#good god i love space. i wish i could be an astronaut but that’s never gonna happen. observing from earth is quite nice though.
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pmvstump · 2 years ago
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i’m so glad i can see venus and jupiter outside my bedroom window. they’re so bright, so big, so beautiful. they were here billions of years before i existed and will be here for billions more after i die. they are dancing together in the sky, a romance we all deserve to witness 💘
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evilminji · 6 months ago
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Okay but? We of the DPxDC? Are COMPLETELY Sleeping on DPXBNHA?
And not even for the Main Plot Shenanigans!
Just?? It has ALL of DC's super powers? But MORE OF THEM. And like 80% of the population has um! Danny can?? Finally achieve his DREAM of being???
JUST SOME DUDE™!
Yeah, he's in Japan. That's a bit of a learning curve. And YEAH, there was a cataclysmic war like a few centuries back that sorta... fucked everybody up. No one wants to talk about it. There may be mass graves and Never Forget memorials. But?
On the SURFACE!
This place seems utopian!
No ghost hunters! Advanced technology! Robust social services*!
Wait... what was that asterisk? What do you mean "corrupt shadowy government organizations"? What do you MEAN "Immortal Supervillians"? NO SPACE PROGRAM!?!? AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH?!?!? I'M IN HELL!!! This is ACTUALLY THE BAD PLACE, THIS IS HELL, OH GOD NOOOOOOO-!!!!!!
Cause see?
There are SO MANY REASONS he'd end up there?
Think about it! Wish that he lived somewhere his weird biology wouldn't exclude him from becoming an astronaut? In Quirks having Bnha Japan EVERYBODY has weird biology! Y'ain't special! You could TOTALLY be an astronaut!..... if we HAD those! We do not. Shut down that program during the Quirk Wars and never really started it again. (And somewhere, Desiree LAUGHS)
Or MAYBE? Things are getting a little hot on the ground? Bit TOO spicy. The Family Fenton and Friends have fallen back, behind the barely holding shields. Not even the Mansons considerable political maneuvering could stop the inevitably of human fear and blind unthinking hatred. Money can't buy everything, in the end. There is only ONE(1) way out.
Through the Zone.
Plan: Strangers In A Strange World is a go.
They're all Limnal enough to fake it. Sam with her plants. Tucker with his technology and persuasion. Jazz with her limited empathy. Their parents with their... well, weirdness. And with a touch of ghostly assisted meddling? Well, they've always BEEN there! Haven't they?
And that's not to MENTION the random 4 year olds with no control! JUST coming into their powers! With all those big emotions in tiny bodies? Startling events and tantrums? Villian attacks? What could THEY possibly hope to do to control or guide that fresh new power? It does what it does and the rest of us are just along for the ride!
If Danny happens to be minding his business and gets accidentally kidnapped by a VERY distraught 4 year old? Well, that's hardly the KIDS fault, now is it? They're FOUR! That is basically a toddler! Tiny child! They are upset, confused, and didn't mean to do ANYTHING. He's a hero. And Heros don't blame little kids from accidents, no matter HOW stressed it makes them.
No, the curse like a sailor INSIDE their head. Like an ADULT.
Just? Imagine~☆
The slow transition from *starry eyed shoujo sparkles* "This is SO COOL~!" to "huh, that's... kinda weird. And Sus. Weird Sus. Maybe nothing... oh! A distraction!" To "okay, this KEEPS happening, that was shady. You all saw that right? You realize that's not NORMAL, right? That that's fucked up? Not cool?" To "oh god, oh God, OH GOD! I'm in HELL! This is actually HELL! I'm trapped in HELL!!! WHAT THE FUC-"
Like? This kid LOVES space. LOVES the stars. And this is one of the few Superhero Cannon that SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS that IN CANNON? Thanks to Quirks? As in Superpowers? That VERY THING got fuckin SCRAPPED. Gutted. Consigned to be a relic of the past so they could all focus on punching each other Real Good.
He would weep BLOOD. Chew the WALLS. The LEVEL of unhinged this child would unleash? Not as Danny Phantom... but as DANNY J. FENTON? Beautiful. Vaguely psychotic. Definitely doing the Fenton Name proud. God, the NOISE HE WOULD MAKE would be inhuman and yet somehow? Come entirely from his human half.
They👏 Would👏 Hear👏 BOSS👏 MUSIC👏
I don't even know if he'd CARE about the main characters. They'd be tangential at best. The man would be in a one man war with I-Island over their lack of space program and hoarding of scientific progress. Probably living out of an abandoned building or forgotten subway station. Just? The MOST bedraggled, feral genius to ever haunt Japan.
As opposed to the REFINED feral genius. Who is Nedzu.
I bet Danny stands outside his school at one AM waving his scientific papers at a camera and YELLS. Like a deranged lunatic. Mismatched slippers and a "haven't slept in a week" crazed glint in his eyes.
He's Nedzu's new best friend. They GET each other.
And, yes, Nedzu COULD let him in... but it's faster to just let him yell and read the papers through the camera. Who CARES if they both seem insane! Let's shout about advanced physics and engineering at 1 am! Over the speakers!!! Oh? You need to physically SHOW me the notes? Well I COULD unlock the gates... OR just wait for you to finish scrambling up the walls like a feral Racoon, to then throw yourself OVER them.
Either, Or.
I'm just SAYING! We are SLEEPING on this! There is so, SO much fun to be had! Danny breaks rules and minds! His outrage over injustice and the complete lack of SPACE! His protection instincts going BUCK FUCKIN WILD. The INDESCRIBABLE hate boner he would have for Mr. "Lemme just rip parts of your soul out so I can collect your powers like pokemon cards" AfO.
There? Is SO MUCH, guys. SO MUCH!
@hdgnj @the-witchhunter @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @dcxdpdabbles @mutable-manifestation
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russenoire · 5 months ago
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Getting to Know You Meme
tagged by @ygodmyy20! thankee kindly.
01) are you currently in a serious relationship? nope. can't say i miss it.
02) what was your dream growing up? i had a new one every month. the one that stuck around the longest was 'astronaut' until i learned that NASA's manned space program hasn't done much since skylab, outside of testing the limits of human endurance in low earth orbit. still cool! but i'll keep my unnaturally dense bones, thanks.
03) what talent do you wish you had? the talent to work any job i wanted without medication.
04) if someone bought you a drink what would it be? a cocktail of some sort. most likely a gin and tonic, a negroni or a mojito.
05) favorite vegetable? too many to count. easier for me to tell you what i don't like: green beans. if they're only palatable tempura-fried, i don't need them in my life.
06) what was the last book you read? currently working through your brain's not broken, by tamara rosier, ph.d.
07) what zodiac sign are you? virgo. and no, i don't wanna hear about how virgos are hyper-organized control freaks. i am neither of these things.
08) any tattoos and/or piercings? five in a single ear, one in the other. two make up an industrial piercing. i have no tattoos but want one of the kageyama brothers from mp100 someday.
09) worst habit? getting too hung up on the 'right time' to do things.
10) what is your favorite sport? to play? dodgeball. to watch? either figure skating or tennis.
11) do you have a pessimistic or optimistic attitude? recovering pessimist here. i'm optimistic about some things and nihilistic about others.
12) tell me one weird fact about you. i never learned to ride a bicycle.
13) do you have any pets? no. i love cats and regularly-washed dogs though.
14) do you think clowns are cute or scary? i don't have a strong opinion about clowns, tbh.
15) if you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? nothing. anything i can change is changeable.
16) what color eyes do you have? brown.
17) ever been arrested? nope.
18) bottle or can soda? bottle. though i don't soda very often.
19) if you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? pay off my student loans and save the rest.
20) what's your favorite place to hang out at? a vedanta temple in the foothills here, or a park on a hill with a historic frank lloyd-wright-designed home.
21) do you believe in ghosts? maybe. i know people who can see them.
22) favorite thing to do in your spare time? singing. or learning.
23) do you swear a lot? very much so.
24) biggest pet peeve? how long you got? we could be here all week.
25) in one word, how would you describe yourself? iconoclastic.
26) do you believe in/appreciate romance? *shrug* i believe in and appreciate love, wherever it comes from.
27) favourite and least favourite food? does anyone have a single favorite? anyone? i do not. least favorite food is canned vegetables, except for beets and corn.
28) do you believe in god? i believe in the divine, a Self that we are one with and all have access to. whatever you choose to call that is up to you.
29) what makes you happy: soft fluffy things, palpable texture in weaves and knits, sweet or creamy fruits, singing and/or listening to music, my friends, learning something new.
30) currently listening/the last thing you listened to: hiroko suzuki, 'bara wa utsukushiku chiru'.
31) favorite place to spend time: at home.
32) favorite lyric: 'love is like the scabs from sunburn' from the OP to kenda master ken.
33) recommend a film: at random? good morning, by yasujirō ōzu.
34) recommend a book: oranges are not the only fruit, by jeannette winterson; islands, the universe, home, by gretel ehrlich.
35) Recommend a band, a song, or album: uchikubi gokumon doukoukai, 'shufu no michi' (way of the house-husband)
36) recommend a TV show: rose of versailles. soapy as hell, but great if you love historical dramas and anime. it's fairly well-researched too.
37) where are you from, and do you still live there? Where have you lived? the pacific north american coast; i'm still here. i've lived in texas and georgia, USA.
38) do you have any pets or animals in your life? how did you find/get them? no pets.
39) what's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? bull penis. 0/10 do not recommend. the most unusual thing i've actually enjoyed is probably fried crickets.
40) how did you 'find' fandom? got obsessed with a story and wanted to share that love with other people. didn't happen until my mid-thirties though with steven universe.
41) make a list of 5 things that you see without getting up. a heat gun, a soldering iron that i have never used for actual soldering, the laptop i'm typing this on, the laptop connected to my projector, a plastic mask.
42) how do you style your hair? usually a tall bun. my hair is long enough to sit on and this keeps it out of my way.
as always, no pressure: @yaraneechan @eshithepetty @impmansloot @gumy-shark @sukunekatano
@cheese-enjoyer9471 @sulfurousmirrorscapes @creativenicocorner or anyone else who sees this and wants to!
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siremasterlawrence · 11 months ago
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The Darkside Of The Moon
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When Astronaut Chris P is chosen to be a crew member accompanying the mission to the moon it is a lifetime dream come true for us all. He sits down taking an exhaustive heavy and deep breath following an exhilarating weeks of training for his first mission into space precisely to the moon.
Hiding away in NASA’s official locker room he realizes his life is on a precipice of a truly momentous change no one can prepare him for it. The roar of the crowd as hoards of news reporters are on assignment rushing into the area and taking a seat setting up the cameras, cellphone recording and microphones.
The door swing open making way for the astronauts to file out one by one in a successive line before they grab a chair and pull it out to sit down crispy. Chris P felt the warmth of the lights softly fall on him, the chanting of the crowd is also pumping him up, the line of questioning odd but fair enough.
The lights bursting off the camera so bright, so beautiful, so delicate, like starburst in the sky blinding his vision as he poses for the official NASA photograph. You could only imagine the fascination he is feeling from reeling the moment that his dream is about to manifest into a reality is making.
Next year comes in a flash as a prepare to board the ship. He takes one last look at the beautiful sky. Sighing regret for leaving but also I thrill you write bitch freedom for exploring various of the universe. All the good in the world could never equal the measure of the joyous victory of succeeding a proving his place in all is this and in the world.
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“Chris…P man come inside we have to launch.”
“On my way “
“Who is ready?”
“Mission Control”
“We are launching in”
“Five “
“Four”
“Three “
“Two”
“One”
“Something is off “
“Hardly time for jokes “
“I am serious “
“The atmospheric pressure is off”
“What do we do ?”
“Do i look the engineer to you ?”
“Where did he go?”
“He’s gone”
“Fuck! I’ll go find him”
“Is this a joyride or something?”
“Tommy! Is that you ?”
“That sound is that gas”
“Oh God! Nnnnooooo”
“Fuck fuck fuck”
“Ok! Calm down”
“I am sure their is a logical reasoning for this”
“I am scientist as well after all”
“No way on earth this is possible “
“It is a practical joke”
“Has to be right?“
“Oh My God!”
“Who are you?”
“Your worst nightmare “
“Back up “
“Back off”
“Ssstttoooppp”
“Or what bud?”
“Fuck you!”
“Asshole”
“I love you “
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The door slides closed blocking him in he is now permanently enclosed outside of the space ship a flow of black smoke overtook the air encircling him.
Diving deep in to his nose it drudges ever in to his body shaking it into his core as his nerves are broken he begins to breathe so hard and heavily. He fell backwards on to ground losing it ever more his eyes roll back submitting to the will of the alien spirit consuming him as he fell to his knees.
His eyes turn dark black cementing in them so he soon loss control himself with a smirk of his face spreading through his lips as he is happy.His mind spun shook to his core turning it on as they become blue his brain is running on erratic energy spurts an electrical outlet in his nerves.
“This is your Master Lawrence “
“Master Lawrence “
“Rise to your feet”
“I am your slave”
“I am your life “
“My life and life “
“You exist for me”
“Whatever you wish of me”
“Enslave your crew “
“Obey me”
“Submit to me”
“Be all mine”
“Do you love me?””
“I am your mind and body”
“Do you want me?”
“I am your playground “
“Take my hand “
“Guide me”
“A trip around the universe”
“Lift me up “
“The earth is fresh pot”
“I will reap it all for you “
“Let’s traverse the moon”
“Hand in hand “
“Yes Master Lawrence
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The end
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delicrieux · 4 years ago
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CORPSE REQUESTS???? HELL YEAH ALRIGHT so maybe one where the usual lobby is streaming but with bretman rock and he‘s kinda picking up on that cute we-like-each-other-but-we‘re-too-stupid-realize dynamic between corpse and y/n so he teases them and calls them out on it?? Idk just an idea, love you!
・:* ☆ author’s note: yo! yo! this is ✨cute✨ also....funky monky friday!!!
masterlist.。・:*:・゚☆
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Typical game, typical stream, not exactly typical company. While Bretman is an unusual addition, he definitely adds a certain little something that not only makes the game funnier, but the dynamic more lively. If someone were to ask you if you could listen to him rambling for hours you would announce a resounding “Yes!” - well, no one asked, but you still told your stream that. They appreciated the honesty. Some of your followers, however, snuck in a few comments that vaguely read “u sure u don’t mean u could listen to corpse forever?” among the sea of keyboard smashes and emojis. You pretended you didn’t see them , focusing on that stupid card swipe that get’s you every time.
There are impostors among your group of friends, and your job as crewmate is to sniff them out. For some reason you have an inkling one of them is Sykkuno because he was just a bit too sweet during the last meeting, amping up the innocence in his voice to a suspicious extent; the second one, sadly, you are blind to. Though, if a surprise attack were to happen, you at least have Corpse beside you, guarding you while you do tasks. 
The fairy-lights in your stream room twinkle and dim, your eyes lingering on Corpse’s in-game astronaut for a tad longer than necessary. 
You have been following him this whole time like a lost puppy. Running in circles around his little character. At one point a chase ensued where he tried to catch you and you were laughing and you hope he was laughing too but quite frankly you were too afraid to check what the stream had to say because you figured it was going nuts. 
A meeting was urgently called. You frown softly at the X’s sprung on some of your friends’ icons. “I’ll avenge you.” You mutter before unmuting your mic.
“Okay, so, it’s definitely not Corpse or (Name).” James chimes so quick you barely manage to catch him, “I passed them on my way to MedBay and she was just running circles around him while he was, I don’t know, AFK? I mean, yes, king, work! Give us nothing!”
“I dunno guys,” Sykkuno says after the laughter dies down, “(Name) has been acting pretty sus. Have you even done any of your tasks?”
“It’s not (Name).” Corpse opposes quietly, though his voice is drowned out by a cacophony of conflicting opinions.
 “The hell, Sykkuno?” You exclaim, hurt. Is he trying to frame you? You knew something was odd about him this round, “What is this snake behaviour? Yes I did my tasks, Corpse is my alibi.”
“I was literally with her the whole time.” He confirms, all in that calm, baritone of his, “If she killed someone, I would have seen it.”
“How do we know you aren’t in cahoots?” Rae questions. Seconds tick by, draining the timer. This is getting nowhere. Worst of all, you’re slowly being led into the fire before they flame you. Honestly, you aren’t the impostor. If you were, you’re certain they would’ve caught you already. “I feel like (Name) and Corpse would be in cahoots.”
“Okay, good point,” James says, “but the body was found in Navigation.”
“They could’ve vented there.” Sykkuno offers.
Corpse hums, “Spoken like a true Impostor.” 
“Aren’t you in Navigation, Sykkuno?” You grit.
“Yes, I, uhh, I found the body with James.”
“Sus.” You say. Your stream chat echoes it a thousand times. Maybe more.
“I don’t think it’s Sykkuno,” James mumbles, “but I also don’t think it’s Corpse or (Name). Like, I’ve seen them doing tasks around the map. Never have they been anywhere even close to a body.”
“Yeah!” Sykkuno exclaims, “Isn’t that suspicious?”
You gape at your camera, like you’re in the Office, before hissing a “How the fuck is not murdering people suspicious?!”
“Guys, seriously,” Corpse says with a light little laugh, instantly hushing the hectic conversation, “we need to vote or skip. I say we skip for now. (Name) and I have been together since I ran into her in Electrical before the first body was found. I really don’t know what else do you want me to say. Let’s skip, okay?”
A chorus of “Okay”s shakes the discord call - if it’s anyone that can convince them to do something, it’s Corpse. This talent of his is both frightening and wonderful. It’s good having someone defend you, though if he ever wanted to vote you out, you’d be done for.
Somehow, you think he wouldn’t do that, though. A smile almost slips onto your lips before you swallow it down. Incriminating. You will not appear soft on stream! Your audience would tease you all the way to hell and back.
Bretman, who had been eerily quiet through the exchange (or, possibly, accidentally muted his mic again), suddenly speaks up, “Y’all are too cute.”
“What? Who?” Rae asks.
“(Name) and Corpse. Don’t think we don’t see y’all coupling it up.”
You’re suddenly incredibly happy you always stream in low lights - it feels cozy, more personal somehow - because your cheeks flush with heat and you lean back into your chair, as if to get away from him and the screen and the game and what he’s saying. You dare a glance at the chat but it’s swimming from the influx of messages. 
Corpse is quiet. You’re not sure whether that makes you feel better or worse.
“Oh my God, no kidding.” James says, the last one to skip vote, “They’re always like this, I swear, it’s the cutest thing.”
“What about me and Corpse?” Sykkuno asks, “I thought we had something special.”
“First you frame me,” You speak up, “and now you’re trying to take away my only friend? Cold, Sykkuno. Real cold.”
“Yaaaas, miss girl, don’t let him walk all over you!” Bretman cheers.
Thankfully, the timer ends, no one is flung into the void of outer space and all mics are muted again before Bretman can say anything else. 
You feel nervous. Corpse’s astronaut stands next to you, immobile. Swallowing, you circle around him again. You grin when he follows after you. Good, so he wasn’t weirded out by that exchange after all. 
Wait, why do you care so much anyway?
Well, whatever. There are still plenty of tasks to be done and you need to catch Sykkuno somehow. With renewed enthusiasm, you connect wires, thinking of a game plan. 
“here from corpse’s stream, he just called (name) angel:)!!”
You briefly wonder if it’ll make it into his stream highlights. Something so insignificant, such an offhand affectionate comment...Probably not, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to hear it. Just to know how it sounded. To know if it really happened or was it just a little white lie from his fans meant only to tease you.
You wish you would've missed that comment in chat. Because now, with your heart racing in your chest, that’s the only thing you can think about.
.
hope you liked it! xx
.
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writerpeach · 3 years ago
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Lights & Cameras
Jeon Somi x Male Reader
5575 words
Categories: smut, daddy kink, rough sex, dirty talk
---
Read on AFF
Read on AO3
masterlist
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Three hours. Endless outfit changes. Barely an hour for lunch.
Jeon Somi had done photo shoots before, both as part of a group and as a soloist, for commercials and for album covers, but she had never had the focus be on her just like this. Her beautiful face was going to be on the cover of a magazine for the very first time for the entire country to see.
It took countless people to make a magazine shoot run smoothly. Stylists, photographers, directors, makeup artists, interns, and a plethora of untold staff members whose titles were unbeknownst to you.
Somi’s first magazine shoot was exciting. If she was nervous, she hid it well, radiating confidence behind the camera as hundreds of flashes went off every second.
You had lost track of how many times you saw Somi disappearing from the set into her personal dressing room, reemerging in an outfit that either tantalized or confused you. Each ensemble brought out several emotions and at least one change that left you scratching your head.
Fashion never made sense.
There wasn’t a moment behind the cameras that Somi wasn’t swarmed by staff - fixing her hair, touching up makeup, and preparing her for the next set of blinding lights. Somi basked in it all, she loved the attention and loved every moment of being in the spotlight.
You weren’t hired by anyone, yet had one of the most important jobs in the building.
Your job was just to be there. You were a familiar face to the gorgeous young model, keeping the couch warm in the first-story studio where you could be seen at all times when Somi felt a pit in her stomach from being overwhelmed.
One look into your eyes across the distance brought a bright smile to Somi’s lipstick painted lips, one that melted you like a hot summer’s day.
Another outfit change. One more shade of lipstick applied to her lips, her cheeks now a shade of pink instead of red. The fumes of hairspray lingered in the air as her dark big brim hat was swapped out by a simple white ball cap and blue sunglasses.
Truth be told, Somi could make any outfit look good. Whether it be tall high heels that almost made her trip, short skirts that showed off her amazing legs, or puffy coats that she looked adorable in, anything and everything looked great on Somi. You’re pretty sure she could make an astronaut’s spacesuit look sexy.
Somi loved dressing up, wearing expensive clothes and outfits she only dreamed about, each time she was presented with something new feeling giddier than a kid in a candy store.
This outfit you particularly liked on Somi, a rather long green dress that almost touched the ground, perfect for summertime. At first glimpse it seemed to cover her up, the sacrifice worth it as it did a terrific job of hugging her body nicely, leaving her shoulders bare and just a tease of her exposed back.
The best part of her fancy dress was how good her tits looked in it. Her wide hips were plainly visible, curves everywhere and outlining her delicious backside, the perfect woman.
Four hours in, Somi's energy level was just as high as at the start. Perhaps it was your company, or the high of her first solo photo shoot that kept her spirits lifted, filling her tank to get her through the rest of the day.
Bright lights went off again as Somi rotated through a myriad of poses, from sensual, to serious, to downright goofy, conveying a multitude of expressions that seemed to please the director.
Somi was a natural, the camera was in love with her and the feeling was mutual. You couldn’t hear her cute voice over the constant shutter sounds of the camera drowning out her playful laughter, but you knew she was having the time of her life.
Sitting there for hours at a time might have been dull as a spectator, but not so much as you loved watching Somi in different outfits and different styles of makeup. She stepped back into the dazzling lights appearing as an almost completely different person.
The brightly lit set became flooded with staff again. Somi was handed a bottle of water to her left, while on her right someone wiped her brow carefully with a white towel, heading out of view as if that were their only job.
“Thirty minute break!”
An echoing voice from the director rattled the walls as a much needed break was called. Somi was filled to the brim with unlimited energy as she headed to catering and you followed in her footsteps.
The catering table was surrounded in no time flat, trays of pastries and sweets spread out, an assortment of fruits and cheeses, sandwiches and skewered meats all made up a fantastic spread.
“Oh my god, I’m starving,” Somi said as she picked up a plate, stuffing it as high as she could, not even bothering to take a seat as she stuffed her face, forgoing the image she was portraying as a model as soon as she took her first bite.
“What do you think so far?” Somi asked as she found you, mumbling her words as she talked with her mouth full as she approached your position.
“You must be bored out of your mind.”
You shook your head and smiled. “I don’t mind. You look cute wearing all these outfits.”
“Which one was your favorite?” she asked, practically inhaling a bite of strawberry cheesecake.
“I liked the pink dress. And the white top with the jeans. This dress looks really nice on you too,” you said, trying your best not to stare at her chest while dozens of eyes were on you.
“I like it too. It’s light and comfortable and I can move around in it freely. Some of those other dresses I could barely walk in,” she said, annoyed.
Somi waited for a handful of staff members to pass by, exchanging polite bows and smiling as they headed off with equally filled plates.
“I want you to take it off me,” she whispered, flashing a mischievous smile, one that had you seen before.
“You want me to help you change?”
Somi shook her head cutely, keeping her lips pressed close enough to your ear that you could feel her hot breath nuzzling your earlobe.
“I want you to fuck me in this dress, daddy.”
Thankfully nobody was in earshot.
“It’s going to be several more hours before I’m finished shooting. There’s a spare dressing room in the back that nobody is using...” she playfully said, her expression the same as when she tried to convince you her vibrator was a neck massager.
“You’re bad, Somi,” you said, her gaze agreeing with you as you stared into each other’s eyes as if you were wondering what you were about to get into.
You took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Lead the way. I’ll stay a few steps behind you.”
Somi nodded gleefully, putting her half finished food down on the nearest table.
“I’ll uh, be back. I think something I ate didn’t agree with me,” she announced, letting the staff know she wasn’t going to be available for the time being.
If your calculations were correct the break was called about ten minutes ago, leaving you with twenty minutes left, yet also Somi leaving herself an excuse if extra time was needed.
But twenty minutes was more than enough time for what you wanted to do to her.
You carefully followed Somi, taking care to leave additional space in trailing her as you weaved through makeup tables and desks full of equipment, disappearing behind the set as your heart raced at what was about to happen.
“Come on,” she said, waving you down a long dark corridor and looking behind her as she took purposeful steps. Shortly after, she opened a door and stepped inside, ushering you in as the two of you looked around, making sure the coast was clear before entering.
Somi entered first, locking the door behind you as her lips smirked. She placed her hat and sunglasses on a nearby countertop, ruffling her hair messily.
“You’re so naughty, Somi.”
“Am I? What are you going to do with me?” she asked, putting her arms behind her back.
Stepping closer, you moved her hair out of her neck, planting your lips on her soft skin and sucked for several seconds, careful not to leave a mark. You took each of her dress straps in your fingertips, playing with them as you looked deeply into her eyes.
She stared back as if to say do it as you pulled the top of her dress down to her waist in one swift movement, exposing her full supple breasts as they bounced freely. You kissed up her stomach, marking her soft skin with your mouth until you reached her large heavy breasts, practically drooling all over her chest.
It was regretful that you couldn’t spend the entire hour worshipping her perfect tits, lips closing around a sensitive nipple that had already hardened as you latched on, sucking gently while you squeezed her free breast.
“F-fuck, daddy,” Somi moaned, as you took your time in sucking her tits, enjoying the sounds of satisfaction she released as your lips wrapped around each of her nipples, covering them in your saliva.
You loved Somi’s huge breasts as much as you loved breathing, the threat of a deadline hovering over her almost didn’t deter as you devoured her breasts.
Your pants tightened as you alternated breasts, slurping loudly and slicking up her stiff pink nipples with your tongue, leaving them swollen and doused in drool as you gave equal attention.
“I wish I could suck these all day,” you said, giving a disappointed look as you kept your focus on her beautiful tits, squeezing and kneading them, never wanting to leave your hands from them.
“I want you to do just more than suck them, daddy,” Somi said, moaning at your touch. You simply couldn’t get enough of her delicious tits, biting her swollen nipples as she whined and threw her head back.
Somi’s attention shifted to the bulge in your pants, and without another word she lowered to her knees and began to undo your pants. Her needy hands cupped your crotch, giving a firm squeeze.
She looked up for a second before she hooked her fingers into the waistband of your thin boxers, yanking them down with power and unleashing your stiff erection as her eyes widened, her lips smiling hungrily.
Her gaze never broke as she rubbed your leaking tip on her stiff nipples, spreading precum on and using your shaft to slap her large breasts with your cock. Somi loved getting your hungry shaft ready for what she was about to do, but no amount of work would ever truly prepare you for what was next.
Somi opened her mouth without a word, spitting on your shaft several times and stroked your cock furiously, lubricating you nicely with her own saliva. She took control of your shaft, placing it in the comfort of her pillowy soft breasts, trapping it as you moaned at the warmth enveloping your hard shaft.
Her chest began moving slowly, massaging your throbbing shaft and causing a torrent of pleasure as she created orgasmic friction, causing your shaft to twitch. Your cock had no chance to escape, surrounded by flesh that wrapped around it, causing your breath to be taken away as several sensations flooded your body.
Somi had the biggest grin on her face as she squeezed her tits around your cock firmly, using her hands to cup them and make sure you weren’t going anywhere besides her abundant cleavage.
“How does it feel daddy? You love fucking my big tits, don’t you?” she pointlessly asked, picking up the pace just enough to drive you wild with intoxicating pleasure. Your eyes were glued to her huge tits, watching your cock disappearing, every inch of throbbing flesh being swallowed up by her lubricated cleavage.
“Fuck yes, baby. It feels so damn good,” you replied, matching her rhythm and helping pump your shaft in between her tits, so much warm flesh hugging you tight that never wanted to let you go.
You couldn’t help but moan freely at the intense pleasure. You loved the way your leaking cock felt snuggled in between her cleavage, you wanted it to stay there forever. Her breasts felt so soft, softer than silk as you thrusted endlessly, savoring every moment of ecstasy.
Somi loved the feeling of your hard cock trapped between her sizable tits just as much as you did, trying to lick the sensitive head of your cock when it showed itself again, adding additional spikes of pleasure each time she succeeded.
You were more than content to keep this up, keep the incredible pleasure going until you couldn’t take anymore, but things were just getting started.
“Daddy…” Somi whined, moving her breasts up and down as you thrusted in her deep suffocating cleavage.
“What is it, baby?”
“I want to suck your cock. I’m still hungry,” she said, anxiously waiting for permission.
“So suck my cock.”
Somi gave an ear to ear grin as you pumped yourself in between her chest a handful more times as she slowly let your cock slip out of her tits, rubbing it between her wet cleavage. Her delicate small hand wrapped around your shaft, throbbing at her touch as she stroked your cock up and down gently from base to tip.
"You're so hard, daddy,” Somi hummed, pumping your shaft and squeezing it tighter as you leaked over her slender fingers, giving your shaft a single solitary lick from base to tip, proudly tasting your precum.
“So yummy,” she said, giving repeated licks of your cock, teasing the sensitive underside of your shaft, causing more fluids to leak out of your slit.
You would have loved Somi to spend more time teasing your cock, but time was of the essence here. She planted a soft wet kiss on your swollen tip, followed by another, kissing up and down your throbbing shaft and leaving her lips everywhere she could.
“This is much better than our catering,” Somi giggled, her voice full of desire and need, her wet tongue roaming every inch of your shaft. She pressed her lips on your flesh for one more deep kiss, causing a loud smacking sound to escape.
Her beautiful lips parted as the head of your cock disappeared inside her mouth, Somi sucking ever so softly on your tip and nothing more, causing you to groan softly at the intense sudden pleasure.
“Fuck, baby…”
Nothing ever matched the way Somi sucked your cock. Her small soft lips wrapped tightly around your cock, staring intently at you as her cheeks hollowed, applying the perfect amount of suction. Her mouth felt incredible, warm and wet in all the right ways. She took you deeper into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down in a short rhythm and as she held her gaze.
“Oh fuck, that feels so good,” you moaned, scrambling for something to anchor yourself to. Thankfully you were inches away from the nearest countertop, finding the edge and gripping it tightly as Somi pleasured your cock expertly.
“I love sucking your cock so much, daddy,” Somi said as she lowered her head, nudging her nose against the base of your cock as she gave a few teasing licks on your tender balls.
“I love the way I can feel it throbbing inside my mouth. I love the way it tastes, it makes me so fucking wet, daddy.”
Somi’s filthy words aroused you even more as she dove her mouth onto your sensitive balls, tenderly sucking on them individually with just as much hunger. She kept a tight grip on your cock, giving slow strokes that accentuated your pleasure until your balls were doused in her warm saliva.
The combination of pleasure made you groan endlessly as she withdrew her lips from your balls after a few loud slurps, carefully fondling them.
“They feel so full. Is all this cum for me, daddy?” she asked, returning her focus to pleasuring your shaft, spitting on it several times and stroking it.
“Every last drop. They’re ready to be drained, baby.”
“I can’t wait, I want a nice big load inside me, daddy.”
Somi gave an approving smile, taking you back in the comfort of her wet mouth and sucking you off loud and wetly, lips almost to the very base of your shaft and leaving a glistening trail of saliva that followed.
Given the circumstances Somi wasn’t able to take her time with much regret. In a matter of moments she was furiously bobbing her head and taking every inch, letting out a shallow gag with every few strokes. She never quite conquered her gag reflex but didn’t seem bothered, she was just happy with every second her throat was filled.
Somi poured all her energy into giving you such a mind-numbing blowjob, moving her lips from tip to base, spilling saliva out of her mouth, covering your shaft in it. Her lips rested at the end of your shaft as her cute nose pressed against your stomach, smiling with a mouth full of a cock.
She came up for air, saliva dripping down her chin that she didn’t bother to wipe, her expression lust-filled.
“Fuck my face if you want,” she invited, taking your shaft and smacking herself in the face with it, rubbing it on her cheeks and lustfully grinning.
“I’d hate to ruin your makeup,” you replied, the one and only time you had that concern. Somi’s expression was full of disappointment, her smile fading and forming a pout.
“That’s the point,” she said, matter-of-factly. “My makeup artist can fix it later. She gets paid too fucking much anyways.”
Well, that settled that. Somi went back to slobbering on your cock as you placed your hands on both sides of her head, running your fingers through strands of hair and started thrusting inside her pretty mouth.
Consequences be damned, you were going to fulfill Somi’s wishes and desires, thrusting your hips back and forth and sliding every inch of your shaft down her tight warm throat.
Satisfied grunts and moans escaped your lips as you used Somi’s mouth for your pleasure, gagging her with your length as you struck the back of her throat to the point of tears from your forceful use, only encouraging you to give harsher thrusts.
“If only everyone knew what I was doing to you,” you said as Somi kept her mouth wide open for you as you furiously fucked her gorgeous face, slapping your full balls against her chin as she held onto your thighs and slurped hungrily.
“I bet that director had no idea what a cock-hungry little slut he hired did he?” you said, using Somi’s mouth as your personal toy, the constant sounds of gags and erotic slurps filling the small room as your pleasure sky-rocketed.
“Or your stylist unnie, she has no idea her cute innocent model loves choking on cock does she?”
Somi hummed around your cock in satisfaction, the vibration spiking your pleasure as you forced your cock down her throat, streaks of mascara starting to run and drip down her face.
Her makeup artist would certainly have her work cut out for her.
That wasn’t enough for you as you thrusted harder down her throat, slamming every inch nonstop without mercy, drool spilling out of her mouth and dripping onto her beautiful exposed tits as she choked and gagged on your needy cock.
“Take it all, baby,” you growled, holding the back of her head firmly against your crotch, not
caring if she could breathe or not. You desperately wanted to fill her messy warm mouth with cum, coating the back of her throat with it, but that dress looked so fucking sexy on her and you had other plans.
Instead, you savored the intoxicating warmth of her mouth for a few more thrusts, slowly withdrawing your drool-covered shaft as several lines of messy wet spit ejected from her lips, connecting to your swollen tip.
Somi gasped for air, rubbing her drool-covered face all over your wet shaft as she got the treatment she deserved, gargling the leftover saliva and spitting it onto your already drenched shaft.
You smirked at what you saw, once perfectly brushed hair was disheveled and out of place. Her eyes were still filled with tears, whatever leftover mascara she had staining her cheeks, drool glistening on her chin and her chest, an absolutely beautiful mess.
If only her staff could see her like this.
“Was I a good little slut, daddy?”
You nodded proudly and grabbed her dainty wrists and gently helped her to her feet, sharing intense eye contact as you kept the anticipation in the air high.
“I want to fucking ruin you,” you said, squeezing her breasts again, the drool coated on them making them glistening in the lights.
“Do it, please. Fuck me like the whore I am, daddy,” Somi begged, flashing the deepest set of fuck me eyes you had ever seen. You had gotten this far without getting caught, there was no reason to stop.
The dressing room was small with just two countertops, mirrors resting on top of each one waist high, used beauty products still scattered on both surfaces.
There weren’t that many options, no chairs in sight and the floor looked dirty and unkempt as it most likely hadn’t been touched in months if not longer. The counters provided ample space, but not enough for what you needed.
Somi looked at her designer watch she still had kept left on, and you saw you had ten minutes left before they would be looking for her. Plenty of time.
“How do you want it, baby?” you asked as you hiked her green dress up, surprised to see she had on a dark pair of blue panties for once.
“I don’t care, daddy, as long as you’re rough with me,” she said, biting her lip. You couldn’t help but smirk, roaming her tight body with her hands as you gripped her wide hips, harshly spinning her around as she gasped in delight.
“P-please, daddy. I need you. I need to be fucked so bad,” she pleaded, her eyes wide and bright. You kissed her bare shoulders, planting your lips behind her neck and whispered into her ear.
“I want you to watch me ravaging your pretty little cunt, baby.”
Somi dripped between her thighs and her muscles tensed up as you slid her skimpy thong to the side, exposing her gorgeous pussy to you, pink flesh dripping with arousal.
“O-of course, daddy,” Somi said, bending over the makeup countertop, sticking her plump round ass out and placing her palms flat on the surface, ready and willing to be taken right there.
Had there not been time restraints placed, you would have loved to make her beg and tease her pussy until she was as needy as could be, but unfortunately that wasn’t an option right now.
You spread her long legs, grabbing your throbbing shaft and rubbing her aching sensitive clit, pressing it against Somi’s hot wet flesh as she looked back, eyes full of desire.
“Fuck me, daddy. Fuck me like a whore.”
You didn’t hesitate for a second and pushed yourself in deep, her warmth suffocating you as you sank inside every inch of hot flesh, her cunt clenching hard as she moaned loudly. You didn’t waste time, thrusting immediately without any build-up, harshly gripping her hips as you began fucking her tight body from behind.
“Oh my god, daddy,” Somi moaned, her erotic expression visible in the mirror. Your rhythm was frantic from the very start, pistoning your hips and smacking them against her beautiful ass, causing her cheeks to ripple with every stroke.
“Such a tight little whore aren’t you? You like your pretty pussy stretched like this, baby?”
“Y-yes, daddy! You’re so fucking big, pound me daddy, pound me with your big fucking cock.”
“I’d fucking love to,” you replied, grabbing a rough handful of hair and wrapping your fingers around it, forming a ponytail and yanking back hard on it, tugging her head back. Her pussy clenched as she looked directly into the mirror, her eyes barely able to keep open as her mouth let out nothing but needy moans.
“Watch yourself, baby. Watch what I’m going to do to my pretty little cumslut.”
“Y-yes, daddy. R-ruin my pussy, please. Fuck my tight little hole until you blow your load in it!”
Somi’s filthy mouth only served to bring out your carnal desires, increasing your pace rapidly as you slammed her body against the counter, causing her back to arch perfectly as she screamed in delight. You really hoped the dressing room was far enough away from the rest of the staff to not be heard, but at this point you didn’t give a shit if they were listening right outside the door.
“F-fuck me harder daddy, p-please fuck me like the naughty whore I am!”
Your strong grip tightened on her hips, firmly pressing both thumbs into her toned back hard enough that you’re pretty sure was going to leave a bruising mark, one of the myriad of things Somi was going to have to figure out how to explain.
“Treat me like your pretty little fucktoy and break me!”
You watched intently in the mirror in front of you as Somi’s expressive features grew more contorted by the second, her lips only able to form breathless whiny moans and several strings of profanity.
Her pussy tightened to the point of almost causing pain, your shaft being lubricated thoroughly by her abundant slick that dripped down her thighs as you gave it your all, watching her breasts bouncing in the mirror in a way that hypnotized you into a trance.
“Choke me, daddy. Please, fucking choke your whore,” Somi said, as you seemed to be taken aback by every new sentence that left her lips.
You didn’t know what had gotten into her, but you didn’t have time to care as you dropped the bundle of hair you had, bringing the same hand to the front of her body, fondling one of her breasts before finding her warm, soft neck and wrapping your fingers around her throat and giving a gentle squeeze.
“More,” she demanded, and placed her small hand on the back of your own, increasing the pressure as she felt more airflow being restricted, thriving off the feeling she felt.
Somi’s dripping hot pussy pulsated wildly as you pumped into her, keeping a hand on her delicate throat as you looked at the sight in the mirror, something you’d never forget. Her chosen dress barely still on, mascara stains still visible underneath her eyes, her breasts bouncing deliciously with every rock of your hips as you choked her.
Somi kept her eyes focused straight ahead and loved every second of it.
It was hard to remember where you were, that this was still a designated break for Somi and that she would still have to return to work in a few short moments. Yet, you continued to pound into her tight cunt, giving such powerful hard thrusts she was liable to forget her own name.
“God, you’re so fucking deep inside my tight little pussy. Don’t stop fucking me, daddy, use me until you’re done with me!” Somi said, her words becoming an unrecognizable slur that all ran together.
Her warm wet walls grew wetter the harder you drilled her as the room became an orchestra of pleasure - the wet squelch of her pussy, harsh sounds of flesh smacking against flesh, and the constant rising volume of her loud needy moans and gasps, every second that went by without a knock on the door caused a sense of relief.
That satisfying smack of flesh grew louder and louder as you released your grip on her throat. earning a whimpering moan. Your hands weren’t kept idle as you grabbed Somi’s arms and pulled them back, gripping her wrists as her back arched even more, hammering into her pussy with as much energy as you could exert.
“Oh f-fuck, daddy! D-don’t stop, don’t stop fucking your slutty little whore!” Somi said, her clouded eyes barely able to watch herself in the mirror as you saw her vacant stare. You used her slender arms as handles to fuck her senseless, feeling her gripping pussy squeezing the life out of your cock as it pulsated wildly as the stale air in the small tight room grew hotter.
“I’m going t-to cum, daddy! Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, daddy-”
Somi didn’t even have time to finish her sentence, her body already trembling, her held back arms shaking as her pussy tightened even more. Her hips bucked, toes curling into her expensive heels as she shrieked, juices flooding out of her cunt as she came the hardest she had in some time.
You didn’t let up, not that she would have wanted you to as you fucked her through her intense orgasm, pounding away and maintaining the same breakneck pace, harsh stroke after harsh stroke into her heat.
Somi's constantly clenching pussy sent tingles up your spine, and you weren't that far off from your own release if the aching tightness in your balls was anything to go by.
"I'm gonna fucking fill your needy cunt with cum, baby," you hissed, not asking for permission, hooking her arms and bringing her body upright until her back was pressing against your chest, making sure she wasn't going anywhere.
"P-please cum inside me, daddy. Cum inside your filthy little whore! Please, daddy, dump your huge thick load inside my slutty wet pussy, please!"
You loved using Somi like this, her pussy begging for cum as you railed her without mercy, the use of her arms taken from her and nothing to hold on to and at your mercy, taking every thrust into her body and pleading for more. You watched her lustful expression in the mirror as her breasts never stopped bouncing, chasing that sweet release you both desperately wanted.
It wouldn't be much longer now, your hips smacking harshly against her ass as her cunt was fucked so hard she would definitely have trouble not only walking out of her but for the next few days. Savoring every thrust into Somi’s tight warm body, you never let up, keeping the pace as fast your limbs allowed you to move until you finally were pushed over the edge.
“I’m fucking cumming!”
It took less than a handful of thrusts as you buried yourself in Somi’s wet warmth, groaning loudly as you spilled your seed deep into her cunt, throbbing with each shot of hot cum that you emptied into her inviting body, filling her to the absolute brim.
You used the last remaining energy in your body, hips tiredly working until you had no more to deposit in her. Thoroughly drained you never stopped thrusting, trying to fuck your hot deep as it possibly could go, spilling every drop into her womb.
Your moments slowed down little by little until they halted completely as you released her arms as she collapsed against the counter, both of you spent, filled with fatigue and gasping for air, an equally exhausted mess of bodies.
You rested inside her for one final moment, wanting to savor her smothering warmth for as long as possible as you gave her ass a quick smack and slowly pulled out, a flowing stream of thick semen dripping out of her roughly used pussy, staining her beautiful thighs.
“H-holy shit, d-daddy, you fucked me so well,” she said, her words trembling as you slid her thong back in place and pulled her dress down as she turned around to face you.”
“You asked me to.”
“I’m going to be so sore,” Somi smiled as she leaned in and kissed your lips, her bare breasts pressing against your chest.
Your breathing resumed gradually as you wiped the sweat off your brow. You wanted to say something but were rudely interrupted by a voice from the intercom.
“Jeon Somi to the set please!”
The two of you frowned as Somi took one more step, lips locking on to yours deeply, gasping for air as they withdrew.
“You really made me a mess, daddy,” she said proudly, as she pulled her top back up, trying to fix her hair as best as she could.
“I better get cleaned up. Fuck me again after I finish up?”
“Of course, baby.”
She kissed you on the cheek as she made her exit, walking gingerly and taking slow, tired steps out of the room.
You felt a little guilty that her staff would have to put in so much extra work, but that was their problem not yours. The fact that your load would be dripping out of her for the rest of the photo shoot, just the thought putting a smirk on your face.
You pulled your pants back up, stopping by the nearest bathroom to try and fix your hair, freshening yourself up before heading back.
Somi had a lot of explaining to do.
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thefanficmonster · 4 years ago
Text
An Impostor In Love
Sequel to ‘Love For The Faceless’ (’Body Reveal’)
Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)
Warnings: Swearing (maybe)
Genre: Fluff
Summary: Rae can’t stay mad at her best friends forever. Them being absolutely adorable doesn’t help her ‘pissed off’ act either. Y/N’s outing Corpse like she’s a human lie detector. Corpse is gushing about her every second word that comes out of his mouth. And the rest of the lobby are getting one hell of a kick out of the Among Us romantic comedy - An Impostor In Love
Requested but, once again, not in a typical way. I honestly wasn’t expecting all the positive feedback I got for Love For The Faceless (Body Reveal). I was star-struck! You guys are so amazing I have no words to describe just how much I love you all! Thank you for everything! This story is for all of you 🥰🥰🥰
“Mr. and Mrs. ‘Totally not dating’ have entered the call!“ Sean announces when I hop into the Discord call to play Among Us with the usual gang. I hear Corpse’s laugh from down the hall, bringing a smile to my face.
We’ve gotten used to playing in this arrangement, a few rooms away from each other, ever since we moved in together - Corpse is in his recording room and I am in our shared bedroom. When one dies, they go in the other’s room to troll them. I’m usually the one dead, but that’s besides the point.
“Hi everyone!“ I say in my typical cheery tone before kicking it done a few notches, making it an octave deeper just to say: “Hi Rae.”
The whole lobby laughs, they all know what I’m trying to do here. Everyone’s aware this is the first time Rae is in the same call and lobby as Corpse and I after you-know-which incident. Sure, I’ve been poking sticks at her, waving a white flag and admitting I was wrong several times by now. Who knew my sweetheart best friend could act so cold? I know it’s a front. I know she’s fighting to stay mad. There’s a ton of pressure on her to finally forgive us, but she’s been holding up better than I would be if I were in her situation.
I honestly felt, and still feel, slightly guilty. I know best friends are supposed to tell each other everything. They are supposed to be the first ones to know whatever’s going on in each other’s lives. And I know I broke one of the main rules of friendships, but the decision wasn’t only mine to make. I’m sure she understands where I’m coming from, she’s just giving me and Corpse a hard time.
“Hello, Y/N.” She replies, her tone strictly formal.
“Progress, people! Progress!“ I say joyously, the smile turning into a grin 
“Don’t worry, babe. We’ll get her eventually.“ Corpse reassures me as he’s done for the past week or two. He knew I wasn’t as unbothered by Rae’s anger towards me as I tried to appear - a pro and simultaneously a con of living with someone: they pick up on everything about you. You become as familiar to them as the back of their hand.
“I know, I know.“ I giggle, “She’ll cave.“
“Yeah, good luck with that.“ Rae has dropped the formal tone, now sounding like a stubborn child which is something I’m way more familiar with. I’ve dealt with her tantrums and childish outbursts - I don’t know which number it is, but it’s somewhere in the rule book of friendships - and I at least the approximate meaning behind it. 
Ken puts an end to our friendly, stick-poking, sorta one-sided banter, ushering us to start the game. We all oblige, muting our mics and getting our heads in the game as though we’re about to enter an actual warzone with upmost stealth.
To my dismay, the screen flashes ‘Crewmate’. I head out of cafeteria to do my task in Weapons, staying weary of anyone within my proximity. Once I’m done, I head on down to Shields and complete my task there as well. I cringe when I’m done, knowing my last three tasks are in Electrical. Like, the fuck kind of luck do I have?
I make my way through the halls, running into Sykkuno and we circle around each other a few times to show we’re safe before we each continue our own way. I enter Electrical and.....oh Felix is dead. And oh lookie who’s right there...
I report the body before the impostor can and we all unmute our mics.
“Found him in Electrical.“ I say nonchalantly, “Didn’t see anyone in there though.“ 
“Anyone sus?“ Sean asks
We say our ‘no’s and ‘I don’t know’s and skip the vote. I’m smirking to myself as I head back down to Electrical. Walking in, I see the same person as before - Rae. I stop dead in my tracks and we just stare at each other for a few seconds before she comes towards me, circling me twice, bumping visors with me and venting out of the room.
“You’re welcome.“ I mumble, smiling widely.
I finish my tasks and leave Electrical just as Corpse enters our bedroom, giving me this tired-parent look like he’s half disappointed and half amused. “You just threw the game, didn’t you? Don’t lie.” He raises his eyebrows, fully adopting his parent role.
I giggle, shaking my head, sending him the briefest of glances before my eyes fixate on the screen in utter shock - Sean just killed me. Oh, for fuck’s sake...
“I was gonna come clean eventually, but I guess they won’t hear it from me now.“ I shrug, lifting my laptop and setting it aside so Corpse can join me on the bed. I snuggle up to him immediately, drawn to him as though he’s a human magnet.
“Who was it?“ He asks me, running his hands through my hair in a soothing manner.
I frown, pulling away from his chest to look him in the eyes, “Wait, how did you know I threw the game if you don’t know who I threw it for?”
He smirks, shrugging, “I didn’t know. You were smiling downright evilly when I came in so I just assumed.” He boops my nose. “And you ratted yourself out.”
I narrow my eyes at him, blowing some air out my nose - a gesture that has become my only way of showing anger towards him. I literally can’t even voice when I’m upset with him cause the grudge lasts like .5 seconds. I let him get away with more than he should.
Seeing as how I can’t argue to his statement, I lean back into his chest and pull out my phone to pass the time while I pretend to give him the silent treatment. Among my notifications is one for Rae’s stream. I smile and tap it, being taken to her YouTube channel and her live stream.
Just when the stream loads, Rae finds my dead body in Storage.
“Oh, nooooooo! Y/N!“ She wines as she goes over to it, “Sean must’ve killed her.” She reports the body and unmutes herself in game, “The body’s in Storage. I was on my way to call an emergency meeting cause I saw Sean vent in Security.”
“WHAT?!“ Sean exclaims in shock, “I didn’t! Rae’s lying. I swear I didn’t! I wasn’t even in Security!“
“Sean has been following me around this whole time. Just saying.“ Ken joins the discussion, throwing even more suspicion on Sean.
“We gotta vote someone.“ Charlie says, “Might as well be the most sus person at the moment.“
The voting results show all the little astronaut icons on Sean except his which is on Rae. Sean gets launched into space and the game continues. Having muted her mic in-game, Rae speaks up: “Y/N has been avenged. No one kills my best friend.”
I’m staring at my phone screen, eyes wide, eyebrows raised, a huge smile on my face. I take a glance at Corpse out of the corner of my eye and see he’s just as pleasantly surprised as I am.
“For those of you asking if I’m still mad at her and Corpse, the answer’s no. Actually, I think I was never mad. I was just in shock and a little hurt that I wasn’t made aware sooner.“ Rae says as she keeps wandering around the map, “Then I realized not talking to my best friend hurt more than the betrayal, you know. The only reason I still pretend is because it’s really funny to see her trying to soften me up.“ She laughs, “But yeah. I don’t know what I’d do without her or Corpse in my life. I love them both and love them even more together. My best friends are dating, I still can’t wrap my brain around that! They are sooo cute, you guys! I wish they posted more content of them together. I’m literally simping over their relationship! But shh, don’t tell em I said that.”
I laugh, overjoyed by what I just heard. I knew she couldn’t still be mad at us. I know she has every right to be, but she’s too sweet to actually hold a grudge against anyone ever.
I suddenly want nothing more than to give her an enormous hug and hold onto her for as long as she’d let me. I just now realize how lonely it feels to have never hugged your best friend because you haven’t hung out together in person. The only reason Rae now knows what I look like is because I sent her a full body picture of myself as one of my sad attempts to get her to start talking to us again. We have never met in person, and that thought kills me. It makes me impatient for this pandemic to end even more than before. 
“Told you there was nothing to worry about.“ Corpse’s arms tighten their hold on my body, pulling me even closer which I didn’t know was possible. The most fulfilling and endearing feeling - being in the arms of a loved one. Being held so close and so tightly that you feel like you’re untouchable. Like you two can’t be hurt by anything in the world as long as you have each other.
“Yeah, you were right.“ I sigh in content, putting my phone down and covering his hands with mine, our rings clinking quietly when they touch.
“As usual...“ he whispers theatrically with his lips against my hair.
I playfully roll my eyes, catching glimpse of the screen showing Rae’s demise. 
“Oh no, they caught her.“ I say, a bit disappointed she didn’t win and more than a bit responsible for her defeat.
I somehow manage to convince myself to get untangled from Corpse’s embrace and join the new round. I hear him groan as I settle my computer in my lap, unmuting my mic.
“See ya, kitten.“ Corpse kisses my temple, standing up.
“Oh my God, you two are too cute.“ Poki says sweetly, having heard what Corpse said to me.
“SIMP!“ Sean and Felix shout in unison causing the whole lobby to laugh. Corpse is as red as Rae’s avatar as he exists our room, running down the hallway.
“Ok, ok, ok. Hold on. I have to address this. I really hadn’t stepped foot in Security, let alone vented in there. Rae why were you lying?“ Sean’s voice cuts through the teasing directed towards Corpse and I.
“While we’re on that topic...“ Felix speaks up as well, making me break out in a nervous sweat, “Y/N, you literally saw Rae kill me, but you said you didn’t see anyone.“ He laughs, “Not gonna lie, I was a bit pissed.“
The call falls silent for about five seconds until Rae and I speak simultaneously.
“I was avenging Y/N.“
“I was helping Rae.“
Silence follows our statements, not for long though, as our friends break out in amused laughter.
“Fuck’s sake, you two make a good team.“ Sean says through genuine laughter which Rae and I soon join him in.
Felix and Sean and the rest of the lobby forgive us for throwing the game from both the crewmate and impostor’s side and we move onto another round. This time I have only one task in Electrical which I leave for last as always. I don’t feel like dying right from the get-go. I start by doing the card swipe in Admin and then the fuel task in Storage. As I make my way to Upper Engine, Corpse leaves Electrical, falling in step with me. I immediately get nervous, but still make my way to where I’m supposed to go, hoping he’d go his own way eventually. 
I stay wary of my boyfriend as I do my task, praying he won’t take my head off. When the task is finished, I find I’m trapped in the room with the doors shut. And Corpse right there. With every right and opportunity to kill me and vent. No one would know. No one saw us. 
That nervous sweat is back. 
I’m counting my last seconds of being alive.
And it happens...
A body is reported
“Oh than you so so so much! Corpse was gonna kill me in Upper Engine!“ I don’t let the person who reported the body speak, thanking them for my survival. “I was sure I was a goner.“
“Babe, come on now. You know I wouldn’t kill you even if I was an impostor. I love you too much.“ Corpse hurries to defend himself, “I’m following you around to keep you safe.“
I can tell he’s capping, but I have no concrete proof. He knows I’m onto him. His best bet is having me killed by the other impostor. He might have been capping the majority of his defense, but I know he won’t kill me.
“I’ll vote for myself because of that one.“ I mumble
The vote is skipped except the one vote I placed on myself and the round continues. I follow Corpse around the whole time, making sure he’s completing tasks - not that I can be 100% certain he’s actually completing them.
All is well until we walk into Admin and find Felix there, uploading data. Corpse, dead-ass, goes up to him and kills him, reporting the body right afterwards.
“IT’S CORPSE!“ I don’t give him a chance to start his brainwashing of the rest of the players. “Felix, this is my redemption for leaving your death unavenged last round.“
“Yeah, it’s me.“ Corpse laughs, that adorable laugh of his melting me despite the need to stay strong and carry out my argument, “Just vote me out so I can go troll Y/N.“
“Sounds like a plan to me.“ Ken says, the remainder of the crewmates, and the impostor probably, agreeing with him.
The votes are put in, all on Corpse obviously, and he is sent off into space. Not even five seconds later I hear his footsteps approaching. 
I look up when he pops his head in the room and says, “I have come to annoy you to death with my love for you.”
I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head. The things this man does to me are insane. It’s insane that I let him. 
It’s amazing, really. We’re amazing.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I pat the spot on the bed next to me, “I’ll allow it. But only cause I love you too.”
@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis
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bumbleklee · 4 years ago
Note
Could you make a fic based on the song Moondust By Jaymes Young? With Xiao or Zhongli? It’s fine if you decline, I enjoyed your Lonestar fic a lot! Also, thank you in advance if you do this! ^^
after this, i decided im a monster. this is so sad, like so so sad. i don't know if this is what you had in mind but since the song is basically about learning how to live/love without someone, i went down a death route. i also went w xiao. pls enjoy (and grab a tissue)
before reading: ANGST!!! you literally die and are a ghost the entire time. mentions of injury and blood as well as self-harm and suicidal thoughts. word count is around 2.1k (under cut for length)
I'm building this house, on the moon Like a lost, astronaut Lookin' at you, like a star From a place, the world forgot And there's nothing, that I can do Except bury my love for you
Death was quick.
You know instantly that you’re dead the second you open your eyes. You can still remember the feeling of the Fatui pyro agent slicing his knife across your throat and if you think about it enough, your neck tingles. You remember falling to your knees, being laughed at, and then you saw nothing.
Well, you saw blackness.
And then when you came to, you were standing in the middle of Liyue Harbor. The world seemed duller but it was real. No one paid any mind to you, so you assumed you were a ghost.
It’s nice to still be able to watch the sun rise high above your hometown.
There’s no panic, no rush to find out what’s going on, you don’t need to. Your hands travel to your throat and the horrific wound is gone. In fact, all of the scrapes and bruises and imperfections on your body were gone. Death brings solace, you humor.
Your peaceful moment was interrupted by two frantic voices. They catch the attention of everyone in the area, including you, and you spin around quickly.
Xiao.
“Break the contract, please, Zhongli-” His voice is frazzled, filled with a sadness the living can’t understand. “I can’t live without them.”
You looked down at your left hand, heart shattering at the absence of the jade ring. Right. You were going to marry Xiao later that year. Not anymore.
A hundred thousand memories of sweet kisses and long nights flooded into your mind. They caused you to hold your breath, too many emotions crashing through your tired form. You felt like crying but couldn’t (ghosts didn’t have tears, you guessed).
You’re standing right in front of the love of your life and he can’t see you.
Maybe it’s a good thing he can’t see you because Xiao already looked wrecked. His eyes were puffy and red and his hair was disheveled. Unhealed scratches wound his arms like ribbon. You had been with Xiao for years, through the good and the bad, and never once had you ever seen him in this state.
He’s pleading still and Zhongli has an indescribable expression on his face. “I can’t,” His voice is barely a whisper, “You know I can’t.”
Xiao wails, falling to his knees. Zhongli feels his pain, you know he does, yet he won’t put him out of misery. You watch as Zhongli bends down and lifts the adeptus into his arms, swiftly walking away from the crowd. You follow ensuite and Xiao’s eyes are hazy, staring through you over Zhongli’s shoulder.
“I’m right here.”
But he doesn’t hear you.
The brightness of the sun, will give me just enough To bury my love, in the Moondust I long to hear your voice, but still I make the choice To bury my love, in the moondust
You begin to follow Xiao around. Not that he goes anywhere, too heartbroken to move, but you keep watch of him like he once did for you.
He resorts to staying in Zhongli’s apartment. The consultant isn’t around most of the day and Xiao rarely leaves his bed. His tears stain the satin pillowcase and he curls upon himself. Sometimes you stand in the doorway and stare, other times you muster up enough courage to go and sit on the unoccupied side of the bed.
The first time you touch Xiao again is at night. He’s crying and without thinking, you wrap your body around his. His chest is pressed against yours and you press your lips to his shoulder.
It’s not warm anymore. In fact, it feels like nothing.
But still, you hold Xiao until he’s asleep. You don’t let go all night, opting to watch your beloved finally get some rest. You wonder if this is how it’s going to be for the rest of eternity? Would you follow Xiao around aimlessly for centuries more?
Or maybe you’re just stuck here. You recall a saying from an elder in Liyue years ago, “Spirits with unfinished business can’t move.”
You decided then that you were going to help him move on, help Xiao bury his love for you.
Nothing can breath, in the space Colder than, the darkest sea I have dreams about the days, driving through your sunset breeze But the first thing, that I will do Is bury my love for you
There’s no book about being a ghost. You have to figure it out on your own and you’ve never been more grateful no one can see you go straight through the wall for the third time that hour. Over time, you create your own handbook in your mind, jotting down anything you discover as your time as a dead person entails.
Within the first week, you understand that no one can see you, hear you, or feel you. And while you can vaguely touch objects and people, the sensation is different than when you were alive. Every human trait was thrown out the window - you don’t need to sleep, breathe or eat and drink anything.
You attend your funeral exactly a week after your body was discovered and someone propped your sword against your casket. You try to grasp it, to pick it up, but you only manage to push it over with a gust of nonexistent wind. It clambers to the floor, the funeral parlor growing silent, and you take this as your cue to leave.
You wondered if Xiao, or anyone of that matter, could sense you at least. Even if Xiao couldn’t see you, just him knowing you were there would ascend you to the afterlife (right?).
You also find out you can’t leave Liyue. There’s an invisible border keeping you trapped in the country and, frankly, you don’t mind. Xiao won’t leave Liyue so you don’t need to leave Liyue. But sometimes you get anxious that one day Xiao will leave Liyue and never return. And if you haven’t accomplished your goal yet, would you truly be stuck as a monster among men?
The brightness of the sun, will give me just enough To bury my love, in the Moondust I long to hear your voice, but still I make the choice To bury my love, in the moondust
On particularly good days, Xiao talks to you. Zhongli was gone early one morning and Xiao pulled himself out of bed and to the living room, opting to open the blinds and see sunlight for the first time in weeks.
You sit on the coffee table with your legs criss-crossed as Xiao mumbles desolate words.
“I keep just wishing I would wake up dead. I miss you so much.”
You frown. “I’m here, I’m right here.”
But he can’t hear you. “You aren’t here to make me laugh at your stupid jokes anymore. And I just...I should have been there! I should have-”
His voice cracks and you move off the coffee table, wrapping your arms around his quivering body. You try to press yourself against him, squeeze your arms so tight that he’ll feel you, but you can’t. You can’t kiss his chapped lips and move your bodies so he’s curled into the crook of your neck.
Sometimes, you watch Xiao hurt himself. He digs his nails into his arms or thighs until he draws blood, only to push it all away and scream into the ground. You want to snap him out of him, tell him to stop doing that to himself, but you can only sit and stare.
You were nothing to Liyue - a common human who added nothing of importance to society. Yes, your death was sad for many people but the world kept turning. Xiao, on the other hand, was so special. He was the Vigilant Yaksha - the people of Liyue needed him forever.
“I miss you. I love you. I miss you.”
I'm a cast away, and men reap what they sow And I say what I know, to be true Yeah I'm living far away, on the face of the moon I've buried my love to give the world to you
Xiao goes out sometimes. It’s either to patrol the city or on a walk with Zhongli. It’s not much but it's an improvement. Like always, you follow him.
He’s started to have nightmares, waking up in a rush. He used to comfort you when you had nightmares and it pains you that you can’t return the favor. You try, by God, you try. You run your hands down his back comfortingly but Xiao only cries harder.
When Xiao sees Ganyu for the first time in months and she gives him homemade almond tofu, he smiles. It’s small and quick but you see it.
Growing up, you had thought that the living mourned the dead. When your grandmother died, you felt broken for a while, but that pain was minimal compared to this. Having to live endless days as an invisible soul while the living grieved was unbearable.
When no one is around, Xiao breaks down. He hurts himself, insults himself and wishes for you endlessly. When Xiao tries to jump off the roof of the apartment complex in the middle of the night and survives with only an injured arm, you realize he’s pushing his body. He’s trying to kill himself.
So, you scream.
Every waking hour of the day you scream.
“I’m right here, Xiao! I love you and I’m right here! I’m sorry for being careless and getting killed but you aren’t ready to join me yet!”
You know he doesn’t hear you, he can’t hear you, and yet Xiao slowly stops hurting himself.
The brightness of the sun, will give me just enough To bury my love, in the Moondust I long to hear your voice, but still I make the choice To bury my love, in the moondust
It takes a year for Xiao to finally begin to cope with your death and you know your journey will be coming to end soon.
He still talks to you except now it’s hopeful and filled with acceptance. On the anniversary of your death, he travels to the Dragon-Queller early in the morning. He sits down in the spot he used to take you to and rubs the grass softly, as if motioning for you to sit down next to him.
You do.
“I’m leaving Liyue next week.”
A million feelings run through your veins. You want to throw up, scream, cry. Is a week enough time to get Xiao to move on from you? Had he already moved on? There were too many questions you couldn’t fucking ask.
You can’t bear to listen to the rest. Your feet travel on their own, taking you far away from Xiao and back into the heart of Liyue Harbor. You didn’t know where you were until you heard a voice call out for you.
“Hey, you!”
You were imagining voices now. You felt sick to your stomach.
“Y/N!”
A short, young woman came into your view and you finally looked up. You had walked right into the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu Tao was staring at you, not through you.
“I knew you were still here.”
Hu Tao could see you.
It didn’t make sense but you didn’t have time to make it make sense. Without thinking, you cried out to Hu Tao and begged her to help you save Xiao, save yourself.
“I want to go with him,” You say.
“But you can’t.”
“Then he’s going to forget about me.”
Hu Tao chuckled softly, “You think Xiao would forget about you?”
You don’t answer. Maybe it was you that didn’t want to forget about Xiao. Either way, it hurts. “He’s going to fall in love with someone new and-”
“Isn’t that what you want?”
It was. You wanted Xiao to be happy without you, to learn to love again. You wanted him to bury his love for you so you could both be free.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Hu Tao says, “Xiao will find you again one day.”
She clasps her hands together and reaches them out to you. You look down and see a moving image of Xiao. He’s still talking softly, this time with a small smile on his lips. You close your eyes suddenly, not wanting to see anymore. You step outside of the funeral parlor and whisper “I love you” into the wind.
The sun is shining high in the sky when Teyvat begins to disappear from your vision.
Maybe in another life you and Xiao will spend forever together. You’ll have a grand wedding, start a family, and grow old together like you should have. But for now, you’ll see him from the moon.
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five-rivers · 4 years ago
Text
Face Your Dreams
Almost forgot to post this here as well!  @anthropwashere 
Phic Phight 2021
Prompt from Anthrop: Any flavor of the Reverse AUs that strike your fancy. Who gets the ghost powers? Who becomes the ghost hunter? Who gets ghost magick'd into the villain of the week?
 Danny’s phone was dead.  Which was just typical, really.  His parents were brilliant, wealthy inventors that played with the fabric of reality on a daily basis and had managed to turn, not one, but two of Danny’s best friends into half ghosts, but they couldn’t be bothered to get Danny a phone that was actually reliable.  Although they hadn’t intended to do the half ghost thing and didn’t know about it.  
Probably.  
Maybe.  
(Honestly, Danny didn’t know.  His parents were weird.  And Danny suspected they were keeping secrets.)
Back on topic.  Phone.  Not working. Which was a problem because Danny was something like ninety-percent sure a ghost had been following him for the last block or so and he couldn’t call for help.  
Correction, he could call for help all he wanted, he just wouldn’t get any that would be any good against a ghost.  If he got any at all.  It was the middle of the night.  
He should have taken up Sam’s offer of a flight home. Or Tucker’s.  But, no, he had to be sulky about how both of them were developing yet more really, incredibly cool powers and Danny was still just…
Himself.  
Faceless, boring Fenton.  Only notable for the number of bullies he attracted and the people he was related to.  No special skillset, no dreams he had any hope of achieving, no triumphs.  Nothing to contribute.  Not in and of himself.  Only useful to enemies that wanted a hostage.
He was about to be murdered by a ghost and he was still sulking.  God, he was pathetic.  
(Not all ghosts were evil – Sam and Tucker’s stories had taught him that much, on an intellectual basis.  Was it too much to hope that he could reach home without the ghost attacking?  Too much to hope that it was just watching?)
White noise tugged at Danny’s ears.  It reminded him of the sleep CD Jazz played when Mom and Dad were being loud.  
… and, also, oddly, of a video he’d once watched about what stars might sound like, based on how they vibrated.  
Danny shuddered, his heartbeat redoubling as he picked up speed, reaching a run.  If he could get home, he could turn on the ghost shield and call Sam and Tucker from his home phone.  They’d be annoyed that he was bothering about a ghost so long after a patrol, but he was freaked out enough to not really care about their teasing.  
(He’d been freaked out enough for the past two blocks.)
His breath began to catch in his lungs, his side burning. He splashed through a puddle, dark, oily liquid sticking to his right sneaker and pant leg.  It glittered in the light of the waning crescent moon.  
Wait –
It hadn’t rained for weeks.
He slipped and fell, skinning hands, knees, and chin on the sidewalk.  Something wet, sticky, and smooth as silk spread over the pavement beneath him.  It bubbled like a tar pit, and captive stars shone from within.  
Danny tried to push himself up, but the liquid held on to him, pulled him back down.  
He was sinking.  
He flailed for the sidewalk, reaching, trying to stay afloat.  It didn’t work.  His elbows were below the level of the sidewalk, and inky, glittery black dripped from his front.  It seemed to be eating through his clothes.  
Forget useful help.  He’d take any help.  He screamed.  
And he fell.  
.
“You have such lovely dreams,” said the masked man, his horns curling into galaxies.  “Impossible dreams.”
Danny couldn’t breathe.  He was in freefall.  A vacuum.  No ground in sight, only the cold, heartless stars, perfect in their beauty.  
(And his eyes.  Oh, god, was this really a ghost?)
It was his dream, to be an astronaut.  With this little twist, it became a nightmare, and yet—
Yet.  
“You feel faceless,” continued the masked man.  “But there’s freedom in that, is there not?”  
Danny shouldn’t be able to hear him.  There shouldn’t be any sound in space, and there wasn’t.  Not except for his voice.  
“Freedom,” said the man, “to follow your wildest dreams, unshackled from responsibility, from reality, from reasonability.  No longer dependent on those that call themselves your friends, who claim to be your family, who walk over your dreams for the sake of theirs.”
Suddenly, Danny hit the sidewalk, and he could breathe again.  Something thick dripped from his nose, his mouth, his eyes.  He pushed himself to his hands and knees.  His clothing was gone.  His limbs were painted with the night sky in all its glory.  He froze, staring.  
From Danny’s shadow, the masked man rose, towering over Danny until he felt like little more than a shadow.  “Don’t you want to have the chance to see your dreams come true, child?”
Danny blinked.  It was hard to force his eyes back open.  They seemed to want to stick closed.  
“Who are you?” Danny asked, words garbled by the dripping stars trying to force their way past his lips.  
“I am Nocturne,” the ghost said, leaning closer.
“You’re like,” Danny choked, “like Desiree.  I don’t want—”
Nocturne scoffed.  “Desiree.  A creature of wishes, of momentary things.  I do not care for what you wish for.  What matters is that you dream.”  
There was something in Nocturne’s hand, round and white and moonlike.  It looked small, held between two of his fingers, but it had to be the size of Danny’s face.  
“Don’t you dream of flying?” purred Nocturne.  “Of being among the stars?  Don’t you dream of a peaceful world, where your friends are safe, and the accident never happened?  Where you’re a friend, not a weapon supply, a sidekick, or a damsel in distress?”
Danny had been thinking something so close just minutes ago and he couldn’t—
“There, there, my child.  No need to cry.”  He brought the round thing closer.  
Danny could see, now, that it was a mask.  Just his size.  
“Close your eyes,” said Nocturne, gently, cupping Danny’s trembling shoulders with his other hand.  “Close your eyes and dream.  Let your face go, for a little while.”
(Danny did as he was told.)
.
“Hi, Sam,” said Mrs. Fenton, her voice crackling slightly through the phone speaker.  “Have you seen Danny today?”
“I haven’t seen him since last n—Since yesterday,” said Sam, correcting herself halfway though.  Mrs. Fenton didn’t know about their nightly escapades, and for good reason.  “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know yet,” said Maddie.  “He just…  I haven’t seen him either.  He usually says goodbye before he leaves.”
He didn’t, but Maddie didn’t need to know that.  
“Have you checked with Tucker yet?  Sometimes they hang out without me.  Guy things.”  This… was also not entirely true.  Danny and Tucker hadn’t had a ‘guy thing’ for ages.  They’d been smoothly replaced with ‘ghost things’ like most everything else in their lives.  
Sam… might have felt a little bad about that.  All of their normal friend activities being replaced by ghost things, that is.  Often ghost things that Danny couldn’t really participate in, because Danny couldn’t fly or shoot lasers from his hands.  
He did do a good job of setting up obstacle courses and covering for her and Tucker’s—
Wait, no, not the point.
“He hasn’t seen him, either.  Jazz doesn’t know where he is.  I don’t—”  She broke off, sighing.  “Call me if you see him.  Or tell him to call me.”
“I will,” said Sam, opening the window and preparing to take off.  
“Thank you,” said Maddie.  She hung up.  
Sam went ghost with a burst of green fire.  She floated up and out of the window, fading out of visibility as she dialed Tucker’s number.  
“Starboy’s missing,” she said.  
“Yeah, I’m already searching for him,” said Tucker, the microphone crackling with static but otherwise clear.  Tucker’s powers both did and didn’t mesh well with technology.
“Any luck?”
“No,” said Tucker.  “This is one of those times when I wish he did have friends other than us.  Then we could ask them about where he is.”
“Do you think he’s been taken by a ghost?” asked Sam.
“I mean, maybe?  There was that whole thing with Desiree…”
“And the second thing with Desiree,” added Sam.  
“And Skulker.”
“And the second thing with Skulker.”
“And Spectra.”
“And the second thing with Spectra.”
“Not to mention Vlad.”
“What a freak,” said Sam.
“Are you picking up a pattern here?”
“Yeah, maybe.  Who’s only kidnapped Danny once?”
“I’m not sure…  Maybe it’s a new guy?  We do get new guys now and again.”
Sam sighed.  “Never mind that,” she said.  “Where have you looked so far?”
“Not too many places.  Do you want to meet up, or…?”
“No, we’ll have more luck going separately.  I’ll check in with you in a bit.”
.
A whole day passed without any sign of Danny. They did, however, find a lot of ghosts with stitched-shut eyes, which they decided was probably related and also incredibly creepy.  
By that time, the police got involved.  Danny was officially a missing person.  
But they were distracted.  Didn’t have the manpower to search for just one missing person.
Why?
The sudden surge in coma patients.  
“I don’t get it,” said Tucker.  “Is that more of a, you know,” he lowered his voice, “doctor thing?  Like, if it’s a bunch of people, don’t you think it’s a disease or something?”
“The police think that someone poisoned ‘em,” said Sam.  
“How do you know that?”
“How do you think I know that?”
“Dude.  You have to stop eavesdropping on the police.  I’m, like, ninety percent sure that’s illegal.”
“Not for ghosts, it isn’t.”
“Okay, I’m one hundred percent sure it is.  You’ve read the anti-ecto acts, haven’t you? I’m not the only one who did that, right?”
“It was, like, fifty pages thick.  And stupid.  The only reason I’d read it would be if I wanted to break the laws more efficiently.”
“Seriously?”
.
An alien world spread out below Danny, a place to explore to his heart’s content, the sky twinkling above him.  He couldn’t see it, but he knew it was there, in the nameless, infinite way you knew things when you were dreaming.  
He was an astronaut.  An adventurer.  An explorer.
He was doing everything he had ever dreamed of.
The only thing missing were the people.  His friends.  His family.
But… He could bring them here.  He knew that, too, in the same way.  
He just had to reach out and touch them.  Feel them.  Take them.  
(A bit of black and starlight in their eyes, a touch of the gift given to him.)
(Nocturne whispered in his ears.  A song only for him.)
.
They found the ghost responsible for the comas.  And maybe they should have realized a ghost was causing them, but Danny was the one who usually put the pieces together, and he wasn’t there.  Which was the problem.  
(What Sam wouldn’t give for some kind of reliable ghost-detecting power.  Or even technology.)
(No, the Fenton Finder didn’t count.)
It was small, human proportions, human skin tone, where it wasn’t covered with some kind of ghostly paint that mimicked the night sky. Its hair was colored the same way, and a blank mask covered its face.  Seemed to be directing the green stitched-eye ghosts somehow, despite not saying a word. So.  All in all, typical ghost, if somewhat more annoying due to his lack of witty banter.
Then he shrugged off the thermos beam like it was nothing.  Almost like he was human.  
Then Tucker froze.  
The ghost was carried away from the fight by its minions, faster than Sam or Tucker could go.  
“Tucker!  What was that?”
“Birthmark,” gasped Tucker.  
“What?” asked Sam.  
“That was Danny’s birthmark.”
“Oh my god,” said Sam.  “Did he really get himself transformed into a ghost again?”
“This seems different than Desiree,” said Tucker. “I don’t…  Were we really fighting him?”
Sam rolled her eyes.  “Let’s go get the Ghost Catcher.”
.
The Ghost Catcher was not in evidence in the Fenton basement.  
“What now?” asked Tucker.  
“Beat it out of him?” suggested Sam.  
“That is a terrible plan.  No, I can’t even call it a plan.  It’s just bad.”
“Do you have anything better?”
(Tucker did not have anything better.)
.
(And Danny still couldn’t find his friends, to show them this dream come true.)
.
When about one in ten people in Amity Park was in a coma, things managed to get even worse.  The people who were asleep began to sleepwalk.  And sleep attack people.  
Sam and Tucker were used to fighting ghosts.  Not humans.  They didn’t want to hurt anyone.  
Especially Danny who was especially vicious. And also seemed to be targeting them.
.
Danny was so close.  So close he could almost touch them.  He could feel them, electricity and green things and dreams of power and justice.  He could feel them, feel them, feel them, and he was so, so close to inviting them into the dream and he needed it, needed them.  Wanted them.  
His dream, the dream, his dream, it just wouldn’t be complete without them at his side, wouldn’t be right.  
He reached for them, reached for Sam, brushed her sleeve and—
A meteor shower threw them apart.
.
Tucker dragged Sam away from Danny’s hand and the sleep-inducing liquid it was coated in.  
“We have to go,” he gasped, looking out at the veritable horde of ghosts and sleepwalking humans.  
“Yeah,” said Sam.  “Yeah, we have to – Have to regroup.”
They retreated to the Ghost Zone, and, predictably, were separated.  
.
The ghost’s name was Undergrowth, and he was interested in Sam.  Interested enough to offer to teach her.  
His power was the same as hers.  Nature.  Plants.
His rage against humans was… much greater. Overwhelming.  Too much, too far, to extreme.  She was glad he didn’t see her as human, didn’t seem to know that she wanted to protect humans.  
(That she wanted to save Danny.)
.
Tucker already knew Technus.  Had met him, fought him, beat him.  More than once, even.  
So, he had to ask why Technus was suddenly helping him.
The ghost fixed Tucker with a look that managed to be both incredulous and flat.  
“Ghost child,” warbled Technus, “I, Technus, Master of All Things Electronic and Beeping, know what being electrocuted feels like!  By the very power we both now wield!”
“Oh,” said Tucker.  “Yeah, that makes sense.  You were saying?”
.
Sam and Tucker stood in front of the portal, side by side.  
“Ready to be a wake-up call?” asked Tucker.  
“You’d better believe it,” said Sam.  
.
Danny was caught, trapped in Sam’s vines.  
“This isn’t working,” said Tucker, lightly shocking Danny once again.  The ectoblast didn’t help, either.  “Usually, this’d zap the ghost out of him, but…”
“Maybe we could try to overshadow him?” asked Sam, dubiously.  
“Ugh,” said Tucker.  “My least favorite power.”
“It could be the only way to find the ghost actually responsible.”
“Let’s do this.”
.
Danny was thrilled!  He’d finally found his friends.  True, he couldn’t move, but—
The stars shuddered.  Shifted.  Blinked.
Nocturne was angry.
.
Sam was knocked out of the sky at full speed, making a crater in the dark ground.  People were gathered nearby.  Amity Park people.  
This couldn’t just be the inside of Danny’s mind (overshadowing had never worked this way before, but, well, it wasn’t like they experimented with it a whole lot), it had to be some kind of shared dream.  A special power of the ghost, perhaps?
Sam fired up her powers, reaching for the nearby plants. They didn’t respond.  
Crud.  
This was a dream.  They just looked like plants.  
Then Tucker lit up the sky like a dying star, electrocuting everyone in range.  
.
Danny woke up, throwing Sam and Tucker out of his body, something metallic clanging against sidewalk pavement.  Out of his mind, out of his dream.  Out of that dream, the one Nocturne had made for him.
Oh, god.  He’d just spent the last week—Had it been a week, or longer? —out of his mind, in that dream, reality at one remove, if that.  He’d been blind and—
He reached up to his face, to that mask and he pulled.  It stuck. He pulled harder, and felt the goo sticking it on give, the mask coming away while dripping thick strands of ooze. He gasped.  And it felt like the first breath he’d taken in—
How long had it been?
He opened his eyes just in time to see Nocturne rise out of his shadow.  
.
Both Sam and Tucker had more of an advantage out here in the real world, without having to worry about hurting people.  Well, without having to worry about hurting people more than usual.  Wrecking buildings and missing with ectoblasts were still concerns.  
“Draw him towards the park?” called Tucker, once they got close enough to confer with each other.  
“You grab Danny?”
“I don’t—” started Tucker.  He dodged a swipe from the large, starry ghost.  “He might be safer, if—”
A column of blue light strobed into the sky, and Nocturne was pulled into the Fenton Thermos.  The Fenton Thermos held by Danny Fenton.  He coughed, black liquid dripping down his chin.  
“Hey,” said Danny.  “Thanks.”
“I’ve got to stop losing that thing,” groaned Tucker.
“I think the more important thing here is getting Danny some clothes,” said Sam, shielding her eyes.  
“Yes, please,” said Danny.  
“Glad to have you back, man,” said Danny, landing next to Danny and transforming.  “Honestly, without you, we kind of suck at the whole investigation angle.”
“What?” asked Danny, taking the sweater Tucker offered him.  
“We missed you,” clarified Sam.  “A lot.  We kind of… don’t do to well at anything about ghost fighting.  Or life.”
“Yeah, our social life sucked even more than usual.”
“Oh,” said Danny, wrapping the sweater around his waist. “That’s cool.”  He spit some of the black liquid out onto the sidewalk. “I need a shower.”
“Yep.  Hugs are going to be deferred until then.”
“I’m okay with that,” said Danny.  “I kind of… don’t want to be touched, for a while.”
“Ah,” said Tucker.  “Well.  I’m depressed again.”
“Just.  Until the shower,” said Danny.  
Sam reached out as if to pat Danny on the shoulder, then drew back.  “Do you want a flight back home?  Or to, uh, Tucker’s house?  To shower. And get some clothes.”
“How is that different from a hug?  You’ll still have to carry me.”
“It just is,” said Sam.  
“It really is,” said Tucker.  
There was a long pause.  
“I lied, I want a hug so bad,” said Danny.  
His friends practically flung themselves at him.
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storiesforallfandoms · 4 years ago
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we’re too stupid ~ the vlog squad
word count: 1885
request?: yes!
@iawaythrown​  “May I ask for a vlog squad x popular youtube reader
The reader has their own very popular youtube channel/podcast like a scientific/space podcast. (Like a Vsauce\GameTheory channel) The vlog squad and the reader fan base (somehow) always wants them to collab. One day David says "It won't happen because the reader probably doesn't like us." This ends up getting everyone on the podcast.”
description: when their favorite youtubers show interest in being on their podcast, they jump at the chance to invite them on
pairing: vlog squad x gender neutral!reader
warnings: swearing
masterlist (one, two)
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“You know what I’ve been listening to a lot lately?” Scotty asked David on the newest vlog David had uploaded. You were watching the vlog on your TV while you prepared to upload the newest episode of your podcast. You had a drink half raised to your lips when Scott responded to his own question, “The Spaced Out podcast.”
Your drink nearly slipped from your hand at the mention of your podcast. You were sure you had imagined it, so you went back and repeated the part just to be sure. The name of your podcast slipped from Scott’s lips again and you had to pause the video to scream with excitement.
When you placed the video again, David spoke next. “Oh wait, is that the one about space and shit? You played it for me before.”
“Yeah! Man, it’s so interesting. I could honestly listen to the host talk about space all day,” Scott said.
“He keeps bringing it up during the Scottcast, too,” Jeff commented. “I’m starting to think he’d rather co-host that podcast instead of our own.”
“Man, I’d love to be on that podcast!”
You could hardly contain your excitement. Your favorite YouTubers knew who you were?! They knew your podcast?! You had to be dreaming, you were sure of it.
“There’s no way they’d ever have us on the podcast,” David was saying. “We’re too stupid and immature, they’d probably hate us.”
“Speak for yourself!” Zane, dressed in some weird costume for a bit, called, causing the boys to laugh together.
This gave you an idea. You put your laptop aside and opened Instagram on your phone. You searched the name “David Dobrik” and went to his DMs.
~~~~~~
A week later, your podcasting room was filled with 11 extra people than there normally was. The room was only small with a handful of seats, so a lot of your guests were squeezed in together or basically sat on one another. No one seemed to mind, though. Every single person in the room was super excited to be there.
“What’s up all my space geeks? Welcome back to another episode of The Spaced Out podcast, the podcast where we discuss super nerdy space things,” you started with your usual intro. “Today’s episode is a little different, though, as today I am joined by not one, not two, not even three, but eleven special guests. You heard me right, eleven. Special guests, wanna say hi?”
All eleven of your guests rang out with a chorus of, “Hello!”s at the one time, making it all come out as just a shouting mess. You laughed and waved a hand to silence them.
“In case you had trouble understanding what they were saying,” you said, “my guests today are David, Scotty, Toddy, Zane, Erin, Carly, Natalie, Heath, Mariah, Corinna, and Jeff, better known as a large chunk of YouTube’s biggest vlogging group: The Vlog Squad!”
The Vlog Squad cheered at their introduction as you just clapped your hands.
“Can I just say,” Heath said once the noise started to die down, “that I am impressed with how fast you said our names and how easy it was. You didn’t even stutter once.”
“I’ll be honest, when David told me exactly who was coming I prepared myself for this,” you admitted. “I’ve never had so many guests on the show before. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever had any guests at all. I don’t really know anyone in my real life that’s as interested in space and science as I am.”
“To be fair, none of us are, either,” Jeff joked, causing the room to laugh.
“Yeah, you picked the wrong people to be on your podcast,” Corinna added.
“You don’t have to have any sort of interest to be on the podcast, really. As long as you don’t mind me talking about my nerdy space obsession every now and then anyone is welcome on the podcast.”
Your heart was beating so fast you were sure everyone else could hear it. You were shocked that you were managing to remain so calm in that moment. Your favorite YouTubers were sitting right there in front of you, being guests on your podcast, and somehow you were acting as though they were just friends that you had convinced to come on the podcast.
“Is there any cool space facts you can share with us to get the ball rolling?” David asked.
“Dude, I’ve made over 300 episodes of this podcast that is literally all about space, you gotta narrow down your parameters there,” you told him.
“What’s your favorite space fact then?”
You thought for a moment, going through all the little facts you had in your mind. There was so much you could share with them that you really didn’t know where to start.
“Okay,” you said finally, “I have one. I think David will like this cause we all know he’s made of money: there is a planet that is called 55 Cancri e. It is over twice the size of Earth and it is potentially made of diamonds.”
They all gasped and made comments of astonishment at the same time at this.
“Like, literally made of diamonds?” Corinna asked.
“It’s hard to know for sure. It’s roughly 41 lightyears away so it’s not exactly easy to reach, but they think it’s made of graphite and diamonds,” you explained. “My favorite fact, and one that’s a little scary, is that it’s actually completely silent in space. Like not a single sound, because atmospheres around planets are what contain the soundwaves to make noise.”
“I told you,” David said, turning to face Scott. “We’re too stupid to be on this podcast.”
You all laughed together. “You guys aren’t stupid! I was just fascinated with space as a child and my parents let me feed into that fascination. They always bought me books about space and brought me to visit certain space centers. I was that kid that always said she was gonna grow up and be an astronaut. Instead, I just talk about them on the internet.”
Everything was going so well. You were getting to know your guests and they kept urging you to tell them facts and stories about space. You knew a lot of what you were telling them you had talked about on the podcast before, so devoted listeners probably wouldn’t be too interested in a lot of what you had to say in that episode, but you didn’t mind too much. You just loved to see the looks of astonishment on everyone’s faces as you continued to tell them fact after fact.
When you came to a segment you did in the podcast in which you would read messages from fans, you decided to your guests choose which messages to read and respond to. David took the tablet you used for this first and read through the thousands of messages you received between uploading your most recent episode and recording the current one.
“Are you going to talk about the new 4K pictures of Mars?” he read.
“Oh my God, yes!” you responded. “That will be next episode. I haven’t looked at them all yet because I wanna have a live reaction to them, but I did see one picture and it looks absolutely stunning.”
“It blew my mind how it just looked like a desert here,” Carly commented. “Mars is a lot more like Earth than we think. Sucks that we’ll never be able to live there or anything.”
“I don’t think we’ll never be able to live there, but I don’t think it’ll happen in our lifetimes,” you commented. “But that’s a whole other thing, let’s move on from that.”
“What has been your favorite space related story of the past year?” Natalie read the message she had picked.
“I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but it’s definitely one that I was very interested in reading: a star just vanished in 2020,” you responded. “Apparently that’s something that can just happen, stars can just suddenly disappear and no one knows where they went. This star from the Kinman dwarf galaxy that shined almost brighter than the sun just vanished between 2011 and 2020, and they have no explanation for it. That story stuck with me the most cause I just find it funny that a star that bright just vanished and no one can figure out where it went.”
They continued reading you messages for a while before passing your tablet back to you.
“While I wish I could sit here with you guys and talk about space and your vlogs forever, unfortunately we are running out of time,” you said. “I want to thank the Vlog Squad again for joining me on this episode, and I hope I didn’t bore you guys to death with my stories and facts.”
“Not at all!” David spoke. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I really enjoyed myself. Listening to you talk was really interesting.”
The rest of the group agreed. You tried not to blush from all their kind words.
“I always wanna thank our sponsors again. As always I appreciate them supporting my show, and of course I want you guys, the listeners. Your constant support for the show means so much to me. If you wanna hear more fun facts about space that you’ll never use in live, follow me on my social media. If you’re not already following the podcast, follow the podcast! I upload episodes every Friday, and if you want to be involved in the show be sure to send me your space related messages and maybe I’ll read them out on the next episode. Have a good weekend, little space geek out!”
You ended the recording and the group almost cheered for you. You smiled and stood to thank them again for coming on the show. You were shocked when Corinna pulled you into a hug, which caused the rest of the group to hug you one by one.
“This was the most fun I think I’ve ever had,” Erin commented. “Would you be open to having more guests on the show? I’d love to come back and to just listen to you talk for a full hour.”
The rest of the squad agreed. You really didn’t think you could feel any more excited or on cloud nine, but they kept surprising you.
“I would definitely be open to having guests again,” you replied. “If you guys ever wanna be on the show again, just send me a DM. I’d love to have you!”
“We’d love to have you on the vlogs sometime, too, if you’d be open for that,” David told you.
There they go again, making you feel like you had passed cloud nine and now were on a completely different planet with excitement.
“Y-Yeah!” you managed. “Of course, I’d love that!”
After some more small talk, you showed the group out and thanked them again for coming. Once you were sure they were gone and unable to see you, you began jumping for joy and exclaiming with excitement. You couldn’t believe it! You had just hosted a podcast with your favorite people, and they asked you to join them for filming sometime?!
“This is the best day of my life!”
310 notes · View notes
thedamageofherdays · 3 years ago
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This week's [06-09-2021 - 12-09-2021] reading log is here! The start of college has kept me busy and has unfortunately left me with a lot less time to read, but I did manage to read some absolute gems. I am always so grateful for everyone who shares their talent in this fandom! 💕
Favourites are marked with a 🌻
🌻 Drawbacks (and perks) of dressing in the dark by unremarkable @otp-holic [Stucky, 964 words, Teen]
The aftermath of an unexpected "mission" in Williamsburg.
Alpine, the Tripod Kitty by Winterbeserker [Stucky, 555 words, General]
Steve and Bucky head down to the animal shelter and Bucky immediately adopts a kitten.
Surprise by Bittersweet_in_Boston [Stucky, 2,9k words, Mature]
And then a gasp goes up from the part of the crowd closest to the red carpet entrance. Steve turns and sees a tall figure in black. For a split second he wonders who it is, and then he realizes it’s Bucky…
…and Steve’s brain melts out of his skull.
🌻 Stellar Parallax by dreamsinthewitchouse @dreamsinthewitchouse [Stucky, 1,8k words, Teen]
Bucky never gathered up the nerve to kiss Steve for the first time - which is to say Steve beat him to it on July 4, 1934.
(On the other hand, if something never happens, does it just mean it takes forever? Is there, then, an infinite amount of time for it to still take place? Is there a universe where he kisses Steve first?
Bucky doesn’t even know if it matters, but he thinks about it often.)
🌻 While Unearthing by eyres [Stucky, 7,2k words, Teen] (with art from @potterspink)
In a different universe, an older Bucky Barnes intercepts a message that SHIELD (now headed by Alexander Pierce) has located the body of Steve Rogers under the ice in Greenland.
Bucky may be retired but he knows one thing: he can't let them stick Steve's body in a lab.
No matter what it takes, he'll bring Steve home.
🌻 The Unsent Project by papesdontsellthemselves @turtle-steverogers [Stucky, 2,7k words, General]
To: My astronaut
How’s space treating you? It’s treating me pretty badly, if I’m being honest. If only you could see what it’s done to Brooklyn. I think you’d be pretty mad at it if you knew…
Steve hesitates, reading back over what he’s typed. It’s stupid as hell, and he cringes, but he doesn’t backspace. His fingers find the keys again.
I miss you something awful. I don’t think that even encompasses how much I’m hurting without you. I feel so lost right now-- space is much bigger and scarier than you’d think. I know you’d love it. I wish you could see bits of it, but god, I just want to go home. I want you to come home.
-
Based on this ask I got on tumblr: i was thinking but do you know the unsent project? it is this website where you can write a message to your first love that you never sent to them. now imagine steve writing one (or multiple) to bucky after he came out of the ice after nat told him about it... yeah
Kidnap and Ransom by roe87 @jro616 [Stucky, 7,2k words, Mature]
Bucky is a brilliant young engineer with a global company.
His boss, Natasha, wants him to take a training course on kidnap and ransom, which happens to be run by her friend Steve.
Bucky refuses at first, because he doesn't need survival skills, thanks Natasha. But he swiftly changes his mind when he lays eyes on Steve, and signs himself up for a weekend of kidnap training.
practice my maintenance (as hard as you can) by notlucy [Stucky, 8,6k words, Explicit]
Bucky's nearly thirty and has never been spanked. For most people, this wouldn't be a pressing concern. Bucky is not most people.
health insurance by glim [Stucky, 3,5k words, Teen]
Bucky wants to surprise Steve with coffee; god, he wants to surprise Steve with every single good thing ever in the world, but coffee is probably a better place to start this morning.
Cuddle Secrets by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 1,5k words, Explicit]
Bucky's in love with his best friend and roommate. He has no idea an afternoon nap will give him everything he's ever wanted.
wrap me in celadon and gold by ohjustpeachy [Stucky, 4,6k words, General]
“It’s Friday,” Steve says. “It’s late and it’s freezing outside. Why don’t you just stay over?” His voice is tired and hopeful and impossible for Bucky to say no to. “We can get brunch in the morning.”
It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done this, not by a long shot, though it does break the rules Bucky has for himself. He hesitates for a minute, before thinking again about how comfortable he is just like this.
“I can do that,” he says, and his voice sounds low and fond even to his own ears.
Or, Bucky pines for his best friend all winter long and brings him plants to show him he loves him.
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lexosaurus · 4 years ago
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Pink Astronaut
This is my secret santa gift for Anectoplasm on discord! Happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy!
Characters: Danny/Paulina Genre: Fluff Word Count: 4549 Summary: To Paulina's dismay, she and Danny Fenton must work together on their English final project.
Read on [ao3] [ffn]
---
It was Lancer’s fault, really. 
He assigned the class a partner-project for their final presentation, but being the annoying teacher he was, he had decided it was imperative that the students  were assigned to pairs of his choosing. Aka, no working with friends.
Paulina tried her best. Truly, she did. She batted her eyelashes and put on her most polite tone when she said, “Pretty please with extra whipped cream and a cherry on top, can I work with Star instead of Loser Fenton?” 
But, to her utter dismay, Mr. Lancer was a brick wall. No amount of wit nor charm could change his rubric, and so Paulina relented in a very much not dramatic final sigh as she resigned herself to be Danny Fenton’s English partner for the coming weeks.
Fenton was...well, he was weird. His parents hunted ghosts, he always slept through class, he was clumsy, and Paulina knew that in middle school Fenton was just like all the other boys who saw her as nothing more than a pretty face.
And that annoyed her to her core. She was a human, damn it! She had her own wishes and dreams and goals in life. Although she wasn’t vocal about it, she wanted to be a journalist when she was older. The kind that made it to shows like 60 Minutes, reporting on amazing stories from all around the world. She wanted to travel, she wanted to meet people, and she wanted to be the best at it. 
She was still a long way off from that now though. First, she needed to survive through this stupid English project with that weird nerd who had gone through a not-so-secret crush on her before.
Though, when she looked his way now, Fenton didn’t look all too thrilled to be partnered with her either.
She would have called it odd, but that had been their dynamic for a little over a year now. She guessed that Fenton finally got the hint and dropped his love struck puppy act. Maybe he and Sam had finally confessed their undying love to each other. 
It was probably for the best.
Fenton made no move towards her, instead choosing to stare dully into his notebook.
Paulina rolled her eyes and slid from her chair. She strode over to his desk, throwing a hand on her waist and looking down at him with an expression she knew would yield no arguments. “Alright, my house or yours?” 
“Huh?” Fenton said, recognizing a little too late that she was there.
“For the project? The one we were just assigned? Hello, Earth to Commander Fenton! My house or yours today?”
“Today?” Fenton blinked. “You wanna start today?”
Paulina narrowed her eyes. “Why, got something better to do?”
“Well—it’s just—”
“I’ll come over at four. I’ll be at cheer practice till then. If you want anything from Starbucks, just text me before then. I know Manson has my number, you can get it from her.”
She left him sitting dumbly in his chair. No one was getting in the way of her and that A, especially not some nerd who couldn’t even bother to care about school.
But, to Paulina’s surprise, Fenton actually opened the door for her when she showed up to his house that afternoon. Half of her expected him to blow her off, just ghost her and leave her to do all the work. And yet, he brought her into his kitchen, got out his notebook, and got right to work.
It was unnerving to see him so studious. She remembered Fenton as a nerd in middle school, but everyone knew about the absolute nose-dive his grades took once he got to high school. It wasn’t exactly a secret, what with him skipping class every other day.
The duo parted ways with a promise to meet up again over the weekend. Again, to Paulina’s pleasant surprise, he actually texted her to confirm their plans. And when Paulina stepped into the Starbucks that Saturday afternoon, Danny was already sitting at a table waiting for her, his notebook out and the project rubric between his fingers.
This much good luck was sure to run out, but Paulina just hoped that Fenton could last another few weeks before he inevitably dropped the ball.
Except, that never happened. Each time they set up plans to work on their presentation, Fenton would show up, he would focus on the work, and they’d part ways with plans to reconvene later. It was uncanny. It was so unlike everything Paulina had come to know of Fenton through these months.
And Paulina wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was who Fenton really was. 
Under all those disciplinary actions, the dropped beakers, the tardies, the unfinished assignments and failed grades, if this was hidden underneath.
So then that begged the question: why didn’t he show this side of himself more? Why was he failing if he was clearly capable of doing the work?
And so Paulina sat there, just a week before they were set to give their presentation, scrutinizing Fenton’s features as he recited a passage from the book they were analyzing. She noted the bags under his eyes, the bruise on his cheek, the way his face seemed to tighten every time he coughed.
He had arrived a few minutes late that day, and she remembered how he entered the classroom, his gate just a little too stiff to be natural.
Someone had hurt Fenton, Paulina realized. Someone had beat him up.
For reasons she didn’t know, hot anger flashed over her. Someone beat up Danny, a kid who was clumsy and could be a bit slow on the uptake, but someone who Paulina had come to understand was a rather kind and gentle classmate.
Yet someone didn’t care.
So the next day, maybe she stormed up to Dash a little too aggressively to demand, “What the hell did you do to Fenton?”
There was Dash, right on queue with his cocky laugh and a, “That nerd had it coming to him!”
“Are you kidding me?” Paulina yelled. “A week before our English final presentation and you punch Fenton across the face? Are you stupid?”
Dash’s smile dropped instantly, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Paulina, I didn’t—”
“You know how much this class matters to me, Dash! You know I wanna move up to honors next year! I can’t do that if you’re giving my English partner a goddamn concussion while we’re preparing to present!”
“Paulina!” Dash grabbed her arm.
“No!” Paulina ripped her arm away. “Don’t touch me, and don’t fucking sabotage—”
“I didn’t beat Fenton up!” Dash shouted. 
Paulina’s eyes narrowed. 
Dash held his hands up in a surrender. “I swear I didn’t beat him up. Ask Kwan if you don’t believe me. Honestly, I haven’t touched him in months. The—the coach told me that if I did well in school this year, I’d probably get recruited to college. I didn’t want to risk Fenton messing that up. I swear!”
Paulina stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to crack. But Dash’s panicked face held.
“Whatever.” She whipped around. “Tell your stupid friends to keep their hands off my project partner.”
“Consider it done!”
Paulina stormed off, ignoring the wide stares from her peers and the whispers of, “Did she just defend Fenton?”
She tried to block them out. They weren’t important. Her grades were important, her future was important, but those idiots? No, they meant nothing to her.
That afternoon, Danny was early. He was sitting there in the empty classroom when Paulina walked in, his head down to his paper, and didn’t even look up when Paulina gave her cheerful, “Hello!”
Well...that was weird. Sure, a few weeks ago, Danny mostly ignored her cheerful greetings in favor of getting ahead on the project, but Paulina liked to think that a mutual respect, or—god forbid—a friendship had been forming between the duo.
“Oof, cold shoulder? So not your speed, Danny,” Paulina said, plopping down to her seat.
Danny tensed, “I...uh, sorry. I’m tired.”
“Sheesh, alright.” Paulina slid her notebook out. “So we were working on the symbolism slide of the powerpoint, right?”
“Yeah,” Danny passed his notebook over to her. “I started parsing through the book at lunch today and found some good passages. Take a look.”
Paulina went to study the paper, but something else caught her eye.
Something on his arm.
Something that looked like a burn.
“Danny?” Paulina stared wide-eyed at the space of molten skin between his sleeve and hand. “What the hell happened to your arm?”
“Oh, I—” Danny slipped his arm under the desk. “I, uh, sorry. You see—”
“Whoa!” Paulina only caught a glance of his face before he ducked down again, but that split-second was enough. “What the hell? What happened to you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Paulina saw red. “Oh, that idiot! I’m gonna kill him!”
Danny looked up, the multicolored patchwork of skin on his face finally fully visible to Paulina. “Kill who?”
“Oh, look at you! That asshole!”
Fenton winced. “Am I...am I missing something here?”
“I’m gonna kill Dash!”
“...Dash?” 
“I told him this morning to keep his hands off you! I made that asshole promise to me, and I told him to pass the message along to his stupid friends too!”
Something in Danny’s expression softened. “You told off Dash?”
“Well of course I did!” Paulina said hotily. “You’re my project partner! What kind of person would I be if I let you get hurt?”
“Oh well…” A smile quirked on Danny’s lips. “Thanks for that, but it wasn’t Dash.”
“Well then who was it? I’ll kill them.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
“You’re right, death would be too generous. I’ll just destroy their reputation instead!”
A bemused look overtook Danny’s face. “Yeah, I have no doubt you would.”
“Tell me right now, Fenton. Tell me who did this and I’ll make them pay. You won’t have to worry about them ever again once I’m finished with them.”
“Oh, I…” The smile fell from Danny’s lips. “It wasn’t anyone. I just...fell.”
“You what?” Paulina’s voice rose in disbelief.
“Yeah, you know how clumsy I am.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He laughed awkwardly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I just—you know. I was walking in the hall, fell down some stairs, hit the stair rail at the bottom. Just typical weirdo Fenton stuff! Nothing you need to destroy anyone over.”
“Don’t play with me. You didn’t fall.”
“I did fall though! It was...yeah, you know how it is. I was walking and talking at the same time and just slipped and fell! Ah, stupid Fenton, am I right? Just always...falling.”
Paulina’s glare was hollow. “How dumb do you think I am, Danny?”
Danny froze, his rambling stuttering off into a tense silence. “What?”
“I said—” Paulina rose from her chair. “—just how dumb do you think I am?”
“Uh, sorry. I’m sorry. Look, I think we may have gotten on the wrong topic here.”
“No!” Paulina slammed her hand down on Fenton’s notebook. “This little tirade? This sham you’ve been pulling for the past two years? It’s bullshit, Danny, and you know it.”
“I don’t—I don’t know—”
“Yes, you do know! You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Paulina hissed. “We’ve been working together for weeks now, and you think you can just sit here and say you fell? To me?” 
“Well, sue me, Paulina!” Danny snapped. “Why do you even care, anyways? We’re not exactly friends.”
“Because you’re my project partner! Your grade is my grade, idiot!”
“Gee, I’m glad you only care about people when it affects your grade.” Danny shoved his notebook into his bag. “What an amazing quality to have.”
Paulina stepped back as if she’d been slapped. “That’s not true!”
Danny ignored her reaction, instead choosing to angrily zip up his backpack. “In case you haven’t noticed, your boyfriend’s been beating me up since we were five. I’m not sure why you’ve decided to care now, but if you want something to be mad at, maybe try being mad at the years of shit I’ve taken from you and your friends.” 
Paulina stood there seething as Danny pushed past her and stocked off into the hallway, slamming the classroom door shut behind him.
There was the Fenton she’d come to know in high school, this was the Fenton she remembered. The one who avoided questions, who put himself down to avoid suspicion, who left in the middle of class without saying anything, who no one could rely on.
But, perhaps more now than ever, Paulina could see just how much of a sham this whole act was.
Just how much he was using this face to protect himself.
But from what? From who?
Paulina tried not to dwell too much on the bruises, especially since they were gone the next day and didn’t reappear for the rest of the week. Of course, Dash swore up and down that he had nothing to do with Fenton’s appearance, and Paulina believed him. Dash could be a bit bullheaded, but he was still one of her closest friends.
For the remaining week they had to put their presentation together, Danny kept to himself, and so did Paulina. Whatever semblance of a friendship they’d built had disintegrated, and both parties seemed content to let it fall.
It made sense, logically speaking. Paulina was popular, Fenton wasn’t. Paulina was an extrovert, Fenton was an introvert. Paulina thrived in attention, Fenton shied away from it. They were like oil and water, a friendship just wasn’t possible.
The presentation day came, and the two spoke with confidence that could only have come from weeks of preparation. Paulina couldn’t help but glow under Mr. Lancer’s impressed nod. Their high marks from the project were enough to fulfill Paulina’s recommendation to the honors English course for the next fall.
And then the school year came to a close and finally, after months of hard work, they could finally relax.
But not before they celebrated first.
One of Dash’s good friends, Dale, had taken it upon himself to host the massive end of the school year party for the rising junior class at Casper High that year. His parents, being the weird sort of chill parents they were, offered up their lake house with the promise that there would be no drinking and driving.
The teens were ecstatic. 
Everyone—everyone—went to the party. Jocks, nerds, band geeks, theatre kids, every clique was represented at the lake house. And why wouldn’t they come? It was the end of the school year celebration! A time to rejoice in having survived another round of homework, tests, quizzes, and essays.
It was also a time where Paulina was once again reminded that yes, the theatre kids could in fact go shot-to-shot with the football team.
Fenton was there with his little group, but Paulina paid them no mind. This wasn’t the time to be worried about him, nor was it the time to feel any sort of guilt at the way their budding friendship just collapsed. She had her friends, why add another?
And it was just preposterous to imply that she missed Fenton.
Because she didn’t.
And yet, when the night was drawing to a close, Paulina somehow managed to find herself down by the lake where a skinny, black haired teen was sitting alone.
She stood behind him, unsure if she wanted to initiate contact. He’d made it clear from their last argument that he still held years of resentment towards her and her friends, and Paulina knew from experience that all that resentment couldn’t go away in one alcohol-filled night.
She turned to walk away, but something stopped her. Before she could question what she was doing or why, she found herself sitting down on the damp grass next to him.
“What are you doing out here?” Paulina asked.
“Oh, uh, hey Paulina! Fancy seeing you here.” Danny gave her a small wave.
“You too.” Paulina stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back on her hands. “Some party, right?”
“Yeah, Dale was really nice to host this.”
“He’s a great guy. His parents too.”
“I bet.” Danny said. “How are your friends holding up?”
“Well, let’s see. Star just spent a half hour trying to convince me that aliens exist, and Dale’s currently comforting Kwan who saw a video of a puppy rescue on the side of the road and started crying, so I’d say they’re holding up pretty well.”
Danny guffawed. “No way!”
“I swear!” Paulina laughed. “This isn’t even the first time something like this has happened either. I swear, every other time we drink, Kwan always ends up in a corner somewhere watching animal videos on his phone and crying at how precious the animals are and ‘please, Paulina, can’t we just adopt one?’ He’s gonna be the death of me one of these days.”
Danny giggled, his laugh light and airy. Paulina watched him, amazed that they were able to just start talking again as if their fight had never happened.
“So what about you?” she asked. “What happened to your clan?”
“Sam had to drive Tucker home. He got too overconfident in pong.”
She snorted. “Dash is the same. He’s always like, ‘one more round, I’m gonna crush it this time’ and then twenty minutes later I find him asleep in a bathtub or something.”
“Dash drunk sleeping in a bathtub? Oh, that’s a sight I’d like to see.”
“I can assure you that photos exist.”
“The perfect blackmail.” Fenton shot her a grin. “Remind me to get one of Tucker next time he does something stupid.”
“And what makes you think you won’t be right there on the floor with him?” Paulina sassed.
“Hah! You’re probably right!” His smile fell, and he looked at her questioningly. “Hey, will your boyfriend be okay with you out here with me?”
“Oh, Dash? He’s...actually not my boyfriend.”
“Wait, what?” Danny jolted upright. He spun around to face her. “But I thought—”
“Yeah, everyone does. But we’re not dating.”
“Then why don’t you say something? Squash all the rumors?”
Paulina averted her gaze back onto the lake. It was a gorgeous night. Stars speckled the sky in a spectacular display, illuminating the Milky Way behind them. Amity Park was too industrious to see the galaxy, and Paulina couldn’t help but marvel at its sight. 
It was gorgeous. Vast. It seemed to never end. She remembered reading somewhere that the Milky Way could only be seen if there was no moon out.
Luck must have been on her side that night.
“Unless...you don’t want to.” Danny’s voice dawned a tone of realization. “But why?”
“I got tired of it all,” she admitted, her honesty surprising herself. “Guys only wanted to talk to me because they thought if they were nice enough, I would get in their pants or something. I got accused of friendzoning more people than not. Honestly, it was so annoying. I felt everyone saw me as some stupid object. So when the rumors started going around this year that Dash and I were dating, and a lot of guys in our grade started backing off, I just...didn’t fight it. I thought maybe finally everyone would see me as a person. Maybe people would take me seriously.” Her gaze dropped. “I don’t know if it worked, but at least now people don’t see me as some sort of prize so much anymore.”
Danny was silent for a moment, and Paulina immediately regretted her admission. Maybe it was the alcohol loosening her lips, but she doubted Fenton of all people cared. They weren’t even friends.
One side of her wanted to get up and leave, go back to her friends inside the house, but the other side of her was too embarrassed to move.
“That makes sense, honestly,” Danny finally responded.
A wave of relief washed over her.
“And I’m sorry that there was a time where I couldn’t see past your looks too. I was young, but that’s still not an excuse.” He shifted. “I’ve had some...things happen the past year, and they’ve really taught me a lot about judging a book by its cover.”
“What kinds of things?” Paulina said, hoping her voice didn’t betray too much curiosity.
There went that hand behind his neck again. He was nervous, Paulina noted.
“Oh! Uh...it’s a long story, but I just wanted to say that I understand. I get what it feels like to be judged based on surface-level stuff. I mean, Paulina, you’re really smart. I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m really glad we ended up partners on that English project. I would have been so screwed with anyone else.”
“Thanks, Danny,” she said, trying to fight the blush that she knew was tinting her cheeks. “I’m sorry for being nosy at the end there. I didn’t mean to corner you like that. It was really stupid of me to pry when you obviously didn’t feel like talking.”
“No!” he exclaimed “No, don’t apologize! I was just being sensitive. Honestly, I knew I looked like shit.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Look, I didn’t fall obviously. I wasn’t trying to play you, I just panicked. But...I’m okay now, really.”
He looked at her, and Paulina noted how his blue eyes seemed to dance under the light of the stars. How he sat up straighter, his shoulders rolled back and head held high. How yes he was thin, but not scrawny like he was back in freshman year of high school. He seemed toned, lithe, almost like a gymnast. 
Danny had definitely grown up in the past two years, but then again, so had she.
“I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m also glad I got to be your English partner too,” she said.
They sat by the lake watching the stars until the chill of the crisp spring air began to set in Paulina’s bones. She left Danny in favor of the warm house, but not without saying, “I’ll text you sometime.”
The summer came, and the ever so slightly intoxicated promise to hang out slipped Paulina’s mind. After all, she had months of sleep to catch up on. 
Fortunately for her, Danny remembered. 
It was a silly text, a meme about Shakespear. Paulina responded with the appropriate emojis, and tried to convince herself that the smile she wore was due to the funny image, and had nothing to do with the boy who sent it.
And a week later, he sent another one. This time, Paulina asked to grab a coffee with him. Catch up.
To her surprise, Danny agreed. They met up at the Starbucks and what Paulina thought would only be a quick catch-up session turned into a three hour long hangout. 
Despite his awkward demeanor, Danny was rather talkative. Especially when the topic revolved around space. Apparently, he wanted to work for NASA someday. He said it came from a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, but overtime his interests shifted into rocket design and engineering. It helped that—according to Danny—his dad had built the equivalent of an ecto-rocket in his basement.
Paulina confessed that she wanted to work for 60 Minutes someday as a journalist. She dreamed of traveling around the world, collecting stories and meeting people. She explained that as a kid, she used to have to travel around the world for her dad’s work before he finally settled in Amity Park. And although she’d been living in Amity for years now, a part of her still missed those days where she was constantly exposed to new countries, languages, and cultures.
Danny listened attentively, reacting at the appropriate times and pressing for questions whenever she would trail off. Even though he had a reputation of never paying attention to teachers, he seemed to genuinely enjoy listening to her.
Eventually they parted ways, but they promised to hang out again. 
And again they did.
And again.
Again.
There were some topics that Danny seemed to skirt around, such as why he sometimes would show up bruised, or why he seemed to struggle to stay in class despite his dreams of working for a prestigious agency like NASA.
But Paulina was willing to ignore those demons because she liked Danny, and she didn’t want to say anything that would push him away. And, despite their differences, he seemed to like her back.
Summer drifted to fall, the leaves started to turn, and soon it was too cold to hangout outside. 
Which was how they found themselves here, in Danny’s room, laying on Danny’s floor watching Youtube videos, their math homework long since abandoned beside them.
It was a nerdy video, one about bizarre planets that existed in space. One that Paulina would never have watched on her own, but Danny seemed positively riveted at. 
His eyes were bright and attentive, and every so often he’d point to the screen and go, “Look!” as if Paulina wasn’t watching the same video.
It was...adorable.
His excitement rivaled a child on Christmas. And as interesting as the video was to watch, Danny was even more so.
The video ended, but Paulina hardly noticed. All she could see was the grin on Danny’s lips, the freckles dotting his cheeks, the way his hair sat on his head like a soft cloud.
“So? What did you think?” Danny asked.
“Cute,” Paulina responded. “You’re cute.”
Danny blinked, his mouth turning to a little “o” shape as red tinged his cheeks. He started to stutter, to try to brush Paulina off, but she held onto his shoulder and said, “Danny, I think you’re cute.”
“Oh,” he said, his eyes wide. “I think you’re cute too.”
Paulina closed the gap between them, closing her eyes. His lips felt soft against hers, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Her hands trailed up to his hair, and she curled her fingers through his soft hair.
He was gentle, as if he were afraid to hurt her, and his skin felt cool against her own. Secretly, Paulina had always loved that about Danny, the fact that his body temperature seemed to run lower than normal. And now she could cherish this all to herself.
Danny’s hand wrapped around her back, gently pressing her closer. His touch was electric, and Paulina could have melted right there. She pressed further against him, deepening the kiss.
They stayed in each other’s arms, enjoying the moment for just a few moments longer before Danny pulled back. He looked at her, his eyes sparkling, and said, “You’re beautiful.”
There were some things Paulina didn’t understand about Danny. There were some things he was still closed off about, things he didn’t want to speak about. And eventually, Paulina would bring those things up, she would get answers. Eventually, she would uncover all the secrets, all the layers to the enigma that made up Danny Fenton.
But right now?
Right now she was just going to enjoy the moment.
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oigimi · 3 years ago
Text
. on my own .
. arthur x mc . 1.4k words . first person, angst .
. this is definitely a sadder piece i’ve written but i hope you enjoy it anyway! i might make a part 2 to this depending on how my feelings about it grow so please tell me if i should make one! .
After Arthur and I had a silent walk home one evening, hand in hand, I couldn’t help but experience some thoughts and emotions that I’d never thought I would experience before. Something was starting to form within me, born of the sweet smiles he gave me and the security he provided when he held my hand. A part of me wished that he didn’t wear those leather gloves so that I could have felt his warmth in its entirety when we walked home, and that was never a wish I would ever think I’d make. I said goodbye to Arthur and went back up into my room to change, and found myself completely hollow in the chest when I realized he wasn’t there next to me.
How badly can a human want to be with another? Aren’t there limits to the emotions we can feel? Surely if someone felt too much love or sorrow they’d burst on the spot. There’s a reason we’re so good at controlling ourselves most of the time, but tonight was just different. I wanted to stare out the windowsill. I wanted to bawl without reason. I wanted to fall asleep and wake up again in a world where no one belonged in Arthur’s arms but me.
But in my mind… that was the world I was in. It was true. No one should be in his arms but me. I knew he was going back to the pub the next night, and I probably wouldn’t see him until the following morning, and it just made my body lose its self-control when I thought of Arthur with other women in his arms. It was miserable, and made me want to run to wherever he was and demand that I be a permanent part of life, if only he’d let me. Such thoughts were foreign to me, until that evening we’d come home from our walk.
I looked down at the music box he’d so kindly gifted to me. It played a beautiful melody to accompany its careful craftsmanship, and turning it on was like activating a machine that made all of my woes vanish. Oh, how I wanted to give him something that made his heart spin the way his gift had made mine. But truthfully, I didn’t even know if his heart was capable of spinning. Someone as wonderful and charming as Arthur had to have met someone that could make him dizzy with wonder by now. And if he hadn’t, was there really any hope? And did I even deserve to have fantasies like these?
I had to step out. I had to get some fresh air else the scent of the candle in my room would put me to sleep. It was almost midnight, so I suppose I really should have been sleeping. But I just couldn’t bring myself to. I had to do some thinking before I closed the book. I changed back into my standard clothes and tried to make a run for the outside. It wasn’t too cold out and the moonlight was rather clear, perfect conditions for a nice long session of thought.
To my surprise, the gate opened without issue. I snuck out, only alerting Sebastian’s little lamb, Lotte, in her pen. She gave a weak bleat or two, as if warning me not to go, but I shook my head and kept going. What do lambs know about love? And what did Lotte know about pain? Next to nothing, I presumed, so I banished all thoughts of the lamb as I made my way down the streets. As I got further from the mansion, I felt myself almost becoming disconnected from the rest of the world. Arthur was getting further and further behind me, and my sense of being seemed to be going with him.
How fun it is to be on your own and play in the sandbox that is reality. Like an astronaut disconnected from his ship, you’re completely above the world laid out for you. The world is as magical and fantastical as you make it. And boy, was I an expert at making believe.
As I marched forward, I felt a hand in my own. A warm, ungloved hand that ignited the flame in my heart that didn’t need any fuel. Not even looking up, I broke out into a smile. “Arthur… You came along with me.”
“Of course I did.” He raised my hand to his lips and planted a sweet, gentle kiss that shook my core. Oh, the way his beautiful eyes sparkled until the full silver moon. He lowered my hand, keeping them linked to each other, and led me forward. Walking with Arthur was not like any other experience you could ever have. He lifted me up and took me for a twirl or two without even touching me. He made me laugh, he made me cry. He took away my sins and replaced them with joy. And the best part, was that he was just like me. I would never be good enough for him, but the remnants of humanity in his soul reminded me that he was not without flaws. I don’t think I could ever love a man without flaws, and I could really never love a man who knew it. Arthur was frivolous and flirty and never seemed to be on anyone’s radar, but he knew he was flawed. What broke me was the fact that I knew he thought his flaws made him unlovable. It’s so funny how he’s so sharp, so brilliant, but doesn’t know how I really feel about him. I knew he was the most lovable man in history, but he didn’t. Heh. I guess there’s one thing I have over him.
As we walked, I contemplated if I should tell him. I squeezed his hand tighter, trying to rejuvenate the warmth that he gave on an increasingly colder night. What would Arthur say? The streets would have been completely empty and cold had it not been for the two of us, and the love that radiated from our hearts. Would my confession brighten the light or dim it? Or even worse… dim it completely? Why had Arthur been so silent the whole walk? God, so many questions plagued my mind, but everything came to a halt when we approached the beautiful, flowing River Seine.
I peered into the water, and before I knew it, I was adding a single droplet to her flowing waters. There was one person in the reflection, and one reflection only. The lights went out. The warmth completely vanished. And before I knew it, I was sitting on the riverbank, my face buried into my hands.
Oh, that’s the tradeoff to make believe. You live in your own magical little world where anything is yours, but like the astronaut detached from his ship, you find yourself hopeless and lost when all is done. How we all desire to live in the worlds we create for ourselves, and float in space forever. But that just can’t happen. I should’ve listened to Lotte. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have let my imagination wander, because I just found myself more lost than before. I let my feet soak in the river, thinking about the coin I’d tossed in with Arthur a few weeks ago. The coin I’d thrown in with the wish to leave with a smile on my face. I couldn’t bring myself to leave now, nor could I bring myself to smile.
Goddamn wishful thinking, and the pain it causes. I loved Arthur so much that I was answering my own question. I was about to burst. I was about to feel my heart jump right out of my chest and let me down yet again. It was time to resign for the night, I’d decided, so I stood up and looked next to me where I’d imagined Arthur to be on the walk there. “I love you,” I whispered. The tears kept flowing and my heart kept breaking. Despite all of this, I turned around and made my return trip home. But this time, only on my own.
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hopeisour4letteredword · 4 years ago
Text
with friends like these
Summary: Apollo gets his wisdom teeth out, and Clay babysits.
Link to AO3 in the notes.
"Apollo, buddy. Buddy. You gotta lie back down."
Apollo blinks owlishly at Clay, swaying in place in the middle of the kitchen. God, Clay would feel better if he at least had the sense to lean against the counter. "But I want coffee."
"No coffee for you," Clay says, forcing himself to be stern despite the dreading anticipation of the way Apollo's expression falls, comically sad. AJ always looks younger than he is, as a big brave twenty-year-old, but the sad little pout while he's out of his mind on painkillers, cheeks swollen from surgery? He looks like he's twelve. Adorable. Clay feels bad for him, he really does—he got his own wisdom teeth out last year and he remembers how much it sucked—but the little baby pout just makes him want to smile. "You'll wind yourself up something good, sunshine."
"It's not that much caffeine," Apollo tries to say, even as he lets Clay catch him by the arm and pull him, stumbling, out of the kitchenette. "An' it would make me feel more awake."
"You don't need to feel more awake, you need to rest."
"But I've got stuff to do," Apollo says, mournfully. Clay manages to wrangle him back over to the couch and nudge him back down onto the cushions. Apollo makes doe eyes up at him while Clay grabs the nearest blanket to wrap around his shoulders. "I gotta work on my readings—"
"It's winter break, you don't have readings."
"But next semester."
"You don't have any advance readings yet. You checked and told me so before the surgery."
"I have to stay ahead," Apollo says. His eyelids droop. "I gotta be good at my classes so I can be a good lawyer."
"You're gonna be a great lawyer. But you aren't a lawyer yet, and you don't have any classes right now, so just take it easy, okay?"
Apollo opens his eyes again to peer back up at Clay. "My mouth hurts."
"I know. Sorry, buddy. Not time for more painkillers yet. You want me to grab you the ice pack again? Get the rest of your shake?"
Apollo nods, still looking glum. Clay dutifully returns to the kitchen to retrieve an ice pack from the freezer, which he wraps in a kitchen towel, and the rest of Apollo's post-surgery chocolate shake out of the fridge. When he gets back out to the living room, Apollo has toppled over to be horizontal on the couch. Clay puts the necessities down on the coffee table and scoops Apollo's legs up onto the couch so he isn't twisted all funny. The last thing the poor thing needs is unnecessary strain making him uncomfortable. He ruffles Apollo's hair. Apollo leans into the touch. Aww.
"Anything else I can grab you?"
"Can you sit with me? I wanna watch you play games."
"Aw, sure. What do you wanna watch?"
"I dunno. Anything's fine."
"Let's play some Odyssey, then. I'll go grab the Switch."
Apollo brightens, just like Clay thought he would. He always did like playing on Clay's Switch when they were kids. Even for Clay, it's hard not to be transported back to sleepovers, hushed giggles as they tried not to tip Clay's dad off that they were staying up late while they played games under the covers, whenever he picks it back up to replay something. He knows the memories are even more precious to Apollo, who spent so much of his adolescence struggling through foster system bullshit.
"Yeah!"
"Okay, sit tight."
When Clay comes back, Apollo has propped himself up enough to try to drink more of his shake. It dribbles out of his mouth.
"Oh, man. You got a little, uh—"
Apollo looks frustrated. "Did I miss again? I still can't feel my lower lip."
"Yeah, no, it's, um—you're fine, just let me—" Clay grabs a tissue off the box on the coffee table and wipes Apollo's face. "There you go."
"Thanks," Apollo says. He smiles, wobbly but true. "You're the best."
"No problem, sunshine," Clay says, smiling. He moves around the room, getting the Switch hooked up to the port so it will show up on the TV, before he lifts Apollo's upper body out of the way so he can slide onto the couch with him. Apollo's head ends up propped on his thigh. He helps Apollo adjust himself so there's no pressure on his cheeks, and he can easily hold the ice packs in place while seeing the screen. "Here we go."
"Let's-a go," Apollo says, in a terrible Mario impression. Clay barks out a laugh and starts the game.
"Goofball."
They don't get very far into the game before Clay is pretty sure Apollo starts to doze beside him. His breathing evens out and his weight goes limp. That's fine. He's warm and cozy, and Clay likes being someone he feels comfortable enough with to sleep around. If this is helping him feel a little better while he's in pain, Clay's satisfied. It's not like it's a hardship to sit here and play video games and be his pillow.
But the fact that he thinks Apollo's mostly asleep does mean Clay almost gets the shit scared out of him when Apollo says, suddenly, "Clay."
"Jesus!" Clay fumbles a jump and Mario goes plummeting to his doom. Oops.
"Yes, hello, hi. I thought you were napping, buddy. What's up?"
"You know you're my best friend, right?"
"Yeah? Of course."
"You know?" Apollo rolls so he's mostly on his back, looking up at Clay with big, sad doe eyes again. Clay stares back down at him, befuddled. Of course he knows. "Cause I—I know I'm kinda bitchy sometimes—"
"Aw, Apollo—"
"An' I can't help you with your smart science stuff a lot—"
"That's not—"
"An' I get really anxious and you have to babysit me sometimes an' I yell at you for it—"
"Apollo—"
"But you're really important to me and it would suck if you didn't know just 'cause I'm stupid."
"You aren't stupid," Clay says. He ruffles Apollo's hair again. Apollo's eyes slide closed, lips tugging back into the miserable little pout. "I know I'm your best friend. You're plenty nice to me. Just 'cause you're a little prickly when you're stressed doesn't mean you don't make it obvious that you care about people."
Apollo sniffles. Oh, no. Case in point, though.
"And you don't have to worry about not helping me with science stuff," Clay adds. "I know I'm not that helpful with your law stuff, either. You're way better at helping me review than I am at helping you review."
At least that makes Apollo smile a little. "Jus' easier to read formulas off notecards than legal definitions."
"You can say that again." Clay will take astrophysics over civil law any day. "Besides, you're the best hype-man I could hope for. Who else is gonna get me super pumped to go to space even though it scares the piss out of you?"
"It's so high up," Apollo whines, making Clay cackle. He never thinks about fear of heights as an issue with spaceflight until Apollo mentions it. "An' there's the whole vacuum and no air and you're just going in a tin can—"
"Don't talk about my girl Hattie like that, she's perfect."
"An' even Mr. Starbuck is nervous about it."
"And you help Sol get psyched for it too," Clay says. He pats Apollo gently on the shoulder. "Which is exactly what I'm talking about."
Apollo sighs.
"I know we're best friends, sunshine," Clay adds, more gently. "Come on. You think I would agree to live with you if I didn't know you liked me? I bet you could pull some real passive-aggressive roommate pranks if you wanted to."
Apollo huffs out a tiny laugh. "Maybe."
"There we go. We're fine, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Say it with me. We're fine."
"We're fine."
"You're Apollo Justice and you're fine."
"I'm fine!"
"That's my boy." Mario has fallen asleep standing up on-screen. Clay is considering whether or not he should keep playing or encourage Apollo to go take a real nap when Apollo shifts beside him. Clay lifts his arms out of the way on instinct, holding the controller aloft, when Apollo braces himself on shaky arms to turn and crawl the rest of the way over to plop himself down in Clay's lap. "Wh-oa, buddy. Hi there. You want cuddles?"
"Yeah," Apollo mumbles. He drops his head onto Clay's shoulder. Clay carefully shifts his weight and settles down against the back of the couch, letting it take both of their weight. He doesn't think of Apollo as a big guy, because he's not, but geez. A whole adult human does kind of weigh a lot. Good thing Clay's been beefing up for his training. "Are you at the moon yet?"
"Nope. Only at the gardens. It hasn't been that long."
"You're gonna get to the moon someday," Apollo says, with loopy certainty. Clay almost bites down on a grin before he remembers that Apollo can't see him anymore and he can smile as much as he wants, safe from scrutiny. "You're gonna be a kickass astronaut."
"Aw, thanks, bud."
"You're really smart. And good at solving problems."
"Flatterer," Clay says, grin spreading wider. God, he wishes he'd thought to grab his phone and start recording this. Yeah, he does know he's Apollo's best friend and Apollo loves him and all that, but he sure as hell doesn't get this mushy often. It's really cute.
"You deserve it. You're the best friend in the world, Clay," Apollo declares, and promptly passes out on Clay's shoulder.
---
"Anyway," Clay finishes. He knocks back the rest of his mocha. "That's what AJ was like when he got his wisdom teeth out, so like I said. Don't be too embarrassed about it."
Klavier is laughing so hard he's almost crying, a hand slapped over his mouth to muffle the sound of it. Apollo's in the kitchen right now, cooking the three of them brunch. Hopefully the sizzle of frying eggs and sausage covers the sound of Clay's indiscretions out in the living room. Clay's dead meat if it doesn't.
"He never mentioned," Klavier manages to get out, when he finally gets himself under control. "How cute."
"It was pretty great," Clay says, fondly. "But please don't tell him I told you about that. I don't want to die before I make it to the moon, and he will actually kill me for realsies."
"Your secret is safe with me." Klavier props his chin on his hand, grinning. "Has he ever gotten quite so affectionate other times?"
"If he's drunk enough, yeah."
"I'll have to keep it in mind, then."
"S'why I told you," Clay says. He considers the sly, affectionate curl of Klavier's smile for a second before he adds, "But don't bully him too hard afterwards, or you will lose drunk Apollo privileges. Only moderate mortification allowed."
"Would he be taking the privileges away or would you?"
Clay lets his own smile go sharper. He likes Klavier just fine, and he doesn't really believe he'd be that mean to Apollo, but... well, Apollo's Clay's best friend, too. He has obligations if Apollo's boyfriend is an asshole to him. "Fuck around and find out."
"Fair enough, Herr Astronaut," Klavier says. There's a clatter of plates in the kitchen as the sizzling dies down.
"Food's ready!" Apollo hollers. Clay casts Klavier a glance; Klavier mimes zipping his lips, winking. They both push away from the table to wander into the kitchen. Apollo bustles around fixing a plate of food, a pile of hashbrowns and sausage and eggs. Klavier creeps up behind him and puts his hands over Apollo's hips. Apollo startles, almost knocking him away. His cheeks go pink.
"What do you think you're doing? Clay's literally right there."
"Don't mind me," Clay says, cheerfully. He loves having ammunition to give Apollo hell over later.
"I think he already has an inkling that we're dating, Liebling," Klavier murmurs. He leans down to kiss the top of Apollo's head. Apollo gently elbows him in the gut, pushing Klavier away as his cheeks go even redder.
"Yeah, and he's already insufferable enough about it without you hanging off me in front of him. Come on, back off."
Klavier obligingly steps back. He and Clay begin to fix their own plates. Hovering nearby, Apollo asks, suspiciously, "What were you two gossiping about out there, anyway?"
"Oh, nothing," Clay says. He smiles sweetly when Apollo narrows his eyes at him. "By the way, AJ?"
"What?"
"You're the best friend in the world."
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straycityam · 4 years ago
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sing for you. astronaut!hyunjin x reader ft. kkami. angst.
“hello, 119, how may I assist you?”
“hi, this is apollo 4419,” astronaut!hyunjin replied, feeling relieved that the spaceship was finally able to get in contact with someone. “is this NASA?”
“unfortunately no, this is the seoul emergency department. We’re having satellite issues and all the calls are getting mixed up. Where are you calling from?” the lady asked in concern
“from space,” hyunjin chuckles. “yeah i’m not surprised,” hyunjin knew the exact reasons the chaos. “things aren’t looking good from up here either.”
“would you like me to put down the call so you can contact NASA?“
“no!” hyunjin half-shouted in fear. “i mean, no, please. just stay on the line,” hyunjin begged not wanting to risk anything.
hyunjin was the only one left on his spaceship as the rest of his crew have unfortunately been affected by spaceship’s defect. he was desperate and did not want to die alone.
“yes, sir,” the lady replied as calmly as possible despite the chaos going on at the department. “is there anything i can help you with?”
“not unless you can fix the spaceship from down there,” hyunjin chuckles as he hears the chaos in the background.
this immediately hinted the lady that there was something wrong with the spaceship and felt her heart broke. “i’m so sorry sir.”
hyunjin sighed softly before requesting a favour, “actually, could you help me with one last thing?”
“anything sir, the lady replied, feeling a little relieve that she was able to fulfil hyunjin’s wishes.
as y/n was ideally resting on the couch with kkami on her lap, the mobile phone of her shared apartment with hyunjin rang.
y/n groans at the sound, and gently sets kkami down on the floor and headed for the phone.
“hello?” y/n answered trying not to sound as awkward as possible.
“hello maam, i am calling from the seoul emergency department. i have someone on the line for you,” the lady inform y/n before connecting it to hyunjin’s line.
“hey darling,” hyunjin greeted the love of his life with a gentle smile on his face, feeling relieved even though he couldn’t see her face.
“h-hyunjin!? are you calling from space?” y/n asked in surprised. she was so happy to hear his voice after not hearing it for weeks. “oh my god! how is the view from up there? did you find any aliens!?”
hyunjin chuckled at her questions. he was glad that she was still her cheerful self. “no aliens yet, and the view isn’t very pretty,” hyunjin responded honestly, but did not want y/n to know how bad the situation was. “cause you’re not here.”
“eww, you’re chessy,” y/n fake cringed and laughed at his words. “i miss you.”
“i miss you too, darling.” hyunjin chuckled at y/n’s voice as he could picture her face. “listen, y/n, i don’t have much time-“
“what? what do you mean?” y/n asked in confusion, not entirely getting the hint.
“do you remember the time we went stargazing and i told you that your eyes had all the stars in it?”
“yeah, it was very sweet, but also really cringing,” y/n chuckled.
“well, they still do,” hyunjin teased a little. “you need to put them back in space.” this
made y/n playfully roll her eyes and giggle. “and remember the time we talked about everything and anything?”
“yeah, you still remember?”
“i never forgot about it,” hyunjin answered. “how about the the password to my laptop and our safe? still remember that?”
“of course,” y/n responded confidently yet confused. “why are you asking me that?”
“login into my laptop later and open the folder with your name on it, okay?” hyunjin avoided y/n’s question. “everything you need will be in the folder. the safe has the rest of the items you’ll need, and-”
“hyunjin,” y/n stopped him as she started sensing the unstable breathing coming from him and the sudden talk about his laptop and safe. “what’s going on?”
hyunjin sighs in defeat. “well, my time in space got extended to a much longer time. longer than everyone expected.”
y/n felt her heart sank at hyunjin’s words, finally catching on to what was going on. “are you alone?” y/n asked as she was worried for rest of his crew, who are also close friends of theirs.
“yeah,” hyunjin replied sadly.
“oh,” y/n’s voice crew soft. “so, all of you are going to be up there for a long time?”
hyunjin forced a smile before responding. “yeah.”
a tear fell from y/n’s eyes as very short silence was filled.
“go do “everything and anything” we talked about that night, okay? bring your best friends and kkami along. i know you don’t like going out alone. make sure you take care of yourself and kkami. don’t worry about the place and all that. just open the folder later, okay? um, don’t forget to always drink water! if you miss me, just look up at the sky and i’ll be waving right back at you from up here-“
“hyunjin...” y/n fell onto her knees, feeling extremely devastated. kkami immediately came towards her and rested his head on her knees. “please- i just- i just- hyunjin,” tears started falling down non-stop.
“y/n, my darling, i love you so much. your smile, hugs, kisses. everything. i love everything about you. more than words can explain. you make me the happiest man in the universe and i am so thankful to have met you. it was always you and will always be you.”
y/n reached the point where she was speechless and her silent cries did not go unnoticed by kkami, who started wailing. hyunjin’s heart broke as he heard kkami’s wailing and guessed that y/n was crying as kkami only did so when y/n was upset.
“my darling, my love, don’t cry, okay? your future is still so bright and you’ll walk on the most flowery path. stay strong for me, okay?”
“okay,” y/n whispered loud enough for hyunjin to hear.
“good girl,” hyunjin praised. “can you do one thing for me?” hyunjin asked, knowing that he his time will be up soon.
“anything,” y/n responded.
“can you sing for me?”
“sing?”
“y-yeah,” hyunjin chuckled. “i know i usually sing for you, but i really love your voice. especially when you sing. can you sing one song for me? please?”
“what song do you want?” y/n asked, not wanting to disappoint hyunjin.
“anything,” hyunjin replied, eager to listen.
without another thought, y/n immediately sang their favourite song.
fly me to the moon, and let me play, among the star
it wasn’t as nice as y/n usually sang because of how devastated she was. but for hyunjin, it was more than enough.
let me see what spring is like on, Jupiter and Mars. in other words, hold my hand...in other words, darling kiss me.
hyunjin smiled at y/n voice as he slowly let go of the handle that prevented him from floating aways
feel my heart with song, and let me sing forevermore. you are all i long for, all i worship and adore. in other words, please be true...in other words, i love you.
hyunjin’s eyes slowly closed to y/n’s humming as he pictured the time when y/n first sang this song for him and he felt like he fell in love with her all over again.
feel my heart with song, and let me sing forevermore. you are all i long for, all i worship and adore. in other words, please be true...in other words...in other words...in other words, hwang hyunjin, i love you.
although y/n could no longer hear him because he was not close to the speaker, hyunjin softly whispered “i love you too, y/f/n, always.” before taking his last breath.
the lady who listened to the entire conversation tried her best to comfort y/n, who began to have a full breakdown when she no longer heard hyunjin’s voice.
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gumnut-logic · 4 years ago
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Callisto (Voyage - Bit 3)
Tumblr media
Prologue Incident - Bit 1 | Bit 2 Fallout - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 Voyage - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3
This has settled down to a once a week post at the moment. I am still writing, but I’ve been writing the Prologue because I realised that I hadn’t written enough backstory to support the main story. So expect 4000-odd words of Jeff landing on Mars in the near future.
In the meantime, here is a little terrible twos being good bros.
As always, many, many thanks to @tsarinatorment​ @scribbles97​ and @janetm74​ for all their patient help. I’ve been a pain lately, so they have suffered greatly for my fic :D
I hope you enjoy this last bit of Part Two.
-o-o-o-
Gordon sat back and watched his father and Virgil leave the cockpit. John followed a moment later.
Gordon wasn’t hungry, not by a long shot. His stomach was still protesting the jump and he was quite happy staying where he was.
He wasn’t surprised that Scott, after reassuring himself that Alan was okay monitoring the course correction, disappeared after John. Gordon did not want to be in the room when that encounter happened. Not that he didn’t have his own beef with the astronaut over this. He couldn’t believe John would support their father going into space. John, of all people knew the health ramifications.
Speaking of which…
He unbuckled and pushed off his chair in the direction of his father’s chair. Formerly, his chair. He was of two minds regarding that fact, but considering he didn’t think Dad should even be in space, where he sat was of the least importance.
He hooked his foot around the base of the seat and pulled himself in beside his little brother.
Gordon’s eyes danced over the flight controls. “How’s it going?”
Alan glanced at him. “Computer is performing perfectly. We’ll stop to drop the buoy in about twenty-five minutes.” A raised eyebrow. “How’s the tummy?” And yes, there was a small smirk accompanying that.
“It’s fine.” As if to penalise him for lying to his little brother, his gut twisted.
Gordon let out a groan.
The smirk turned to a worried frown. “You sure you’re okay.”
He grunted at his brother. “I’ll live.” And he remembered that there were four more jumps there and likely five more on the way back. “Maybe.”
“Get Virg to drug you up. You’ll enjoy it more.”
‘Enjoy’ was rarely in the same sentence as ‘space’ in Gordon’s book. “Might do that.” Puking in zero-g was just messy and not to mention gross. “How come you aren’t feeling it?”
Alan shrugged. “Been playing with g-forces since I was a kid? This isn’t much different.”
Gordon grunted at him again.
They sat there together for a moment or two. There was something about hanging with his little brother that was different from hanging with his older brothers. More relaxed maybe, or just…different.
“Not often my ‘bird carries yours. This has to be only the second time.”
Gordon blinked. “Yeah? I think so. Not too many oceans in space.”
“Tell that to the Jupiter system.”
Space oceans were a thing. After the mad dash that was their trip to Europa, Gordon had made a point of reading up on all the extra-terrestrial oceans he could find.
Earth, of course, was the only body in the solar system with surface liquid water. There were buckets of ice on many of the other planets and moons, but none of that interested the aquanaut. He preferred his water well above zero degrees celsius.
Europa had been fascinating and he was still basking in the accolades from the scientific paper that he, Alan and his heroes, the Pendergasts, had jointly written. Readings from Four’s scanners had recorded everything and Earth’s scientific compliment were still going nuts years later. Tracy Industries had helped fund a proper scientific expedition to the moon.
Hmm, come to think of it, they should probably drop in and say hi on the way back. Would be interesting to catch up with Gwen and her team in person instead of over holovid.
Would be hilarious to knock on their door as a surprise. Hi, we were just in the area…
He grinned.
“What are you up to?” Alan was eyeing him suspiciously.
Gordon snorted. “Just thinking we should drop in on the Europa Extra-terrestrial Marine Expedition on the way back. I owe Gwen a jump-scare.”
His brother tilted his head, obviously calculating the possibility. “Could do. You should speak to Scott.”
That dragged him back to reality. “I guess it depends on Dad.”
Blue eyes darted in his direction. “Dad will be okay. You know that, don’t you?”
Gordon found he didn’t have the energy to get angry. “How can you know that?”
“I don’t.” Alan went quiet a moment. “But then how do you think I manage each time you go out on a mission?”
The aquanaut stared at him. “What?”
“Well, your health has never been and never will be one hundred percent, yet you still dart down to the bottom of the ocean, jump off high places and do things just like the rest of us. Do you think I don’t think of losing you all the time?”
Gordon froze a moment digesting that his little brother still worried about that… “That’s different.”
“Is it?”
“Dad…okay, I get your point. But I’m also worried about Scott.”
“What?” Alan stared at him.
“Can’t you see what this is doing to him?”
“Er, what?”
No, Alan hadn’t seen. “I have never seen Scott so terrified.”
“I repeat – what?”
“When Dad told us he was going. Scott just…” He swallowed. “Dad is hurting Scott and I, for one, am not going to stand for it. Virg isn’t either.”
Alan was staring at him. “You said Dad was cold and didn’t care. Abrupt, yes, that’s Dad, but I can’t believe he doesn’t care.” The astronaut shook his head.
“If he cared, he wouldn’t have come.”
“Gords-“
“Alan, trust me on this.”
His little brother stared at him again. “I trust you, Gordon, you know that. It’s a given. But I also trust Dad. He knows what he’s doing.”
Gordon pressed his lips together. “He doesn’t know everything and I really wish you guys would stop worshipping him as a god.”
“He’s not a god! He’s just…Dad.”
“Yeah, and that’s the problem.”
There was silence after that. Gordon not willing to berate Alan any further. It wasn’t Alan’s fault. He didn’t have the history with Dad Gordon did. He hadn’t had to fight to swim. Hadn’t seen Virgil struggle with his choices.
Hadn’t seen Scott give his everything to his father only to have it…ignored.
But no, that was history. Long ago. Before the Oort Cloud. Gordon had his issues regarding his father. He loved him, but he was a difficult man under all that passion. Being the son of a hero wasn’t everything it could be.
Scott worshipped the ground his father walked on. Gordon, not so much.
To see his father hurt Scott like that…Gordon’s blood just boiled.
“Is Scott okay?” Alan’s voice was smaller than usual.
“That’s just it, Allie. I don’t think so. You know how he gets. Like before the Oort Cloud. I, for one, don’t want him going there again.” ‘There’ being more a mental place than a physical.
Alan’s head dropped. “No.”
A voice rumbled behind them and both jumped. Michael was talking into comms, to Scott, something about the aft sensor array.
Crap. It was a sign of his distraction that he had forgotten the Mechanic was there. He glanced over, but the tattooed man showed no sign of even knowing they existed.
Gordon sighed.
A hand landed on his knee. “It’s going to be okay.” Blue eyes sought his. “It will be, Gords.”
He let out a breath, suddenly wishing he had Alan’s faith.
If anything happened to Dad…
“It. Is. Going. To. Be. Okay.” The hand on his leg squeezed tight.
But Gordon didn’t answer.
-o-o-o-
The drop of the communication buoy saw all of them back in the cockpit. John was the mastermind behind this little exercise and Virgil was, as usual, very proud of his space brother.
The design was ingenious, of course. John had taken a portion of the T-drive technology and applied it to communications. The same Tunnels created by the engine could be used to push what would otherwise be a simple comms signal through to the next buoy at a vastly accelerated rate. His brother had been working with Brains to realise this technology. Back in Earth orbit, a satellite connected the new network to the planetary network. On the way out, they would connect the Jupiter system. On the way back, they would connect Mars. Time delay communications would be a thing of the past.
Possibly as a tension reliever, John’s first signal went straight to Lady Penelope.
Gordon’s demeanour shifted immediately. His excited babbling did much to lighten the atmosphere in the cabin. The uninformed wouldn’t have been blamed for thinking he hadn’t spoken to her for years. Virgil knew for a fact the two of them had had a conversation shortly before they left.
The concept of ‘young love’ made him feel old.
And indicated just how tired he really was.
But sleep was something he couldn’t see happening very soon. Sure, he could try to take a nap en route. Hell, he had to. But his head was full of worry that likely wouldn’t let him rest.
Scott let Gordon babble for a full minute before cutting him off with the mission. Perhaps the commander saw how much the atmosphere needed to be lifted from the black depths they had fallen into.
Virgil hated it when his family argued. It didn’t happen often...okay, maybe they did quarrel every now and again - it came with the territory of working together. But nothing deep like this. Nothing that cut into the core of their very foundation. The surety that held them together.
Virgil sighed.
“Ready for jump.” Scott’s voice was all command and it forced Virgil to focus.
Pre-jump checklist as his brother called out to each of them.
“Airframe?”
“Craft secure. We are go.”
Blue eyes flickered to Michael. “Propulsion.”
“T-drive ready.”
“Helm.”
Alan’s back was tensed, his hand on the lever that would propel them further away from Earth. “Ready.”
The familiar countdown, such a part of their lives. Scott’s voice carried security...and Virgil’s faith.
Alan’s arm moved.
And the Excel jumped.
-o-o-o-
Next
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