yours like he isn’t sure how to do it. You feel the cold metal of the blast plate pushing into your forehead like a headache. It almost hurts, but there’s no way it’s enough. Somehow being too much and too little, but not just right. Your hand goes up to cup his cheek, but you don’t get the chance too. You didn’t even get the chance to close your eyes or lean into the kiss. It’s gone all at once, the same way it came. The pressure on your chest where he was laying there, on your forehead where the protruding parts of the metal dug into your skull, the rough fabric almost painfully hot on the skin of your lips, all of it. He pulls away before you can fully process it, before you can take it in for all of its glory. He rolls off of you, laying on the bed next to you facing away, partly curled up. You have to take a moment before you can do anything. You just kissed the Nikto. No, you were just kissed by The Nikto.

“Nikto?” You ask, voice soft and wavering, like if you speak too loud you’ll create a rip in space-time and it will have never happened. He cuts you off before you get any more in.

“Go,” He responds gruffly, and you nod, pulling off the bed. You’re a little stunned, and you do have places to be. You’d be worried that he was upset with you, but you have a feeling he’s just processing it, the same as you. Maybe he’s worried you’re upset with him? You almost feel like you need to cover up, and are subconsciously pulling the covers with you as you try to. You notice when you almost trip, but you catch yourself and throw them back on the bed. You take a deep breath, trying to ground yourself before speaking. And before leaving. You had appearances to keep up once you got back to the barracks and you had the three musketeers riding your dick.

“Okay,” You squeak, backing away. Your voice sounds so much more pathetic than you wanted it too, and you really can’t be having that. “See you tonight,” You say very quickly, hoping he’ll know you aren’t upset with him. You then promptly spin on your heels, and swing the door open. You go to step out of the room when you come face to face with a chest. You look up with a soft curse, only to find judging blue eyes staring back at yours from under a makeshift mask. The eyes are hard, angry. You’re in trouble.

“Oh, good morning, Colonel,” You manage to get out through a panicked breath. His arm is raised, you had interrupted him mid-knock. He lowers it, and it’s easy to tell his scowling down at you, eyes narrowing further. He bends slightly at the waist, and you hear the fabric shift and Nikto starts to speak when the room behind you goes silent. König looks behind you, and then back down at you, inching ever closer.

Then, you hear your voice hissed through teeth, a heavy Austrian accent filling your ears.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - April 3, 2023

Kentucky Legalizes Medical Marijuana in Bipartisan Vote After Decade of Failed Attempts

The state of Kentucky has legalized the use of medical marijuana. The bill received final passage on Thursday. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed it into law Friday morning after a decade of failed attempts in the state legislature.

The news makes Kentucky at least the 38th state in the U.S. to legalize medical marijuana.

Now Indiana is surrounded by weed states. The encirclement is complete 😂

2. The Maryland House of Delegates voted Saturday to approve the Trans Health Equity Act

The Maryland House of Delegates voted Saturday to approve the Trans Health Equity Act — a bill that just a year ago disappeared from the chamber’s agenda ahead of a floor vote.

The bill would require Maryland Medicaid, beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, to provide coverage for additional gender-affirming treatments, which are currently disallowed in the state’s plan but commonly covered by private insurance. The expanded treatments include hormone therapy, hair alteration, voice therapy, physical alterations to the body, and fertility preservation.

3. FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan. Here's what it means

The approved nasal spray is the best-known form of naloxone. It can reverse overdoses of opioids, including street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl and prescription versions including oxycodone.

Making naloxone available more widely is seen as a key strategy to control the nationwide overdose crisis. Effects begin within two minutes when given intravenously, and within five minutes when injected into a muscle. The medicine can also be administered by spraying it into a person's nose.

4. Boston expands tuition-free community college program to all residents

Boston has expanded its tuition-free community college program to include all city residents regardless of age, income or immigration status.

Starting this fall, any city resident will be eligible to pursue an associate’s degree or certificate at one of six partnering local institutions without paying to attend. The program also includes a $250 stipend for incidental expenses each semester for up to three years, and up to $2,500 of debt relief for students whose account balances are keeping them from re-enrolling.

5. First cheetah cubs born in India since extinction 70 years ago

India has welcomed the birth of four cheetah cubs - more than 70 years after the animals were declared officially extinct there.India's environment minister announced the good news, calling it a "momentous event".

The country has been trying to reintroduce the big cats for decades, and last year brought eight cheetahs over from Namibia as part of the plan. Another 12 cheetahs were brought to India from South Africa last month.

6. BBC education show in Afghanistan helps children banned from school

The BBC has launched a new education programme for children in Afghanistan who are banned from school.It is aimed at children aged 11 to 16, including girls whose secondary education has been stopped by the ruling Taliban.

The weekly programme is called Dars, which means lesson in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan's official languages. It is hosted by BBC Afghan female journalists who were evacuated from Kabul during the 2021 Taliban takeover.

Each new weekly half-hour episode of Dars will air four times a day, Saturday to Friday, on the newly launched BBC News Afghanistan channel.

7. A Trans Creator Has Raised Over 1.5 Million for Trans Healthcare on TikTok Live

Transgender TikTokers are celebrating Trans Day of Visibility by raising over $1.5 million for gender-affirming care around the world.

Mercury Stardust — a DIY TikToker and trans advocate who calls herself the “Trans Handy Ma’am” — raised $120,000 last year in a livestream for the mutual aid nonprofit Point of Pride, which maintains funds for surgeries, hormone therapy, and free binders and gaffs. This year, Stardust and cohost Jory, a.k.a. AlluringSkull, set themselves a goal of raising $1 million in a planned 30-hour live stream…and then smashed that milestone less than six hours after starting the stream Thursday evening.

----

I have started a Youtube channel with wholesome videos I can find on the internet. Check it out :)

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog

[girlactionfigure]

🇮🇱SOME ISRAEL->IRAN ATTACK INFO, ACCIDENTAL EARTHQUAKE - Real time from Israel  

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

🚨ISRAEL RETALIATORY ATTACK ON IRAN.. The IDF carried out Friday night a retaliatory operation for the ballistic missile barrage about a month ago.  They destroyed factories for the production of missiles, launchers of surface-to-surface missiles and air defense systems.

.. Simultaneous attack against Iran and sites in Damascus, Syria.

.. Sites in capital Tehran and nearby city of Karaj, among others.

.. 20 military targets were struck across Iran in three waves.

.. Iran's Fars news agency says several military bases near Tehran hit.

.. Reports of use of Israeli loitering munitions as well as jet airstrikes.

.. Air defense sirens in Tehran sounded.

.. IDF statement: "The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil," the military says.   Like every other sovereign country in the world, the State of Israel has the right and the duty to respond.  The reprisal strike was completed, and its objectives were achieved.”

.. IDF also targeted Iran’s surface-to-air missile arrays and Iranian aerial capabilities that were intended to restrict Israel's aerial freedom of operation in Iran. Israel now has broader aerial freedom of operation in Iran.

.. Syrian opposition sources reported that Israeli jets attacked radar systems at "Tel al-Kalib" in southeast Suwayda (southern Syria) and the 19th battalion of Syria’s air defense in Homs, central Syria.

.. Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes, participated in the strikes some 1,600 kilometers from Israel. The aircraft safely returned to Israel following the “complex” operation.

.. RUSSIA reportedly shared intelligence & warned Iran hours before the Israeli strikes.

.. US officials now believe that Iran will retaliate for the retaliation “in a subdued way.”

.. Iran is making significant efforts to downplay the impact of the Israeli attack in their media.

♦️LEBANON - Israeli fighter jets also struck Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital of Beirut overnight, 8 attacks.

♦️LEBANON - IDF captures four truck-mounted rocket launchers, loaded with 160 rockets. Separately, around 130 Hezbollah launchers were struck by the Israeli Air Force in the past week.

♦️GAZA - The IDF says it has expanded the designated "humanitarian zone" in southern Gaza , where the vast majority of the Palestinian population in the Strip currently resides.  The zone is where most humanitarian aid is directed, and where several field hospitals were established. 

♦️GAZA - IDF attacking heavily in the north of the Gaza Strip - the echoes of the explosions can be clearly heard in many areas in the south of the country.

♦️SAMARIA, TULKARM - A Hamas operative planning an "imminent" terror attack was killed by special forces, following a firefight.  He was found with weapons and bomb parts.

▪️ACCIDENTAL EARTHQUAKE.. on Shabbat morning 6:30 AM, the IDF demolished a large underground Hezbollah Radwan invasion force base in southern Lebanon using 400 tons of explosives.  That huge explosion set off earthquake detectors in northern Israel, which set off Home Front Command EARTHQUAKE alarms across the northern 1/3 of Israel - sirens and alert apps going off in over 100 towns and cities.  Oops.

Story and photos of the base: IDF finds huge Hezbollah base primed for invasion https://www.timesofisrael.com/under-a-lebanese-border-village-idf-finds-huge-hezbollah-base-primed-for-invasion/

⭕HEZBOLLAH ROCKET STRIKE KILLS 2, injures 13+ (some critical) in northern Israeli Druze town of Maid al-Krum.

⭕HEZBOLLAH ROCKET STRIKE injures 9 in Nahariya.

⭕DRONE FROM SYRIA intercepted in the Golan on Shabbat.

❗️END OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME TONIGHT in Israel, at 2:00 AM go back to 1:00 AM.  Computers and phones should auto-adjust.

▪️ON THE IRAN ATTACK - ESCALATION OR NOT?

.. Foreign sources: 

…. Israel destroyed at least 12 special mixers - a critical component in the production of the solid fuel for Iran’s ballistic missiles. 

…. 4 - S-300 Russian advanced anti-aircraft batteries were attacked and disabled. 

…. Secret facility in Parchin where research and development activities related to the nuclear program were carried out in the past was attacked.

.. Videos shared by civilians in Iran show Israeli jets low-flying over areas in Iran, making their presence known.

.. According to Sky News, Iran told Israel that it would not respond to the attack. In Russia, some say that this is a type of "dogburniak", a Russian word that cannot be directly translated and means - a type of secret agreement between enemies who are not interested in uncontrolled escalation and secretly guard communication channels.

.. Prime Minister's Office: The report (above) is false and absurd. Israel did not inform Iran before the attack - not about the time, not about the targets, not about the strength of the attack.

.. Following Israel's attacks on military targets in the Islamic Republic, at 3:40 in the morning, the citizens of Tehran took to the streets and formed long lines at gas stations throughout the city.

.. The Saudi news site "Ilaf" reports that in attacks on Iran, Israel hit a factory for the production of solid fuel used to propel the ballistic missiles. It was also reported that the price of each solid fuel mixer that was in the factory is estimated to be at least 2 million dollars. "About 20 of them were destroyed," it was claimed. Sources familiar with the Iranian missile industry said that it would take at least two years for the plant to return to capacity, and that Israel had significantly disrupted Iran's ability to produce missiles.

.. AFP report: sources in Iran claim that only a radar array was damaged in the Israeli attack.

.. US President Biden responded to the attack in Iran: "I hope this is the end.”

.. German Chancellor Schulz: "My message to Iran is clear - we cannot continue with widespread reactions of escalation, it must end now."

.. The media in Iran: Significantly minimize the Israeli attack on the one hand, on the other hand and in the same breath they claim there will be an unlimited response.

♦️LEBANON - During the last day, the Air Force attacked more than 70 terrorist targets of Hezbollah, some of them directed by the Northern Command, among the targets that were attacked: anti-tank positions, military buildings, ammunition depots, terrorist squads and military headquarters.

⭕SAUDI SHIA TERROR GROUP.. claims to fire a suicide drone at Israel.

🔹Report in Lebanon: American envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Israel tomorrow.

▪️3 HERO SOLDIERS HAVE FALLEN.. in battle in Gaza:

Barak Israel Sagan, 22, from Petah Tikva

Ido Ben Zvi, 21, from Shomrat

Hillel Ovadia, 22, from Jerusalem (we previously reported, but didn’t have age or city)

May their families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may G-d avenge their blood!

▪️WOMAN DIES RUNNING FOR SHELTER.. elderly woman passes away in Beit HaEmek.  May her memory be a blessing.

▪️CORRECTION - MAJD al-KRUM.. we said Israeli Druze town, we are told it is a majority Israeli Arab town.  13+ injured, 2 killed by a Hezbollah rocket strike - may the dead receive mercy.

[chubbycelebs]

The Weight of Fame (part 1)

It was 2016. The biggest band in the world was everywhere, 1 Direction. This was until the boys decided to go on a break, all now pursuing a solo career. But the one the fans were most excited for was the band's pretty boy, Harry Styles.Harry had been dubbed the leader of the band, with his insane vocal range and amazing good looks. The fans were obsessed with him and they couldn't wait to see what he brings when he releases his solo music.

Once the band were on their break, Harry began to realise the amount of pressure that was on him to create music that the fans would love but also what they wouldn't expect. Days began to pass and Harry struggled with even stepping foot in the music room at his house. He had developed such anxiety around starting his own solo music. He decided to call up his manager and explain. Thankfully his manager was very understanding of the amount of pressure he was under and said for Harry to take some time off an enjoy his life now that he was out of the band with no responsibility.

Hearing those words relaxed Harry instantly. After that he would walk around his huge mansion in his underwear, eating ice cream for breakfast, watching hours and hours of TV that he never had the time for before. He loved relaxing so much, he forgot what it was like. The boys in the band were always kept on a tight routine. They always had to be up 6am to work out as if the boys weren't in fit shape at all times for the fans then they would lose that sex appeal when selling songs. After that it would be tour rehearsals or recording studios, followed by performances and shows, it was never ending. They would be lucky to even get 6 hours of sleep a night. So now getting to sleep in till 1pm, eat what he wants and just lay down relaxing, this was all that Harry wanted.

As the weeks went by, Harry had still not been struck with inspiration for any new music. He would be feeling anxious about this but to be honest he was not worried at all. His manager said he could have up to a year off if he felt like it so Harry was in no rush to get off his ass and record. Whilst his lifestyle for the past few weeks hadn't changed, his body sure had. Harry had gone from a 2 hour work out a day to not even stepping foot in a gym once. And to add to it, he hadn't been eating the best either. Filling his days with eating sweet treats and fast food, his body didn't resemble the pop mega star that he was just a few weeks ago.

One morning Harry got out of bed and walked over to the mirror. As he looked at him self he was surprised by the Harry that was looking back at him.

Harry noticed how his tank top clung tightly to his protruding belly. His belly poked out far and his love handles rounded out his silhouette. Harry rubbed his hand over his softer frame, feeling the warm fat that was covering his once rippling abs. Harry had expected to feel disgusted in his self that he had let him self go to become this chubby lazy slob, however he kind of enjoyed the softness of his body. The jiggle that ran through his gut as he walked, the soft warm pillow that was always on him, he even enjoyed how tight his vest top clung to his skin. He grabbed his phone and snapped a photo of his body. He was happy with these changes, they almost resembled how free he was now. Before the regiment of keeping fit felt like he was a prisoner but now with his soft expanded frame, it was like he was breaking free of those expectations.

Now that he had realised the toll his new lifestyle had taken on him, this inspired Harry to carry on relaxing. He has never in his life had this freedom to eat what he wants, do what he likes, not worry about public opinion. He wanted to take advantage of this new found freedom and carry on with this slobbish lifestyle.

As Harry stuffed him self full of greasy foods, he began to wonder how much weight he had gained. He decided to try on a shirt that he loved to wear when he was fit. He wanted to see how he filled it out now with his round soft gut. As he put it on, his arms felt squeezed into the tight arm holes. As he tugged it over his shoulders, he realised just how difficult it would be to button up. He grabbed both sides of his shirt and sucked in and tried to button them up. As he did up the bottom 4 buttons, he couldn't hold hid breath for any longer, releasing his jelly belly.

His gut filled the shirt to its max, pushing threateningly against the buttons and pulling hard at the seams. Harry looked at his body, and couldn't be more excited. Just as he did with his tank top, he loved the feeling of his big body pressed against his tight, too small clothes. He pushed his belly out further and one of the buttons popped off flying across the room. Harry couldn't help but crack a smile. He thought what it might be like to grow too big for his clothes. What if one day he puts on a shirt and his belly is hanging out, or his jeans pop open due to the amount of fat he has added to his frame. This idea got the singer so excited, he needed to know what it was like.

The next week or so were filled with fast food, pints of ice cream, thick cream, soda, and pastries. Harry was determined now to grow out of his clothes. He thought about what his band mates would think of him growing fat like this. Would they be disappointed with him, disgusted with his piggy ways, or would they be proud of him for letting go, finding comfort and relaxing for the first time?

One night after a long day of eating, Harry had become very bloated, his belly hard with how stuffed he was. He decided to try on another shirt he really liked when he was skinny. When he picked up this shirt he looked at it and then down at his bloated gut, he knew there was no chance it would fit. When he was in shape this shirt was always a little tighter especially around his chest but now his gut stuck out way further than his chest did. He took the shirt and squeezed it over his head, he pushed his thickened arms through the tight arm holes and then attempted to pull the shirt down over his big belly.

The shirt couldn't even reach his jeans, a sliver of his hairy gut was exposed and this was when he had stretched it over his belly. His love handles slightly spilled out of the top but it wasn't till he lifted his arms that his whole gut was exposed. The tight shirt rolled up instantly exposing his whole belly, his love handles popping out with a little jiggle. The top resembled more of a crop top now only covering up his soft chest. Harry rubbed his belly and was so pleased with it. This shirt was unwearable now, he had grown too relaxed and soft to even get away with it. He was proud of his growth on his time off but he couldn't help but think, what if he got bigger?

New story detailing Harry Styles break from music and what he discovers about himself. I know this story may seem similar to another story I did but I plan on going into much more detail and exploring a different ending so I hope you enjoy!

[scoops-aboy86]

I've had a terrible day, comment to ease my turmoil?

Oh, and towards the end of this chapter, “Luck can’t fix stupid” is just Eddie being hard on himself. He is a good boy who is trying his best. 

Part 1, part 1.5, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 of the love spell no go au

By morning, Eddie wakes to find that he’s rolled over in the night and Steve has burrowed into his arms. Hair that smells of Eddie’s shampoo tickles at his nose, and Steve is warm. A tingling under Eddie’s fingertips where they’re draped across Steve’s back tell him that his healing spells are still working—maybe that’s why Steve is sleeping so peacefully that it’s already dawn. 

Nancy was supposed to have woken Steve for his guard shift, probably hours ago. Huh.

Eddie wants to melt into this and soak it up, just in case he never gets another chance, but… there’s too much going on right now to get caught up in whatever this might be. Better to take a page from Steve’s book and let it be, hold his tongue and wait until they’re not dealing with an interdimensional catastrophe. 

Careful not to wake the (beautiful, brave, captivating) boy in his arms, he extracts himself carefully from the bed. He can’t resist leaving a soft kiss on Steve’s temple before he goes, though, his heart clenching and expanding and basically exploding in his chest when Steve shifts with a sigh and presses his full body into the space Eddie just vacated, seeking the lost body heat and breathing deeply against Eddie’s pillow. Fuck. Fuuuuuuck.

Instead of crawling right back into bed like he wants to, Eddie slinks out of the room and down the short hallway to the living room, eyes averted from the fleshy gash in the ceiling. Nancy is standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed as she stares up at it—but her eyes are clear, and she refocuses on Eddie as soon as he clears his throat. 

“So, uh,” he croaks, throat still rough from sleep. “Watch system kinda broke down, didn’t it?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Nancy replies, too quick not to be at least a little defensive. 

Eddie peers past her to Robin, who is asleep face-down on the couch with his uncle’s scratchy wool blanket draped over her. “Not saying I blame you there, Wheeler, but. Did you try?”

After a pause, Nancy lets out a breath that seems to come from all the way down to her toes, stiff shoulders slumping just a little and world weary in a way that no teenager should have to sound. “No.”

He flashes her a brittle smile, because yeah, he gets it. The only reason he’d managed any shut-eye was probably thanks to Steve’s reassuringly steady breathing at his back. “Fair enough. Instant coffee?”

There’s only the slightest twitch of distaste in her expression (he’s betting the Wheelers can afford actual coffee beans and shit) before she nods. “Coffee would be great.”

Which kind of makes him feel like a waiter, but he did offer. Eddie puts his back firmly to the gate and pokes around the kitchen for a pot to fill with water, pours it into four different mugs once it’s come to a boil, and dutifully stirs in the shitty off-brand Folgers. 

He sips his own somberly, pensive. All his life, it’s been drilled into him that magic is to be kept secret, cast in the shadows and never so flashy that it would draw too much outside attention. That’s what had gotten his dad locked up. 

But this group already knows about magic, even if they only refer to it as such using dnd metaphors that are actually more accurate than they think. Hell, maybe psychic powers are just a different method of spell casting—that’s deeper into magic theory than he usually ventures to go, though, so whatever. Not important right now. The point is… they could all die. It’s a very real possibility, especially for Max, and Eddie’s seen how that goes twice now. If there’s anything he can do to help, he has to try. 

Which means… he has to tell them. 

After Nancy recounts what Vecna showed her, after they formulate a plan that makes Eddie’s stomach clench and roll with dread, Eddie opens his mouth and says, “Guys, I have to tell you something.”

They sit patiently if a little incredulously through his explanation. A little more credulously once he gives a demonstration, turning an apple from the Mayfield’s kitchen blue, then, purple, then neon orange, then back to red and slicing it down the middle into an even seven pieces without so much as touching it. 

Dustin speaks up first, because of course he does—interrogating him about what offensive and defensive spells he knows, leading with examples that Eddie recognizes almost word for word from the Monster Manual. Lucas joins in after a minute, the boys’ enthusiasm snowballing until suddenly they’re drafting a list of things they want to see if Eddie can do. 

It’s Steve who ends up putting a stop to that, snapping. “Hey shitheads, he’s not a show pony and he’s not going to do tricks just to satisfy your scientific whatever, alright? You wouldn’t do that to Eleven, we’re not doing it to Eddie.”

“Scientific method, Steve,” Dustin grumbles, but relents. Eddie shoots a grateful look to Steve over the kid’s shoulder, and the smile he gets in return makes his heart do a flip. 

“I can’t do big shit like Vecna,” he cautions everyone, now that he can get a word in edgewise again. “But I can do smaller stuff. Protection charms on clothes, spells to make sure we don’t miss what we’re aiming for, that kind of thing. I can help, I’m just… not your point guy. I’m no Supergirl.”

Max snorts at the Supergirl part, but speaks up with a grave, “As the person sticking out my neck for this crazy plan, not missing sounds nice.”

That seems to clinch it. And next up, they need to stock up on weapons, so…

It was waking up to a cuddly Steve Harrington that did it, Eddie swears. That, and adrenaline from staring down the barrel of the balls-to-the-wall insane plan the group has concocted, because Eddie is surrounded by fucking heroes aparently. He doesn’t feel very heroic. 

Because he says things like “It’s not exactly a car, Steve” with a devilish smirk, and not asking but telling Steve that he’s driving the stolen RV, the words big boy tumbling out like his mouth has a fucking mind of its own. And each of those times, Steve blinks back at him with something in those hazel eyes, which Eddie is trying so hard to tell himself he doesn’t know how to read, but he wants. 

There isn’t time to do anything about it, though. When the RV’s rightful owners start banging on the door, adrenaline sends Steve leapfrogging into the driver’s seat and Eddie scrambling to get away from the windows so he won’t be spotted. They roar out of the trailer park with the kids whooping in the back, caught up in the adventure of it. 

Eddie feels like everything is going wrong and about to get worse, but he’s felt that way ever since Chrissy died so that’s nothing new. At least Steve stays in the RV instead of going into the War Zone, even if it takes Robin pointing out that the entire high school had seen them talking at Eddie’s locker on Friday and some probably noticed them sitting together at the game—because yeah, Lucas had told them what Jason Carver had done to Gareth, and Eddie doesn’t want anyone else hurt because some vigilante jock thinks they might be harboring him. 

“Sorry,” Eddie tells him after the others are gone. When Steve gives him a blank look, he adds, “That you’re a known associate of The Freak.” He nods towards the back of the RV where the two boys are wrapped up in a conversation of their own. “It’s bad enough that Lucas and Dustin are in the crosshairs, but they at least signed up for Hellfire.”

Steve frowns. “You’re my friend, Eddie, I don’t care who knows that. It shouldn’t even matter.”

“Dude, all of this shouldn’t be happening, but it is. It does matter. A hell of a fucking lot.” Eddie braces his elbows on his knees and drops his head into his hands. “Fuck.”

After a moment, a hand presses tentatively between his shoulder blades, shifting reassuringly up and down. It’s a big hand. Eddie is almost disappointed that he’s too upset to fully appreciate the contact. 

As it is, he groans into his hands and shrugs the touch off. “Steve, I should… I have to tell you something.” And you might not want to keep touching me after you hear it, he doesn’t say out loud. 

“What is it?”

Eddie lifts his head with a flick of his hair and a quick flail of his hands. “That was—I just cast a little privacy spell, if you were wondering. So the kids can’t eavesdrop.”

“Okay,” Steve says slowly. “Do you do that a lot? Just do magic like that? Because, you move your hands around a lot…”

He can’t help but smirk a little at that. “Not as much as you’d think. It’s a good cover if I have to, though.”

Steve’s eyes are wide and curious, his irises a honeyed brown tinged with spots of green. “Have you ever used magic on me?”

Aaand there it is. Eddie looks down at his hands, now clasped across bare his knees where time and wear have reduced the denim to strings. “Yep.” 

“Like what?”

So Eddie tells him about the love spell. 

Magic, considering everything else Steve has seen over the past few years and especially the past few days, isn’t much of a stretch to accept. That trick with the apple had helped, but for the most part he’s learned to just push through the confusion and listen to whoever sounds the most certain about it. 

And Eddie sounds pretty certain that he’s ruined Steve’s life. 

But that’s… not right. His life doesn’t feel ruined. He has Dustin and Robin. Yeah, he keeps ending up in life or death situations, but that gives him a sense of a purpose and might have happened anyway, because it’s not like Eddie’s one spell back when they were underclassmen created Hawkins Lab or Henry Creel out of thin air. 

A big part of Steve is elated, actually. Eddie likes him. Or liked him, enough to try and secure his heart with magic. Maybe that elation is from the spell, but honestly? The world might end tonight and any of them might die trying to stop it, so he’ll take any good feeling he can get regardless of where it’s coming from. 

When he tells Eddie as much, the guy looks about ready to cry. 

Before he can protest, Steve says, “I know you think you made me feel this way and that it’s like—” he frowns, unable to remember the way Eddie had put it “—violating my self-asomething-or-other, but fuck that. Your uncle said it wouldn’t have worked if I could never have liked you on my own, right? And I… In high school, people just hung around and I could never figure out why. Magic is as good an explanation as any, I guess. But with you, I had to work to get you to be my friend. I had to earn it. The more I got to know you the more I knew you’re a great guy, so by the time we were friends it felt like I’d really accomplished something, you know? You’re really nice, once you get past the prickly attitude—”

“Prickly?” Eddie mutters, quiet like he wants to interrupt but still feels a little too guilty to quite dare. Steve gets it; he knows how guilt can be, especially when it’s guilt for a stupid reason. 

“—And you’re smart, way smarter than me. The teachers who failed you are either full of shit or bad at their jobs, probably both. You’re so creative it blows me away, keeping track of all that Dungeons and Dragons stuff and making up entire worlds and all the people that go in them. And you have a great smile, with dimples and everything, and your hands are… And the way you watch me sometimes, like I’m the only person in the room even if we’re in a crowd, it feels really good.”

Eddie is getting more red by the second, a flush starting in his cheeks and threatening to go all the way to his chest at the compliments. Which, okay, Steve knows he’s gushing, but he’s been bottling all this up for a while and he’s not used to that. When it comes to love he’s usually an all-in kind of guy, and holding back had led to a quiet but snotty breakdown in Robin’s arms the night before. 

… Damn, he’s going to have to admit that she was right about Eddie being into guys (into him), though. 

“Steve,” Eddie says, and he sounds longing. Music to Steve’s ears. 

“I wanted the championship game to be a date,” Steve blurts. Because he’s already mentioned Eddie’s dimples and his hands, might as well go all in. 

Eddie’s blush intensifies, the start of that dimpled grin Steve loves so much on his face. “I… I did too.”

“So… after the game, when you went off with Chrissy…”

“That was just business,” Eddie says quickly, and Steve ducks his head to try and hide the relieved grin. “I mean, I wanted to help her, but I’m, uh. It’s always been just guys for me.”

“It’s both for me,” Steve tells him, glancing up through his eyelashes. He notices the way Eddie’s hand twitches, wanting to reach out but unsure, so he reaches over and tentatively lays his fingers over Eddie’s ringed ones. “Is that… okay?”

Eddie bites his lip, and just as tentatively twines their fingers together. “Y-yeah, I think so. This is—Shit, yeah.” 

“Would it make you feel better if… I don’t know, is there a way to turn the spell off?”

“Not really, magic doesn’t—” Eddie starts, but then stops, frowns. “Uh. My uncle did teach me something to undo magic once, but it’s a whole… thing. Like pulling a ripcord on a parachute, and, yeah, you stop falling as fast, but it jerks you around first. And it would ‘turn off’ every spell I’ve ever cast.” 

Before Steve has a chance to react to that, they’re interrupted by the rest of the group crashing back into the RV. Steve is up and barely even registers the remnants of Eddie’s privacy spell clinging to his face like invisible cobwebs. He spots Jason Carver out of the corner of his eye just before pulling out of the parking lot and, fuck. 

The rest of the day is too busy and tense to speak to Eddie alone, and Steve has a creeping worry (which he tries to ignore) that maybe Robin is right; maybe they aren’t going to be okay this time. 

Eddie doesn’t get to have nice things. Like an unbroken family, or a high school diploma, or Steve Harrington. 

He knows this. It’s deeply embedded in the reason he chickens out at the last minute, shaping his possible last words to Steve into, “Make him pay.” In that moment where their eyes had met he’d felt every loose thread, every unspoken thing between them weighing on him like a ton of bricks, and he regrets everything. Even though there hadn’t been time. He wonders if Steve regrets not saying whatever was on his mind back at the trailer, while the water was running… And from the way Steve looks back at him before nodding and turning to go, Eddie thinks he can hear the hollowness in it. 

Steve has similar hollowness, Eddie knows. Parents whose attention has always seemed to ghost right over him ever since Barbara Holland, leaving Steve to drift all alone in that big house until he felt like a phantom. They know these things about each other; they’ve talked about it all while high (everything except the Eddie wanting Steve part… and, apparently, an entire alternate universe full of monsters). And Steve gets it, even though Eddie wishes he didn’t. Wishes Steve’s life could be easy streets and clear sailing (ha, ahoy) so that Eddie wouldn’t have to feel so seen, stripped bare of all his armor. 

Even his battle vest is still in Steve’s possession, hidden under the thick army jacket. 

And it’s ironic, really, that Steve thinks he’s the stupid one but Eddie forgot about the goddamn air vents in the trailer. There isn’t really a spell to protect against that; luck can’t fix stupid.

So he does the best he can think of, if it can be called thinking at this point: flings a stealth spell at Dustin so the bats will be more likely to forget about him, cuts the sheet-rope, and bolts out the door. He grabs a bike and pedals as hard as he can, just trying to get away, and in the blankness of his panicking-in-overdrive mind an idea begins to form. 

When one of the bats gets caught in the spokes and Eddie goes down, he’s up almost immediately and spitting the words Wayne taught him when he was still small—before his uncle got custody but after his mom started getting sick, when Eddie’s dad had first started getting reckless. 

The swarm of flying monsters descends on him while he’s still screaming the spell. After the last syllable, bleeding and knocked around by the attack, the ripcord pulls and Eddie is slammed into darkness.

Tag list (comment to be added): @hotluncheddie @8em-em-em8 @anaibis @connected-dots @lawrencebshoggoth

Part 9, part 10, part 11

[evanbuckleyrecs]

Buddie AUs under 20k part 2

Part 2 to the earlier rec list!

Over the waves (under your spell) by my_hopless_opus

14,9K, rated E

What if in season 6, Bobby and Athena don't cancel their honeymoon trip, but decide to give away their tickets to another couple? Hen & Karen are busy and Chimney & Maddie are still figuring out their stuff, that leaves only Buck and Eddie.

The only condition is that they have to pretend to be a couple during the whole trip.

How hard can that be?

OR

Buddie fake dating fic

(Spoilers: There's only one bed)

Spousal secrets and celebrity crushes by AshwinMeird

9,3K, rated G

Eddie joined the 118 and Hen learned plenty about his husband and son through endless stories, but she knew almost nothing about Buck. Then a movie being filmed not far from the station starts to become very relevant to her life.

Or

Five times Hen was confused about Eddie's husband and One time it all made sense.

You smiled and it was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever seen by wafflesofdoom

13,5K, rated G

Eddie had always loved coffee. From the moment his parents had deemed him old enough to drink it, he’d loved coffee – he loved the smell, the taste, and most of all, he loved the process of making it. So, it was inevitable that'd he'd end up in Los Angeles, and take over Diaz's Café from his grandmother.

He just never imagined he'd meet the love of his life while doing it.

or, a 911-style ode to the classic coffee shop au trope.

He never thinks about me (except when I'm on tv) by heartbeatdiaz

18,1K, rated M

"I have been in love, yes." He says after the most torturous of seconds.

"Would you mind expanding on that?"

Buck hesitates for a few seconds and then Eddie sees the exact moment he decides 'fuck it' as he straightens in his seat.

"There was this guy in high school. He was my best friend."

Wait.

Hold on.

Eddie freezes.

Is Buck— Is Buck talking about him?

or:

In which Eddie finds out years later that his unrequited feelings for his high school best friend were not actually unrequited, Buck is stupidly famous now and they pine.

They get there in the end, they just need to get their timing right.

Inspired by the prompt: “you’re famous and just got asked if you were ever in love this should be good– WAIT WHAT."

All that's left to find (is peace of mind) by agustmoons

8,3K, not rated

A still warm kernel thumps lightly against Buck’s temple and it’s his last straw. “What the fuck is your problem, Han?” He demands, rounding on the paramedic currently tucked away in an armchair, popcorn bowl balanced precariously on his chest and knees.

“Your dumb, grumpy face. What’s got you all wound up, anyways? You look like someone took a shit in your cereal this morning.” Chim says, waving a hand in his direction.

___________

Eddie's deployed and Buck is /handling it/. He's not freaking out, definitely not.

Well, he wasn't. Until his contact with Eddie is cut off and he's left alone, wondering what could have happened.

Taking smoke with my coffee by UisceOneLove

3,9K, Rated G

"Order for Firefighter Diaz!"

Eddie knows that coffee runs have typically been deemed a Probie task. He did plenty of them when Bobby first recruited him to the 118. So, tradition dictates that it's supposed ot be Ravi getting them.

But Eddie gets to have a lot of nice things for himself. The things that make even his worst call days just a smidge better.

If anyone (Hen) is interrogating him for details, it's definitely the coffee he's referring to.

"I'm not in my gear, Buck," Eddie tells the barista when he approaches the counter.

The smile he looks forward to is waiting for him courtesy of the barista that makes even Eddie have to tip his head back a little bit to make eye contact. "Yeah," Buck drawls as he pushes the tray of coffee towards him, "but you're still on duty."

Mr. Buckley's after hours detention by aresaphrodites

11,4K, rated M

It’s not like Eddie Diaz planned on this. Really, there was no scenario in his mind where he would ever be bringing his son’s teacher a freaking goody basket to class; a homemade goody basket, no less. Then again, Christopher has never had a teacher quite like Evan Buckley.

Lucky streak by 2manyboys

8,6k, rated E

A massive tsunami hits the Santa Monica Pier; Eddie has an instant connection with a firefighter from another station.

[sighthounds-and-sketches]

Let's talk about flying to pick up a puppy by yourself

And some ways to make it easier on you.

Your prep starts honestly, about a week before baby actually comes home. Maybe 2 weeks.

For my pre-flight prep, I first picked out a flight carrier. I went with the one my breeder recommended.

It has expandable sides, and a little storage pocket. And it's resistant to chewing. I'm really glad I didn't buy a cheaper one, and I can't stress enough that it's cheaper to buy a quality one the first time than have a zipper break or a tear in the middle of your trip. My trip in total was 4 flights and 4 hours in the car, with him being with me for half of it and having the longest layover of my day. I could only really let him out a couple times, so this next part was incredibly helpful.

I mailed the carrier to my breeder,

at her behest. This was *huge* because the siblings got their scent on it and he was acclimated to being in it before I got to him. It acted as a secure place for him to ride in the car and for his first few nights here, he slept in there through the night.

And now that he's in his crate, the removable pad with scents on it has been instrumental in establishing the crate as a safe place for him.

Video of why I'm really glad I got the durable carrier.

Please consider what you're wearing that day.

Wear clothes you don't need to fuss with *at all* that's normal airport protocol- but I can't stress this enough, you're carrying the puppy in your arms through the TSA checkpoint and other people will be fussing over him. Make sure your appearance and personal bag is no fuss.

See: jeans, hoodie, puppy treat and potty bag that can be shoved into my personal Item, and a no fuss backpack.

In my personal travel bag I kept:

Pee pads, his food from the breeder, a change of clothes in case of incidents, a portable battery to charge my phone, collapsible food and water bowls, collar and leash incase one wasn't provided, and SEVERAL toys in there.

The toys were great for waiting in the terminal. I'd expand the sides of the crate and introduce a new toy to him to help him run a bit of energy out before we had to board.

Peepads: Even though airports have animal relief areas, chances are they're either kind of gross or your dog may be a little too young for it to be safe. I was traveling through one of the busiest airports in the world, and nobody was checking jack shit so I opted for potty breaks to occur in bathrooms with pee pads. He didn't end up going but it's better to be prepared.

I flew Delta and used Skymiles accumulated from our credit card with them that we pay off monthly, so the only thing I paid for out of pocket was 95.00 to bring Argos on board. My flight only costed 20k miles total, and that was only a small portion of what we'd accumulated over the 6 months we've been using the card. I think it's worth considering if you're planning to fly to a breeder. It enabled me to go anywhere in the country that Delta flies and not worry about costs.

Day of hack: double check your flights on the airlines app and switch your seat if possible. I swapped one of my return flight seats to an empty row for 15.00, which meant I could have my carryon and him with me at the same time and that was very nice for readjusting where my stuff was and taking a damn nap. Because at this point, I'd been up for about 18 hours and still had 7 hours of traveling before I'd get home.

I think my last thing is that if you're like me and you do have an invisible disability- ask if you can preboard. Dont be afraid to say "hey, i have this problem and standing in the heat while carrying a bunch of stuff is potentially going to cause an episode. " The employees were extremely nice, and willing to work with me. Ultimately, I went through all of this because he's a service dog prospect and will hopefully help.

Small things for me specifically prior: ate in the morning and right before I picked him up, he was able to chill in his carrier while I ate dinner at a restaurant in the airport- didn't make any sounds. He slept the whole time. I don't think I couldve eaten in the food court, too much to carry between him and my main bag.

I think that's it. I may add to this if I remember anything I forgot.

Edited to add: for my besties with miscellaneous illnesses-

A baggie with your medicines is IMPORTANT. Do not forget some dramamine, advil, Tylenol, whatever, pack it if there's a small chance you'll need it!

I ended up getting migraine symptoms like 5 hours into travel, and that was not a day I could afford to have blurred vision. <3 remember to take care of YOU on the journey.

[sea-creature-things]

Grimwalker Things

Chapter 6: An itchy weakness

I return with gifts of comfort... eventually.

This chapter is a direct continuation of the last chapter "Sleep" (cuz I don't believe in consistency). This chapter was kicking my ass, but I still loved making it <33

Read here below the cut or on AO3 with this link:

Hunter sat cross legged on the floor of the basement. His friends were all in front of him, snuggled up in the nest they had built hours ago. At least, he hoped it had been hours.

Time was blending in itself.

He yawned for what felt like the hundredth time, purposefully not suppressing it. It was a good way to keep himself awake, taking in a big amount of air and temporarily increasing his heart rate. He had a dozen tactics to help him stay alert at night.

He gripped Flapjack's staff closer against his chest.

He had breathing techniques for this, different from the one Gus had taught him, but this one was used to stay mindful instead of to calm down from a panic attack. Breathing rapidly for 15 seconds, then slowly for another 15 using his abdomen. It might work the same way for panic attacks, he probably wouldn’t remember that for next time though.

Hunter also counted. He counted blankets, pillows, boxes and fairy lights. He counted fingers and toes. He counted everything that could be counted. It was a good technique too, just like watching. Very actively watching everything around him.

Watching over them.

Willow was sprawled out, limbs in complete disarray. Gus was cuddled up to her left side, hugging her stomach as one of her legs was draped over both of his. Amity had mirrored him on the witch’s right side at first, but now she was entangled with Luz. Which Hunter thought was as adorable as it was hilarious.

Since Luz was drooling and snoring, while Amity slept like a fairytale princess. Her pink hair was draped behind her like silk and her limbs were placed delicately, she was even smiling like someone in a movie. Luz’s hair on the other hand was anywhere and everywhere, she’ll have a bad case of bedhead in the morning. Sometimes she even kicked her legs like a dog, but that was entirely due to Vee’s tail trapping them in place. Still, she was sleeping way more chaotic than their demon sister. Who had a calm grip on her blankets and was snuggling into her pillow. Vee often made a trilling sound, like the happy version of a snarl. Also adorable and hilarious.

Hunter would be happy to report they all slept soundly, as if they were dusted with sleeping nettles. Well, mostly soundly.

Willow had been moving around a lot in her sleep. At one point she'd kicked Amity's shin, Hunter cringed knowing how painful that was. Their pink haired engineer had groaned and turned on her back, her head lifted slightly. Hunter was worried she'd wake up and notice him sitting there. Her eyes opened and he was sure he was done for, but Amity lay back down. It was probably too dark for her to see anything anyways.

When Amity moved to cuddle with Luz, another arm got hucked at her head. Luckily it missed, but Hunter suddenly had to try very hard to suppress a laugh. Briefly dropping Flap’s staff on his lap to clasp both hands over his mouth. His lungs ached as they expanded with nowhere to put the air. A muffled noise escaped through his fingers.

It had completely messed up his concentration. He returned to his breathing exercise, gradually calming down and regaining his usual posture.

Hunter was probably the only one who liked the fact that Willow thrashed around so much in her sleep. It was cute. It fit her fierce and competitive spirit well. Most of all, it let him know that she was there.

It let him know that she was alive.

He needed that right now. He had to make sure they were all safe.

Hunter’s thoughts were interrupted by the basement door creaking open and bright rays of light filling the room. His head snapped to it, seeing Camila peeking through the opening. All he could do was watch as she walked down a few steps in order to look over the railing. He saw her scan the others with a fond smile, until she found him.

Their eyes locked and suddenly his actions felt a little silly. He'd been so sure that guarding them was the right thing to do, the only thing he could do. But now... was he wrong?

Camila's surprised and instantly worried expression seemed to suggest so. He looked away before her face made him feel queasy. Was she mad? Disappointed? Luz said one of them was worse, but he couldn't remember which one. Disappointing Belos always made him mad, there was no worse.

Maybe just worried was worse to him, he couldn’t handle her gentle, caring face. The matriarch slowly and quietly descended the stairs.

He rose to his feet to try and ease some of her concerns, but he was more unstable than he expected. He stumbled backwards, only able to catch himself using Flap’s staff as counterbalance.

"G-good morning." He stuttered in a pretty bad attempt to seem normal. Which was made worse by his body automatically going to stand at attention. Despite that, he tried to give her a cheerful smile.

Camila didn’t respond right away, the look on her face strangled his insides. With furrowed brow she examined him, her gaze flitting from side to side as she kept switching between both his eyes. Her mouth moved without sound, she didn’t know what to say. Then she sighed.

“Are you okay, hijo?” Her voice soft and warm. Camila held his face and rubbed his cheek with her thumb. Hunter looked up surprised.

He nodded, not trusting his voice. He was sure his face already betrayed him, shaky lip and misty eyes.

Camila somehow looked even more perturbed. She scanned the nest where his friends were still sleeping like babies. She looked like she was pondering something, then breathed in deep and focused on him again.

“Wanna help me make breakfast?” Her hand moved to pet his hair, before landing on his shoulder.

“Yes!” He almost forgot he was supposed to be quiet. He hurried a glance at his friends, but they didn't even stir.

“Okay.” She whispered with a nod. Giving him another gut punching smile, she tugged his shoulder ever so slightly and led him to the stairs.

Once they ascended and he followed their host out the door, the golden sunlight hit him. The warm rays tickled his nose, blinding his eyes. It completely took over the hallway, granting it a very welcome glow. It was finally day, after a night that felt like an eternity.

Finally dawn.

He saw Camila waiting for him to finish basking. He instantly picked up his pace. He shouldn't do that, Belos hated waiting.

He tripped again, but this time it wasn't because his feet gave out. Realisation struck him like lightning.

Camila wasn't Belos.

She wasn't anything like him at all. Why was he thinking about him!? Why was he acting as he would if he was still-

He shook his head, heart beating loud against his ribcage. He released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. Camila hadn’t seen his stumble, already leaving in the direction of the kitchen. He hastily picked up the pace, doing his best to hide his gasping.

Everything was fine, he wasn’t the Golden Guard anymore. He was fine.

He got his breathing under control and, luckily, Camila didn’t appear to notice. When he trailed behind her into the kitchen, he looked out the window and saw he’d been mistaken. It wasn’t even close to dawn. He threw a glance at the microwave’s clock, reading 10:43 am. No wonder last night had felt twice as long.

Maybe that wasn’t a wonder either way.

"You can put the staff away, dear." Camila said fondly as she walked behind the kitchen island. She wore an amused smile as she looked him up and down.

"Oh right." A flash of yellow magic brought the bird back to chirping and flying.

And he was NOT happy.

Chirruping up a storm that was too fast and too incoherent for Hunter to follow. He tugged very hard on his long hair strand in the front, his chirps becoming even more scrambled. With every flap of his wings, he yanked on his head.

“Ow ow ow ow, Flap!” Hunter bumped into the table, trying to escape his palisman. The little bird spat out the blonde strands, realising his outrage might actually be hurting his witch.

“You shouldn’t have done that!” Flapjack flew close to his face. He hung in the air wheezing and Hunter was frozen. They were at a standstill. Only until Flap could catch his breath. “You were supposed to go to sleep!”

“Flap I’m sorry.” Hunter knew he messed up, but he hadn’t expected the little bird to be this mad. “I’m sorry for putting you in staff form, but I needed to!”

“You needed sleep Hunter!” He squawked again. “Still do!”

"I know, but-"

“You made a promise.” The cardinal spoke softer, landing on the table. Was this the difference between disappointed and mad? He folded his wings and continued in those low cheeps. “You were going to try.”

“I did try. But I... I can't Flapjack." Hunter's voice strained, threatening to crack. "I can't."

“Oh Hunter…” Flap’s eyes turned somber and worried. He lowered down to be at eye level with his palisman, crouching until his chin rested on the table in between his hands. The little bird instantly hopped closer, bumping his head against him and nuzzling his cheek. He faintly sung a soothing melody. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”

Hunter closed his eyes, feeling the soft feathers brush against his face. He wanted to apologise again, but the words got caught in his throat. Flap sung more sweet sentiments, he felt a lot better as the air between them slowly became less intense.

“I am sorry for yelling at you.” His palisman said and Hunter instantly shook his head. The muscles in his legs started to acidify, resulting in a sharp ache. Rising to his feet again, he held out his hands as a platform for Flap to jump on.

“I mean, you had a pretty good reason to be angry.” He said, feeling a little ashamed. The bird stretched his legs, his little claws carefully placed on his hands.

“Yes, don’t do that again.” Flap flew up on his shoulder. He perched and folded his wings, planning to stay right there for a long time. “But you went through a lot yesterday, so I understand. Just promise me you’ll sleep soon?”

“I promise I’ll try.” Said Hunter. He saw a red tail flicking out of the corner of his eye. But Flap nodded in agreement.

When he turned around, he was greeted by a very confused and intrigued Camila. To be honest, he had forgotten she was there, and what he was doing in the kitchen. He stared at her like a deer in headlights. She raised an eyebrow. Hunter hurriedly walked over to her, to actually do what he was supposed to.

“Flap’s pretty mad.” Hunter smiled nervously. He needed to tell her something as explanation.

“Was.” His palisman corrected, puffing out his chest feathers.

“He’s just worried about you.” Camila said and Flap nodded with a huff. She scratched him under his chin, earning some happy trills. “And he’s probably right.”

“Definitely.” Hunter swallowed hard. “I just- I-I-I just c-c-“

“It’s alright, baby.” She stroked his hair, spurring him to take a calming breath with her other hand. With her guidance, Hunter felt all the tension fall from his shoulders. Camila gave him a cheeky grin. “Now, these pancakes aren’t gonna make themselves.”

Hunter smiled, and for the first time that morning, it was real.

“Can you grab the milk and eggs, hijo?” Their caretaker directed him to the fridge while she pulled a bowl from one of the cabinets.

She had been calling him ‘hijo’ a lot lately. Hunter had no idea what it meant, but at this point he was scared to ask. He assumed it was similar to when she called him ‘dear’ or ‘baby’.

He also noticed she liked to pet his head a lot, but he didn't mind.

Camila got the whisk out of the drawer, while he grabbed the other supplies for the pancakes. This human breakfast food had been and instant success with them, it was Hunter's favourite from the first time he ate one. Though, being related to Flapjack's namesake might have something to do with that.

After gathering all the ingredients, Camila told him to start cracking eggs. As he picked one out of the carton Hunter felt it slips out of his fingers. He watched it fall as if in slow motion, entirely perplexed that something escaped his normally careful hand.

"Uhhh..." Is all he could say when it splat into the bowl, the shell shattering into tiny pieces. He slowly turned to Camila, but she laughed. A bubbly kind of laugh that didn’t seem to be at his expense.

"That's alright." She said between chuckles, fishing the eggshells out. She held out another one for him to try again.

"Maybe it's better if you do it." Hunter said with a nervous smile. Camila shrugged and cracked the rest of the eggs. He dubiously studied his hand, still not really understanding what went wrong.

Camila weighed the right amount of flower, sugar, and milk and poured them into the bowl, then she handed Hunter the whisk. He was able to mix everything without spilling, thank Titan.

“Isn’t it too late for breakfast?” He asked, eyeing the microwave's little clock again.

“Breakfast can be whatever I want it to be.” Camila said cheekily, Hunter couldn't help but laugh. It burst out of him in a somewhat hesitant giggle. Camila looked very proud of herself, beaming as she poked his cheek. “¿Es verdad no?

Camila carried the mixture to the countertop and put a pan with butter on the stove. They quickly settled into a routine where Hunter would put the batter in the pan and she would fry and flip them.

Flap was hanging around Camila, perching on her shoulders, picking at her hair - a lot softer than he's ever done to his witch - and standing on her hands whenever possible. Hunter warned him to not annoy her so much, but the Dominican woman assure them it was fine.

Hunter answered her questions about palismen and she answered his about human realm animals. They quickly got on the topic of her job, Camila explained what exactly she did and he listened with great interest. He wished he could come with her some time.

“Wait, it’s Thursday.” Hunter realised with growing anxiety. “Don’t you need to get to work? Doesn’t Luz have to go to school?”

“Don’t worry, hijo.” She assured him as she flipped another pancake. “I called to the school and explained that Luz would stay home today. And I’m taking a day off from work. Obviously I couldn’t tell them why, so I said it was for personal reasons.”

Camila’s explanation washed away his stress, but his insides still squirmed. He felt horrible for causing so much trouble. Preparing breakfast had apparently served as a great distraction, but now all the shame came flooding back.

Hunter didn’t feel like much help frying the pancakes. He constantly dropped things, knocked over other things, stumbled over nothing. But Camila was patient, holding the important stuff steady and cleaning up after him like it was no big deal.

She didn’t seem to care that he was awful today. And despite everything, Hunter actually had a lot of fun making food together. Camila appeared to enjoy it too, even though it took them ages.

By the time they were done, it might as well been their lunch.

Camila clapped her hands after they used up all the batter, two plates with high stacks of pancakes were waiting to be devoured. She said that they should set the table first and then wake up the others, to give them just a little more time to sleep. She got out some plates and walked to the table.

When he followed her with the cutlery in hand, he bumped into the kitchen island. The corner dug painfully in his side. He made a weird low breathy sound and Camila turned on her heels.

"I'm okay!" He choked out before she could ask. She eyed him suspiciously as he gripped his side. He smiled awkwardly. Camila supposedly decided to spare him, she sighed and went back to what she was doing.

“Should we wake the others now?” Hunter asked only a few minutes later, as he stood back and admired their work.

“Sí, I’ll go get them,” Camila pat his shoulder again. But because it didn’t feel warranted to him, he looked up at her surprised. “You brace yourself.”

He gave her yet another nervous smile. Before he could ask to come with, she had already disappeared around the corner. Her parting words of advice finally registered in his brain and he realised it was for the best.

He needed some time to prepare.

He reached a hand up, to where Flapjack had made himself comfortable in his hair, and felt a pointy beak softly rubbing against his palm. He absentmindedly scratched him under the chin, letting the sensation sooth him before one of the most awkward and tense days of his life began.

He could do this, right?

Suddenly, the peace and tranquility he’d experienced before was vanquished. Gus burst into the room, screeching to a stop in front of him.

“Hunter!” He yelled with a wide smile, like he’d been looking for him. “Good morning!”

“G-good morning!” He stumbled over his words. At least it wasn’t the floor this time. Last thing he needed right now was Gus watching him trip.

The others filed into the room, saying a couple of ‘good morning’s. They all started talking over each other and Hunter had no idea who to focus on. Camila made up the rear, giving him a sympathetic smile once he was surrounded.

“How are you feeling?” Gus grabbed his attention by tapping his arm. He also captured everyone else’s, it suddenly got uncomfortably silent. Six pairs of eyes locked on him.

“Great!” Hunter lied, giving his buddy a thumbs-up. He had no idea why he kept trying, he knew nobody would believe him.

He just hoped that one day he’d miraculously get better a lying.

As expected, Gus gave him a sceptical look. Luz was behind him, crossing her arms. She looked more annoyed than anything, shooting him a sour expression. Flapjack ruffled his hair in a silent show of support. Hunter decided not to study the expressions of the rest of his friends, he’d predicted this tension but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. Everyone was well aware of the giant ratworm in the room.

“Did you sleep well?” Amity asked nonchalantly. She was able to rip that bandaid off a lot better than anyone else. She still looked uneasy, even if it didn’t show in her voice.

“Um… sure.” His voice trailed off, he didn’t know where to look.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Willow didn’t miss a beat. Hunter’s eyes snapped to her and he froze, he knew lying wouldn’t work but he didn’t want to admit it either.

“Hunter!” She crossed her arms, eyes wide in disbelief. His hesitation had already told her everything she needed to know.

"I tried... kind of." He squirmed under her fiery eyes.

“Hunter.” Her voice was thick with disappointment. It had a chokehold on his heart, making his brain race a million miles a second.

He had to make this stop. Right. Now.

“Look!” Hunter slid to the side, revealing the delicious breakfast table. In a desperate attempt to distract them. “Breakfast!”

Gus and Vee gasped, apparently they hadn’t noticed the table yet. Strange, but helpful. Willow and Amity, who was standing right next to her, definitely had. They gave him a very displeased look.

Whatever. Keep going.

“We have pancakes, a fan favourite I know,” He waved his hand with a theatrical flare he hadn’t used in a while. Luz and Willow exchange a look, but he tried not to think about it. “There’s orange juice and milk. We’re out of soy-milk, so Luz don’t drink that. We only have maple syrup as a topping, but that’s the best one anyways so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

As he rambled on, he moved to the other side of the room at a snail’s pace. Vee unfortunately noticed and followed him, all the while excitedly chattering with Gus and Camila. The other three girls were whispering, Amity pointed to the table. In response to whatever she said, Willow nodded and smiled. Hunter was happy to see it, partly because he was running out of things to say.

Luz, after petting her shoulder, slipped between them to follow her sister. The group still at the door started talking over each other again. Hunter was pretty sure they were enthusiastic though, their breakfast did look delicious.

Vee said something he couldn’t quite catch, but she stared at him with a questioning look.

“What?” He asked for clarification, feeling sorry that she had to repeat herself. Luz, now standing next to her, was squinting her eyes. Hunter much rather focused on Vee.

“Did you make those?” The basilisk pointed to the stacks of pancakes.

“Ohhh, no Camila did.” Hunter waved his hands in front of him. “I only helped a little.”

“Okay good, then it’s actually edible.” Vee smirked, punching his arm lightly.

“Why wouldn’t it be-“ Hunter abruptly realised she was insulting his cooking skills. She loved teasing him ever since he burned her omelette, five weeks ago. He playfully slapped her arm back. “Hey! I’ve been getting better!”

Vee giggled and wrapped her arm around his back, leaning her head against his shoulder. Hunter felt a little awkward in the side hug, not sure what to do besides giving her a grateful smile.

“Are you okay?” Luz quietly asked, in a way that made him think she already knew the answer. If he wasn’t sure by her tone of voice, her almost suspicious eyes sealed the deal. Her face was taught with worry, sending a fresh wave of guilt through Hunter’s conscience.

“Yeah!” He tried lying again, just in case that miracle finally happened. She stared at him with an incredulous expression.

But what was she expecting? She should know him by now.

Luz looked at Willow, Gus, Amity and her mom still animatedly chatting, then back to him. A softer expression on her face. Hunter followed her glances to their sister too. Maybe she thought that he’d open up if it was just the three of them. Maybe he would. If he didn’t feel so jumpy.

“Let’s eat before it gets cold.” Camila clapped her hands, then motioned to the table. Saving him from this personal hell.

Breakfast had the intended effect of calming down the room as they happily devoured their food. Hunter was extremely glad they enjoyed it, feeling more relaxed as they fell into their usual banter.

But his friend’s mood hadn’t completely turned around yet. The tension still hung over them like the grey clouds before a rainstorm, or the electricity in the air right before thunder strikes.

And he was still a wreck with no dexterity, almost spilling his orange juice on his pancakes. What a horrible combo that would’ve been. His antsy fingers were only made worse by everyone constantly staring at him.

But all things considered, breakfast went pretty well. Afterwards Hunter immediately made himself useful. He offered to do the dishes, but was told that they had a dishwasher for a reason. Naturally, he still collected all the plates and silverware to put them in said dishwasher.

The witches protested, but he somehow convinced them it was no big deal. To be fair, they would have to physically stop him from loading a dishwasher.

They wouldn’t go that far. Yet.

In the same way, Hunter couldn’t stop Amity and Gus from helping him. She offered to lessen the workload, then her and Gus walked over without waiting for his response. The rest wanted to help as well, but doing this with six people was a bit ridiculous.

Afterwards, Hunter volunteered to do more chores. He asked Camila if he could do the laundry, she was a little taken aback but agreed. She was confused by his sudden and chaotic need to help around the house.

“Hunter,” Willow stopped him from leaving. She hadn’t expected him to stop so abruptly and the look on his face made her feel uneasy. She struggled with what to say next, she was really worried about him. "Take it easy today, okay?"

"No no no, I'm fine!" He assured while walking backward to the door. He had great difficulty looking her in the eyes. His jittery nerves not just from the tense atmosphere this time.

He bumped his shoulder against the doorframe as he made his escape. A defeated sigh escaped Willow’s mouth. Luz shot her a knowing smile, petting her shoulder again.

"I mean, that’s what I expect him to say, but I still don't like it." The plant witch pouted, resting her chin on her hand. Luz laughed like a deflating balloon.

“He’s gonna do this all day, isn’t he?” She asked, but it was more like an observation. Her mom followed their exchange with growing concern in her eyes.

“Yup.” Vee confirmed dejected.

And that’s exactly what the better part of his afternoon consisted of; chores. He washed a few piles of laundry. Vee came to check on him and he assured her that he didn’t need any help this time. But she insisted to keep him company in case anything went wrong, since she knew more about human machines.

He collected the mail from the box outside and sorted it. Then he cleaned the bathrooms. He wanted to grab the duster again, but Ghost looked at the thing with murderous intent. So he took out the trash instead.

In short, he kept busy.

And he tripped, stumbled, bumped and fumbled his way through everything. His eternal eye-bags had darkened in colour. And talking or listening was proving impossible at times.

He'd rather not admit how many times he's walked into a wall.

“Hey,” Luz tapped his arm in passing, when he walked past her in the upstairs hallway. He stopped to listen, hoping she needed his help with something. “Can I talk to you?”

“Oh uh- I… um, I gotta go…” Hunter clambered for an excuse. He knew what this would be about and he wanted nothing more than to leave. “Vacuum! I gotta go vacuum.”

Luz was exasperated watching him run off again. She sighed and entered the study room where her mom was working on her computer.

“Mamí,” Luz said, not meaning to sound as whiney as she did. “Can’t you do something?”

“I think he needs the distraction.” said Camila, not even needing to look up from the screen to know what her daughter was talking about.

“I dunno…” Luz thought about it. She couldn’t decide if what Hunter was doing was really a healthy distraction or a bad one. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I really hope I am.” Her mom admitted with a certain eyebrow-raised look at her computer.

A few hours went by where Hunter only did housework. The longer it went on, the more keen his friends were on on making him rest.

Gus and Amity followed him around, helping him like they did with the dishwasher. They hovered next to everything he did. It was sweet, but it also got a little irritating. Vee and Luz tried to, in their own words, ‘talk some sense into him’. Which didn’t work.

Flapjack had given up trying to stop him. Very tired from flying around him the entire time, he decided to take a nap upstairs. After making his witch promise again to sleep this time come nightfall.

Willow somehow managed to sweet-talk him into lazing around in the garden. It started with her asking for help with her gardening, he should’ve known she was scheming. And when he finally realised — he jumped up to sputter out a sudden accusation which Willow only met with remorseless nodding — he had already wasted a whole hour.

But her vibrant smile had made it totally worth it.

He really liked being in the garden with her. Willow was just so completely in her element. Obviously she was a plant witch, but even besides that she was so enthralled by the outdoors.

Her most genuine and biggest smiles were in the garden. Her eyes actually sparkled. And her laugh! Titan, her laugh came so easily outside.

He’d make some stupid pun about the flowers she was planting and she would giggle, carefree and giddy. It made his insides worm around, but in a good way this time.

But still! Out there in the garden, he wasn’t actually doing anything. He wasn’t making himself useful. He wasn’t helping Camila. At best, they were making the backyard look nice.

That wasn’t good enough!

He quickly got back inside, having the misfortune of dashing past the rest of the hexsquad. They yelled his name, chasing after him into the living room, where he frantically searched for something to do.

“Hunter, stop!” Vee shouted almost angrily.

“Dude!” Luz shouted as well. “Calm down!”

Hunter’s shoulders tensed up as the room plunged into the most stressful environment since he woke up that morning. Willow joined the other witches at the door, blocking the way out.

They probably didn’t plan it, but now he was trapped. And it made his gut drop and his brain ring alarm bells.

He had to mitigate this situation somehow.

“Just stop.” Vee said again, slowly coming closer. Her arms moved like she was hushing a wild beast, her expression turned more gentle. “Take a break or something.”

“No. I don’t need a break.” He said calmly, trying to reassure them. “Guys, I’m fine.”

“No you’re not,” said Willow. “You didn’t get any sleep last night.”

“You need sleep to function. You need energy.” Gus added. Amity who was standing next to him nodded vigorously. They both shot him a pointed glare.

"I have done a lot more with a lot less." Hunter told them, remembering all the excruciating missions he went on with hardly any rest in between.

"That does not make me feel better." Gus countered, moving his hands around wildly and giving him a confused look.

Hunter, getting more nervous as he felt he was losing this battle, took a few steps backwards. He looked around, anywhere to avoid the eyes of his disappointed friends.

“Hunter, you look terrible.” Amity gestured to his general direction, walking further into the room

“Thanks Amity.” he deadpanned.

“I just mean you should rest.” She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. “You’ve been running around all day, doing chores. And that’s fine, I think I get it, but you’re not giving yourself a chance to relax.”

Her words resonated with him. She probably did understand, more than anyone else. He’s known since the beginning that she, just like him, just wanted to be useful.

“I have to-“ Hunter got caught off in the middle of his appeal. There was a sudden pain that shot up through his body, he had stubbed his toe on the coffee table. He stumbled and his knees gave out, he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Before anyone could react, Hunter immediately sat up and held his right knee with pure anger. The buildup of frustration from every trip and collision boiling over.

“Work, damn you!” He yelled at his own leg as he shook it violently. A groan that sounded uncomfortably close to a growl escaped his mouth. He forcefully put both feet flat on the ground and stood up.

He's been in much worse conditions where he wasn't such a stumbling baby giraffe!

He stomped his leg a few times on the ground, making sure the stupid thing worked now. It also helped to relieve some of that finger-curling aggression he felt.

Right when he wanted to walk it off, he remembered the people at the doorway. Absolutely mortified, he slowly turned to see their reactions.

This was NOT helping his case.

Vee, Gus and Luz looked completely stunned, they didn’t react outside of a blinking stare. Willow and Amity looked like they had been ready to help him stand up, outstretched arms and a wide-eyed look of concern plastered on their faces.

Hunter cleared his throat in an attempt to combat the embarrassment, but it only felt more awkward. There was a long moment of silence, where all Hunter could think of was how he was going to get out of there. His face felt like it was on fire. He had to say something, get ahead of their lectures.

“Okay, I know you guys are not gonna believe me, but I am totally fine.” He laughed nervously.

“Alright that’s it! You have to take a break!” Gus yelled. He pointed at him with burning determination in his eyes. “Lay down or I will tackle you."

"Ha! I'd like to see you try." Hunter said smugly. The absurdity of his threat distracting his tired brain from what it should be doing, reassuring his friends. He brought a proud hand to his chest. “I’ve been trained in all forms of combat and I will not be-"

"AAAAHHHHH!!" Gus yelled as he charged at him. Hunter didn't expect him to actually attempt a tackle, but before he could even react the illusion witch was only inches away.

His arms were spread wide, swiftly wrapping around his target. When his chest made contact with Hunter’s abdomen, the power behind his small friend forced him to take a few steps backwards. Which wasn’t possible. The edge of the couch dug into his legs and they both fell onto it with a massive thud.

Hunter groaned in crushing pain, most of which coming from his bruised ego. There were a few concerned sounding voices, as well as a few laughs. Gus had landed with his head on the older witch’s chest and he giggled, looking proudly at him.

"Coming in hot!" Vee dashed around the coffee table.

"Nonononono, Vee please-" Hunter's plea went savagely ignored. The basilisk jumped on top of them both, knocking the wind out of his lungs. The impact made the couch creak in pain, harmonising nicely with Hunter's groan and the laughter from across the room.

Gus shrieked, which quickly evolved into a roaring laugh together with Vee. Hunter looked away from their stupid little faces, otherwise he wouldn't help but laugh as well. His frown wavered either way.

The new weight shifted and changed, hard boney edges turning into a soft and round body. Her true form was a lot more comfortable, but he was still very much being crushed by the two of them.

Well, he could still breathe and the way they were draped on top of him now wasn’t painful. But he was definitely trapped.

Which, he finally realised, was probably the plan.

"Ya know, I sleep better with a weighted blanket." Vee piped up with a chipper tone of voice. "It's nice to have something giving that pressure."

Gus nodded in agreement. They shared a grinning look before simultaneously turning their gaze on him.

"I can't sleep now, it's the middle of the day!" Hunter protested, straining his neck to see them. He wasn’t giving up so easily, trapped or not.

"It's called a siesta," Gus said with a smirk. “Right Luz?"

"Yup!" Said Luz, popping the p. She had moved in front of the tv, together with Amity and Willow. Hunter looked at the three girls, still giggling and snorting.

"I'm guessing I can't count on any of you coming to rescue me?" He flashed a hopeful smile, wishing he’d be proven wrong.

"Absolutely not." Amity shot his hopes down immediately.

"In your dreams." Willow said sassily. Hunter felt heat creep onto his cheeks. He quickly locked his eyes on the ceiling. He was just really embarrassed is all!

"Alright you leave me with no other choice." He said, pretending to give up and resign himself to this couch prison. He let Vee and Gus share a look of victory before raising his hands to his mouth. "Flap! I need a teleport! ... Please?!"

The room got loud with laughter. Hunter didn’t miss the familiar chirps of his palisman though. Flapjack flew in, but he landed on Willow's shoulder.

"No." He chirped.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Hunter was baffled. "You're my palisman."

"I am." Flapjack twittered, nonchalantly preening a few chest feathers. "And the answer is no."

"Good job Flap" Willow giggled, nudging her cheek against his little face. Flap happily returned her affection.

"Traitor." Hunter mumbled, letting his head fall back down. He should’ve known the cardinal wouldn’t help him escape. Maybe he was still mad at him.

Flap flew over to the couch cushion. He nudged his little cheeks against him, showing he wasn’t angry. Hunter’s relief quickly turned to confusion. If he wasn’t angry then why did he have to stay here like this?

“If you can’t sleep, just rest.” The palisman said. Maybe he saw this as ‘doing it for his own good’. And Hunter should probably count himself lucky to have such well-meaning and doting palisman. Well, he didn’t feel very lucky today.

This wasn’t good for him. He didn’t need to rest!

“Flap…”

“Amity’s right.” He chirped against his protest. “This nonstop running around isn’t healthy. You can do more chores after you take a break.”

“She’s always right.” Hunter whispered annoyed, dodging the actual topic. His arms found a more comfortable spot around the little gremlins on top of him. Since it looked like he wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon.

“Hunter.” Flap pecked him gently on the nose. “Just relax for a bit.”

He hummed in confirmation, not really saying any words. But Flapjack accepted it happily.

“Love you~” He sung. Hunter pouted and mumbled his response, moving his head to the other side. That wasn’t sufficient for Flap, who hopped up on the back rest looking down on his boy expectantly.

“Love you too.” Hunter humoured him, still feeling salty. He ignored the numerous ‘aww’s from his friends.

Flapjack meant well, they all did. But this just wasn’t what he needed.

Still, he really did love that bird, so Hunter followed his advice. Resting, not sleeping, not closing his eyes.

It was good enough for his friends. Amity and Luz disappeared upstairs, and Willow sat on the floor with her back against the couch reading a book. They were satisfied with his surrender.

Vee had hopped off and was on her phone in the cozy chair, but Gus remained as his weighted blanket.

She was right, it was nice. But Hunter was never going to admit that.

A very easily removable blanket by the way, Gus was not that heavy. But he didn’t want Flapjack to get mad again and he didn’t want to disappoint his friends, they needed this more than him anyways. He could stay put for them. For a while. Probably. Maybe.

Besides, he looked adorable like this. Snuggled against him, eyes closed and cheek smushed on his chest. It would be pretty ironic if Gus ended up napping instead of him.

Hunter looked to the side, just able to see Willow as she was nose deep in her book. She absentmindedly pushed up her glasses. He also thought she looked adorable, but in a different way somehow. He shook the weird thought out of his head.

“What are you reading?” He whispered. She turned her head and scoffed in amusement. She sat up straighter and put one arm on the couch cushions to lean on, looking at him directly with a disapproving gaze. Hunter smiled slyly. “People can rest and talk at the same time.”

Willow burst out into a soft, breathy laugh. It filled his chest with pride as the heat crept onto his face again.

“I’m reading that new gardening book I got at the library.” Willow whispered back. She held it up so he could read the title: The Gardener’s Complete Manual. “It’s really interesting actually, it has several chapters about growing edible plants. Which could really help me maintain Camila’s vegetable patch. Look, this one’s called ‘from seed to bloom’, isn’t that cute?”

Hunter nodded as she held the book next to her excited face. He definitely thought it was cute.

“Can you read it to me?” He suggested. She looked surprised for a second, blinking a few times. Then she regained her previous knowing expression. 

“Hunter…” Willow rolled her eyes. 

“Please?” He dropped his confident act, sending her a pleading face. “I’m so bored.”

“Fine.” She turned back to sit more comfortably on the floor. Her cheeks looked flushed, but he must’ve imagined it. Was he really so tired he was starting to see things?

Hunter diligently listened as the plant witch read to him about her favourite topic. He genuinely enjoyed learning about it, but sometimes he’d get distracted by the was she brushed her hair behind her ear. Sometimes he caught himself listening to her voice more than her words.

“I have to get back to the garden and finish up my work real quick,” She said after reading the entire chapter. She stood up, placing the book on the coffee table as she set her eyes on him again. “Are you gonna be okay here?”

“Do I have a choice?” He asked hopeful.

“No.” She said cheerfully, breaking his heart with a smile on her face. And she walked away.

Now he was stuck here with no distractions. Just his thoughts, lovely.

He should’ve been less chaotic. If he was half as frazzled, they wouldn’t have been so worried. The whole point of doing chores was to show them they didn’t have to worry! He wanted to be of use and help Camila after everything she’d done for them.

And everything she’d done for him specifically. After the night that they had, that he caused… But he just ended up causing them more stress. Again.

Titan, this was torture!

Didn’t Willow just leave? How long has he been in this silence? And how long will he have to stay in it, keeping his thoughts from spiralling?

No, no, he could do this. It’s just resting, he was great at resting! Of course he knew how to relax, no problem.

“Kids! Dinner’s ready!” Sounded Camilla’s voice from down the hall. 

“OH thank Titan!” Hunter couldn’t hide his relief, pressing the palms of his hands on his eyes. Gus snickered, which felt weird against his chest.

He hadn’t been napping after all, he could’ve talked to Gus this whole time! Or Vee, she’d been lounging across the room with headphones on, but he could’ve just waved her over.

Hunter gave his friend an embarrassed smile. The smaller witch climbed down, returning the precious feeling of freedom to him. As they walked towards the kitchen, Vee slapped him on the back with an delighted laugh.

——————

Hunter was laying on his side, the mattress underneath him was soft and thick. His body sunk in it, perfectly snug. Not to mention the extra comfort coming from the actual bed frame. No wonder Amity was so unhappy to relinquish it to him. Hunter would’ve loved to let her keep it though, it was only making it harder to stay awake.

The girl’s room was surprisingly bright at night, with no curtains in front of the window and the glowing stars on the bunkbed. It was a miracle they got any sleep at all. But evidently they did, he heard Willow’s familiar snores in sync with Amity’s quieter breathing behind him. In front of him he saw Luz and Vee, their upper bodies alternating in rising as they slept soundly. He couldn’t see Gus in the top bunk, but he was pretty sure his buddy was out for the count too.

It was Luz’s idea to have a ‘second sleepover’. After dinner, Camila pointed out that all their stuff was still in the basement. Hunter wished he’d remembered that sooner, it could’ve been a helpful chore. And maybe then he could’ve avoided this situation.

Hunter had rushed to pick everything up. His friends, still unhappy with his work ethic, followed him downstairs. But they kind of just hovered around, not seeming very motivated to clean their nest.

“Hey!” Luz perked up, hitting her fist on her palm like she had an idea. “Why don’t we have an actual sleepover tonight?”

Hunter stopped in his tracks as the rest all began excitedly agreeing.

“Let’s move everything upstairs, since our room is a spacier. I can teach you guys some human sleepover-traditions?” Luz continued to rally their friends behind her. Gus was immediately game, literally bouncing in place before turning to his buddy.

“What do ya say, Hunter?” He looked up at him with big, expecting, puppy eyes.

“…I can’t think of a single reason why not.” And boy, did he try. Hunter knew they wanted to keep an eye on him and he wasn’t going to deny them that, but he really didn’t want to be observed anymore. He gave his friends a tight-lipped smile of resignation, hopefully hiding his annoyance.

Camila, his last chance at a rescue, had agreed to it. But when Luz tried to convince her to let Amity, who was off to the side and red as a tomato, sleep in her bed to conserve space, her mom saw through her and refused. She also preferred that the boys had their own beds. Which is how Gus ended up in the bunkbed and Amity struggling for space next to Willow.

Luz was determined to make the second sleepover better than the first one, playing video games, painting nails, doing ‘truth or dare’. Vee had gotten some experience at the camp she went to, so she helped with the activities. The witches said it wasn’t very different from a moonlight conjuring after all.

Any other night, Hunter would’ve loved it too, to feel like a normal teen for once.

But he couldn’t pretend to be all happy and excited. It was hard to focus on those activities. So he actually felt relieved when they eventually went off to bed. That was, until he realised he had to do nothing for several hours.

Hunter moved to lay on his back, staring holes into the ceiling. He couldn’t go back to sleep. He just couldn’t. It didn’t matter how logical he tried to think it through. Or how rational he tried to assure himself.

He just couldn’t.

He was scared. He didn’t want anything like that to ever happen again. And yes, he knew it probably wouldn’t, but he couldn’t risk it!

He didn’t want to stand guard again. He had no idea what had gotten into him the night before. Just thinking about it made him sick to the stomach now.

And yes, he was tired, he was absolutely exhausted. His limbs felt dense and moved clumsily if at all, his head hurt and he was dizzy, but that barely mattered.

He didn’t even try to sleep, like he promised Flapjack. He was a lying lier who lies and who was doing everything in his power to stay awake.

He couldn't put them through that again. They were so scared.

“We couldn't find a pulse."

The words still echoed through his mind. Making him feel like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Watching the waves crash against the rocks down below with horrible vertigo. It was decided, he was never sleeping again.

Okay, even his exhausted mind could rationalise that that was impossible.

But…

But he had to.

He got fidgety, his heartbeat was racing all of a sudden and his hands felt sweaty. The soft covers became itchy and uncomfortable. He tossed and turned, but he got scared it would wake the others. His breathing hitched.

He couldn’t stay here!

His body reacted to his inner thoughts without him meaning to, instantly sitting upright. Hunter froze, slowly looking left and right to see if he disturbed anyone.

He held both hands against his chest. The stupid galderstone banging against his ribcage mocked him with its double standard. It pumped his blood, it kept him alive, but it didn’t make a pulse.

Because it was a stone, not a real heart. It wasn’t real.

Whatever! Focus Hunter! Copy or not, this body was his own. And he had to stop it from hyperventilating before he got too loud. He used Gus’s breathing technique and calmed down after some time.

From his new vantage point, he could see Luz’s desk where all the pasliman had curled up around the egg. Flapjack was snuggled in Ghost’s fluffy belly. If he snuck out, guaranteed none of them would notice.

As silent as a mouse, he slipped out of bed before he missed his chance.

Hunter tiptoed downstairs, grabbing a glass of water before flopping down on the couch with a long sigh. He thought it would be best to leave the lights off, the window let in some moonlight that gave the room an eerie, silver glow. He cursed his grimwalker existence under his breath between sips of heavenly cold water.

He was never ever telling anyone else he’s a grimwalker.

He wished he could erase the knowledge from Luz and Vee's minds as well. Hell, he wished he could erase it from his own!

On the other hand… If Vee didn't know, she probably wouldn't have gotten comfortable around him. Maybe she'd even still hate him. And without Luz's support he would've never been able to navigate all of his 'unique traits'. Without them knowing and helping, he never would've made it this far. In becoming comfortable that is, and growing into his own as an ordinary kid.

As ordinary as possible at least.

Actually, without Luz he wouldn't have made it at all. He owed her so much. It's funny how such an annoying little brat could turn into the most important person in his life.

Maybe not most important, Willow and Gus were pretty high up there. Maybe they just all shared the number 1 spot.

No wait, they were all a close second to Flapjack. That bird was definitely the most important presence in his life. But Vee, Willow and Gus were still very important, Amity as well. Hunter liked to pretend that she wasn't, but she really was. They both still joked about hating each other, much to Luz's dismay, but in reality they really clicked. They just really understood each other.

They deserved to know, didn't they?

Damn it!

They deserved to know, but he couldn't tell them. Because he was scared.

No…

That was him justifying everything, wasn't it?

He could tell them. He was perfectly capable of saying it. But he chose not to. In that moment, when they probably needed it the most, he chose not to say anything. Because he was selfish.

The only thing he was scared of, was his friends leaving him behind. Because in all fairness, they had every right to. He wasn’t just a grimwalker, he was a grimwalker whose blueprint was Belos’s witch-hunting brother!

If he were Willow, Amity or Gus, he wouldn’t trust him either.

His eyes burned as he felt tears form in the corners, he wiped them away aggressively. He wasn’t at risk of waking anyone up, so why was he still sitting there thinking? He could be reading a book or something.

“Hey.” He suddenly heard a voice and his head snapped towards the doorway.

“Luz!” He reflexively called out when he saw who it was. He rubbed a hand over his cheeks to get rid of any remaining wetness and cleared his throat as Luz came to sit next to him. “Um hey.”

She made herself comfortable on the couch, tucking her legs to the side. Hunter awkwardly waited for her to say anything as she looked at him with an exasperated expression.

“You should be asleep hermano.” She punched his shoulder weakly, a tired smile on her face. Her voice was a little vacant, but still determined.

"I can't sleep Luz."

"I'm pretty sure you could, you look exhausted."

"I can't."

"You can, but you won't." She pointed a finger at him, poking it into his arm. She was getting fired up now.

Hunter sighed, shooing her hand away. She was right and there was no use trying to deny it. Of course Luz of all people would see right through him.

"Can you blame me though?" He muttered despondent. Luz seemed to recoil slightly, becoming a lot less intense.

"No." She admitted.

She brushed some nonexistent crumbs from the couch cushions and he ran a hand through his hair.

“What’s that human saying about a pot and a kettle?” Hunter’s voice was forced, trying to be witty. “You should be asleep, you have school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, would if I could dude.” The brown-haired girl picked at the couch some more, throwing tiny balls of lint across the room.

“Ah, good old insomnia.” Hunter shot her an empathetic smile and she laughed.

“I dunno if I’m allowed to call it that.” Luz said and he shot her a puzzled look. “I thought you had have it for forever. Like, constantly.”

“No that’s chronic,” he explained. “You probably have acute insomnia.”

“Well I don’t think it’s cute at all.” She scowled before turning to him with a smirk.

He looked at her with a perfect blend of annoyance, disbelief and disappointment. But the corners of his mouth involuntary turned up and he couldn't hold a serious expression anymore.

Especially not when she was staring at him with that ridiculous, cat-like grin plastered on her face.

He begrudgingly rolled his eyes, his smile turning into quiet laughing. Which then turned into a bit of a giggle fit with Luz joining in, way too proud of herself.

"That's so stupid!" Hunter managed to say between laughter.

"You're stupid!" Luz pouted, scrunching her face to mock him, but quickly faltering to laugh again.

They giggled for a while, but seemed to realise at the same time it wasn’t really that funny. They died down awkwardly and stayed silent for another while. Hunter picked at his freshly-painted nails, it really would’ve been fun some other evening.

“Can we talk about it now?” Luz threw another piece of lint, this time there was a little aggression in her movement.

He remained silent.

“Hunter, these ‘grimwalker things’ are getting kinda scary.” She leaned forward to look at him, an impossible expression on her face. He looked away.

He knew! He knew that already, she really didn’t have to point it out.

“Maybe you should tell them.” Luz almost whispered, Hunter's eyes snapped back to her.

"Then are you gonna tell them you helped Belos?" He retaliated by reflex, his voice venomous and cold. It wasn't fair. It was mean and manipulative, and not even true! Whatever Luz did was so infinitesimal that it was almost insulting how much guilt she felt.

But it worked.

And when her encouraging smile dropped and her eyes filled with fear, shame took over every inch of his being.

“Luz,” He choked out. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Not it’s not!”

“Okay, it’s not.” She admitted. Hunter breathed in sharply and out shakily. He didn’t know whether he should be happy with her confirmation. Whatever feeling of relief he felt mixed uncomfortably with heartache, but her warm smile returned. “But I get it.”

“And I forgive you.” Luz added almost sarcastically. Placing a hand on his shoulder and staring at him wide-eyed. Her joking tone made him feel as though she didn’t realise how serious he was.

"Luz-" He started with a face that hopefully didn't look too much like a kicked puppy.

“You’re not ready," she interrupted him, her tone and expression very serious this time. "I understand.”

"Thanks." Hunter waved his white flag, ready to stop fighting about how horrible he was. He stared ahead for a few seconds, at their reflection in the black screen of the tv. "You're a very forgiving person."

"Well, I'm not ready either." She deflected, putting a hand on her heart. "Every time I think about how to tell them, I wanna cry. And run away."

Hunter laughed with his voice devoid of anything remotely close to humour. It was painfully funny how well she had described that feeling.

"But you can tell me anything." Luz scooched closer with another stupid grin and expecting eyes.

"Yeah," Hunter said bluntly. He knew he'd eventually open up to her, he always did. And he kind of owed her this time. But not to that face. He pushed her head to the side, earning a giggle as Luz fought against him to stay put. "Same goes for you."

“So... it was a grimwalker thing?” She was relentless. Hunter sighed, trying to look into the hallway, making sure there was nobody else.

“Stonesleeper lungs.”

“What?”

Hunter explained he had the lungs of a stonesleeper and told her about the creature’s unique ability. Unbeknownst to him, Luz slowly got twisted smile on her face.

Hunter’s eyes had been fixed on the hallway. He was hoping, praying and manifesting that nobody was eavesdropping. He did notice the suspicious silence. But his suspicions died when he felt a strange sensation behind his ear.

Whatever it was, it felt good. A tingling that grew in intensity, creating an amazing feeling. His surroundings faded and the room seemed to disappear. The sensation spread through his entire body, filling him with peace and tranquillity.

He felt like he was floating, the wonderful feeling pushing the shadows in his mind away. He closed his eyes. He felt like sleep would easily come to him, but not because he was exhausted, he was just… calm.

He was in a state of absolute euphoria.

Then he heard giggling. A mischievous kind of giggling that he had come to know all too well. Luz! He ripped himself away from the clutches of sleep and his eyes flew open. He hadn’t even realised he’d closed them.

He’s never turned his head so fast in his life. Luz had her hand behind his ear, pure glee plastered on her face. He ducked away and swatted at her arm.

“WhaT the fAwck?!” He yelled out, his voice cracking in a cringey way.

Luz erupted in laughter, quickly covering her mouth to not wake the others. Hunter was extremely embarrassed and offended, but mostly confused.

“What was that?!” He asked again desperately, but quieter this time. It was no use. His sister was busy dying from laughter.

Even after calming down a little she didn’t feel the need to elaborate. Just smiling widely at him, way too proud with herself.

“What in Titan’s name did you just do to me?!” Hunter whisper-yelled, rubbing the spot he’d felt the feeling. It clearly didn’t come of as threatening because Luz only smiled bigger.

She folded her legs underneath her and stood on her knees. Now towering over a very alarmed Hunter. Her cat-like grin didn’t escape him this time. He pointed his index finger like a warning.

“Nooo.”

“Yeeeeeeeess.”

She wiggled her fingers in front of her. Hunter backed away slowly, considering also standing on his knees on the couch. Then she attacked! Hunter dodged her touch and swatted at her arms again. He didn’t want to hurt her however, so it was a weak kind of defence.

She reached the spot and Hunter felt that divine feeling creep in again. It took all of his willpower to duck away. He grabbed Luz’s arms and laughter escaped her mouth again.

Hunter was not having it.

He folded his legs underneath him as well. Trying to regain a little bit of dignity, he pushed against her shoulders. She lost her balance and fell backwards, but landed softly on the couch. So she immediately lunged for the spot again, gripping the backrest for extra speed.

Hunter caught her hands. It wasn’t difficult, as Luz’s arms were weak from laughing so much. Before he knew it, he was joining in, laughs erupting out of him in bursts. They were now having a full on wrestling match.

Eventually, they got tired and called a truce. Along the way, they had forgotten to be quiet, but the rest of the house appeared to still be out cold. They flopped back on the couch. Their little match had taken them through the room. Luz gripped her stomach, apparently laughing too much could hurt. Hunter took some deep breaths and rubbed his face.

His hands unwittingly traveled to the spots behind his ears. How humiliating. The absolute audacity of this human! How dare she.

“No but seriously, what was that?” He deserved some clarification here.

“It’s a Stonesleeper secret: they have a ticklish spot behind their ears. When you scratch it, they calm down and fall asleep.” She once again looked way too proud of herself. Grinning from ear to ear. Hunter was just more confused.

“Wh- How… Why does that work on me?" He groaned with his hands pressed to his eyes. "And how do you even know about it?!”

“Lilith taught me!” Luz beamed. Suddenly her face fell, she looked like she saw a ghost.

“Are you okay?” He could guess what kind of realisation had hit her like that.

“Yeah! … No. No, I’m not.” She didn’t have to lie to him. He bottom lip trembled and she bit it, looking down at her hands. “I just miss them so much.”

Hunter didn’t really know what to say, or if there was even anything to say. She was staring blankly ahead, like she was somewhere else entirely. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

Hunter’s heart fell into a thousand little pieces. He felt so useless beside her. He was still pretty bad at the whole comforting thing. The only thing he could think of was raising an unsure arm to his sister and placing his hand softly on her shoulder.

She was a little startled by the touch, suddenly back on earth. She looked at him with pain in her eyes, the corners glistening in the faint light coming from the window.

Hunter was already questioning his action, how could a weak shoulder-touch ever be enough? Then Luz lunged for him. She crashed into him, her head hitting Hunter's clavicle hard. The hug was awkward and honestly kind of painful, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.

“Uhm there there.” Hunter mechanically patted her back, not any less unsure in this situation. If only Flap were here to tell him what to say.

“Pfft- Wow you suck at this!” Luz lifted her head. The tears that she had held back were making two wet streaks down her cheeks. But she was smiling.

“I know.” He whispered and he saw her smile brighter. Hunter wanted to cheer her up, luckily he was he was getting pretty good at that part. He pushed her head against his chest again. “Shhh, I know I suck. Shhh, it’s okay. I know.”

He used an over the top baby voice and pat her head like Camila always did. Luz giggled and it sounded very genuine. Success!

“You really wanna make me feel better?” Her voice was muffled, but carried a certain tone. Hunter could feel a joke coming.

“I’ll do anything.” He said dramatically. Holding her in front of him by the shoulders.

She wiggled her fingers like a weirdo. Hunter shot her a displeased look, but was contemplating to let her do it. Luz wasn’t just suggesting a scratch behind the ear though.

“Then let me do it in front of the others too.”

“No.”

“Awww come on!” Luz whined loudly. He shushed her, but she ignored it. She quickly rubbed off her tear streaks with her sleeve, looked like she was over it. “You looked just like that Stonesleeper, it was hilarious!”

Hunter tried to fight the uneasy feeling of his stomach flipping. He didn’t want to be similar to those… urg! He hated everything he inherited from them.

"Wait- you've seen a Stonesleeper?!” Hunter’s brain suddenly caught up. “Up close?”

"Yeah!” Luz was excited, bouncing on the couch to get more comfortable. The fact she’d been crying a second ago didn’t make sense. Regardless, he was happy she was feeling better. “They're like the cutest dinosaurs ever!"

"What?" He reacted in pure disbelief.

"What?" Luz looked at him funny.

"Aren't they... vicious predators?" Hunter asked confused. He wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer to that question, maybe Luz was just joking. Maybe she hadn’t actually been close to it.

“No way!” Luz frowned and Hunter felt a weird feeling in his chest. “Well at first it was pretty scary, but when I scratched its neck it turned into a big softie! Me and Lilith even rode on its back, it was super cute after that.”

“Huh.” Hunter was stunned, recognising the feeling in his chest as relief. All those books were wrong.

“I’m sure they’re vicious to their actual prey though.” Luz tapped her chin thoughtfully. “The one we found was really hungry, pretty sure it saw me as food before we became besties.”

Hunter thought that was relatively fair, but the fact it had been so friendly to Luz and Lilith even though it was starving. This was absurd. So many of the books he read had misinformation in them. What a shocker honestly.

The first time he’d gone into Hexside’s library he had taken every single book that even so much as mentioned grimwalkers. He quickly learned that some of the stories, mostly from the fiction section, were bogus. They had inconsistencies that, although he was scared, even Hunter could spot.

But the non-fiction wasn’t like that. And he never thought that it could be the same for other ‘monsters’. Bestiaries were impartial, at least it seemed that way. Scratch that, they were supposed to be impartial!

If the books weren’t even real- If no one knew the actual truth- Everything in his life was a lie!

“Heh, a dangerous foe turned big softie.” Luz said, interrupting his spiral. She bumped her fist against his arm. “That’s exactly like you.”

“Ha… yeah.” Hunter trailed off, not really seeing the humour in it. Being compared to that beast still made him feel uncomfortable. Okay, calm down. Lilith must’ve gotten her knowledge from books too, they weren’t all bogus. He wished he could ask, he never really liked her but the way Luz talked about how she thrived outside of the coven… It suddenly hit him that she was mocking him. “Hey!”

“Admit it, you’re a softie hermano.” She laughed.

“Shut up.” He mumbled. Her calling him ‘brother’ right now was definitely planned, things like that is what made him a softie!

He wanted nothing more than to stop thinking about all the books that may or may not have been totally false. He needed a change of topic.

“How are things with Amity?” He asked as he also got into a more comfy position on the couch, he’d felt kind of frozen before.

“Good! Well, better.” Luz fumbled over her words. “I mean, we were good and we’re still good. It’s just that I feel like she doesn’t fully trust me, if that makes sense?”

Hunter raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, showing that it, in fact, didn’t make any sense. Luz groaned after trying and failing to explain it more, like she couldn’t decide what to say.

“She just wants to talk about how I feel all the time.” She eventually burst out.

“And that’s so horrible because…?” He waved his hands around, spurring her to continue. He was very confused what the issue here was.

“Well I can’t tell her the truth.” She sighed, then cut him off before he could even respond. “And whenever she wants to talk about the Boiling Ilses I just get really…” She wiggled and shook her hands around, having trouble finding a word again. “…flighty?”

“Alright,” Hunter said a little disturbed by the aggressive way she was moving and trying to process what she said. “Can’t you talk about your feelings without telling her everything?”

“I can try.” Luz shrugged.

“You two still going on that date?” Hunter asked before placing a proud hand over his heart. A smug smile pulling at his mouth as he gave a pointed look. “I gave you that genius idea for a reason.”

“Ha-ha.” Luz kicked his knee softly, it felt more like a playful push. “We were planning to go tomorrow after school, but I'm not sure if that's still a good idea."

"Luz.” Hunter turned fully, staring deep into her eyes. “If you let me ruin your date I will actually cry."

"Oh no- Hunter!" Luz couldn’t decide wether she should laugh or be genuinely upset about his threat.

"I'm serious! I'll do it!" He doubled down.

"Okay! We'll go!" She relented.

Hunter was joking, but if Luz had actually cancelled her date because of that ‘incident’, he probably would cry.

They sat in another long, awkward silence. But the longer they sat in it, the less awkward it felt. Hunter almost started feeling peaceful, sinking deeper in the couch, the silver moonlight still bathing the room in an almost spellbound glow.

“Go to sleep,” Luz said, “I’ll watch over you.”

Hunter watched the expression on her face for a few seconds. He longed for sleep. There were a million reason why he shouldn't, but somehow they didn't feel that heavy anymore.

“That’s my line.” He smiled as he felt himself giving in.

Luz didn’t respond, probably knowing there was no need. She pat the couch cushions as she stood up, getting a blanket and an extra pillow from the comfy chair. Hunter lay down with some reluctance when she unceremoniously dropped the pillow. After which she draped the blanket over him, tucking him in with self-satisfied smile.

He shut his eyes even more reluctant, but the calm that washed over him was so overwhelming. And his poor aching eyes finally had relieve.

He felt something brush against his ear. His eyes flew open again, giving Luz a warning look right away. It didn’t deter her stupid grin or her hand from his hair.

With one last sigh, he surrendered himself to the feeling of pure bliss.

[taylooraaye]

It'll Work Out - Chapter 1

Summary: When Gail Force, a producing duo, gets asked to join HYBE and work with a boy group under their company, they did not think that they would be meeting their Fated Mates. 

Pledis had been bought by HYBE, and Seventeen now needs more producers.

Disclaimers: Hi! Just a few disclaimers, this is a Seventeen A/B/O AU, and there will be smut at some point in the story. This is technically an OC fic but you are more than welcome to read as Y/N. This is something that I and my best friend are coming up with together. I don't have a set posting schedule yet so bear with me.

Hello Gail Force,

I am the Recruitment Liaison from HYBE labels. We are currently in the process of expanding our music production department.

Based on your previous work with BIGHIT and other Korean labels, we would love to invite you out to meet with us and discuss the opportunity of a permanent position on our music production staff.Your work comes highly recommended along with a positive reputation within the industry.

Below is attached a detailed description of the position, the standard production contract, and the company's health and safety promise. Please respond to this email or contact me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx with any questions or concerns as well as to schedule a formal interview and conference if you are interested in the position.

Kind Regards,

Recruitment Liaison

Music Production Department

HYBE Corp.

The email had come as a shock to both girls, while they had worked very well when they collabed with BTS, this was not the outcome that they had thought would happen. Vienna was the one that had opened the email in the first place, having called over Piper to make sure it was not a joke.

“Are you seeing this?” Vienna was still in disbelief, they had been in the industry for years now, and collabing with BTS had opened some opportunities for them with smaller companies but it was never permanent positions. Piper had sat there for about five minutes rereading the email making sure it was not fake before she had decided to say something.

“Call the number you whore!” she had begun to hit Vienna to try and get her to hurry up.

“Wait! What time is it in Korea?” The other girl had begun to look up what time it was. It was 4:00 PM in Atlanta so it was well into the early morning in Korea. Being that early in the morning the girls had no choice but to wait at least three more hours so it could be a reasonable 6:00 AM in Korea.

The waiting was the worst for the both of them, they were people who liked having the instant gratification of going and buying in the store instead of ordering online. Once it had hit 6:00 AM there was a fight to see who would not have to call, both girls having anxiety when having to make phone calls.

“It's technically your turn to make the call.You have the better customer service voice.” Piper had made a good point but if Vienna was being honesty, she was not giving up that easily.

“But I was the one that found the email, I saw it now you have to make the call.” Vienna had started to pout at Piper. Vienna was the younger of the two and really knew how to get her way with the older girl. All she had to do was bat her eyes at her and she would fold. Piper had given up at that point realizing that she had already lost.

“Hi, This is Piper, one half of Gail Force, I was giving you a call regarding the email that was sent.” She had sat down in their studio to give them a call and was now regretting everything as her anxiety started to rise. Vienne was waiting not as patiently, she had her ear pressed up against the phone that Piper was holding to try and hear what they were saying. It was not a comfortable position at all but she needed to be able to hear what was being said.

“So you want us to come to korea for a permanent position, Who are we going to be producing for?” The older girl was getting annoyed with the person on the phone. The email was real but they would not give them any more information besides that someone had recommended them for this position and that they would be working with a boy group.

~ a week later ~

The girls had decided that they were going to take the position after a lengthy call on what HYBE was prepared to offer them to get them to sign a contract. HYBE was going to set them up with an apartment since finding one at the last minute was not going to go over well, along with that each girl got their own production studio. While they were a producing duo, when producing they had different sounds when working.

They were hoping that once they got into korea that they could get to their new apartment and get some unpacking done but HYBE had wanted them to come in to the office to official sign the rest of the contract and meet part of the group that they were going to be working with. The plane ride was not that bad but being omegas in their own little “not pack” it was hard not being able to scent each other to calm down, and now having to go straight to HYBE ment that they would have to put off scenting each other ever more. Once at HYBE, they were meant to be meeting with Bang PD.

“So, we just want to get some more information for our Health and Wellness department, If you could just fill out these forms, that would be great.” Bang DP had explained while handing them to form.

“Are your heats regular?” Vienna had read the question before Bang PD could react. His face had turned a firey red before he could tell them to not read the question out loud. “Please dont read the questions off, I do not need to know what is being asked on them.” The girls having turned red themselves at his awkwardness,jsut continued with the questionnaire.

On the other side of the building, the Leader line of Seventeen was exiting their practire room when they were met with a few member of BTS.

“OH! Are you all headed to your meeting with Gail Force?” Namjoon had questioned them as they were passing. Seungcheol having realized what they were talking about had spoken up “yes, we are going for our initial meeting with them. You have work with them before right?”

“Yes, they worked with us on Map Of Seoul 7 after Jungkook had begged Bang PD to get them to work with us.” Jungkook started pouting at what Namjoon had reveled. “They are pretty intense when it comes to producing, it probably one of the only time that i have been intimated. “ Yoongi had added. Picking up on what Yoongi was up to, Jungkook decided to get in on the action.”They are like 6’6” and really macho Alphas. They give Namjoon a run for his money.” Namjoon having to turn to conceal his amused face decided that they needed to head out. “Well, you all should be heading over, dont want to be late.”

As the leader line was heading to the meeting Hoshi decided to speak up. “ do you think they were telling the truth? Namjoon seemed to be laughing at the end there.”

“Well, they have worked with them before, there is not a reason for them to lie.” Woozi was already annoyed with the situation and Hoshi was not helping. Woozi was under the impression that Seventeen didnt need more producer, he was more than able to do it and now he was going to be made to work with more people.

The walk over to the meeting room was not long and as they got there, Hoshi had to ask another question. “What do we do?”

Seungcheol being the Pack Alpha decided to speak up “Hold our heads up and puff our chest out. We are also Alphas.”

Opening the door, they wre not met with the picture they BTS had painted for them, sitting in the room were two girl on the shorter side, one was stacking bottles atop one another and the other acting like she didnt know who she was.

“Um, are you both with Gail Force?” S. Coups was still holding the door handle incase they had entered the wrong room.

“Hi, yes we are Gail Force, Im Piper and this is Vienna. “ the older girl had introduce the both of them.

“Is it only you two?” S. Coups was in disbelief at the two girls that were in the room. “See i told you BTS Sunbeanim was joking with us!” Hoshi was now pouting at Woozi and S. Coups since they did not believe him. The two girls were giggling at Hoshis outburst.

“They tend to do that, they think its funny since we are both Omegas.” Vienna had explain after her giggles had died down. “ we are going to have to text them again.” she added on.

“Wait, You both are Omegas? we have been looking for Omegas.” Hoshi had sat down as he began to talk. S. Coups give him a bewildered look. “You can not just say that to people, Its not common for people to ask that is the states.” S. Coups had sat beside him while he was scolding him. Woozi was the last to sit but he had yet to say anything.

“I am very sorry about him, we are technically looking for an Omega for our pack but he should had no asked that especially since we all just met.” S. Coups apoligized to the girl on the behalf of Hoshi.

“Its okay, we understand that some things are done differently in Korea.” Vienna was trying to not laugh as she talked. Piper was still in shock at what Hoshi had said, her mouth still open with shock. Vienna had nudge her to get her back to earth.

“You do know that you both can take off your scent blockers right?” S. Coups was saying this for more of his sake, he did not like have part of his pack around people that he couldnt smell. While the only other two with him were Alphas as well, it didnt mean he liked it any less.

“We are okay keeping them on, we are still getting used to the scents here in HYBE.” Vienna was planning on sticking up for herself and Piper if she had to. They were unmated and in a foreign country they werent just going to go around without scent blockers on. “Bang PD told us that we did not have too as well, but until we are more comfortable her, we arent going to be taking them off.” She had added also.

“If anything, you all should be wearing one. Yall are stinking up the office.” Piper wasnt going to admit that she actual thought someone out of them smelled amazing but she also wasnt going to allow these alphas to think they were entitled to smell them just because it makes them uncomfortable.

Woozi having sensed that the girls were getting upset decided to step in before the other two could put their foot further in their mouths. “We were just making sure you both knew that we and the company value our omega workers and would not make them wear scent blockers.” Woozi having defused the situation moved onto a different topic. “You both have worked with BTS?”

“We have, about a year ago, we each produced a song with them. We are a duo but we have different sound when it comes to producing.” Piper had begun to explain the dynamic of their duo, “I work mainly on softer music and Vienna is usually the go to for harder sounds. “We look forward to working with you both.” S. Coups added in to the conversation.

Piper having realized the time decided it was time to cut the meeting short. “It has been great to meet y'all but we need to head out and get to our living arrangements.”

A/N: I hope y'all like this so far. it's my first time writing fanfic so it hope it's good.

[ha-rinrin]

FRACTURED PHATS

Y/N, a determined CEO, has built a successful enterprise from scratch, only to face fierce competition from Hyunjin, the head of a rival company.

First chapter of this new series :))

01- Company next door

“what are you doing in my building” I say clearly annoyed

“trust me, this is the last place I would rather be” he spat with so much venom it hurted

“then why the fuck are you here Hyunjin” I spat back

The man I was just talking to flinches his eyes between between him and me, clearly uncomfortable.

“we need to talk Y/n” his eyes filled with hatred

12 hours prior

“here comes one of my favorites CEO’s, do me a favor and tell this douchebag to let me in? “ Felix grumbled with a bright smile on his face, I smiled back “of courses sunshine, next time he comes jut let him in” I advise to the guard. “yes mrs Eun” replies the guard. “lets go Lix”

“I missed my couch, and the view of course” purred my best friend as soon as we entered my office, the sky of Korea clear behind me due to the enormous glass wall, “why haven’t you visited me?” I question with a pout. While sitting on the glass table, not bothering to sit on my fancy chair “you know how’s Hyunjin with me coming to see you” Felix pouted, I frowned at the memory of the man. “why are you still working for him anyways?, you can always work here” I questioned, “I really appreciate the offer Y/nnie but I already have my place at the company and he’s my best friend, you know this” ” he explains “I knowww but how can you be friends with him?” Its just so unreasonable that such a pure soul like Llix would be friends with the most annoying, self-centered person I know, “you guys don’t get along ´cause of the rivalry you guys have due to the company’s” stated Felix laughing, I just stayed silent. “Can’t deny that” i answered

Eun enterprise and Red Lights corporation have always been rivals in the industry, I built my company from scratch ever since I was 18, 6 years of hard work were definitely whort wit, as now im the CEO of one of the best, most known business in the country, here’s where Red lights Corporation comes in, one year after from my company’s opening. He decided to launch his own business, Felix being his right hand.

“but he’s such a pain in the ass all the fucking time is unbelievable” I proclaimed. Just as Felix was opening his mouth, some annoying boss felt the need to call him. “Hyun?” Answers Lix. I can hear the clearly angry Hyunjin on the phone. “I swear.. she’s sweet don’t day that.. hyun… okay okay just… fine, im coming in 5” he mutters, “looks like someone’s looking for you” I smirked. “I’ll be back for my couch·” shouts lix while rushing to the elevator. Just as it opened my assistant popped up, “Y/n I have some great news” she says excitedly “well hi there winter” I answer with amusement “u know u can call me by my real name right?” Forty raises an eyebrow in my direction “I know I know Min-Jeong” I smile sweetly at her, as my friend since kindergarten, I have a lot of care for her.

“Back to the great news” she continuos, “ some really important person wants to make an inversion in the company” winter says with a smirk, “how important are we talking about?”, “oh nothing is not like he isn’t the owner of one of the most important company’s that’s for sure” she says jokingly “u kidding” I ask, there have been a lot of people wanting to make deals with us but never that big, “his name is changbin”

…

“THE SEO CHANGBIN??”

“The one an only” frosty’s smirk never leaving her face for one second, “shut up” I cover my mouth in shook “he’s like.. rich rich” my eyes couldn’t be more open. Seo Changbin is the owner of one of the most important company’s, not only in Korea but also in Europe, this is that big of a deal.

“This could elevate the business to the point were we could expand to Europe” I exclaim in absolute shook

“Hes coming here tomorrow morning to talk about the deal”

“Better be ready then” I say as I smile

“You can’t stop smiling can you?”

“Im sorry!!”

“Welcome mr. Seo, Im Eun Y/n, CEO of Eun enterprise” I give him a welcoming smile as I introduce myself while we are in the lobby walking towards the elevator to get to my office.

“Oh dear you can call me Changbin, I’m really exited to get to know you” as he says that I just look at him taken by surprise, he can be very handsome but business is business, since this company started I was determined to not cross my personal life with my work. He notices how weirded out I am

“And the company of course” I can see the nerves in his posture and how his eyes are moving way too much but I decide to stay silent as we enter the elevator.

“What a nice office you have” he exclaims as he is inspecting every single inch of my office

“Thank you, we can take a seat here” I suggest while im pointing to two armchair facing each other whit a glass table in the middle. Yes, im fan of glass okay?. After he sat on the chair we start talking about the deal, everything goes well, I can already see my company in different part of the word.

“Of course I would want certain part of the income” starts changbin

“How much would we be talking about?”

“Well..”

He couldn’t finish his sentence before someone comes in.

what are you doing in my building” I say standing from my chair, clearly annoyed

“trust me, this is the last place I would rather be” his eyes drift to the seated man, his eyes filled with rage

“then why the fuck are you here Hyunjin” I spat

The man I was just talking to flinches his eyes between him and me, clearly uncomfortable.

“we need to talk Y/n”

He seems to notice just now the presence of the about to be new investor

“In private” Hyunjin musters between grilled teeth

“Oh don’t worry, I was just about leave, Y/n I will email you the date of the next reunion, now please excuse me” I can’t even say anything before he’s in the elevator spreading going to the lobby.

“Great, you just made me lose an important investor, what the fuck do you want, who even let you in?” I say loudly almost shouting at him

“Well first, don’t fucking shout at me, second, he literally said we was going to set a date for another reunion don’t be dramatic, third, we have a much bigger issue” remarks hwang

“Don’t tell me what to do Hwang, and what is this “big issue” you are talking about” I answer, doing quotes

“There’s a new company in the market casually doing the exact same products as we are” he whispers

“Hold up” I raise my hand in sign to let me process this, “ do u have a picture?” questioned.

“Yes, I even have all te comparisons between their product and ours, they are not just copying me but you too, also doing some type of mixed product between both our ideas”

“Great, show me the pictures of what they are selling and their name” I demand

“Cmon I have them in my office” he informs me as he’s already in the elevator

“Do you really expect me to just show up at your company?” I laugh

“Believe me, I hate the thought of you in my office but do you want to let the unoriginal copycat ruin your company and mine? Be my fucking guest” okay, now he’s clearly annoyed and pissed

“Fine.” I mustered

As we enter Red Lights corporation I can feel all the stares and shocked looks as we walk side by side.

“Do you think they’re dating?” whispers one secretary to the other “I don’t know but they sure would make a great couple” as I hear that I can see Hyunjin smirking, he also heard.

We make our way through the bustling corridors of Red Lights Corporation. The building’s sleek, modern design feels both impressive and intimidating. Hyunjin leads the way with a confidence that seems almost rehearsed, though he’s clearly on edge. I follow, feeling the weight of the stares from the employees we pass.

"Here we are," he announces, stopping in front of a glass door that slides open to reveal his office. It’s as luxurious as you’d expect from someone in his position—large desk, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a minimalist aesthetic.

“Take a seat I guess” Hyunjin says, gesturing to the chairs opposite his desk. I sit down, crossing my arms and trying to suppress my irritation.

“Alright, Hwang. Let’s see what you’ve got,” I say, my tone clipped.

Hyunjin sits behind his desk and pulls out a file. He flips it open and spreads out several photographs and reports. Each page shows a side-by-side comparison of our products and those of the new company, along with notes detailing the similarities and overlaps.

“This is what they’re selling,” he says, pointing to the pictures. “Their products are strikingly similar to ours, and they’ve even incorporated features from your line.”

I study the images carefully. The resemblance is undeniable—same design elements, similar functionality. It’s like they took our ideas and just tweaked them slightly.

“What’s their name?” I ask, still absorbing the information.

“Veritas Industries,” Hyunjin replies. “They’ve been gaining traction fast, and it’s clear they’re targeting the same market we are.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And you’re telling me this now because…?”

“Because,” he says, leaning forward, “I need your help sadly. If we both tackle this problem together, we can neutralize the threat. If we don’t, we risk losing significant market share to them.”

I give him a skeptical look. “Why would you help me? You and your company have always been a thorn in my side and vice versa.”

Hyunjin’s expression softens slightly. “Because it’s in both our best interests. If Veritas continues to copy us, it’s only a matter of time before they start eating into our profits. We can either waste time fighting each other or pool our resources and deal with this threat head-on.”

His argument is sound, and I can’t deny the urgency of the situation. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Fine. What do you propose we do?”

“First, we need to gather more intelligence on Veritas—find out who’s behind it and their strategy. Next, we should consider legal action to protect our intellectual property. And, of course, we’ll need to step up our own R&D to stay ahead.”

I nod, already formulating a plan in my mind. “Alright. I’ll start by getting my team on this. But don’t think this means I’m going to be friendly with you.”

Hyunjin smirks. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Just then, the office door opens and a young woman steps in, her eyes darting between us. “Mr. Hwang, I have those documents you requested.”

Hyunjin takes the papers from her and then turns back to me. “I’ll have my team coordinate with yours. Let’s set up a meeting for tomorrow to go over the details.”

I stand up, ready to leave. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

I step into the elevator and the doors close, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’m ready to face whatever comes next—whether it’s with Hyunjin’s help or not.

The elevator ride down is silent, my mind racing with the possibilities of what working with Hyunjin could mean for both our companies. Despite my best efforts, I can’t shake the image of him from my mind—his intense gaze, the way his jaw tightened when he spoke. There’s something about him that gets under my skin, and it’s not just business.

When the elevator dings and the doors open, I step out into the lobby and head towards the exit. As I step back on my own office, winter is already waiting for me. “Dare to explain me why I just saw you and Hyunjin together?” There ´s a slight shook in her voice.

Just dealing with some kind of copycat trying to copy and paste our ideas” I say lightly

“Oh shit, again”?”

“Yep, but this time its not only me but hwangs company too”

“Okay that’s come audacity”

“I know right?, anyways tomorrow we’re gonna met for a meeting to talk about this”

“Ohh” she teases

“Oh come on you now how im with mixing work with personal business” I roll my eyes

“A little bit of losing up doesn’t hurt anyone Y/n, its been a while since your last relationship”

“Yeah, then my ex made a company right next to mine”

[definitelynotshouting]

Hello again! Im so sorry to hear you feeling well when i sent in my ask the other day :( hoping that the life series drop tmrw will provide a much needed distraction for whatever you need it to :)

-☀️

"I know the, um, this morning didn't go… very well… but… if I could—""

"Good, he thinks, but it's a rote sentiment, not half so vicious as it had been only hours earlier."

- oh??? 👀 i am looking

- Im assuming this is the meeting they had about taking grian back to hermitcraft (and the revelation that grian feeds on emotions to survive)?? Very curious

- Now that metaphor about the childhood coat being stained is a lot more painful

-☀️

"even stolen energy can't make up for that."

"everything he'd never had the first time he— well, when Grian, the real Grian— had died."

- "stolen energy" omg i am biting ankles over this.

- And the "real Grian" thing. Yeah

- This is one of those moments where grian's whole situation is so much more potent and vivid. Imagining living as myself, but knowing im occupying someone elses body, and having my very lifeforce sustained by others?? Its not hard to understand why grian internalises and hates himself for being "a parasite". Idk thats probably very obvious to everyone else but this is the first time ive really thought about all of what that entails

-☀️

"Starving hands reach out from the depths of his mind to pull him back, stumbling, under that dark waterline."

- Love how the word "starving" implies that G falling asleep is more of a survival mechanism forcing him under so that his body can feed rather than only exhaustion

-☀️

"he's pressed a knife to every promise he's ever made since the day he emerged,"

- shaking you

-☀️

"His existence lies in the shadows of these distorted fractures, jagged hopes and dented dreams, forever fated to cut his hands on the fragments."

- AHHHHJSLDHSJSVSN

- Man 🧍

- Dont have any words. Just tears.

AAAAAAAAAA SUN ANON I ALWAYS LOVE SEEING YOU IN MY INBOX!!!! Gods im so glad these lines resonated with and interested you, they were a ton of fun to write

I have a brain today so i can actually expand on some of the things youve pointed out instead of just aiming heart eyes at you for the compliments fjsndjsjejke so for the first point, yes!!! Scar and Xisuma returned to the others post chap 6 and were like "Well that sucked!! Wow!!!!" I wouldnt say theyve given all the information to everybody, because they themselves aren't exactly ready to discuss that beyond the immediately required basics, but everyone else was given the gist: convo went badly, Grian is being taken back to Hermitcraft on Scar and Xisuma's insistence. Both Scar and Xisuma feel fucking horrible for how that conversation went down-- nobody had a good time there. So while the plan is to eventually get everyone up to speed, they're sorta taking this time to be miserable about what was essentially a fight that ended in stripping Grian of his autonomy

There's also a little cross-communication happening here in the background, btw: Scar and Xisuma have a pretty big picture now, but Tango, Mumbo, and Pearl have been fed that false info abt the potions being potentially useful. So, yknow :) just smth to keep in mind there haha

Your point about how it almost feels like Grian falling asleep is a survival mechanism is spot on the money. It's essentially him falling into a state of low power mode, where everything but his most basic of functions is shut down for a brief time in favour of preserving energy-- i would honestly consider it more equivalent to a coma than actual sleep. Hence Tango's concern, and subsequent relief when Grian woke up; the entire time he was unconscious, he was fully unresponsive. So, yknow. Real nerve-wracking to see, especially after that prior full week of unresponsiveness as his body struggled to maintain itself.

Tango's role here is indeed deliberate, both on a watsonian and doylist level!! The reason however is the exact same for both: Tango is a little more removed, personally, from this situation. Grian was-- and is-- his friend, ofc, but he's not as close to whats happening. Meanwhile, Xisuma is in 24/7 server babysitting mode, Pearl is not fit to be a caretaker, and Scar and Mumbo were tearing themselves apart by trying to sit and look after him. So Tango got assigned caretaker duties 😂😂😂😂 it was an effective way to divvy up tasks and keep everybody busy, and somewhat hilariously, so far Tango is the only person Grian isnt supremely upset with for one reason or another. And thats why he's continued to stay in caretaker mode lol he is truly just. The only guy who can rn

I also just sorta think of him as a surprisingly emotionally savvy fixer-type, in terms of personality. Like. I think he just gets what people set down in front of him, yknow? Although hell if he knows what to do with it once he's got em. He fumbles a lot, sure, and he defaults to fix-it mode, but he is getting the message when Grian essentially says "i dont wanna talk anymore" without actually saying it

As for Grian and his headspace, rn, theres definitely a complexity at work here where he wants to die and is very genuine in that, but he IS also grateful he's seeing his friends. He cant deny that. As painful as it is, he still loves them very much, and ultimately he's trying to do this for their own good as much as for his own sense of punishment and relief. I think like... now that he's really creeping up on what he has planned, and the pieces are suddenly becoming a reality, theres a bit of dissonance he's fighting against to stay on course. He wants his friends happy; he also wants to die. He's so overwhelmingly tired; he is, as much as he feels he doesnt deserve it, glad to have his friends close. That sort of hopelessness mixed with a warped sense of comfort that he got to see and interact with them one last time. If that makes any sense. Its a bit of complexity i wanted to make sure i added in, because people are so rarely fully decided on any course of action they choose to take, without even a single flicker of doubt (and especially one so final as this). Im glad youve picked up on that, and that you appreciate what i was trying to set down with it!!! :D

This was such a lovely message, as always-- you are very sweet, sun anon, and i appreciate you lots :] i hope you're having an excellent day!!!

[enchantedlandcoffee]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation

Thanks for the tag @allwaswell16 <3 I posted a lot of works this year so it's all under the cut 🥰

1. List of works published this year:

There's no one I love more in this world than Stanley Tucci

Kiss In The Kitchen Like It's A Dancefloor

Can We Please Get Back To Lovin'?

Two Hearts In One Home (WIP)

If The World Was Ending, You'd Come Over, Right?

Rush Hour Crush

Court Wine

Hope We Grow Old But We Never Grow Up

Hold On I Still Need You (WIP)

Bloodline of Queens (WIP)

Eager To Please

Running Over Thoughts That Make My Feet Hurt

Tell Me With Your Mind Body And Spirit

And I Can Lend You Broken Parts That Might Fit

My kiss can mend your broken heart

Bodies entertwined with their lips

When It's Good It's Really Something

Tied Up Like Two Ships

Just Let Me Adore You

When The World Is Cold, You'll Have A Place You Can Go

Was Tangled Up And Twisted

Actions Have Consequences

Gagging For It

Share a Single Bed (and tell each other what we dream about)

I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life

Lips so good I forget my name

Friends Don't Know The Way You Taste

Let Me Be Your Last First Kiss

Always You

I'm Missing Half Of Me...

Christmas Advent Calendar

Do you really want to be all alone?

Feel My Traces

Let Me Inside

Have yourself a larry little christmas

I'll make this feel like home

To Find A Love That Feels This Right

I got me an appetite, now I can taste it

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

Probably 'If The World Was Ending, You'd Come Over, Right?'. This is the work I am most proud of because I wrote it during a not great time in my life and it was my first proper attempt at writing angst. It's also the first chaptered fic I had finished and in a way, I found my voice in terms of writing. And I formed a connection to the characters which has helped in the long run when brainstorming and planning scenes.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

Unfortunately either 'To Find A Love That Feels This Right' or 'Tied Up Like Two Ships'. I just really clashed with the ideas in my mind and the words that I ended up writing. But thankfully, they're part of seperate series so I can expand on the worlds and hopefully make them better.

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

This sad fluff snippet from If The World Was Ending, You'd Come Over, RIght?

He put himself to work making a simple breakfast, one that he and Harry had had more times than he could count. As he carried out the task, he allowed his mind to wander, well, allowed wasn't really the right word. His mind took him on a journey he didn't sign up for. A journey full of mornings just like this, one of them getting ready whilst the other prepares food. A journey where the patter of little feet joins him in the kitchen, a little boy with brown curls and bright green eyes. A journey where the love of his life walks in, their daughter in his arms as he scoops up their son as well.

5. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

I have a few that I loved a lot (I love any and all reviews I get) and I'll share them below:

Ash, this was amaaaaaaaaaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!I am officially your biggest fan now and I demand being granted that title.Wow you're talented, had me want to cry, throw up, smile and laugh all at the same time, I loved it! I'll read everything else by you I can get my hands on ;)Just lovely &lt;3

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

The past month or two. It was hard balancing work, school and writing and also being at my childhood home with fic deadlines to meet. And also being emotionally drained for two months doesn't really help get me in the writing mood.

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

I think the emotional scenes in If The World Was Ending really surprised me. I never knew I could come up with little rants like that, let alone multiple in the same fic.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

I feel like I grew a lot as a writer this year. I explored different genres and themes I never thought I would (writing smut, writing angst, writing omegaverse, writing different pairings other than larry), I wrote about 73k this year which is about 70k more than I have written in my entire life.

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to improve in my ability to write and update WIPs, also to improve both the quality and quantity of my writing.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

There were a few people who really helped me this year:

@justahappycloud was my beta for my pirates fic, my Two Hearts In One Home fic and was always cheering me on. @babyhoneyheslt hears nearly all of my ideas first and has helped me plan so many of my fics. @red-pandaaa has helped me with my confidence in writing and in general. @lunarheslwt has inspired me as a writer and has also been cheering me on from the very beginning!

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

A lot of angst as it's been a rollercoaster of a year. Also a lot of Harry and Louis' feelings whenever they're crushing have also been my way of getting my feelings out about people in my real life.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

No matter how silly or weird you think an idea is, you should just go for it! Even if it doesn't fit your normal "brand", don't be afraid to branch out and write new things.

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

I'm looking forward to finishing my Zayn fic for @zaynsalbumsficfest as it's going to be so fluffy. Also my groundhog day magical fic for @romcom1dficfest is my favourite plot I have come up with so far (aside from Witchrry). @ohharold and I are working on something quite cool for @1dteamworkfest . And I'm hoping to update Two Hearts in One Home and to finish and post my Witchrry fic.

14. Tag three writers whose answers you’d like to read. ;)

@lunarheslwt @babyhoneyheslt @hellolovers13

[eihyndaye]

The Aussie Nightcreeper

NIGHT ONE

The buzzing of Bush Crickets carried on into midnight hours in (rural town), Australia. Hidden in the dark, their cumulative songs carried throughout the dusty plains and engulfed the lone house at the end of a gravel road. The only source of light in the area beamed through the chipped windows.

 Alicia stood in front of her easel in paint splattered overalls with a mug of steaming hot Milo by her side and half unpacked boxes lining the four walls of her living room. Guitar riffs from a local Australian punk rock band blared through her stereo and helped guide the brush.

Feelings of being energized, relaxed, relieved, and optimistic overwhelmed her at once and flowed into her newest painting – the first of a series she had planned for this next chapter of her life. Her flow state, a state of mind in which all time vanishes, had itself been absent for nearly 6 months. Survival instincts reigned in its place. Tonight was the first time she felt like she was back to being her true self.

A quick glance at her phone revealed that it was approaching one in the morning. Hours had vanished as a vibrant lioness appeared on the canvas. A sigh escaped her, and the corners of her lips turned slightly up. She was satisfied for the night.

Grasping her art supplies and empty mug, she made her way around the corner and into the kitchen to begin cleaning up. The left-over paint washed out of the brushes and spiraled down the drain, swirling the blues and purples together until disappearing into nothingness.

The punk rock playlist she had been listening to for hours came to a deafening end. “Good timing” she thought as she rinsed the last brush and clinking it into a cup to dry. A creaking from the outside the kitchen window above the sink followed immediately after, snapping her out of her mind and back into the moment.

She flicked on the outside light to half peer out the window and intently listened. It was dead silent. Even the Bush Crickets had gone to bed for the night. After scanning the illuminated wooden porch and into the blackness outside, the assumption of it being nothing more than an old house seemed to be the most reasonable explanation. She turned off the light and retired to bed, excited to pick up where she left off the next night.

NIGHT TWO

     A setting sun created a multitude of orange hues in the sky that Alecia felt inspired by. A light breeze blew past her as she closed her eyes to breathe it in. Expanding her lungs fully and holding it in, she felt gratitude to be out of Darwin. As simple as that, she was ready to finish off her day with painting. Feeling inspired by the sky, her porch seemed like the perfect place to set up.

She collected the mug from the previous was sitting in the sink. “Why dirty another dish?” she thought as she gave it another quick rinse and prepared another hot Milo.

Making her made her way into the more put together living space, she collected her supplies but stopped to admire the work she had completed during the day. Previous paintings she had done had hung on the walls, a bookshelf of various ocean life books was neatly pressed in the corner, and string lights traced the edges of the ceiling. This small house was beginning to feel like a home.

The buzzing Bush Crickets filled the space between her and the vibrant sky. Its oranges had now been accompanied by pinks. Instead of continuing with her series from the night before, she wanted to paint the landscape from her porch. Then time melted away.

Halfway through her painting now and intently focused on getting the scattered vegetation just right, a rustling in the distance caught her attention. She peered beyond her easel to wild shrubs, looking intently through the darkening area.

They were still. She thought to herself that it’s nothing more than some wildlife that she isn’t used to and started carrying on with her painting. Trying to get back into her state of mind, she had noticed that it was eerily quiet. The gentle breeze from not that long ago had stopped, and so did the buzzing that filled the air. She tried thinking back to a time where it was this silent but couldn’t recall any.

Goosebumps ran down her spine as she raised her mug up to her lips. The feeling of being watched suddenly overtook her. She glanced past her painting again and noticed a pair of glowing white eyes at the top of the shrub.

Caught off guard and gasping while drinking, she began to cough uncontrollably as it ran down the wrong pipe. Wiping her mouth and the tears that formed in her eyes she quickly turned her attention back to the shrub. The eyes that had been there before were no longer there.

After a short time, the assumption that it must have been a wild dingo seemed like the most reasonable thing. She took a deep breath and refocused on her painting that was now spattered with bits of drink she had coughed up. “Fuck me dead!” she expelled.

     A disappointing sigh escaped her. Shaking her head in disapproval, she carried her supplies inside to retire for the night.

NIGHT THREE

      Water boiled and danced with Alecia in the kitchen. She twirled with a glass of red wine in her hand between cooking her favorite shrimp pasta. Uplifting music filled every corner of the house and her soul.

     It was especially late for dinner, but after her fourth glass wine nothing sounded better. She hazily served herself up a portion and finished the last bit of wine in her glass.

     “I shouldn’t get another, but why not” she thought to herself. Stumbling and giggling, she imagined the floorboards under her were really of a pirate ship traversing in rough seas. Falling into the way along the way into the living room, she lost her footing and gently lost her footing.

“I reeeaaaallllyy shouldn’t get another… but I’m already here” An angel and demon were arguing on her shoulders, but the latter was winning.

A smirk appeared on her face as she was digging through one of the last unpacked boxes, searching for that other bottle of wine. Finally, she found it and pulled it close to her face. The crimson color appealed more to her than the actual taste.

“Saw-vin-non!” she half-heartedly tried pronouncing in a poor French accent. The joints in her knees cracked as she stood.

She started returning to the kitchen when she faced the SCREEN DOOR. The wine slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor, but it may as well have been her jaw. Her vocal cords desperately wanted to scream, but not a sound escaped from her mouth. She tripped back, falling into the easel and hitting her head and causing her to go unconscious.

A tall dark figure with two glowing eyes watched intently on the other side of the glass.

NIGHT SEVEN

Days had passed when she came to, but it felt like weeks to Alecia. At times she faded in and out of consciousness but was locked in a state of paralysis. Even at the most alert times, her mind spun and everything she perceived slowed and twisted in her bloodshot eyes.

A cloaked figure peered at her with those vibrant white eyes behind the corner. The moonlight barely touched his porcelain skin. The shine from those eyes were the last thing she saw as she faded back into blackness.

Chills ran over her body with prickly goose bumps closely following. At one point something wet and spongy dragged up her face, accompanied by a warm iron stench. A low growl whispered in her ear “my queen”.

Brrriiing… brrriiing… brrriiing…

Her eyes widely shot open as she instantly sat upright with a loud gasp. “What’s happening?” she thought. Her gaze darted around her bedroom.

Brrriiing… brrriiing…

She patted around her bed searching for her phone. Quickly tapping under the sheets and pillows with no luck.

Brrriiing…

Her head creaked sideways. “Kitchen” she whispered. Gliding her way through the house, she managed to snatch it up off the counter just in time to answer it before seeing who it was calling.

“Hello?” Her voice was dry and cracked.

“Grammy!” screeched through the phone. It was so loud she thought it was on speaker.

“H-hey there, kiddo.” She spoke up through her hoarse voice as loud as she could.

“Where have you been?” The high-pitched voice shrieked through her phone. “We’ve been trying to get ahold of you so we can visit!” She was half paying attention, half wondering why it was so bright outside. The rays piercing through the kitchen window felt like acid on her skin and soap in her eyes.

Moving out of the way of the light and holding the phone away from her face she replied “Oh… I’ve just been busy”. She crept out of the kitchen and noticed the broken glass of wine and dark crimson everywhere. She tried recollecting but in the moment it was too much. Tiptoeing over the shattered glass and puddle of wine, she continued “Getting everything set up and ready takes time”

“Okay, but when can we come see you?” the overly excited voice turned to two. She cringed with how loud everything was.

“S-s-sooon… darlings. But grammy isn’t feeling well right now. Can I call back?” she gently said, hoping they’d understand to be quieter.

“Sure! But whe-“ she hung up and retreated back into her dark bedroom, burying her body and face under the blankets.

“I’m never drinking again” she thought

NIGHT NINE

A deafening silence flooded her ears awake. She felt incredibly well rested – more so than she had in years. With a deep breath inflating her lungs, she reached for her phone again.

0237 20/04/2023. She sighed and flicked it off. “Wait” she checked again. The 20th of April? She had only been here in her new home for a few days. “What…”

A light creak from outside caught triggered her head to snap to the door. She listened intently but didn’t hear anything else. Instead, she noticed how the room was dark, but a different kind of dark. One she could see through more easily. She sensed that something was off.

Creeping off the bed and seemingly to glide down the hall, she backtracked to her reflection in a large mirror that hung in the hall. Her eyes glowed white and her memory flashed back to her.

The eyes outside the screen door, being carried to bed, that iron stench… She gasped and held her hand up to her mouth. Now noticing the large splotch of crusted blood on her neck. She pulled the collar of her shirt down to reveal it more, exposing marks of teeth and bits of flesh missing.

Her heart started beating rapidly. Another creak caught her attention. This time instead of investigating she retreated to her bedroom, shutting the bedroom door as quietly as she could and pressing her ear up to it.

The screen door slowly dragged open and gentle taps of footsteps crept in shortly after. Her eyes darted around the room for an exit but there was none. She was trapped. The footsteps gently crept closer, causing her to back away from the door and dart behind her bed to hide.

She crouched down as the footsteps got closer and stopped at the door. The only thing she could hear was her heart seemingly beating out of her chest.

“I hear your heart, my queen.”

Her jaw dropped as the door creaked open slowly. The tall figure from her dreams, what she thought was just dreams, was on the other side of the door with glowing white eyes locking with hers.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 5, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 6, 2023

This morning, CBS News cameras captured on video the sight of former president Trump’s lawyers entering the Department of Justice. 

Shortly after their two-hour meeting ended, a message appeared on the Trump-affiliated social media site Truth Social, in all caps: “HOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT’S [sic] WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON’T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED. ALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED! ONLY TRUMP - THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”

It appears there is reason to suspect Trump’s lawyers delivered to the former president bad news about Trump’s refusal to return to the government—that is, to the American people—the classified documents he stole when he left the White House. 

The Twitter account of the Republican National Committee promptly tweeted footage of House Oversight Committee chair Representative James Comer (R-KY) suggesting that the “Biden family” has engaged in “a pattern of bribery, where payments would be made through shell accounts and multiple banks,” in a system of “money laundering.” There is no evidence of these accusations, and their framing of Biden as part of a “family corruption scandal” is pretty transparently designed to make the Bidens look like the Trumps, although there is no Biden family business as there is a Trump Organization. 

Republican leaders have tiptoed around former president Trump even if they were hoping to move him offstage, but that caution broke today when the governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, who in February said he would vote for Trump if he is the 2024 nominee, warned in a Washington Post op-ed that the Republican Party must break free of Trump and the culture wars or face “electoral irrelevance.” 

Sununu announced that he would not seek the party’s presidential nomination himself, keeping his powder dry to try to correct the Republican Party’s course. In a clear shot at the many Republicans jumping into the race, he warned that “candidates should not get into this race to further a vanity campaign, to sell books or to audition to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president.” He promised to work for whichever candidate he thought best positioned to win in 2024.

Sununu called for returning the party to “classic conservative principles of individual liberty, low taxes and local control,” saying that Republicans need to “expand beyond the culture wars that alienate independents, young voters and suburban moms” and appeal to new voters on substantive issues. He also took on the issue of abortion, which has created a groundswell of opposition to Republicans, saying that “Republicans should recognize that every time they open their mouths to talk about banning abortion, an independent voter joins the Democrats.”

Indeed, as Kate Riga of Talking Points Memo wrote today, the abortion issue is suddenly toxic for Republicans. After years of calling for the end of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, Republicans got their wish almost a year ago with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision. Republican-dominated states promptly began to pass antiabortion laws at the state level. But a majority of voters actually support abortion access, even in Republican-dominated states. They are eager to restore abortion rights, while the evangelical base of the Republican Party wants a federal abortion ban. 

Republicans running for president are now trying to avoid the issue, since they need to support a federal ban on abortion to win base voters but will repel a majority of general voters if they do. Putting Republicans into power will likely mean a federal ban that will run badly against the popular will. It is not clear how Republican candidates will square this circle, but it is unlikely to go away simply because Republicans try not to talk about it.

While many eyes in the United States are focused on domestic political events, today’s news also included reports that the Ukrainian military may have begun its counteroffensive to push Russian invaders out of Ukraine (although Ukrainian officials denied it, saying that no single action would indicate that a counteroffensive had begun). 

The U.K. Ministry of Defence reported that there has been a “substantial increase in fighting along numerous sectors of the front, including those which have been relatively quiet for several months.” It also said that the feud between the mercenary Wagner Group and the Russian Ministry of Defence has “reached an unprecedented level.” It is not clear they will continue to cooperate.

Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, and Kylie Atwood of CNN reported today that Ukraine has encouraged sympathizers and agents in Russia to sabotage targets there, diverting Russian attention from Ukraine and bringing the threat of war home to Russians.

Tonight, part of the Nova Kakhovka Dam was breached, sending a flood down the Dnipro River. The breach will create flooding downstream. It will also affect drinking water, and the electricity for more than 3 million people. It threatens the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose reactors are cooled with water from the reservoir above the dam, but tonight the Ukrainian state nuclear energy company Energoatom said the situation is under control. 

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON