#feel free for anyone to chime in with more thought thingies

[ihatebrainstorm]

thinking about weather patterns on Cybertron... the science behind how they work.. Cybertron's atmospheric make up, what the poles are like on the planet, or if there are Cybertronians who have altmodes/abilities that can predict weather patterns..........

bc aren't there rust storms or something? So they do have severe weather patterns at least

[the-hate-keeps-me-warm]

weed garden

now I know this joke is dead but I ended up over writing this so some of it got cut this is my first real fic vie published i hope you like it if not feel free to make fun of me  It was ruby's idea she was stressed about well everything and she knew yang and Blake had a lot of it, it was legal in atlas after all she only took a little they probably wouldn't even notice she had it for a week just to make sure they didn't

They were sitting alone after training oscar was sweaty and looked tired she leaned over "So Oscar uh what do you think of smoking"  He raised an eyebrow "well my aunt smoked cigarettes  and a bit of weed during the winter" he said putting long memory on his hip "Uh why the winter," she asked meeting his raised brow "Well there's not as much work to do in the winter so you can slack off a lot more" he responded "Well uh what about you have you ever smoked" she tried not to seem too obvious but she started to nervously fidget with her hands “Uh well my aunt let me smoke a cigarette once when I was 12, but I think that was to make me hate them she bought the most bitter horrible tasting ones she could," he said a faint look of annoyance at his aunt going across his face She giggled and said "from what you tell me that sounds very like her but like uh would you smoke weed like now I mean" He rubbed the back of his neck his eyes darted to her "well uh maybe with someone I trust" She bit her lip and said "well do you trust me" His ears got a little red "well of course I trust you, id smoke with you if you asked" 

"Well I'm asking Weiss is going to one of those art show thingies blake and yang are going to uh do whatever it is they do so I'll have the  room all to myself so I  thought that maybe we could do it together smoking I mean" her cheeks grew red to match his ears He nodded his head just slightly "I uh sure do you want me to bring cookies my aunt would always ask me to bake for her after she smoked" She smiles wide "yeees please the Peanut butter chocolate chip ones or the strawberry ones there the best" His face started to get flushed too "I uh I can make you both I’m assuming you're supplying the, uh you know weed" "Well yeah but that's gonna take a while won’t it, you don't have to make both," she said trying to hide the fact that she wanted both of them "No no I'll make them ironwood gave me access to the cafeteria kitchen so it won't take very long at all" he fiddled with his hands "and besides I know you like my baking and I like doing it for you" She smiled "he likes baking for me," she thought while trying not to giggle "well then I won't stop you I'll bring those pretzels you like" He smiled a little "I won't tell anyone were doing this" he stood up and said "I’ll see you tomorrow I got to get baking I might make some other things" 

She nodded her head and they split up when she got back to her room she was practically bouncing with excitement yang was sitting on her bed "why aren't you tired you and Oscar were training all day" her face flushed a little "Well I’m just kinda excited  I’m gonna have the room all to myself" she says trying not to be super obvious "I saw you and oscar talking after you trained did you invite him over," blake says hidden in her bunk “damn you blake” she thought  Yang beams excitedly "is it a date!" "What no I just invited him over to eat junk food and play video games" she waved her hands around frantically not helping her case 

 Yang deadpans "you asked him to come to your dorm room alone he might be oscar but he's still a teenage boy ruby he’s gonna think it’s a date" Ruby crossed her arms and grumbled "Look if you don't like him that's ok but it's obvious to everyone how much he likes you so if you don’t like him don't lead him on make sure he understands how you feel" Blake chimed in peeking out from her bunk 

"I uh I think I like him but I don't know if I want things to change yet and I'm not even sure if he likes  me " she sits down on her bed 

Yang hops down from her bed and sits next to ruby throwing an arm around her shoulder "that's perfectly ok if you feel that way but oscar likes you the way he stares at you the way he talks about you it's obvious" she smiles at ruby's red cheeks and tries to finish  her speech with "but if you do decide you like him to make sure to practice safe-uhg" ruby ends it with a punch to the gut "Yaaang shut up even if i do like him I'm not talking about that" she squeaks and reals back for another punch yang puts her hands up in surrender "Alright Oscar would probably have a heart attack anyway I’m just saying" yang kisses ruby on the forehead like she always did "you should try to talk to him about it ok" Ruby grumbles a simple "I’ll try" 

Oscar is having a similar time 

Nora hugs him tightly "ooo my baby's going on a date" oscar blushes as ren pulls Nora off of him "It’s not a date she just invited me over to play video games and stuff" he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly Jaune sitting at the small table "Oscar you know she's into you and isn't it weird that she waited till everyone would be gone to invite you over" Oscars face flushed an even deeper red than it had been before and he frowns  "well I don't think she is I’m sure she has lots of better  people to choose from" Ren put his hand on Oscar’s shoulder "Oscar please do not doubt yourself you’re great" 

"Yeah you’re a total catch Oscar your smart cute strong brave you have freckles and your cool with the headmaster of atlas" Nora chimed in counting his positive traits on her fingers "Thanks" is the only response Oscar can think of his embarrassment only growing "Now you need to pick out what your gonna wear and what your gonna say," Nora says standing quickly "Nora he doesn't need us to meddle with it if you need to advise Oscar you just have to ask I would recommend wearing something casual," ren said "Alright I will" 

They both went to bed thinking about their little 'date' in the morning oscar started baking and when he has a lot on his mind he tends to overdo it so he ended up making both batches of cookies a mini strawberry cake a dish of brownies and french toast casserole for breakfast 

After wby left ruby spent the morning gathering snacks and making the room as comfy as possible as well as gathering Oscars and her favorite games she remembered yang saying that her first time smoking sucked so she wanted to make sure she and Oscars  first time was fun 

Oscar had gone back to the dorm with all the food packed carefully to get ready Ren was the only one in the room he was sitting on Nora’s bed reading “oscar before you go I need to talk to you please sit” ren sounded serious and not in his normal way so he sat across from him “now Jaune and I didn’t bring this up earlier but we decided it was important to talk to you about because your 15 and we both know what it was like being that age and we know you like ruby a lot” he talked like how oscar imagined his father would “Uh yeah so what is this about” oscar had a vague idea in his head of what it was “I’m going to give you the talk I know your aunt gave you one but I think it’s a good idea for another man to talk to you as well,” ren said closing his book and leaning forward So then began  5 minutes of surprisingly not awkward conversation ren was very easy to talk to ren finished the conversation with handing oscar a condom “now I know you probably won’t use this but I want you to be safe ok and please don’t do anything you don’t think you’re ready for” Oscars’ face was pretty red after that but he put the condom in his back  pocket and thanked ren before taking everything he needed to Ruby's room She opened the door right as he was about to knock “oscar I was just about to come to get you” She said trying to act casual “Oh uh am I late,” he asked he would look at his watch but his hands were very full she takes the containers from his arms and sets them with ease on the little table next to the window

“Nope I was just getting impatient,” she says spinning back around to face him she was in her pajamas he thought she looked really cute he was just wearing his old pants and a comfy sweater he had bought in argus “Well do you want to uh you know smoke” he tried to not sound awkward but the boy can only do so much “Yeah sure let me get it” she was excited to finally be able to relax with him she lifted her mattress and pulled out the joint it was in a plastic bag with the lighter she had picked up in atlas she sits down on her bed which she had piled blankets and pillows on she beckons him to sit with her and he does leave space between them 

“Alright so I guess I’ll go first,” she says lighting the joint then inhaling and immediately coughing 

Oscar leans closer “are you ok” the actual worry in his voice makes rubies heart squeeze a little but she tries to play it cool “yeah yeah it’s just rough do you want to try,” she says holding it out to him he gently takes is and holds it up to his lips slowly inhaling then coughing himself covering his mouth and holding it back out to her “your right that’s rough” 

Ruby laughs “I told you” they pass it back and forth for a little bit they had both begun to feel it then oscar giggles 

“What’s so funny,” she says nudging him with her shoulders he giggles again and says “your name is ruby carmine  rose all your names are words for red” ruby laughs “ha your right wait what’s your middle name is it funny” oscar leans back onto a pillow “no its magus it means uh sorcerer oh I don’t like that I just put that together” oscar starts to laugh and in between laughs says  “ha that makes way too much sense man maybe destiny exist it was my great grandfather’s name, oh god” Oscars laugh becomes Weezy and ruby leans on him “well I think its a cool name” oscar stops laughing and says “well I guess it is its fitting at least right” he inhales again and passes it back to ruby it’s over halfway burned out she's been asking it in an old red solo cup “you know what about we bust out those snacks I don’t know about you but I’m really hungry” she sits up oscar does right after he stands and gets the cookies before she does he hands her the tupperware box of the strawberry chocolate chip she smiles and giggles “thanks cookie” she says bursting into laughter after 

Oscar cocks his head to the side “cookie?�� rubies laughter grows more intense “it’s my nickname for you in my head it’s so dumb it’s because your sweet and your freckles look like chocolate chips” oscar started to laugh as well “that’s adorable ruby” he says as her face gets red they both sit back down this time oscar leaning on ruby and then their silent ruby thought maybe oscar had fallen asleep “You know ruby you are like the coolest person I’ve ever met like your the youngest person to get to beacon a silver-eyed warrior and your the leader of your team that’s  all amazing,” he said still leaned against her she smiled and her face got hot 

“Well I think you’re cool to oscar,” she said munching on a strawberry chocolate chip cookie 

 He looks up with the biggest smile she’s ever seen him wear “thanks that means a lot” he bites his lip “do you wanna play some video games” he said with a mischievous grin 

“Yes I was looking forward to kicking your ass,” she said as they pull their scrolls out and start playing Grimm beat down Vl a game ruby rocked at and oscar had never managed to beat her at when they started to play and oscar was doing way too well he was doing combos and not just button mashing he was blocking and dodging ruby was getting frustrated she leaned forward preparing to up her game and up her game she did but it wasn’t enough oscar took the first round than the second even ending it with a fatality 

Ruby groaned in frustration taking another drag of the joint then passing it to oscar “how did you get so good is it the weed do you have weed powers”

Oscar laughed and said “I don’t know I just feel super relaxed and your moving slower” She crosses her arms with a fake pout “were gonna say weed powers hm what do you wanna do now I am tired but a nap seems like a waste" There's a sparkle in Oscars eye "a nap sounds awesome" Well uh wanna take a nap I thought you were  asleep earlier" he lays his head back down on her shoulder "You know usually id be nervous about being so close to you but this is nice you smell like metal" "Hm really? I thought I’d smell like weed or I don't know rose petals," she says "Well you do smell like weed but mostly metal When you use your semblance you do smell like roses but when you work with crescent rose a bunch you smell like metal oh wow that probably sounded creepy" She shakes her head "no its kinda sweet you smell like weed and cookies my favorite smell" 

"Thanks, I guess," oscar says then goes silent his breathing slows down after a while she looks at him and he looks like he’s asleep she needs to grab another cookie so she carefully lays him down and grabs another cookie trying to quietly eat it revealing in its deliciousness after finishing it she lays down beside him resting her head on his chest "he's really warm," she thinks and then drifts off to the most peaceful sleep she's had in a long time

___________________________________

sorry if this was formatted badly or its just bad i liked making it tho 

[thecardsimagine]

for the prompt thingy: can you do angst 29 + Nadia, please? thank you,,,

29.  “It’s okay, I’ve heard/felt worse.”

@lowkeyscott Thanks for requesting! It felt like the prompt was more of a hurt/comfort thing, so I don’t know if I got it any angsty, but I hope you like it ^-^ [Promptlist here]

≿————-————- 　❈　 ————-————-≾

It wasn’t often that between you and Nadia disagreement rose.

Frankly, neither of you had reasons to disagree with the other, nor the want to do so. You two were as harmonized as an orchestra, a paragon of a couple. Never had anyone seen you two fighting, the worst being you two having a peaceful discussion over tea and snacks in the afternoon, which admittedly could become very intense but only enjoyable for the both of you.

To have either of you raise your voice at the breakfast table was something of a spectacle for the servants. By late noon, no one even knew the real trigger to the argument, the reason. It was all bundled in a big ball of hurt and problems that either of you two might have swallowed into yourselves over the time being together.

In between that, Nadia had to tend to some political matters, and you had begrudgingly let her go. It wasn’t like you, to be so hellbent on fighting with anyone, and you knew that royal duties always stood in first place for both of you. But the amount of frustration harbored inside of your body was enough to spit out words you regretted later once you were alone.

It was as stupid of a fight as could be. She asked you to attend a ball with her, and you refused, you two exploding about something irrelevant and easily solvable. And yet, there you sat, alone in the way too big residential room, pondering about it. ‘Sure, leave! Not like I need you in these times or ever!” you had called after her as she left for the meeting, only later realizing how she must have felt walking away after hearing that.

Not like this wasn’t strange for you too - fighting with her, that is. You still remembered all the times you two had fought alongside each other, with a common goal. What had happened that you two had to turn against each other instead? Was it stress? The constant being out there, talking to prominent figures and making decisions for Vesuvia, the whole city on your shoulders as it felt?

Maybe it was the long nights out of bed, the balls, talks, tending to her after she came back from a meeting. Perhaps you were lacking sleep and got irritated about that? Maybe you were missing the adventures, the hiding and playing around that you two didn’t think was necessary anymore now that she was the official ruler and you the official consort to her. Against what you two had to go through before, the reason you grew so close in the first place, your life now was monotone, even if you got to do all the things you wanted.

Yes, Nadia laid the world at your feet. The amount of books that you’d never manage to read in three lifetimes, the food varieties you would never taste without her urging, clothing, items, possibilities to practice new skills - were you intimidated by her giving you everything?

All you had in return was your time, your love, your support, and it was all she asked for. You couldn’t make her presents without checking with the treasurer if she doesn’t own that thing yet - five days in advance. And surprises were just as hard as finding out what she could really need to gift to her. It was not something Nadia asked for. She never wanted anything beside you, even if you were becoming less and less independent at the same time.

Sighing, you finally managed to clear your thoughts. The reason you were so angry simply being you didn’t want to become a pet or replaceable to her. You wanted to be equal with her, but undeniably, it was hard when she was so many classes above you.

With a troubled mind, you got up from your seat, walking over to the doors. Once she came back, you would need to tell her about how you were feeling, unless you wanted this relationship to crumble to pieces for something you two could work out. But no one said, you couldn’t try approaching it with some peace offerings of wine and cake, after all, no one knew Nadia better than you.

You were just about to step out when the door got pulled open, your feet ramming into the ground as you feared to run into the person walking in. But you tumbled, fearing to fall when two arms instinctively wrapped around you, keeping you safe. “Sorry…” you mumbled to whoever caught you, lifting your head again after your initial stumble.

“Anytime, Dearest,” Nadia chuckled, helping you up. But despite the warm words, her expression was tense, you already knew she was fighting a headache just from the look on her face. “Oh, you’re done already…” you noticed, suddenly feeling a little awkward meeting her without any further preparation.

“Yes, I kept it quick. Did you want to go out?” she asked, passing you to lay down her shawl, folding it neatly over a chair. “Oh, no, nothing like that…”

“Don’t mind me, you don’t need my allowance to go out.”

Slowly, you raised your hands at the guards who kept the door open for you, signaling them to close it, while Nadia sat down, carefully applying some peppermint oil to her temples. “About that…” you started, making your way back to her vanity, her eyes shooting up to yours in the mirrors.

“I’m really sorry about what I said, Nadia.”

Surprisingly, you had expected the words to be harder to speak, but really meaning them helped to convey them. Slowly she turned around towards you, listening to what she could see in your reflection, was still on your mind. “I think I’ve been feeling like I depend too much on you, and it makes me nothing more than a pet for the countess in comparison. But I didn’t really mean what I said…”

“Oh, Dear,” Nadia sighed, holding out her hand and making you space on the stool she sat, so you could join her, being pulled into a hug with her.

“It’s okay, I’ve heard worse. I always worry that you get bored being here and being with me, that’s why I try to give you so much. I didn’t intend to belittle you.”

“No, it’s not like-”

“Ah, ah, no arguing about who is right now,” she interrupted you, making you realize you were just about to argue that she is doing nothing wrong, taking the blame for everything. You were thankful to her that you didn’t have to shoulder even more by doing this, and that she felt the same as you when it came to responsibility. Those were all just facts. Facts that you two had never talked about before, which ultimately were both your faults.

“Somehow…” you chuckled sadly, avoiding eye contact, fearing you might not speak out the thought if you looked at her. “It was a little easier when we still were after the devil.”

Feeling her hand wrap around your fist stemmed into the stool, Nadia gave you a nod in agreement. “I feel the same way. Maybe I have pressured you too much into this very different daily routine too, we haven’t been out in a while.”

“Exactly what I was thinking too!” you chimed out, hit with a sudden euphoria. You watched her giggle over the bright smile you gave her, your hand opening up and inviting hers into a hold. “My, what a stupid argument. We still think the same, but neither wanted to say it out loud what bothered us.”

Leaning forward, you two shared a short kiss, glad to resolve the tension that stood in the room all day long. “Maybe after the ball…” you thought out loud, standing up to help her with freeing her hair, which she thanked you in relief. “We could make a short trip to Prakra? Just you and me, you know, a small adventure. Maybe… talk without having to run to meetings and everything?”

“That sounds like a lovely idea. I will try to have that arranged,” she promised, and you took a deep breath, feeling the worries fade some more from you too. It was true that not all was resolved, and it would still be burdening you until you could finally find the words to speak it all out in peace with her.

But even if it was hard to keep enduring the ballast, you’d do it, if it was for her.

[clumsyclifford]

For prompt thingy you just posted bc we keep talking about diva!Luke, Lashton with #58

ok yes i know you said diva luke but for some reason no matter how i tried to write this it just ended up with ashton saying it HOWEVER i did write it in the fairytale au ‘verse so ! i hope i didn’t mangle your au thank u

-

Okay. In all honesty, the crystals are fake.

They have real magical crystals, in the back, but those are on request only, because, as Michael and Luke had learned the hard way, some people don’t know how to be responsible with genuine magic items. So they keep the real magical crystals under wraps and in careful storage, and out front all they’ve got are — well, they’re basically glorified rocks. A lot of them are literally glorified rocks. Luke’s in charge of picking decent-looking stones from the ocean floor and glamming them up into something a little prettier. He’s a big fan of pretty things.

Also of pretty people. And pretty werewolves, like Ashton.

Before Ashton, Luke hadn’t even known pretty werewolves existed. He hadn’t really thought a werewolf could be considered pretty. But Ashton is undeniably pretty, in a very scruffy kind of way, and from the moment he steps foot into the magic shop for the first time, roving eyes landing first on the rack of colorful candles and then onto Luke, Luke had been gone.

Since Ashton introduced himself that first day, with a friendly but vaguely wolfish smile that showed only the tips of his canines, Luke has started to look forward to his visits. Not only does he enjoy Ashton’s company and commentary, he also very much appreciates the distraction from annoyingly persistent customers.

“Hey!” Luke cheers, as the chimes over the door twinkle. Ashton enters and meets Luke’s eyes. His face seems to brighten, just seeing Luke. It might just be the lighting in the shop, but Luke blushes anyway. 

“Excuse me,” says the woman standing at the counter. Luke sighs and returns his attention to the customer. “I’m asking if I can see the real crystals!”

“Ma’am, if I’ve told you once I’ve told you a hundred times,” he says impatiently. “The real crystals are for magic-users only.”

“And if I’ve told you once or a hundred times, I am a magic user!”

“Tarot reading unfortunately doesn’t fall under the magic umbrella necessary to access the crystals. I’m sorry.” As if they haven’t had this exact fucking conversation before. Ashton makes an apologetic face, and while the woman rummages around in her bag, Luke mouths save me! Ashton frowns, then walks behind one of the shelves towards the back. Luke stares after him. If Ashton’s planning to help, he won’t do much good in the crystal ball section. Unless he intends to knock them all down, in which case Luke will kick his ass.

“You know,” the woman says, throwing her tarot deck onto the counter, “I saw this conversation happening. In the cards. And do you know what I drew when I asked how you would respond? Death.”

Luke resists the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he says, even though the death card doesn’t mean what this lady obviously thinks it means. Suddenly, there’s a dull thud, and Luke hears Ashton exclaim, “Oh, my ankle! I think it must be broken! Can somebody help me?”

Thank fuck, Luke thinks, and gives the woman his best apologetic smile. “So sorry, ma’am, this is an emergency.” He races around the counter towards where Ashton is. Hidden from view by the shelf, he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking very pleased with himself.

“Pretend you’re actually injured, you idiot,” Luke whispers. Ashton grimaces.

“Ow! I’m in so much pain! I need to get home, stat.”

“I’ll help you,” Luke says loudly, putting an arm around Ashton and helping to heave him towards the door. “Michael! I’m taking this injured customer to the emergency room! Or, um, something like that.”

“You’re what?” comes Michael’s shouted reply, but the tarot woman is giving Luke suspicious looks, so Luke can’t really respond. 

“Sorry,” he tells her. “Come back another time?” Or don’t. That’d be good, if you didn’t. He hauls Ashton, who’s making halfhearted howling noises, through the door, and pretends to help him until they’re out of sight of anyone inside the magic shop.

“You’re the worst liar ever,” Luke complains once they’re out of the woods.

Ashton makes an offended noise. “I did you a favor!”

“Michael’s gonna be mad at me.” Luke shrugs. “Oh well.”

“That lady was annoying, though,” Ashton says, shuddering. “I’m so glad I don’t work in retail.”

Luke huffs. “Shut up.”

“So now that you’re free, where are we going?” Ashton asks. 

Luke’s feet have already started instinctively taking him home, so he says, “Feel like going swimming?”

“You’re such a one-trick pony,” Ashton says, although he’s smiling.

“I’ll find you a sand dollar,” Luke promises. The first time he’d given Ashton a sand dollar he’d worried Ashton would find it silly or trivial, but Ashton’s grin had gotten so wide Luke thought it would split his face open, and he’d loudly proclaimed the gift to be his favorite he’d ever received. Somehow, though Luke really kind of is a one-trick pony, Ashton’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned. “Or a pearl, maybe.”

Ashton sucks in a delighted breath. “You can find those?”

If he can’t find them, he can probably make them, but Ashton doesn’t need to know that. “Yeah,” he says. “This may surprise you, but I’m pretty good at navigating the sea.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Ashton says as they reach the water’s edge. This close to home, Luke can feel the pull, the very gentle lilt of the waves lapping at the shore mixed with the sun glancing off the water. It’s music, all of it. Luke doesn’t think Ashton hears it, but Ashton has a sort of reverence on his face anyway, and somehow, that makes Luke like him more.

(Not that Luke needs to like him more.)

He dives smoothly into the water and shakes the magic off his legs until all that’s left is his tail, and then he swishes it a couple times to get the feeling back. This transition is always kind of weird, but Luke’s gotten much better at it.

“Are you coming in?” he asks.

Ashton hums lowly. “Do you want me to come in?”

Luke turns pink. “Um. I don’t, like…I don’t want to force you or anything. Obviously. I know it’s — swimming comes easier to me, like, of course, so — but if you want to? Yes? Sure?”

Ashton chuckles. “That was a really long-winded way of saying yes,” he says, toeing off his shoes and cuffing his jeans. “Some siren you are.”

“I’m not a siren,” Luke protests.

“Yeah, I can see why.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t worry,” Ashton says reassuringly, and before Luke can react he jumps into the water, splashing Luke and everything around him. When he surfaces, he says, “You still charm me.”

Luke feels warm despite the cold of the water, and doesn’t stop smiling even when Ashton splashes him.

[tonystarkstan]

HI HOPE I LOVE YOU and I have a little thingy/question/headcanon that you can explore if you want: After the Snap, Peter hates sand/dirt/anything that slightly resembles ash so when his decathlon team takes a trip to the beach in the summer, Peter won't walk on the sand without his shoes on and will only sit on a towel

HI I LOVE YOU TOO!

man, I love it when people send me angsty prompts. here we go. I made it irondad because that’s the only thing I know how to write, woo.

-

“Can you believe Mr. Harrington is letting us do this?” Ned asks Peter excitedly as they get onto the fancy charter bus.

“Yes,” MJ says from behind them. “What was he supposed to say when Tony Stark told him, ‘Hey, I want to take the Decathlon team on a trip, because they deserve a break’ - no?”

“She’s got a point,” Tony says, smirking from where he’s already sitting in the front seat.

He looks different from the very put-together version of himself the world usually sees. He’s dressed casually in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, along with his trademark sunglasses, and Peter grins at him.

“Pepper says no to you all the time,” he points out as he and Ned take the pair of seats across from Tony. “Especially that time you told her you wanted to hire someone solely to make donuts for you.”

Tony gives him an incredulous look. “First of all, I told you that in confidence. Second of all, why do you call her by her first name but I’m still ‘Mr. Stark’?”

Peter grins mischievously. “Because she’s cooler.”

Tony shrugs. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Beside him, Ned is watching their interaction with wide eyes. Peter sits back in his seat and looks on as the rest of the team shuffles onto the bus, immediately talking in hushed voices as they catch sight of Tony.

For his part, Tony just smiles warmly and greets them all individually, and Peter laughs under his breath when Flash comes aboard. All the warmth leaves Tony’s face as he eyes Flash coldly, and the teen stumbles nervously, shooting Peter a quick look before making a beeline for the back.

Peter glances at Ned to see if he caught the exchange, but he’s still frozen in awe. Peter rolls his eyes and elbows him.

“Really, man? We’ve been over this. That right there?” he points to Tony, who’s eyes are sparkling with mirth behind his glasses. “That’s just a normal human. I mean, yeah, he’s a genius and a billionaire, and he saved the whole world from a mad Titan, but Pepper has to remind him to eat. And he always loses the TV remote.”

“Even better. We stan a relatable icon,” Ned says, and MJ huffs from her seat behind them.

“You’re insufferable.”

“I try my best. Anyway, what do you guys want to do? I brought snacks, cards, and a couple different movies - all Star Wars, of course,” Ned tells him.

“You’re so predictable. I have a better idea,” she tells them, standing up to address the rest of the bus. “Yo! I made a Kahoot on movies through the decades. Winner gets a free pass to skip a meeting without facing my eternal anger and resentment.”

“She’s talking to you, Parker!” Cindy calls, and Peter laughs good-naturedly. He’s notorious for skipping out on practice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter grumbles, taking out his phone. “Hope you guys are ready to lose.”

In the back, Mr. Harrington looks like he wants to say something, but as everyone starts bickering and challenging each other, he decides to just sit back and let it happen.

The game lasts the full hour it takes to get to the beach. Ned beats Peter by one question, and Peter is one hundred percent sure he will never live it down.

Tony raises an eyebrow. “A hacker and a movie buff, huh?”

Ned nearly chokes at being directly addressed. “Mr. Iron Man Tony Stark, I am so sorry about hacking into - “ he lowers his voice to a whisper, “ - the suit, but, well - Peter made me do it!”

Peter groans. “I hate you. I really do. I’m going to literally throw you under the bus,” he threatens as the bus backs into a parking space.

“That wouldn’t be very neighborly or friendly,” Ned says pointedly, and Tony snorts.

“You’re fine, kid. If anything, I was impressed,” Tony tells him, and Ned wheezes.

Mr. Harrington makes his way to the front as everyone talks excitedly.

“You know the drill. Don’t disappear, don’t drown, don’t get kidnapped, stay in pairs, don’t buy sketchy things from sketchy strangers, and just don’t do anything that will cause me or Mr. Stark a lot of paperwork,” he tells the group.

“Amen to that,” Tony mutters, and everyone laughs, already halfway out of their seats.

“Wait!” Mr. Harrington continues. “You guys need to be changed into dry clothes and back on the bus by 6:30. Snacks are in the cooler, and we’re getting dinner on the way back. Got it?”

“Yes, Mr. Harrington,” the students chant in unison. Appeased, he steps aside and lets the students file off the bus.

Peter, Ned, and MJ quickly gather their things and make their way to the boardwalk in their sandals and swimwear. MJ points out a little ghost crab scurrying across one of the dunes as they walk.

When they step onto the sand, Peter halts, blood freezing in his veins.

Little grains of sand have already gotten into his sandals, the gritty sensation horrifyingly familiar. It takes his breath away. Beside him, Ned pauses.

“What’s wrong?” his friend asks, missing the ashen look on Peter’s face.

Peter clears his throat, trying to quell the increasing panic. “I, uh - n-nothing. I just forgot something on the bus. You guys go on ahead. I’ll be right back.”

“You sure?” Ned asks, and Peter nods, swallowing down his nerves. MJ narrows her eyes at him, but he shakes his head subtly, and she nods, steering Ned to the water, where everyone else is already toeing at the waves.

As soon as they’re away, Peter steps back onto the boardwalk and kicks his shoes off, trying to get the sand away from him as he runs on bare feet back to the bus. He passes Mr. Harrington.

“Forgot something,” Peter mutters shortly, not even bothering to stop. He just needs to get away. He hates himself for not anticipating this.

The doors thankfully, are still open, and the bus driver is standing a few feet away as he talks on the phone. Peter runs onto the bus and runs smack into Tony.

Shit, Peter curses to himself. I thought he was already off.

“Peter?” Tony asks, hands coming up to Peter’s shoulders, steadying him. The kid is panting now, breaths coming in short little gasps.

All he can think of is how, not that long ago, he was in pieces, no bigger than grains of sand. Dust. Ash. He hates all of it, hates how it makes him feel, how it makes him remember.

“Peter - Pete, hey hey,” Tony soothes, gently lowering him onto a seat. “Breathe, buddy. Just breathe, everything’s okay.”

Peter nods, trying to steady himself as he twists his hand into Tony’s sleeve, grounding himself. Tony scans the kid, trying to figure out what could have set him off. That’s when he notices the bare feet, red and raw from the heat of the pavement.

Already forming an idea of what happened, Tony quietly talks Peter through the panic attack, gently easing him back into the here and now.

Eventually, Peter slumps forward, head coming to rest on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony brings a hand up to rest in the soft curls.

“You’re safe, kid, I promise,” Tony murmurs. “Want to tell me what happened?” he asks.

Peter shakes his head, but his mouth opens to speak anyway. “It was the sand,” he says hoarsely, and Tony nods to himself, cursing himself for thinking of this ahead of time. “It just - I know it’s stupid, but it makes me think of - of - “

Tony’s grip tightens around him. “It is not stupid, Peter. What you went through was traumatic. It’s not just going to go away.”

“Everyone else got dusted too, but they don’t - they don’t flinch at everything that so much as resembles it,” Peter counters, pulling away from him.

“Everyone else didn’t feel it like you did,” Tony says firmly. “And even if they did, it doesn’t matter. Everyone reacts to trauma differently.”

“I guess,” Peter mutters, looking down at his feet with a sigh.

“Do you want to go home?” Tony asks. “I can have Happy come pick us up.”

Peter shakes his head. “No, no. I, uh. Don’t want to ruin this for anyone.” Tony opens his mouth to protest, but Peter cuts him off. “I have a pair of tennis shoes for the ride back. I’m just going to change into those and maybe sit on a towel. I should be fine.”

“You sure?” Tony checks as Peter sifts through his bag and pulls out his old tennis shoes.

“Yeah,” Peter says, quickly pulling them on and standing up. They walk quietly across the boardwalk, Tony keeping an eye out for any signs of distress as they get closer to the sand.

Peter takes a deep breath and tenses as he steps onto the sand but relaxes when it doesn’t evoke the same sickening feeling as before.

Tony smiles proudly and briefly pulls him close before pointing to where MJ and Ned are sitting on their respective towels, just far enough out of reach from the waves.

“Looks like your friends are waiting for you,” he comments, and Peter grins, jogging over with his towel.

“Hey! You guys didn’t want to get in?” Peter asks, carefully spreading his towel out on the ground next to them.

“Too cold,” MJ answers shortly, even as everyone else splashes in the waves. There’s a knowing look in her eyes as she watches Tony lay out his towel next to them.

Peter nods, trying to convey his gratitude.

“Plus, it’s much more fun to watch Flash try to swim. He’s surprisingly awful at it,” Ned chimes in.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll get caught in a rip current,” MJ jokes, and Peter gives her a chastising nudge while both Ned and Tony laugh.

“That’s not very nice,” Peter scolds, but MJ shrugs as if to say, Your point?

The four of them spend hours like that, just sitting and talking and exchanging jokes. By the time they’re back on the bus, both MJ and Ned have been offered paid internships, which Ned accepts through a happy squeal, and MJ politely says she needs some time to think about it.

All in all, it was a good trip.

[anxietyrollercoaster]

A fic where Lance and you are best friends and then you both catch feelings for each other but don’t realize that the other likes you. And then one day lance lets it slip that he really does like you and you tell him that you like him too?

A/n: ahh I love it! A classic friends to lovers plot. I'll do my best!

Warnings:

Let me know if you want to be on my tag list!

Modern high school AU thingy

Lance McClain x Reader- Coffee

Lance looked around the corner, really hoping you didn't leave him hanging. He had invited you on this date in hopes that it would show you how he really felt about you. You two had been friends since diapers, your parents being best friends with his and all. You had never really thought of each other as anything more. You trusted him, and he trusted you. You did everything together. Bowling, homework, even those nights when you couldn't sleep and he would talk to you until three am. But this hang out was... Different.

Lance leaned against the cold light pole, thrusting his hands in his pockets. It was a freezing November afternoon. He wanted to take you to your usual hang out, the cozy little coffee shop just down the road, and take you ice skating.

"you've never been ice skating?" Lance asked you one day while hanging out in your room.

You laughed. "Can't say that I have. I have the coordination of a newborn deer."

Lance had looked at you cautiously, trying not to get too excited. "I'll just have to take you one day, then," he said coolly.

Lance smiled at the memory, remembering how your hair looked that day, and how your outfit was so cute on you-

"Hey Lance, you cold? Your cheeks are quite pink."

Lance jumped out of his skin, being met with you wearing a large petticoat and earmuffs. There were small dots of white stuck in your hair, making you look even more stunning. He caught his breath as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, it is a little chilly isn't it?" he laughed, looking at you. Your eyes sparkled with some kind of joy and you laughed with him.

"Shall we get going, Mclegs?" you asked, holding out your arm for him to connect his. He blushed at your nickname for him, one you have him whenever he had his growth spurt. He put his arm though yours and led you towards the coffee place.

You looked around, taking in the white scenery. The trees and sidewalk were covered in a fluffy white blanket and the other pedestrians around you laughed and talked, lost in their own little worlds. You looked over at Lance, who was staring at the ground, his brows furrowed in concentration. You two had been on many dates before, but this was the first time you had ever gotten the urge to kiss him. You shook your head and looked ahead. You felt him look down at you.

"We're almost there," he said, his arms grip tightening on yours as you shivered.

You didn't reply. You just couldn't deny these feelings you suddenly felt for the tan boy. Never had you ever felt this way about anyone. Your heart was beating fast and you were suddenly acutely aware of his arm touching yours, even if you were both wearing coats. He interrupted your train of thoughts with something you never thought would come out of his mouth.

"(Y/n), you look... Incredible today. I mean, more than usual. You always look good. I mean-" he rambled, trying to find the right words to say without weirding you out.

"I know what you mean," you chuckled, cutting him off, "and the feeling is mutual."

He gasped, trying to hide it with a cough. You stopped at the door of the coffee shop. "Here we are," you chimed, pulling him towards the door. He looked down at you and smiled softly, breaking away from you so you could enter. He flourished his hands in a gentlemanly manner. You giggled and walked in, him holding the door behind you.

The smell of caffeine and vanilla filled your senses. The fairy lights that hung above you let off just enough soft light to make Lance look even more beautiful (if that was even possible). The warm air around you melted you into a euphoria. You fell into Lance's side, leaning against him and sniffing the air. You hummed, delighted.

"We've been in here a million times," Lance laughed, "You've never reacted like this before," he tried to hide his blush by looking at the menu, although he already knew he was getting his usual order.

"This time is different," you explained, slightly whispering, "a whole different vibe is coming off of you. But I like it."

His blush got deeper as he went to the counter, barely sputtering out your orders. He knew your usual as well, and as you pulled out your wallet, he covered your hands with his.

"I got it. Don't worry." he smiled softly, handing the woman his card and paying.

You smiled, putting your card back in your wallet.

After getting your drinks, you went and sat down on the fluffy brown couch. You sat down next to Lance, making him blush a bit before pulling off his jacket and setting it in his lap. He held out his hand as you removed yours. You gave it to him and he set it on top of his.

"Thanks," you said, moving some of his hair out of his face.

He hummed, taking a sip of his frap. "So... Maybe we should talk about this energy that's going on."

Your grip tightened around the cup of warm liquid and you smiled softly. "Yes, I think that would clear things up."

He looks at you expecting more, but gets nothing. You sigh.

"You first."

His jaw tightens as he looks down at his feet next to yours. "There's definitely something I'm feeling towards you, (y/n), something that wasn't there before. I just- God, you're so brave and kind, smart and beautiful. And I don't know if it's the hormones or what, but I think-" his blush got, if possible, even darker as he clenched his free hand in his lap, "I think I like you more than a friend."

He looked up at you with a weight lifted off his shoulders. He finally told you. He finally got it off his chest. You looked back into his eyes, totally unaffected. You smiled softly, grabbing one of his hands and pulling him towards you.

Suddenly his lips were on yours, and his hand was in yours, and he was smiling. You tasted like caramel and coffee. You leaned into him as he pulled away, his eyes wide.

"Same here," you whispered, taking a sip of your coffee.

[lovelikeelena]

Song of the Sirenas Review- Part 1/4

Firstly, I wanna say muchas gracias to my best friend, Becca, along with DisneyNerd, DisPrincess3 and others for helping me with some of the visual aspects of this awesome, incredible and amazing movie!

  As many of you know who read my tumblr, I’m almost blind.  That means this review will be unique.  While I’ll be touching on some important visual aspects, I’ll mostly be focusing on storyline and the friendships formed and established bonds between our favorite characters throughout the movie.  There will also be some shipping as well, just so you guys who aren’t Elenaomi shippers know ahead of time.  One more thing before we officially get started:  How cool was it that this movie premiered on international peace day?  This makes it even more timely and relevant than ever!  Okay, let’s dive in!  Pun intended wholeheartedly.

  We open with a spectacular view of the Turner’s boat skimming through the water.  The royal familia, royal guard Gabe and Naomi , along with her parents Captains Scarlet and Daniel Turner, are heading somewhere.  Hmmm?  Where could they be going?  Maybe they’re dropping the douche of Avalor, Esteban off on a deserted island and continuing without him.  Only one can hope.  (I DID NOT come up with that nickname for the chancellor.) Oh yeah, Mateo’s there too.  Well, Esteban isn’t being dropped off anywhere.  No such fortune is shining upon us.  Instead, Elena is stuck with her cousin for the entire journey.  It’s not long into her magical bow and arrow practice that Naomi gets Esteban right in the butt!  Elena giggles, even though she tries to remain stern.  Oops, Sorry!  never mind.  That’s my fanfic version of events.  Back to the actual movie. 

  As I was saying, it’s not long before we find out Scarlet doesn’t take any crap from anyone-including her husband!  She finds Daniel standing, using a barrel as a table.  Poor Daniel just wants to eat a sandwich, but instead he’s told to trim the sail.  He tries to get out of it by assuming bc his wife is captaining the voyage that he would get a well-deserved brake.  No such luck buddy.  Say adios to that break you were hoping for.  Turning, Daniel goes to complete the task.  Before leaving his post, he snatches up his sandwich, knowing his daughter too well, not to mention the fact that there are two hungry teen boys on the ship.  It’s then that Isa answers the question that’s been on our minds since the movie started-especially if you haven’t read the book companion that was released in June or kept up with spoilers before the movie premiered.  The royal familia is on their way to Nueva Vista on the west coast of Avalor.  Isa is excited to get there and her abuela feels the same way.  Louisa mentions sitting on the terrace of the summer palace and napping in the sun.  Esteban puts his two cents in, commenting that Francisco has gotten a head start, indicating him sleeping on a chair.  On another part of the ship, Elena is hanging out with Naomi and Gabe, practicing with her scepter.  Elena demonstrates a few powers we’ve seen in the past-including envision and glow.  Then she shows off a newly acquired power, which is making objects invisible by saying the word vanish.  She uses Naomi’s lasso for this test.  It works and Elena beams.  Gabe asks how many powers the scepter has.  Naomi chimes in by requesting teasingly if her girlfriend can test them on something else bc she wants her lasso back.  Unfortunately, this is the last time in the movie that we see Elena and Naomi treating each other with the love and respect we’ve come to know they possess.  Just knowing this makes me sad.  Hopefully, they’ll resolve things fully in Snow Place Like Home.  I love how Isa comes up to them and is fully welcome by Elena and not told to go away like most older siblings say to the younger ones when with their friends and significant others.  Isa tells them that Scarlet said they’re almost there.  Elena starts to reminisce about her and Isa’s first paternal cousin, Christobal, telling everyone how she remembers going fishing with him every summer.  Gabe is puzzled and says he thought Esteban  was the girls’ only cousin.  Naomi throws her usual jab at the Chancellor by stating “Leave it to Esteban to exaggerate.”  She lays a hand on Elena’s shoulder, initiating the only loving contact they have for the rest of the movie.    In making that jab at the douche, she exemplifies why I love her so much!  Mateo, yup, he’s there, tells Elena she’ll have plenty of time to reminisce when they arrive and it’s time to get back to practicing.  Come on, dude, give Elena a break!  Mateo encourages her to try to make herself vanish.  Elena protests that she only knows how to make objects vanish.  Mateo is insistent, so our favorite future Avaloran ruler obeys.  Elena, there’s no law that says you must listen to him!  You make the laws or will be doing so in three years!  After trying the power, Elena mildly succeeds.  Her body disappears, but her head is still visible.  Mateo makes a lame joke that doesn’t even make any sense by saying “You’re headed in the right direction.”  Leave the quips to Naomi, por favor.  Elena reforms just as all five of them hear a bell ring, followed by Scarlet yelling about approaching sirenas.  All four young adults have different reactions to Scarlet’s announcement.  Elena is confused, while Mateo is all excited and looking every which way like a puppy who is trying to find his new bone.  Apparently, he’s never seen a sirena before.  Gabe is also curious.  Naomi is ready to obey her parents’ instructions at a second’s notice.  Scarlet commands her to take the wheel, calling Naomi Nomes, which I despise!  Naomi does so while her parents ready the crossbows.  Elena shakes her head upon hearing this and asks why they need the weapons?  And this is where I get a little irritated with Naomi.  I know she’s panicking, but still.  She whirls around and snaps at her girlfriend for no reason.  “Sirenas are dangerous!  Everyone knows that!”  Excuse me, Naomi, everyone knows that?  Not everyone has traveled as extensively or has the knowledge you do.  Especially your girlfriend who was trapped in an amulet for 41 years!  Daniel explains to Elena that sirenas sing a song that put sailors into a trance, crashing their ships.  Even though he too is panicking, he doesn’t snap at her.  Take a lesson from your Dad, Naomi.  Elena points out the sirenas aren’t even singing and Mateo chimes in that he can’t remember the last time sirenas caused a ship wreck.  Still, the Turners go through with their defense plan.  Glancing down into the water, Elena locks eyes with a female sirena.  We later learn her name is Marisa.  In the moment their eyes meet, Elena is captivated in wonderment-never having seen a sirena before this.  I’d like to think  she’s also silently assuring Marisa that she knows Marisa isn’t doing anything wrong and that she, Elena, won’t let any harm come to her.  Meanwhile, Scarlet commands Gabe to get everyone below deck, which he does immediately.  Elena commands Scarlet to stop firing.  Instead of listening, Scarlet fires anyway.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s grounds for treason.  Scarlet defied Elena’s direct command.  Eighteen or not, Elena is in charge.  If she says stop firing, you stop firing-no questions asked.  Scarlet, you just keep slipping further and further down my like meter.  It looks like there’s one more in Esteban’s party on that deserted island if they find one.  Elena keeps her silent promise to Marisa and fires her scepter, knocking Scarlet’s crossbow out of her hands.  This affectively saves Marisa and her male companion from injury.  We switch points of view and see Marisa, her friend and seahorse dude in the water.  We discover that the male friend is actually Marisa’s twin brother.  Marisa is just as amazed by Elena.  She asked if her brother saw what Elena did, then must keep him from retaliating.  She calls him Marzel and tells him to stop!  Marzel argues that the people on the ship tried to fillet them to which Marisa points out,  “But the princesa stopped them with that magic thingy.”  Marzel advises they better leave before she decides to use it on them.  Their seahorse friend agrees, and they dive beneath the waves.  Meanwhile, back on the Turners boat, Naomi again turns on her girlfriend, demanding,  “Why did you do that!”  Elena doesn’t take her crap and shoots back with,  “I’m not going to attack someone who hasn’t attacked me first!”  As much as I love watching Elena stand up for herself, my heart breaks a little more.  I don’t like it when Elena and her future wife fight.  I know it happens in every friendship-whether it’s destined for romance or not.  Even so, it’s still hard for me to watch when it's Elena and Naomi. Meanwhile, under the sea, Marisa and Marzel are swimming towards the palace they share with their parents.  Marzel points out that “Sirenas haven’t sunken a ship since before we were born.  And still Humans come after us.”  Marisa counters with,  “That’s because no one has told them we’ve changed.”  Marzel doubts they would listen.  “Maybe the princess would.  You saw what she did.”  Marzel disagrees.  He shakes his head when he sees an all too familiar look in his Hermana’s eyes.  “I hate that look!”  Marisa ignores him.  “We can tell her, then she can spread the word to the rest of the Humans.”  Their friend tells her to keep dreaming.  Marzel reminds him that’s what Marisa does best.  Marisa declares she’s going to talk to their father.  Marzel tells her she’s wasting her time while watching her swim off.

And that’s where I leave everyone off for now!  Part 2 is coming in a few days!  Feel free to leave comments or send me asks!

[writeyouin]

Swerve X Reader – A Human Crewmate - Chapter 10 - Part 1

Christmas Cheer Part 1

A/N – Based on a lot of head-canons from @rocksinmuffin and @straightouttacybertron so extra special thanks to them for that. I was gonna make you wait longer but Happy Holidays my friends. Dedicated to @millebellete for the epic new icon.

Warnings – NSFW/RATED M UNDER THE “KEEP READING” CUT.

Rating – T

You slumped in a beanbag despondently. You’d only been awake for around twenty minutes and the day already sucked. Before you could contemplate your depressing scenario further, the hab-suite door opened to Swerve who peered around cautiously to check if you were even awake yet; he was always careful not to wake you up.

“Hey (Y/N),” he greeted jovially.

“Hey,” You mumbled.

Swerve frowned, “What’s wrong?”

You got up, shaking your head and throwing out a quick, imitation smile that paled in comparison to the real thing, “Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Come on, slumped shoulders, low mood, something’s up. Is it that shark week thing you warned me about?” He sounded vaguely panicked, though he wasn’t actually sure what you meant by shark week.

“No, nothing like that, I just… Something I found out.”

“Let’s hear it, or do I have to talk your ears off first because I will, you know I will.”

“Alright, alright, it’s um… My datapad shows the date back on Earth… it’s getting close to Christmas. Christmas is kind of a big deal back on Earth, y’know? I’ve never not… I’m gonna miss it is all.”

“(Y/N),” Swerve murmured, lost for words at the hurt on your face; he couldn’t imagine the pain you were feeling. You couldn’t go home and nobody else on the ship knew Earth holidays like he did, not to mention it was a time spent with family and friends who you’d also lost.

“Forget it,” You said glumly. “I’ll see you later, I think I need a walk… on my own.”

Swerve didn’t stop you from leaving. He couldn’t, not when a bright idea was firing through his processor. He couldn’t fix the Earth problem, but he could distract you from it; the whole ship could distract you.

Little over an hour later, even in your quiet nook of the ship, the Rodimus gong rang loudly through the halls; it didn’t need the PA for that.

“Attention everybody,” Rodimus chimed over the speaker. “In honour of our resident human, I would like to announce the Lost Light’s first HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA.”

You stared, slack jawed at the speaker, did he mean what you thought he meant?

Muffled echoes came over the speaker, “Why aren’t they cheering? They’re supposed to be cheering.” Rodimus cleared his vocaliser and continued, “Since you obviously don’t know what it means, we’re celebrating the Earth holiday of Christmas… what do you mean Hanukkah? Does she celebrate that too? What do you mean you don’t know? Fine, whatever. Christmas and Hanukkah. Ultra Magnus has prepared… ugh, pamphlets on the subject because he managed to ruin holidays too but please, take the time to learn all you can about what I’m told is ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’”

Rodimus heaved a loud sigh at the lack of enthusiasm, “Alright, fine, it’s a big chance to party and get overcharged…. Sure, now they cheer. Rodimus out.”

The speakers fell silent once more and you sat lost for words in the corridor you’d been hiding in. Your new communicator rang with the Friends theme tune which was reserved for Swerve.

You answered it dazed, “Swerve?”

“(Y/N), did you hear the announcement? What do you think? I asked Rodimus this morning and he was totally on board with it. We can decorate the bar, and set up a movie night, and teach everyone the songs, and-”

“It’s wonderful Swerve, you’re the best, thank you,” You were glad he couldn’t see you crying, even if they were happy tears.

“No problem (Y/N), really.”

“What’d Maggie and Megs say?”

“Ultra Magnus got weird and mumbled something about Verity, whatever that is, then he took off and said he had to decorate and told me not to get into trouble. Megatron couldn’t get a word in over Rodimus.”

You sniffed back more tears.

“(Y/N)? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” You wiped your face with the back of your hand, “meet you at the bar?”

“Can’t wait.”

“So, what’re we thinking?” Swerve asked, standing next to you in the bar; for once, with the lack of bots, you could stand on the floor with him.

You framed the corner of the room with your hands, holding them out, “What about a huge tree over there? Wait, do we even have a tree… or any decorations for that matter?”

Swerve sputtered, faking offense, “Pfft, do we have decorations. What kind of cave dwelling cretin do you take me for? I mean, you may as well ask if the sky has a moon or-”

“So, we do have decorations?”

“Well, maybe not here but we’ll get some soon, right after you decide what we need.”

“Alright soldier, are you willing to follow orders and commandeer any supplies we need?!”

Swerve saluted, “SIR, YES SIR!”

“AND ARE YOU WILLING TO WAGE WAR ON ANYONE WHO STANDS IN YOUR WAY!”

“SIR, YES SIR!”

“EVEN IF IT MEANS INFILTRATING THE ENEMY CAMP!”

“SIR, YES SIR!”

“THEN BEGIN SOLDIER, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK WE NEED.”

“START WITH A WREATH.”

“GOOD, AND?”

“LIGHTS THAT TWINKLE?”

“AND?”

“A SKELETON?”

“YES- Wait, a skeleton? Why a skeleton?”

Swerve held his hands up, “Sorry, I was thinking of Halloween, got excited.”

You grinned, “Fair enough, I’m honestly impressed you got that far, I was hoping you’d screw up sooner.”

Swerve bumped into you playfully, you returned the gesture, laughing as you did so.

“Now,” You commanded, “logistics. I think we’re going to need some help on this one. You got anyone in mind?”

“Tailgate would be good, maybe Chromedome and Rewind, Nautica.”

“Who’s Nautica?”

“Oh right, you two haven’t met yet but she’s awesome and-”

“She? There’s another she on the ship and you didn’t tell me? Go, go get her, I must meet this other she, go.”

You pushed against him, making no difference at all, “Okay, I’m going. I suppose I should bring Velocity back here too if you’re going to meet all the she’s on the ship.”

“Yes,” You squealed, clapping your hands together. “Oh, and bring Rung too.”

“Ring? Why Rang?”

“I swear, you all do the name thing on purpose. Rung has to come because he’ll be happy to be invited, be considerate and invite him before I’m forced to kick your can.”

“Riiight, because you did so good moving me just then.”

“I swear, I could actually destroy you. I’m barely keeping my dangerous animal ferocity contained right now. Us flesh sticks are monstrous, have you never seen Freddy Kreuger or Jason?”

“Frag, if you’re as dangerous as those two, I should run. I’ll leave you to the logistics while I gather the team.”

You saluted once more, and Swerve was out the door, practically bubbling over with excitement.

Boosting yourself up, you sat on one of the barstools, writing a list of what you needed on your datapad.

“Ten!” A mechanical voice gargled.

You squealed, almost falling off your seat, then turned to face the very mech who’d scared you. You’d met Ten before briefly. As far as you knew from the others on the ship, he wasn’t very intelligent, and he served as hired muscle to Swerve.

“Ah, hey Ten. How’re you doing?”

“Ten.”

“Hodor.”

“Ten?”

“Groot?”

“Ten?”

“You’re a mech of many words… Want to keep me company while I plan?”

“TEN!” He threw himself on the stool next to yours enthusiastically.

“Great, first I was thinking a wreath at the door with a red bow. Green and red are the colours of Christmas.” You showed him some pictures on your datapad.

Ten tilted his head, examined the picture, and opened a storage space in his chest panel. He pulled out some pieces of flat silver metal, folding them expertly. It soon became clear that he was making a wreath of his own, albeit devoid of colour.

“Ten, that’s incredible!” You praised as he made a bow with the metal.

“Ten!” He smiled.

“You know, whichever idiot said the thingy about the Ambus test needs their head checked; you’re way smarter than any dumb old test.”

When Swerve came back with the party, minus Nautica who was busy, Ten had piled decoration upon decoration on top of the surrounding tables, each waiting to be placed around the room.

“Whoa…” Swerve marvelled, “What happened here?”

“Ten’s a crafting genius.”

Nautica pushed past everyone to meet you, “Tell me something I don’t know. Hi, I’m Nautica, it used to be Nautical but that didn’t sound right and I babble when I’m excited. You’re a human!”

“And you’re female!”

The two of you squealed excitedly before regaining composure and shaking hands, though Nautica started inspecting your hand, turning it over in hers and making observations.

“What are the lines on your arms?”

“Veins and arteries, they carry blood to and from my heart.”

“Incredible.”

“Right?”

“What else does your body do?”

“Loads of stuff, it can-”

“(Y/N)!” Rewind called impatiently. “Christmas stuff.”

“Right, okay.” The bots gathered around you waiting for what you had to say. You held up your datapad again, showing various images of what each item should look like. “As you can see, Ten has made just about everything we need but silver is so boring on its own. What I need all of you for is a painting spree. Ten, Chromedome, Nautica, you’re the tallest, so you’re on tree painting duty and decoration hanging when that’s done. Rewind, the tinsel really needs to sparkle. Rung, Tailgate, you’re painting the baubles and banners. Swerve, you’re on snowflakes, and I’ll get anything else. Everyone okay with that?”

Everyone agreed enthusiastically and began their duties. Rung proved invaluable, painting over the base coats of the decorations with incredible detail due to his time spent on model ships. With three people working on the tree, it was done in no time, leaving them free to join the hubbub of the decorations table. Swerve was sprinkling liberal amounts of glitter in your hair, claiming you were the angel for the top of the tree. While you laughed hysterically, Rewind filmed, saying he was making a Christmas documentary and asking you every question he could think of on the subject. You started from the beginning, telling any and all traditions that came to your head along the way.

“What’s that? Is it a mini tree?” Rewind zoomed in on the decoration you were painting.

“This is mistletoe, you hang it from the ceiling then when two people step under it, no matter who they are, they have to kiss.”

Chromedome looked lovingly at Rewind; it was a look of so pure and strong that you felt lucky simply to witness it.

Tailgate grabbed the unfinished mistletoe from you, holding it above his head jokingly when you came to get it. “So, like this?”

“Oh, that’s how it’s gonna be is it?” You giggled. “Very funny.” You kissed his faceplate and grabbed the mistletoe back from him with a rocket boot thrust. “Keep playing like that and I won’t give you one for your hab-suite which would be a real shame; think of Cyclonus, all handsome under the mistletoe.”

Tailgate practically glowed at the comment; he was clearly wondering whether Cyclonus would humour him in such an odd tradition. The conversation flowed on as the bar was decorated beautifully. While everything had been made of metal, it served to give the decorations a unique Lost Light look. Swerve kept a box of leftover decorations to use in the hab-suite where the two of you headed after everyone parted ways, babbling excitedly about anything that came to mind.

“I was thinking,” Swerve said, hanging around your kitchen nook while you prepared a Christmas film on the other side of the room, “we should create a Christmas tradition for the Lost Light.”

“Got anything in mind?” You asked, absentmindedly.

“How about naming some new energon cocktails? We could make them seasonal specials, like that eggnog stuff I’ve heard about.”

“So, stuff like, Red Nosed Retro Energon.”

“Yeah, and Santa’s Sleigh-er.”

“Elf-ergon.”

“Jingle Juice.”

“You know, you should really write these down before we forget them.”

“Don’t worry, I remember everything you say.”

You turned around to face him, raising a curious eyebrow, “Pardon?”

Swerve tapped his helm, “G-great memory.”

“Oh, then can you get your great memory over to the berth, so we can start the film?”

For film nights, Swerve always moved the berth into the middle of the room where he’d lay on one side and you’d get the other since he didn’t fill it even when laid out. You’d already prepared a small mountain of pillows to make the hard metal comfy as usual and were awaiting him to start the selected film.

“Here,” Swerve held out a steaming mug of hot chocolate he’d prepared in your tiny kitchen; manoeuvring the small items was much more of a struggle than he’d guessed, and he’d made more of a mess than he cared to admit but the result was there and for that he was proud.

You blinked back surprise, “Thank you.”

“No prob Bob. What’re we watching?”

“Love Actually. It’s the absolute best Christmas film ever, if you can hack the sad parts.”

Swerve’s vocaliser crackled and his cooling fans span quietly, a film called Love Actually was sure to be a romance; it would be the first romance the two of you had watched alone. Were you trying to tell him something or was he imagining things again?

As Swerve laid comfortably on the berth, you started the film and took a sip of the hot chocolate.

“How is it?” he asked hopefully.

You struggled to swallow the thick gloop that was congealing in your mouth. “Like cement,” You garbled.

At the despair on Swerve’s face, you burst into laughter, ungracefully spraying remnants of hot chocolate which brought Swerve into your gales of laughter. You cleaned yourself up and settled into the film. Swerve sat, enchanted with the film until you got up and laid on top of him.

“Wh-Wh-” he tried to speak but couldn’t.

“I love this part,” You said enamoured, getting comfortable on his warm frame. Your head rested against his spark casing and your legs were curled up, limiting you to his chest panel.

While Swerve’s mind reeled, you thought nothing of the small action; it was something you did to friends and family on Earth constantly. Your leg stretched out, accidentally gliding over his interface panel. Swerve threw himself up at the sensitive touch, knocking you to the floor underneath the berth.

“Ow! Swerve, what the hell?”

“(Y/N)! Are you okay?” He’d gotten over the initial shock and was now concerned for your safety; it was at least a four-foot fall.

“Yeah, I landed on the pillows you threw. What happened?”

“I uh- I got scared.” The sentence wasn’t entirely a lie, feeling the pressure of your foot against his interface panel was terrifying; did you even know how much you were torturing him?

“You got scared?”

“Y-yes.”

“Of a child playing the drums?”

“Yes? I mean, w-what if the girl rejects him? After a-all he’s done, it’s too scary to t-think about.”

“Right… Well, if you’re okay to continue, I promise it works out okay for him.”

“Y-yeah, we can continue.”

Swerve didn’t know whether to be relieved or hate himself when you took your usual place on the other side of the berth. He was either a genius for resolving the situation or the galaxy’s biggest idiot for ruining what could have felt wonderful, even if you had no idea what you were doing.

Swerve was restless. He’d made up the excuse that he needed to recharge when you went to bed because he couldn’t face anyone the way he was feeling; too much would come spilling out concerning you. Now, he hated himself for lying because the dull throb of his interface array was almost painful. You’d pressed against the containing panel; you’d started this, yet you got to sleep without a care or trouble in the world.

Yes… You were asleep. The realisation hit him hard. He’d pleasured himself to thoughts of you more than once before. He’d also promised himself that he wouldn’t do so again now that you lived together. Then again, what you didn’t know wouldn’t hurt… him.

Swerve’s interface panel opened seemingly of its own accord. He gritted his dentae together, slowly angling his head to see you, all wrapped up in blankets; the small sound hadn’t bothered you, you didn’t even stir.

Swerve grabbed hold of his already pressurised spike, pumping at it quietly, sensually. He shouldn’t be doing this. Seeing you asleep in a cute poodle tank top should have made him feel worse, he should be guilty watching you and sure a part of him was; a miniscule part which went easily ignored. The rest was more aroused; you were right there, in front of him.

He shut off his vocaliser seconds before a loud moan erupted; going this slow was torture as much as pleasure. As he rubbed his spike with one servo, he used the other to circle around his valve, finally inserting only one digit in; it was his smallest digit and the closest he had to imitating you.

If you only opened one eye, you’d see him in all his disgrace. You’d probably be disgusted, maybe even hate him. Instead, you were stuck in a deep slumber, oblivious to what was happening only feet away.

Before sharing a hab-suite with you, Swerve masturbated to various fantasies varying from fucking you over his bar, to being tied up while you dominated him; each scenario was wilder than the last and he could still see your underwear around your ankles as if it had been real.

Now however, he couldn’t see you as some exotic fantasy; not this time. You weren’t screaming his name. He wasn’t using toys on you or making you use them on yourself. He wasn’t imagining whether you could take the full length of his spike. No, this fantasy was different… tamer. In it, you were cuddled up on his lap, while the two of you told each other future hopes and dreams. It wasn’t a fantasy of lust but of love. Swerve couldn’t fully comprehend his feelings for you as his cooling fans blasted and an upcoming overload jumbled his thoughts but as he jerked off into the final stages of an overload, he loved you.

Looking down at the mess of trans-fluid covering him, Swerve wasn’t concerned with cleaning up the mess or making his cooling fans quiet down. He was even more aroused than before; he’d done it and you hadn’t woke up. He had to do it again.

[dixondrabble-blog]

Awake With The Stars

Based on this request:  Hi.. really having some good time reading your writings!! truly amazing:) just wandering if you could do one where this girl(whatever you want to call her) was an agent thingy (something like 007 that has superior skills in killing and worked for the government ) meets ups with the group right after the group escaped the terminus and offers them protection where she has really high still concrete walls and food and supplies that they can reproduce and energy generator as well?!! and she helps daryl take back beth alive and healthy but ends up realising that she loves him but just stays back help him claim his love!!!

Word Count: 2608

A/N - hey guys! here’s a drabble for everyone :)  sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I really wanted to finish it for you guys; already working on the next drabble! enjoy - Kris

Something was off. About them, the atmosphere, everything. I wasn't sure if the loud explosion and black smoke in the distance was a coincidence or not. I'm sure it wasn't. These people looked like hell and they looked too distracted to just be passing by.

"Rick, wait. We can't stay here! We need to go," an Asian man said to Rick, who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"We need to find shelter and food. Those are more important than killing people, Rick."

I listened to the conversation carefully. They were lost. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. Tension was clear, even though at times, no one spoke.

I thought about it. I thought about it when other groups passed by. My loneliness was not a big issue, but I knew sooner or later, I would crave the voices of others. Voices that were not threatening to kill me, or take over my land. As I thought, I realized the craving was there. I wanted other people around. I needed someone to talk to.

As I stepped out, I made sure to make plenty of noise so I didn't scare any of them. Instantly guns were pointed towards me. I threw my hands up.

"I don't want any trouble. In fact, if you don't want to talk, we don't have to," I stated.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" Rick asked angrily.

"I'm Y/N, and I come from a few miles north of here. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I came to check out the explosion. I heard you guys arguing about a place to stay. I have my own place. High, concrete walls, food, clean water, warm beds. Whatever you need is there. I have an energy generator, so I have light. All the household appliances work. I have medicine, too."

Everyone kept quiet.

"Where did you come from?" I asked Rick. "I don't mean before all this. I mean, minutes ago, where did you come from?"

Rick kept his gun pointed directly at my head. "Terminus."

I raised my eyebrows. "And you took it down? All by yourselves?" I slowly put my arms down. "I'll be damned. Look, I get it. You just came from a place that claimed it was a sanctuary and it wasn't, so now you can't trust anyone. How about," I paused and pretended to think, "if I lead you into a trap you get to, I don't know, eat some of my corn. Come on, sun down is in a few hours and I'd like to get back to my home very soon."

I let my words sink in for the group and turn around. If they really wanted in, they would follow. I wasn't sure why, but deep down I did want them to follow. I wanted to hear their footsteps and their breathing. For a few seconds, I heard nothing and was disappointed. Suddenly, though, I heard whispers and the first few people starting to follow. I smiled to myself.

We had walked for about an hour before Rick started walking next to me.

"How long until we get there?" he asked.

"Fifteen minutes, maybe. I'm not sure, honestly. On my own, I'm faster so I would've been home by now."

"Hm," Rick lightly hummed. "Home?" he asked, tilting his head towards me.

I glanced at Rick and raised an eyebrow. "It's a home, yes."

"Not many homes around anymore. You been here for a while?" Rick continued peering into my life. I wasn't sure if I could tell him everything right off the bat, but I invited him to my home, so I figured I should trust him.

"Yes. I've been here since the beginning. Actually, my parents were kind of freaked out about the whole apocalypse thing, so I have high walls. There are gardens, I have pantries full of food. I'm glad you decided to come with," I smiled at Rick.

The group and I walked for minutes before the gates of my house came into view. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and my house. I was suddenly nervous for what they were going to think of me. And I was now realizing the danger I put myself in.

I allowed everyone inside my home. The messes I left were obvious.

"What do you guys want to eat?" I inquired.

The group looked at me with dull eyes. but once I mentioned food, the color returned. They stood straighter and instead of looking around, they looked at me. Some hands were placed on stomachs and I swear some were drooling.

"Anything you have," Glenn raved.

I smirked and strolled to my cupboards. "Um, feel free to just pick something out, honestly. I have quite a bit of stuff," I stated.

The whole group scavenged around, nearly picking up the crumbs if any fell.

I watched the group carefully. They were beaten down to their cores to the point that I could see their vulnerability. They each suffered so much. I couldn't help but stare.

"Thank you so much for this," Rick gushed.

"It's no problem. Where were you guys heading anyway?" I asked. This group was a mess, anyone could tell that easily.

The group looked at each other and shrugged.

"I think all of us thought about finding somewhere safe," Maggie chimed. "But that's kinda hard to do these days. It's hard to trust anyone."

"I completely understand, hence why I live in solitary. I don't think I've had company since the beginning of this mess," I rambled.

We all sat around in my living room; some people sat on the floor, others leaned against walls. I sat next to Daryl, who made it seem as if he didn't want to be there. He sank down against the wall and kept to himself.

I started a conversation by telling a story of mine. Others listened in, and soon we were telling stories from our past. There were tears and laughter and hands touching hands. Shoulders would bump into each other as we swayed to the sound of stories.

"Y/N, what did you do before all of this?" Michonne implored.

"Like, as a job?" I asked. Michonne nodded. "Well, I worked for the government, actually. I, um, never mind," I chuckled as I poured another glass of wine from the bottle that appeared after a few stories.

"Now you have to tell us," Rick jested. The others agreed, raising some of their glasses.

I rubbed part of my face and sank my shoulders. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I took a breath.

"Well, if you must know," I paused, "I was a hitman."

No one reacted. Rick's smile faltered and Daryl slightly tensed.

"You're joking," Carl remarked.

I laughed, "I wish I was. I was working there for eleven years when shit hit the fan. I traveled a bit, though. That part was nice. I've been to Cambodia, Ireland, China, Ecuador, name a place and I've most likely been there."

As I continued talking, people put down their wine glasses and leaned forward to hear more of my tale that I had to keep secret for years. My relationships with my family and friends were torn apart. I didn't have friends, just bosses and targets. I've had several names, languages, or looks assigned to me. It was difficult to get used to, but it was almost a Catch 22 because now those skills come in handy in this world.

After I told a bit more about my life, I excused myself to go to bed as well as some other people. I thought about my life with this group. Maybe I could get used to them.

_______________________________

"Oh, I totally got ya there!" I heard a hoot from the other room.

Carol, Maggie, and I were cooking and serving dinner tonight. Well, mainly Maggie and Carol. I would dump in some ingredients, but I would mostly sit on the counter and observe.

"Oh, get up and help, will ya," Carol chuckled as she gave my thigh a light slap.

I rolled my eyes and slid off the counter, taking over her position. As I started stirring the filling for the pie that would be dessert, Maggie walked over to my fridge.

"Is this your brother?" she asked as she pointed to a picture.

"Yeah," I huffed as I stirred. "His name was Joe."

"What," Maggie paused for a while, "happened to him?"

I blew a piece of hair out of my face, "He died before all of this. Car accident. I'm glad, though. He didn't deserve to see this. He died before I even got the job for the government. I'm also glad for that."

Maggie nodded. I could see tears form in her eyes. She sniffed before turning to me.

"I've lost some people, too. My sister is also missing. I don't know if she's alive or dead right now. I almost wish for the latter in hopes that she isn't suffering," Maggie sniffled.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Where was the last time you saw her?"

We talked about Maggie's sister, Beth, for a while. What she was like, who she was, where she was going with her life. Before too long, dinner was done and Daryl walked through the front door after having a cigarette.

Maggie glanced at him before looking to me quickly. She knew we had grown close over the course of several months of living together.

"That's another thing about Beth," Maggie mumbled. "She was really close with Daryl. And by close I mean," she glanced back into the living room, "very close."

I furrowed my eyebrows before looking to the floor. For a split second I hoped Beth was dead, but I instantly regretted even thinking it. If Daryl liked or loved Beth, then that was a fact. I couldn't have stopped it. Jealousy still clouded my thoughts, but I tried pushing them aside. I had a real friendship with this group, but Daryl was the closest. I had confided so much in him, and him with me alike.

"Does he think she's dead?" I cautiously asked Maggie.

She slowed the process of her washing the dishes. "I'm not sure. I think he has his hopes up, but I can't tell for sure. We're just starting to get on good terms again."

I nodded and grabbed a clean plate to dry. As I turned to put the plate away, Maggie coughed.

"Y/N, I actually wanted to mention something to you. Daryl has mentioned to the group about how he wanted to go looking for Beth again. We were all thinking of going. You're welcome to come along, if you'd like," Maggie admitted.

I didn't answer, instead putting the plate away and heading to my room. After laying on my bed with a pillow over my face for what felt like three seconds yet three hours, Carol called my name saying it was time to eat.

I groaned and sat up, throwing my pillow to the side. My face was grim as I sat at the table everyone shared. I ended up having to push two tables together to fit everyone.

Luckily, tonight I was sitting across from Daryl. I watched him as he ate. I myself could barely eat. Everyone else acted as if nothing was wrong.

"I mentioned to Y/N about Daryl's plan," Maggie commented. "About finding Beth."

Everyone either stopped or slowed their eating. Rick glanced at me, then Daryl. Clearly others have taken notice of our relationship.

"I'm in if you guys want to do it," I murmured.

Daryl's head shot up, looking intently into my eyes. For some reason, it looked as if he was thanking me. If Daryl truly loved Beth, I wouldn't want to get in the way of that. I'm sure Daryl deserved her.

After eating and helping clean up, I stepped outside onto my porch to sit for a while. Winter was coming to an end and the air was still crisp. Mud was scattered across the lawn. Patches of squashed grass started to show themselves. I was wary of sitting on the porch swing because of the wood being damp.

I could hear the door open and close before feeling someone next to me. I glanced over, seeing Daryl.

"Hi."

He nodded and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. I could see that he was watching me closely. I wrapped my arms around my myself.

"Do you love Beth?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Daryl shrugged. "I'm not sure. Thought I did, but things change," he sucked on his cigarette.

I nodded, understanding his words. "I'm glad we'll find her. Maggie misses her, and you two will become the best of buds again," I looked down to the ground. "Plus I'll be on another adventure."

"Were you with anyone before all this?" Daryl motioned to our surroundings as he asked.

"Yeah. This guy named Frank. He was a real asshole, though. Thought I loved him, but I just loved the idea of love. After breaking ties with everyone else I knew, Frank was still there for me. Turns out he just wanted my salary. It's whatever, though," I shrugged.

Daryl nodded, putting out his cigarette. "Do you miss people?"

I thought for a second before I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. "God, I miss people. I didn't realize how lonely I was until your group wandered by. You're a real friend, Daryl. All of you are."

Daryl stared at me for a while before coming to stand directly next to me. He slowly put his arm around my shoulder. I placed my own arm around his waist and pulled him close. We both hugged in silence while looking to the stars. ______________________________

"Everyone ready?" I asked, patting my pockets to check on how many boxes of bullets I had.

Today was the day we rescued Beth. Daryl and Maggie were giddy with silent excitement. They were both happy to be doing something.

"I think we're all set," Carol piped.

We all walked out the front door, me being the last person. I took one last look of my house before shutting the door. We were on our way.

_______________________________

Everything was a blur. People were rushing around, gunshots rang throughout the area, people were yelling, and my vision was blurry every few seconds. It had felt like a few minutes passed before Rick was pulling on my arm, Michonne shoving me out of the door. I ran ahead, yelling at people to follow me.

Beth was with us now. Daryl and Maggie ran beside her. All of us were sweating, swearing, coughing our lungs up. It was a war zone and we had passed into No Man's Land. I was scared for my life, the group, and getting home.

By the time we had gotten close to my house, I was done panicking. I partially lost hearing in my left ear, but I was hoping that would soon come back.

"Why don't we rest here for the night," Rick suggested.

I looked to the position of the sun and agreed. Beth and I introduced ourselves to each other. She was nice. I understood why Daryl liked her. Before I knew it, someone was stomping out the fire, and Beth joined Daryl. They were hugging, and I realized I couldn't intervene. I respected Daryl too much to hurt him. This is what Daryl deserved, and I was okay with that.

Soon, it was just me and the stars that lay awake. I was content with it all.