#ficdump

[lynrasa]

To Dust You Shall Return: Phantom/Secret

Why is there not more of this? She's basically canonically a halfa.

(I know the answer is because Young Justice is vastly underappreciated. Shh.)

Some notes on Greta Hayes | Secret as a halfa. 

Based on her described power set, she is absolutely a halfa and would fit right in to Danny Phantom without any real adjustment. 

Given the specific variety and format of her powers, she is a halfa almost exactly as OP as Danny. 

The only part of her story that doesn't fit the 'halfa' thing is the simplicity of her death. There doesn't seem to be a portal involved in her death, and Danny doesn't appear to be a psychopomp. That's fairly easy to fix: the tape deck that Billy | Harm used to kill her was chanting a summoning spell / portal opening spell. It's clear that she and / or Billy had some magical ability before their respective deaths, so that might have affected things as well.

Alternatively, Greta was mostly just an extremely powerful ghost until Darkseid (Side note: the fact that Greta called Darkseid Doug Side [and he let her] is not played up nearly enough) returned her to life, at which point she becomes a halfa or maybe some other flavor of undead since she doesn't seem to have access to her powers anymore.

If she is a full halfa and possibly just as a ghost- Greta has a Smoke Core. Also, I like the idea that, like Danny, she has Ancient potential from the beginning. She can literally be the Ancient of Secrets, which would neatly explain both her Core (Smoke and Mirrors) and The Abyss. On the other hand, The Abyss can just be the jacked up version of Danny storing shit in his chest. 

Her Obsession would be her greatest weakness because Greta is basically obsessed with Normality / Life. I like the idea that Obsession loss- Secret starting to give up on the idea of Normality helped lead to her insane jealousy over Robin. She briefly fixated on him from an Obsession point of view- the secondary obsession (which could also fit into the larger obsession- CompAllo) helped shore her up. Also, I generally see Tim as a late-bloomer in the whole Romance thing. He does stuff more because it's expected of him not because he actually feels things. I am also heaadcanoning him as on the younger end of the Young Justice group. I don't know if I'll put Secret on the higher end, but even so, girl puberty generally starts before boy puberty.

Also, Tim is very much a product of CompHet 90s masculinity, honestly as bad as Kon. So he did not grow up reading romances, he did not watch romcoms, etc. Greta did. So she takes it as a love declaration, but Tim was thinking more of emotional support / backup. He meant it; he was sincere, but he doesn't really understand overpromising (he never will). It's part of his problem with Spoiler, too and Jack Drake. Tim's emotional priority is Batman Gotham. In the words of Eliot Spencer "You can't make that promise to more than one person."

I really like the idea that Greta is a halfa and the one Secret eluding her is transforming on her own. First, she can't find the secret to being human, then she can't find the secret to being a ghost. Given Doug Side's involvement, I expect her transformation is paradoxical, something like the moment she stops wanting to be alive she can be returned to life or the moment she stops wanting powers she can be a ghost again? No, that doesn't seem to fit.

Something about the Anti-Life equation though. And she is a psychopomp, she is a portal? The anti-life equation incites a death wish in people right? Or a wish to cause death? Harm may have been an early devotee of the Anti-Life equation, which means it could have been involved in Secret's death. Why did Secret make a good sacrifice for Buzz / for the Anti-Life equation? Was she already a paradox? Someone filled to the brim with vitality, but with a dark / death-seeking place inside them? Or was it about potential? The most life converted to death? Something like that. 

Regardlesss, I really really want to write something with Greta and Danny. Do I want to write them together? I mean, that feels cutesy and too perfect and Mary Sue-ish, but honestly it would be reasonably true to both their characters. Maybe this could be college shenanigans.

Actually, I really like the idea that Greta's 'secret' nature means that her ectoplasm is completely undetectable if she's not in Ghost form. So Danny has no clue that she was ever Secret, was ever a ghost, and they're dating.

At some point Danny comes clean about he was to Greta and she blows up, something on the order of "NO! NO! NO! I GOT AWAY FROM DEATH. IT CAN'T HOLD ME ANYMORE. I WAS FREE!" I think the key word there is 'was'. Her emotional distress forces her back into her ghost form. At which point, she, somewhat understandably, blames Danny and attacks him, "YOU DID THIS TO ME! TURN ME BACK! LET ME GOOOOOO!"

Danny had absolutely no idea that Greta was a halfa before she transformed, and is confused by her apparently out of nowhere halfa transformation, especially the bit where he couldn't sense her until she transformed. He can sense Dan, Ellie, and Vlad. And even Val and Jazz and Sam and Tucker (high level liminals). Also, she's really strong. Like really strong. Like, if she actually knew how to fight other ghosts at all, she'd probably be the most dangerous person he'd faced since [either Pariah Dark or one of the Ancients]. She's only used to fighting the living though and she's busy having a mental breakdown, oh, and there's the bit where Danny is King. So, he's able to soup her and take her to Frostbite, since he's really worried about her. [Also, ship name is now Dry Ice]. Absolutely going for Ghost Emote Communication, so the entire time, Danny is apologizing to her in Ghost. 

Shit. I was thinking about playing this for laughs, but now I've accidentally had Danny repeat one of her major traumas. Fuck. Okay, There will be lots of Greta learning about her biology- not her powers, she knows how to use those, she just needs to figure out how to transform. She will not figure it out immediately, but Danny is able to help her transform back by transforming with her. (Very shoujo, I know, whatever, she's a 90's character and by making her a halfa I gave her a magical girl transformation. Also, ectoplasm follows Green lantern rules, so when she first masters transforming on her own, Greta absolutely has a Sailor Moon style transformation sequence, though she gets to skip the pose at the end, and her halfa outfit is always her Young Justice character design.)

Actually, I really like the idea that- while this is a forced to remain in contact scenario- Danny leaves everything for Greta to choose. Also, while he didn't tell the specifics until the start of this story, she did know he wasn't standard human. He was open about that, just not that he was dead instead of meta. When she first transforms out of anger she goes straight to Secret's outfit. The first time she means to transform from human to ghost, she appears "in the outfit she died in". Greta died in the bath, so she's naked. Danny immediately closes his eyes (despite having seen her naked while they were dating- I don't know that they actually had sex- that might have been skinny dipping or an "almost" or just a changing situation [Anita has no body modesty; I suspect this rubbed off on the rest of YJ after they knew Tim's identity].) and talks her through how to change her outfit as a ghost.

At first, her transformations happen due to extreme emotional distress. She's always furious when she finds Danny to help her transform back. She manages to stay out of sight- she's good at stealth, but she hasn't figured out invisibility. Danny earns back a little bit of goodwill by teaching her to go invisible immediately. Especially because Danny does not treat her as stupid for not knowing. He keeps up a running commentary about all the trouble he had when he first encountered his powers and how shit a teacher he is. (This is actually true.) It also helps that he treats invisibility as a basic safety precaution rather than a 'cool power'. So, for future transforms, if she transforms, she immediately goes invisible.

She also appreciates (once she notices) that Danny stopped assuming she was his girlfriend as soon as the fight happened, but did not stop being available for emotional support. She also appreciates that he's never asked about her death. [She didn't get the cultural stuff any more than he did. She doesn't know that asking is severely taboo in ghost culture.] Danny, for his part, desperately wants to give her the culture stuff he didn't get, particularly the stuff that caused him so much trouble, but has noticed Secret's particular aversion to discussing her powers or ghostliness. Jazz or maybe someone else warns him to let Greta set the pace, and he takes the advice. 

Things start to turn around when a Young Justice fight- ooh, no, better. Cissie is taken hostage / kidnapped by a particularly crazed fan. This has happened before. I think her identity is public (need to check), so normally this is solved by Cissie shouting for Kon. Or better, she shouts for Cassie whose identity is also public, but usually Kon shows up. They set this up specifically- lots of people think to shout for Superboy; no one shouts for the Wonders; they're not known to have superhearing.

Except this time: the core four are in space. All of Young Justice is still in a group chat, so Cissie knows shouting won't do her any good and Greta knows that Kon and the rest can't help Cissie when she sees the breaking news alert. She has contact info for the Justice League, but her justified experience as a member of Young Justice is that the Justice League will not listen to them and can not be counted on. She makes a mental note to bug [Red] Robin into giving her the information for the Titans and the Outlaws. Then she hunts Danny down in their human forms so he can switch them to ghost and she can go save Cissie.

She isn't the only Young Justice reservist who shows up. Anita can teleport. Also, Danny follows her, but when he sees Secret and Empress flawlessly fall into fighting together, he wisely decides to stay well out of it, except at one point he turns Cissie intangible to prevent the crazed fan hurting her. Cissie and Anita assume Secret did it (No they don't, but they aren't going to press Greta about it. Headcanon: Young Justice rules of order state that the person gets three strikes or until it reaches WTF level before there's an intervention to demand an explanation. There are levels to acting on a Young Justice league WTF by the way. Level 1) Bart is told. Level 2) Tim is told Level 3) Cassie is told Nuclear option: Tell Kon and ask him to keep it from Tim and Cassie.) 

Once Cissie is free, Anita and Cissie's main concern is figuring out if Secret is dead again. They're really upset about that idea which makes her happy. She assures them it's only sorta and tells them she can change back. She ducks out of sight. Danny helps her change back without a word- he can manage invisibility in human form, but mostly just stays hidden. Cissie and Anita are desperately happy Greta's not dead, but also concerned. They know Greta wasn't really interested in her powers. All she wanted was to be normal.

Greta assures Cissie that Cissie's safety is worth more than Greta's normality. Anita's a little tactless about it, but that's Anita. Greta and Cissie get it; Anita loves heroing and wants to get back to it full time. Anita heads home. Greta ducks back into hiding so Danny can help her transform back, then carries Cissie to the police station. Cissie lies and says she was saved by Superboy and Empress, but they had to rush off to some other disaster. Greta and Danny fly back to campus and Greta quietly and more than a little grudgingly- she doesn't want to forgive him yet- thanks him for helping her save Cissie. She also thanks him for staying out of the way. Danny admits a little about his own vigilante past and they fly back in silence. 

Sometime after Greta has started to figure out transforming on her own, someone on the campus dies. Greta feels the pull towards her duties as psychopomp. When she gets there, Danny is also there, pulled by something he doesn't know to the spot. Greta starts to do the psychopomp thing, but something about her appearance specifically sets the soul off. She sighs and tells Danny to try. Danny does not know what she's talking about.

Uno Reverse Card. Greta hadn't known they were halfas; Danny hadn't known they were psychopomps. He freaks out- less violently- but otherwise a lot like hers. Danny is surprised he's never had to do it before. Much later, they find out he actually has. Greta is a psychopomp for those who will move on, Danny for those who will remain. She is Mercy and Judgement and the End. He is Compassion and Memory and the Beginning. Some souls, like the one on the campus, are undecided, so they both get pulled to them. They don't meet everybody who dies, just those who need a little help.

Also, like with Kathy, sometimes they can lead the person back to Life instead of to Death and the Afterlife. When Greta does this, the result is no more than a little liminal. When Danny does it, it makes undead of some sort or another, or at the very least, high level liminals. This is due to the excess of ectoplasm in Danny and the difference in their roles as Psychopomps- she's Death / The Abyss, he's Afterlife / The Infinite Realms. Or, in their role as dualities, She's Life or else Death he's Life and Death.

I may end up altering their uniforms so she has a ⊻ and he has a ∧ as part of their costumes (Logic symbols: Either Or for her, And for him). Possibly on capes. Maybe capes which only appear when they're being formal. This amuses me immensely, because I'm a dork. Also, I'm adding notes: On his cape, the shape is basically made out of galaxy- matching the representation of the milky way. On hers, it's curls of smoke and / or whitewater. (Because I will absolutely reference Abhorsen whenever I can. Always. Continuously.) 

[ftmsteveraglan]

rewatching the fnaf movie for the millionth time has reminded me of how bisexual i am because holy FUCK vanessa. just. hhhhhhh i am not immune. her babygirl autism swag has captivated me

[pjsk-headcanons]

i THINK this is a headcanon but basically it's what kagepro songs i think should be on proseka and who would sing them (not related to the heat haze sekai au)

kagepro×proseka covers

headphone actor— l/n, ichika shiho miku+shiho alt

kisaragi attention— mmj, shizuku haruka luka+shizuku and haruka alts

otsukimi recital— mmj, minori shizuku haruka airi+minori and airi alts

yuukei yesterday— wxs, rui nene meiko and kaito+ruinene alt

sorry if this doesnt count as a headcanon i dont know where else to put this-

— 🧀

.

[alyheartsjess]

finally up😩🙏

[ochazuku]

haven't logged in in forever and now that I have, I realise that posts on this ficdump are still being viewed and liked...thank you all so so much for continuing to let my little word-vomits pass through your brain (and in the process bring my stories to life beyond text on a screen)!

[halfeaten-mantou]

hello tumblr universe 🪻

just a lil ficdump sideblog ^o^

(if anyone is here reading this, i just want to tell you that i really appreciate it ♡)

ao3

[yerimforpresident]

autumn ✲ 23

this is the ficrec/ficdump side blog for @smileyerim <3

fic rec masterlists coming soon!

[jjamjamm]

They Gave Each Other a Pledge

Masterlist

Wordcount: 1493

Summary: Thorin's youngest sister is in a secret relationship with his best friend. All is well until he catches them together. NSFT

“Evening Princess.” Dwalin said, keeping his voice low as he approached the table in Erebor’s library. After passing rows of bookshelves, he knew he would find her in her usual hidden spot, by the roaring fireplace. Apart from that and a few torches, the library was dim and deserted.

Y/N looked up from her book upon hearing his voice, lighting up with a grin, “Mister Dwalin, what brings you to the library?”

“Oh, just thought I’d find a pretty young lass sitting all alone with her nose in a book.” He teased.

She reclined in her seat, stretching for the first time in hours, “Well, it seems you have. Wonderful timing too, I was getting a wicked crick in my neck.”

“That won’t do.” He said, walking around to the back of her chair. Had he been any other dwarf, or had they not been alone, he would never have been permitted to do what he was planning to. Part of their meeting in secret was to permit such tender moments without fear of reprimand.

Dwalin wasn’t known for having gentle hands, but for Y/N, he tried. He rubbed his palms together and blew into them before carefully moving her hair aside and resting his hands on either side of her neck. He moved slowly, lightly pressing his thumbs into her muscles and moving them in wide circles.

Y/N hummed lowly, rolling her neck to the side as he worked, “You’re marvelous, you know that?”

Dwalin smiled at that, “You could say so more often. Is this too rough?”

“It’s perfect.” She assured him, leaning into his touch, “My brother has been stealing you far too often lately. I’ve missed our secret meetings.”

At the mention of Thorin, Dwalin frowned. He didn’t like that he had to hide from his friend like this, but the dwarf was too stubborn for his own good and made a point to scare off all potential suitors interested in courting his baby sister. Dis had stood up to him, fighting to see Vili and won. When Y/N had tried a short while later, Thorin would have none of it.

“If I bend this far, I’ll break.” Thorin lamented, “Who is it? Who do I have to set straight? Dwalin and I will go over and pay him a visit right now.”

Y/N couldn’t deal with her brother, but at least Frerin had taken pity on her. He helped her sneak around and soon got Dis involved in it as well.

“Ooh, well he’s a hunk of dwarf.” Dis had winked at her sister upon hearing the news, “I could talk to our dear Thorin for you, if you’d like.”

Y/N grew wide eyed at that, “I don’t want him to hurt Dwalin. They’re such good friends, I couldn’t stand to be the reason they stop talking.”

“Thorin does have that Durin’s temper.” Frerin agreed, throwing an arm around her shoulders, “Tell you what? We just keep him out of the way and let you two spend some time together?”

“With Frerin and I distracting him, Thorin will never find out.” Dis assured you, “Until you want him to, that is.”

“I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to understand.” Y/N frowned as their meeting was interrupted.

Dwalin stood in the doorway, looking dutiful as ever, “Princess Y/N, your father wishes to see you.”

Frerin grinned ear to ear, nudging Dis, “Oh, does he? Can’t keep adad waiting Y/N.”

Dwalin rose an eyebrow at their strange behavior, but Y/N briskly tugged him along down the hall.

“Why does adad need to see me?” She asked, looking up at the guard.

“He doesn’t, I wanted to.” Dwalin admitted, “I thought we could go to our little hiding spot?”

Y/N beamed at that and the two were off, winding through hallways until they reached a usually unvisited corner of the mountain. There were rooms upon rooms down there of storage, where inventory was taken roughly once a month. Since inventory had just been done, the two would be safe from peeping eyes or surprise inspections.

Y/N laughed as Dwalin took her hand, leading her into their usual room. He took her by the hips and lifted her, placing her down on the table covered in a couple of rugs that had been beaten out during the inspection.

“They cleaned.” Y/N noticed briefly, before pulling him down to meet her in a kiss.

“Plus, we won’t have to worry about my brother coming by in search of some forgotten edition of a book.” Dwalin grinned, keeping his hold on her hips, “Might have to move you back to make this work.”

“Table too tall for you?” Y/N teased, scooting back and beckoning for him to join her. The two moved to lay with one another along the length of the table, and Dwalin shifted her skirts around to brush his hand along her thigh.

“Oh, my beautiful princess.” He said, pressing kisses down her jaw and neck, “I’m the luckiest dwarf in the world.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Y/N’s laugh turned to a gasp as he revealed his other hand had undone his breeches. He teased her gently, savoring the little noises she made before he asked if she was ready, “Perhaps we should wait for someone to walk in first?”

Dwalin grunted at that, always some sort of smart remark coming from the lass, “You’ve a wicked tongue.”

“Something you’re familiar with.” She grinned up at him, “Unless, you’ve forgotten and need a reminder?”

“Don’t tempt me lass.” He warned as she lined him up and lifted her hips to meet him, “Easy now.”

He angled himself over her, pressing his length deep within her with a groan. A satisfied sigh came from the girl beneath him as he filled her, and she brought her hands to her breasts.

Her mouth fell open as he began a rhythm, slow at first but was soon pounding into her, his arms hooked under her thighs and held her close to his hips. Y/N shuddered and reached to grab something, needing to clench her fist around fabric. She knocked something off the table, which hit the ground with a metal clang before she grabbed hold of Dwalin’s shirt.

“Dwalin!” She cried, painfully close to an orgasm. He grunted above her, keeping his pace up until a deep voice growled out his name.

“Dwalin.” It said, cold as stone and dripping with anger. Dwalin pulled Y/N’s skirts to cover her and lowered her to the table beneath them.

Thorin stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest as he stared daggers at his friend.

“Thorin, I can explain.” Dwalin tugged his pants on, scrambling to fix the situation.

“Get away from her.” Thorin warned, standing between the two, “Y/N, get off the table.”

“Thorin, I-” She tried.

“Now.” He ordered and she moved quickly, never having been on this side of his temper before.

“Thorin, it’s not what you think.” Dwalin assured him, kneeling on the table still. He was pleading with his friend not to react too rashly, before he knew what was happening.

“Isn’t it?” Thorin asked, “My best friend has been whisking my baby sister off to screw her. He didn’t even have the decency to put a braid in her hair first or ask me what I thought of it!”

Dwalin winced at Thorin’s yelling and climbed down from the table, looking to see how upset Y/N was.

“We wanted to.” Y/N assured him, “We were terrified you’d say no, we couldn’t bear the thought of being forced apart.”

“Prince Thorin, what was the noise?” A guard paused as he saw the scene. He immediately turned on his heels and left the doorway and Thorin took a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Do you love her?” Thorin asked.

“What?” Dwalin was stunned at the question.

“Do. You. Love. Her?” Thorin repeated, looking his friend dead in the eyes.

“With all my heart.” Dwalin swore.

“And you feel the same?” Thorin turned to his sister, not looking as furious as he was when he had torn them apart.

“I do.” Y/N replied, “More than anything.”

Thorin nodded at hearing that, trying to reason with everything, “Here’s what will happen. If you two truly intend to continue your relationship, it will be done properly. She is a princess after all Dwalin, you have to follow tradition.”

“Aye.” Dwalin nodded, “To a tee.”

“Alright then.” Thorin didn’t seem thrilled with the idea, but he appeared to be able to live with it, “The only other question I have is: did Dis and Frerin know about this?”

Y/N dodged his gaze, and he had his answer. Of course they had known.

“I’ll be good to her.” Dwalin swore, putting his hand on Thorin’s shoulder, “By my beard, I swear it.”

Thorin smiled at that, appreciating the words of comfort. Thorin patted Dwalin’s hand and nodded, “I know you will.”

[choco-glow]

CampNano FicDump #1

Just what it says on the tin; just a bit of fic, Breath of the Wild/Age of Calamity to be specific, from today’s writing. The OG stuff is staying in files for now (because it’s connected to novellas I’m working on for publishing), but fic’ll be shared periodically through the month!

Shadows, seemingly darker here,  spread in wide swathes over the canyon rock, starlight and moonlight lost behind gloomy storm clouds, and the scout placed a steady hand on the still-warm rock face, closing his eyes, not to see better…but to listen. Above him, the soft lowing howl of the winds off the Gerudo Highlands, almost as ancient as Lanayru peak, carried a bite of snow and ice that he could scent even this far into the lowland canyons. Below, the shift of sand on rock, each tiny piece grating away just a little more rock to join them, a sursurrus that was as surreal to him as it was comfort to the desert folk. The steady flap-flap of the Yiga banners fluttering in the wind provided a soft beat between the two sounds, and distantly, he could hear voices in that peculiar Yiga language, a bastardization of his own Sheikah…

Another sound. This one closer, sharper, the sound of a sandal on the stone, and Link opened his eyes a fraction, slitted against the grit and dust still blowing through the canyon, lips twisting in a scowl under his mask. But the sound moved away from him, showing that it was only a patrol, and as easily as he’d melted into the canyon, he melted back out, making his careful way back to the stable that led to Gerudo desert. The sands were soft and quiet tonight, the lizalfos all bedded down with bokoblins and moblins alike, and as Link ran, he changed into his civilian gear, pausing only to pull on his boots before letting down his hair into a simple ponytail and inwardly cursing the need to put his missions back to back.

And he’d learned little of the Yiga’s movements; they guarded their canyon holding well, and short of an all out attack that would cripple the armies of Hyrule, they’d come out as victors. The thought made Link’s stomach lurch, and as dawn crested over the horizon to the east, casting pink and gold across the last of the sands, he pulled his hood up, furious that they’d remain free. For now. As it was, he had only a few days to report his findings to the head of the Sheikah spies, and then report to Hyrule Castle for his permanent assignment.

/Only because Da asked…and Mum begged./ His siblings were all in service to the castle, and had been from the time he was a child; he’d been the surprise baby, late in his parents’ lives, and it was only the fact that his father was half-Sheikah, and his mother whole, that they’d been able to be with him till now. Da was aging, and had mostly retired as little more than a trainer of new knights, while Mum was still very much the powerful Sheikah woman at eighty that defied much of time’s ravages. Still, Link had taken to missions early on; from fourteen, he’d served the Sheikah while his siblings served the King and his retinue. /At least Mum will be at the castle; she is the Spymaster, after all. Perhaps she can send a team to suss out the Yiga’s true intentions; back up wouldn’t be a bad idea./

He’d talk to her when he got back; he always did, close as he was to his mother, and she’d have some idea of where he was going to be stationed. With luck, it’d be where he could continue to do some good, rather than a sedentary posting in Mabe Village or the Research Lab. /Not what Da wants, but…well, he trained me, he knows how good I am./ As Link passed under the archway, hitting the stone road with purpose, he made haste to the stable, thoughts still on the next mission. /Hylia, if ever you’re listening, give me something /exciting/, something challenging. Maybe Zora’s Domain? I’d love to see Mipha and little Sidon again…/

—-

/Hylia. I’m sorry./ Link managed to keep himself from slapping his own face in sheer annoyance only by the thinnest shred of self-control; it wasn’t much help, and he closed his eyes, trying to breathe out his emotions. He wasn’t bothered with the task of escorting the Princess to her training and to talk to all of the proposed champions…but listening to Revali /bitch/ about every. Single. Little. Thing…was grating on his nerves something fierce. They’d gone to the Champion of Vah Medoh first, much to Link’s worry about the blizzard, and having dealt with the Rito forces raining down bomb arrows, sword strikes, and far more bullshit than he was paid to deal with, Link was…quite done.

And Revali was clearly having far too much fun lording over Zelda and Impa, giving them little half promises and ‘possible’ yes’s…Link had had enough. The little Guardian that had found him during the first battle he’d all but ridden into when he’d returned to Hyrule Castle scuttled behind Zelda, beeping softly, and he patted it as he pushed through the party, standing before his princess now. He could feel the anxiety rolling off her in waves, and crossed his arms, determined to win, at least, /this/ fight for her.

“If you’re done insulting our princess and pissing me off, you overgrown feathercushion, maybe we can get to the actual work of piloting Vah Medoh for the sake of ALL of Hyrule, the Rito included!” Link barked out, his voice harsh and sharp after the cold and two weeks being on the road in mostly silence. The Rito Champion stared down at him, eyes wide in surprise, and he took the opportunity to gently push past Zelda, annoyance flaring as he dropped his hood. “At what point are you going to give us an answer, hmm? At what point were you EVER going to pull your beak out of your ass and do something more to help your people? Or are you so proud a peacock that you need to lord over every tiny thing that you manage to succeed at?”

“…I…” Link brushed off Ravali’s startlement, warmed up now in his anger and on a roll.

“It makes you look like a damned fool, which we all know you’re not, because we wouldn’t have been here, fighting off Ganon’s hordes, helping YOU with the attack even after you bombed us out, if we didn’t think you were the best person to pilot the Divine Beast! Now, are you ready to pilot Vah Medoh, help your people and help us protect Hyrule…or are you going to sit here tweaking your bow and your beak up at everyone who comes to you. Your choice, /Master/ Revali. C’mon, let’s leave him to his featherplucking.” Sarcasm and anger dripping from his voice, Link ushered Zelda, Impa, and the little guardian back down the stairs, heading to the little shop to restock and find some better, warmer gear for all of them.

Impa was still in shock, but Zelda seemed to have recovered; she joined him in picking out some snowquill gear, and he sighed.

“…Princess, I owe you an apology.”

“For speaking your mind and saying what we’re all thinking? You needn’t apologize for that. I’m grateful…I…I apologize for not growing more of a spine.” He smiled, just a little, and shook his head, eyes soft as he glanced over at her.

“You’re trying to be diplomatic; I can’t fault you there. Sincerely, Princess, you’re still new to a lot of this, and with the strain of your training and the traveling and your research…small wonder you’re struggling. That is, in part, why I was chosen to be your guard, y’know.” She blinked, surprised, and Link chuckled. “To hell with it, you’ll find out at some point. Mum’s the spymaster, so I came into both the Sheikah and the knights with twice the skills and a supreme dislike of bullies. I’d just returned from spying on the Yiga when I joined the Hyrule Field battle.”

“…That’s why you’re…that explains your skill and speed!”

“Mm, and why my father was so insistant on you taking me as your knight. It wasn’t nepotism; it’s simply that I’m best suited to both protect you, and aid you. C’mon, let’s pay up and see if Master Ravali’s ready to talk properly.” She beamed at that, really brightening up, and Link smiled, comforted to see the worry she carried so heavily lift, just a little. Impa had been watching them, dark eyes softened, and he nodded to her; she nodded back, understanding passing between them in a single glance, and after changing, they made their way back up to Revali, who looked…well, still arrogant, but his voice was softer as he apologized to Zelda.

“Princess, my most profound apology is in order; your knight was correct, I…was feeling too proud of myself. I would be honored to fight for all of Hyrule, as the pilot of Vah Medoh…morever, I feel a kinship with the Beast that…I’m frankly surprised at.” Zelda brightened even more.

“That may be because you are the most likely descendant of Vah Medoh’s namesake; much was lost in the time of the Great Sea, but from what records do survive, we believe you are of her bloodline, and the Beast has a strong correlation between bloodlines and persons. As such, we are grateful for your assistance; we do not think anyone else could pilot Medoh.” He brightened at that, crest rising with interest, and bowed over her hand gracefully.

“Then I accept my post as Champion of the Winds; I shall take to the skies in Vah Medoh and guard the north for Hyrule.” Zelda blessed him, thanking him again, and as Ravali took to the skies, Link led the entourage back down to exit Rito Village, glad his outburst had at least produced some good. /Wasn’t my smartest move, I’ll admit, but bullies sometimes need a reminder that they’re not the only strong ones./ Thankfully, the other three Champions were nothing like Ravali in nature; Urbosa, Queen of the Gerudo, was an old friend of the Queen and Zelda’s godmother, Daruk of the Goron had always been an amiable fellow, and Mipha…

/King Dorephan won’t take kindly to it, but Mipha can convince him, that much I’m sure of. She’d fight for Hyrule and the Zora, and I know her heart knows Vah Ruta…/ But then, Link’s mother had been a long-time friend of Dorephan, and so Mipha and Link had known each other since he was a child. And none of the other three would be so insulting; Mipha simply couldn’t, Urbosa loved Zelda like her own daughter, and Daruk simply didn’t have a mean rock in his body when it came to people he liked. He heaved a sigh of relief as they mounted back up and joined the rest of the troops. /That much will be easier. Thank Hylia for that…/

[jangofctts]

Hello, ex fic writer again! Apologies for using your askbox as an Adrian ficdump but he is so big, and so dumb, and I have a mighty NEED. (Also if the marker isnt already taken would you mind if I used the 🤖 ?)

It never really occurred to Adrian that while he might enjoy punishing criminals he might enjoy the idea of you doing the same to him.

It started when a customer got a little too friendly with you at Fennel Fields, you were a waitress there and you had a habit of attracting attention whether you liked it or not. It was easy to understand why, you were the most pretty girl in the restaurant in the world, and every time Adrian saw you he felt the air escape his lungs just that little bit more. You were way out of his league, but it didn’t mean that he couldn’t stare from afar and at least dream of a perfect life with you.

You were everything he wasn’t, you were mild-mannered, you always made sure to be as nice as possible even to the people who didn't deserve it, and he loved that about you, it's what made him obsessed with you in the first place. Even when the other co-workers pointed out his own flaws and lack of social skills you were quick to defend him, and damn it if he thought he couldn’t fall more in love you manage to prove him wrong every single day.

The problem, however, was that other men noticed you too.

While he hated when customers blatantly flirted with you he couldn’t do anything, you weren’t his, so all he could do is watch with jealousy as the third guy of the day writes his number on his receipt in hopes that you’ll call back. The one respite he managed to get was you taking the receipt and throwing it into the nearest bin the moment they left, without fail. Even if Adrian couldn’t have you, he was satisfied that no one else could either. Maybe it was a bit creepy, but the thought never crossed his mind as he watched you take another order, this time from an older man. He was slightly overweight, his hairline was receding and he tried to poorly cover it up with a bad comb-over.

He had, as Adrian called it, massive creep vibes.

You took his order as normal, and he guesses that the man made some awful pickup line because you seem to be getting more and more uncomfortable. Again, the creep tried to make a pass at you, but unlike the other times you tried to make it very clear that you weren’t interested, but he obviously wasn’t getting the hint. You tried letting him down gently, his sweet honey bee always trying to do the right thing, but that changed when he started getting handsy with you. As he watched the greasy mess of a man place his hands on your ass, Adrian was already drawing up locations where he could dump the body safely when you interrupted his thoughts and gave the stranger possibly the most embarrassing talking down to he’s ever seen. It was like a parent talking to a disobedient child, Adrian almost pitied him.

Almost.

The guy was clearly uncomfortable, not expecting you to say anything back, and you even managed to draw attention from the other customers before he left with his tail tucked between his legs. Adrian had never seen you angry before, but seeing you admonish the guy was probably definitely the hottest thing he’d ever seen. If you noticed how hard he was you never said anything about it, but for once he was grateful he was a busboy instead of a waiter because it would be more than a little difficult to hide his arousal from the public, and more importantly from you.

After that little public display you plagued his thoughts more than usual, the dark look in your eyes playing on repeat in his head all shift, the way confidence radiated off of you in waves as your fingers twitched in preparation to strike him, barely held back by your morality. The contrast between his adorable honey bee and the vengeful goddess he was blessed to witness sent him into a fucking spiral.

The moment he arrived home he practically ran to the bedroom with zero care towards the uniform he was currently shedding off of himself. Maybe if he was in a better mood he would have had the patience to throw his discarded clothes into the dirty laundry, but his dick was becoming uncomfortably tight in his boxers and he needed to solve it now. By the time Adrian made it to his bed he realized how desperately he needed to cum when just the feeling of taking his underwear off made him release a breath he didn't even know he was holding. As he relaxed into the soft sheets he imagined you, your pretty features, your voice, anything and everything his rattled brain could begin to focus on. It felt dirty, the idea of jerking off to someone who probably didn’t even know or care about his existence, but the moment his fingers began to squeeze at the base of his cock all care was thrown out the window.

He tried to keep some form of self-control, really he did, but he was fighting a losing battle as images of you played on repeat in his head. He imagined it was him that you were berating, your words cutting through him as his hand struggled to keep a slow rhythm, the slow grind of his hips betraying his urge to try to make his pleasure last as long as possible. He imagined how you’d look towering over him, those same darkened eyed leering at him while he waited patiently for you to touch him, hands at his sides and cock obscenely red and leaking. Maybe he was being punished, maybe he didn’t follow your orders and you were angry with him, his pleasure-driven brain was either too hyperactive to think or too fucked out to care as his hand picked up speed.

In the back of his mind he realized he was mumbling praises as if you were in the room with him, the walls listening in to his hopeless pleas as if by some miracle the universe would grace him with your presence.

He tried to imagine his hand was your own, how small it would feel around his cock? Would it be big enough to wrap around? It was probably softer than his own, you’d probably look down at him with those beautiful eyes, make him sit and watch as he became helpless to the gratification you gave him.

Maybe you’d make him beg for it first, wait until his cock turned as red as his uniform before you even entertained the idea of touching him. He felt himself get louder as a groan erupted past his lips, a line of pre-cum slowly falling down his shaft. Adrian knew his neighbors might probably complain but didn’t give a shit as he let every breathless moan escape his bruised lips. Was he biting them before? He could faintly taste copper and it only enhanced the blindingly hot sensations he felt as his free hand began to grasp at his hair, briefly imagining it was your own before he felt his eyes roll back at the thought. It eventually found its place gripping the bedsheets, knuckles white as he lost himself to his passion, his moaning damn near pornographic.

Scratch that, Adrian was definitely going to get a noise complaint tomorrow.

He looked like a mess, curly hair sticking out in all directions, drool slowly leaking from the side of his mouth, his face flushed a delicious shade of red while his hips danced to the rhythm of his hand with reckless abandon. It hurt to breathe, he even felt his hand begin to cramp as he fully surrendered himself to you, offering everything he could give, his body, his sanity, all to a version of you he knew he would never have. He looked pathetic, felt pathetic, but couldn’t bring himself to stop as a particularly hard twist of his hand left him whimpering, tears pooling at his eyes. Soon enough Adrian came with a strangled noise, eyes squeezing closed as he felt his tired hips move on their own, his cum making a mess of his stomach and thighs. He couldn’t even bring himself to care, his own breathing ragged and wheezing as the sheer force of his orgasm sent him to an early sleep. When he woke up he felt tired, in every sense of the word. He was dirty, his body ached, but even through all that he could only think of you.

“Fuck.” he thought to himself. He was seriously a grade A pervert now, jerking off to his own co-worker, but at the same time his shame was overshadowed by his newfound determination. He wasn’t satisfied with just being your co-worker, not anymore, he wanted you all to himself, would go as far as to say he needed you more than he needed air. For once Adrian was happy as he got cleaned up and ready to go to work, because now he had a new goal in life, to gain your affection. Even if it meant he couldn’t look you in the eyes for a week, much to your confusion.

hOLY SHIT BRO THIS IS SO FUCKIN DELICIOUS IM. i am sweATING AT WORK IM AGDKDHJE yOU HAVE BLESSED THE INBOX IM. gOd the thought of adrian just loosing it over you fuCk this is sinful and immaculate

[idontgiveaflyinggrayson69]

Author: Nat / @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69​

Tagging: @mcmo-anon​ @jasondickinsons​ @matbaerzal​ @thirteenisles​ @leeqianxiao​ @zuucc​ @letmeplaytheblues​ @great-puck-work​ @nolypats​ @timootimee​ @thunderbirdbabeyy​ @broadstbroskis​ @roopehintz​ @hockeybabestars​ @reavenedges-lies-ficdump​ @jacquelinechajton​ @lena306 @xelagirlxo​ @canadianheaters​ @heyo--its--mo​ @laurenairay​ @ohpuckyeah​ @meeshmorrell​ @jamiedrysdales​ @starrygirl2014 @kaitieskidmore1​ @thelionkingpw​ @extratragic​ @storiesbymads​ @thinking-a-lot-in-my-head​

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: Alcohol

Comments: I really want to take the time to thank McMo for inspiring this, being patient with me, and always being there. You’re the real MVP. To Kylie and KO, thank you for supporting me and being there to listen and relate to my writing struggles. To Amalie, thank you for hyping it up while barely knowing anything about it. And of course, to Criss, thank you for always helping me and giving me ideas despite having no clue who this man is. I love all of you. xx

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(c) nat g. 2020 // do not repost, do not claim as your own

Travis always dreamt of playing in the NHL. He never thought he’d get there, but he dreamt of it. You, on the other hand… You always knew that Travis would make it to the big league. He was too good no to. You grew up watching him play Timbits hockey on Saturday mornings which turned into primetime games as he crushed it in major junior for the Erie Otters, playing on a team with “The Next One” no less. By no means did you dedicated your life to Travis’s hockey career, but you spent too much of it watching him on and off the ice and you knew he was destined for the NHL.

And you were proven correct when the final draft rankings for the 2015 NHL entry draft were in and Travis was in the top 50. You were there the day he was drafted by the Leafs. You held him tightly in your arms as you told him how proud of him you were and how you always knew he’d make it.

You just didn’t know that Travis making it to the NHL would come at the cost of losing you.

But that’s not where the story starts.

The story starts in the second grade when the teacher rearranged the desks in October, seating you next to a boy named Travis. With the hockey season right around the corner, you learned quickly that Travis, much like yourself, was an avid hockey fan, an avid Leafs fan. It felt like overnight the two of you became inseparable.

The days Travis didn’t have practice, he was with you. You spent recesses together talking about the game the previous night. You spent countless hours in the summer playing road hockey and playing out the fantasy of winning the Stanley Cup. As you got older, the two of you didn’t grow apart. But instead of road hockey, you were watching movies. Instead of Leafs stats, it was OHL stats. Instead of colouring the formidable Nunavut together, you were helping him study since he didn’t have much time outside of his soon to be professional hockey career.

The times changed and the two of you grew up, but you didn’t grow apart.

And as the two of you got older, you both learned to appreciate the cabin your family owned on the side of Lake Jasper. You used to call it your little slice of happiness, but Travis nicknamed it “The Retreat” because you would go away for weeks at a time and there was no cell service and he couldn’t talk to you and he hated it.

Travis stopped hating it the moment he got to tag along for a week trip to The Retreat. It was calming there, trees as far as the eye could see and a beautiful lake. There was no cell service so there was no worry of the outside world. That was something you both learned to appreciate as you got older. You didn’t have to worry about your grades or the next bad thing happening in the world. And Travis didn’t have to worry about hockey or how his stats were or what was in his future. Both of you could just be you for a few interrupted days.

Both of you had so many good memories out there, and you always thought the two of you would make more memories...

Your first year of university was the year after Travis was drafted. He didn’t make the Leafs’ opening night roster and he was sent back to Erie while you went away for university. You worked your ass off at university. During the school year you hunched over your books, and you worked two jobs in the summer to make enough money to make your own dream a reality like your best friend’s. And just like you, Travis was working harder than he had ever worked. He needed to be better to make the next jump in his hockey career, to show the Leafs he was worth it.

Both you tried feverishly to keep in touch through all of this. There were countless texts, phone calls, and FaceTimes. But your schedules no longer lined up and you both had so much work to do…

You spoke to each other less that year than you ever had.

And then you didn’t come home for the summer like he was expecting you to. You got a job in your university town that paid better than anything in Newmarket, so you stayed. It was the first summer you didn’t spend with Travis.

The next year, Travis made the jump from the OHL to the AHL.

Neither of you meant to drift apart, but the AHL took up so much more of Travis’s time and you got busier with university. So, the phone calls stopped. The texts between the two of you slowed until you didn’t even notice that you hadn’t spoken to him in months.

The two of you just grew apart.

It hurt both of you deeply to watch your friendship fall apart despite being attached at the hip for the better part of your lives. But neither of you had the time or energy to fight for it the way it deserved, the way it needed, and the halfway point the two of you were sitting at was hurting the two of you more than it was helping.

But the thing about losing a friend like Travis is that no one tells you that it hurts more than any break up ever could. You were friends since second grade, you knew him longer than you didn’t, and you couldn’t even remember life before you met him. To you, he had always been there. And then he just wasn’t.

When you lost him, you lost a piece of yourself.

But even as you lost him, you didn’t stop watching him. You could blame it on nostalgia or force of habit, but you watched him in the AHL. You watched him make him NHL debut and score his first NHL goal. You watched as he won the Calder Cup with the Marlies, making you laugh despite the pain in your chest as you listened to his post-game interview.

Listening to the people around you and the buzz on the web, you knew a lot of people were surprised with how well the ‘young Leafs defenceman’ was doing, the progress he made in his development as he grew into a gritty top-four defenceman for the blue and white. But you weren’t surprised in the slightest. It was the Travis you knew and loved.

And now, after a strenuous academic career, you were finally graduating university. Graduating with honours and high in your class. And you scored an interview for a good job in your field in Toronto. You got the job, which started in October. It was a wonderful start to the next chapter of your life.

And since you had worked two jobs in the summers of your university career and you were getting a big girl job in October, you thought you would treat yourself to a one summer off where you would be able to be free for one final time before the ‘real world’ began. And, naturally, you thought the best place for that would be to spend some time at your family cabin that you hadn’t been to since high school. The Retreat would be the perfect place to relax.

Your parents were a little unsure about giving you the keys with no timeline on when you’d be back, but you were a big girl, so they caved eventually and handed the keys over to you. On the first Thursday of July you packed your car up and made the drive north to Lake Jasper. Every kilometer you got out of the city, you felt the weight lift from your shoulders. This was where you belonged.

You couldn’t stop smiling to yourself as you drove down the dirt road knowing that you were so close the place you had longed to be for so long. And it wasn’t long until you reached the gate at the end of the driveway. You got out of your car to unlock and open it before driving through and pulling up beside your cabin.

You turned your car off and looked out the window for a moment as you took it in. Slowly, you opened the door and got out, the tall grass was brushing your ankles so you made a mental note to cut the grass. You closed your door behind you and you couldn’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath in. You couldn’t get crisp air like this in the city. The birds chirped in the background and you made your way down to the dock, wanting to look at the lake and feel the cool water between your fingers before you started to unpack.

The dock creaked under you as you walked on it, taking more deep breaths as you looked across it. It was trees and water as far as you could see. You would stay out here looking at it forever if you could. It was that beautiful.

You stood there for several minutes taking it in, breathing, listening to the loon calling across the water and the feeling the warmth of the sun on your face. It would have been perfect if not for the voices you heard coming from a property to your left. You had no idea who owned the property, your mother told you a couple years back that it had been sold but they weren’t sure who bought it, but based off the voices you guessed it was a frat or a college guy or a family of a college guy because it sounded like a group of rowdy boys.

You shook your head with a sigh before making your way back to the cabin. You fished the keys from your pocket and unlocked the door.

It was musty inside so the first thing you did was open the blinds and windows to let the place air out and to bring some light in. When you opened the last window of the main area, you turned around, taking the place in. Nothing had changed from the last time you were here five years ago. It was the same furniture in the same place. The pictures on the wall didn’t change either. The only difference was the inch of dust on everything.

You were walking towards the door to go grab your stuff out of the car when one of the pictures on the wall caught your attention. It was of you and Travis playing in the water with big smiles on your face. You were both eleven in that photo and if you closed your eyes you could still hear your laughter.

You ran your finger over the photo as your chest tightened at the memory. When you finally pulled your eyes away from the photo, you realized that all the pictures on that wall were of you and Travis. They varied in ages from ten to eighteen. Pictures of you in the water and around the fire and even catching grasshoppers. There was even a picture of you asleep in each other’s arms from a summer in high school.

All around you was reminders of Travis and you could remember every second of it.

The next picture your eyes fell on was of you and Travis on the dock. It was from the same summer as the previous picture. Travis held you bridal style in his arms with a wicked smirk on his lips as you clung desperately to him with fear in your eyes. You couldn’t help but laugh at the picture, remembering exactly what transpired just moments after it was taken.

“One for the money!” He said while swinging you, your screams doing nothing to prevent him from continuing. “Two for the show!”

“Please, Travis, don’t do this! Please!” But your begs fell on deaf ears.

“Three to get ready and four to go!” He said before he threw you into the lake.

When you closed your eyes, you could still hear him laughing.

He laughed so hard as you screamed that he had to bend over to try to catch his breath, even when you resurfaced and yelled and cursed at him. He just thought it was hilarious to see you soaking wet and screaming like a banshee. You, on the other hand, did not think it was funny. But, luckily for you, Travis was so preoccupied with pissing himself laughing that he didn’t process the malicious look in your eyes as you got out of the lake until you were standing on the dock with him.

“Oh shit!” Travis shouted, the laughter draining from his voice as he tried to move around you, but it didn’t work and your mom helped you block him on the dock so you could push him off of it and into the water. It was your turn to laugh, and did you ever.

It was a great memory and you couldn’t help but smile, even as your heart panged in your chest. You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt you to think about what you used to have with Travis and how much you missed him. But even with the heartache that was eating at your chest, you couldn’t pull your attention away from the wall of photos.

Your gaze moved from the photo of the two of you on the dock to a picture of the two of you on a tube. You were still kids in the picture, both of you wore big smiles on your faces as you tried desperately to hold onto the tube as your dad drove his boat as fast as he could, pulling screams of terror and excitement from both of you. Those screams were embedded in your memory and you could still recall them now.

You had had a lot of fun in your life, but you couldn’t describe the pure joy that you felt when tubing, even if it did end with you thrown off the tube and landing harshly in the cold water of the lake. You had even lost your bikini bottoms a few times and had to urgently hunt them down in the surrounding water without revealing yourself to anyone. But still, there was nothing like tubing. Especially when you were with your best friend.

You laughed softly to yourself as you remembered the summer when you were older and you and Travis used to shove each other off the tube, competing to see who could hold on the longest. He won basically every time, his years of hockey and working out giving him an unfair advantage over you as he could hold on a lot stronger than you could and he could shove a lot harder than you could. But still, it was a great time.

You sighed and moved your eyes to another photo. You and Travis both wore rubber boots and flannels far too big for either of you. Adult shirts no doubt, probably your dad’s. Both of you had big smiles on your face as each of you held up your own fish. Yours was bigger than Travis’s and the grin on your face showed how proud of yourself you were.

You couldn’t help but run your fingers over the photo, over your smiles. The picture was taken the first summer Travis came out to the lake. Your dad had taken both of you fishing in the evening because you both begged him to. If you were behind honest, you enjoyed the boat ride more than the fishing, but Travis had lit up like a Christmas tree when your dad finally agreed. You and Travis only caught one fish each that night before your dad shut things down for the night, but it was enough to make both of you happy and you could still remember how excited you were to show your mom that you had caught the bigger fish.

Both of you were so young and happy and neither of you had any idea what was going to happen in the future. All that mattered in that moment to either of you was that your fish was bigger than Travis’s.

Oh, how times had changed.

You took a deep breath as you shook your head, trying your best to shake free of those memories, and you forced yourself to walk back out the door to your car to unload and unpack everything.

It took you about an hour to unload and get everything put where it was supposed to be, turn on the gas and check the solar batteries and all that. It took you another hour to give the place a good dusting and wipe down all the surfaces. By the time you were done, the place looked like people had actually been living there rather than some summer cabin your family only visited a couple times a year, and that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

You spent the rest of Thursday and the entirety of Friday just relaxing. You had your morning coffee on the deck as you watched the water. You listened to the loons and the ducks and the other birds call to each other. You did absolutely nothing productive and you hadn’t felt so free in years.

In high school you worked hard to get into a good program in a good school. In university you worked hard to get a good job. At work, you worked hard to make money to live. But all the hard work finally paid off and now you were getting that time off. You were free to just be, and you couldn’t enjoy the nothing to do more. And you couldn’t put into words just how happy and liberated you felt.

Even with the rowdy group of boys who were there for the weekend.

The thing about the rowdy group of guys you didn’t know, was that you actually did know them. And you knew one of them intimately well.

Travis had so many fond memories at the lake. He cherished every single one of them, the happy, the nostalgia, the pain. He cherished every memory he had of the two of you together at the lake and the fun the two of you used to have there. He loved how he could escape the city and pressure of Toronto. He loved that he could keep you close despite the two of you no longer being close. He loved it there, even if it hurt him to think about what could have been with the two of you and the future you both lost.

So, when a cabin two doors down from yours went on the market, there was no hesitation. He snatched it up in an instant.

Travis spent weeks up there in the two summers that he had the cabin for. He felt more himself there than he felt anywhere else. He was able to breathe and leave Toronto and the media and all the nasty Twitter users in his rear view mirror when he came out here. It was just him, Niylah, the lake, and happiness. And sometimes his annoying teammates that he loved deeply, even if he questioned what exactly was going on inside their heads.

And when he was up there alone, he would go out onto the dock every day and let his eyes fall on your cabin rather than the water as he searched for you. He always searched for you, hoped for you, but he always came up empty. The blinds on your cabin remained closed and the place empty as you were hundreds of kilometers away.

He tried to break the habit when he had guests overs, but the it was so ingrained in him. So, of course Mitch caught him staring at your cabin lost in his thoughts rather than paying attention to whatever shit the guys were talking about as they kicked back on the dock with beers in their hands.

“Are you going to tell us why you’re more interested in a vacant property than your friends?” Mitch had asked. Travis tried to shake him off, tried to steer the conversation back towards whatever bullshit they were talking about, but none of them let that happen. Mitch, Kappy, Hollsy, they had all picked up on how different Travis was out here compared to in Toronto, how he quieted himself down rather than got louder, how he withdrew from the group on more than one occasion, how he looked longingly at one singular cabin on the water. And they were all curious to know why.

So, they forced Travis to spill.

And Travis, with the help of another two beers, told them everything. “I met her in the second grade,” he started and they knew where this story was going long before Travis did. Travis told them how close the two of you used to be, how much you meant to him, how you had always been there, and how he had let you slip through his fingers. Every word that fell from his lips felt like another nail in his coffin that was going into the grave he dug himself. But he still told them.

He told them every ounce of his regret of not fighting harder for you and how stupid he was for thinking that hockey was more important than you.

“And this has to do with the cabin how?” Mitch had asked after Travis was done telling his story. Unlike the rest of the group, Mitch didn’t catch on to where the story was going.  

“Because it’s her cabin.” Travis said, his eyes once again going to the cabin. If the guys caught on to how the words stuck to Travis’s throat, they didn’t say anything. So, Travis explained how he bought his cabin because of you and how he hoped every day that he would see you there on the dock or in the window and how he hoped that one day you would be there and the two of you would be able to fix things between the two of you.

But that just never happened.

The boys never again questioned Travis about the way he looked longingly at your cabin. Occasionally they told him to text you to see how you were doing, but Travis shook them off. In his mind, it wasn’t fair to ask for more of your time like that when he was the one who walked out of your life. He knew deep in his heart that you were out doing amazing things and that, he told himself, was enough. But that was a lie. It was never enough.

But that was then.

Now, two years later, a similar group of Leafs enjoyed their time at Travis’s cabin. This time around, they overlooked Travis’s constant longing. They had become so used to it that they barely even noticed it. And Travis had become so used to you not being there that he only glanced at your cabin once that week, his focus almost entirely on his friends as they partied all night and regretted it all morning before doing it all over again that night.

But, had Travis spared more than a glance towards your cabin, he would have noticed that the usually drawn blinds were wide open and that a car was pulled up next to the cabin. He would have noticed that you were there.

But instead he threw beer back like candy and laughed with his friends, playing music way too loud as they all enjoyed the summer heat. A couple of them (like Mitch) had cabins of their own, but they were mostly in Muskoka and weren’t half as secluded as Travis’s, so they all liked to flock over to Travis’s for at least a week every summer. It let all of them get a break from the vultures that were the Toronto media, something the superstars and the media’s favourite punching bags desperately needed.

Sunday was the last day they were all spending out there, so, naturally, they wanted to spend it down by the water. There were a couple of chairs with a table on the dock along with a case of beer and their towels, and they floated on various floaties in the water, beers in their hands. Unlike his friends, however, Travis stayed on the dock. He was in his swim trunks (which the guys had forced him to change into when he came out of his room in his speedo), his shirt was thrown over a chair and a pair of sunglasses rested on his face as he lounged back in the chair to “get some colour in,” which made the guys laugh.

Sunday was also the hottest day since you had been up at the cabin. Even with the windows open, you couldn’t cool off. But, luckily, you had a beautiful lake in front of you. The water was calm and with the sun out, you knew that the water wouldn’t be too cold, just cool enough to refresh you and cool you off. So, you pulled a deflated innertube out of storage and blew it up before changing into your swimsuit, grabbing your towel and making your way down to the water.

You thought nothing of the group of guys relaxing in and around the water a couple doors down from you as you set your towel and shoes on the dock before making your way into the water. The water was cool and it felt heavenly against your skin. You stood there for a moment, your eyes closing as you enjoyed it before you got onto your innertube.

Mitch caught sight of you first.

He was the only one completely facing that part of the lake and he watched you set your towel and shoes on the dock before making your way down to the beach with your innertube in hand. Mitch sat up straighter in his blown up dragon with rainbow scales as he realized what was going on.

Lounging on the dock, Travis had his back to you so he didn’t know that you got onto your floatie and let yourself drift with the wind, enjoying the cool water on your arms and legs while the sun warmed the rest of you. Travis had no idea just how close he was to you for the first time in years as he busied himself with arguing with Justin over what the best dipping sauce is.

“Hey,” Mitch said, his voice weak as he kept his eyes on you, so he tried again. “Hey!” This time he grabbed everyone’s attention. “Isn’t that,” he swallowed, pulling his eyes off you to look at Travis before pointing over Travis’s shoulder. “Is that who I think it is?”

Travis furrowed his brows but looked over his shoulder, following Mitch’s finger until his eyes landed on you.

The world stood still for Travis.

He knew the guys were talking to him, but he couldn’t register what they were saying. His beer slipped from his fingers as he stood, turning to look at you. His mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. For the first time in years, you were really there.

You had only been in the water a few moments when the rowdy boys fell quiet. You opened your eyes to look over at them, wanting to know what had quieted the group that seemed to party all day long since you had gotten out there. You were ready to tell them off if they had a problem with you using the lake at the same time as them.

But instead you made eye contact with someone you hadn’t seen in years: Travis.

You often wondered if you’d ever seen him again. You figured if you did, it would be in Newmarket or if you were ever brave enough to go to a Leafs open practice after you moved to Toronto. Never in a million years did you think that you’d run into him here.

It never crossed your mind that Travis could have been the one to purchase the cabin, that he would want to purchase a cabin of his own on the lake that you had shown him, that he would share The Retreat you and he shared with friends of his own.

It knocked the wind out of you and you slipped from your innertube into the cool water. It was a welcomed awakening as it pulled you from your thoughts. Your fight or flight instincts kicked in as soon as you resurfaced and you grabbed your floatie and made your way to shore as quickly as you could, abandoning your towel and shoes on the dock in favour of getting to your cabin as quickly as possible.

You locked the door as soon as it closed behind you and you forced yourself to breathe, trying to calm yourself down despite the panic that was coursing through your veins. You didn’t even know why you were panicking, but your heart was going a mile a minute and all the pain, heartbreak and regret hit you like a ton of bricks and it left you gasping for breath. Everything you left unsaid and every thought, hope and dream you had pushed down over the years came rushing back and you didn’t know what to do.

You didn’t know whether you should go over there and say hello, or if you should stay in your cabin behind locked doors where he couldn’t hurt you again. You knew it wasn’t fair to say he hurt you when it was your combined lack of effort that led to the loss of your friendship. But, regardless, Travis did hurt you when he walked out of your life, even if you were partially to blame for it.

In the end, despite the voice in the back of your head screaming at you to go over there and see him, see if you could mend what happened between the two of you, you stayed in your cabin, the door locked as your final barrier between you and him. You got yourself a towel and dried off before changing and busing yourself with making dinner to quiet your thoughts. You even opened a bottle of wine to see if that would help silence your heart.

Sure, you wanted to see him, let him know that you were proud of him and how well he was doing in the NHL, see how much he had grown and changed over the years like you had. But, you also wanted to protect your heart. When you lost Travis, you lost a part of yourself, a big part of yourself. Just seeing him felt like a thousand papercuts on your heart. You couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if he rejected you, not wanting to even talk to you after all the years the two of you spent together. And what if he had become someone you didn’t recognize? What if Toronto had hardened all his soft edges and turned him into someone else? You didn’t—couldn’t—ruin all the good memories you had with him and replace them with what could happen ifthat were true.

So, you stayed home where you and your memories were safe.

And you realized you made a good choice when you heard a car drive off from somewhere to your left just before dinner. You assumed it was Travis and his friends heading back into town, him being unable to even be in the same area as you even if he didn’t speak to you. Part of you felt relieved that you didn’t have to worry about him or see him or talk to him. You could now do your best to pretend that you didn’t see him and no one had to know.

But, the other, bigger, part of you felt sick. You let your best friend walk out of your life without a fight not once but twice.

But there was nothing you could do about it now and you were beginning to think you might need something stronger than wine to soothe your aching heart.

What you didn’t know, however, was that Travis didn’t go into town with his friends. He and Niylah stayed out with his Jeep because he couldn’t leave you, not again. When he saw you run towards your cabin, Travis tried to run after you, but Justin anticipated that and was able to get out of the water before Travis made a run for you, so he was able to stop him, Justin’s hand wrapping tightly around Travis’s bicep, stopping Travis in his tracks.

“I—I have to!” Travis told Justin, but his eyes were scattered and his heart was beating out of control. “I can’t let her slip through my fingers again,” Travis told him, but Justin kept his grip on Travis.

“You need to calm down,” Justin told him before his voice softened. “Figure out how you’re going to play this, what you’re going to say to her because she literally ran away from you, dude.”

Justin kept his gaze on Travis until some of the fight died out of him, and when he was sure Travis wasn’t going to go racing after you, he let go of him. The two of them walked back to the dock and everyone in the water knew that their fun was over. They knew Travis and they knew what happened between the two of you and how much you meant to him. And they could see it in Travis’s eyes and shoulders that the only thing he cared about and would care about was you. Going to see you and talking to you.

So, the boys finished their beers in silence before they made their way back inside to pack. They gathered their things while Travis took a seat at the dining table, trying to sort his thoughts. Justin saw just how lost Travis was, barely acknowledging Niylah nosing for attention, so he took a seat across from Travis. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” Travis replied, pulling his gaze from the window to look at Justin. Justin sighed and gave Travis a leveled look making Travis sigh. “I just don’t know what to say. To you or to her. I bought this place because of her and every time I come out here I hope to see her but I never do. But now she’s here and I want—need—to see her, but what am I supposed to even say to her? ‘Sorry I’m an asswipe who couldn’t be bothered to text?’” Travis quieted and looked down at the table. “She probably doesn’t even want to see me,” his next part was almost unintelligible, “I certainly wouldn’t.”

You had run away when you saw him. He had spent the last several years regretting what happened between you, playing everything back in his head and thinking about what he could have done differently. He wondered if you had done the same, but your reaction made him think differently and that hurt him in indescribable ways.

“I think she was just surprised, you know? Taken off guard.” Justin tried to reason with him. They were both quiet for a moment before Justin spoke again. “You are going to talk to her, right?” When Travis nodded, he kept talking. “Do you want to talk about what you could say?”

Travis was quiet for a moment. “I have to tell her I’m sorry.” He paused. “After that, I don’t know.”

“Do you want to talk it through?” Justin repeated, but Travis shook his head.

“No, I have to figure this out on my own.” Justin nodded. He waited a couple moments and when Travis didn’t say anything else, he got up to go pack himself.

Eventually everything was gathered and the car was loaded. Justin clarified that Travis was okay and sure he wanted to stay out alone, and Travis assured that he was. Whether he was mentally and emotionally ready to see you or talk to you or not, he had to at least try to make things right with you.

Justin nodded and pulled Travis into a hug. When he pulled back, he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. It was always planned that Justin was going to be one of the group’s DD, so, unlike Mitch, Kappy and Willy, he hadn’t had anything to drink that day. Travis watched Justin drive slowly to the gate, Mitch running out to open it and close it behind them, and then, just like that, they were gone, leaving Travis alone with his thoughts. With you.

Travis made his way back inside and poured himself a glass of scotch to help his thoughts. Since he was supposed to be going into town that evening as well, the only thing he had had to drink was that one beer, that one beer that he dropped when he saw you, so only like half a beer. And Travis definitely needed more than half a beer to process everything. He took his scotch to the couch where he called Niylah onto his lap, petting her as he tried to figure out what to say to you. After what felt like forever but was really only an hour, Travis didn’t really come up with anything, and he had finished his scotch, so he decided it was now or never to go talk to you.

He changed into more appropriate attire, throwing on a pair of jeans and one of his many Leafs hoodies, running a hand through his hair before deeming himself good to go. He made his way down to his dock to look over at your cabin to make sure you were still there. He hadn’t heard any cars leaves besides Justin’s, but he had to check. Sure enough, your car was still there and the blinds were still open. He hadn’t lost you again, at least not yet anyways.

After taking a deep breath, Travis made his way over to your property, crossing along the water. When he got to your property, he noticed that your shoes and towel from when you ‘went swimming’ aka, wanted to go swimming but he scared you away, were still on the dock. So, he grabbed them and made his way up to the cabin that he knew so well.

So many fond memories from his childhood were made here. When he thought of this place, he felt nothing but happiness. Now, staring at the cabin from the outside having not been there in years, he felt unsure. In the years since he owned his own cabin just two doors down from you, he never came over to check it out. It hurt him too much and he was afraid. So, it was intimidating to be face to face with your cabin from the first time in years, especially since he knew you were inside.

Travis looped around the cabin to the backdoor, both because that was how you used to enter when he stayed in the summer, and because it wasted more time, giving him precious extra moments before he had to face you. In doing so, Travis noticed that there was only one car pulled around the side, one that he didn’t recognize and could only assume was yours. By walking around the cabin he also got the best look into the various windows and he only saw one person: you.

There were two doors to your back door, the main exterior door with the deadbolt that kept the cabin locked at night and when you weren’t around, and the screen door. The main exterior door was open, leaving just the screen door as a barrier between you and him. His hand shook as he brought it up to the door frame and knocked three times.  

You were cleaning up dinner, your half finished bottle of wine still sitting on the table when there was a knock at your door. “Fuck!” You shouted with a jump, your heart beating frantically in your chest. You were alone. In a cabin in the woods. With no cell service. And you didn’t know anyone out there. And it wasn’t like you could pretend that no one was home with your windows open, your car right there and your main exterior door wide open. Not to mention they probably heard you shout. You took a shaky breath and looked out the kitchen window to see who was knocking at your door.

You took a deep breath, putting your palms on the kitchen counter to brace yourself as you calmed down. There was no axe murderer or serial rapist at your backdoor. Perhaps even more shockingly, it was Travis. And in his arms he held both your towel and your shoes that you had left down on the dock earlier. While you were more than glad that the person knocking on your door wasn’t an axe murderer or rapist, your anxiety certainly did not go away when you realized it was Travis.

But it wasn’t like you could pretend to not be there, so despite all your desires to go hide in your bedroom, you walked towards the door, your heart going a mile a minute against your chest as you did.

Travis’s own heart picked up when he saw you walk down the entry towards the door. His jaw fell slack as you approached the door, but you didn’t make a move to open it. Instead, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Can I help you?” You asked and you hated how much your voice shook.

Travis swallowed as he took you in. He knew he had changed a lot since high school so realistically you would have too, but he wasn’t prepared for just how different you looked. You were still you obviously, but your features had hardened. Matured. You looked like an adult ready to find her place in the world. That is, he realized, if you hadn’t already. It’s not like he knew what you were up to or what you had accomplished.

“I, uh,” Travis lifted your things. “I thought you might not want to leave these outside overnight.”

“Oh,” you whispered. “Right, thanks.” Travis nodded, but you made no motion to open the door, so Travis took a deep breath.

“And I was hoping we could maybe talk?”

You sucked in a sharp breath not really knowing if it was a good idea or not. And Travis was looking at you with his soft, loving blue eyes you knew so well and you had to look away. Your eyes landed on the wall of photos of the two of you over the years. From ten to eighteen, pictures of the two of you smiling and laughed looked back at you. You wanted to protect your heart from further pain, but looking at how happy the two of you used to be, you couldn’t turn him away. So, you nodded and opened the door to let him in.

Travis took a shaky breath and stepped into the cabin, closing the door behind him and handing you your things. You took them with a murmured “thank you” and walked further into the cabin. Travis followed you and you put your shoes on the shoe rack and placed your towel on the back of a chair before making your way through the dining room to the sunroom where there was a table and chairs overlooking the water. You and Travis had played countless games, made countless puzzles, on that table. But there were no games this time around as both of you settled at the table.

“You, uh, you look good. Really good.” He said after sitting down, breaking the heavy silence.

“Thanks? So do you. But then again that’s kinda expected for a professional athlete…” You replied, forcing a laugh as you trailed off. “You also look good on the ice by the way.” You didn’t know why you said it, but you did. You wanted to blame it on the pliable tension between you or your nerves, but the words slipped from your mouth. And it was true. Travis did look good on the ice. You knew because you watched him. You never stopped watching him.

Travis’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Yeah?” He asked. You nodded and looked down, not sure what to say. “I didn’t know you watched,” he whispered.

You laughed again and looked up at him with a shrug. “Old habits die hard,” you told him before your voice softened. “And it’s nice hearing your name again, see you accomplish your dreams.” Travis took a shaky breath, not knowing what to say to that. You shook your head and stoop up. Travis instantly reached out for you, but you pulled your hand away before he could touch you. “I need a drink. Can I get you anything? Beer? Wine? Whiskey?”

Travis let his hand fall on the table. He swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you’re having would be great, thanks.” You nodded and walked back into the main space of the cabin. Despite the half finished bottle of wine on the table, you reached for the liquor cabinet, grabbing the bottle of whiskey. You walked into the kitchen to grab two glasses before returning to the sunroom. Travis was looking out the window but he looked back at you when he heard you walk in. You put everything down on the table before sitting down and pouring two drinks, taking a big sip of yours before Travis could even grab his glass.

Travis had taken the first step earlier, so after you put your glass back down on the table, you took a step. “What happened to your group of friends you were with earlier?”

“They went back into town,” he said before explaining. “Today was their last day out here. They were here all week.” You nodded your head, taking another sip of your drink, not knowing what to say, so he continued. “They’re uh, they’re my teammates. From Toronto,” he tacked on as if you didn’t know where he was playing.

You perked up at that. “Like the London Knights’ Mitch Marner?” You couldn’t help but tease. Travis had been an Otter at the same time Mitch was a Knight and that was a rivalry for the ages. A rivalry you so vividly remember, particularly between Davo and Stromer and Mitch.

Travis laughed and nodded. “Yeah, yeah Mitchy was here. You have to meet him some time, I think you’d get along great.”

You shook your head, “I don’t know. He seems like quite the energizer bunny.” You paused. “You had a much better temperament,” you told him, referencing how chill he was, or used to be anyways. You didn’t know if he was still like that.

Travis agreed with you. “You’re not wrong. But you get used to him. Eventually.”

You laughed again. “So, you’re happy? In Toronto with the Leafs I mean?” You asked, your question falling on the serious side.

Travis took a drink of his whiskey and nodded. “I am. It’s a good group of guys. Young, talented. It’s always fun to hang out with them. I mean,” he snickered. “Last season we debated what would be a better weapon, a knife or a hockey stick, for like three months.”

“A knife, obviously,” you said. “Who in their right mind picks a hockey stick?”

“Hey!” Travis said, faking offence. “A hockey stick would be an excellent weapon! It’s like a staff, a baton and a spear all at once. AND it can keep your enemies at a distance.” You burst out laughing at his answer. You wished you could be surprised that Travis would pick a hockey stick over a knife, but you weren’t.

It hurt realizing just how much the man in front of you was very much still your childhood best friend.

“Uh huh,” you said and forced a smile. “So how come you didn’t go back in with them?” You asked, steering the conversation back to where it was supposed to be.

Travis froze for a second before answering with a lie, not that you noticed. “I was always planning to stay out longer than them. Get some peace and quiet after dealing with the rowdy bunch, you know?”

You nodded, “makes sense.” You paused. “What doesn’t make sense is why you’re out here at all.”

It had been a long time since you saw Travis Dermott blush, but he turned bright red at your words and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. In all his thinking about what to say to you, explaining why he had a cabin here didn’t even cross his mind, which, he now realized, was very stupid. Of course you would ask him that question.

“I, uh…” He gave you a lopsided smile. “You know, I’m not even going to try to give you some random answer. The truth is, is that I love it up here, thanks to you I mean, and I always hoped that maybe we would reconnect out here, so when that place went on the market, I snatched it up. It needed a few repairs, an update here or there, but it’s really come together.”

You didn’t know what to say, so you settled on, “it is gorgeous here.”

Travis’s smile faulted and he moved his gaze to the window. “Yeah,” he said, but it almost seemed like the hope had died out of his voice. “It is.”

Despite your heart beating rapidly against your chest, you took a leap, just like he did. “I, uh, I’m planning to be out here all summer.”

If he bought a whole cabin to maybe talk to you, reconnect with you, you could extend an olive branch to him. And it wasn’t like you didn’t want to fix things with him. Of course you wanted Travis back in your life, and he was still Travis, your Travis, so you had to give him another chance and not spend the rest of your life wondering ‘what if’ like you had been the last couple of years.

Travis raised an eyebrow at you, giving you a smile, “yeah?”

You smiled and nodded, telling him that you finally graduated university (he congratulated you) and that you were taking the whole summer off before the ‘real world’ began. He asked you if you found a job and you told him that you did, explaining the whole deal, but you left out the job location. You didn’t know what you compelled to hide the fact that you were moving to Toronto, but you did. And it wasn’t like he asked where the job was, so it wasn’t like you were lying.

“What about you?” You asked him. “What are you summer plans? Spend all of it working out?”

Travis shook his head, lying to you once again, “I was actually planning to spend most of it out here.” He looked back out the window. “It’s nice to escape from the vultures, you know?” You nodded in understanding, not that you really knew what it was like to be in the spotlight and picked apart the way the Leafs were. “And Niylah loves it out here.”

The truth was, he was supposed to be spending the summer in Toronto and spend some time with his parents, but all of that went out the window the moment he saw you. He’d do anything to spend time with you. But you didn’t need to know that.

“Niylah is your dog, right?” You asked. You were pretty sure due to some content posted by the Leafs, but you wanted to be sure. He lit up instantly and nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He tapped the screen quickly before sliding it across the table to you. “Awww!” You said, picking his phone up to get a better look. It was a picture of Niylah wearing a doggy Leafs jersey. “Absolutely precious,” you told him and he nodded.

“Isn’t she?”

“And she’s out here?” You asked.

Travis nodded and took his phone back when you slid it back across the table to him. “Yeah, she is. You should come over and meet her. And I can give you a tour of my cabin at the same time.”

You took a shaky breath and glanced out the window. It was getting dark. “Another time,” you told him. “It’s getting late, you know?”

You pretended to not notice how his shoulders fell at your words. “Is there going to be another time?” He asked after a moment, sounding more vulnerable than he would have liked, but it was a valid question. You had both given up on this friendship before and he felt like he only had one foot in the door with you and he was terrified that you were going to push him out and leave him.

He didn’t think he could survive losing you again.

You gave him a reassuring smile, “I told you, I’m here all summer. I’m not going anywhere.” Your words soothed him a little, but you could see that he was still a little unsure, so you reached across no man’s land that was the table top and gave his hand a squeeze, which seemed to calm him down more and he squeeze your hand back, giving you a small smile. “How about I give you my new number?” You asked him and his smile widened.

He unlocked his phone and pulled up contacts, your contact, and slid it across the table to you. Your breath caught in your throat at how he kept you in his phone all the years later. It was a new phone which meant he added you to his new contacts, and it knocked you back a bit, guilt and pain crawling through your chest. You deleted your old number and put in your new one before giving it back to him. “There. You have me.”

Travis looked at the number on the screen and nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I have you.” He looked back up at you. “So, how about you come over tomorrow?”

You honestly hated how there was no hesitation in you agreeing. “Tomorrow sounds perfect. Any particular time?”

He shook his head, “whenever. I have no particular plans.”

“Okay,” you smiled. “Then I’ll come over tomorrow and meet that beautiful girl.”

Travis laughed with a big smile, “she’s going to love you.”

“I hope she does,” you told him.

“She will.”

And just like that, the two of you fell quiet, but the silence wasn’t tense or awkward like it was before. It felt familiar. You both finished your drinks and then your second drinks and before you knew it, it was very dark out. Travis sighed and stood. “I should get back. I don’t want to leave Niylah alone too long while it’s dark.”

You nodded, “yeah, right, of course.” You stood and gestured towards the door in the sunroom that led to the front deck. He crossed the space and put his hand on the doorknob before turning back to look at you.

“What does this mean for us?” His question hung in the air and you struggled to find the right answer. Were you acquaintances? Friends? The voice in the back of your head wondered if there was a possibility for something more, but you pushed that thought out of your head as quickly as it came.

“Friends?” You offered.

Travis nodded with a small smile. “Friends.”

It was far from what the two of you used to be, but it was a step closer, something neither of you had yesterday or any day of the last three years. So, he welcomed it. You both did.

Travis hesitated another moment, wondering if he should or could give you a hug. He wanted to. He hadn’t felt you in his arms in so long and he could still remember how perfect you felt against him, like you were supposed to be there. He wanted to feel that against. But he also realized that now wasn’t the time, so he bid you farewell till tomorrow and slipped out the door.

You watched him walk down to the waterfront before disappearing next door. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding once he was out of your sight. You didn’t know if it was in relief or disappointment. Slowly, you pulled yourself from the window, grabbing the used glasses and putting them in the sink to wash before putting the whiskey away. Your eyes scanned the room and fell on the half finished bottle of wine, so you sat down at the dining table and poured yourself another glass as you processed what just happened and the plans you had made. Whether you were prepared or not, Travis Dermott was back in your life. And you were going to see him again tomorrow.

[alyheartsjess]

here it is, after a month😩 edited this even tho i have work tomorrow so please read and pray that i wake up on time🫡

[corals-corner]

Alright, so lately, I've been in an angsty fanfic writing mood, yet I have little motivation to write full fiction, so Imma just ficdump for now.

♤♡◇♧◇♡♤♡◇♧

Ok, so imagine a deltarune AU were almost everything is the same, exept the knight is gaster, and instead of caring for sans and Papyrus, he takes care of king of spade and queen, and he's actually a good person to king and queen. Like, he's a parental figure to them because neither of them had a good childhood, and he actually treats them like their people. Not royalty, not peasants, not puppets. The knight treats them like their his children. When the lightners try to fight the knight, the king and queen step in to defend him. When the lightners try to explain that what he is doing is wrong, they dismiss it and don't say anything. When either of them are injured during the fight the knight uses his turn to heal the, while they are still able to attack and or heal him. They retreat and the lightners stay confused. The king and queen ask the knight about the whole 'roaring thing with the fountains and when he explains everything, they look at him with horror, regreat and sorrow. They trusted him. They believed he was doing was for the best, and when they realize the fountains could harm darkners, they change their views on him, yet can't bear to separate themselves from him. They end up having a really angsty moment were they end up crying, yelling and/or fighting, and the knight accidentally ends up hurting one of them. And they both end up frightened of him and run away from him, leaving him alone.after a while they realize that the need him, and when they go out to find him, they find him severely injured because of the lighteners, and end up saying and trying to heal him while trying to also not died because of the lightners

[reavenedges-lies]

Thanks for the tag Lovelies! @tapejob @sophie83540 (also I am in no way shape or form Tumblr famous! Love you all tho 😘😘)

1. Why did you choose your url?:

Hi, Im Reaven and my blog Edges on the Lies of fandoms! Its a play on me edging on the cliff that is the lie of fandoms being non-toxic and trying not to fall in

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Technically, yes I have two(2) @reavenedges-lies-ficdump and @kanarenee-on-ps4 but, @ren-is-being-silenced Is a Main blog that is my backup account for posting hockey videos when i go over the 5min limit

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I joined 06/20/2013 so Too Long Me Thinks lol

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Should I? Yes. Do I? No, I dont eve Queue anything so I dont have one

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I don't actually remember but i was in highschool so probably because some of my friends were on here!

6. Why did you choose your pfp?:

Because Its Pride Month and Zach Aston-Reese is my Fave FuckBoi on the Penguins

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I've fallen in love with Jared McCann and like He did a Barrel Roll! And also that is my GIF!

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I use this site to check but it is apparently this post with 409 notes!

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I counted to 120 before [Tumblr] broke and wouldnt let me see anymore! Also side blogs can't follow people so who actually knows!

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Currently? Im fluctuating around 600 but im at this moment at 603!

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1377 and counting!

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Have you seen my content? It ranges from good takes to shitpost and you never know whats gonna happen next!

13. How often do you use tumblr each day?:

Yes, Its not great... But its on my phone so yes!

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?:

No? Maybe? I try not to argue on this site, it doesnt help anyone and its a waste of everyone's time!

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?:

Hard pass on those 19/20 times!

16. Do you like tag games?:

Yes!!! Tag games are fun!! It's a good way to get to know your mutuals better and a lovely way for you to introduce yourself to your followers!

17. Do you like ask games?:

I adore ask games! And I will absolutely go out of my way to answer all my asks to the fullest! (I see you person who asked me to do the Shots to make-out with NHLers prompt for the "Arizona Coyotes")

18. Which of your mutuals do you think are tumblr famous?:

@miamitu , @weedle-testaburger , and @hedgehogofspades

i think all count but also definitely @jakeguentzels

And now for the Tags:Anyone and Everyone who wants too!

[sholiofic]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Torchwood Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Owen Harper/Ianto Jones Characters: Owen Harper, Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Gwen Cooper Additional Tags: Between Seasons/Series, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Drunk Sex Summary: They jostled around each other for a while, bouncing off each other's sharp and broken edges—and then they started to fit, like puzzle pieces that couldn't click together until they found just the right angle.

Written for as a treat fic for Shipoween!

There will also be a small ficdump of Trick or Treat fic coming when that collection reveals later today.

[warriorteam1924]

Music is my savior (Bonus Part 1)

Note for My Rea : @reavenedges-lies​ // @reavenedges-lies-ficdump​ (just a massive tagging cause I wanna make sure) My sweetheart, this one is dedicated to you. I’m super busy lately, trying to write for the ship weeks, cause I want to challenge myself and have some fun with the hosts and some of my other readers. Yet, you’re still around, showing me your support, endlessly. I don’t really have words to express my gratitude (for someone who writes, this is kinda weird huh? lol) Anyways, I decided to give you a little gift for Valentine’s day. Cause today, we say I love you, a little bit more often. 

Author note : Hello my beauties !!! I know, I know, I said Music is my Savior was over. And I thought it was too to be really honest. But as I think a lot, about many things, this one came to mind and I wanted to thank Rea, but also all of you for the support towards MIMS. There was a tiny other bonus part : here. Thanks again, love you all. And my sis of course. Love you ^^

Summary : Celebrations for a Special Day

Word Count :  2,978 words

Warnings : Mistakes yes of course, but hopefully nothing too bad.

MIMS Taglist : @crazyweirdocalledfriday​ @reavenedges-lies​ @mercurycrowley​ @multifandom-fiasco​

Permanent Taglist : @anotheronebitesthedick, @reavenedges-lies​, @thosequeenboys​, @orionis8689​

Bonus Part 1 : A dozen Red Roses for my darling

Teaching. You had had no idea how much you would love it. Well not as much as playing bass guitar, but still.

 You had been given the incredible opportunity to be a bass teacher on the set of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about lead singer of legendary band Queen, Freddie Mercury. There you had met incredible people. The staff and the production crew had all been so kind, creating every single day on the set a living dream with such a friendly atmosphere. Incredible musicians, meeting guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May and drummer Roger Talor, both always encouraging you to handle your instrument in even a better way, enjoying music, their music even more. You had also been given the greatest chance of you life, meeting your idol, your master towards the padawan you had been, the best bass player to your opinion, John Richard Deacon. It was still a secret to everyone but the three remaining members of Queen and Luke Deacon, who was present at that moment. Yet, you were willing to cherish this memory as long as your brain would be working correctly.

 You had also met incredible actors, who were now your friends. Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton, now a very lovely couple, becoming respectively Freddie and his very first love Mary Austin. Gwilym Lee and Ben Hardy, both portraying Brian May and Roger Taylor thanks to their wings (and those had led to a very serious contest on how to select the winner of the best wing wearer.)

 And last but not least, you had met Joseph Francis Mazzello the Third. You had been his very personal bass teacher on the set. Joe had been a very attentive student, always making sure to be the most accurate possible to become John Deacon on the set, in front of the camera. To your point of view, he had been absolutely incredible. Yes, his role as the bass player of Queen was not the main one, as the movie was mostly about Freddie Mercury, but still.

 Maybe you were not truly partial. Through the days you had spent with him, weeks after weeks, months after months you had fallen in love with him. Yes, you had promised yourself it would not happen, thinking such a relationship would be too hard to handle. Him being a actor, you not having a steady job at this very point. How could this be working out? And the most important question of all, would he be sharing your feelings?

 Hopefully and to your greatest pleasure, Joe shared your feelings. Very shyly at first, from both your sides, but eventually sharing a real kiss and saying the most magical words you had ever heard, I love you.

 Teaching. Teaching on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody had also lead you to your current job. Never in your life had you expected to become this kind of teacher. Music had always been part of your identity, of who you were deep inside, but become a music teacher had never occurred to be an option to you, as playing your instrument has always been a mere hobby to you.

 But Anita and Sarina had had this wonderful idea and there you were. Teaching in front a class of young students, all willing to give their best to learn music properly, and in this case learning bass guitar.

 You were used to play and also teach as a result, standing in front of your class. But being a bit more than a couple of mouths pregnant, you needed to be seated more often. It felt sometimes weird to play your bass this way, but apparently your students did not notice the difference and it was for the best.

 At the end of this very nice day, you gathered your belongings and climbed the stairs to the headmaster’s office. You wanted to ask him a special favor. You softly knocked on his door, and he invited you to come in, since you had an appointment.

 “Mrs Y/L/N, please take a sit.”, he gently said. You smiled and sat in front of his desk. “You wanted to see me. I hope everything is fine.”, he carried on, looking at your belly.

 “Everything is alright, Sir, thank you for asking.”, you replied, caressing your lower stomach, sweetly smiling.

 “Good, good. I’m happy to hear this.”

 “I wanted to see your regarding another matter. In fact, you know Joe is still in the USA regarding his career, but you’re not to be unaware of the fact Valentine’s Day is coming quite soon.”, you started to say.

 “Oh, love will be in the air, indeed. Including in this very school.”, the headmaster nodded.

 “I would like to pay him a surprise visit. I think this is my last chance to be able to fly to the USA. After, being more advanced in my pregnancy, I won’t be allowed to enter the territory anymore.”

 “Yes, of course. Tell me what dates would suit you best, so we can plan your replacement.”, he agreed and the two of you made sure everything would still be fine for the classes to work properly without you.

 Back home, you planned everything to travel to the USA. Your ESTA, since you were not American Citizen, unlike Joe. Booking a flight but not a place to stay, as some of your stuff were already in Joe’s apartment. You also checked your delivery tracking, hoping the present you had ordered for your lover would arrive on time. All should be okay.

 You checked you watch and hurried a little. You were supposed to spend the evening with Ben. He has insisted he wanted to see you before you would leave. Being your official best friend now, he also wanted to make sure you would travel safely.

 “Come on, bub. This is not serious to travel being pregnant. It could be dangerous.”, he told you as he was sipping his tea, comfortably sited in his couch. His apartment was very well decorated, simple and modern. Yet, unlike some other modern places you had seen, it did not give a cold effect. His place was warm and cosy, giving a reassuring feeling.

 “Ben, I’m not carrying a bomb. It’s a baby. Not dynamite.”, you replied laughing.

 “Still. I’m not happy knowing you’ll be crossing the ocean with my future niece or nephew. I’m super nervous.”, he shrugged, trying to convince you.

 “Mister Jones, there were higher probabilities of me being hit by a car or a bus when coming here. Relax, it will all be fine.”

 “Hum....”, he murmured.

 “You’re not convinced, are you?”, you asked him.

 “Nope.”

 “My fight is booked, my ESTA is ready.”, you told him.

 “Okay. I’m coming with you.”

 “What?”

 “It is the only way. Everyone will be so sad to see me worried sick and loosing all this wonderful golden hair.”, he joked.

 You deeply sighed and rolled your eyes. It was pointless to argue now. Ben had taken his decision. He was both your and Joe’s best friend, you were quite sure the American would not bother.

 A few days later then, Ben and you boarded together to New York City. Everything had been properly packed. For once you had left you bass at home. It felt a little weird, but Joe had his own now. If needed, you would borrow his.

 The flight went smoothly. Ben merely looked daggers at the steward twice. First when he made the mistake of calling him your boyfriend, and then very heavily hitting on you.

 “Dude, let go.”, he said, his jaw contracted and his fists tightly closed. “She’s taken and pregnant. You....”, he started to warn him.

 “Ben, please, let go. You don’t want me to punch a random stranger, again, do you?”, you asked him, very calmly.

 He loudly laughed and the two of you recalled this very moment during the filming of Bohemian Rhapsody. The steward then let go and carried on doing his job properly, as Ben and you were still talking about the life on the set, remembering some joyful moments, and some more sad ones.

 Eventually, the plane landed and you proceeded to check all the papers to enter the US territory, Ben always by your side. He then insisted on you staying inside to heal a taxi, fearing you would be too cold outside. Yes, New York weather was still very cold at that time of year, but you had been living in London for quite a while now. It was not like you were not used to bad weather.

 The journey to Manhattan went smoothly as well. The driver was quiet and you were always delighted to see the skyline as you were approaching the heart of Big Apple. The car stopped in front of the building of Joe’s flat and Ben took care of both your luggage. One more trip in the elevator and you took the keys to surprise Joe. You could not wait to see his face. You came in, Ben waiting a little outside for your reunion to be the most romantic of all.

 You looked around the flat, being as quiet as possible to take your former student by surprise. Yet, he was nowhere to be found. Ben eventually arrived behind you, asking you if everything was alright.

 “He’s not here. This is strange. He did not tell me he had an appointment or something.”, you told him, frowning a little. You made yourself at home and took your phone out of your bag. If Joe was out, you wanted to make sure everything was alright still.

 “I’m going to facetime him.”, you told Ben and he nodded.

 You dialed and waited for him to take your call. His face appeared on the screen, smiling, like he would usually do.

 “Hey, my love. Is everything okay?”, he asked at once.

 “All is fine thanks, you?”, you questioned him back.

 “Good, good, where are you?”, he moved his head to look at the environment surrounding you.

 “I was about to ask you the same, in fact.”, you laughed a little. “I’m with Ben.”, you told him, as he showed his face on the screen, waving at his buddy.

 “Hey mate !! What the hell is going on?”, Joe carried on asking.

 “Joe, I wanted it to be a surprise. We’re in your flat in New York City right now. I wanted to be around for Valentine’s day.”, you shrugged.

 “Are you joking?”, Joe’s face was both happy and disappointed it seemed.

 “No, we’re not.”, you showed him around you, letting him know where you were.

 “I see.”, he grimaced.

 “Mate, what’s going on? We’d expected you to be a little more beaming that you are right now, to be honest.”, Ben told him.

 “Well, I’m super happy for the surprise. But I think Y/N and I are real soulmates. Cause we’ve had the same idea and I’m at your place right now.”, he replied. He too moved the phone to show you around. The images appearing could not lie. Joe was indeed in London, while you were in Manhattan. Again, an ocean was separating you, but this time, it was the other way around.

 You sat down, highly annoyed. You wanted to spend sometime with him, alone on this special day, the day of the lovers. You, for once very selfishly and maybe due to the hormones that were developing inside you, had wanted Joe to romantically ask you to be his Valentine. Having a nice walk in Central Parc, a nice dinner at home, just the two of you and ending this day with a comic film, as Joe was perfectly aware romantic movies were definitely not your cup of tea, eating a ton of chocolate.

 “Come on, my love. This is not so bad.”, Joe tried to cheer you up. “At least, we can be happy our best friend won’t be on his own on Valentine’s day.”, he laughed, making Ben look daggers at him. “Roh, come on mate, I’m joking.”, he said, trying to imitate his friend’s tone.

 “I’m single because I want it.”, Ben replied, trying to sound convincing. You looked at him and took him in your arms, hugging him tightly and smacking a sweet kiss in his blond hair.

 “Hey, what about me?”, Joe protested.

 “If you had warned your best friend about you going to England, none of this would have happened.”, Ben replied, taking you in his arms as well.

 “What? How come it’s my fault now? And Y/N, just as for Deaky and his wife, is my best friend too. So, shut your beautiful mouth.”, Joe carried on joking.

 “If ever I annoy you, just let me know.”, you interrupted them.

 “Okay, okay, love. Sorry for this.”, Joe carried on. “Now, since I’m still not used to your place, nor to mine to be honest, could you tell me where I can find a large vase please?”

 “You can take the one which is on the shelve next to the telly.”, you told him, frowning. “Why?”

 “Cause....”, he disappeared a moment from the screen and he came back to face the camera, holding a huge bouquet of roses, “I’ve bought a dozen of red roses for my darling.”, he smiled at you.

 “Oh my gosh, Joey, these are so beautiful.”, you put you hands on your cheeks.

 “And they do smell good as well.”, he let you know.

 “I’m sure they do.”, you replied. “I’m sorry for this, Joe.”, you told him once again lowering your head.  

 “My love. Look at me.”, he replied and you glanced at the screen again. “It’s okay. Being apart on Valentine’s day doesn’t mean we don’t love each other. A little being inside you shows how much I love you. Yesterday, now, and forever.”, he reassured you.

 You put your head on the side, tears coming to your eyes. You did not like being so emotional but you could not help it.

 “I love you too, Joseph Francis Mazzello.”, you smiled at him.

 “The third....”, Ben precised, still hugging you.

 “And I dub thee the fifth.”, Joe nodded, speaking to Ben.

 “What? Why?”, Ben frowned.

 “Cause you’re being the fifth wheel.”, Joe bursted out laughing, as he went to the kitchen to fill the vase this water.

 “At least, I’m not spending Valentine’s day on my own.”, the blonde actor replied, sticking his tongue out at the screen.

 “Touché....”, he replied, making you laugh this time. “You know what, I’m sure I won’t be on my own. I think Gwil and Dana will be delighted to see me.”, he carried on very seriously.

 “Joe, don’t do that. They are engaged. They don’t need you around on this very day. You warned him.

 “I’m kidding. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll hang around in London. Thinking how lonely I am at this very moment, knowing my expecting gal is with my best buddy.”, he acted lonely.

 “I think we’ll catch up with Lucy and Rami. It’s been a while.”, Ben said, ignoring his hare-brained ideas.

 “You definitely should. They are currently in New York City and I’m sure they’ll be so glad to see you both.”, the American seriously replied, putting the roses in the large vase. “Y/N, you should rest now, I’ve seen you yawning twice at least.”, he told you.

 “You’re right.”, you replied. “Talk to you later?”, you told him.

 “Sure will do, my love. Love you.”

 “Love you too.”, Ben replied before you could, sending him fake kisses.

 “I love you too, Joe.”, you eventually said before hanging up.

 The following day, you called Rami and Lucy and the four of you met at their place. It felt so nice to catch up again with you. The actress was younger than you, but she was starring at your rounded belly with attention, sweetly smiling. You noticed it, but said nothing. Rami and her had been together for longer than you and Joe, but both had acting careers taking most of their time. Having a baby was not a decision that could be easily taken.

 You carried on having random conversation, the actors explaining their current projects and you telling them how life in the MIT was going. The young couple seemed really happy to see everything was doing well and that hopefully, your students were all passionate as you were out music and bass guitars. You spend a really nice time with them, but too soon to your point of view, you had to get back home, tiredness because of the jetlag winning over you.

 Ben again insisted on sleeping with you. Just in case. You totally trusted him and you knew he would not bother you as he, contrary to Joe, was not a snorer. The following morning, you woke up quite early, checking both times in London and New York City. You sighed again as you got up.

 It was February the 14th and it was officially Valentine’s Day. And Joe was not by your sides. You were perfectly aware this was a ridiculous thought, but still. You missed him dearly. You both knew living in Manhattan and London would not be easy, but this very day it was even harder. ‘Next time, no surprises.’, you thought to yourself. Well, next time, the two of you would not be on your own. You were brought back to reality as someone knocked on the door.

 You went to open, dragging your feet behind you. You hoped it would not be this neighbor, always talking way too much.

 You opened the door after unlocking it and you had to blink repetitively to make sure you were really seeing it.

 “Hi, my love. Will you be my Valentine today?”, Joe asked you, another bouquet of roses in his arms, one knee on the floor.