#he'll take full offense when you ask him what you can call him

[shotmrmiller]

thoughts on drunkenly flirting with ghost at the bar and calling him ‘honey’

he's completely unfazed by the grabby hands on his arm. doesn't really care that you're all up in his personal space despite the presence he tends to give since you're clearly three sheets to the wind and with the way your fruity cocktail keeps spilling onto the bar top, there's no chance you'll be sticking a chib between his ribs with enough precision to kill so he lets you hang from him like a sloth on a tree. and it's all fine, you're slurring out words he doesn't bother trying to decipher since he doesn't care what you've to say anyway til the endearment terms start.

he doesn't get called much other than simon, ghost or lieutenant (price calling him son as if they're not very close in age is something he still finds comical) but honey???

the only ones that call him something similar are the outlets he occasionally pays for.

(he's not a very nice nor handsome man. hasn't had a real and true relationship with anyone, hasn't been the point of affection for anything. not even a dog.)

if he's pockmarked cheeks turn a ruddy, ugly color, he'll just blame it on the alcohol. and forget about your little group of belligerent friends, he'll be giving you a ride 🥴

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @steddiesongfics.

Fan Mail

June Prompt: Song By Blondie | Word Count: 876 | Rating: T | Characters: Steve, Robin, Eddie | CW: Language | Tags: Future Fic, Canon Divergence, No Upside Down, Steve "I'm a Big Fan" Harrington, Platonic Stobin

For a song by Blondie, I picked Fan Mail.

The crumpled ball of paper hits the wall, banking off and falling straight into the trash can. At least his aim is good, even if his writing isn't. Steve looks up at the poster over his desk, and sighs. He's fucking pathetic. Seriously, is his plan really that he's gonna write Eddie "The Freak" Munson with some, what, fan mail? Yeah, that's a great fucking plan. 

Hi, remember me? We went to high school together. I was a bit of a dick, but I'm hoping you've forgotten that. You're pretty hot up on that stage. Call me.

Yeah, right. 

He's definitely aborting this mission. It was a stupid idea, anyway.

A few weeks later, Steve pulls a stack of letters out of the mailbox. Bill, bill, junk, junk, bill…and then his stomach drops with dread. A red envelope, with the Corroded Coffin logo drawn in the corner, where the return address should be.

What the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck?

Steve takes it to the kitchen counter and sits it down, filled with dread. He didn't lose his mind and actually mail one of those goddamn letters, right? Surely he'd remember doing something as unhinged as that. 

He wants to open it, but he also really doesn't want to know what's inside.

So, it sits. For an hour, a day, a week.

It sits until Robin swings by one day, and picks it up like the Nosey Nellie she is, "What's this, dingus?"

Steve reaches for it, trying to grab it from her grubby little hands, "Nothing!"

"It doesn't sound like it's nothing," she crows, and holds it behind her back. 

"Robin, give it to me," he warns, low and pissy. If he opens it, it's gonna be on his own terms. And that's a big if. As long as he leaves it alone, he'll never have to know what's inside. Good, bad or ugly.

"Why haven't you opened it? Maybe it's important," she says, "maybe it's from Eddie."

And he knows. He suddenly knows exactly what's happened here, and he's gonna kill her.

"What the fuck did you do?" he asks, eyes narrowed.

"What you were too chickenshit to," she says, and she presses the envelope to his chest.

"Goddamnit, Robin," Steve says, feeling embarrassed and sick, "they weren't, I wasn't, ready."

Robin's eyes soften, "I know you, Steve. You'd never be ready."

She's not wrong, she's not, but still. She shouldn't have done this to him. It could be classified as a hate crime, he's pretty sure. And maybe even tampering with the U.S. mail. That's a federal offense. He could have her prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"Quit daydreaming about my demise, and just open it. Then you can kill me if you need to," she says, and he nods, sliding onto the stool at the counter. 

He slides his thumb under the flap of the envelope and tugs, ripping it open, pulling out the letter. When he unfolds it, two tickets fall onto the counter and Robin reaches for them, and he just lets her. 

And he reads. 

It's short, and funny, and not as embarrassing as he'd feared. Eddie seems happy to have heard from him, and the two tickets are an invitation. It seems casual, but Steve knows better.

Holy shit.

He's actually made a fucking pass at Eddie Munson, and he seems to have made one back? What is happening right now? For real. 

"Well?" Robin asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet, impatient. 

"He invited me, us, to their show in Indy next month."

"See? I told you it'd be fine, dingus," she says, and he nods.

He spins on his chair, to face her full-on, "What version did you send?"

Steve suddenly needs to know how embarrassed he needs to be right now.

"The least stalkerish one, I swear," she says, "and I included a note from me, so he'd know, you weren't exactly aware it was being mailed."

That's probably more embarrassing, he thinks. Like he was just sitting there, pining, like a fool, and his best friend had to intervene.

Eddie must think he's the fucking freak, now. 

The tickets are good. Really good, Steve has suddenly realized, as they stand right next to the stage. They aren't front and center, more off to the side, but still. Right there. Front row. Where Eddie will definitely be able to see them, and know they came, if he just looks down.

And he does. 

As soon as he hits the stage, he comes right to their side, squats down, and reaches out to hand Steve something. Steve's frozen, eyes locked on Eddie's, so it's Robin's hand that reaches out and takes the folded up piece of paper he's offering.

Once Eddie's gone from in front of them, taking his spot center stage and getting the show started, Robin is unfolding the piece of paper. 

Steve leans over her shoulder, and it's dark. Nearly too dark to read, but it's fan mail. Right back. Talking about how he'd always liked looking at him, too, back in high school.

That he'd like to look at him a little bit more after the show tonight, if Steve is interested.

Oh.

Steve is definitely interested.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiesongfics and follow along with the fun! 🎶

[milkywayes]

Thinking about Garrus again and how much I appreciate his character, his development, his search for perspective and how it shapes his relationship with Shepard.

He always wants to do the Right Thing, as in Achieve X Positive End Goal, but the way there is so murky to him. So tough to navigate, to visualize. He likes when it's clear and when it's simple, but it simply never fucking is, so he has to Think It Through. And he simply cannot trust anyone else to do the thinking for him. He can't trust them to value the Right Thing as much as he does. He can't trust them to want it as badly.

and then, ENTER SHEPARD STAGE LEFT, and finally he finds someone that he can trust. With all of it. He can Tell she wants it just as badly, but the difference is, she seems to also have an idea of how to get there.

I've seen people complain that he has no backbone and just agrees with whatever Shepard says, and it's like… they don't get it. He needs someone in his life who he can trust to think things through with him, to meet him where he's at and to engage in good faith. She is the Only person he would ever cede to, the only authority he'll accept, because she has proven herself to care just as much as he cares.

(As a side note, that's also how I view his infamous elevator talks. He's not approaching these conversations closed-mindedly even if his word choice is often lacking or people take offense to his straight-forwardness. As I said, the path is murky for him. He's asking because he genuinely wants to know. He's practically desperate for another point of view. He wants to understand.)

He's the only character who constantly asks Shepard for her opinion on things, on morality issues and approaches and how she'd navigate all the little pitfalls that line the road to Justice. And over the games he recognizes that even this lofty end goal is anything but simple, and it's shaped by how they get there. He doesn't talk these things through with her just to follow her direction like a soldier following orders. Him accepting her response, no matter what it is, is him respecting her so much and believing so much in her true desire for achieving Justice - it's not blanket agreeing with her.

This happens so often in ME3: he'll ask, and she'll respond, and he will accept her answer without judgement, but you never hear him say "you're so right, o my moral compass". He's just mapping the path that's ahead, and he takes her opinion as much into account as his own, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have his own or that it always aligns with hers. He wants the full picture, and at that point, he is humble enough to know that his opinion is subjective, so he needs more points of view and more intel, and there is none that he values more than Shepard's.

But it's not all for himself. They're both stuck in the same, horrible situation. He's asking her, and in turn she has to think about it and really consider all the pitfalls he's already identified but isn't sure how to approach. He's a safe sounding board for her. They think it through together, her as this unstoppable force towards the Right Thing, him as the one in the sniper's perch who sights the path ahead and calls out to her when there's a wall before she can run head-first into it. In the end, they're two people united in their striving for the same thing, two halves of a well-oiled machine. No Shepard without Vakarian.

[writerblue275]

Pet name headcanons for Jayce/Viktor

My first Arcane headcanon! I FUCKING LOVE THIS SHOW and I hate that it took me so long to watch it, but I can’t wait for next year for season 2!

Inspiration: A. Being a full simp for Viktor. B. Secretly also being a simp for Jayce (LMAO). C. Listening to the beauty that is the Arcane score.

Genre: Headcanon

Category: Fluff!!

Gender: Primarily Gender Neutral reader. Some of Jayce’s definitely are more gender specific but I can’t help but think he’d use them (as long as his partner was alright with it of course).

TW: Swearing because I have the mouth of a damn sailor.

Viktor

(The way this man had me in a CHOKEHOLD the second he walked on screen! LOML.)

Pet names for his partner:

Viktor’s intelligence and you think he’s using boring pet names for you??? Absolutely not.

Come now…you know him far better than that…this man is far too creative to be limited by "babe" or "baby" (no offense meant to anyone who uses those, I also use them for romantic partners so I get it).

Ok, maybe early on in your relationship as he was opening up to you, he used some simple classics. Ones like “my dear” or “honey.” These are the main ones he'll also continue to use in public. He's just a private person and I can't see him using any crazy pet names in public with his partner.

Once he’s settled into his routine with you in it and you two spend more time alone/on dates, he starts to have fun, seeing what reactions he can draw out of you with different pet names. (Viktor is surprisingly adept at flirting and playful teasing. It's that sharp wit. He's just so good at banter.)

He figures out the ones that make you smile and the ones that make you blush. Those are the ones he keeps.

There are a few “traditional” ones that Viktor keeps using for you because he loves how they turn your cheeks pink (especially when he says them with a cute little side smile, smirk, or chuckle).

“My darling,” “my love,” “my heart,” or “sweetheart” are the main ones in that category. (I feel like he is such a romantic under all that workaholic, he just needs to get out of the lab and LET IT OUT.)

Others would be cute, but unique. “My sunshine,” “my owl,” (if your sleep schedule is also fucked) “my sunflower,” “butterfly,” ”my flower,” "otter," or “birdie” would be some examples of what I mean. (LMAO Jayce is never hearing him call you any of those. Viktor is 99% sure he'd never hear the end of the teasing from his lab partner.)

If you’re also in academia/research/work at the academy, Viktor would teasingly call you “my most esteemed colleague” or if you’re in sciences specifically, “my fellow scientific genius.”

Pet names from his partner:

As you and Viktor get more comfortable in your relationship, he'd really come to enjoy pet names from you. He just needs to get used to the affection (I'd imagine he's not the most experienced with romance). I think he'd like the funnier ones earlier before the more romantic ones.

(For those in academia/research/at the academy) You and Viktor really weren't super open to other people about starting a relationship (neither of you felt the need to be, but like you would tell people if they asked).

In these early days, "My most esteemed colleague" was a cheeky way for both of you to very subtly announce your affection in public. (I have such a cute idea for a headcanon/drabble based on this oh my GOD.) Even though more people definitely know about your relationship, both you and Viktor still use the pet name when you walk into each other's lab/classroom/office.

When you go to try and collect him from his desk so he can take care of himself, tease him with "genius," "smarty pants," or "bookworm" (especially if you find him with his nose buried in his notes again).

Viktor is a fairly private person, so "honey" is probably the sweetest one you'd normally use in public. But if you do want to see his ears turn pink, feel free to throw "love" out there every once in a while.

In private? As I said, under all the genius is a romantic, so get as soft and sweet as you want.

It surprises him how much he loves hearing you call him "handsome." He's never been super vain about his appearance (though he always looks pretty put together), but knowing that you find him handsome makes him stand up a little straighter.

Just as Viktor uses "my darling," "my heart," and "my love" for you, he loves it even more when you call HIM those. It's the easiest way to drag him away from the lab when the teasing pet names above don't quite do the trick: Come up behind him while he's at his desk (obviously not while he's doing something dangerous), wrap your arms around him, and softly murmur "my love..." into his ear. You can visibly see his resolve break and you know you've won.

Love love LOVE the idea of using the Russian diminutive of Viktor's name: "Vitya." It makes a lot of sense for a romantic partner to call him that.

Jayce

Pet names for his partner:

Ok, so one of my best friends and I give Jayce quite a bit of shit when we text each other about Arcane (he’s a bit of a himbo, your Honor).

BUT I actually think Jayce would be a great romantic partner and the pet names he uses would be very sweet.

He’d definitely use the classics like “baby” or “babe” for you. I don’t think he’d go mushy classic though (think “my darling” or “my love”). But "babe" and "baby" are definitely the most common ones he'd use when you two are out in public.

Can also see him using cute ones like “sunshine,” “shorty,” or “peanut.” (I mean hey, 6' (as confirmed by Riot) is a pretty good height.) Those last two are loving teases. He never means "shorty" in a mean way.

And when he’s about to envelop you in a hug (I imagine Jayce gives EXCELLENT hugs) he’d call you “squish.” Ex: “C’mere squish….” (When he gets home after a long day of being a councilman.)

“Sugar” or “sweetheart” are also on the table. This very big man has a very soft side. We even saw examples of this during season one.

Now that he’s put House Talis on Piltover’s social ladder, he’s understandably proud. What he’s done doesn’t happen often. Very rarely does high society make room for others to enter at all, and now he's the de facto head of Piltover's Council.

The fact you’re willing to stand with him? He’s honored really. But the way he shows it through pet names is interesting. It’s almost a little….teasing? But the intent is genuine. He never wants you to doubt that.

Here’s what I mean (Heads up: gender-specific language incoming): Jayce would smirk and call you “my lady/m’lady” (think Cat Noir’s nickname for Lady Bug from “Miraculous: Tales of Lady Bug and Cat Noir” and especially how he says it, which is often very playfully) or “m’lord.” He’d also use “(my) prince/princess,” especially when he buys you gifts. (I feel like he'd love to spoil his partner omg.)

Pet names from his partner:

Jayce LOVES when you use pet names for him. Honestly it makes him smile. And he loves how creative you’ve gotten with some of them.

Classics for you to use in public would be “babe,” “baby,” or “honey.” Simple and quick, definitely easy to get his attention with those.

If he’s ever talking about HexTech with you, feel free to lovingly tease him with “smarty pants” or “big brain.” (Please listen to this man talk about HexTech. It’s far more interesting than council shit.)

While Viktor is definitely running the lab now that Jayce is a councilor, Jayce is still the face of HexTech (and Piltover’s “Golden Boy” <- call him that to tease him btw), so he’s the main one who tries to secure funding for the lab’s future. This means rubbing elbows with Piltover’s elite and giving speeches at fancy parties and banquets. Honestly he kinda hates it. He gets really nervous beforehand, but, he’s very good at it. Only you and Viktor know about Jayce’s nerves in these situations.

When he’s successful at this schmoozing, use “superstar,” “hotshot,” or “you charmer.” (Ex: (After he comes back from a speech, you’re straightening his tie after kissing his cheek.) “Way to go, hotshot…I saw potential funders pulling out their checkbooks before you were even finished.”)

Ok listen, we’ve all see the forge scenes…Jayce Talis is physically FINE AS FUCK (though OSHA would have something to say about him being shirtless in there 😂). Being a house known for forging tools comes with its physique benefits, so feel free to feed his ego on this point.

He loves when you call him “sexy” or “handsome.” He does like knowing you find him physically attractive.

Whenever he calls you “shorty” or “peanut” feel free to fire back with “big guy.” (I just…Ex- Jayce: *pulls you into a hug and murmurs* “Hey peanut..” You: *smiles and murmurs back* “Hey big guy..” 🥺 FUCK that is just so cute to me.)

He may not call you “my darling” or “my love,” but he LOVES when you call him those. When you do, he is wrapped around your little finger and ready to do whatever you ask of him.

Thank you so much for reading!!

I had such a blast writing this and I’m sooooo excited to get into writing more stuff for Arcane because I really love the show. Shoutout to my bestie (mentioned in Jayce’s first section lol) for also loving Viktor and being excited to read my writing in all its draft-stages!

[nevermorgue]

ms hayley ! !! do you have hc's for how eulalie would interact with the misfit's cast? I feel like she'd get along with them all save for Montresor and will but I need eulalie content 🙏🏻

omg hiii. I think you meant to say annabel’s team because you brought up monty but I GOT YOU. I got you.

With Annabel

- Annabel finds her very odd. She is a bit bothered by how unpredictable Eulalie can be with her blunt words and tendency to not properly understand all social cues. Annabel Lee is a woman used to talking to people that are playing the game she is, so this is not something she is used to. - Eulalie is very perceptive, much to Annabel Lee's dismay. She notices when Annabel is mildly irritated by the way her eyebrows shift on her face. - Eulalie asks Annabel to give her doll curls like her. She does not (and cannot). - Annabel is horrified to see Eulalie putting two different tea bags into one cup. She wants to see what the flavors taste like together. - Eulalie isn't terrible at chess. Not on Annabel's level, but she doesn't mind playing against her. - Eulalie asks her one day why she's mean. Annabel simply responds with "Think me mean if you wish, I am simply surviving." Then Eulalie says something like "What is the point in surviving if you're all alone by the end?" She bites her tongue. She cannot tell Eulalie that she will never be alone as long as she has Lenore.

With Ada

- Honestly I think this could go both ways.

- Ada calls her creepy and finds her weird, but she doesn’t really dislike her company.

- Eulalie thinks she’s pretty! She likes touching Ada’s hair bow.

- Asks to borrow said hair bow. Ada only agrees because someone wanting to look like her NEVER happens.

- Ada is jealous of her singing voice.

- Eulalie mentions something about the length of the small intestine and Ada feels sick She just remembers an ax to the stomach.

- Eulalie tells her that she’s pretty a lot and Ada gets kinda mad bc she assumes Eulalie is lying to her because of her tone/the way she speaks.

- “Why would you think you’re not pretty?”

“Empty flattery will not get you anywhere with me!”

“It’s not empty. It’s quite full, really. You are pretty.”

- And she just struggles to believe it internally because compared to Annabel she doesn’t really feel pretty. But of course she just haughtily laughs and goes like “I know! Finally, you took notice!”

With Prospero - An unlikely duo. Eulalie is interested in his medical knowledge. He is mildly concerned about how much she knows about the human body despite having no medical career. - Eulalie's humming kinda reminds him of his mother. He'd rather die than say that. - She claims that he is mean too, but not as mean as Annabel. He takes mild offense. - She tries to curl a piece of her hair around her finger and put it in front of her face to copy his hairstyle. - Reading buddies. She'll blurt out a random fun fact about bones or something and he'll nod and add one of his own. Freaks. - Eulalie insists that when he's with her, all the "survival games" are set aside. She can tell it stresses him out. His hands tense up when he holds objects, and it's obvious even with the gloves. He's a jaw clencher too. With Montresor - As good as you'd expect it to be, really. - He calls her 'little miss' because she's anything but little. She literally would not care if it were anyone else but him. - He yanks at her sleeves because they're long and easy to grab. - "Why is everyone with great hair so mean?" "Aw, that's real kind of ya to say, little miss." "You’re horrible.”

- He tries to like intimidate her with close contact but she’s almost his height. Plus, she just doesn’t respond to that sort of thing.

- I think they’d be really interesting actually. He’s been compared to the devil, is considered demonic…and she has an interest in the occult. Imagine that.

With Will

- Honestly, not as bad as you might first think.

- She sort of pities him, but not really. He knows the choices he makes are bad.

- She’s happy to share things with him if he stares for a while. He’ll never dare ask for something, just kinda stare like a puppy until it’s offered. She won’t be cruel for no reason.

- She actually likes hearing about his writing journals.

- Will starts to instinctively study her face and body to learn how to become her even though he has no reason to. She can tell by the way he mumbles her words after she speaks sometimes.

- They’ll be sitting in silence and she’ll suddenly ask him what his loneliness feels like. Like uncomfortable questions that he can’t/doesn’t want to answer. But his reaction is enough of an answer.

- Allows him to turn into her so she can braid his hair.

[snshineandgnpwdr]

bluff

- Mitch x ofc!Dallie

- 650ish words

-Set sometime before s1. Some use of curse words. Dallie is a tall plus size woman, you decide what that looks like for you. Picks up where what are the odds? left off but you don't have to read that to read this.

Mitch is aware of Babe watching him, can feel the old man's eyes boring into his back and he subtly shifts his weight to block his view of Dallie and her folder full of bad news.

Because Mitch is also pretty fucking sure what happens in Vegas is damn well supposed to stay in Vegas. Not stroll into his bar three years later talking shit and waving around a goddamn marriage license.

"What is it exactly you think we need to talk about, sugar?" He asks, closing the folder and giving it a push back across the bar to her.

She stares at him like he's lost his ever loving mind and maybe he has. He knows he should agree to whatever she wants and be shut of it, but he's feeling ornery about her just strolling in his bar acting like there wasn't a point in time, even if it was only a few days, where she was really interested in this washed up cowboy.

"This dissolution of this sham of a union for starters?" She questions, tucking the folder back in her designer bag that he'd bet costs more than the bar rakes in on a good night.

"It should only take a couple days. I'd compensate you for your time and pay for your flights to Nevada and back home as well. Now that I've finally located you, I'd just like to put this behind me, ya know? No offense to you, of course," she smiles up at him. "I just don't think either of us expected to have to deal with this?"

But the thing is, maybe he's not completely surprised by the news. Maybe there's a possibility he'd found a cheap gold band rolling around in the bottom of his duffle when he'd gotten back to Oklahoma but he had his pops to deal with and even though she'd definitely made one hell of an impression, he'd never even gotten her last name so it wasn't like he knew how to find her and he kinda just pushed the whole thing to the back of his mind.

And yeah, okay, maybe he had snuck out of the hotel room while she was still sleeping so it's definitely his fault they're in this predicament, he'll admit that much but if he'd stayed any longer he was pretty sure he never would've made it back to Oklahoma. He would've just followed her right on to Reno like some lost fucking puppy and fully integrated himself into her life. And despite the fact that she seemed to really enjoy his company, he didn't exactly get the impression she was looking to shackle herself to a fresh out of prison, no prospects, down on his luck cowboy.

But now that she's here? And he's made a tiny little bit of something of himself? Well, hell, he doesn't have to make it easy on her to just wipe her hands of him does he?

"I appreciate that, honey, I really do," he drawls, propping his arms on the bar top and leaning in close. "But I could pay my own way. If I was going, that is."

"If?" she splutters, her eyes going wide in shock before she narrows them at him in irritation. "What do you mean, if you were going??"

"I got the bar to run for one, and I got my pops to take care of for another," Mitch smirks, pointing his thumb over his shoulder in Babe's general direction. "I can't just up and run off to Vegas for a couple days."

"I know you think you're being real cute here," Dallie sighs dramatically. "But the jokes on you, cowboy. I don't have anywhere to be and nothing more pressing to do than get this taken care of so I hope like hell you've got a guest room where ever you call home because I'm not going anywhere until this is done and over with."

[lonelychicago]

16. someone's pulling a gun and you're jumping in the middle of it

If it sparks joy ☺️❤️

so i was in an angsty mood, hope you like it <3

They weren't at a call, they weren't supposed to face danger that day.

It's all Buck can think about as he stares down the barrel of a gun.

It's their day off and Buck had plans, alright? This was supposed to be the perfect day.

The perfect first date.

The restaurant is really fancy, with the most expensive wine that Buck has ever seen and all the tables looked like straight out of a historical movie or some shit like that. The menu is full of weird names, half of which Buck can't even pronounce.

But it's his first date with Eddie and he wants it to be just perfect. A night neither of them would ever forget.

He wants to show Eddie he made the right choice when he gave Buck a chance.

There's classic music playing in the background, the sound of piano and violins floating through the air and making Buck relax in his seat.

And then— there's a loud crash, one of the windows at the front of the restaurant breaking and pieces of glass flying everywhere.

For a second, Buck doesn't know what's going on. For a second he's just confused.

And then—

"Nobody move! I said nobody fucking move! A man in a mask is carrying a gun. His movements are erratic and fast, almost maniac.

Buck's heart clenches inside his heart.

Eddie makes a sound and then he's standing up. Because of course he is, Buck thinks— remembers the way Eddie didn't even flinch that time they were taken hostages by the prison guy.

"Eddie." He mutters, as low as he can as to not catch any unwanted attention.

It doesn't work.

"I said nobody fucking move!" The man yells and Buck— Buck watches as the gun is pointed towards Eddie.

The sense of deja vu pooling in his stomach is sickening and he wants to throw up.

No.

Not again.

Buck moves before he can think twice about it, jumping over the table and placing his body in front of Eddie's, like some kind of human armor.

There's a loud gunshot, but the choked desperate sound that Eddie makes on the back of his throat might be even louder.

Buck feels himself falling to the ground and then Eddie's face is above his.

"Evan! What did you do? What have you—" Eddie is frantic, his hands shaking and hovering above Buck's body.

He frowns.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Buck asks.

Was Eddie shot?

Please God, not again. Buck can't go through that again.

"W-what?" Eddie laughs, but it's sharp and bitter and there's not a trace of humor in it. It's hysterical if anything. "No, I wasn't shot. You got in the way of the bullet, you idiot." He choked out and he's— He's crying.

Eddie never cries.

The last time Eddie cried he was broken and on the floor, hugging a baseball bat.

That was two years ago.

"E-eddie?"

And oh.

Oh

Eddie presses down on his abdomen and Buck feels it.

"Shh, it's okay, baby. Just— Don't talk. Don't— Hold on for me." Eddie says, his voice trembling and his tears falling down his cheeks and into Buck's face.

Buck mouths something with trembling lips but no sound comes out— just a garbled noise.

Buck can taste the blood. His own blood.

Well, that's not good.

There's a lot of background noise, screams and orders being yelled but none of that matters.

If Buck dies right there, he'll do it as he stares at Eddie.

"Hold on for me, baby. Please. Please." Eddie is begging above him and Buck wants to listen to him.

But he's so tired.

A weak hand comes up and reaches for Eddie, his thumb caressing that beauty mark under his eye that Buck loves so much.

He leaves a trace of blood in its wake and that's—

He tainted Eddie.

Buck wants to apologize but he can't speak. He can't breathe.

"You have to stay awake, baby, okay?" Eddie is saying above him. "You have to hold on for me. So then you can take me on another first date— no offense but this one really fucking sucked." Eddie lets out a wet chuckle. "So we won't count this one. We'll go on another one and that one will be our first, alright? And then you'll have to take me on a second one. And a third one." Eddie says and Buck thinks that sounds like a good plan.

He likes the way Eddie thinks.

"Stay awake, Buck! Don't close your eyes." Eddie pats his cheeks a couple times and Buck's eyes flutter but he fights against uncociousness.

"W-what else?" He asks weakly, his words slurring and dragging and he's not sure if Eddie understood any of that.

But of course he did.

"W-what else?" Eddie's voice breaks but he has this small smile etched ln his face, fond and quiet and just a little sad at the edges. "Well, we'll have to let the team know about us... eventually. They all will be happy, of course. Hen will order a cake and they'll throw a ridiculous party but it'll be fun." Eddie's hand keep pressing against Buck's wound but he can barely feel it.

It doesn't really hurt.

That's really bad, isn't it?

"And then you'll move in. In a couple of months." Eddie keeps talking. "Is it too soon to talk about that? I don't think it is. We've known each other for years and this— this was inevitable, right? At least for me." Eddie's lower lip trembles. "Since the moment you shook my hand in the back of an ambulance and promised to have my back? It was a fone deal for me. I knew I would love you. I knew you would ruin me for anyone else."

Buck smiles, or at least he tries to. He's not sure if he pulls it off.

"Ditto." He rasps out, low and weak but he thinks Eddie hears it anyway by the way his eyes soften.

And then the darkness wins and Buck closes his eyes.

-

He wakes up in the back of an ambulance with his hand in between Eddie's. There's paramedics working around him but Buck doesn't care.

He keeps his eyes on Eddie.

His hair is a mess and his brown warm eyes are puffy and red around the edges. His clothes are stained red with blood and there's a trace of it on his cheek.

He looks—

Awful, Buck thinks. Eddie's skin is pale and ashen and the fluorescent lights of the ambulance aren't doing him any favors either.

And yet— it's the most beautiful thing that Buck has ever seen.

"Hey." He chokes out, the oxygen mask resting uncomfortably against his face and making forming words a little difficult.

Eddie grins, relieved and so soft, tender and adoring. "Hey."

[green-ray-blog1]

Dagger being a weird white mage

Back when I played FF9 for the first and second time, I was annoyed at how Dagger's a pretty clearly inferior white mage compared to Eiko. Eiko gets full life, esuna, dispel and holy, all awesome spells that Dagger just can't learn. I guess the idea is that Dagger has the more offensive summons but even then it's not like Eiko's summons are bad, and her final one is pretty op.

But replaying the game again, some of that is making sense to me. Dagger's pretty cool, really, and she's kind of a mess.

Like okay, the trope of the white mage who actually kicks grown men's asses appears in other Final Fantasy games. Aerith roughs up some dudes in Don Corneo's house, and I'm pretty sure I remember Yuna knocking out some goons offscreen in FFX. Dagger doesn't seem to hit the same notes, though.

I don't think she ever physically overwhelms another character during the game, which doesn't stop her from jumping from towers or ditching half of the party when they don't want to take her along. She also doesn't have the same kind of enthusiasm about her that the other two try to project. When I used to play FF9, I didn't pay enough attention to her name. She was just Garnet with a fake name, but it's more than that. Aerith and Yuna want/try to be world saviors, but Garnet, for half the game mostly wants to save her mother, and it doesn't go well. I think she feels overwhelmed by Brahne's dedication to go commit worse and worse crimes. So she needs to become something more than the princess bound by her social role. She needs to become something dangerous, like a dagger. Someone who will poison the fuck out of her buddies and run ahead if they don't take her to the frontline. Obviously, Zidane's into that edgy shit, I mean look at Blank (lots of potential slash I previously had no clue about with this one btw).

Dagger's also kind of entitled, for a while ? Which, duh, she's royalty. There's the whole poisoning incident, of course. But during said incident, she doesn't poison Steiner because she knows he'll do what she says, even if he might protest at first. Worse case she can just put her foot down and shut him up. She really does take Steiner for granted. And again, what I find really cool is that it ends up being pretty subtly written (maybe in part because it's often played for laughs but not just that). Steiner doesn't mind being taken for granted. It gives him purpose, even when it's tedious as fuck. It's interesting that they're never really that close and their relationship is mostly a power dynamic.

The first trip to Treno might have lots of layers. Both Dagger and Steiner are having some personal crises. Dagger gets really into the whole plot to rob someone to save Blank (she gets to be dangerous and edgy and rub elbows with bandits, and she doesn't even need Zidane anymore hah), which is a sidetrack from saving her mother, but it does feel right too (and at least that one is successful). Steiner keeps trying to convince himself that Queen Brahne must be right and he shouldn't think too hard about her motives, but gets stung by Baku calling him out for having no thoughts of his own. In French, he asks himself "Am I a puppet?", which feels more direct than the english version. And yeah, dude, maybe you are ? You're also being roped into all sorts of business you wouldn't do because you're at Dagger's beck and call. So when they're back in Alexandria, when he finally opposes Brahne, shortly after, he also decides to stop following her to stay and fight with Freya and Beatrix. In retrospect, maybe that was a well earned vacation for the guy.

But yeah, all in all, maybe I shouldn't be surprised Dagger isn't an S tier white mage, and is more into the big damage summons, including the horrific robot from another planet with a completely excessive animation that does darkness damage.

[emeritus-fuckers]

Hii

It's me again ✨

Could you write something about staying in bed and watching movies on a super cold rainy day with the papas(not just old nihil for once😂)? It's cold af today and my anemic self is suffering 🫠 and being delusional is helping yk💅🏽

The moment I saw your request, I immediately thought of Nihil. This one's short because I'm sick - Jez

Rainy days in bed with the Papas

Primo

He's not too much of a movie fan, to be honest. Manages to fall asleep during the darkest, goriest scenes purely because they don't really catch his focus.

He enjoys very few movies. His favorite is Les Miserables. Mainly because it's entirely sung.

He walks around and hums the songs later while working.

Prefers to read or solve crossword puzzles or sudoku and stuff like that. He enjoys reading to you or when you read to him.

Might bake with you if you ask nicely.

Will drape his robes over you if you're cold. And wrap you in a blanket.

Multiple blankets.

Makes you many hot herbal teas.

Acts more like a dad than lover on days like these.

Secondo

Gets a fucking headache. Cures it with whisky.

He might be a bit grumpier than usual, he's not a fan of weather like this.

Cuddle the old man, he needs it.

If you two decide to watch movies, he's gonna be really fucking picky about the movie.

He won't tell you what he wants, it's just a matter of you listing titles and him saying no to every single one of them until you finally find something he's willing to watch.

He probably picked something completely stupid, but absolutely not admit the movie is shit.

The movie totally was shit.

Terzo

Bro's gonna take it personally if you decide watching movies is more important than he is.

It's a rainy day, one of the very few days he gets to only pretend to work instead of actually working!

And you wanna watch a movie instead of doing other fun things? Really?

Don't get me wrong, he's fucking soft for you, he'll give in.

Will do some light groping from time to time as you cuddle.

If you tell him to stop or that you're uncomfortable with it, he stops and apologizes. He's pervy, yeah, but he's not a fucking creep.

Lots of kisses and hugs! He's touch starved!

Copia

Copia loves movies! He's got a full collection of his favorites waiting for days like that, just so he can cuddle with you and watch them.

The only one actually focused on the damn movies.

And the only way to distract him is to start touching him.

It's like a little game for you, how much he'll squirm and try to focus on the movie until he gives up watching and gives in to you.

Might get pouty afterwards of he really liked the movie.

Loves to play video games with you on days like these. And he has a perfect excuse, too! What else are you guys supposed to do, after all?

Unlike someone (ekhem, Terzo, ekhem), he's fucking sane about it.

Old Nihil

Only picks ancient movies from his youth that no sane person ever heard of.

And it's the most ridiculous movie ever, something that would totally get cancelled for being offensive nowadays.

If you tell him you don't like it, he might give you some shit about you not appreciating good movies.

Make a cute pouty face at him and his opinion changes completely.

In the end, he lets you pick the movie. Spends the entire time staring at you, dreamingly unless he's startled by a loud noise from the film.

Forgets about the noise within three seconds, goes back to staring at you. Fucking simp.

(The day I don't call Nihil a simp is the day I die)

Young Nihil

Kinda like Terzo, not interested in movies in the slightest.

Way more of an attention whore, though.

Literally whines about you liking a movie more than him.

And he whines like... A lot.

Enough to give up to movie idea completely.

He's gonna have a shit eating grin on his face when he "wins" your little argument.

And he will win. Kinda.

You get upset with him and don't talk to him for a few hours until he makes a joke that he actually kinda likes it.

Smack him and he's gonna laugh, claiming he knew that would get a reaction and that it was planned.

It was not planned, he's just a jackass who doesn't think before opening his mouth.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S03E04 - Under Pressure

And that is literally.

Charlie: *"casually" drops that he's a dive master because he thinks this will make him look cool* Sarah: *treats this information as teasing material* "So, are we talking higher or lower than a Jedi?"

He caught Covid, didn't he? Unless some writer got inspired by zoom meetings.

"Why don't you do that with groceries?" Oh, so it's not enough that he solves every case for you?

One more explosion.

Charlie having some trouble with the board. Rex is missing Jesse.

"Jesse I am not." "No, you are not." And then they flirt shamelessly.

Joe: "They were responsible for the bombing last year of the Canada Pipeline which successfully resulted in a 12-month delay of the project". Sarah: "Thank god". Joe: *exasperated look* Sarah: "That we're finally going after these hoodlums".

This scene is so funny because Joe is like, do I have an ecoterrorist supporter on my hands, while Charlie is just amused and somewhat proud.

Millennial shade. Tread lightly, Joe.

Rex just recognized someone's personal handwriting from the way they were dotting the "i"s. Everyone is fired. Rex takes over everyone's jobs.

Sarah: "You're getting pretty good at that". Charlie: "Yeah. Who needs Jesse?" More flirting.

Sarah: "And you can see how it's by a thermocline". Charlie: "Oh, am I expected to know what that means?" Even more flirting!

"Who needs a warrant when you have a Rex?" No, Charlie. We're trying to change our ways, Charlie.

You can call her a geek all you like but we know you're into that. Charlie is getting turned on by Sarah explaining scientific phenomena because that's less weird than him saying that Sarah is sexy when she's trying to intellectualize an irrational fear (S5).

So, this is about gun smuggling now?

"Please, kind sir, will you tell us what you know?" When everything fails, send in Rex with the puppy look.

"If I ever go full eco-terrorist, I am so working for Barry". Okay but you're currently at a precinct working for the police. Also, Charlie's open fish mouth reaction is hilarious.

The guns are coming from the US. That I can believe.

Time to dive!

"I'll be back". Famous last words.

Rex doesn't like this at all.

"Charlie's a dive master, I'm pretty sure he'll be perfectly fine". Unless another master is trying to murder him underwater.

I really thought he'd stabbed him the first time I watched. Sadly, no.

"Like hell I'm gonna sit there and listen to you about where Charlie should and shouldn't have been while my buddy is in trouble. Adios!"

No offense to Joe, but I'd have wanted Sarah on that. For maximum angst.

"I think you owe someone a trip to the butcher shop, get him a t-bone". He owes Rex a million t-bones at this point.

I've read a fanfiction in which Charlie gets the bends from surfacing too quickly, which is probably more realistic than what happens here. Fun whump stuff.

"You know when you left me to die down there, it was indescribable fear. Worst way to die. Only thing worse would be knowing I was going to be behind bars for the rest of my life because my plans were ruined by a dog."

We're getting deep into what I call Charlie-trauma episodes, by the way.

"I'm glad to see you alive". Instead of in the morgue, you mean. Why didn't she hug him? This episode is a failure. (Just kidding.)

I've watched the episode like fifty times and it's the first time I'm noticing Jesse's costume has a J? And of course Jesse would want to go to Comic Con. Let the nerd live.

Fun experiment: Show these screenshots without providing context to people and ask them what's happening in this scene. I'm sure the answers won't even come close to "she's trying to convince him to help clean up the ocean and he wants to hear her call him 'dive master'".

That was a lot of flirting. And some whump. Favorite ingredients for an episode. Featuring a very different Rex save.

[privateanxieties]

forget my mercy, take my blame (chapter 6)

Summary: David has a conversation with you that Frank most definitely did not approve of. But, what Frank doesn't know won't hurt him. Right?

Words: 2.3K

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | SERIES MASTERLIST

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David needs to tread carefully. The last time he did something like this was when he talked to Madani behind Frank's back, and Castle let him know what he thought of him in no uncertain terms. It nearly ended their friendship. A repeat experience might actually entice Frank to drive back to New York just to communicate his feelings about this second subtle betrayal. 

Okay— so maybe he's being a snake in the grass. But if being a snake means he gets to avoid Frank walking into a silent trap and prevent her from getting herself killed, then David will slither right along with a clean conscience. It doesn't mean he won't be a little nervous when he has to break the news to his friend, but he'll cross that bridge when he gets to it.

In the meantime, he repeats the information he wants to relay in his head as the phone rings, much like he would for a doctor's appointment. 

After the fifth ring, a whooshing crackle floods the speakers, and a quick glance at his third monitor reveals the phone is still on the ground. He's getting clear blue skies and tree branches through the frontal camera he surreptitiously activated. 

"Hello?" he says, and if his voice wobbles just a bit, he chalks it up to not having done this in a while. Truth be told, he was almost as nervous to do it to Frank for the first time, back when he was trying to get them to team up. He suspects nothing of the sort will be happening here. 

"Hellooo? Are y—" 

"Let me see you or I hang up."  

He freezes at the sudden command. Shit. No. No, absolutely not. He's not turning on the camera. Play dumb. 

"This isn't that kind of call—"

"You have ten seconds."  

Fuck. 

"How did you—" 

"I changed my mind. Five seconds."  

Fuck! Jesus Christ, Sarah was going to murder him herself. Time runs out and he resigns himself to his fate, granting permission to his video feed at the last second and instantly cringing at the mustard-stained shirt staring back at him in high definition. For a while, things are silent. Then, a full-blown sigh is released through the speakers as the woman comes into view, having finally picked up the phone. She looks a little worse for wear with the sun beating down upon her, but David can't make out too much detail in her face. It's a poor connection on her end and a shitty camera, mostly because the phone was built for durability more than anything else. 

Silence ensues again as they stare each other down for a few long moments. David blinks first. 

"Are you going to say anything? Because—" he begins, but is interrupted yet again. 

"Are you his sidekick? You look like a sidekick. The nerdy type, obviously," the woman says. David takes immediate offense, yet he finds that in this instance, he kind of fits the role she assumes of him. He's got monitors for days both in front and behind him, and the newly acquired pair of glasses he hasn't gotten used to rests uncomfortably on the bridge of his nose. He has to admit he looks the picture. Still, he protests. 

"Frank doesn't do sidekicks. And anyway, I'm more of a guidance system. He'd be lost without me. So, not a sidekick," he chides. Even with the shitty connection he can tell she isn't impressed. 

"Yeah…" she says, sounding pretty bored to David's ears. "…To be honest with you, I don't care. I want you both to leave me the hell alone. Figure you can use your guidance system to get lost?"  

David resists the urge to roll his eyes, though a snort does escape him. 

"Trust me, this wasn't my idea. I think you might want to listen though, before you make any more wise choices, yeah? Because right now, I'm your only chance of avoiding a bullet," he warns. 

"Is your friend looking to return the favor?" she asks. David balks at the misunderstanding. 

"What? No! Not from Frank. You know, I don't think you've realized yet that he's actually trying to help you. I mean, okay— He's not the most friendly-looking guy, but he means well. And I don't think he blames you for shooting him, if you were worried about that." 

"I wasn't." She moves some hair away from her face, seeming to gaze at something in the distance. "As for helping me, nobody asked him to. If he gets involved again—"  

David takes the chance to interrupt her this time. 

"Did you kill Collins?" 

An amused smile subtly lights up her face. 

"I'm sorry, who?"  

"Come on, we both know what I'm talking about." 

"You expect me to admit to murder over FaceTime?"  

"You think I'm recording this?" 

"No, no. I trust you, stranger who knows my name and location."  

David's eyes roll back until they hurt. And he thought talking to Frank was like herding cats. He decides he's fine with being accused of having no patience; he has to break through her unbothered exterior somehow, and letting her know the depth of the pile of shit she's in might be a good start. 

"There's an APB out for your arrest in Apolline County." 

It feels like entire minutes pass as he studies her features, though in reality it can't be more than a few seconds. David thinks he sees a hint of the emotions she ought to be feeling, but they disappear as soon as they come. She reverts to impassivity, but at least now he knows it's a carefully constructed façade. This isn't unlike someone else he knows, and he dreads to think what other points of congruence might be found between them. To his trained eye, she and Frank are pretty similar. 

"Hm. Well that's handy. I was just about to turn myself in."  

Morbidly similar. 

"You're going to the police?!" David sputters, incredulous. 

"The police went to my house. I'm just paying it forward," she replies, and it's at this point that David wonders if he shouldn't just let her and Frank figure it out themselves, because this kind of stubbornness will never be reasoned with. 

"You're walking into a trap, is what you're doing," he mutters, watching his screen for any pending alerts. He needs a new approach to this entire conversation. He needs to stop wasting time. 

"Not anymore, now that you've told me they're looking for me."  

David thinks talking to a wall might actually result in a more fruitful exchange. Jesus Christ. He slams a hand down on his desk in frustration. 

"No, you don't understand. The arrest isn't based on a warrant. No judge issued one. It means the police are trying to find you without anyone knowing it if they do. That's why they didn't broadcast it beyond county lines. They don't want anyone asking questions. They're luring you and you're giving them exactly what they want." 

"And why exactly are they luring me, if you're so knowledgeable?" she drawls, leaning against a tree. 

"Personally, I think it might be because you did exactly what Frank warned you not to do," David snarks. 

"What's that?" she asks with a sigh. 

"Uhh… Starting a war with a drug cartel because you killed their boss' little brother?" 

Silence.

Prolonged, extended silence. Laborious. Heavy. Poignant, if David may say so himself. 

"He did tell you that, didn't he?" 

Extremely poignant, apparently.

.

.

.

.

.

.

In retrospect, you did hear something about a war coming out of Frank's mouth right before you shot him. The information had not been this concise, unfortunately. Perhaps his nerdy friend should've been the one relaying all the details from the beginning. Perhaps you shouldn't have shot him like a spaz just because he blocked the door , your conscience objects. Eyes rolling back into your skull, you ponder the inconvenience-turned-potential-disaster while the phone waits inside the van, urgency be damned. With your head leaned against the tree bark, you quietly wish for that clarity you had just hours ago to return. Could things be better? Maybe, but that's neither here nor there. Could they be worse? Definitely. Regardless, the future is the only thing you control. 

A bird's eye view from an omniscient being would be nice to have. Instead, you're weighed down with hindsight and nothing else, much like the never-ending video loop of past events. You know what happened and in what order, but you can't intervene. The what-ifs begging to be factored into your reasoning are harshly buried. You've been down this road before, and those questions only serve as a distraction. You're not very interested in avoiding reality at the moment, particularly when your mouth is parched and you're showering in your own sweat under the Utah sun. 

A few more hours to go until dusk and you're stuck in a random patch of woods, theoretically armed to the teeth but realistically fucked in more than one capacity. Fresh off a murder. An APB for your arrest that only a couple of police stations know about, both under the Sheriff's jurisdiction and command. A home that was broken into by that very Sheriff. Location and name known to a very talkative and weird stranger, who appears to be friends with a not very talkative, even weirder stranger. Micro and Frank , a perfect comedy duo. 

So here you are, realizing how complicated the situation is and immediately resentful of the fact that you agreed to work with someone who has clear leverage over you. Around you, the woods are pretty quiet, not that you're very deep inside the tree line. You can still spot the road ahead if you peer around Frank's van, and it's still just as empty as you knew it would be on a Sunday afternoon. The occasional supply truck traveling between towns doesn't really amount to much traffic. There are no birds chirping or leaves rustling, because everything is either dead or dying here. You don't intend to become one with the scenery of godforsaken Utah, so just this once, you ate your pride. It went down worse than a dry-swallowed pill. Well, at least now you know what Sam meant by 'my brother's going to kill you'. Actually, you think he might've said 'fucking kill you'. A small chuckle tickles your parched lips. Sometimes you just have to learn to find these things funny. 

Agreeing to follow Micro's instructions is most definitely funny, considering your general inability to do as you're told. The contents of his plan are also hilarious in and of themselves: leave Apolline and never look back, keep the phone with you so he knows when you've left the state entirely, and in exchange he'll pretend he lost your trail when his friend asks about you. 

In all honesty, you're not sure what their deal is. Why Frank is eager to get in your way and his friend is willing to lie to ensure that he doesn't is just another one of life's little mysteries. One thing, however, is no mystery: you don't want to cross paths with the man you shot, grudge or no grudge. Leaving suits you just fine from this perspective, but from another, doing as Micro said is completely at odds with your whole life philosophy. You're not looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, and that's exactly what you would be doing if you cut your losses and left. You could've done that back in the desert, but you didn't. You came back for a reason. 

O'Hare was inside your house. It doesn't matter that you were never going to live in it again after what happened. He invaded your space. He was looking for something — apparently, that something was indeed you. An inelegant snort falls from your lips. He wants to arrest you? You can only imagine his line of thought: someone murdered an old woman on your porch, so naturally you're the only suspect. He's probably under pressure from the mayor to find a culprit, what with elections coming up. Nobody's been murdered in Apolline since the late 2000's. You know. You've checked.

So what’s a girl to do in this mess? Could you run and never be found? Probably. 

Are you going to?

…

Another chuckle, much fonder this time, really accentuates your thirst. It’s stupid to even pretend you could ever follow along with Micro’s plan, no matter how eager you are to never see his worse half again. You don’t run before business is wrapped up. It’s not something you even know how to do. If you’ve stepped on a little cartel’s tail, you’ll deal with that as it develops. And if the Sheriff is really looking for you due to misguided reasons, well… who are you to deny him discovery? 

Pushing away from the tree, you wince as your skin protests from the harsh imprint left by the bark even through clothing. You need to change, a thing you’d be able to do if you’d had the wherewithal to grab your duffel from the car before hijacking Frank’s van last night. Your house is too risky to go back to, but maybe a detour to the bakery wouldn’t hurt. After all, you can’t show up to the police station in your murder outfit, confident as you are that it won’t incriminate you. 

Before you do anything at all, though, you need to find a way around the agreement you just entered into. In order to get back into town, you need to lose the phone so Micro can’t track it and figure out your steps. It’s a problem that really gets your gears turning for a few good minutes, until you remember exactly where you are and what time it is. Sunday evening is precisely when two shipping trucks make their way into town with supplies for three different stores, and the road you inelegantly capsized by is the only one into and out of Apolline. 

A small smile finally curls the edges of your lips, and the invigorating effect of a good idea isn’t far behind. At the very least, there’s an upside to this whole thing. You really aren’t bored anymore. 

.

.

-to be continued-

A/N: A very late update because life stuff has been happening quite a lot lately. So, here we are. This really is the last chapter before a whole lot of chaos and before we meet Frank again. Trust me, he's gonna have a lot to say about these two scheming without his knowledge.👀 And he's definitely gonna rip David a new one for getting duped by her hehe. We'll get there, don't worry. I don't want to spoil anything, but I am excited to get to next chapter's events!

[alrightbuckaroo]

Hello 💗 Making a request for song number 3 or 51 for the Spotify drabbles 💗

Hi D! I'm going to go with 3, which is Stormy by Classics IV, because 51 is Romantic Homicide by d4vd and that's too sad a prompt, even for me! That said, Stormy is still quite sad in it's own way but I'm still gonna find a way to pull joy from it.

Austin, Texas is a placed that's been robbed of color.

That's what TK tells Carlos during due process. His lip is busted, he's fighting off a headache and his pride is still licking the wounds that Alex has left him with.

"Ever since I got here, I just feel gray." TK mutters out with a tired voice that's used to not being heard. Carlos' eyes soften, warm brown eyes displaying a poignant flare of sympathy.

As TK stands, knowing he's free to go, Carlos makes a playful remark to which TK feigns offense to. As he walks out the door, the flashing blue lights of cop cars the pass by seem more vibrant than they did before.

---

TK's doing something he's never done before - he's taking his time to fall in love. He's waiting to fall as not to hurt himself, as to not knock himself against the branches of reality on the way down.

He thinks it's different, but he's finding that he really likes it. He's opening his heart to a man who never plans to let it close.

Things are still a little grey, but then he'll look into Carlos' warm brown eyes and remember that there are sprinkles of hues if you just know where to look.

---

TK's hopelessly in love and he never wants to climb out.

He never wants to be cursed with that immersive shade of grey that shrouded everything when he first got to Texas.

He's hand in hand with Carlos at the farmer's market and shades of red, orange, and yellow have never looked so beautiful.

Everything's vibrant, sparkling as if it's the debut of a color TK's never seen before. Pale grey doesn't cast over everything the way it used to and TK's afraid to close his eyes at the risk of never seeing the world's colors this way ever again.

--

TK wakes up to a bed half full. He hasn't seen Carlos in weeks and he can't remember what the shade of blue truly looks like. He's been through a break-up before but this. This is different.

Outside is a pale grey sky that's all but ready to consume him. He tries to blame it on the winter forecast.

--

TK’s pulled from the brink of the death and the first thing he sees standing above him is Carlos. 

At first, he’s not sure if he’s truly alive or dead because he’s always thought Carlos looks like an angel. 

He breathlessly mutters a, “Hey, baby,” and he’s swathed in the warm that you can only feel in the arms of the one you love. TK grabs onto Carlos’ sweater and pulls him in even closer. 

TK thinks he’s never seen the color green look so beautiful before.

--

This morning, TK woke up in their apartment. He woke up and gazed upon the man he knows he'll always be able to call home.

Outside, it's forecast and the weatherman predicts there will be a light drizzle. Grey storm clouds are scattered across the sky, blocking out the sunlight.

TK doesn't mind, however, because when Carlos opens his eyes and grins at him, TK swears he can see the sunshine in his smile.

--

TK proposes to Carlos in the middle of the night. Moonlight splashes across the dark room, basking it in a brilliant white light. 3:18 in red numbers that seem especially lively display on the digital clock.

Carlos says yes and TK's certain he's never going to experience that pungent shade of grey ever again.

--

Gwyn's favorite song was Being Alive, a song in which the speaker asks for somebody to crowd him with love. For somebody to give him support.

At his wedding, Tommy, someone who's given him unending support, sings his mother's favorite song and it's almost as if he's stumbled upon the meaning. He looks around him and finds himself crowded with love.

He looks around him and his eyes are drawn to the array of colors surrounding him. Marjan's pink garb, Nancy's maroon colored dress, the gold of his wedding band and the white roses that he can't get enough of.

Austin, Texas was a placed that was robbed of color.

Now, TK feels like he's swimming in it.

send me a number 1-100 and i will try to write a short drabble based off whatever song that corresponds to in my spotify wrapped - you can read the other prompt fills here

[tiredpandaportfolio]

Hey-ho, go on and tell us about how much everyone in DMC swears and do include your characters!!

Oh bless you for asking me an easy one on a Monday evening lmao. I do have thoughts a-plenty.

---

Let's start with the least sweary of the bunch and work our way up.

Vergil is almost as obsessed with dignity and an honorable appearance as he is (or was) with power. Swearing is uncouth and very un-Sparda-like, in his opinion. The worst you'll get out of him is a highly threatning "You..." with a full gamut of implied swearing. Or something like "buffoon" or "cretin". He's entirely capable of digging through a thesaurus for obscure ways to insult people.

On the other hand, V will say "shit" when things truly are as dismal as they can get. Quietly, under his breath, but with pathos. Griffon does 90% of the swearing for him. And if we believe Griffon, Shadow does about 9% of the rest but he refuses to repeat what she says, claiming it's too vile. But it's Griffon, who buys it, right?

Now, Kyrie, sweet and lovely Kyrie is a master of the Precision F-Strike. She has the patience of the saints and she's raising three boys and a whole-ass adult child who swears like a sailor. So her moments of dropping F-Bombs are very rare, but always editorial. Kyrie however has the amazing ability to be insanely passive-aggressive when annoyed, all while being incredinbly pleasant... and capable of making "thank you" sound like "fuck you, you soulless bitch".

Roy, Tess' elderly, sweet familiar, has a patience threshold that reaches beyond the moon. He is the epitome of the unflappable, stiff-upper-lip Brit without being British. It takes a lot to motivate him to swearing, but get him there, and he swears quite heartily like a Scottish sailor... and not above employing long-dead languages. But do expect you to insult you on the sly or call you a "silly cabbage" which is somehow more insulting that being called, say, "fuckface", coming from a being as old as he is.

Contrary to his image, Dante swears surprisingly little. He needs to be made really, really mad to start dropping F-Bombs and again, his threshold is pretty high. Childish insults don't count, which is why he'll happily call some hapless demon "buckethead" and shit all over their skills in battle without swearing.

On the other end, Trish will swear only when inconvenienced, and mostly under her breath. She learned swearing from Dante and has become aware that a lot of Dante's swearing is incredibly childish and infantile and therefore cringe. Her association with Lady is definitely helping. She's more likely to laugh at someone than call their mother something unpleasant.

Lady swears when particularly frustrated, which is rather often. And much of the source of her frustration is Dante. Or demons. Or shenanigans that cost her money. Or hijinks that damage her equipment, which costs her money. The woman has many reasons to let it rip and she does. She's very fond of rude gestures.

Nero is the problem child, this kid will start swearing loudly and heartily at the slightest provocation and loves pissing people off by insulting their mothers. He's not very creative about it... yet... but he's getting there as he hangs out with people who know more swear words than he does. He's very good at stealth insults.

As angry and sweary as he is though, there is yet another level he can only aspire to achieve... and he pays attention.

The sweariest and most vehemently offensive of the bunch is Tess who makes up for her small stature and unassuming looks with a wellspring of vulgarity and cursing that is as deep as outer space. Piss her off enough and her speech becomes a constant, uninterrupted stream of vile swearing that can go on without repetition for 5 or 6 minutes in about 4 different languages. Nero is in awe of this woman and Dante winces when she suddenly goes off like a grenade. He is wholly convinced this is a matter of stature-- "She's tiny, so all her rage and spite and swearing gets super concentrated."

[spidey-bie]

I'm splitting this up into sections because there's a lot to go into here. Also y'all know about Ansi enough so I'm getting straight into the relationship. Not proof read if there's errors then no there isn't. Thank you to @the-cat-and-the-birdie for the questions.

Hobie & Ansi

–Part 1

Describe their relationship in 10 words or less.

Idiots who care for one another more than they think.

Describe their dynamic

There are layers to this. At first glance they give off power couple. When they're on site but not in a mission they're chaotic gremlins. But, when they're by themselves they're just two people who are so tired of living. Yet they're both gonna fight. It's gonna suck but they're both gonna keep going until things get better.

Quick! Someone asks 'What are you two? Are you dating?' - What do they say?

"Mind your business."

They will never explain a thing to anybody who they aren't close with if asked.

What's they're favorite way to spend time together?

Reading. They both love to just sit and read together. They'll read aloud to each other.

Hobie adores Ansi's reading voice. The way he changes his pitch for each character.

Her cheerful tone that she can somehow keep throughout the entire story. The way you can tell when a character is about to do something embarrassing because his nose just flared.

Ansi reads mostly sci-fi and fantasy because to him reading is an escapism.

Ansi enjoys Hobie's reading for many reasons (aside from the fact that his voice is so easy in the ears).

His deep and calming voice. The way he tries to hide or exaggerate his accent as he reads. The way he'll pause and take a long drawn out breath when he gets mad before he continues.

His smooth and steady pace is really relaxing. Ansi is fighting fight sleep every time. Hobie reads mostly memoirs or auto/biographies of important black political figures. For him reading is a means to gain knowledge and understanding about the world.

Are they romantic, platonic, sexual? A secret fourth thing?

Trying to narrow it down under any one thing is honestly offensive. They're just so loyally devoted to one another that the lines blur. Ansi will never trust anyone as much as he trusts Hobie and vice versa.

How long have they known each other?

2 years. (Hahaha so apparently they've known each other for 5 non-consecutive years.)

What song embodies their vibe?

It took so long to find a song that didn't use the word love in it. That was genuinely my only rule.

I Will by Mitski

I wanted a song that expressed the devotion that they hold for one another as well as their ability to be vulnerable with each other. To me this song is like them shouting "JUST LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU," back and forth.

Two Slow Dancers by Mitski

The main theme of this song is nostalgia. And I've found that the two of them share more history than what I previously thought. They both wish they could turn back time. It'd be nice to go back to when life was simpler but they both know that they have to keep moving forward.

(I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys was in the running too. )

Any nicknames for each other?

Hobie calls Ansi his/a Trickster and Ann

(like Anansi the trickster spider)

Ansi has tons of nicknames for Hobie.

So far she's got: Busy Bee, Bean, Paper Boy, Bie, Hobbs, and Princess if he's getting on his nerves.

What does a sleepover look like for them?

On a good night it's the two of them infodumping back and forth to one another. Or Hobie bouncing lyrics ideas off for Ansi to sing. Boring bland stuff because it's nighttime and Ansi has a sleep schedule that he likes to stick to.

On a bad night they're both lying in Ansi's full size bed drunk or high, spilling their hearts out to one another until either the sun rises or they both pass out. Sometimes they're just lying on the couch, Hobie in Ansi's arms silently sobbing.

What moment do they feel safest with each other?

Idk if this question is referring to a specific time in the day or a moment in their shared history so I'll say something for the first one.

Crime never sleeps and I don't think the two of them do either. I'd like to say nighttime but we all know nobody is getting any peace and quiet in the streets of Seattle or London at nighttime. So probably around dusk. Right before nightfall. Or at dawn when the sun is just starting to rise.

For some of these answers I just blacked out and it felt like they were speaking through me like dang. Y'all good????

Next | Third | Fourth | Fifth

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

AO3 Fics (2) Masterlist

part one

Cards Are Dealt - @ashtcnirwin (elivigar) luke/ashton E, 100k

Summary: “You wanna… date me?” he asks eventually, when the silence is starting to feel loaded. “I don’t date and even if I did, I definitely wouldn’t be interested in dating you. I’d say no offense, but… full fucking offense.”

Ashton snorts. “Don’t flatter yourself, pumpkin, I have no interest in dating you either. Actually, the thought alone is exhausting and a little nauseating.”

Clenching his jaw, Luke grinds his teeth and shakes his head. “Then what do you want from me?”

“Sex. I already said that.”

A story about wants and expectations branching out and evolving without the knowledge or consent of those they belong to.

dream makes the sounds (that carry me so far away) (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds luke/calum M, 36k

Summary: Luke's just got to California, on a trip to get away from his life for a while. Calum might be there for the same reason. When a chance meeting pushes them together, Luke might get more out of the four-week road trip than he ever imagined.

Eighteen (ao3) - boomercal luke/ashton E, 56k

Summary: Eighteen-year-old Luke is done putting up with his father and brothers so he takes his father's Corvette and credit card to track down Ashton Irwin. Who graduated a few years ahead of him and has a reputation for smoking, drinking and sleeping around; surely he'll be enough to make his dad meet his demands... right?

Energy Drinks, A Black Cat& Other Signs of Vampirism (ao3) - Headgehog_Louis007 michael/calum, luke/ashton T, 80k

Summary: "What? it's just garlic bread."

"Aren't vampires like.. I mean.. don't they not like garlic?"

A fic in which Michael is a vampire and every trope about vampires is wrong.

Green Light (ao3) - SpencerKnight ot4 E, 181k

Summary: Class is an age old concept--almost as old as the concept of human slavery, and in a world where buying humans is a standard behavior by those who can afford it, Luke's only hope as a member of the lower class is that he falls into the hands of a decent buyer--the hands of Ashton Irwin and his partners. Luke knows he has one chance to please his buyers or he risks getting put back on the market, but he's thrown for a loop when Ashton admits that Luke is the one that gets to call the shots. In an attempt to find security with the trio, Luke braces himself and gives them the green light to do whatever they want with him.

He had no idea they would refuse.

Heartache in the Director's Chair (ao3) - Emmybazy luke/calum T, 19k

Summary: Calum wants to make it as an actor. His world gets turned upside down when Ashton Irwin, the executive producer, casts him to play the lead in a movie with the famous actor, Michael Clifford directed by Hollywoods golden boy director, Luke Hemmings. Luke Hemmings' reputation of being cool, calm, and collected precedes him, so why is he treating Calum so oddly?

Or; Luke is smitten by Calum and Calum is oblivious. They make a movie.

interlude (ao3) - galacticsugar michael/luke T, 36k

Summary: As Michael positions his camera to capture a photo of the venue marquee, it suddenly hits him that Luke isn’t just a name on the sign. His show is tonight. He’s probably here, right now, somewhere in the venue, or at least nearby, maybe hitting up one of the trendy downtown coffee shops or jogging around the lake.

“Michael?”

…or right behind him. His voice sounds the same.

It's a hell of a feeling though (ao3) - thenewbrokenscene michael/luke M, 58k

Summary: [AU, actor/model Luke and musician Michael]

After a recent scandal and the subsequent publicity nightmare, Luke Hemmings doesn't need any more trouble. He's just trying to enjoy his best friend's birthday party. But who the fuck invited Michael Clifford?

kissing at the stop signs darling (ao3) - fffearless ot4, luke/ashton T, 7k

Summary: "I think, guys," Ashton says finally, and everyone is all ears. "We need to get away." He gives Luke's knee a quick squeeze. "Let me just get us some more milkshakes."

(Or where the boys hate how boring everything is and take a self-realisation road trip to help sort it all out)

let me love you - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) luke/ashton T, 10k

Summary: Luke Hemmings is a rockstar with a troubled past. He's struggling with an alcohol addiction and a career that's going downhill, but Calum isn't giving up on him. Calum suggests Luke a fake boyfriend to help keep the bad press away. That's where Ashton comes in, Ashton who is an embodiment of sunshine. Luke's hesitant due to his failed past relationships, but he agrees, because he knows this is what he needs to save his career.

Lost Hearts (ao3) - CliffordAffliction ot4 E, 177k

Summary: Ashton, Luke, Calum and Michael live in four different worlds in high school and each one of them is in love with someone who loves someone else. This can't possibly end well...or can it?

No Shame (ao3) - valiantnerd (arareads) ot4 E, 11k

Summary: Everyone makes wild offers and pleas as dirty talk, it just so happens that Luke has three rather giving bandmates who'll make every single one of his wildest dreams come true.

Even if—or especially when—it means fucking him on stage.

Scene 14 - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) luke/ashton, michael/crystal, roy/calum, kaykay/sierra E, 128k

Summary: It's one of the first lessons you learn. There’s a difference between performing and acting.

Actors are intellectuals; they’re poets with their expression and the way their voices hit the air. Performers, by comparison, are children, ignorant and too bright for their own good. No one wants to admit to being only a performer. If you’re anyone worth anything, you want to be an actor.

And Luke is not an actor, but Ashton is.

Or, the one where Luke hates Ashton but has to pretend to be in love with him for five months for his acting final except for the fact that maybe he isn't pretending anymore.

secrets no longer kept - @sup3rbloom (haveufoundwhaturlookingfor) ot4, luke/calum/ashton, michael/ashton T, 9k

Summary: Michael had only wanted to help when he decided to disguise himself as a beta. Their alpha was becoming stressed. Unfortunately for Michael, one slip up causes his mates to find out his secret. His mates react accordingly when they find out Michael's been an omega this whole time.

Somewhere in Neverland (ao3) - HeartnArrow luke/ashton N/R, 51k

Summary: high school lashton au where best friends, ashton and luke hook up at a party and everything changes.

The Bass Player (ao3) - boomercal calum/ashton E, 69k

Summary: It's his first big tour with his relatively newly joined band, opening for his favourite band in highschool. So what if he's always found the drummer hot, nothing's going to come of it, and it would unprofessional if something did happen.

the flatmate arrangement (ao3) - kaleidoscopeminds luke/calum T, 20k

Summary: Hi Calum/Poor Struggling Paralegal,   So I’ll be upfront with you. It’s a one-bed flat. I also live here. HOWEVER before you delete this and think I’m a freak, I work nights so I wouldn’t be here anytime you would be. You can have the flat exclusively from 6 pm to 8 am, Saturday night and all day Sunday. Understand this sounds like a bit of a crazy arrangement but I could do with the cash, let me know what you think?

Luke Hemmings (Poor Struggling Children’s Nurse)

A 'The Flatshare' AU

Tidal Wave - @ashtcnirwin (elivigar) luke/ashton E, 127k

Summary: “We talked about it before we went over to fetch you,” Ashton starts, “and Michael talked it over with Liz, and we decided that you shouldn’t live on your own for the time being.”

“You decided that I shouldn’t live on my own,” Luke repeats. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m an adult who can make his own decisions.”

Ashton smiles, but it’s thin and void of humour. “You’re staying with me for a while, Luke.”

A story about figuring out how to handle the difficulties life throws at you, on your own and with the help of loved ones.

Trapped Under Your Spell (ao3) - mariawritesstuff (orphan_account) luke/calum N/R, 26k

Summary: Calum opens his eyes and grins. From where he is, he can see Luke smiling down at him. The sun is shining from behind Luke’s head and from Calum’s position it kind of looks like Luke himself is the sun. Calum is momentarily stunned.

Or, A Hogwarts Cake AU where the boys are the boys and feelings are caught/have been there all along.

unlikely lighthouses (ao3) - asymmetric Michael/Calum E, 37k

Summary: In the middle of the North American leg of the ROWYSO tour, Calum builds a friendship bracelet and Michael starts to have dreams of another version of them

[susiephone]

@imdefnotvanessa thank you for giving me indirect permission to talk more <3

Fred: He has never been in trouble before in his life, he's every teacher's favorite and an all-around Very Nice Boy. He got detention for fighting and everyone is SHOCKED... until they find out that Fred was trying to stand up for a younger student who was getting bullied. Fred wanted to resolve things with words, things escalated, and Fred punched the bully in the face... and broke his own hand doing so. He instantly started apologizing and confessed the minute a teacher turned up to ask what was happening. He then started crying. Everyone who hears the full story is like, "Yeah, that makes more sense." Technically he should've gotten suspended for punching someone, but because he's such a nice, well-liked kid and it was a first time offense and he WAS defending someone, he got off with a week's worth of detention and a call home. He's in detention like "oh God I'm a CRIMINAL who has brought SHAME upon my WHOLE FAMILY" and everyone else is like, "First time?"

Shaggy: He's generally good at gym class, he doesn't mind the running or the team building games, but when he found out he'd have to play dodgeball, he said, with all due respect to the coach, he was Not Doing That Shit. He cut a week's worth of gym class and got two weeks' worth of detention in exchange.

Velma: She's pretty much singlehandedly pulling up the school's collective GPA, but cannot resist contradicting her teachers. This can range from "I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of Arthur Miller" to "You realize you are literally teaching us white supremacist rhetoric, right?" The latter tends to land her in trouble. Also has a habit of sneaking banned books into the school library where she volunteers, but no one can prove it's her and even if they could, no one's sure how to go about punishing someone for GIVING the school stuff. The librarian really likes her but can't do much to protect her from the less progressive members of the faculty.

Daphne: Her family's incredibly influential in politics and donates a lot to the school, so Daphne can usually skate consequences for texting in class, skipping class, showing up late, and turning in her work late. She's very friendly and charming but a lousy student. However, there's one very persistent first-year teacher who recognizes how smart she is and thinks someone needs to push her to actually do something with her intelligence and skills. This teacher is the one who likes Daphne best, but is also the hardest on her and the only one to give her detention, her parents be dammed. Daphne respects them for it and is usually willing to take it in stride, even as her mom threatens to make a stink about it.

Other ideas for this concept:

None of the kids like to say they "own" Scooby as he's obviously his own person, but legally he's Shaggy's dog and lives with him. (Fred lives in an apartment that doesn't allow dogs, Velma's mom is allergic, and Daphne's parents would never let an animal in their house.) However, they all share responsibility for taking care of him; Daphne paid for his license and registration, Fred comes over to walk him a couple times a week, and Velma brings him food from her place sometimes.

The fact that Scooby can talk is the world's worst kept secret. The kids TRY to keep it under wraps for his safety but it's not going well.

The kids gradually come to accept that something supernatural is going on, in this order: Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, and then finally Velma, who is still not convinced Scoob isn't an alien.

Daphne's father is a local politician now running for governor and it sucks, she's actively praying he'll lose. Her mom is a very successful lobbyist and spends a lot of time in DC. Daphne barely tells them anything about her personal life.

Fred's family is working class, his mom teaches at the school and his dad is a mechanic at a local garage. Fred works there too on weekends. His parents are super sweet and supportive.

Shaggy's parents are super chill, one of his moms is a mildly successful author who waits tables during the day, his other mom works as a dentist and is always on his case about flossing.

Velma's parents are both college professors, her mom is a lauded physicist and her dad's a historian currently on sabbatical to write a book. They love that Velma wants to follow them into academia but also encourage her to make friends.

The Mystery Machine is this ANCIENT RV Fred's uncle gave him for his birthday, Fred has been fixing it for ages and ages and it's finally in working condition again.

Daphne has a credit card but her parents can see everything she buys so the gang treats it as an "emergencies only" thing because Mr. and Mrs. Blake would NOT approve of her solving mysteries.

Only villains call Shaggy "Norville."

(Villains, and Fred's grandma.)

a scooby-doo origin story where Daphne, Fred, Velma, and Shaggy are all serving detention together and none of them (save for maybe Fred and Daphne) have ever really talked before, but they talk in detention. they have fun, they're bonding, it's a real Breakfast Club situation, and as detention ends they're walking home and they see a dog digging through the garbage of a local restaurant

he's big, but he seems sweet and he's obviously hungry, so the gang approaches him to see if he has a collar. Shaggy manages to get to him first, and the dog immediately takes to him, giving him a big dog kiss and cuddling up to him, but the dog seems to like all of them

upon finding he doesn't have a collar, Shaggy, scratching behind his ears, rhetorically asks, "What's your name, buddy?"

and the dog answers, "Scooby-Dooby-Doo!"

after a minute of freaking the FUCK out and asking each other "y'all heard that, right?" the kids decide to take the dog (who they immediately start calling Scooby-Doo, Scoob, or Scooby for short) home, and find that not only can the dog talk, he displays human-level intelligence and is easily frightened. when they ask where he came from, he doesn't seem to know, but when they walk past an old, abandoned shopping complex on the edge of town, he completely freaks out...and there are weird noises coming from that complex at night....and some suspicious sightings....

the first mystery they investigate together is the mystery of what in God's name is going on here