#give me the science? the realization that oh wait no this is BAD bad? the graphs? the maps?

[apocalypticseagull]

My dumb little nerdy heart loves to see disaster type movies that have a science-y part behind it and things that could potentially happen to earth

[lara4eclipze]

“teach me”

sypnosis; you weren't exactly dumb but we're lazy yet when she started teaching you your grades went up—what did she do to make that happen

cw; age gap! y/n is 19 Lara is 23 , mean , teasing , smut , face sitting , dirty talk ,spoiled and rich y/n, inspired by this

original idea;@ivemiese / thankss

ALSOO happy birthday my love Lara!! , I'm so happy she's turning 19!! , gosh heres a birthday fic for the rajberries!

to say you were failing was an understatement your grades were plunging down the toilet yet you didn't do anything to change it

your parents were rich anyways you'll get the company by 5 more years , there's no point in studying

well your parents cared about your grades , tutor after tutor yet nothing worked , either you were mean to them or they quit out of pity for you

"mom I told you already these tutors are just not helping" you pout to your mom knowing she'll always fall for it

"well I still got you one — my friend Mitra recommended her to me" your mom sighs

you grunt in frustration, running up to your room muttering some profanity under your breath

—ʚɞ

school was as boring as everyday , you hated this place I mean you went to a very expensive university yet you can't seem to find people you would like to interact with

"disgusting" you scoff as an student accidentally bumps into you

after school was as worse, well atleast now you can rot in bed or go in a shopping spree

"darling your tutor came early today , shes in you room" your mother says to you before going out the door

your mom associates herself with other housewives of rich men , you told her countless times she'll just get influenced by those big head women but she never listened

you enter your room after you change into some oversized tee and short shorts

"hi there" the girl waves at you , oh. my. god. she was hot , gorgeous , smart based on how she's supposed to tutor you and god she looked so fine

"hi..y/n's the name" you said sitting next to her , shamefully (or not so) you check her out , her waist was beautiful her finger were long you wonder how it will feel inside of you

"Lara — raj , anyways I'll tutor you math and science for about 4 hours today" she said , she noticed how you didn't respond so she tsks

well that's until she realizes what you were doing...

"hey didn't your mother teach you checking out people is extremely perverted... especially when they're older than you?" she said her voice lowering

"what? I didn't — pfft what?" you try to play it off but judged by the smirk on her face you knew it wouldn't work

—✧˖*°࿐

after the day she quizzed you on the topic to make sure you understood it

"2/10? are you serious?" she questions

"what?" you ask as if it's normal

"you answered me flawlessly earlier" she reasons

"well maybe I need motivation" you snap back

her gears were turning but an idea struck her

"alright then"

obviously the time was done so she had to go, what a great start you thought, Great thing your tutor now was not boring

admittedly she is hot , a hot nerd you thought to yourself

—✧˖*°࿐

you try to find her social media online and see that she was older than you

"23?, not bad" you sigh

she posted loads of pictures, videos she looked well off why is she wasting her time tutoring spoiled rich kids then?

—✧˖*°࿐

the next day you didn't go to school since you were just lazy, plus what were you gonna do there anyways?

sit down and learn where and when Picasso farted?

although excitingly your pretty tutor was still coming today , you decided to go the extra mile and get ready for her wearing some of your skimpiest outfits

"you look great honey" your mom pipes up as she leaves the house

now we wait , you slouch in your room waiting for her , until..

"hey" she enters your room escorted by your maid

"oh hi.." you said back , deciding to pull your top down a bit

her eyes trailed down , you smirk at her reaction, ahh the hard work paid off i guess

"can we do math first" you plead to her giving her your best weapon ,doe eyes

she reluctantly agreed , chuckling at your actions

god she looked amazing with her glasses , her pierced nose, you can't even focus on what she's teaching you

"do you get it?" she asks

"yes" you replied

"okay then let's quiz you..— you know since yesterday I saw how you looked at me , so let's play a game"

"for every score over 5 you get a special prize , if you get anything lower well it sucks to be you cause you won't get anything" the older says , your eyes lit up at the mentions of prize

"alright then" you said

—✧˖*°࿐

"9/10?.. pretty good" she purrs , god her voice was like heroin so addicting but so bad for you

"tell me when you don't feel comfortable okay?" she asks , fuck being confused you needed her in you NOW

"mhm" you hum out , your heart thumping in synch with her movements her hands in your inner thighs her other one flipping up your skirt

soaked , wet , whatever it was you just needed her so bad

she ties up her hair , some strands falling to frame her face , her breathing gets heavy , the view was amazing, shes quite literally face to face with your cunt ,

"fucking slut" she tsks as she pulls away your undergarments a string of your nectar connecting it to your cunt

"'m not" you were but it felt humiliating , in a good way cause as much as you hate to admit it her degrading you with that voice is just perfect

a beat passes by and her tongue , it felt perfect, gosh her tongue passed by your tight entrance every now and then

"fuck please!" you whine , you felt like you were gonna orgasm just by this yet you needed more

"greedy girl" she says in a condescending tone , mocking the way you whined for her

finally she enters your slick entrance , her tongue reaching places you never thought of

your head lolled back as you moan her name like a mantra , your hands entangled in her hair as you push her head

"right nghm there!" you moan as she hits a particularly gummy spot in you

she chuckles , the vibration sending shockwaves through you , your eyes seeing stars your mouth open drooling due to the fact you can't go a second without moaning or even whining for her

"you close? — your greedy cunny is sucking me in" the older says as she redoubled her efforts her nose bumping your clit every now and then

"shit please! let me cum!" yes it was pathetic, but it felt oh so right ,

"hold it in for me princess" she replied

"please"

"do it or you won't get to finish at all" she threatens , her voice lowering

tears start to fall on your face due to the pleasure, sniffling while moaning, that's new

—✧˖*°࿐

"oh darling are you guys done already?" Lara bumps into your mom as she was going out the door

"yes ma'am , glad to see her improve" the red head replied

"I'm so thankful for you , I haven't seen y/n get along with any of her tutor before" the older woman excitedly said

"must be special then" Lara teased

—✧˖*°࿐

"6/10? what happened honey?" The older asks looking at your paper

your frown at her , what are you gonna get now :((

"don't worry lets make a compromise" she stands up locking your door slowly she removes her top

her abs were on display begging you to ride them , her boobs were perfect to be gagged on

next down was her skirt , along with her socks , shit her thighs were beautiful you itched to touch her

as your hands tried to make its way to her waist she slaps it

"ouch" you pout at her

"study next time , stupid girls don't get to have the privilege of getting fucked mkay?" she pouts back , teasing you as you practically were about to cry

"i hate you" you mumble

"we both know you don't" she replied, wearing her clothing

—✧˖*°࿐

"surprisingly miss her grades had been better , see it was D last semester now it's a B" your professor explains to your mother

you couldn't help but grin , I mean is this who she calls lazy?

maybe you were lazy but never ever were you dumb

"okay spill it what do you want for that grade" your mother says whilst in the car

"oh come on do you think of me so lowly mom?" you rhetorically ask

"but since you insist , can you schedule more of my tutoring with Lara?" you said trying to fight off smiling at the thought

"oh—i expected worse" your mother chuckles

"is that a yes?"

"obviously!" your mother replied happily

—✧˖*°࿐

"stupid slut" she whispers as her fingers hit all the right spots her lips on your neck

getting a score of 8 meant that she'll finger you, a win is a win yet it intrigued you what will you get for 10

"head filled with me fuckin her she can't even respond" she harshly said as she pinches your clit , and then going deeper

"please mo-mommy!" you didn't even realized it slipped out of your mouth till it did

"my whore" she spits as she fingers throb in pain , not a minute passed and you were gushing around them , she chuckles as her fingers dripped in your cum

"suck" she said as she forces her fingers in your mouth , she maintained eye contact as you gag around her digits

"perfect" she said afterwards, she carries you to bed making sure you were alright

"I'm okay" you reassure her

—✧˖*°࿐

school wasn't any better today , but good enough you got to recite here and there

going home was another story , everything was loud due to the party your dad hosted for his business partners or what ever they were

"god!" you scoff , as you open the door you were pulled in by Lara who giggles

"heard you had a good day?" she teases

"now your stalking me? , how interesting miss raj " you hum back

"Oh please " she laughs

she settles your bag in the chair near your desk , sitting down

"ready for your quiz" she asks smirking , she knew what she was doing and it's driving you crazy

"yes I studied hard for this one" you replied

"ooh you might just get what you deserve..." she trails off , you spot her grinning as you take the quiz

—✧˖*°࿐

you don't know if it was a miracle or just a dream but you were buried in between Laras thighs right now having the meal you much deserve after a long ass day

her low moans and wet noises make you go crazy

"fuck baby , go faster" she moans

you chuckle going even faster , like an animal who was starved for weeks , her cunt was perfect sweet and savory soft and so inviting it sucked you in practically

maybe hours passed and you were still down there , she was overstimulated but who cares fuck everything

"baby too much-"

"but" you give her the doe eyes and here she goes losing again

"fine" she said breathlessly as she lays back accepting your tongue again , your face dripped with her cum which was too perfect for her to see

—✧˖*°࿐

"Mom! Lara's staying for the night!" you scream

"fine" your mother replied

"eek she said yes! , now which one first" you said laying out a plethora of straps

"are you joking?" she asks

"no , now which one this one's cute pink and white"

[kiss-me-muchoo]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝? || 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Summary_ living the most perfect relationship turned out to be a sharp pain, your boyfriend Reed Richards was married and you didn’t knew, but thankfully, after the storm comes a rainbow.

Warnings_ age gap (not specified, but reader is in uni), ANGST, ANGST, implied smut, retro references, I hate home-wreckers but this is for the plot, DO NOT romaticize this shit irl.

Notes_ I HAVE A REASON TO ADD THE JOE QUINN TAG, PLEASE READ JOHNNY STORM LOVERS, and listen to how did it end?, please please please and Be My Baby with this, worth it.

♪ ♫ Pedro playlist | Reed + Johnny playlist ✰ Index (+ fics here)

𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆ 𓆇𓆸⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆ 𓆇𓆸⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆ 𓆇𓆸

The subway was awfully quiet yet at full capacity. You assumed everyone was minding their business as usual, but you thanked them because you could perfectly hear the radio of an elderly man playing “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes, and it made you smile.

Reed loved when you casually hummed and danced to the song as you cooked.

Oh, you were so in love.

It was at the beginning of your third semester of university when you met him. Being so introverted made it sweet and easy when you stepped into the wrong classroom, expecting an art class. Reed Richards, the physics professor let you know you were not in advanced sculpting class. He was so enchanted by your beehive hairstyle matching purple skirt and top, with a lilac sweater that had tiny embedded jewels.

He went to look after you that afternoon, learning you were at least past your teenage years and that you were not a science person like him.

And the rest was history, after months of having casual dates, he visited you often, and even met your parents. You loved him.

Reed was extremely smart. Always brings you the right gifts although you never ask him for anything. Always suggesting the best places to have dinner. It was like he had everything perfectly measured to make you happy.

I'll make you happy, baby,

just wait and see

For every kiss you give me,

I'll give you three.

Your stop was next and you enjoyed the rest of the song as you savored the feeling of being in love.

Walking through the streets you realized you had nothing else to do for the rest of the week regarding academic stuff. You also were expecting to arrive before the sunset at your home to start dinner. Reed was coming and your parents were going to join you two too.

For a moment you don’t think you’ve ever been this happy before.

-

Your dad opened a bottle of wine when you heard a knock on the door and that had you already blushing. You placed more raspberries and sliced lemon pieces on top of the cake you started as soon as you arrived home.

Reed greeted your parents and they welcomed him kindly.

“Our girl is in the kitchen,” your dad said.

“On my way to her,” you giggled, hearing his footsteps.

Immediately his hands came to lock around your waist. Which startled you but soon made you laugh.

“Hello, my love,” he said kissing your cheeks from behind.

“Reed! I’m trying to finish the cake” Giggling and trying to get away from him, he made you spin around before pulling closer and finally plastering a big kiss on your lips.

You melt into his touch in a second.

“Too bad I have more appetite for kissing my girl” you gently pushed him, returning to finish the cake.

“Don’t be like that… I put my heart in this one” Reed got closer, admiring your cooking skills. He then moved his eyes to appreciate you. His smile grew as his heart started beating faster.

“You sing, you dance, you sculpt, cook and bake. Darling, you’re perfect!”

“Kiss me again and I might believe it, baby” his silly smile made you chuckle, accepting his embrace and another kiss. It took you by surprise when gently pinned you against the counter, making you let out a gasp after feeling his manhood brushing your inner thigh.

“Are we still up for dinner?” Your mother called, peeking through the door of the doorframe of the kitchen.

“Yes. Sorry, Mom” you apologized feeling a sudden sense of embarrassment. Reed let you go, immediately helping you to grab some plates.

“We’ll continue this in the studio, darling” his hand reached out and gave you a soft spank in the ass, making your eyes wide open.

“Reed!”

“I said what I said, dear”

You would never deny his touch. The way the mere brush of the tip of his fingers could set you on fire and he perfectly knew the spots to make your body burn. So you just smiled naughtily. When he turned to see you again, you gained the courage to show him the outline of your shiny mint underwear that was lying under your dress.

“You’re killing me, y/n”

“After dinner, you can do everything to stop me”

His face was priceless, he blushed and looked adorable being so.

“How does it feel this summer without teaching?” You heard your father asking Reed after you gently pushed him out of the kitchen.

Between the laughs of your family and boyfriend, and the soft music playing in the background, you feel very happy.

…

“Reed…” you moaned his name as you watched his face under the hem of your dress. His lips were constantly licking your wet folds and had you biting your own hand to prevent louder moans.

“Darling… you are so pretty moaning like that for me” his hands snaked through your ass to the back of your knees, opening your legs even wider.

You were so close, your eyes closed in advance and you grasped at his hair harder.

yes, yes, yes, oh!… oh no.

His watch oddly beeped. The bubble of pleasure exploded, leaving only ashes of what had been the lust.

“I gotta go…” you frowned.

“What?… Why?”

“A friend. From work… he has a deadline for professors, I promised I would send him some of my archives to save him time,” he said and it only made you frown more.

“Can’t you send him the archives at least after making me reach an orgasm?”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll pick you up tomorrow to have breakfast at your favorite place. Then we can have some fun time in my car” he attempted to soothe your worries but it clearly didn’t work.

“Oh… okay, Reed”

He kissed your forehead before squeezing your hand and finally leaving.

The bitter taste of uncertainty hit you. And before you could even prevent it, you were distrusting Reed.

The next morning, while he talked about how lovely you looked and how great was his breakfast, you barely paid attention. While he took your body to the backseat of his car, more than pleasure you felt uncertainty again.

And no matter how much you tried to ignore it, you didn’t believe Reed.

…

It’s all in the past three weeks later. Everything went back to normal, dates were perfect again, and sex was pure gold again. You had no complaints about your relationship with your much older boyfriend.

Even better when he announced he got tickets to see The Beatles on Saturday.

You got your hair straightened. A black turtleneck dress, red seen-through tights, and matching red heels.

Your eyeliner was more perfect than ever. And Reed came to pick you up with a huge bouquet of flowers.

“How did you get the tickets, love?” you asked as he drove.

“Oh, I have a friend who works in the media. A dating show has its target audience set…”

You wonder what show he meant. There were some popular shows on the TV airing at the time. That’s long short story when you notice Reed had been watching you.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I love the sight of you…” his words made you blush. Much more when he leaned to give you a quick kiss that you enjoyed as if it was the last. His beard tickled you and only made you smile more.

“I don’t want to die without seeing The Beatles, Reed” He started laughing and soon you followed with a giggle.

He pulled into a parking lot, and you already felt excited, seeing the crowds making line to go inside the venue, waiting for the concert to begin.

“Oh, I’m so excited!” You squealed, hurrying to apply some more lipstick before getting out of the car.

“Honey, you don’t need more makeup, you already look gorgeous,” Reed said.

“But it’s your favorite color” he looked, noticing it was indeed his favorite color, crimson red.

“Damn right… it is my favorite color” Both of you laughed as you started walking outside of the parking lot.

He placed his arm around your shoulders but soon you remember.

“Wait!… I forgot my coat” Reed hands you the car keys and you go back.

The last sun's rays hit the car when you open the backseat door. You leaned to grab your coat, but a shimmery item caught your attention.

Locked under the passenger seat, you struggle to grab the object, not being able to see just guided by the touch.

First, you felt a paper and a harder one, like a card. Then, with your pinky fingers, you felt a cold rounded object.

Your heart pounded as you fished the object with your pinky fingers.

An ID from the NASA that belonged to a woman, named Susan Richards aka Sue Storm. She was older, but extremely pretty; blonde, blue eyes, perfect nose, perfect hair, just some years younger than Reed.

A picture of your boyfriend with the same woman of the ID, both looking at the camera, her hand gently placed against his chest, a big diamond in a ring also posing for the picture.

And the ring. The solid proof of your sudden question.

“Darling, Why are you taking so long?”

“You’re married?” You asked, handing him the golden wedding band with one hand and slamming the door of his car with the other.

“Darling…” he tried to reason, but you are enraged, red face and watered eyes.

“Why am I even questioning? Of course, you are married, Reed!” your hand dropped the picture and ID, and his attempts to calm you failed.

You can’t even process what is happening, you are just being consumed by the anger caused by his betrayal.

“We were going through a rough phase. And then I met you. I- I don’t even know what I’m doing right now” he admitted, sighing, accepting he was an asshole and a loser.

“AS IF I CARE!… YOU LIED TO ME!”

“Let me talk and explain, y/n”

You let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose, trying to keep the tears from falling. Your head started pounding, your body welcoming the stress.

“No. Don’t call me again, don’t get close to my college department on campus. Just… don’t you ever try to come back into my life again.” he called your name plenty of times, and you heard his footsteps following you, but after leaving the parking lot of the restaurant, he stopped.

After a good time trying to prevent the tears, you started crying. You loudly sobbed, ignoring the few people you encountered while crossing the streets of the vivid city.

By the time you are seated in the subway once again, you don’t realize you have walked more than five blocks. You could only think about Reed.

Every moment with him felt genuine. He was kind, attentive, romantic, and… honest.

Never gave a sign to make you believe you couldn’t trust him, more like the contrary. And that was the worst part.

Maybe you just loved him so hard that it made you blind to see that his love was a lie.

…

The phone rang every day. You never answered. A month passed and you avoided the rest of your life on the beaches of Florida.

Your parents believed Reed took advantage of his P.H. D out of the city, so it was better to break up. But they couldn’t bear seeing their poor daughter going through some breakdown.

And when you came back to the city, the neighbor told you your ex-boyfriend had sent flower bouquets during your vacation, not knowing you were out.

It only made you feel worse. Questioning How could you have missed the signs of him being married?. And now that the damage was done. Did the wife know? Did Reed ever love you?

If he couldn’t be faithful to his wife, certainly not to you.

But those thoughts are the kind of thing that makes you go out with one eye covered in purple eyeshadow and the other in bright orange. Mismatched socks and disheveled hair. Some girls laugh at you when you enter a cafeteria but you honestly don’t give a damn. You just want a sandwich.

After paying, you’re once again daydreaming, overthinking about Reed. Without realizing a man had stood beside you.

“Hey... I saw the girls over there laugh but… I like the way you styled yourself” You turn to see the stranger.

“I’m so lost in the head, I did something bad a while ago, so now I can’t even think straight ahead” you admitted, moving to grab some dressing and napkins while waiting for your order.

“Well, it must’ve been really bad, with all due respect.”

“It was…”

“Is it too bad that I’m curious to know?” He asked and you shook your head, sighing.

“I was dating a married man and I didn’t know,” you said looking down, too embarrassed to look at the guy in the eye.

“It’s not your fault if you didn’t know” it took you by surprise.

“I know. But it pains me so much because it thought it was… real.” a lady called your name, letting you know your order was ready.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be telling my problems to strangers. Thanks for listening, have a great day” you said, walking away to grab your sandwich.

“Wait!” The man called you.

“I don’t mind hearing. My brother-in-law always says I’m an asshole but I can actually listen to people. If you had no plans… We could have lunch together” he revealed, making you smile gently.

“I was going to take this home and eat alone. So yes, we could have lunch together…” you finally analyzed him. Definitely closer to your age than your failed previous relationship. He was blonde and had kind eyes, that no matter what you wouldn’t trust at all after what happened with Reed. But this man seemed sweet, slightly cheeky, and too much of an extroverted one, but you liked it.

“I didn’t catch your name before,” he said.

“I’m y/n…”

“Johnny… Johnny Storm” You remember it was the same name as Reed’s wife. But you can’t think this man had something to do with them. You can’t live continuing with mixing Reed with every step you took.

“I like your jacket”

“Thanks. I almost set it on fire this morning” You didn’t think he was saying it for real, so you laugh.

And oh, how much things changed after that.

…

Five months later, in the peak of autumn, Johnny and you celebrated your first month together. And accidentally you discovered he had some… abilities regarding fire.

Soon later, he was convinced you had to meet his family, so you agreed.

But when his sister opened the door, your face went pale. The woman in the ID you found in Reed’s car greeted you along Ben Grimm and soon you encountered with the cause of your endless midnights in sorrow.

Reed Richards looked the same. Wearing his usual clothes, the grey hairs above his ears, a charming smile, and an intellectual vocabulary.

Acting like strangers, he greeted you, pretending he never met you, never kissed you, never touched you.

Reed just slipped from you, but you weren’t afraid to walk away, just truly and messily hurt. Then you met Johnny, magically disappearing the weight of your broken heart. Even so, while walking inside the house, talking to the wife of your ex-boyfriend, you felt his eyes on you.

Reed was merely shocked, not knowing anything about you in months, then suddenly walking into his home as Johnny’s new girlfriend. He was horrified, but then he realized that he was no better than his brother-in-law. Reed always thought Johnny was an asshole for cheating on girls and being condescending. But you had truly changed him. Johnny followed you like a lost puppy, Reed questioned if you were a witch. And he accepted he wasn’t over you.

“How on earth did this happen?” Reed asked you during a brief moment of privacy.

“I don’t know, but I think I’m falling in love with him, Mr. Fantastic” you whispered in his ear. Reed saw how your eyes briefly glowed and he feared you, but more than fear, he felt panic about you completely forgetting about him.

As you walked inside the kitchen, following the conversation with Ben and Sue, Reed was witness of how you dropped a picture of his wedding with Sue, without touching it. His blood ran cold.

“What was that?” The blonde woman asked.

“A picture, it fell and the frame cracked a little” Reed calmed her, but he grabbed the item, noticing how it left some of your strange energy. The eerie gleam across the frame made him almost hypnotized, soon he shook his head. He would take that frame to run some tests and discover what the hell were you hiding.

Reed entered the kitchen finally, and saw how Johnny kissed your temple, his hand on the small of your back to lead you towards the table to have dinner. You weren’t lying, you were falling in love with Johnny, but you thought back at Reed. Your heart still belonged to him. And you couldn’t comprehend how did it end?.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist: @raiyna-rred

Idk, I’m just excited for this movieeeeeee

[exoticb-utters]

Hi, could you do a little Hank McCoy x reader story, about Hank jealous (I love your previous story, it was very cute)💙

oooou yes ofc, I love making my men jealous 🤗

Feeling Jealous?

“Flufftober” series. 1 🎃 Jealous Hank X GN Reader ‘Fluff’ Word Count: 1.7k

You met Hank in college; yes, before he was big and blue. Also meaning, you inevitably met in your biology class. 

While you attended the class for credits, he attended just for fun. Turns out he already had all his credits, he just really liked science.

He was freakishly smart, like genius level intelligent. 

You first met him on the first day of class, sitting in the very front row of the lecture hall. 

You saw no one else was sitting in his row, so you decided to sit next to him. I mean…he looked a little lonely and you felt bad. 

You sat down next to him, leaving one seat between the two of you. You flashed him a small smile before pulling out your notebook and pencils. 

Unbeknownst to you, Hank was utterly gobsmacked at the fact someone so beautiful just so happened to sit next to him.

He’d always been academic-centered, not really getting involved with relationships to avoid distractions. 

But…he’s not so sure anymore. 

He returned your smile with a small nod, adjusting his glasses with a finger. Suddenly, the collar of his shirt was starting to feel too tight, and the classroom air was much too hot. 

Every class you exchanged small talk, a “What was that last line?” here, maybe even a “Is the quiz Tuesday or Thursday?” there. 

This inevitably progressed into you pairing yourselves into group work, which then turned into you becoming study buddies. 

Along the way somewhere, it ultimately blossomed into a good friendship. It was the most you could ask for anyway, having a crush on your guy best friend is no easy feat.

He was smart, sweet, a huge dork, hot, and was never hesitant to help you if you ever needed it. Most of your friends have been pushing you to ask him out- make a move even. 

But of course, the fear of rejection and the mere thought of ruining your friendship was stronger. So you’d admire from a distance, no matter how grueling it was. 

♡ ♡ ♡

“Hey, study sesh tonight? Usual time?” You say, walking out of class with Hank. 

“Yeah, but isn’t the library closed for tonight?” He replied as you both walked through the hallway, side by side as usual. “Really? I didn’t know that…” You hum in thought. 

“Well, my roommate should be out for the night…why not just have it over at my place?” Hank suddenly suggests with a shrug. You looked back at him in surprise, you’d never been to his dorm. The thought filled you with butterflies and curiosity.

Hank saw your shocked expression and thought he crossed a line. Before he could defend himself you stopped him. 

“Uh, yeah that’s fine. Five right?” You chuckled, walking through the main doors that led outside. 

“Yeah, sounds good!” He quickly replies, smiling at you. You began walking to your left before realizing Hank was going in the direction of the dorms. “W-wait, where are you going?” Hank called after you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Oh just stopping by a friend’s place- actually I’ll send you the address and you can pick me up and we can start the session!” You answer before giving him a final wave. 

Okay… that was strange. 

Hank knew he wasn’t your only friend, someone like you is bound to be popular. 

This just left a…weird feeling in his chest.  

He shook his head, snapping himself out of it. How childish, he’d see you in a couple of hours anyway.

Hank passed the next couple of hours by napping, not caring enough to do much anything else since most of his school work would be finished with you anyway. 

Once the alarm he’d set earlier went off, he got up and grabbed his keys and binder before walking out the door.

After making his way out the door and into his car, he pulled up the address you sent him.

He pulled up to the location and texted you a quick “here!” before getting out of the car. He walked up to the door, raising his hand to knock before spotting a doorbell. 

“That’s a better idea…” Hank mumbled quietly to himself, pressing the button with a finger. He heard the soft chime from inside the house before the sound of footsteps approached the door. 

The door was then swung open, revealing a stereotypical jock. The man had a couple inches on Hank, blonde hair, conveniently attractive (by societal standards anyway), and probably on the school’s football team. Hank’s heart sank. 

You were right behind him, of course. You push past him, removing him from the doorway. He rolled his eyes at your actions, you two must be close. “Oh, Will! This is Hank, the one I was telling you about earlier.” You say, motioning your hand towards Hank. 

He felt flattered you were talking about him to your...friend? Well, you did say you were stopping at a friend’s house earlier. You never even mentioned having a boyfriend, and Hank never asked; he feared it would come off…weird.  

“Ohh, yeah- Study session guy. Have fun.” ‘Will’ waved to you as you walked back to the car with Hank, and to his despair- you waved back. With a smile. 

He got into the car, starting the engine with a small huff. His hands tightened ever so slightly on the wheel, thoughts running wildly. Hank was never the jealous type, but not having your attention right now felt…wrong. 

It left a bad taste in his mouth, and he didn’t like it at all.

“Hey Hank! Thanks for picking me up.” You greet him with that sweet smile, closing the door behind you. 

He mumbles out a quiet reply as he shifts the car into reverse, backing out of the driveway.

Your brows furrow in confusion, not able to read his expression. He seemed almost…mad? No…maybe he was disappointed? 

You open your mouth to speak but Hank cuts you off. “So how was it?” 

You’re left confused, his question sounding more deadpan than the casual enthusiasm he’d usually have. 

“Uh, it was good…Just had to grab something…” You trail off, eyeing Hank cautiously as if he would explode at any minute now. This wasn’t like him. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m perfectly fine.” He hums, not missing a beat. He takes a turn before reaching a hand up to adjust the glasses that sat on his nose. 

“You just seem a little off, are you sure?” You ask again, studying his face for any more hints. 

“Yes.” Another curt reply leaves his lips. You let out a sigh, crossing your arms begrudgingly. Why was he being so difficult?!?

You decided to let him be, not having the energy to go back and forth with Hank of all people. The rest of the car ride was in tense silence, the atmosphere almost suffocating.

Once you reach his dorm, things carry out as usual…or so it would seem. Hard to ignore the way things went down just a few moments ago in his car. 

Hank opened his dorm room, flicking on the lights as he made his way to a desk in the far corner. You close the door behind yourself, Hank taking out his notes from class. 

He began flipping through the pages in silence, eyes quickly scanning each paper for the material you’d be going over tonight. 

You linger in place by the door, watching him as nothing but the sound of pages flipping fills the air. Clearly, you couldn’t carry out your session with him acting like this. 

You walk over, standing behind him with crossed arms. He turned around, the page-turning still continuing. He glanced at you over his glasses for a brief moment, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well?” You speak, mimicking the raised brow. “You’re the one just standing there.” He quips, pushing his glasses up with a finger. 

“Why have you been acting like this? You weren’t grumpy earlier today, why now?” You question, looking up at him. Yes, he had a couple inches on you, but you were not going to let that thought linger.

“Acting like what?” He replies, setting down his binder with a look. You roll your eyes with a huff. “Like a dick quite frankly.”

You could tell he didn’t expect your answer to be so frank, his blue eyes widening slightly. “Did I do something wrong Hank?” You say softly, your tone coming off more quiet this time.

Hank’s gaze softened, taking off his glasses before rubbing the bridge of his nose. “No sorry I just-“ He pauses, exhaling sharply. “I’ve been acting really childish and I apologize…”

There was a short pause, a heavy silence falling over the room. “Who was that guy? Will right?” He said, leaning against the wall with crossing his arms. 

“Yeah, he’s my friend.” You say, wondering where this was coming from. “He’s not a boyfriend?” He asks cautiously, his voice quieter than before.

Was this why he was so upset???

“No…I’m very single actually.” You hint, clearing your throat a little. Hank was so smart; but so, so oblivious. 

He felt a flicker of hope in his chest. Here goes nothing. 

He left his place in the wall, striding towards you. “So, would there be- I dunno…a chance you’d go out with me?” He glances down at his feet, before looking back at you. 

“Hank…” You start, but you don’t even know what to say. This was exactly what you’ve been waiting for. 

Hank’s expression fell at your pause. Oh no. He made it awkward. “It’s fine if you say no, I was just asking! Please don’t feel obliged to-“ You cut him off before he can ramble on.

“Hank I’ve liked you since we sat together in Bio. I’d love to go out with you sometime.” You wave your hand dismissively in the air. 

“Wait Hank…did you ask if Will was my boyfriend because you were…jealous?” You quirk a brow with a smile. 

His face instantly flushed at your words. “Um…no.” He mumbles, covering his face with a hand. Very convincing. 

You pull him in close in a tight hug. “I’m just glad you feel the same Hank.” 

So now, when you notice that certain look in your husband’s eyes when a man tries to make a pass on you, it reminds you much of his younger self. 

You simply just smile, giving him a quick peck to the cheek to reassure him. “You know I love you Hank~” 

“You know I love you too, dear.” He’ll smile, all worries melting away. 

What was he so jealous about before?

[moonstruckme]

feels odd being a marauder fan asking for tasm Peter content but i couldnt help myself <//3 if ur still taking requests id love to see ur take on Peter and the art students meet cute (or not so cute meeting) I always wondered how two vastly different people would even meet lol

Thanks for requesting gorgeous!

cw: mention of animal cruelty (not present in the story)

tasm!Peter Parker x artist!reader ♡ 831 words

Peter wonders if he should put on his mask. 

He’s not really sure what the protocol is for non-mutant criminal activity that makes its way into his daily life. But he’d only been trying to lock up the lab for the night, and there you are, spray painting all over the glass panes dividing the workspaces. 

“Hey!” He decides to forgo the mask when you direct your can scary close to a container of samples. “Don’t do that, you’ll ruin them.” 

You turn slowly, tense all over. It’s a look Peter’s not unfamiliar with; fight and flight are warring in your nervous system. You’ve been caught. 

“No one’s still supposed to be here,” you say, voice muffled slightly by the painter’s mask covering your nose and mouth. 

A laugh bubbles out of him. “Oh, my bad. Sorry—actually, since I’m clearly the one breaking the rules, I’ll just go.” 

You remain frozen in place, seemingly waiting to see if he’s actually joking or not. Peter’s not sure what to do. He can’t just…let you continue to destroy the lab, but calling the cops has never been his MO. He crosses his arms and leans back against a table, doing his best to look in control. 

“What are you even doing?” he asks. 

“It’s…” You look around you as if you’d forgotten, to the glass now dripping gorily with red paint. “It’s about animal cruelty. It’s a protest. Do you have any idea,” you say, your voice picking up conviction as you speak, “how many animals die in these labs every day?” 

Peter blinks. “Not really.” It feels shitty to say, but it’s not like he’s around for every class and project that happens here every day; something like that would be impossible to keep track of. 

Your eyes flash. “Too many.”

“So, what?” He looks around, at the red dribbling down the glass panes—blood, that’s what it is—and your paint-spritzed overalls. “You make some maintenance worker have to clean this up tomorrow morning, and then the science department will decide to stop?” 

Your eyebrows bunch. You hadn’t thought of that. “I just want to bring attention to it,” you say. “I’ll come back and clean up if I need to, but I just—I think it’s important that people see it. That they can’t just keep ignoring it.” 

Peter frowns, bending to pick up one of the paint canisters stacked neatly by a backpack. He gives it a little shake, and this one’s still full, the pile it came from larger than the matching one of used-up cans by your feet. Your eyes track his movements, too smart to try and take it from him but attentive nonetheless. You’re watching him with this flaming intensity. There’s something quietly passionate about you, like you’re burning with an energy that would be almost frightening if it didn’t seem so heartfelt. 

“You realize there’s cameras all over this place, right?” he asks. “You could get kicked out of school. This is vandalism.” 

You don’t flinch. “It’s uncommissioned public art.” 

“You think they’ll see it that way?” 

You sigh heavily, and Peter wishes he could see what was going on behind that mask so he’d know what you were thinking. Thankfully for him, your eyes are expressive enough. They narrow as you cross your arms, jutting out a hip. 

“So what, are you going to go and tell someone?” 

Peter sizes you up. He can relate to feeling like you need to work outside of the system to get something done. To being sick of going to the proper authorities after being told too many times that while they really do care, they won’t do anything about it.

“How about this,” he says. “You let me stay here and make sure you don’t damage any of the equipment, and I won’t rat you out.” He might even scrub the camera footage once you go. But he’s still figuring you out, so he doesn’t want to make promises. 

“Deal,” you say immediately. If you’re surprised at his bargain, you don’t show it, only shaking the paint canister in your hand and starting to spray another layer of paint onto the glass. Your brows pinch slightly as you work, evidence of an assiduous concentration Peter is familiar with. 

He makes himself comfy in a rolling chair, sitting back to watch you work. “We actually do some really important stuff here, you know.” 

“I’m sure you do,” you say without pausing. “It’s not like I blame everyone you personally. I get that the research helps people, but, I mean, at what cost?” 

Peter shrugs. It’s a good point. “True. It’s a lot worse for animals in the big labs. We’re small-scale because we’re funded by the school, and we’re also responsible for reporting to the higher-ups.” 

“I know.” Your eyes flit to him, less wary than before. “But I don’t have access to one of the big labs. Change has to start somewhere, right?” 

You can certainly agree on that. 

[morganski-19]

Chills Right to the Marrow Part 64

ao3 link| part 1 . . . part 61, part 62, part 63

the first part takes place after part 53, the second takes place after part 55, and the last before/during part 52

“Jesus Christ this wallpaper is terrible,” Eddie comments as he shuts the door behind him. As he, apparently, followed Steve up the stairs. Because he can’t give Steve a moment to deal with this. To not yell at him for not being prepared.

“I said I don’t want to talk about this again,” he repeats. Firm in his tone.

Eddie practically falls onto Steve’s bed, rolling to lay on his back. “I’m not focusing on that right now. I’m focusing on the fact that I just climbed a flight of stairs and am fucking winded. Holy shit, when did stairs become so hard.”

Steve snorts. Grateful for a moment where he can think of something else.

“So this is Steve Harrington’s room, huh,” Eddie continues. “This is what all the girls were so excited to see. From what I can see from laying down, I guess it’s ok. The décor is terrible though, what the hell is this furniture.” He pauses, because Steve took off his shirt, briefly, before slipping on a sweatshirt. “Oh, never mind, I get it.”

“You knew that they weren’t coming here for the furniture,” Steve mocks, laying down next to Eddie.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Well aware. Just a joke. And maybe my round about way of asking to see you without clothes.”

“Could just be direct. Not like it would be unwanted or anything.” He takes a deep breath. “But that’s not what you came up here for.”

“That is not what I came up here for,” Eddie confirms. He turns on his side, looking at Steve. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, and I know Robin keeps bothering you about it, but I think not talking about it is worse.”

“Eddie,” Steve exhales.

“And,” he persists, “there is something that you’re not saying. And I think it’s better if you did.”

Steve lets out a deep breath, sitting up and Eddie does the same. He looks at Steve expectantly, but patiently. Reaching to take one of Steve’s hands and hold it. Waiting for him to open up.

“The more I think back on times in my life,” Steve starts, “my parents weren’t always terrible parents. When I was a kid, my dad would play catch with me in the yard, put in the pool when he learned I loved to swim, would help my study when I needed it. My mom, she would take me to the movies on my days off from school, bring me to the park, read to me. They went to all my games, had interest in my life and my friends, even insisted they met Nancy when they learned we were dating. Even if by then they had already pulled back.”

It was more for approval, he realizes now. But then, it was everything. There were times that Steve could look back on and try to find something wrong, something that made them out to be bad, but he couldn’t. There were other times that proved the exactly opposite of that, plenty of those times, but they all happened later.

Before high school, his parents were there. They seemed to enjoy being parents. Even if it was all a ruse, even if it was for a motive not obvious at the time, it still felt real.

“Sometime in high school, they just stopped caring. My dad cheated on my mom, and she started following him on all his business trips. They were home less and less. Each time they came back, it was clear that they weren’t interested in hearing about me anymore. This house was just a pit stop for them.”

Before, back in middle school, report card day used to terrify him. He was never good at math or science, something he could never wrap his mind around. No matter how hard he tried, he could never get that grade to an “A”. Something to be proud of. Yet, every time that report came through the mail, he was greeted with a smile from his mother, and a good effort from his dad. A motivating message to try and get better. It felt good in the moment.

There were a lot of moments like that. Where it felt good in the moment, but as Steve grew up, he understood the tone a little more. The meaning behind the eyes he was too scared to look in. It finally set in when he almost failed his freshman algebra. Passing wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t rewarded, just accepted. A lot of things were accepted and not revered.

Trophies were never allowed downstairs. It was a shelf in Steve’s room, that was their place. Because he should be proud of them, and be happy to look at them every day. And when people came over, his parents got to boast and have him run up the stairs to go and fetch the trophy for viewing, before being shunned again.

It wasn’t until he went over to Nancy’s for the first time, the proper first time, and saw Mike’s science fair ribbon hanging on the fridge next to Nancy’s straight “A” report. Dozens of pictures that Holly drew decorating their fridge. That was what real pride looked like. Even if they were just there for the day, it wasn’t shunned. It was acknowledged.

Steve’s accomplishments, his personality, his life was kept from the rest of the house. From them. Everything they ever cared about was things that could be bragged, and then hidden back away. When his notoriety ended, so did their love.

“I wasn’t interesting for them anymore.”

Eddie squeezes his hand, leaning on his shoulder. Steve didn’t realize that he started crying, not until a tear dripped off his chin and fell onto his lap. He stares at the small dark stain, and finds a way to finish.

“And as much as I hate them, as much as I can now see how bad they really were. There is still this part of me that is waiting for them to come back. Them selling the house is just proof that they never are.”

The air feels cleaner now that he’s said it out loud. The room less heavy, his mind a little more blank.

“They don’t deserve you,” Eddie says quietly. Using his hand to pull him closer, kissing his temple. “They don’t deserve you at all.”

“No, no they don’t.” Steve shakes his head, looking around at the only bedroom he’s ever known. “Where am I supposed to go after this?”

Eddie’s hand cups Steve’s cheek, his thumb rubbing away the tears. “One step at a time, right. We’ll get through this one step at a time. This is step one right here. Step two can come when it needs to. Step one point five can be us, sitting here, while you feel whatever you need to feel. Then we’ll get up, and we’ll eat something because I don’t know about you but I’m fucking starving. And then maybe we can watch a movie or something.”

Steve laughs, turning to look at Eddie. “I think I can do that.”

. . .

“So you’re moving in with Eddie?” Dustin asks unprompted.

Steve stills, setting the pile of tapes on the counter. “Uh, yeah, I am. How did you know that?”

They didn’t tell the kids about that yet.

“Not that hard to guess, considering you’ve been dating in secret.”

Also didn’t tell them about that.

He looks around, instinctively making sure no one is there. Even though the front door is locked, Steve just finishes up his closing tasks before he can go. Dustin had insisted that he stay so he didn’t have to bike home in the dark, which was a ruse, he knew. He just hoped that this wasn’t why.

It’s not like he never wanted Dustin to know. Just, that he wanted a bit more time. Robin knowing didn’t mean much, Wayne knowing meant it couldn’t go as unacknowledged. Telling Dustin meant it was real, though. This was it. No take backs if they mess up. No reverting back into awkward friends. Their relationship was real. Known.

Which wouldn’t be such of a problem if Steve wasn’t so scared he was going to mess it up. Every past relationship he’s had, even the small ones, have proven to him that things don’t tend to work out for him. It starts out great, better than he could possibly have imagined, and then it goes south. He says things he regrets, they say things they regret. It’s awkward for two years until a murderous psychopath forces them to spend enough time together to find a way to be friends again.

Robin says he’s projecting too much, but he thinks it’s being cautious. He’s been hurt. Sue him if he didn’t want to be hurt again.

“No one’s here, Steve,” Dusitn confirms when he notices him looking around. “It’s just me.”

Somehow, that doesn’t make it any better.

“I know.”

He truly doesn’t know how Dustin is going to respond. Which side he’s going to pick. He was close with both of them, it was going to be hard.

Steve was hoping Dustin would pick him, but he’s not sure about that.

Dustin makes a motion for him to continue, as if he’s supposed to have something to say.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say here. You seem like you already know everything.”

“I don’t know,” he exclaims. “Maybe hearing how long? How it happened? When you figured out you liked dudes? Something.”

Steve sighs, setting in more tapes to be rewound before answering. “When I worked at the mall, that’s when I figured out I liked guys. Or when I started to question it, I guess. I don’t think it was until after that I finally accepted it.”

Dustin nods, taking it all in. “And when you started liking Eddie?”

“I’m not exactly sure on that one. I know it was somewhere between getting stuck in the upside down and the final battle. But it all kind of hit me before we split off.”

“So that Nancy thing, that was all a fluke?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, kind of.”

“You know you are going to make this insanely complicated for me if you guys break up.”

“I am aware.” He switches out the tapes again. “Hoping that doesn’t happen, though.”

Dustin’s silent for a moment. Steve’s waiting for the shovel talk, ensuring that he doesn’t hurt Eddie. A sign that he’s lost Dustin in the potential breakup. Proof that, again, no one was going to stay.

“You seem happier,” Dustin says instead. “I didn’t notice it at first. But after you guys stopped fighting with each other, which is when I’m assuming you started dating, you changed. I haven’t seen you this happy before.”

Before Steve can find anything to respond to that, Dustin comes around the counter and hugs him.

“I know you didn’t exactly tell me the way you wanted, but I’m glad I know. And I’m glad that you’re happy.”

Steve smiles. “Thanks.”

“I’ll egg his house or something if he ever breaks your heart.”

He laughs. Selfish relief washing over him. “I appreciate it.”

. . .

His room never was the most cluttered thing there was, but it was still weird seeing it bare. His drawers empty, the pile in the back of his closet finally cleaned out. It was the end of something.

Life is always described in chapters. One bit of life ends, and the next begins. For Steve, though, it felt like up until this moment was one book. Everything that included this house was all tied together in one binding. The novel that this house created impacting its reader enough for a lifetime. Impacting Steve for a lifetime.

Tomorrow, when he leaves this house for the last time, he hopes that it starts a new book, instead of a chapter. A completely fresh start. A sequel, of sorts, but a whole new plot to further his future. His life. Something else to be the conflict that weighs on him.

He hopes that tomorrow, he can walk through the front door for the last time and leave all the pain this house gave him behind.

“Holy shit,” Robin says while helping him find anything else he wants to keep in the house. “Is this you?”

He turns to find her holding a large photo album. It’s been years since he’s seen that. “Yeah. I think was five in that picture.”

“I haven’t seen a picture of you before you were twelve, I thought you popped out as a preteen.”

Steve laughs. “If you want to keep thinking that don’t turn to the front of the album.”

Her eyes widen as she flips to the first page, many pictures of Steve as a baby laid out on the pages. Robin starts teasing him, saying how she’s going to find a weird one and make it a point to show everyone. Which isn’t going to be hard, considering the outfits his mom used to make him wear.

It’s nice, knowing that someone liked to look at these pictures. Wants to keep them, somehow. He always thought his mom took the book with him, but it was in the one cabinet in the living room the whole time. A sad feeling washes over him that his mom was going to sell the house without coming to get it back. But it’s nice to know he gets to be the one to keep it. It’s better in his hands anyway.

“What’d you find,” Eddie asks, coming into the room.

“Baby pictures,” Robin jumps to explain. “Look at Steve in this stupid outfit.”

Steve makes a face when he sees that one. He doesn’t remember wearing it, but it looks like so many others he was forced to wear. All of them were so itchy.

“Oh my God. You were so little.” Eddie takes the book and looks closer, before bursting out laughing. “What the fuck is that hat?”

“I will never know what went through my mom’s head when she dressed me like this.” Steve lets them look a little longer before taking it and placing it in one of his boxes. Going back to searching for anything else he wants to keep, or steal.

Eddie has started finding his own things as well, and Robin. They both had what they considered fancy blankets and pillows that they wanted to keep. Some of the kitchen stuff is already at the house, but Steve is making sure he has what he’ll need when he eventually moves out as well. And then there are the movies and records he wants to keep. He’s also taking the nice record player, because why not really.

Not much he really wants to keep, though. Except for his room, much of the space was never really his. He didn’t need all the fancy decorations and excessive touches. That all could stay and die in the house.

But the photo album, the things that he allowed himself to add over time, the memories he wanted to keep, that was all his. It was allowed to leave with him.

“I can’t believe that you’re actually leaving this place,” Robin says while helping him load some boxes into his car. “I thought I’d have to drag you out of there.”

Steve scoffs. “I would have left eventually. Just . . . wanted some time to process everything first.”

She stands next to him, staring up at the house. “You know, I’m only going to the community college in the next town, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see if we could get a place together. Be close for both of us.”

“That’d be nice. I don’t think I want to live alone anymore.”

He drives her home, leaving some of the boxes he doesn’t immediately need and her parents graciously offered to hold in their basement. Then he drives back to his house that’s only his for one more night. It will be the last time he ever drives up the driveway. What a weird feeling that is.

Eddie’s waiting for him when he comes home. Watching something on the tv. “You ready for tomorrow?” he asks, softly, as Steve comes and sits next to him.

“I’m not sure.” He wraps an arm around Eddie, pulling him close.

“I guess we’ll figure it out together then.”

“Yeah.”

Much like when Steve feelings for Eddie started, he can’t tell the exact moment that they turned into loving him. There was just a morning when he woke up, and it was the first thought in his mind. He spent so long fearing for the next time he fell in love, he forgot how nice it felt at all. With Eddie, it just felt right. He couldn’t explain it, but it was freeing.

The evening is the normal he’s become accustomed to. A house that doesn’t suck the life out of him, simply because there is someone there. Someone to drag his attention away from the space that is left empty.

When he wakes up the next morning, it’s before anyone else.  He walks through the house one more time, the quiet surrounding him. It’s not as suffocating. It doesn’t drag him in and keep him there. Instead, it pushes him out the door for the last time, as ready for a new start as he is.

The last of the boxes get put in his car, in Wayne’s truck. He locks up, slides his key off the key ring and places it in the envelope with the rest of the copies. Takes his ability to enter this house and puts it in the mailbox. Leaving the house behind.

So many memories in this house, a mix of good and bad. He thought that leaving would feel like a massive weight off his shoulders, something to make him feel different. There is that lose of weight, but nothing that makes him feel that different. Nothing that makes the change hard, it was all easy.

Yet, when he makes the turn off his street, and heads to the other side of the town, he feels a sense of freedom he can’t describe. One that makes him smile for no real reason at all. Sun glaring in his eyes as it moves into the afternoon.

He pulls into the driveway of the Munson’s house, feet no longer stuck to the ground. He is moving forward now. Moving on.

It’s terrifying, but he’s ready for it.

I cannot express in this moment how much I will miss writing this fic. It has been an experience for me that I was not expecting when I started it, but came to me in moments when I needed it the most. Tomorrow I will post the very long reflection post I do for my fics, where I will be able to go into how and why this fic means so much to me, so check back to my blog for that if interested. But for now, I further cannot express the love I have for all of you readers. Writing this was never something I imagined to get the support that I have. I found myself surprised to see you all read this, and react in the way that you did. To know that I wrote a story that other people loved as much as me is something I can never understand, but am grateful for every day. To those who have left likes, reblogs, and comments, know that I read and saw every single one. I awaited your reactions, and they always brought a smile to my face. Thank you for your support, it means more than you can ever know. Thank you for reading this story, it was a pleasure writing it.

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[mcu-pokedex]

First Date with Peter Parker

Overview: y/n and Peter are nervous about telling each other that they have feelings, yet somehow they end up on a movie date.

Warnings: Some kissing, all fluff

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Y/N POV:

I can't believe it! Oh. My. God. Walking out of computer science Peter asked me what I was doing tonight. Even though it was a Friday the only thing on my to-do list was putting on a face mask and watching Netflix. Stumbling over my words I had agreed to go to the movies with him. Again, oh my god! I was so anxious. Questions racking in my brain. All I can think about is what on earth do I wear? I had to get home immediately.

Well walking back home Peter texted me saying that he would get me at 7:30. The image of Peter at my front door gave me tingles. An unstoppable smile spread on my face. Opening my bedroom door and throwing my backpack onto the floor I rush to my closet. Throwing clothes into my bed and googling cute movie theater outfits. I knew this should be easy, but lord knows how much I will overthink this.

Peter's POV:

No way I just did that. After having a crush on y/n since the moment we met. Today I finally had the balls to ask her out. Well, kind of. I mean we are going to the movies together but I don't know if they see it as a date. Either way, my heart is beating out of my chest. I have been sitting in my living room waiting to go to y/n's place. I've been ready since 4:30 and it's only 6. Ughh. I don't even know what we are gonna see. I wanna leave it totally up to them. I do not want to mess up this kind of date at all.

Y/N POV:

Peter is gonna be here 10 minutes and I can't sit still. I am wearing blue jeans and a maroon shirt. It's simple and allows for my body to not overheat. I'm so flushed I don't even need to put on blush. After realizing this I blush even more. I did put on a little mascara and concealer to give me more confidence. Slipping on my white Converse it hit me what was happening. My stomach was doing flips at the idea of Peter about to knock on my front door. I made sure to spray myself with perfume so there was no chance I smelled bad. I am so nervous my throat is dry and my hands are fidgeting. After years of knowing Peter and having a crush on him for just as many, I can't believe we are going on a date. Unless of course, this is just a hangout. I want to spiral on that idea again but I can't as I hear a knock on my door. Sending electricity shooting through my body.

Peter POV:

Walking up to her front door was one of the most nerve-racking things ever. I raised my hand to knock on their front door, taking a deep breath before letting my knuckles touch the door. Only a beat later the door swung open. They looked gorgeous. I mean they always do. Even when they are tired late at night in our mini-study group. But right now my eyes had no choice but to soak them in, and I was loving it. Their mouth was agape making my heart flutter. Ned always told me that he thought y/n had a crush on me but I never believed it. I mean me? Peter Parker, pfff. But I do wonder what's going on in that pretty head of theirs.

Y/N POV:

He looked handsome. hair fluffy, in jeans, and a Midtown jacket. He was captivatingly comfy. His eyes are soft and giving you all there attention. His mouth was a little open which I couldn't help but giggle at.

"Hello Peter" I stated, looking him in the eyes, causing my breath to falter.

"Oh, uh- hello y/n" he cutely stuttered back. Making me laugh under my breath at how silly he can be.

"Should we get going? I saw that were was a preview of Titanic at 7:45 at the movie theater just down the road. "

"Yeah!" he nodded.

I closed the door behind me and stepped aside Peter. As we began our walk I noticed how the street lights made his face glow. Giving me a warm feeling inside. There had been a comfortable silence between the two of us till I asked.

"How have you been since school?"

"Good, I mean I barely touched my homework, but it's Friday and I got a whole weekend ahead of me" he lets out a little laugh and looks down at his hands.

"Same, that paper due for English also has me in a chokehold. I have no idea what to write it on." I said.

The rest of the walk was just casual conversation. I mean me and Peter are best friends no matter what this hangout date situation is.

Peter's POV:

As we walked I couldn't help but try to think of ways to make y/n laugh. I would do anything to hear that laugh they have. It brings me such joy to know they are happy. Without realizing it we had walked the few blocks in a matter of minutes. I walked up to the booth of the ticket holder.

"Two tickets for Titanic please?" I said handing them 25 dollars.

"Movie theater 2 on your left, have fun watching!" They said as they gave me my tickets and some coins back.

However, this outing ate away at my small personal savings. I could not imagine spending it in any other way. Whatever it took to hang out or see you I would spend. We walked through the entrance and y/n stopped.

"Peter do you want popcorn or anything?" y/n asked.

"Maybe, do you want any y/n?" I asked smirking knowing that asking was y/n's way of saying they wanted something.

"Peter you know me too well," They said hitting my shoulder playfully.

We both laughed as we got into line asking for a large popcorn with extra butter.

Y/N POV:

After finding movie theater 2. You both sat in the middle-top area. It's a good spot. I was surprised because of how full the room was. I noticed there were only two other empty seats throughout the entire thing. It was packed! I mean it is a Friday so it makes sense, even if this movie is old. I had been thinking about the chances of our seats before I even noticed Peter trying to ask me something.

"Have you ever seen Titanic before?" he looked curious, his cute little eyebrow raised.

"Uhh, I guess not" I shrugged not thinking much of it.

"Y/n I really need to do a better job at getting you well-versed in movies" he let out a little chuckle.

"I guess so! We can call it a date"

I was astonished at the words that just left my mouth. NO WAY did I just confirm that I wanted to go on a date with Peter. My face was red. I don't even need a mirror to know that. Thank god the lights were dim.

I stuttered out "I- I mean only if- you want it too, noooo pressure" giving a fake laugh to cover my anxiety.

" Y/n can I ask you something?" he says looking right into my eyes. Which felt like he was examining my soul.

I swallowed my spit " Uhh- yeah, ask away!" I said with way too much excitement in my voice.

"Is this a date?"

My heart was in my throat and my eyes opened wide. Did he really just ask that. There's no way. An eruption of butterflies took over my body. I was about to answer before we were cut off by the people behind us choosing us. I looked dead forward at the screen not wanting to see Peter's face. I ate some of the popcorn in my lap and handed Peter the rest. The nerve recked my appetite. And before dealing it the movie had begun.

Peter POV:

I was just about to get an answer out of y/n before the rude guy behind us interrupted. I was enamored with their face as the bright screen showed their wonderful details. They were stunned and in shock. I was beginning to believe that Ned had been right. I could not believe it. But it's the only excuse for y/n's reaction. Unless of course, they hate me. Which I highly doubt. I slowly looked at the screen as they handed me the popcorn.

---30 minutes later---

I noticed y/n shivering. I mean it was a little cold in here but not enough for me to be considered cold. I wonder if they want my jacket.

Y/N POV:

I had been so engrossed with the plotline before realizing Peter was handing me his jacket. It made me realize how I was sitting on my hands and folder over to keep me warm.

"Thank you, Peter"

"Of course y/n, anytime" he smirked.

I put the jacket on feeling the heat from his body still keeping it warm. It smelled like him, which was also a plus.

---Another 30 minutes later---

I was trying to watch the movie but all I could think about was the cute boy sitting next to me. Including all the cute things he does. Whether he is talking about space, the Avengers, or even his science homework. It always made me happy, to see how happy Peter was. I was so happy to be here with him. And he had bought the tickets and given me his hoodie without me even telling him I was cold. I slowly reached my hand from my lap and onto the armrest. Leaving my palm facing up. My heart was about to leap out at this act of confidence. But I just had to remind myself of all those times I dreamed of holding Peter Parker's hand. So I kept it there, hoping for the best.

Peter POV:

Their hand was on the armrest palm up. I had seen them move their shy hands up and onto the armrest. I was glad to know that all this worrying about my crush was actually real and that they liked me back. As smoothly as I could I picked my hand up and ran my fingers over their palm. Before I landed my plan in there's and squeezed my hand tight around there's. Our fingers are entwined with one another.

Their face held a small smirk which gave me just enough confidence to pull their hand into my lap. Pulling them over the arm rest. So that their head was leaning on my shoulder. It felt right, and I heard y/n's breath pick up and come to a steady resting place.

---Another 30 minutes---

I had seen Titanic many times before this. So I tuned it out. Only focusing on the feelings I was experiencing. To have y/n's hand in mine, them wearing my jacket, and them just being with me. I was on cloud nine. There was only another half hour before the movie was over and I could tell the end was gonna make y/n cry. It even made me cry the first time I saw it. They were holding my hand tight and were gasping to all the twists and turns.

As the movie wrapped up I was hesitant to move. I knew y/n had shed a few tears as my shoulder was lightly wet. Which did not bother me one bit. Also, I did not want this moment to end. I wanted them to make the choice to move away from me.

Y/N POV:

I had been lying on Peter's shoulder for half the movie. I knew I would have neck pain later but I did not care because I did not wish to move. I did cry a little but I hope Peter did not notice. I was sad to see the credits begin to roll and the lights un-dim in the theater. I waited till the last second to move away from Peter. Basically, until everyone was standing up. As soon as I pulled away I missed his touch. I looked down at us still holding hands and realized that he was looking also. When we looked back up at each other.

" Do you want to take a walk around Central Park?" he asked.

" I would love to Peter" I grinned as he stood up with our hands still locked together

We exited the theater in a blissful state. I was over the moon Petere actually liked me back. So much so that the ending of the Titanic did not take hold of my emotions.

"So I have to ask how did you like the movie?" Peter asked as you walked outside.

"Good. I was not ready for Jack though. Sorry if I got your shoulder wet. I was just surprised they did that to his character"

Peter chuckled, "It's okay y/n, all good"

Both of you had been walking in silence for a few minutes. Enjoying each other's company. A few seconds later Peter stopped when you reached the front gates of the park.

"What?"

"You never answered that question back there," he said raising an eyebrow.

" Pfff, whaaa, okay maybe" I deflected.

" Hey I mean I want this to be a date but only if you want it-"

I cut him off, "YES, please, Peter I have liked you for too long, please say this is a date!" I basically begged

" Well then y/f/n y/l/n you are in luck because I Peter Parker and taking you out on an official date. Would you like to walk around Central Park with me?"

'"Of course!" I said gidddy with a smile across my face.

It was late but neither of you cared. Walking around the paths, going under bridges, and still holding hands. The air was brisk yet it was all worth it to step on the crunchy leaves scattered across the ground. It had been a few minutes of silence and some light conversation explaining how long we both had liked each other. We were both walking when he stopped on top of a bridge above a little river. The lights illuminated above me.

Turning to me he said, "Y/n I have had a wonderful night"

"Me as well," I said smiling.

"Well," he said placing his arm around my back and taking a small step forward. " Now that I know how long we have liked each other . . "

"Yeah Peter," I said looking at him with curiosity.

Nervously he stuttered out "Y/n I like you a lot! And I just want you to know that and-"

He cut himself off by leaning into my face and gently placing his lips on mine. My breath hitched as I realized that Peter was kissing me. I quickly retracted. Soaking in how soft and tender he kissed me. it was so gentle it was almost like an angel. When he pulled away both let out a loud exhale. Then we looked at each other and laughed. It was silly how long it took us to get to this point. I leaned into Peter letting him pull me flush to his body. I grabbed his face with both of my hands and placed my lips onto his with a little more force this time.

Well kissing Peter all I could think about was how much I love this boy, causing me to smile into the kiss.

[lagomoz]

playing baldur's gate 3 while rejecting all romance paths is actually hilarious because you get a harem all gunning for the least eligible bachelorette in all the lands

-caught off guard by Gale's magic lesson turning into yearning eye contact. I just wanted to learn about magic. I would give him a fist bump if I could

-Shadowheart asks to share a drink at the party in her tent. I go hell yeah pour up!, excited to party with my buddy, and my (real life, who's watching me play) brother has to tell me she was hitting on me

-Lae'zel asks to smash right in the middle of slaughtering a bunch of goblins. we're both covered in blood. there's several dead bodies right there. the rest of the party can 100% hear and see this. I tell her no thanks and continue killing goblins. nobody brings it up again

-wasn’t entirely sure if she meant “taste me” in a sex way or a cannibalism way at first. I would’ve been more likely to say yes to the cannibalism

-I ignore the weird S&M whipping guy until my brother suggests there might be a mechanical benefit to doing it. I hadn't thought of that, I just thought the game had a random weirdo for no reason. the rest of the party watches me turn down the clearly insane sadomasochist lurking in a shady dungeon until I remember stat boosts and run off to get whipped for combat advantage

-after knocking Minthara out, I accidentally steal her underwear. I apologize and sheepishly put it back in her inventory. everything else is still stolen without remorse

-Withers tells me not to get distracted by my bosom buddy. I have to inform him that not only do I have no goddamn clue who he's referring to but that he should be far more worried about me getting distracted by literally anything else

-Gale talks about the suspension bridge effect in the shadow lands. I excitedly agree that yes, I do know about that, isn't it interesting? psychology is so cool! the fact he might be trying to imply something by bringing that up is irrelevant in the face of fun trivia. this probably makes me more attractive to him honestly

-every time Astarion casually flirts in his dialogue I ask if he means it in a bro way. I suspect he wants to kill me

-Halsin asks to hit. I stare at him, go nope! and walk off. neither of us bring it up again

-world’s most awkward brothel scene. I’m most excited about the cat

-Orin replaces the circus dryad and tries to get information from a love test. I go oh well I have nobody to do this with and carry on to gleefully enjoy the circus without ever realizing it was her

-I make Gale lick the dead spider laced with aphrodisiacs because I'm scared of spiders. he agrees to lick the dead spider. Shadowheart judges him heavily

-after refusing Mizora I continue my hobby of trying new ways to harming her. explosions, magic, whacking her over the head, biting, etc. it doesn't stick but it's about the message

-I tell off creepy blood lady for trying to pressure Astarion and then cheerfully accept her creepy offer because someone experimenting on my blood sounds perfectly fine to me. her fetish is none of my business

-Astarion’s character arc around being only valued for his sex appeal derailed by the weirdo who’s second most prevalent thought after seeing him shirtless after the rune scars is wondering what kind of undead have nipples

-Withers. Withers do you have nipples. it’s for science Withers. hey wait where are you going-

-I meet an incubus. I politely ask him to put some pants on and then if he has any tips on murdering the guy I'm here to rob

-emperor asks to smash. I bluescreen for a good minute and tell it no thanks. neither of us bring it up again

-completely missed the implication Ansur and the Emperor were a thing. I would have nuked that squid idiot so much harder if I'd known. how'd you fumble an actual dragon that bad? I'd treat Ansur right

-I’m like 90% I’ve missed some other romantic implications because I’m focused on trying to loot every single tin cup

I haven’t bathed in a month. I collect body parts. I’m dense as fuck. I never have any idea what’s going on. I forget names, directions and what we were supposed to be doing constantly. I enjoy blowing people up. everyone wants me carnally

[guessimjoiningthespidermanfandom]

Hey! For your Miles requests, I'd love to read about what it might be like for the reader to watch Miles transfer to Visions if they both went to Brooklyn Middle together.

Not This Time

Miles Morales x fem!reader

Miles Morales x black!reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: none

Requested: yes

A/N: GUYS PARTICIPATE IN MY 300 FOLLOWER SPECIAL PLEASE also hope you guys enjoy electro because I had to make something up.

300 Follower Special <3

Masterlist

“You’re not gonna forget me right?” You wondered. 

It was the last week of summer and you were clinging to the last few days you had left with Miles. Sitting on his building’s rooftop you stared down at the Brooklyn you’ve known your whole life. You and Miles were the fastest of friends since your first day at Brooklyn Middle you genuinely couldn’t imagine not seeing him every day. You were still proud of him, however. Getting into Visions was a pretty big deal. 

“Why would you ask me that?” He glanced at you offended. 

You simply shrugged, pulling your knees up to your chest. “I dunno, you’ll go and make new friends and I won’t be so important anymore,” 

“No,” He shook his head, turning to face you. “That would never happen,” 

You looked back at him, maintaining eye contact. 

 “I’d never forget you,” He promised. 

The first week of freshman year was finally over. It wasn’t as bad as your middle school teachers tried to make it seem, you’d made a couple of new friends, and none of your teachers were mean.

Realizing you hadn’t spoken to Miles yet today you pulled your phone out to message him. 

you: how was your first week? 

miles: my science teacher was on my ass but my roommates not bad

miles: he doesn’t talk much 

you: i told you, you’d be fine

you: wanna go the end show w/me tonight in golconda

you: it’s at 7 

miles: im sorry I cant :( too much hw 

you: oh no don’t worry maybe next time

Putting your phone back down on your desk with a huff you tried not to feel disappointed. There would be other opportunities to hang out. It’s not like this was the end of your friendship. 

The excuses and cancellations only grew in numbers. Soon you’d gone from seeing Miles every day to barely holding a virtual conversation once a week. 

You weren’t going to sit around and wait for the crumbs of attention Miles was willing to give you. This would not be a one-sided relationship, you had too much self-respect for that. 

But just because you weren’t actively talking doesn’t mean you didn’t care. You’d just care from afar. 

—————-

You weren’t one to watch the news but the TV was open to Channel 12 when you made it home from running errands. Placing your grocery bags on the couch something compelled you to tune in. 

Seeing PDNY cars surrounding a crazed man wielding what looked to be lightning bolts sent you into a state of controlled panic. You practically sped to Miles’s apartment to check on Mr. Morales. 

He wasn’t there when you got to the apartment but Rio informed you he was okay and she’d just spoken to him on the phone.  

Letting out a sigh of relief you relaxed your shoulders. Slumping to sit down next to her on the couch she gave you a once-over 

“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. How’s high school?” She asked, now getting a better look at you. 

“It’s definitely different,”

“We’ve missed you around here, Miles has been acting so different lately, he’s not my little boy anymore,” She sighed wistfully. 

“I miss you guys too,” You pouted.

 You didn’t want to get emotional but you really did miss your second family. And you weren’t trying to take it personally but Miles avoiding you truly hurt. “It’s so weird not seeing Miles anymore,” 

“Seeing him a couple times a week must be very different from every day,”

A couple times a week? You hadn’t seen him at all this month. Even if you were pissed at him you didn’t want him in trouble so you just agreed. 

“Yeah, I’m still not used to it.” 

You weren’t leaving until you saw for yourself that Mr. Morales was okay. Your stubbornness and unwillingness to take things as you’re told kept you from being able to fully believe Mrs. Morales’s promise of her husband’s safety. Anything could’ve happened between their phone call and now. 

Waiting on the couch listening to Mrs. Morales talk about work and her conniving coworkers. You felt the most at peace as you’ve had in a while. 

The peace didn’t last long as Miles came bursting through the front door adorning his red and black jacket with oversized sweats and his backpack slung over his shoulder. Mrs. Morales immediately stood up and moved towards him, the picture of concern. 

“Mijo, what’s wrong, what are you doing here it’s a school night?” 

Instead of answering her he just threw himself into her arms and wilted into her chest. 

From your place on the couch, you couldn’t hear the muffled conversation or anything at all, which only amplified your worry. 

“What happened? What’s wrong?” You found yourself calling out standing from your spot on the sofa. 

The sound of your voice snapped him out of his reprieve. Miles pulled his head from the crook of his mother's neck. He let his eyes roam over you attempting to assess if you were real or not. 

Once he decided his eyes weren’t deceiving him he practically launched himself into your arms. 

You stumbled back with the force of his weight and despite your anger and confusion, you hugged him back. 

Evidently, something was wrong but he wasn’t going to talk about it anytime soon. You tried to hold out and let him feel his emotions but- 

“Miles,” You wheezed out into his chest. “Can’t breathe.”

He released you the slightest bit but didn’t let you go. 

“Sorry,” He muttered to the top of your head. “Missed you so much,” 

“Missed you too,” 

As much as you loved Mrs. Morales, she was a chismosa and every conversation was not for her ears. 

“Let’s go outside,” You suggested grabbing his arm to pull you with him. 

You hadn’t made the climb to the water tower in a while and you weren’t as fit as you were a month ago. Trying to hide it out of embarrassment you switched the topic. 

“You cold?” You asked panting as you found your footing. 

“What?” He questioned looking down at himself.

 As if he just discovered the zip-up he was wearing he answered. “Oh! Yeah, yeah it’s really chilly out here,” 

Even without the years of knowing Miles under your belt, you would’ve known he was lying but you didn’t feel like starting an argument the first time you saw him in a while so you just dropped it. 

The two of you easily fell back into the swing of things as if there were never any distance between the two of you. You were glad to be talking again, now knowing his issue wasn’t due to anything you’d done. 

He was catching you up on everything you’d missed in his life when he went ghost on you, but he still wasn’t hinting at what was bothering him. He was using you as an alibi and not even telling you, it was so unlike him. 

Even his mom noticed a change in his behavior so why wouldn’t he just talk to you? You had to bring it up or you’d regret it once you’d gotten home. 

“You know you can tell me anything right?” 

He hummed in acknowledgment.

 You should be furious he’d ghosted you for so long. And now he won’t even talk to you? but looking at him now he looked so upset and broken you couldn’t feel anything besides concern. 

“Miles please, tell me what’s going on,” You begged. “We tell each other everything,” It was true you even told him when you had started your first period the summer before 7th grade. You never felt the need to hide anything from each other. So why start now? What happened between the start of high school to now to make him stop trusting you? 

“Is it me? Can you just not tell me?” You attempted to rationalize his behavior. 

“It’s not you,” He promised. 

“So then talk to me please,” You whined. 

“I can’t tell you. Not this time,” 

The last person to learn he was Spider-Man died. In the same month, he watched Spider-Man and his uncle die in right front of him. All his other friends left him and maybe it was selfish but you were the only one he had left. He refused to lose you or have you look at him differently. Maybe telling you would lift some of the burden of having a secret identity as just a child, but he couldn’t risk it. Not this time. Not with you.

©guessimjoiningthespidermanfandom

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

AHHH I’M LITERALLY IN GRAD SCHOOL FOR LIBRARY SCIENCE AND LOVE LIBRARIAN BUCK AUs 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

I saw the Eddie moves in with Buck plot bunny and have been waiting to find a fic exploring it! Glad that you’re writing it!🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 I’m so excited!

AH YAY! SORRY IF I MAKE MISTAKES!

129 for 📖:

---

“Usually goes better for both of us.”

Another warm smile indicates that this was, again, the right thing to say.

“Well, thanks again, uh,” he looks at Buck’s name tag. “Evan.”

“Ah, everyone calls me Buck,” Buck tells him. 

“Eddie,” Edmundo - Eddie - says. “Thank you, Buck.”

Buck nods. “Any time.”

Eddie joins his son, and they come back a few minutes later with a considerable stack of books. 

“Is this too many?” Chris asks.

“Definitely not,” Buck smiles, before checking them out. 

As they leave, Buck finds himself looking forward to the next time they come back. 

ii. 

It takes longer than expected to see them again. And when he does, the circumstances aren’t fantastic. At least, not for Eddie.

Christopher’s books are more than a week overdue by the time Eddie and his son come back. It’s clear from the look on both their faces as they walk into the library, that Christopher has no idea and Eddie is all too aware. Before they even approach the desk, Eddie whispers something to Christopher, who then heads off for the stacks. Buck gets the feeling Eddie is expecting an awkward conversation, and doesn’t want his son to overhear.

And Buck gets it. It’s sort of not a great first impression, as far as librarian-patron relationships go. What Eddie doesn’t realize, though, is that Buck doesn’t make it a habit to judge when someone returns their books. He sort of hates overdue fines, as a rule. People have all sorts of things going on, and creating a barrier to literacy doesn’t seem constructive. Buck was never going to give him a hard time.

Regardless, Eddie seems frazzled. Like, maybe there is something more than the books bothering him. There’s a tired expression in his eyes that indicates more than a lack of sleep.

“Hi, Eddie,” Buck smiles at him as Eddie approaches the front desk with Christopher’s stack of books in hand. “How are things?”

“Okay,” Eddie sighs. “First, I’m impressed that you remember my name. Second, I know. Okay? I know this looks terrible. I am so sorry.”

“What looks terrible?” Buck asks. He wants to act like it’s really nothing of note. 

“The books are nine days overdue,” Eddie says. “I get it. Bad precedent when it’s our first time borrowing.”

“Oh, hey. It happens…”

“No! Look, I’m not a guy to make excuses. Really. But I’m working twenty-four hour shifts for the first time, and my Abuela usually watches him, but she broke her hip, and it’s just me, and…”

He seems one sentence away from cracking. 

“Eddie,” Buck says, firmly but kindly. “It’s really not a big deal. I’m going to waive the fines, okay?”

“What? No, I can afford it,” Eddie looks momentarily affronted. “It’s not that, okay!”

“Whoa, no. That’s not what I mean!” Buck assures him. “I mean, I get it. Shit happens. I don’t agree with fines anyway. I’ll waive them and call it an error in the system, between you and I.”

“Oh,” Eddie deflates a little. “I… Uh, thank you. Are you supposed to curse?”

“No,” Buck says. “Or waive fines.”

That gets a small little snort of laughter out of Eddie.

“Are you going to get in trouble?” Eddie asks.

“For cursing?” Buck is purposely obtuse. 

Eddie rolls his eyes. “For waiving the fines.”

Buck shakes his head. “Nope. My supervisor is a Marxist. I’m fond of her.”

Eddie takes a deep, steadying breath. “Okay. Thank you, man. I really appreciate you being so nice.”

“It’s all good,” Buck assures him. “You’re having trouble finding childcare?”

Eddie nods. “It’s not as simple as sticking him in daycare, you know? He has different needs than the other kids. And I have benefits. A good job, and I’m ex-military. But sorting through everything… God, you don’t need to hear this. This really isn’t like me, I swear.”

Oh, he’s not the first parent to unload on Buck. Maybe it’s that Buck is friendly. Maybe it’s that he’s good with the kids. Maybe it’s that he’s entirely removed from their lives and in an occupation associated with being quiet. He’s not actually very quiet, as far as personalities go. Regardless, people end up trusting Buck with their woes. He doesn’t mind it. He likes feeling helpful. Even if, usually, he’s not. 

Today, though… He might be?

Buck reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a flier. Then he grabs a pen and begins writing on it. 

“Here,” Buck slides him the flier.

“Uh, what’s this?” Eddie asks. 

“A list of afterschool and weekend programs we run with city funding,” Buck explains. “Plus the number of someone who might be able to help you.”

“Someone?”

“Her name is Carla,” Buck says. “She was very helpful when my ex was having trouble caring for her sick mother. She’s organized and she knows her stuff.”

Eddie nods, reading over the page. “This is really kind. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Buck shrugs. “Well, maybe mention the referral to Carla. It’s been too long since she brought me any baked goods.”

Eddie smiles. “Alright. Brownie referral fee?”

“Even better - lemon squares.” 

“I do really appreciate it though,” Eddie says. 

Buck can tell. That’s why he’s happy to do it. 

---

96 for 🛏️:

---

 But he’s blushing.Trying to muffle a smile with a large bite of kale salad. Like he liked that. Interesting. Was it the touch or was it being cared for? Buck’s brain collects all the available data like a computer scanner. How can he replicate it? How can he make the reaction stronger?

So it gets worse.

After dinner, he experiments. 

They’re about to sit down and watch a game and Buck tries it again. He rests a hand over the bear skin of Eddie’s forearm and says:

“You look a little chilly. Can I grab you a sweater?”

The AC in the building is sort of intense, and Eddie’s arms are dotted with goosebumps.

Eddie looks at Buck’s hand on his arm.

“I can walk up the stairs and grab one,” Eddie mumbles, cheeks reddening again.

“Don’t worry,” Buck says. “I can.”

“Buck,” Eddie protests, his hand on the opposite arm to the one Buck is touching raises to cover Buck’s. “I’m okay. I’ll grab my own sweater.”

But his hand lingers on top of Buck’s for a second before he goes. So that’s it, then. Not being cared for, which was what Buck thought. The touch. Interesting. Is he feeling lonely and touch starved, maybe? Since his break up with Marisol and Chris leaving?

Well, hey. They’re pretty comfortable with each other. If Buck can help, he will. He’ll just be touchier than usual with Eddie. But not, like, to a point where lines are crossed. He does have a boyfriend, after all.

When Eddie comes back down, wearing an old, beige-colored high-necked zip up that Buck doesn’t think he’s seen before, Buck once again does another impulsive thing he doesn’t really intend on. He compliments him.

“That looks great on you, Eddie.”

Eddie stops, and looks down at himself. 

“This?”

“Yeah!” Buck says, realizing that’s not the kind of thing he says a lot. Despite thinking about it semi-frequently. “It’s a good… Uh, shade. And, uh, neckline?”

“It’s kind of old,” Eddie says. “From my Dad’s golf club. I, uh, I cleaned out my closet entirely and found it in the back. So…”

“It’s nice,” Buck nods. “You should wear it more.”

And then it happens. The blush. The smile. So subtle, yet Buck notices. 

Okay. He gets it now. Buck understands. Eddie just needs to feel good about himself. The gentle touches. The compliments. Hell, even being cared for to an extent. Eddie has been through the fucking wringer lately, and if he needs some comfort? A little gentleness? Of course Buck can provide. 

“Thank you, Buck,” Eddie mumbles. 

“‘Course,” Buck replies easily. He pats the empty seat of his comfiest armchair, reserving the less comfortable one for himself. “Come on. Game’s about to start.”

🛏️

The boundary is torn away like this.

A few more small compliments from Buck. 

“You were so smooth on that rope rescue today, Eddie. Kind of looked like an action star.”

“Your hair looks good this length, I think. Were you thinking of longer? That would look good, too.”

“You always call the plays before they happen. That’s impressive as hell, man.”

He focuses on that. Never brings up the elephant in the room of what today is. 

Then there are more little touches. Peppered into regular activities. Clapping his shoulder while handing him another beer. Poking his side when making a joke. Anything to make the contact that clearly Eddie is responding to. 

And it works. It works, it works, it works. Because Eddie stops staring miserably at his phone. He stops waiting for a call that isn’t coming. He stops sitting in his guilt and self-loathing and starts actually being present. 

By the end of the sixth inning, they’re sitting on the floor, side by side, shoulders touching. Buck’s not sure how they got here or who initiated, but it happened. And Eddie is smiling. Eddie is smiling, so what else really matters? 

[thetomorrowshow]

pulled over

empires superpowers au masterlist (not up to date)

takes place about a year after the end of ‘poisoned rats’.

cw: mentions of police, past abuse

~

He’s thinking about going back to school, honestly. He’s not sure what sort of career he’d expected to get with a degree in architecture—hopefully one where he got to plan cool buildings, but that clearly hadn’t worked out too well in his favor. And while he’d still like to do that—his sketchbooks are filled with designs of gothic-inspired houses and improbable city buildings—it’s an unpredictable enough job that he’s not sure what sort of hours it would be or if someone is even hiring.

Not to mention, he has money. He gets a pension from the city (an excessive amount, in his opinion), so he doesn’t really need a second job. Which is why he’s been thinking more about going back to school. More of something to fill his free time, really.

He’s not sure what degree he’d be looking for—computer science? Theatre?—and he’s just scrolling through the course options at ECU when he hears the jingling of keys in the door.

Usually when Jimmy enters the house, he calls for the cats and coos at them both, before planting a kiss on Scott’s cheek on his way to get down the box of Dreamies.

Today, the door shuts without any fanfare. The cats come running anyway, of course, and Scott opens up the tab for the glassblowing major before he registers that Jimmy hasn’t said anything yet.

He looks up. Jimmy is sitting on the floor, holding Norman close to his chest. His shoulders are shaking.

Scott’s up and headed over before he can even think about it. Once he does think, though, he realizes that Jimmy is on the floor and he is standing and with what seems to be a poor emotional state, that could trigger a flashback very easily.

He drops to the floor six or eight feet away from Jimmy, scoots along until he’s close enough to touch. Jimmy doesn’t react except to bury his face into Norman’s side, the cat letting out a quiet mrow? at the action.

“Jimmy? What’s going on?”

Jimmy sighs, and when he pulls away from Norman, his eyes are red. “I—I got pulled over,” he says, his voice cracking. “The left taillight is out, by the way.”

“Oh, baby. . . .” Scott wrings his hands, holds one out. “Good for me to hug you?”

Surprisingly, Jimmy nods, then places Norman down on the floor and lunges into Scott’s arms. Scott rocks back onto his heels, unsteady for a moment, before finding his balance and wrapping his arms around Jimmy.

“Did he ticket you?” Scott asks after a moment. Jimmy shakes his head.

“It was just—it was scary. I—I almost had to pull over again, m-my hands were shaking so bad after.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay to be scared.”

“I’m a grown man, Scott.” An angry tear slips from the corner of Jimmy’s eye, his eyebrows drawn in shame. “I shouldn’t be—I can’t be scared of the police. I just saw the—the stupid stick thing on his belt and—and the way he talked—”

“Most people are afraid of cops, dear,” Scott tells him, kissing him lightly on the forehead. “It sucks. Cops suck. I need to give Shelby a call, get her to really push for that reform. . . .”

Jimmy snuggles closer into Scott, awkwardly kicks off his shoes. Norman wraps around Scott’s legs, tilts his head up at the two of them.

“Wanna move to the couch? Your cat’s confused and I bet your knees hurt,” Scott suggests. Jimmy gasps and coos at Norman.

“Aw, hey, pet! I haven’t given you your treat yet, huh?”

Then he blinks. The smile on his face falters for just a moment. It’s quickly pasted back on, and when Scott tries to ask what’s up, he waves him off.

Jimmy stands shakily and slowly, tests his balance before following Norman and Elle to the kitchen. Scott waits until he returns, guides him to the sofa.

“How was work otherwise?” Scott asks.

Jimmy shakes himself. “Um, fine,” he says, leaning his head on Scott’s shoulder. “It’s—I don’t know how to describe it, Scott. It’s still a miracle every day.”

“Just working?”

Jimmy lets out a shaky sigh-laugh. “Yeah. Getting to put my hands in an engine and not have it burst into flame. It’s just . . . I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.”

The conversation falls into silence then, and Jimmy starts trembling again, so Scott searches for something, anything to say.

“Um, Joel said that you and a couple of friends are hanging out this weekend?”

“Right!” Jimmy brightens. “We’re heading out to that soccer field across from the middle school on the east side? Four or five of us are gonna kick a ball around for a while.”

“Anyone I know?”

Jimmy shrugs. “One of the guys from work, probably. I think fWhip said something about wanting to come? And one of Joel’s friends. Just a group who likes soccer.”

Scott frowns. “I thought Joel and fWhip hated each other.”

“They’re making up so they can team up against you,” Jimmy admits. “With their powers combined and all that.”

“I—what?” Scott sputters. “Is that why Joel was so obnoxious yesterday? He’s actively working with the enemy?”

Jimmy laughs. “fWhip’s not the enemy, he’s a vigilante. And yeah, they want to have a bit of a rivalry with you.”

Well, if anything it’ll be a fun bit of publicity. But Scott won’t take this lying down.

For the rest of the evening, they turn on whatever sitcom is airing and devise ways for Scott to strike back and not be made a fool of.

And when they go to bed, Jimmy’s shoulders have relaxed a bit, and Scott can breathe easier knowing that his boyfriend feels safe.

[tobiasdrake]

Guess I'll wrap things up in town and head to the re-sleepover.

Okay, last time I was here, I weirded out this child. This time, I'm gonna TRY. HARDER.

Jackpot. Children love puns about their favorite thing. Now this small child of no clear importance thinks I'm cool.

That is very important to me.

I don't know why.

FROG SPELL

Nyeh heh heh heh heh! I have discovered the cheat code to being popular with kids. It's frogs. The cheat code is frogs.

Now if only I could extend that popularity to adults.

And my teammates.

And now. We have. THE FLOWER. Aggggggggh the flower. So much pressure. Hmm. Maybe I can bribe Bonbon into not hating me.

HEY HALF-PINT, PRESENT FOR YOU

Because I'm trying to improve our team's cohesion and the friction that exists between you and me is basically our only interpersonal conflict. Consider this an olive branch.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and call this one "Mission Failed" since I'm pretty sure I just made things awkward and weird. There might not be a way to bury the hatchet with this kid. They're under a lot of stress.

I just want to know who keeps breaking the bread. I was specifically watching for it and it still crept up on me. I blinked for one second - Well, okay, I had a brief chat with my Lemonfriend about ignoring all of you but that's beside the point - and then there was just this hideous CRACK and the bread was ripped in half.

How!? WHEN!? WHO!?

You could just tell me now and then I'll know it so when I die and you've un-told it to me I can spare you the embarrassment of telling me.

Then again maybe we should keep it on the down-low to avoid making my Lemonfriend jealous. I'm sure they're listening in on every word we say. They're clingy and stalkerish like that.

Wow. We're back here again already. In my defense, I DID check for traps. I very briefly skimmed each pillar so I'm pretty sure there has to be some sort of complex--

Well. Okay then.

I now realize that the cause of my death was, in fact, that I suck at my job. Cool.

I would make a remark here about "going to crawl under a rock and die" but the boulder has a sense for ironic timing so it's best not to chance it. Let's just flick this stupid switch and move on.

Done. Mistake unmade. No longer have I died a clown. DO YOU HEAR THAT, LEMONFRIEND!? I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY NOT DIED.

BOOM, nothing to worry about now. It should be smooth sailing from here. Let's go commit regicide with extreme prejudice.

Cutlery is an interesting subject matter, actually. There's a lot of differentiation in individual sizes, shapes, and compositions of individual cutlery that contribute to a variety of different meal experiences. Even chopsticks come in many different forms.

But this would fall under the category of etiquette. I'm not quite sure if Madame Odile's field of expertise falls into that wheelhouse. Though I could see it....

Hey, give me some credit. You know how hard it is to cheat gratuitously under four different sets of watchful eyes?

You call it cheating. I call it speed practice. That's the kind of manual dexterity that lets me throw signs so fast.

Well that's fucking dangerous. THANKS FOR JUST BRINGING IT UP NOW, BONNIE. What if I slipped on that?

<.<

>.>

What... if I slipped on that....

Zero hesitation. FOR SCIENCE!

YES

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Okay. We have proven that my lemon drop powers will still bring me back in time even if I'm frozen in time. This is a very useful piece of information to establish, so it's good to get that out of the way before we meet the King while the risk is still....

...

...while the risk is still....

...

Oh. Wait. That could have been really bad for me. If that didn't work then--

LET'S NOT THINK ABOUT THAT HAHAHA I'm sure my Lemonfriend wouldn't have left me strander there. It's fine. The important thing is that I now know my ability to loop is immutable even by time.

This is what PROGRESS looks like. >:D

[bunny-dr34ms]

youth is a storm - bffs!g.suguru g.satoru i.shoko x f!reader

summary. one night you see a picture of your high school friends and you think back to your youth as you reminisce how wonderfully catastrophic it was

w.c. 2985

cw/ tw; fem!reader, angst, underage drinking and smoking, irresponsible students, family issues, neglect, bully kind of,

features; g.satoru, g.suguru, i.shoko

an; i hope you guys enjoy this !! i think the trio in their youth must've been fun &lt;3

You love bad ideas.

And no one knows that better than your 3 best friends who were always part of each reckless plan. That's why the 4 of you are getting wasted on the beach. Tonight's scheme is a last hurrah before you officially say goodbye to your high school days.

"I'm so glad I have you guys with me." You giggled after you took another swig from some fruity beer. "Let's be friends forever!" Suguru chuckled behind you, turning his hand to take a deep inhale of his cigarette. He sat on a plastic chair with you in his lap, his arm hanging lazily behind him. The boy barely fit in the chair with how large he was so he had his legs spread wide and had you lean against him.

"Yeah yeah whatever you say sweet thing." Satoru chimed in waving his hand around, a blunt sticking loosely in his fingers. He was manspreading in a similar chair next to you with dark glasses hanging on the bridge of his nose. The way his blue eyes drooped and the way his words slurred told you he was starting to feel it.

Shoko sat under Satoru and had her head resting against his leg, her hand reaching for the lighter as she lit another cigarette. "The school must be glad to get the lot of you out." All of you couldn't help but laugh as 4 years of memories flooded your minds. It really would be nice to stay friends with all of them.

4 misfits that didn't fit in, even now with each other. Satoru and Suguru were basketball jocks who cared for nothing but themselves. Shoko was one of the smartest people in school, even with her hobby of cigarettes and beers. Then there was you. A ditzy cheerleader that would wreak havoc wherever you went. The sound of ocean waves was soothing in the background and you closed your eyes and began to think back.

You first met them in the first month of freshman year, under the bleachers during late hours in front of the school. You just came back from an away game and didn't want to go home so you took the time to smoke a cigarette. Unfortunately, you realized you finished your pack before the game and sighed in defeat looking at the empty box with save for your hello kitty lighter.

All of a sudden, you hear muttering and loud whispers a couple feet away from you. You walk a little closer, trying to stay in the shadows so you didn't get caught for eavesdropping. "Are the both of you idiots? You bring blunts without a lighter?" "It was Satoru. My job was just getting the goods." "You- Stop blaming it on me like you didn't lose your lighter." "Oh? So where's yours?" "In your fucking mom's hou-" "Wait shut the fuck up- I think someone's here."

It went silent and you become hyperaware of yourself. Unknowingly, you kept moving closer and closer to hear what they were saying. Your hot pink glitter lighter that you pressed against your chest with both hands reflected the light back which got you caught.

"Hey. If you let us borrow your lighter, I'll give you one."

Your upperclassmen stepped out of the shadows. There was three of them and the girl was offering a box of Marlboro Reds that only had one stick left. There was already one in her lips, her expression nonchalant with dark circles under her eyes. You know her as one of the geniuses of the school who's won a couple awards for science.

Behind her were two infamous basketball jocks known for their looks and immense skill. They looked at you with strained expressions. You heard how they weren't fond of people they didn't know. They glance at the lighter clutched in your hand and their expression changes slightly for the better. The boy you know as Satoru leaned forward with a smile and said, "You heard her. Let us use your lighter and you get a free cig!"

You think about and nod gratefully while you hand her the lighter. You would've gave it to them even if they didn't give something back anyway. "Really!? You're a life saver Ieiri!" All you knew about them was their name and somethings about what they did. Shoko was that she was a total science nerd and wanted to be a doctor. Satoru was a rich tease that became has a talent for anything he did. Suguru was a ladies man with brains, brawn, and money. You knew the three of them but you didn't think they'd all be in one group. "How'd you know I smoke though?"

“Under the bleachers was a popular smoke spot for students and teachers alike but it's not like you can tell who smoked what when.”

You watch as the boy pull out blunts from a tin to light up with your lighter. Satoru catches you staring and smirks with the roll between his lips. Embarrassed, you can't help but blush and look away. "Ha! You think you're sneaky when you smoke a couple feet away from me? Plus only cheer girls like you smoke Pianissimo." Shoko laughs as she hands you your lighter so you could light yours up. You almost cough at the bitterness but you choke it down before exhaling out grey.

"What? Red too strong for you?"

"As if."

There was a haughty tone in your voice but rasp contradicted your claim. Now even more embarrassed, you tugged your bow and tousled your hair, feeling your scalp tingle from the release of the tight pony tail. You combed your hair as you looked at the girl next to you who tapped the ashes from the her cigarette. "Sooo..Why are you here at school?"

Shoko shrugged inhaling through the cigarette and exhaling her answer. "Studying." Your tilted head and confused look was enough question for her. "Can't study at home. I can't focus there so I sneak around and stay at school."

You continue to stare at her and nod. You knew how that felt. To not want to go home, or rather the house where only chaos ensued. "I don't wanna go home either." You whispered, not taking your eyes off Shoko. "Umm..if you don't mind me asking. Why do you smoke such strong stuff? It's not like it's cheaper or anything." Red is actually way more expensive and hard to get as a student. Even as you asked your question, you couldn't stop your eyes from wandering to the two boys smoking weed. You thought you had it bad, but these guys are on a whole different level. A sudden wave of sadness sends a sharp ache in your heart. Were they like you? Hiding away in the night to find an escape from what was supposed to be a home? Did they also try to smother every emotion they felt in an attempt to be at least wanted?

The brown haired girl hummed her eyes closing for a second. "Anything not as strong as Red doesn't do anything for me anymore." She finally turns to meet your gaze. To her you look like a barely kept together mess. You hair and make up being pulled together with the tidiness of your cheer uniform. But your eyes, round eyes full of emotion and empathy. Something about your eyes makes her want to say more. "I smoke and drink because it's all my parents ever do. I tried it and I get it now."

"So? What's your deal?" She leans against the pole to her side allowing her to face you. Now you look away. "My mom has a scumbag husband. My dad has a cheating wife." It's not the most tragic story ever but both of your parents are so wrapped up in each other, they forget you exist. Or that you exist as their daughter and not their personal trauma dumpster.

Satoru looks at you from the corners of his eyes. He sees just how lonely you truly are because he can understand. in a way. He can understand how hard it is to be so devastatingly lonely even after working to get attention from everyone but the people you need it from the most. So that's when Satoru decides that you are worthy to be one of them.

He stares and stares until you turn and make eye contact with him. "You know, my parents hardly ever see me. They just tell me to make an appearance once in a while when their friends are over to show me off like I'm some prize they won." Satoru begins to ramble about his parents. He goes on and on about how they're always at work and no matter what he did they'd never spare him a glance. No matter how long he studied or what grades he got, nothing could win them over.

All you could do was sit there stunned and watch as Satoru explained wildly with his hands and expressions. When he comes to a close he looks deep into you and says, "I know what it's like, to be lonely but not alone." The sudden change of tone made your breath catch in your throat.

Suguru sighs and you realize he's been sitting there silently as Satoru went into detail of his life. He must've had to hear it a couple times already. He fixes his hair awkwardly and sighs again, "That's Satoru's way of making you feel better." You nod and you wonder if you're supposed to say thank you or ask if he's alright or tell him he's strong for growing through it all. Suguru cuts through your thoughts before you could say anything.

"I'm a little like that too.. My family is too focused on business to pay attention to me. They think I'm already a lost cause and they put everything else into my older brother. Not that I care much anyway."

A few moments of silence pass, the only sound being the four of you blowing smoke into the night. It was comfortable. Once the sticks burn away to nothing you smile at Shoko, the the two boys.

Has there been anywhere you’ve felt so safe? Or so at ease? Or so at peace with yourself? You turn to the and smile, your arms pressed a little awkwardly into your side.

“Can we..be friends?"

Shoko laughs quietly.

"Shoko. Call me Shoko."

“Hey if you call her Shoko you’d have to call me Satoru!”

“As if she’s calling you Satoru. She’ll call me Suguru before that happens.”

That night ended with a conversation that you so needed. Over cigarettes and blunts, you finally found friends you could cry to without judgement and they’d found someone that truly lightened the weight on their heart.

Ever since then, you and them were inseparable. Classmates whispered and gave the four of you odd glances but no one cared. You didn't need your fake cheer friends anyways. Shoko, Satoru, and Suguru were enough. Suguru held you while you cried. Shoko knew what you smoked and what you drank. Satoru listened as you blabbered on and on about what your mom did or what you dad said. You were enough too. You always went with Shoko on her late night studies and library runs. You always saw through Satoru and made him feel safe to spill whatever he needed to you. You kept Suguru company every time he needed to take hit late at night from stress.

They needed you as much as you needed them

And from then on, it was the four of you against the world. You stared at the picture in your hand with a soft smile. Those really were the times. So many bad decisions and mistakes were made but you were happy. Every night was hectic and you remember crying almost every day. The worst memories you had were fighting with your friends just to make up a couple days later. Underage drinking and smoking definitely caught up to you so you quit in college with just a few drinks here and there. Satoru quit with you actually. The stability of college was hard to adjust to but you worked hard because it was a chance given to you by Satoru and Suguru. There was no chance of getting into such a prestigious college with your record without their help. To be fair, those two were there by your side when you stole from small convenient stores and violated multiple property rules. Shoko was often busy with actually studying so whenever you had a terrible idea to execute, you'd find those two. They'd do anything with you and for you. You had a bit of a crush on the both of them back then and you'd like to think they liked you too. You couldn't help it with how they flirted with you and were so overprotective of you. You'll never admit it but if one of them asked you out now, you'd say yes. Your youth was a tornado of emotions and experiences that you wouldn't trade for the world. It was heartache and joy and liberating in all the ways it counted. It was your friends and your torn apart family. It was going to school late and leaving early. It was cramming to pass and skipping practice. It was lying on rooftops late at night with smoke and booze. It was running in the rain and yelling into thunder and laughing at lightning. Your youth was a storm.

It's been almost 7-8 years since then. Now you're all adults working on your own separate careers. Satoru and Suguru have been handling their own branches of their respective family businesses. Shoko has become one of the best surgeons in the prefecture. There's just you left.

Since then you've always thought about what you really wanted to do. You've wandered and dabbled in everything but nothing seemed to appeal you. Plus, you're not the same girl you were in high school anymore. You can't just run away from things you don't want to face. The world isn't as forgiving or as colorful anymore. Dark, lonely nights like tonight would still seem to glow back then. Not anymore, it seems. As of now, you work a nice modeling job for cosmetics. You were always pretty to look at and once you finally started investing in your face, modeling offers just came to you. You go around and take a few pictures for ads and magazines every once in a while. It pays well and it's comfortable. Parts of you still crave the rush of running around town late at night, drunk or high or both. The other part is grateful for the life you have now. You get to wear expensive clothes and drink expensive champagne in a expensive home. Younger you would look at the you now with stars in her eyes, you think. Leaning against the railing of your balcony in your apartment flat, you stare out into the night. The city below you was still bustling with life and bright colors. You take another sip of the fruity alcohol in your hand. Each sip makes your heart beat a little faster.

And your view of the city is pretty. The doorbell rings and you hear the door click open. "Y/n? You in there?" "Hey let me in first." "Shut up and just hold this." "No- what the fuck why would I hold it?" "Oh my god can both of you shut it? Y/n? You there?" The chorus of fighting and yelling of familiar voices makes your smile widen. You walk to greet them and their arguing takes a pause when they see your expression. They weren't used to your silence or the smile that came it with it. "What's wrong?" Shoko speaks first as she walks to you, her hands reaching for yours. Satoru and Suguru push through the door together and join you with curious and confused faces. It's been a good week or two since you've all gathered like this. Conflicting schedules and just being worn out kept you guys from meeting any sooner but tonight you suddenly texted them asking to see them. Seeing all of them now, worried for you and here for you because you asked made you want to cry. These are the people you grew with. The people who you cried and laughed with. These are the people who are always by your side no matter what happens. They are your home. You can't help but pull them into a hug. Your face was probably red and hot from alcohol. The room felt like it was swaying under your feet as you took a deep breath. Their arms wrapped around you tightly and you closed your eyes. The picture and your drink sat on a small table on your balcony. Your smiling and carefree faces with arms wrapped around each other was immortalized in that photo. You're no longer the girl in that picture and your friends have changed too. But that's okay. You'll continue to grow with these people by your side. It's fine to live in the moment as adults too right? "Y/n?" Satoru calls out your name, pulling you out of your thoughts. You pull away from them and you realize you're teary eyed. Yeah, you're all adults now and your youth is far behind you. It's okay though. Life is different but you still have them. You'll continue to walk through each moment together. You wipe your tears and Suguru rubs your back to comfort you. "Y/n..did something happen? Is that why you called us here today?" You shake you head with a smile and when you look back up at them, you swear for a minute you can see their high school selves stare back at you. Or maybe it was the alcohol. Either way, it was them here. That's all that matters. "It's nothing. I just missed you guys. That's all."

[astraydestiny]

Daily Writing Complete‼️

Homestly, not really. I wrote 505, IM GOING BACK TO 505, sorry, words on my main story… BUTTT i wrote a bunch of notes and stuff that has to equate to like 700 words??? But thats for my main story, I finished one of the CW!!!

That’ll be out to you guys tomorrow. Im pretty pround of it! Especially for 1.5k! But… I feel like its a bit rushed, and in some places it feels a bit exposition heavy? But i do like the emotion and symbolism in the story. It turnes out pretty good I think! I cant wait for you guys to see this because then you guys can actually get a grip for how I write and stuff, and not judge my writing off these stupid blurbs and stuff! Yk, if you guys like the one tomorrow, I’ll give yall a Thousand Fireflies to eat up too! Just- dont copy it alright? Its not free-use work!!! In fact- i should probably put that in my bio and stuff. But anyways… IM PROUD OF MYSELF! I feel like I was blocked on my main story, because I had a fun time writing this side project! I just that goes to show how important it is to take breaks from main projects in favor for smaller ones, just so you dont burn yourself out by accident! Because burning yourself out is… NOT GOOD! Not good to sya the least… but yah. I feel like i got multiple questions wrong on my science quiz today and istgoodness… IT WAS EZ I SWEAR TO GOODNESS. I just tripped up during it… Also guys I realized that I should really start yapping more irl because… Im look at these posts and thinking- wow. This person must have no friends if they have THIS many thoughts and no one to tell them to. AND THEN I REALIZE IM TALKING ABT MYSELF. Like sometimes I either dont speak because i dont want to interrupt someone- but the times I do speak… PEOPLE INTERRUPT ME! AND THE TIMES WHEN I FEEL LIKE I CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK- I INTERRUPT SOMEONE ELSE! Of course this doesnt happen that often, to be honest Im too busy wriitng during my lunch break to talk, but you know. PRIORITIES!!!

I LOVE PINTEREST SO MUCH. GOING CRAZY WITH IDIA SHROUD IN THE BACKGROUND 😍😍😍 i love idia sheoud i relate to him sm (not really) tbh I feel like i relate to him- but at the same time I dont??? Bec he gets prideful and arrogant sometimes and I dont get like that (HEH NOT TO FLEX OR ANYTHING 😼😼🤗🤗)

I feel like if I related to anyone, it would probably be leona. Not because hes like super fit or anything- LIKE IM THE FURTHEST AWAY FROM HIM PERSONALITY. Its just that like, him being the second and stuff, doomed to never be the first, the best, really resonates with me. Especially since Im surrounded by people who self-proclaim themselves as ‘first places’ everyday, kinda gets on my nerves… WRITING IDEA!!!!

Like im not saying having a big ego is wrong, nor am I saying that those peoples achievements are bad BECAUSE they are so amazing. i think they should be proud of that, and they dont owe humility to anyone because they worked hard for it, (AHEM AHEM VIL SCHOENHEIT MY KING). But its when they see people that are trying to reach for those ambitions and they flaunt how they could do better. THATS when I start doubting their ability. Because you could be the best in the world, but if your too busy running your mouth about how your the best, you’ll be left in the dust- and youll find that all those people who were under you before… Appeared triumphant.

IDK DAILY WORDS OF WISDOM ADDED HERE TOO. Vil Schoenheit my KINGGGGG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM. When i become rlly good at writing, I want to be able to act like him!! Because he is confident in himself, doesnt owe humility to anyone (but of course still expresses it from time to time), and is respectful about it (we dont talk about book 5). I love Vil Schoenheit, such a misunderstoid character fr. OH YEAH

If your not a twisted wonderland fan, these are the characters I mentioned in this post!!!

^ Idia Shroud in the middle, next to his lil’ bro Ortho Shroud!!

^ Vil Shoenheit in the middle, to the right is Rook Hunt, and to his left is Epel Felmier (the short one!)

^ Leona Kingscholar!!

ALRIGHT GUYS!!! Now, I have math hw. SO I NEEDA BOUNCE! SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW AND STUFF!!!

Daily music rec is Sponsored by this guy !!!@unmotivatedartistry PRETTY GOOD SONG!!!

Here are some snacks for the road: 🍔🍔🌭🌯🥙🥪🥪🍕🌯🥗🥙🍔🥪🌯 (taco bell burritos proceed with caution)

BYEEEEEEEEE

-Kani

[lynnbanks]

Quinn meets ivy

Little backstory

Luke and Ivy met when he was 14 and she was 13

Ivy had graduated school at the age of 12; she had been accepted into a lot of different schools but her mother didn't want to send her halfway across America at that age so Michigan was the compromise not that she had a choice at 12; you can beat an hour flight plus there was a professor there that she had already know most of her life and her mom was happy enough with that.

While she was there she majored in cognitive science her love for learning had always been very strong she read any and every book on any topic in the world, learned languages, and studied cultures and different instruments going to college had opened up a whole new world and she was beyond excited to get out of her town and home life and start a new one

And that she had. She had only been in Michigan three months before she ran into her first hiccup. The professor who had agreed to be her means of transportation till she could drive on her own or find other ways of getting around that wasn’t her bike had to stay late for some meetings with all the educators.

And that is how she found herself sitting inside of the rink where the Michigan wolverines practiced trying to escape the heat of the late August day it hadn’t been the weather more so the sun and the dizziness that always seemed to follow her that had urged her to find a place to wait out the rest of the meeting.

Not 15 minutes later she looked up to see a boy who was covered in sweat and looked in need of a good night's rest and a bottle of anxiety meds; came up to ask if she was okay and still a little Caught up in the dark under eyes on the boy in front of her she hadn’t realized how bad she was shaking. “I’m- yes sorry I am just waiting for my ride” he still had a look of concern “Aren’t you a little young to be here by yourself?” Oh right yes, she was still just a kid; she forgot that sometimes “Um maybe but I am smart enough to be a freshman in college at the age of 13 but not drive a car so I am a little out of luck in that department.” She laughed at herself and the boy in front of her smiled “Right I heard we had a little genius walk around campus it’s nice to meet you I’m Quinn” he said reaching out to give her a fist bump. A little weird but then again he was just a boy and that had intrigued her. She wanted to get to know this guy's brain “ I'm y/n nice to meet you” she said reaching her fist out to return the fist bump.

“ Well I'm about to head home I don't mind giving you a ride,” he said lt with a small smile, and being the Genesis she accepted a ride from a stranger “That would be great I appreciate it”

On the car ride to the small apartment, her mom had set up for her Quinn asked how she liked school and Michigan “I am enjoying my classes, as for Michigan I haven't done anything other than go to class and study at the library maybe when my siblings come to visit we will do some sightseeing. I don't get out much on my own.” Quinn didn't seem to like that answer “Well we should change that my family and I were going to go bowling tonight you should come; they are closer in age than we are you guys will get along great. If you want of course.” he says to look away for the road to read my reaction.

“That is very sweet of you but I wouldn't want to intrude on your family night” and be for I could say any more he cut in and said, “You won't my mom would probably like to not be the only girl for once. I have been away from home like you have and I know that it is nice to have something outside of work or school; I don't want to pressure you or anything but I think you will have fun.” I shake off the stinging in my eyes at the sweet gesture since moving here I have never been this lonely I thought I hid it well but apparently Quinn saw right through that.

“If it isn't an imposition that sounds like fun thank you for being so kind to me.” Quinn smiled and said, “Great it will be a lot of fun!

Not proofread I am having a lot more fun writing than I thought. Let me know what y'all think

[abbygrabska]

The Lazarus Experiment

The Doctor told me he was dropping Martha off, so I decided to stay in my room. 

I know for a fact something’s gonna change in the next five minutes.

I was right, because the Doctor opens my door and says, “Change of plans, we’re going to an event, get changed, formal attire.”

He then closes the door.

I nod to myself, going to my bathroom and taking a quick shower before doing my hair and makeup.

I go into my closet, which luckily the Tardis controls.

There’s a pink dress and a pair of white kitten heels, “My favorite pair.”

The Doctor and Martha are waiting for me in the console room.

They turn at my footsteps, both looking awestruck.

“Well, how do I look?” I ask.

“Gorgeous.” Martha smiles.

“Ethereal.” The Doctor grins.

I grin at both of them, “Well, let's go then.” We walk down the street.

The Doctor is fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt, “Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens.” “I think that’s just you.” I laugh, “Besides. It suits you. In a James Bond kinda way.”

“James Bond?” He grins, “Really?”

I giggle as we approach the impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories. Inside the main reception room, guests are mingling. Dominating the room is a large white round cabinet surrounded by four pillars with a slight curve at the top.

The Doctor takes some hors-d’oeuvres from a passing tray, “Oh, look, they’ve got nibbles! I love nibbles!” He tosses one whole into his mouth.

Someone I assume Martha knows walks over, “Hello.” “Tish.” The two hug.

“You look great. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn’t it?” Martha nods, “Very.” “And two nights out in a row for you, that’s dangerously close to a social life.” Tish teases.

“You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she’s coming too, even dragging Leo along with her.”

Martha looks gobsmacked, “Leo in black tie? That I must see.” Tish glances at me and the Doctor.

“This is the Doctor, and Abby.” Martha introduces.

The Doctor shakes her hand, “Hello.” “Are they with you?” Tish asks.

“Yeah.” “But they’re not on the list, how did they get in?” I smile, linking hands with Martha, “I’m her plus one, and the Doctor is on the list, just under a different name.” She furrows her brow, looking between me and Martha, before it clicks, “Oh! Good for you, Martha.”

“So, do you know what the professor’s going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator.”

“He’s a science geek. I should’ve known. Gotta get back to work now. I’ll catch up with you later.” Tish leaves to mingle.

“Science geek? What does that mean?” He frowns, before realizing that I am holding Martha’s hand, “What’re you doing that for?”

“It means you are obsessively enthusiastic about it. And as for this,” I lift mine and Martha’s hand, “I figured I’m more Martha’s type than you are.” I grin at him.

He nods, frowning slightly.

Someone calls Martha’s name. She turns and looks at the woman as if she hasn’t seen her in years.

“Mum!” She gives her a big hug.

“Oh. all right, what’s the occasion?” Her mother asks.

“What do you mean? I’m just pleased to see you, that’s all.” “You saw me last night.”

“I know. I just… miss you. You’re looking good, Leo.”

“Yeah. if anyone ask me to fetch ‘em a drink, I’ll swing at ‘em.” Martha’s mother seems to notice the Doctor and I.

“You disappeared last night.” “I… just went home.” “On your own?”

I smile, wrapping an arm around Martha’s waist, “Hello, you must be Martha’s mom. I’m Abby, and this is Doctor John Smith.”

“How’d you know Martha?” Her mother asks.

“Well, this is our third date, and her and John are doing some work together.”

“Date?” Her mother’s eyebrows raise.

Our conversation is cut short, as there is a tapping on glass.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I’m going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you’ll awake to a world which will be changed forever.” Lazarus enters the cabinet.

Two technicians start the machinery from a bank of instruments behind the cabinet. There is a high-pitched whir and a bright blue light as the four pillars begin to spin individually creating an energy field. They then begin to rotate around the cabinet, going faster and faster. A warning klaxon goes off.

“Something’s wrong. It’s overloading.”

The technicians try to stop it, but some of the panels explode, sending off sparks. The Doctor jumps over the low desk and aims his sonic screwdriver at the controls.

“Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!” “If this thing goes off, it’ll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?” The Doctor pulls one of the main wires that connect to the cabinet and it slowly stops spinning.

Martha and I run to the door.

“Get it open!”

We open the door and watch, as through the smoke, Lazarus emerges looking 40 years younger. Photographers snap away as we look on amazed.

Lazarus touches his face, realizing it worked. He steps completely out and stands before his machine, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!” He holds his arms up in triumph as everyone claps.

People take the opportunity to have their photos taken with Lazarus.

Martha and I watch the Doctor study the machine. “It can’t be the same guy. It’s impossible. It must be a trick.” Martha says. “Oh, it’s not a trick. I wish it were.”

“What just happened, then?” I ask.

“He just changed what it means to be human.”

We walk up just as Richard starts shoveling food into his mouth.

“Richard!” Lady Thaw chastises.

“I’m famished.”

“Energy deficient. Always happens with this kind of process.” The Doctor says.

“You speak as if you see this every day, Mr…” “Doctor. And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation.”

“That’s not possible.” 

“Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That’s… that’s inspired.” “You understand the theory, then.” “Enough to know you couldn’t possibly have allowed for all the variables.”

“No experiment is entirely without risk.” “That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender.” “You’re not qualified to comment.”

“If I hadn’t of stopped it, it would’ve exploded.”

“Then I thank you, Doctor. But that’s a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less.”

“You’ve got no way of knowing that until you’ve run the proper tests.” I tell him.

Lazarus laughs, “Look at me! You can see what happened. I’m all the proof you need.” “This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially.” Lady Thaw smiles.

“Commercially?! You are joking. That’ll cause chaos.” Martha laughs.

“Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve.” “This isn’t about improving. It’s about you and your customers living a little longer.” “Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely.”

“Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs.” Lady Thaw walks away.

Lazarus goes to follow her, “Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you’ll look back and laugh at how wrong you are.” He reaches out and takes Martha’s hand, kissing the back of it before leaving.

“Ooh, he’s out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done.” The Doctor groans.

“So, what do we do now?” I ask.

“Now… well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests.” Martha looks at her hand, “Lucky I’ve just collected a DNA sample then, isn’t it?” “Oh, Martha Jones, you’re a star.”

We end up in an empty lab, looking at the results of the DNA test on a computer screen.

“Amazing.” “What?” I ask.

“Lazarus’s DNA.” “I can’t see anything different.” Martha says.

“Look at it!” The image on the screen flickers.

“Oh, my god! Did that just change? But it can’t have!” I gasp. “But it did.”

“It’s impossible.” “And that’s two impossible things we’ve seen tonight. Don’t you love it when that happens?”

“That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns.” Martha says. “Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate.” He explains. “But they’re still mutating now.” I realize.

“‘Cause he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won’t let him stabilize. Something that’s trying to change him.” “Change him into what?” I ask. “I dunno, but I think we need to find out.” “That woman said they were going upstairs.”

“Let’s go!”

We step out of the lift and into Lazarus’s office. The Doctor turns on the lights.

“This is his office, all right.” I say. “So, where is he?” The Doctor asks.

“Dunno. Let’s try back at the re…ception.” Sticking out from behind the desk, I spot a pair of skeletal bones, wearing high heels. We rush over to see the desiccated remains of a woman.

“Is that Lady Thaw?” Martha asks. “Used to be. Now it’s just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange.”

“Lazarus.” “Could be.” “So he’s changed already?” I ask. “Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. it was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough.” “So he might do this again?” Martha asks.

“Hmm.”

We dash back to the lifts.

We arrive back at reception.

“I can’t see him.” “He can’t be far. Keep looking.” The Doctor walks off. “Hey, you all right, Martha? I think mum wants to talk to you.” “Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?” Martha asks.

“Yeah. He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago.” The Doctor joins us moments later. “With Tish?!” “Ah, Abby.” “Where did they go?” “Upstairs I think, why?”

“Abby…” The Doctor rushes past, spilling her drink.

I look at her apologetically, “Sorry.” I pass her a napkin before running after him.

We arrive back at Lazarus’s office. “Where are they?” The Doctor takes out his sonic screwdriver, “Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up.” he holds his sonic out at arm’s length and slowly turns in a circle. Its beeping increases.

“Got him.” “Where?”

He points at the ceiling. “But this is the top floor! The roof!”

We run for the stairs.

“‘Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act…” “Falls the shadow.’”

Lazarus turns to see us.

“So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I’m impressed.” “Martha, what are you doing here?”

“Tish, get away from him.” “What? Don’t tell me what to do.” “I wouldn’t have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all.” “You’re right, Doctor. One lifetime’s been too short for me to do everything I’d like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?”

“Doesn’t work like that.” I shake my head, “Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters; it’s the person.” “But if it’s the right person, what a gift that would be.”

“Or what a curse. Look at what you’ve done to yourself.”

“Who are you to judge me?” 

“Tish, come here.” I ask. She walks over to us, “You have to spoil everything, don’t you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find a fault.” “Tish, he’s a monster!” Martha says. “I know the age thing’s a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones.”

At the sound of growling, Tish slowly turns her head and we all see Lazarus.

He looks like a cross between a human skeleton and a scorpion. He rears up.

“Run!”

We all race inside and the Doctor seals the lock with his sonic screwdriver. Martha presses the call button for the lift, “You okay?” “I was gonna snog him.”

Sirens begin to go off and a computerized warning comes over the PA.

“What’s happening?” I ask. “Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits.” “Great, he must be breaking through the door. Now, stairs anyone?” We all run down the stairs.

There’s a crashing noise, “He’s inside!”

“Haven’t got much time!”

We enter the reception.

“Tish! Is there another way out of here?”

“There’s an exit in the corner, but it’ll be locked now.”

The Doctor tosses his sonic to me, “Setting 54. Hurry.”

I rush off, followed by Martha and Tish.

Glass shatters and Lazarus appears on the landing above before leaping down to the reception floor.

I open the door just as everyone runs for the exits.

“Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!” We run over to Leo.

“Martha.” “C’mon, stay with me.” Martha and I take her mother and Leo to safety.

“What’s the Doctor doing?” Tish asks.

“He’s buying us time.” I say. Martha examines her brother, “Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes.” She speak to her mother, “He’s got a concussion, you’ll need to help him downstairs.” She goes to an ice bucket and puts some ice in a napkin, which she then gives to her mother, “This’ll keep the swelling down. Go! I’ll be right behind you! Tish, move! We need to get out of here!”

The partygoers are running down the stairs to the main entrance but the doors are locked.

“We can’t get out! We’re trapped!”

I spot a desk and slide over the top and check the panel layout before using the sonic. The power comes back on, the doors open and everyone escapes.

I run back up the stairs.

I stop in my tracks at the sound of an explosion, Martha joining me shortly after, running into the Doctor as we reach a corner.

“What are you doing here?” He asks.

“Returning this.” I hold out his sonic screwdriver, “Thought you might need it.” “How did you…?” “Explosion? Definitely you.” “I blasted Lazarus.” “Did you kill him?” Martha asks.

Lazarus comes crashing down the hall.

“More sort of annoyed him, I’d say.”

We run around and end up back in the reception room.

“What now? We’ve just gone ‘round in a circle!” Lazarus bursts in and the Doctor heads for the device.

“We can’t lead him outside. Come on, get in.” We all hide in the device where we are pressed together like sardines.

“Are we hiding?” Martha asks.

“No, he knows we’re here. But this is his masterpiece. I’m betting he won’t destroy it, not even to get at us.” “But we’re trapped!”

“Well, yeah, that’s a slight problem.” “You mean you don’t have a plan?” “Yes, the plan was to get inside here!” 

“Then what?” “Well… Then I’d come up with another plan.”

“In your own time, then.” The Doctor accidentally gropes me before grabbing his sonic screwdriver, “Here we are.” “What’re you gonna do with that?”

The Doctor slides down slowly to the floor and pops open a panel, “Improvise.” “I still don’t understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?” “No, for once it’s strictly human in origin.” He uses his sonic screwdriver on the wires attached to the panel.

“Human? How can it be human?” I ask. “Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus’s DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they’re becoming dominant.” “So, it’s a throwback.” “So it’s some option that evolution rejected for us millions of years ago, but the potential is still there? Locked away in our genes, until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake?” I ask. The Doctor continues to work on the wires. “It’s like Pandora’s box.” Martha says.

“Exactly. Nice shoes, by the way.” A blue light fills the capsule.

“Doctor, did he just turn it on?” I ask.

“Yep.” The machine begins to spin. “I don’t want to hurry you, but…” Martha worries.

“I know, I know. Nearly done.” “What’re you doing?”

“Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it.” “Will that kill him?” I ask.

“When he transforms, he’s three times his size, cellular triplication, so he’s spreading himself thin.” “We’re gonna end up like him!” “Just one more!” The Doctor pulls a wire.

The Doctor opens the door and steps out, Martha and I right behind him.

“I thought we were gonna go through the blender then.” Martha admits. “Really shouldn’t take that long to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice.”

Lazarus is lying in his human form, naked, on the floor.

“Oh God. He seems so… human again. It’s kind of pitiful.”

“Eliot saw that, too. ‘This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.’”

Medical services, come to take the body, carrying it out on a gurney in a bag. We watch from the steps.

The first to see us is Tish, “She’s here. Oh, she’s all right.” She hugs Martha. Martha’s mum slaps the Doctor on the face, “Keep away from my daughter.” “Mum! What are you doing?” The Doctor puts his hand on his cheek, “All their mothers, every time.” “Not mine. Though to be fair, I don’t want you meeting her at all.”

“He is dangerous! I’ve been told things.” “What are you talking about?”

Mrs. Jones takes Martha by the shoulders, “Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!”

“This isn’t his fault. He saved us, all of us!”

“It was Tish who invited everyone to this in the first place. I’d say technically, it’s her fault.” Tish elbows Leo in the side.

There’s a crash. The Doctor and I look at Martha before running off.

We run down the street where we see the ambulance, the doors open and the medics merely husks.

“Lazarus, back from the dead. Should’ve known, really.” The Doctor takes out his sonic screwdriver and searches for Lazarus like he did earlier. “Where’s he gone?” I ask.

“That way. The church.” “Cathedral. It’s Southwark Cathedral. He told me.” Tish informs us.

We proceed up the nave inside the cathedral, the Doctor in the very front with his sonic held out in front of him.

“Do you think he’s in here?” Martha asks. “Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?” I retort.

We move forward through the empty cathedral to the open space behind the altar and underneath the bell tower. 

Lazarus is sitting there, gasping, a red blanket from the ambulance wrapped around him, “I came here before. A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child… the sound of planes and bombs outside.” “The Blitz.” “You’ve read about it.” “I was there.” “You’re too young.” Lazarus scoffs.

“So are you.” Lazarus laughs, but it soon turns to gasps of pain as he fights the mutation, “In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I’d never face death like that again.”

The Doctor walks around Lazarus slowly, looking up at the bell tower.

I watch, knowing he’s planning something.

“So defenseless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it.”

“That’s what you were trying to do today.” “That’s what I did do today.”

“What about the other people who died?”

“They were nothing. I changed the course of history.” “Any of them might have done, too. You think history’s only made with equations? Facing death is a part of being human. You can’t change that.” “No, Doctor. Avoiding death. That’s being human. It’s our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fiber of being. I’m doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I’ve simply been more… successful.” Lazarus groans in pain as his body tries to change. “Look at yourself! You’re mutating! You’ve no control over it! You call that a success?”

“I call it progress. I’m more now than I was. More than just an ordinary man.” “There’s no such thing as an ordinary man.”

“He’s gonna change again at any minute.” I whisper.

“I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I’ve an idea that might work.”

“Up there?” I ask.

He nods.

“You’re so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look.”

“I’m old enough to know that a longer life isn’t always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust.” The Doctor squats beside Lazarus, “If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone.”

“That’s a price worth paying.” “Is it?”

“I will feed soon.” “I’m not gonna let that happen.”

“You’ve not been able to stop me so far.” I walk up behind Lazarus, “Leave him, Lazarus! He’s old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat.” He snarls and chases after me.

Martha and Tish run with me.

“Doctor! The tower!”

We run up the narrow spiral staircase that leads to the upper level.

We hear screaming.

“Did you hear that?” Tish asks.

“He’s changed again. We’ve got to lead him up.” “Abby?!” I peer out of one of the archways on the upper level, “Doctor!” “Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d’you hear me?!” I nod, “Then what?” “Abby, come on!” Tish grabs my arm.

We run off.

We arrive at the top of the bell tower, which is a circular walkway with wooden rails.

“There’s nowhere to go! We’re trapped!” Tish exclaims.

“This is where he said to bring him.” I say. “All right, so we’re not trapped. We’re bait.”

“He knows what he’s doing. We have to trust him.” Martha tells her.

We hear a hiss, “Ladies.” Lazarus enters, blocking the only doorway.

“Stay behind me. If he takes me, make a run for it. Head down the stairs, you should have enough time.” I tell them.

“But…” Martha attempts to protest.

“Just do it!”

Lazarus attacks, swinging his tail down.

We all scream.

Lazarus knocks away part of the wall.

I get hit by his tail and fall over, clinging to the edge.

“Abby!” 

Lazarus leaps across to stand over me. “Hold on! Get away from her!” Martha screams. Tish and Martha hold their heads in agony as the sound waves from the organ resonate in the tight space. Lazarus begins to writhe.

I try to hold on. Lazarus topples over the edge and falls to the floor below.

I’m about to fall when hands grab my arms.

“We’ve got you. Hold on!” “Abby?!”

The two sisters pull me back onto the walkway.

“I’m okay! We’re all okay!” I cry, hugging them, “Thank you.” “It’s your Doctor you should be thanking.” “Told you he’d think of something.” I sniffle.

“He cut it a bit fine there, didn’t he?” “He always does. It’s more fun that way.” I laugh.

We come down the stairs.

The Doctor runs to us and pulls me into a kiss, “Never do that again.”

Tish seems confused, “I thought—” She looks to her sister. 

Martha shakes her head.

We stand in front of the Tardis in Martha’s flat.

“Something else that just kinda escalated, then.”

“I can see a pattern developing. You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in.” Martha smiles.

“It’s good fun, though, isn’t it?” I grin. “Yeah.”

“So, what d’you say, one more trip?” The Doctor asks.

“No. sorry.”

“What do you mean? I thought you liked it.”

“I do, but I can’t go on like this. ‘One more trip.’ It’s not fair.”

“What’re you talking about?” “I don’t want to just be a passenger anymore. Someone you take along for a treat. If that’s how you still see me, well, I’d rather stay here.”

“Okay, then. If that’s what you want.” “Right. But we’ve already said goodbye once today, so it’s really best if you just go.” She walks away from the Tardis, keeping her back to it.

I laugh, “Martha, sweetie. He said okay.” “Sorry?”

I nod my head at the Tardis.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” Martha hugs us and laughs.

“Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you?”