#honestly pony would’ve done it for free

[rinajjbp]

Hey, remember when I drew Ponyboy shaving Steve’s mustache?

[attorney-ramblings]

Okay, I have a fic concept living rent free in my head.

Miles has been helping Phoenix deal with the aftermath of his disbarment since the beginning, he pulled every string and called in every favor he could, and still nothing could be done.

He tried to assure Wright that things would work out eventually, that they would prove he’d been tricked. Wright had adamantly refused to have Trucy testify on his behalf, to lay the blame on her. Miles disagreed with the decision but didn’t push him on it, she was only a child after all.

As time passes, Phoenix struggles to make ends meet. He needs to go out and get a job but he can’t just leave Trucy alone in the apartment for his long hours. Upon hearing this, Miles reluctantly offered to watch her. He had not intended it to become a regular occurrence.

Yet here he was, slowly coming to adore the sweet and spirited girl. She was well behaved, and all around delightful. Of course she was a child still and sometimes he found her getting herself into trouble around the Prosecutor’s Office, however he’d never needed to scold her about something more than once.

He was careful about where he took her, often avoiding having her ever come near a crime scene. Whenever he had to go out investigating he would have Detective Gumshoe watch her for the hour or so he needed to get what was necessary.

Other than those times the girl was right by her side at all times, she asked a lot of questions when they were alone, about what was happening in the case. It was an interesting exercise for him, trying to explain the case to a child, he spared her any of the more gruesome details of course. He wouldn’t be held responsible for traumatizing her.

However, trying to explain the complex motivations of the human psyche for crime in a easily digestible manner had actually been a relatively helpful exercise.

Other times when talking to witnesses, she was mostly quiet, but sometimes she even landed up being helpful. Sometimes noticing speech patterns and little ticks that he would’ve otherwise overlooked. She was also amazingly emotionally intelligent, she covered for an area he was weak in, comforting others.

He had more than once, left the room for a moment to grab something just to come back and find her sitting next to a witness, them tearing up and suddenly ready to talk.

It was honestly incredible to him, and he found himself hopelessly enamored by this precious little girl. Phoenix often complained about how he spoiled her rotten, but he frankly couldn’t care less. It was payment for helping him with his work.

It was a few months after this pattern had started, and Trucy was skipping along behind him as usual. He needed to speak to a detective, so he was down at the station. A particularly peculiar case had just been set into motion and he needed more information.

Trucy wasn’t the type to wander off on her own, that had been a strict rule he’d implemented when he’d started bringing her with him places. She’d always been good about it, only ever getting lost in the madness once.

When he looked around and saw she was nowhere to be seen, he panicked. They were in a police station, surely she was safe, she had to be.

Except, often Police stations are filled with nearly as many criminals as officers, who knew what might happen if one broke out of their handcuffs.

It didn’t take him terribly long to find her thankfully, he heard crying in the distance, when he followed the sound, it seemed to be the voice of a child. Down a hallway and into a conference room, that was when he finally caught sight of her again.

Miles nearly shouted, he was sorely tempted to scold her for scaring him like that. However the moment he processed what he was looking at, the words died on his lips.

Trucy was sitting next to another little girl, she seemed slightly older than her, but only by a year or two. She wore her bright auburn hair in a side pony and she was sobbing, hysterically panicking.

Miles was all too familiar with that particular kind of terror, he made eye contact with the officer in the room and gestured for them to come closer.

“Prosecutor Edgeworth, I was a little worried when I saw your girl walk in here alone, everything alright?” The officer asked, she was a middle aged woman who mostly worked filing and desk jobs. She was always in the precinct, so she often saw them here.

He nodded curtly, “She walked off on her own while I was taking care of something, I’ll have a talk with her. I’m just glad she didn’t leave the station.” He looked back over to the two girls, Trucy was hugging her from the seat beside the the auburn haired girl. Trucy had given the girl her cape to wrap around her for comfort, and she was clutching it tightly and mumbling to herself softly.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She always seems to know when someone’s upset, makes it hard to be angry with her.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall for a moment. “Who’s the other girl?”

“Athena Cykes, the daughter of that astronaut that got murdered by the prosecutor. Surely you’ve heard about it… we don’t really know what to do with her. She has distant relatives from Europe we’re attempting to contact, but there’s some sort of hang up in the communications. It’s taking longer that we expected it to.” She sighed. “She’ll probably have to stay at the precinct tonight, I already offered to keep an eye on her. Poor thing.”

Miles did know the case, in fact it was the one he had just been assigned. Prosecutor Simon Blackquill confessed to the murder of Metis Cykes, the girl being the daughter of the victim.

Trucy finally seemed to realize his presence there and jumped in her seat, she scampered over to him and hugged his leg. “Uncle Miles! I’m sorry, I know you don’t like it when I run off, you just looked busy and I wanted to help her…”. She spoke softly for a child, clearly trying to be mindful of the young Miss Cykes.

“Miss, is ‘Thena really going to have to stay here overnight?” She asked the officer, looking deeply concerned.

“Sorry Lil Missy, that’s the way it has to be. She hasn’t got anywhere else to stay. Protocol would have us looking after her until she’s either put under the care of extended family or the foster system.” She explained, and Trucy glanced over her shoulder at the girl again. She had quieted down a little after Trucy gave her cape to the girl. When her gaze returned to Miles there were tears in her eyes.

“It’s so loud here though! ‘Thena has really sensitive ears, she usually wears these headphones when she goes out in public that her momma made for her. If she doesn’t then she gets overwhelmed really easily, and she doesn’t have them! She doesn’t even go to school at all because of it, even with the headphones.” Trucy had her fists at her sides and her mouth pressed in a determined line, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She can’t stay here Uncle Miles!”

The officer blinked, “She told you all that?”

Trucy nodded emphatically. It didn’t surprise Miles in the least… he looked over to the quiet trembling girl. He couldn’t help but see himself in her, traumatized, alone, having all of his decisions made for him by adults he didn’t know or trust. If what Trucy was saying is true, then.

He sighed.

“Trucy, stay with her. I’m going to see what I can do.”

[female-overlord-3]

Bring Them Home 12

The "Wild Pony" in the room ao3

Prev - Next

We discuss her so warnings for Maria being mentioned and also get some communication between Alex and Liz! Season 2 is done and now it’s time to see what I can use from it :)

They're all at Max's house again and it's somewhat decided on what to do about Maria.

"We've listed all the pros and cons but if we're going to be honest it's whatever we prefer to happen that decides this." Liz casts a glance at everyone seated in Max's living room, almost a near identical scene from a couple days ago.

Surprisingly it's Kyle who starts the conversation of if they should bring Maria in or not, citing he wouldn't mind and she was used at the Gala but she might react badly to the truth about Rosa.

Liz agrees with him but Michael, Max, and Isobel are still unsure.

Cameron isn't as close to Maria so she offers her unbiased opinion of waiting until after Noah and Caulfield is handled to tell her.

Max and Isobel share a look, Isobel more conflicted on the idea.

"I don't know if I can go through what I did with Liz, the guilt and having someone mad at me again. Not that DeLuca has ever liked me." She tries to joke but it falls a bit flat with the slight fear she feels at repeating that whole process again, even if she knows it wasn't really her who killed Rosa that night.

Liz takes her hand squeezes it. "I'll help. This time you'll have someone who knows what Maria will probably be going through."

"I'm tired of keeping secrets but if she decides to do something about it, I don't want to have the extra worry added to all the shit we already have to figure out." He looks to Max then Liz. "She'll want her mom to be healed but we don't know if Max can heal Mimi or what will happen if people start asking questions of how she got better so quickly." Slouching against Alex he sighs. "Plus this thing we almost started before Alex and I talked. I don't want to hurt her but if we tell her than she's gonna get hurt." Alex's arm comes around to hold him around the waist in comfort and he sinks further into his side.

Kyle makes a frustrated face and groans. "So most of us are fine with it but also don't want to face the consequences of what telling Maria will be. Great."

Alex has remained mostly quiet until Liz gives him a pleading look for support.

"Does the pros outweigh the cons? We'd gain someone else to help, who stays pretty well informed, can provide another safe place to meet up, is incredibly intuitive, and being a bar certainly helps most of us who'll need it." He sighs and takes comfort when Michael covers Alex's hand on his waist.

"But we don't know how well finding out the truth will go and as Michael pointed out, she'll want Max to heal Mimi. I'm also not a huge fan of adding another person who could get hurt or used by knowing."

"She still could. Wouldn't knowing the truth be better, being informed and aware."

Alex knows Liz is right but there's still this tiny small part that doesn't want to have Michael near Maria. Not yet, so soon after finally getting Michael. He feels eyes on him and tilts his head to the left to meet Isobel's.

"We should take a break, take 5 to think over what we want." There's a collective sigh of relief and Kyle, Max, Liz, and Cameron disperse.

Michael shares a look with Isobel before giving Alex a quick kiss to the top of his head and going to join the others in the kitchen.

Moving a seat closer, Isobel extends her hand.

"I've been working on not puking and being in physical contact seems to be the easiest way, just a splitting headache."

Alex eyes it before nodding, taking her hand and then they're in her mindscape.

You don't want to tell her.

Alex nods and looks down at his hands.

Not now. It's too soon. I don't want to see it.

See what?

That there might be love in her eyes when she looks at Michael. That she'll have that same hopeful expression I've had and would've gotten the chance to be with Michael because I was too scared that being with me would hurt him again. That one of my best friends would lie to me like that.

Time changes people Alex. We try to hold onto the past, to what we had but sometimes you need to let it go so you can move forward. You need to face it now or it'll rot inside.

A finger pokes his cheek and they're back, Isobel quickly digging through her bag to take a sip from the travel bottle of nail polish remover.

"Thank you. As much as I don't want to, I needed the push." Alex gives her hand a squeeze and cheekily gives it a kiss when he feels a familiar weight settle at his free side.

"Honestly if you had to fall for a woman i'm sure Iz would absolutely be your type darlin."

Alex, now more settled and lighter from his talk with Isobel, pulls a surprised Michael into his lap carefully.

"If we bring Maria in then I need her to know you're mine. That you're my home and we'll do what we can to help Mimi, to make sure what happened at the Gala won't happen again." He looks up at Michael with determined eyes and a set jaw.

"You and I will talk to her. We'll ask her if she wants to know the truth; now, later or not at all. It's going to hurt and be difficult but we've gotten through enough of those that we'll be fine." Michael lean their heads together and a sense of calmness helps settle them. "Right?" He asks.

Michael nods and bumps their noses together. "Right. We're tough and durable as hell Alex. We can do this."

There's a small cough and a couple seconds someone complaining.

"Isobel let us back in!"

Michael and Alex break from their moment and look to Isobel who's looking anywhere but them, face somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm saving all of you from sheer sappiness. You should be thanking me!" She yells back as everyone returns and takes a seat, Isobel going back to hers.

"Ew I can see what Evans means. You guys are going to be that couple aren't you." Kyle bemoans but the teasing smile he wears makes the pair shrug.

"I've finally got Alex so you bet your fancy doctorate I'm showing him how much I love him." A sloppy kiss to Alex's cheek makes the man snort as his hold on Michael tightens.

"Guess we're just making up for our lost youth."

Alex smiles happily as he looks around, feeling somewhat safe to be like this with Michael but pauses when he gets to Liz.

There's a pained look in her eyes and she opens her mouth to say something before snapping it shut.

"Liz you have the thing I asked for?" She quickly nods and heads to the kitchen, some things still ingrained after living most of your life with a person.

Alex pats Michael's leg and gives a more chaste kiss to his cheek before moving him off. Michael's eyes shoot to where Liz left then back to him, an eyebrow raises in question if he should go with Alex.

A shake of Alex's head and the soft smile tells Michael to stay and wait causing Michael to pout but nod as he slumps back into the chair.

"Tell them what we decided and see what everyone thinks, I'll ask Liz."

"Ugh always make me do everything."

Alex just grins as he makes his way to Liz in the kitchen.

She's pacing the back and forth along the island but pauses when she sees Alex.

"What's up Liz? You looked like you needed to talk." Alex asks when she starts pacing again.

"I- It didn't hit me til now. How I didn't even realize is insane and it's been literal days I've seen it!" She rambles before taking a starting breath and stands to face Alex, the look of stubborn determination telling Alex that whatever she has to say is going to be hard for her.

"I'm a horrible friend." The statement makes him blink, not expecting it at all.

"Okay… why?"

"Cause I didn't have all the facts and when Maria talked to me about Michael and how she felt- how could I forget she told me that Michael was Museum guy and that you were in love with him!" Liz's hands fly out and shes back to pacing, missing the shocked and hurt face Alex makes. "She said she felt guilty because they slept together and then found out who Michael was to you but I told her she shouldn't, that she has no control over who she falls for because what's life if we don't fall right?" Her eyes are starting to glisten with tears when she turns back to Alex.

"I told her if she had feelings that it was okay and I hoped she'd talk with you because we're friends but she hasn't has she?"

Alex shakes his head but tries to calm Liz down. "No she hasn't but it's not your fault, you were right. You didn't have all the facts and you were trying to give her advice."

Liz throws her hands up in the air in frustration. "Alex I literally told her it was okay to be in love with Michael even though we both knew how much he meant to you for the past decade."

She grabs his hand and stares at him with tearful remorse.

"I didn't know but now I do and the love you guys have is- it just pours off of you! It's like watching the sun rise into a beautiful new day and I could've damaged that."

Some of her tears have fallen but now there's a smile on her face.

"You're both so happy and you deserve to be this happy! I've only gotten to really know Michael recently but the way he looks at you and how much lighter he seems, it's incredible."

Alex is somewhat speechless, mind still trying to process the good and the bad.

"So as much as I want to tell Maria and include her, for us three to band together and work toward being best friends before everything went to hell, we can wait til you feel comfortable. If you want to talk to her just about Michael then do. If you need me or want me to do it for you I will. I'm done being a shitty friend because you Alex Manes don't deserve shitty friends."

All Alex can do is bring her into his arms for a tight hug. He realizes now how much he's missed Liz, how fierce a friend she's always been even during those trying times of her being with Kyle then leaving for school. This is the Liz Ortecho he knows and loves. The closest thing to a sister he's had besides Maria

He lets out a watery laugh.

"Ya i'm not a huge fan of shitty friends but I've gotten to know some pretty decent people and one of them gave me a pretty good apology for something she didn't have much control over either." Alex sighs into the comfortable feeling of having one of his oldest friends close again, their relationship slowly but surely knitting back together.

"She didn't have all the information too and I'm not gonna be a shitty friend who keeps information. Michael and I are going to talk to Maria, ask her if she wants to know the truth about everything before we give her all the information."

Liz nods into his chest before stepping back and wiping her eyes. "If that's what you decided on then I fully support you. I'm serious though, you can throw me under the bus and I'll save you the pain of telling her. The alien stuff, what happened at the Gala. Michael. Everything!"

Alex rolls his eyes but smiles as he turns around.

"I'll let you know. Now let's get back to the others cause I've got my own whinny alien that is apparently impatient."

It's only now that Liz sees the way Alex's shirt is being tugged and pulled in the direction of the living room.

"Guerin's kinda needy." She jokes and latches into Alex's arms.

"Oh you have no idea."

[spaceskam]

hear me out

Summary: Alex has a list of things to say.

ao3

Two months into sleeping alone every night, Michael was woken up to persistent knocking on his door.

His phone said it wasn't even 8 AM, so he figured whoever it was must've had a serious reason to be there. He managed to drag himself up and to the door, rubbing his eye all the while only to be extremely confused by the person there.

"Alex?"

"I'm talking, you're listening," the Airman insisted, pushing into the airstream with a notebook in hand. He still had serious bedhead and was in his pjs, but his face was hardened and ready to combat whatever enemy he'd decided was there.

"Huh?" Michael asked, turning with confusion on his face.

"Shut up and listen," Alex dictated. Michael raised his hands in tired defeat, falling back to his bed. "I realized almost all of our fuck ups trail back to you not waiting for me to come up with an answer or you completely misunderstanding something I say because I try to make you understand, but I fail. So I'm going through all the points I could remember and we're going to fix this shit. You can talk when I'm done."

He was so determined and who was Michael to say no? Not that he even wanted to.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Shush."

Michael stifled a laugh, smiling up towards Alex as he opened his little notebook. He took a deep breath in preparation.

"When we were 11 and you had been in Roswell for, like, two weeks, you asked if I wanted to be your partner for a social studies project and I hesitated to look at Kyle to see if he wanted to be my partner, but you took that as a complete rejection and you walked away before I could even answer. I had to be partners with Carla St. Pierre who had a big crush on me and didn't take no as an answer, so I ignored you for two years."

"Oh, we're going that far back?"

"Michael."

"Sorry."

Alex huffed an adorably annoyed breath, shaking off the distraction. He honestly looked adorable in general. If he wasn't so deadset, Michael might've asked him to cuddle until he was more awake.

"In 10th grade, I asked if you wanted me to wash your gym clothes for you and you thought I was insulting you, but I was just offering to clean them without further questions.

"Before my first tour, you asked if I wanted to go get Taco Bell late one night and I took too long to respond, so you thought I meant no, when really I just was unsure if we'd be able to go without someone seeing us and I was worried for your safety, but you took the offer back before I could say that.

"After my first tour when we did go to Taco Bell at midnight together, you ordered for me because I took too long to decide and while it was really good food, I would've liked to make my own decision which is why you didn't get laid that night."

And it went on and on and on and Michael was beginning to feel like they were horrible for each other. How did he manage to mess things up between them that often in the time they'd known each other? It was insane. Alex had shown up with a promise to work it out, but how could they work out a problem that started from their very first conversation?

This was clearly the end of all ending. A giant message of every goddamn time he'd hurt him before never getting to touch him or his soft pjs ever again.

"And, most importantly, when I came to you and said I wanted to be friends, I meant that I wanted to get to know you, to start over away from all the pain and to make sure all this love I have for you makes sense and it isn't just some nostalgic teenage dream. I wanted to be friends and then together because friends make the best relationships. You thought I meant just friends. Why in god's name would I ever want to be just friends with you? Do you know how hard it is to just be in your space without smothering you with my face? I need all of you or I can't have any of you at all, that's how it has to be," Alex said, taking a heavy breath as he finished his 30 minute, thought out list.

Michael’s eyes were trained on the floor before him, his eyebrows tugged together in something akin to anger. Alex literally just came and busted into his house before eight in the morning to throw every single mistake he’d ever made into his face? He couldn’t have waited until he was a little less sober? He didn’t realize how quickly he could go from being excited about their future to completely empty. It hurt more than he could even put into words.

“Okay,” Alex said softly, kicking Michael’s shin, “Talk.”

Michael sniffled and tried to school his face a bit before he looked up at Alex. The moment he took in how cute he looked all over again, his bottom lip started quivering. He shrugged.

“So, what, tearing me apart at the Pony two months ago wasn’t enough?” Michael asked, watching Alex’s face become overwhelmed with confusion, “You had to come here and give me a written list of all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together? And to say it like it was going to be something positive... Fuck, you must really hate me.”

Alex stood there for a moment, opening and closing his mouth over and over. Michael thought about saying something else, but he had just listened to thirty minutes of all the times he hadn’t given Alex enough time to find his words, so he wasn’t about to make that same mistake again. They sat in silence for a while.

“Guerin... Guerin, what the fuck?” Alex asked, shaking his head as he threw the notebook down, “What is wrong with you? I-I just, I literally just came in here and told you I wanted to work it out with you! I literally just said you misunderstand me and you immediately misunderstood that! I wrote it down specifically so you wouldn’t understand me! What do you want from me?! I’m trying here! Fucking meet me halfway!”

Michael rubbed his hands over his face as he tried to mesh together what he was hearing and what Alex had just spent 30 minutes saying. How could listing all the ways they were wrong mean that he thought they were right?

“Alex... Even if you meant that, you just pointed out that I have been making you miserable from the first time we spoke. I have been fucking you over for nearly two decades. How could you want to be with me when you know that?” Michael said. He couldn’t hide the defeat in his voice. All he wanted was Alex, but it was clear that they were bad for each other.

“Oh my god,” Alex said, looking up to the roof with glistening eyes that made Michael have even more regrets. He was still hurting him. “What don’t you get, Guerin? What can I say to make you get it? Yeah, maybe we struggle to communicate and we should work on that, but you don’t make me miserable. For the last ten or so years, you’ve made me happier than anything else. When I get over myself and ignore everyone except for you, I am happy. You make me feel free and loved and safe and everything I have been denied my entire life. You are my everything and I want so badly to love you and be with you every goddamn minute of the day, but you won’t let me! You won’t accept it! I’m putting myself on the line for you and you’re fucking rejecting me! I don’t understand how a man who is so unbelievably intelligent could be so fucking stupid! Why can’t you just let me love you?!”

“Alex...” Michael groaned, feeling even more pain than before. This was too much.

“No! I’m still fucking talking!” Alex snapped, moving in closer. He jabbed a finger into Michael’s chest, glaring with all the feelings that he’d been forcing himself to bury for however many years. “I don’t give a shit if we shouldn’t work, I love you and I want you and I know you love me and I know you want this to work. I know you do.”

“Of course I do,” Michael admitted easily. Because it was easy. While his relationship with Alex had never been so easy, admitting he wanted Alex was never difficult. “But-”

“No. No buts. All we need is for both of us to put in the effort, that’s it,” Alex whispered, moving forward to place his forehead on Michael’s. Michael pulled him in closer, urging him to sit on his lap no matter how awkward the position might’ve been in the small space. He wanted him closer. “I spent all night filling up half a notebook on just you. You can’t reject me after that, that’s just mean.”

“I’m not rejecting you,” Michael said, a soft smile finding his lips. Even if he was just being yelled at, having Alex this close was enough to make him relax. “I thought you were rejecting me.”

“You need therapy, Guerin,” Alex grumbled, slowly slumping to tuck his head into the crook of Michael’s neck. Michael snorted a laugh, wrapping his arms around him in a warm hug.

“You do too.”

“We can go together,” Alex suggested, “Couples therapy would be super helpful.”

Michael thought about it for a moment, letting his hands slide over the soft fabric that covered Alex’s thighs.  The main thing keeping him from doing therapy (aside from the cost, of course) had been the alien ordeal. They would have to discuss how they could avoid talking about that. But... if Alex was that desperate to make them work, then Michael was too.

“Okay. Let’s do that. If it means getting you, then... Shit, I’ll do anything,” Michael admitted, his voice soft. Alex nodded and gave him a squeeze that had him smiling even wider.

Eventually, he let Alex go, but only long enough for him to take off the prosthetic so they could crawl into bed. Alex cuddled up close, not like he had much of a choice with the airstream’s bed, and was out like a light. Apparently staying up all night pouring out your feelings was very draining.

Michael was able to go back to sleep too, finally ending his two months streak of a cold bed.

[alittleshocking]

Phillip and Shock are Disgusted and Frankly Appalled by the Miracle of Pregnancy (*) [Tell Tale Heart]

In which the title explains it all...[takes place idk some time]

@knightley--phillip

[tw -- frank discussion of abortion]

SHOCK: “So, I’m pregnant,” Shock said to Phillip as she lay in his bed, the blanket tossed artfully over her lower body. She slid her heel up the mattress, so her knee was bent, the black sheet pooling over her abdomen. She let out a huff.

Yes, Shock was pregnant, because she let men inside her body however she wanted. Usually, she was rather good about it in terms of the pull out or what not, but she had always played fast and loose. She had assumed God or whoever the fuck owed her majorly for giving her fucking cancer as a kid. Maybe she had used up all her “poor little cancer girl” tokens in the slot machine, gambling away for more time consequence free. 

Maybe it was just shitty luck. One too many times letting some dumbass come inside her.

Honestly, she didn’t even know if it was Phil’s. He was her best guess, considering he was a frequent customer, but there would be no telling without a DNA test and if Shock had anything to say about it--that wouldn’t be necessary at the end of the day.

Shock lit a cigarette, even though she knew Phil’s tight-ass roommate hated her smoking in the house. Maybe she should’ve announced this at family dinner. That would’ve been hilarious. John would’ve popped a blood vessel. Tom would’ve asked to be godfather or some shit. Of course, in this scenario, Shock convinced them all she was keeping it. Which--

“Don’t freak out, I’m not keeping it.” The cigarette wagged between her teeth as she spoke and then she took a drag, plucking it from her lips and letting the smoke drift into the air. 

PHILLIP: “Oh thank fucking God.”

He let out a breath. He’d been totally and utterly frozen the moment she’d said what she’d said, sitting up so his back was against the headboard. He’d been about to suggest they grab a drink after she lit her cigarette and then she’d spoken and Phil couldn’t hear much else.

Here was a thing Phillip Knightley knew: even the best birth control was only 99.9% effective or something. He couldn’t beat those odds.

Here was another thing: Phillip had been...how shall we say...particularly careless when it came to fucking Shock. He wasn’t normally, mind you. He was normally very careful about rubbers and all that sort of stuff, because if there was one fear Phillip had, it was some woman knocking on his door heavily pregnant and demanding he pay for a child he did not want. That’d make his father quite happy.

Not that Phil didn’t want kids eventually. Maybe. He knew he was supposed to want them — or at least supposed to want to breed like a rabbit and produce strong Order sons. 

But a kid running around from some non-approved woman was a fucking nightmare — and it’d ruin his status. Not that Order members didn’t on occasion keep side mistresses or slip up, but Phil couldn’t do that to the Knightley name. He’d already fucked up once. 

“Not that I won’t help you remove it,” said Phillip, smiling now, because that’s what he did when things got weird. “But how the hell do you even know it’s mine?” He nudged her with his leg. “Not exactly like we’ve ever been exclusive.” 

SHOCK: Shock snorted at his emphatic response. She’d wanted to elicit a similar sort of reaction from him, just because she’d find it funny. And she needed funny right now.

No, Shock was not having some moral quandary over yeeting a fetus out of her uterus. She was having a monetary quandary. Since she wasn’t a citizen, she was going to have to pay out the ass for an abortion. And there was no other option. Either Shock was gonna have to prostitute herself out for a few months to gather the near 500 pounds she was gonna need (maybe more including a place to stay for the recovery after the operation) or she was gonna get it from Phil.

She knew he could afford it, which is why she had targeted him for this particular favor. Well, he was also the closest thing she had to a friend in town. They actually spent time together not having sex or doing drugs sometimes, which equaled friendship in Shock’s eyes. Which meant there was an emotional connection here she could play on too--garner his sympathy. 

She rolled her eyes. “You’re fucking me a lot more tan anyone else. Didn’t that big fancy university you went to teach you statistics?” she scoffed at him. 

PHILLIP: “You overestimate my ability to pay attention in school and do math,” fired Phil right back. 

He was quiet then, thinking about the weight of it all. He couldn’t help it. Stewing on things was part of his nature, trying to find some sort of meaning to it all. Logically he knew this would get taken care of very easily. Phil had money. He knew Shock probably came to him because she knew that he had money. He knew that he wouldn’t have said no. She didn’t need to convince him. It was something he’d do for a friend. 

The corner of his mouth tugged up. He didn’t know if he’d consider Shock a friend — just someone he was fucking. But it was more than that, wasn’t it? It wasn’t romantic, nah. Phil knew what love felt like, this big, gnawing, pulsating thing that clawed in his chest and suffocated him. He didn’t feel like that with Shock. He looked at her and he felt — he felt like high-fiving her. 

“Wow, fuck. We made a thing.” He laughed, poking Shock’s lower stomach. “There is a thing in there. That’s mental. That’s fucked. That’s straight up horror movie shit, I don’t know how women do it. Something just bloody grows inside of you for nine months all because a bloke didn’t pull out fast enough.”

He shivered a little and then for good measure, slapped a hand on Shock’s thigh.

“Alright, when do you wanna extract this thing? How does this work? Do you call ahead? Make a reservation? Just show up? I’ve no idea. Maybe I should.” He tilted his head. “For the future.”

SHOCK: Shock actually smacked his hand away. She didn’t feel like high-fiving. She felt like breaking his damn fingers, one by one. Or kneeing him in the groin. She didn’t think it was mental. It was horror movie shit. She had done a lot to keep this body: chemo and radiation mainly, though malnutrition definitely played its part. Part of her body had never really recovered from any of that. And she liked it that way. The idea of getting fat was a fucking nightmare. Especially if it wasn’t because she’d gorged herself on delicacies and sweets because she could.

It was disgusting and awful and she wanted it gone. The thought of thinking of something unauthorized growing inside of her made her feel violated. Her room was not for rent, get the fuck out squatter.

“I’ve got to make an appointment and go through some bullshit pre-screening process, probably to get convinced out of it. Don’t worry, that’s not going to happen. I’d rather die. And as soon as fucking possible. We have to go up closer to London, because there is no doctor out here in the boonies that’ll do it. Also, it’s gonna cost you 500 quid or whatever the fuck you say. And that’s just the operation. Apparently I’m gonna need to be there 48 hours before. So, add hotel on top of that. And I want the fancy shit, as mother of your bastard, I deserve the best.”

She flicked some of her blonde hair into his face. “I know you can afford it, so pony up. Oh, also, if you’re using a credit card, you’ve got to come with me.” 

PHILLIP: “Yeah, yeah.” Phil waved a hand at the mention of a hotel. He knew a place in London that was nice, but tucked out of the way, the sort of place that rich executives — and rich Order Princes — took their mistresses.

“Don’t worry, nothing but the best for my baby mama.” He reached on the side table for his phone, typed in the name of the hotel and then pulled up the website that listed all the amenities — spa, pool, lounge, gym, all that jazz — and tossed it to Shock. It was an expensive hotel, the type with a big flashy chandelier in the lobby, and if Phil didn’t already scream money, he sure as hell did now. The Knightleys were old money, basically gentry, which Shock, an American might not realize, but Phil knew she knew he knew that she knew that he was loaded. He wasn't gonna skimp out now. 

“That good enough for you? Might as well make a mini-vacation out of this whole thing.” He sighed, leaning back on the headboard. “Vacabortion. Aborcation? Something like that. Is that crass? That’s absolutely crass. Good thing we’re on the same page here.”

SHOCK: Holy shit, this was working?

For all the shit that Shock talked, she didn’t actually know if it was going to and there was a part of her that she’d never admit to, if you pried back all the rest, that was terrified. She didn’t want to go to some shady backdoor doctor, she didn’t want to turn tricks in order to afford the abortion and probably end up with some disgusting STI in exchange. Her options, outside of Phil, were unappealing and dangerous. As much as Shock liked to risk her life, it was always on her terms.

Not to mention: Shock hated hospitals and anything medical. She barely took Advil, if she could help it. Now, she was going to have to have surgery. Be strapped, helpless, to a table and dissected.

This fear lurked like a shadow against the wall, in the peripheral of Shock’s vision. Just faint enough that Shock could ignore it. 

She hadn’t panicked. She’d gotten to work.

There was this burn in her chest when Phil handed her the phone. Something that was as thick and cloying as perfume: gratitude. Shock would rather choke on it. 

Good thing Phil handed her his phone. She took it with eager hands and, despite her composure throughout this conversation, her eyes bulged wide at the sight of glittering chandeliers and a pool bigger than any she’d ever seen.

“Holy shit, that bathtub is a-maz-ing! That’ll be so great to soak in after they’ve ripped my uterus out through my vagina.” 

Shock wasn’t going to say thank you. Even if the words were on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she leaned back against the cushions and clicked the “book room” button--

“So, when are we going? You don’t have school yet, right? And if Gaston doesn’t let me off, I’ll just start a smear campaign about him.” 

PHILLIP: “I’m literally always free,” said Phil, which was somewhat of a lie. He’d have to make up a reason to tell John and Tom why he was going out of town with Shock. Maybe the reason was just as simple as he was going out of town with Shock to the Belleview — which both of them would recognize immediately — and Tom would make a big deal about it and John would roll his eyes, but Phillip could deal with that. 

He did not want a child. Not right now at least. Maybe one day. In the future. In the far future. Hopefully. Phillip hoped that one day he’d wake up and the future that was laid out for him — marry a nice well-bred Order girl, breed like a rabbit and have an army of children — would be something he realized he’d been looking for. All this youthful ennui and restlessness was just an adolescent phase. Phillip Knightley was just a bit too late in growing out, of course! He wanted to want it, wanted to duck his head down and make his parents happy, please his brothers, stay by John and Tom’s side for the rest of his days. 

He glanced back at Shock, the thoughts too heavy for even him to infuse levity in, pushing them out of mind as he browsed more of the Belleview’s amenities. 

“Next weekend? Or is during the week better for you? What would please the boss man? Like I said — and like you know — I am very flexible.” 

SHOCK: The relief was like a shock (ha) to the system with how immediate and all-encompassing it was. She hadn’t even realized how stiff she’d been until her body finally caught up and realized: damn, girl, you actually got us out of a shitty situation for once. She felt herself relax into the fluffy mattress of Phil’s bed, her body aching slightly. 

“During the week probably. Definitely can’t take off Friday/Saturday. Could leave Sunday and get back..Tuesday? Do you think there is a long recovery time for getting your uterus lining ripped out of your vagina? I mean...usually that shit takes a week, I can’t imagine it all done at once.” She gave a shudder before perking back up. “Hey, you think they’re gonna give me pain killers? Like--the good shit?”

She laughed. Awesome, if she got those, she could turn around and sell them maybe. Give Phil back at least some of the money. As much as she enjoyed having money and attention lavished on her, she didn’t like the idea of being a charity case.

“Thanks, though. Guess I owe you a really good blow job or something.”

[shadowcipher17]

Major Problems/Personal Thoughts with The Ending Of The End (From Mild to Heated)

5. The Legion Being Petrified- Mild

Now as for these three getting their final fates being turned to stone I could honestly care less (because of something I mention later on) but while I do agree that they should be punished, I do think being petrified is a bit excessive. The three could’ve been locked up in Tartarus and powerless and it would still have the same effect: the three would be together most likely getting on each others nerves but I see why they had to stone them. So they don’t become threats anymore and be free to find new ways to achieve power. But I’m fine with the outcome nonetheless. 

4. Cadence, Shining, and Flurry Not Being Involved- Mild

Cadence, Shining, and Flurry not being involved in anything is awful. Cadence and Shining are the ones who initially stopped Chrysalis and they get not only sidelined but they don’t get to participate in the final battle at all. They’re just basically a safe haven for Twilight to go to and that’s it. If anything Cadence and Shining would’ve been the secret weapon cause the villains didn’t even think to go to The Crystal Empire. Even Twilight and Shining’s parents participated in the final battle. Cadence and Shining don’t get closure for their wedding or being captured. Just leave it to Creator’s Pet: Starlight Glimmer!

3. The Legions Plan- Uh...

Ok so the Legion’s plan was to divide the pony races of Equestria to get rid of the friendship magic to render the Mane 6 powerless. That’s fine except for one thing. It ultimately didn’t matter because the Mane 6 for the majority of their victories didn’t need the outside ponies to help them. In fact they started needing other ponies or creatures S6 onward. And that’s where the “below average” portion of the 2 parter hit me. There weren’t really stakes to it. Sure it visually felt like high stakes but when you stop and think about it, it really wasn’t.

Discord being powerless = He never used his magic to stop any threat since his he’s been released at all. The only thing that came close was when he used magic to put handcuffs on Tirek back in S4. No stakes.

Celestia and Luna are powerless= Like Discord, they haven’t stopped a threat at all since Luna’s been back...except nature or they get captured. Of course no stakes.

Pillars get their magic drained= Haven’t done anything since Shadow Play and even then they get taken out easily. Didn’t need them to take down Tirek the first time. No stakes.

Starlight gets captured= The fate of Equestria doesn’t revolve around saving her. At the end of the day she’s just another unicorn. No stakes.

Turning the ponies against each other...just the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies of Ponyville, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale...not all of Equestria as they claim. No stakes.

The Windigos return but they just fly in a circle without freezing anything. No stakes.

They three can’t even use the magic that they stole due to not being able to control Discord’s magic and not being able to use the princesses magic without taking his as well. No stakes

So that’s why I find the two parter kinda below average. Twilight’s Kingdom had stakes. The Begining of The End had stakes. Heck, School Raze had stakes. The visuals and “action” try to make up for the lack of story and bad character development. Which leads me to number 2.

2. The Legion of Doom- (Bring back Sombra and Nightmare Moon)

I genuinely enjoyed these three when they were in Frenemies and The Summer Sun Setback. Cozy was starting to grow on me. Tirek was fine. Chrysalis was even smart and used her powers to her advantage. But once they got Grogar’s magic...They. Got. Stupid. I was disappointed with them as the final villains of the series especially when we already saw the three of them the previous season. The fact that they managed to actually work together throughout the entirety of the two parter despite the many times Chrysalis and Cozy wanted to betray the group is beyond me. Ironically though, Tirek stayed true and wanted the alliance to see through but if he hadn’t he actually could’ve won by draining Chrysalis and Cozy of their magic right then and there but nope. Cozy was flat out annoying to the point where I was glad she got petrified. For Tirek and Chrysalis they’re debut appearances in the Season 2 and Season 4 were WAY better than this. The three visually look liked a threat when they combined their magic to destroy Canterlot Castle but that’s all they do. Apparently their combined power isn’t all that because Twilight’s magic easily withstood it and a shield created by basic magic level unicorns were able to withstand it so that took away the drama and made them less threatening. 

1. The Big Twist (*sighs* Jesus) 

First off, this was a terrible idea and it genuinely pissed me off. People who actually wanted to see Grogar do stuff in the finale got their time wasted. What was the point of setting up an arc with a new villain when you’re just gonna pull a twist like this. I was very disappointed with this. Secondly, they not only did Discord wrong but also stupid. I blame the writers, creators, whoever made the episode and this was planned from the start which is very unfortunate. Twilight basically gets screwed over and nearly almost dies due to Discord’s mistake. And he does this so that he could make Twilight more confidant...EXCEPT SHE WAS ALREADY CONFIDANT! Ok, she wasn’t confidant and freaking out over a nation being placed on her hooves within the span of two days and then Sombra attacks and on top of this she has to deal with Discord’s mess AGAIN! Discord honestly should’ve been punished that he did. 

So with all this the 2 parter is a straight 3/10 from me. It was below average with too many glaring issues with the narrative. All of the finales from S1-S4 easily surpass this one. If it weren’t for the visuals and action being there it would easily be the worst finale of the franchise.

[demytasse]

[Shinra & Shizuo] Inebriated Idiocy

     The situation required contemplation of certain moral ramifications, as brief as that consideration might last.

On one hand, alcohol was said to be the window to someone’s truest thoughts; bring about their most genuine feelings and unconscious desires. On the other hand, Shinra was an intellectual that keenly understood the human psyche; he knew better than to believe societal nonsense. In actuality, alcohol only lowered someone’s inhibitions enough to vocalise thoughts exactly as they formed; this included, but wasn’t exclusive to situational opinions, primal reactions to anything remotely sexual, and sober observations that hadn’t been sussed out.

So honestly, Shizuo letting himself into Shinra’s apartment with an odd request might have coincidentally been his own influence, the other day asking for blood and marrow samples in jest, yet again. Which the tease seemed to continue its bumble ‘round his friend’s absent mind.

    Not having much going on up there must explain why it’s still relevant.

His drunken stupour was no different than a conclusion from a simple dream; what was sorted alongside other curious tidbits gained while conscious, and that scientific proposal hadn’t been determined trash or data just yet, despite it being the same ol’ same old.

That being said…

    “What other opportunity would I have short of drugging him myself?” Shinra hummed; gathered vials and tools, bounced through his preparation. “Morally speaking it checks out if I didn’t administer the drug. After all, he came to me pre-doped! Haha." 

He glanced over at Shizuo who somehow managed a cool guy pose upon the examination table, simultaneously a blathering mess — slurring incomprehensible words and half-baked thoughts. All to which seemed on par with what Shinra normally mocked, so it assured that no bad karma, nor bad blood would arise.

    ”…it was the least I could do,“ Shizuo concluded what had been internal dialogue.

    Shinra focused on his assembly, "hmm~? I didn’t catch what you did." 

    "Drink.”

    “Then that wasn’t the least you could do, right? That would’ve been not drinking, since doing nothing is the less than something active.”

    Shizuo looked annoyed. “Meant I didn’t drink randomly, asshole. I did it ‘cause…” he spaced, pinched his nose. “…ugh, there’s a reason. Just…whatever.”

    “That’s fine, Shizuo. Your oldest friend doesn’t need an excuse for your impromptu visit. Especially since you’re granting me the honour of—”

    “Tom!” A heavy hand slammed on the table.

Shinra jumped — juggled a device, caught it by the tubular tail before it hit the floor.

    “E-ehh?” his pulse refused to steady.

    “Tom’s birthday. We went for drinks. 'Parently Vorona’s a heavyweight.”

    Shinra laughed, kind of embarrassed for his friend. “I don’t think that’s actually the term you’re going for…" 

    "She cheated.”

    “How so?”

    “She’s Russian.”

    “You’re honestly the type to play into stereotypes, Shizuo?”

    He groaned, “she shoved vodka on me. 'Don’t handle it well.”

    Of course, it’s some oddball connection, nothing offensive.

    “And she knew that?”

    “No.”

    “So it was more that you couldn’t handle the defeat!”

    The drunk grunted. “Ya wanna die?”

    Shinra waved in mercy, “no no! Let’s just move on!!”

     Though the more Shizuo spouted trash fragments, the more difficult it was for Shinra to sway his conscience that this was alright, as maybe the blood alcohol level was higher than he’d anticipated.

Every step of drawing blood was a joke to Shizuo. He laughed while his sleeve was rolled up, mocked the concentration Shinra wore while he struggled to stick the needle in; knocked the doctor’s glasses askew like a young brat that thought himself a slapstick comedian. 

    Unamused, Shinra adjusted his frames with a latex-free wrist. “Please stop.” 

    “I kinda felt bad. Told ‘im thirty was just a number,” he disrupted the blood-pull with a messy gesture.

    “Shizuo, why are you so animated?!”

    “He said he was twenty-seven! Whoops.” 

    “Yeah, you’re an idiot, we get it,” Shinra paused between a third attempt.     “Probably, haha.”

It was then that he noticed how flush his patient was; how boyish his crinkled features were, and how Shizuo’s jovial nature was too foreign to be anything but drunkenness. Blurredly he watched the other above half-mast lenses, but a thought with prescription clarity hit him in result of the study — the vision of a perturbed Celty demanding that her held out PDA be read.

    //It’s taking advantage of Shizuo!//     //!!! N-n-not in that way, p-pervert!//

It wasn’t actually Celty’s textual wisdom, but his own beratement spoken through her beautiful voice, that of course he’d long ago created for her in place of having none to speak with. It was a flurried dissuasion he wouldn’t follow without her image affixed, whether in physical or mental form.

Thus Shinra was defeated by his own imagination. 

    “Come on,” he sighed, “I’ll set you up on the couch for the night." 

    “Oh…uh, sure.”

Shizuo stumbled off the table and stabilised when a hand supported his back to send him along the path to the living room. As Shinra motioned his follow, he spotted a rolled bandage that he’d previously readied. 

His decade awaited experiment may have been a bust, but he had an idea that might give him a chuckle the next morning.

—

    The recovering drunk studied a cross at the crook of his elbow. It screamed at his memory bank in vibrant fuchsia; with consternation Shizuo recognised the bandage as he recalled swaths of highschool peers wore them after donating blood; an annual fashion accessory that Shizuo never got to sport — only ever able to bling the trash cans with broken needles.

That indicated only one thing in the present: he’d been pin-pricked by an advantageous prick, and he was hardly impressed with how Shinra tagged him without any recollection.

    "Oh! You’re up earlier than I thought you’d be,” the devil spoke at the doorway, audaciously donned his goofy grin, with a coffee mug in hand.

    “Shinra…” he growled, “wanna explain this?”

    “I’m curious to hear what you think it means! I wouldn’t be shocked if you’re either right or wrong.”

The silence grew stronger, Shizuo’s annoyance grew palpable, and for a split moment Shinra mused over the spontaneous prank.

    Perhaps I got tipsy off the atmosphere last night and made my own drunken regret…

Which he externalised as a solo ‘eep!’, a wild scramble upon slippery slipper footing; an aerial trail of coffee in his wake. 

To the carpet’s relief, the liquid was suspended mere inches above it, encapsulated in shadow. With luck, Celty formed it within a second’s notice as she was hastily passed by two scuttling idiots.

    “I’m innocent! Innocent, I swear!”

    “Like hell ya are!”

Celty puffed out air too exhausted for the early hours. 

    At least it’s spilt coffee and not blood spill.

—

    It took a few laps around the apartment for the duo to wind up on opposite couches in a truce. Celty, their moderator, sat close at Shinra’s side to prevent a young death.

    “You see, Shizuo, as you claimed you were in full control of your faculties, so I kindly decided to fulfill your request.” Shinra rubbed at a wallop injury at his crown. “which seemed a fair assumption since you weren’t acting any less intelligible than usual." 

He was forced to squint while Celty futzed with the bent plastic and metal of his glasses. 

    “Lucky you, I’m perceptive enough to notice little details which proved that you were, in fact, inebriated. I stopped before I collected any samples.”

Whether or not Shizuo’s grunt was an invitation for the rest of the schpeel, or if it was an indignant ‘fuck off’ made no difference.     “Feel free to leave a tip for my better judgement. I know it’s not customary for doctor visits, but I’m never too humble to decline monetary praise.”

A shadow placed glasses back on his nose, but he immediately let them slip back down when a glare across the table was in clear view. The hangover effect must of have worked mental lapses between Shizuo’s comprehension of insults, thus he remained in a slump with exhausted shadows below his cold eyes.

    "Yanno, that better be the treatment you give Celty, or so help me…”

    “A-ah, she can’t get inebriated in the first place, or drink for that matter—”

    “So you’d take advantage of her if she could??”

    “No, no! Never! If anything I want her to reveal her own desires to have me sweep her into fits of romance…” he darted his eyes from Shizuo’s disgust.

    ”…buuut I better let that topic be laid to rest.“

—

    "Honestly…I almost wish he’d just done it.”

    //Really?//

    Shizuo nodded in between takes of smoke, “maybe it’s about time I figure out what makes me…me. You know, so I can control myself better…or something.”

    //That’s a noble thing to do, Shizuo…//

He shook his head, wasted half of his cigarette when he extinguished it on the deck railing before he brushed ash into his hand.

    //Maybe do it when you’re sober, though. That way you can feel good about the decision to better yourself and not have it be a drunken decision you accept.//

    “You know,” he smiled, “I like that.”

It wasn’t odd that he agreed with Celty, it was that he wanted his abnormality to be experimented on by his dysfunctional friend; that he was finally ready to face the facts and learn how to work with his condition. Despite that realisation, it was best to ask Shinra with sobriety.

    “Might make him pony up the cash for my blood, though. It’s a hot commodity, right?”

Celty chuckled with a bob of her shoulders.

—

    “And that’s why I always trust my doctor’s instincts over Shizuo. In this case, causality didn’t result in my casualty and I can rest in peace standing six-feet above ground and not under it! Hmm…I should pay respects at the nearest shrine for good measure.

    “At anyrate, I’ll take advantage of the opportunity to showcase Celty’s handiwork of my repaired glasses, a token of her dedication and love for all to appreciate! Even if they’re imperfect, they’re perfect to me. So let’s think of this as a public service announcement, kids: don’t drink and make hasty decisions!”

—

AN: Shinra breaking the fourth wall is one of my favourite things; it’s delightful. (O´▽`o)~♡

Based on one of the headcanons I wrote for Shizuo in a character meme, except it’s a little goofier than when I wrote the HC. Probably because I made it primarily from Shinra’s perspective. \(=~=)/ Thank you, @monopsys for the inspiration to actually write this!

[switchdnp]

i sent the ask about femdom and sub!dnp and CAN U PLEASE WRITE THAT??? PLEASE UR SUCH A GOOD WRITER IM BEGGING YOU

word count: 2533 

warnings: dom/sub themes, praise, teasing, fingering, blowjobs, dan eats pussy thank the lord, way way WAY too much buildup its ridiculous

a/n: hi yall my mental and physical health hasnt been the best lately so this took me like a billion years, i hope it was worth the wait !! not proofread at all and some of it written in the middle of a flare lmao so im super sorry if theres any obvious obnoxious typos!!

“Hey, are you sure you want to do this? We can always back out if you want.”

Phil hadn’t been expecting to say those words tonight, not when they were just going out for a small party, invited by a few of their friends for a celebration over something they couldn’t even quite remember. He especially hadn’t been expecting to say them in their current context, with him and his boyfriend in the bed of someone else–someone else who happened to be a woman—waiting together for her.

They’d met her at the party, a few drinks and a whole lot of flirting leading the both of them back to her house. Maybe it was just how sweet she was, how both Dan and Phil had been longing for the possibility of another threesome, too long a time since their last one (A whole seven months, actually, and honestly, they shouldn’t keep record of those things, but Dan demanded they mark the occasion every time.) But really, what most likely ended them up in this situation was how curious they were.

It had been so long since either of them had sex with a woman. Even when they invited in others to their bedroom, however rare that event was, they were almost always men. It wasn’t like they didn’t want to, it just seemed like for whatever reason, it never happened. So when the chance for such a thing happened to arrive, nothing was stopping Dan or Phil from snatching it up the second they could. They were both horny bastards, after all.

Samantha was her name, Sammy for short, and the way she held herself piqued Dan’s interest from the beginning, all the way back at the party. She was so confident, absolutely taking control of the room with her self-assured presence. He mentioned it to Phil absentmindedly, and Phil had burst into a fit of giggles, murmuring that Dan acted the same way.

“You must be attracted to yourself, then.”He’d laughed, taking another sip of whatever moderately alcoholic thing they were drinking together—always together, of course. They couldn’t not share anything, not even drinks.

“You’d be into that. Two Dans, going at each other.”Dan teased in return, chuckling at the way Phil blanched immediately.

“Surprisingly, no. And even if I did like that, I’d much rather be actually involved in the action.”

“Oh, so you want all the attention,” Dan continued to banter, wrapping an arm around Phil and kissing the side of his head, even as he frowned and cringed at the words. “well I can’t deny you that, you are pretty cute after all.”

“Is that the only reason you keep me around, to be cute?”Phil asked, giving into Dan’s affections and resting his head on his shoulder, wanting to be closer, as close as they could be in a public place. Dan didn’t get a chance to answer, however, because that’s when Sammy came over. She initiated the conversation so easily and flawlessly it nearly made Phil’s head spin, unable to imagine how someone could socialize with so little effort.

A few minutes in and they were already head over heels, Phil especially. She reminded him so much of Dan, had the same attitude and personality, even down to the way she smirked when she teased them, and giggled when she got teased back. It was so easy talking to her, like they’d known her for years, instead of what was probably only half an hour. The flirting and questions came naturally, questions about what they wanted to do, if they really wanted to do anything.

The decision was easy to make, and that’s how they’d ended up here. Dan was curled up with his head in Phil’s lap, too lazy to properly sit up until Sammy came back in the room. He took a deep breath, let out an even deeper sigh, and after a little bit of thinking he was ready to answer Phil’s question.

“I mean, I want to, I honestly do. I’m a little intimidated since it’s been so long, but it’s not like anything bad is gonna happen.” He muttered, tapping his thumb against Phil’s knee. Phil giggled, and brought Dan’s hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his thumb to try and sooth his fidgeting.

“Besides, it’s not like eating ass and eating pussy can be that different, right? And I eat you out all the time.”Dan added, making Phil whine and scold him. His cheeks were red, and as embarrassed as he was, Dan could tell he loved it. Before he could further fluster his boyfriend, Sammy was opening the door, walking in with the same confidence she’d had at the party. She’d undressed, down to her underwear, and somehow that made Dan and Phil feel self conscious about still having their clothes on. Just as Phil started tugging his hoodie off, Sammy stopped him, murmuring out a stern, yet gentle, “Wait, hold on.”

Phil froze like he’d been caught committing a crime, and Dan couldn’t help but snort at the expression on his face.

“Don’t worry, I just wanted to ask you what exactly you wanted to really be doing tonight. Before we actually got into stuff.”She reassured, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Her slick brown hair was pulled up into a pony tail, and it bounced every time she moved. If they were in any other context, Dan would’ve commented on how cute that was. As things were, he didn’t think now would be the right time.

“Well, we’re good for anything, really. Is there anything you had in mind?”Dan explained, knowing Phil would rather him speak for the both of him. He was much shyer, stumbled over his words in situations like these, and it was just easier for Dan to say what they wanted.

“Actually, I kind of wanted to maybe be the one in charge? If that was okay with you?”

That question set off a reaction in Dan’s head, a sort of rush of adrenaline shooting through his body, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Neither of them had ever been dommed by a woman, but the opportunity seemed incredibly appealing right now. He glanced over to Phil, and his boyfriend nodded in response to the question he didn’t even have to ask. He liked the idea too.

“Yes, we’re both okay with that. More than okay with it, actually.”Dan replied, his knees starting to feel a little weak as he realized what was about to happen. He’d never done this before. Sure, he’d fantasized about it, especially when he was a lonely teenager with only his hand and a whole lot of low quality porn to keep him content, but the idea that that fantasy was finally coming true was more than a little nerve wracking, and a whole lot exciting.

“Okay, how about you two start by getting undressed then, yeah? Make it quick, be good for me.”Sammy instructed, the grin on her face turning cheekier as she let herself slip into headspace. They both did as they were told, Phil struggling with his jeans a little more than Dan. Sammy chuckled playfully, helping him tug them down, and that relieved any of the excess nerves and tension in the room.

She let her fingers trace delicately along Phil’s thighs once the jeans were off, skimming over the sensitive skin, and dragging her pointer finger all the way down to crease of his hip. Her hand was dangerously close to his quickly hardening cock, but Phil knew it was far too early in the night for her to be touching him yet. He was familiar with that method of teasing, Dan using it on him all too often. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it though.

Sammy noticed the way he was holding back, trying to keep his hips from bucking, and she smirked at him.

“Good boy, just stay still for me.”She praised, her other hand drifting up to Phil’s chest now. She didn’t miss the way Phil quivered when her thumb brushed over a nipple, glancing over to Dan and asking “He’s sensitive here, isn’t he?”

Dan nodded, “Yeah, he goes absolutely crazy. I made him cum just from his nipples once, took a lot of work to get him there.”

Phil was just about to tell him off for bringing that old memory up when one of Sammy’s hands finally wrapped around the head of his cock, just the faintest of touches, but more than enough to take him by surprise. He leaned forward with it as she started to jerk him off, resting his head in the crook of her neck. Sammy reached up with her free hand to run her fingers through his hair, and that little jealous instinct in the back of Dan’s mind piqued at the sight, something in his chest growing tighter when he thought about how many times he’d been in the same position with Phil. But he pushed it aside, instead focusing on how gorgeous his boyfriend looked getting pleasured, his eyes fluttered shut and lower lip caught between his teeth now.

Sammy turned to face Dan as she continued to get Phil off, eyes glancing down to his hard, neglected cock. She gave him permission to touch himself, and within seconds Dan was wrapping his hand around the leaking tip, rubbing a thumb through his slit repeatedly. The sudden onslaught of stimulation was enough to have Dan shivering, his hips twitching sporadically.

After a few more minutes like that, Sammy switched her attention over to Dan, pressing their lips together first. It was odd, kissing someone who wasn’t Phil. Dan had almost forgotten he was capable of it. It was even more with Phil sitting right beside him, watching everything go down, and getting off to it. Before he knew it, Sammy was leaning back and spreading her legs, leading Dan down to where he could sit comfortably on his stomach in between them. Her hand tangled in his hair, and she pushed his head down, letting him know what she wanted from him.

He kissed over her labia, letting his tongue dip between the two folds, lapping up the growing wetness there. Sammy moaned, and Dan could hear Phil moan in time with her, hear the sound of skin slapping gradually speeding up, letting him know just how much Phil was enjoying this. They both spurred him on, encouraged him to try even harder as he licked over her clit, dragging his tongue slow and careful, almost hesitant as he tried to remember how exactly he’d done this with his old girlfriend.

“Just like that, keep it up sweetheart.”Sammy half-instructed half-groaned, letting herself get caught up in the sensations. It felt so good, too good, and for a moment she was almost worried about losing her composure. She whined again, and Dan’s confidence spiked. He buried his face deeper, alternating between sucking on her clit and circling it with his tongue. He was so invested he barely noticed when Sammy brought Phil over to let him kiss her too, her tongue slipping in his mouth.

She pulled away for a second to speak, “Phil, I want you to finger Dan for me, make him feel good and later I’ll let you cum, okay baby?”

Phil nodded and pulled the lube out of her bedside drawer, slicking his fingers up before circling one around Dan’s rim. Dan moaned against Sammy, the vibrations from his mouth making her thighs shiver around his head. She wrapped her fingers around Phil’s cock once more, dipping a thumb through his slit, and playing with the leaking precum there. He shuddered, hips bucking up without control now.

A second finger pushed past Dan’s rim, and he clenched tight around it, wanting to remind Phil of how nice that felt squeezing around his dick. He was successful, if the way Phil started finger-fucking him faster then, dragging his fingers in and out and rubbing roughly against his prostate, was anything to go by. His cock was practically throbbing now, wound up beyond relief and ready to cum at any second. Honestly, he hadn’t gotten this close this quickly in ages, and maybe it was from the extended foreplay, but Dan had a feeling something about the rush of a whole new experience was playing a part in how he could already feel his orgasm building in his gut.

Sammy was getting close too, he could tell, and he doubled his efforts in hopes of getting her there just from his tongue, it’d worked for Phil plenty of times, after all. Sammy’s fingers gripped tighter in his hair and pushed him even harder, as if trying to keep control of Dan’s mouth, use him in the best way possible. The thought, combined with Phil pressing in a third finger at the same time, was enough to send Dan over the edge, and he came whimpering into her, hips rutting pitifully against the soft bed as he rode out the last waves of his release. Phil pulled out his fingers when the stimulation started to border on painful, Sammy followed soon after, her lips parted, mouth dropped agape as she hit her high. It reminded Dan of how Phil looked when he came, and honestly, that shouldn’t have turned him on as much as it did.

Just as Dan started to properly settle down, Phil was whining for the attention back on him, his cock now completely untouched, dark red at the tip. Sammy didn’t even need to give him instructions before Dan was pushing Phil’s dick past his lips. suppressing what little gag reflex he had left after years of sucking cock, and taking him down to the hilt. He swallowed around Phil, his throat fluttering on the tip of his dick, and Phil was cumming within seconds, not needing much after having been teased the whole night.

Phil panted as he came back down, falling back on the bed, and savoring how nice the cold sheets felt on his overheated skin. Sammy chuckled at the display, getting up and grabbing a wet cloth from the bathroom. She cleaned him and Dan up, praising them both for having done such a good job, and helping them shift out of subspace.

She climbed into the bed next to them, seemingly unfazed by the concept of sleeping with two strangers (if they could really be called strangers after all that) beside her, but Dan and Phil took it in stride. The mattress was comfortable anyways, more comfortable than the one they had at home. They could sleep here for the night.

– mod sasha

[fanfictionlive]

When Effort Pays Off

To preface this, I've struggled with self-esteem and the whole Impostor Syndrome shenanigans for a while. Still do, to an extent, depending on situations. Writing is one of those situations.

I've been writing/writing fanfic for over half of my life, and I've always felt self-conscious of my writing since I'm a perfectionist, but always wanting to share them since I enjoy entertaining people. Might seem contradictory since I'm also introverted and shy, but idk, there's always something about making other people happy with things I do that gives me that dopamine rush lol. Don't mind me, just a walking pile of contradictions ambling through life like everyone else lol

Anyway, I want to say that my current WIP is probably one of my most ambitious projects I've ever done in my writing hobby (I probably should've just used that brainpower for an original novel, but ehhhhh, eventually). On the writer's side of things, it's testing and pushing all my capabilities for storytelling.

Alternating third-person POVs, actually following a general outline from beginning to end, writing in a genre I've never written before, characterizing characters that have broken my brain trying to get into their shoes to figure out how to write their intents, balancing character arcs with plot arcs with foreshadowing, etc.

Well, it wasn't so bad until I got to writing and posting the most recent chapter. And MAN, did the insecurity and Impostor Syndrome hit me like a ton of bricks. Want to know what my biggest concerns were? Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway lol.

I felt like no matter how much I tried, the emotional beats I wanted out of the chapter weren't hitting with the effects that I intended. I didn't feel like my writing style was working or interesting or even made sense. I didn't feel like the underlying themes and questions I wanted to provoke out of the readers that try to read between the lines were coming across. To top it all off, this chapter was one of those big "I'm writing this fic because of THIS scene right here." I wanted it to be special, but I had to face the possibility that people wouldn't like it.

If that were the end, I would've just labelled this as venting, but nope.

Those very things that I am stressed about? Every single one of them was touched on by different commenters. Someone quoting the dialogue that I agonized over and loved/hated so much it lived rent-free in my brain for TOO LONG. Someone pointing out how I write descriptions (which I feel like is my greatest downfall in my writing) and that they like how I go about it. Someone actually asking all the thematic questions that I wanted to explore with this story.

I'm shocked. Overjoyed. My writing was working and readers liked it. All that effort trying to write the stupid chapter paid off, and I honestly can't express how relieved and validated I feel about my writing skills. I don't feel like I'm that spectacular still, but if I'm able to still entertain while also test myself to the extreme on my writing ability...

It's... hard to express what emotion I'm feeling. Only thing I'm sure about is that they're all positive ones.

TL;DR - Did a thing to write the best chapter I could despite the struggle. Feared that I lost readers. Instead, struggle paid off and had some readers comment in ways I hoped they would.

submitted by /u/titaniumPsychologist [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/Yq5oLDI

[dryasiulia]

August 21st: Fanfiction Writers Appreciation Day

This idea is fantastic and I want to support it as best I can.  I’m constantly amazed that you guys take your free time to provide this for us; so this is quite literally the least I can do!  There’s a lot more below~~~~~~

I wish I had the time today to reread everyone’s work; AND to read everything I haven’t yet.  You all deserve pages and pages of praise; I’m sorry this is all I can do today.  In roughly the order in which they were originally consumed:

@claudeng80 Even if it hadn’t been my fanfic introduction (If you don’t count watching GoT), Noble AU would still hold a special place in my heart.  Honestly everything you’ve done is amazing.  I still haven’t made it through the RIDICULOUS amount of happy you made for us during bingo.  And that’s not even considering the ones I DID get to that I want to reread ASAP (omg that fairytale obi dragon one).  And of course Snowdrop~~~  No words~~~~  I even enjoy the stuff you do that is outside my wheelhouse *cough* star trek.  Plus, Akagami on the Bayou is literally perfection.

@sabraeal It’s lovely to see someone who is so talented spend so much time appreciating and supporting others.  The comments/reviews that you (and Joanna and Andi) leave in the community are literally as entertaining as the stories.  That said, obviously now I’m going to mention Seven Suitors because duh.  It is Canon But Better and I hope there isn't a sekrit counter somewhere that shows how many times Ive read it....maybe even with the Haki B-sides inserted timeline appropriately~~~~  And I don’t have enough time to get into Truth In Masquerade (Or In Which There Will be Ascots; yup, I’m pretty sure that was promised, even if it was just in my head it still counts), modern AU, OFC fae AU (why am I capitalizing AU?), high school, daemons, the kiss of life (I may think about randomly at times) all the bb obi backstory stuff, the amazing haki stuff, and the one shots!  Your 100 prompts was frankly, astonishing, and during a Very Bad Time for me.  It was so amazing to have something like that to escape to.  This workings of this site remain a bit of a mystery to me; things that are original and amazing frequently get missed or ignored; and a picture of a shoe with a cat in it like breaks the internet?

@superhappybubbleslove again with the “someone who is so talented spends so much time appreciating and supporting others” For me, watchtower is like “Uncomfortable RL Canon but Won’t Ever be Canon Because Shoujo”  You do such an astonishing job of like Easter Egg Multi Level Pains.  As if the over-arching pain isn’t enough; there are little poison barbs expertly sprinkled in specially designed for the utmost torment.  Of all the pains (main story pains; not touching the B-SIDE pains because I’m still recovering from Friday) the little ones stick with me the most.  Ugh, that part where he drops the spoons is honestly like the worst for me…..I’ve just upset myself again.  And likewise with the I REALLY REALLY don’t want to know my reread count xD  I don’t have the time to even get started on what Melt, the Mountain Lion au, and everything else deserves.  (Like, I’m still kind of angry about how much I enjoy the ballet au - I mean wut?!)

@infinitelystrangemachinex your commentary is ALWAYS +100~  Automation Heart……I love your Shirayuki so much.  She’s always a science badass.  And the chemistry with Obi, LITERALLY no matter what the set up, is ALWAYS perfect.  I’m not comfortable admitting 1. how many times I have read Analysand 2. how many times I then REREread it when you did Overflow — also rereading Overflow obviously and 3. How many times I read St Elmos Fire once I finally realized I hadn’t read it.  Let’s just leave it at….a lot….  There are still a few things from last year I haven’t gotten to; someone might point out that I MAYBE would’ve had more than enough time to read those I had I skipped a rererereread or two….don’t pester me with your logics~  I’m sure they are equally amazing; I can’t wait to get to them!

@nebluus Apparently I’ve missed a few things on the classic “you must read” obiyuki lists.  However, I have at least read Blizzard.  ~~~~A FEW times.  It most definitely belongs on the list.  Everything about it is perfect.  Ugggh….the part about how he would be a great father… “Are you the fire Obi?”  Dead.  Even though no true relationship stuffs happens it literally kills me every time.  

@xaphrin sometimes I worry from your tumblrs you don’t understand how awesome you are; but then I think surely you see how many people tell you your awesome….right?!?!  I can be a little bit of a cinnamon bun when it comes to reading sexy times, but I feel like you always try (nay succeed) to include it as part of the Whole Relationship.  AND AND AND can we talk about how phone sex AU obi is. the. hottest. obi.  Which is so weird…I mean if someone would’ve told me I’d love “phone sex” au I would’ve rolled my eyes.   BUT ITS SO GREAT.  And obviously diplomacy.  OBVIOUSLY.

@ruleofexception for me you are like a box of cakes.  (real talk, some chocolates are gross, all cake is delicious)  “dead obi with oxygen shirayuki” nuuu please don’t do that….omg that was amazing.  Hunger games?!?!?….moar pls all of the hunger games.  Disembodied voices??…..amazing yes please (I loved Knowing You so much!!!).  Whew and there are many things I haven’t yet said about Fall of the Crown….but I super love it’s gothic feels and I am super excite~~  (The knife naming/giving?!?!!)  And you have more I haven’t even gotten to yet; I can’t wait~

@akai-vampire you take the bare-bones of canon and breath life into it~  When the smallest obiyuki bit happens, my initial reaction is “oh god nina will make me pay for this shortly”  Late at Night is so lovely; I feel like “what happened if Shirayuki didn’t make it out” isn’t explored much~  And omg that blurted confession in Dreams…..  And honestly, if you seriously SERIOUSLY get to 50 in “The Fifty Times You Stole My Heart” you WILL kill me.  It’s only at 6 and I can barely make it now~~~ Srs.  All of it.  

@vivianwisteria okay, the “how Obi and Shirayuki met as kids” canon mystery is ongoing…  However, the way you handled it in Adagio Appassionato is my absolute favorite~  (Canon needs to retcon Violin Shirayuki if Sorata ever actually gives us the backstory there.)  I love it so much that when you dropped that bomb chapter I MAY have put off a serious work assignment to go reread everything IMMEDIATELY.   I LOVE all of Conductor Obi with Issues so much~ Okay, and Love and Other Monstrosities I mean WUT.  There are no other words for that…just WUT WUT WUT!!! Whew, and Impasse, the Damon Lindelof (but better) bad guys here are very mysterious and exciting.  And OF COURSE I love found in translation…. And obviously I am SO VERY EXCITE about Ex Gratia~

@jaygirl987 The “worldbuilding” for Neighbors is astounding.  For srs, you have fleshed out Bruce, THE CAT, more than most fiction manages to with human side characters.  I literally can not wait to see where this goes; everyone’s been established so beautifully.  I adore your obiyuki relationship one-shots as well.  I can’t wait to catch up on the bingo stories I missed!!!!

@meibemeibelline I haven’t finished all of Apple Red and Gold yet…I REALLY need to make a obiyuki “to read” list post it note.  However, I did get to Counting Coins and Motel on the Hill during Bingo.  I LOVE your storytelling.  Your descriptions and atmosphere are wonderful.  Counting Coins was adorable, plus Obi as a hot teacher yes please.  Motel on the Hill is so lovely~~~  It’s beautifully melancholy.  I can’t wait to read the rest; I’m sorry it’s taken me this long!!

@codango obviously the road to Clarines is gravel is amazing.  You succeeded where 18 years of my real life experience did not…you made the cowboy aesthetic attractive~  I adore your characterization of EVERYONE in this and I’ve been super excited for every chapter.  Seriously, the individual elements should not appeal to me, but your skill and ability made them in to something I love.  

@glitter-and-golden  Okay, I never knew that I needed a mithra obi, BUT I DID.  If I Walk It's With You Beside Me is a pleasure to read~  SO, I’m also a sucker for fictional food; and after I read this the first time I totally had to eat breakfast for dinner~  I love everything about this, Ryuu, their cottage, Zen, sassy mithra Obi.  I am so excite!

OMG this was supposed to be faster… -.- I’m past out of time, so please forgive my abbreviated loves:

@onoheiwa  - both your kiss stories were absolutely adorable~~ And I loved the amusement park; Obi’s disappointment when the park was closed was perfect.  I can’t wait to read the rest of your stuff!!  

@krispy-kream - I loved haki as the amyrlin and izana as forsaken SO MUCH.  My memories of early WoT are mixed to say the least….If you want to go ahead and redo all the early books I’d be %100 on board with that.

@another-miracle - your intermissions are beautiful~  your prose is also lovely in general,  I’m so sorry I’m behind!!!  I’m VERY MUCH looking forward to reading everything you’ve given us~

@littleaverill - your role reversal au was great~~~  I love the idea of obi growing up in the shop~ I can only imagine how he’d be different.  I REALLY love your style; there’s an element of the unknown and the implied that always leaves me like I just had a piece of cake that was EVER SO SLIGHTLY smaller that I would’ve cut myself — super delicious but if you even want to send me another slice I’d be okay with it! xD

@nonstopdoodle - The Spice of Life was so cute!   Ryuu as AI was perfect~~  There was something very nostalgically Firefly about it that I loved so much~  And just ftr, your ponies are SO SO SO CUTE

@rebeccaravenroth - okay, the balcony-plants story for bingo was so adorable.  I am fluent in passive aggressive post it notes.  I adore your writing style and storytelling~

I’m sorry I left out a few AO3 people that I don’t know their Tumblr blog name or may not be on Tumblr!!!

[werenzki]

William Nylander #3.3

- read the rest of the parts for this imagine here - 

A/N: sorry this took a little longer to put out, but i hope you guys all still enjoy how this series is going!! there was going to be a lot more in this part, but i decided to split it into two, but that means that this series gets to be longer than i planned!! thanks again for all the love guys, it means a lot :)

Word Count: 3,405

Party after party, you should be used to it by now. But instead you groaned till you got into your bathroom and turned on the shower. After a long day yesterday, all you wanted to do was sleep in and relax till you were to arrive at your mothers New Years Eve function later tonight. But instead you were to stand along side your father all day, at the BMO Field right here in Toronto. 

The location was the nicest thing about today, seeing as you lived only ten minutes away from the stadium. But of course, the traffic decided to be horrible once you had gotten ready and got Duke all settled for his morning alone. Your assistant, Sammy, would drop by later before you got back to give Duke more attention and food too. You sighed and brushed the few pieces of hair you had let frame your face back behind your ear. Again, as much as you’d love to relax today, your killer heels were clicking along the pavement outside the stadium and you already wished they were sneakers. But you had to look the part, professional that is. So you adjusted your skirt and tucked in button up shirt, then opened the front doors up. You smiled at the front desk, giving them your name and ID, which you got your pass and a security pat down in return. 

“Have a good day, Miss,” the second security said once you grabbed your purse from him. You smiled and thanked him, then walked up the few stairs and went down the back halls of the BMO Field. 

In no way were you dependent, but some sort of directions from your father would’ve been nice. Instead you got frustrated and made a few wrong turns before ending up outside, the bit of breeze blew your pony tail around but you squinted at the sun peaking down. Bringing your hand to block the sun, you looked at the ice and saw practice with the Leafs was underway. Looking around, you saw plenty of cameras - a few pointed towards you, but finally your eyes landed on your father. 

“Here I thought you weren’t going to show this morning,” he mumbled as you hugged him. You sighed and gave him a small smile. 

“And here I am,” you said. 

“Y/N,” your father spoke louder to grasp the few men around you two’s attention, then he flew into introductions. The men were important to the whole outdoor classic stuff and the stadium. After a while everyone seems to be important, but you weren’t just around to look pretty - you listened intently and gave them all some comments. 

“You’re still in school?” The older gentleman, George if you were correct, asked.

“I am,” you nodded, “in my third year, only one more to go," 

"That’s incredible,” he said - which made you smile and say a quick thanks. “You know, most kids your age aren’t doing all that you are. It is amazing, coming here and being such a big part of this team, but don’t forget how old you are sometimes. You’re too young to throw it all into this business so quickly,” he exclaimed. Your smile fell, because he sort of hit you in a soft spot, but you nodded at him and tried smiling again. 

“I’ll try,” you said. 

 "Alright, well should we go down and see Babcock now?“ Your father questioned while clapping his hands together. And with that, the day went on. 

The entire day was business, business and more business. You covered your mouth while yawning, arms crossed at your chest while you stood at the end of a hall and looked over the stadium. It was empty, only a few workers left to perfect everything for tomorrow’s game. Practice was long over, the team had done their interviews and now you were just waiting for the go ahead to leave from your father. He said there was a potential meeting with some other business men, so you walked off and found yourself here - looking out at the calm before the storm. 

Suddenly you heard footsteps coming up behind you. Honestly, you could’ve guessed, but as that blonde mop of hair came into view in the corner of your eye, you were still a little taken back. Willy looked at the stadium, then at you, and then back at the stadium - all while you kept your eyes forward. 

"Nice jersey,” he said. “Looks good on you," 

"Thanks,” you replied. Your father was nice enough to get a custom centennial classic jersey, with your last name and old jersey number and everything.     

“Skipped out on skating during practice today?” He questioned. 

 "Today’s practice was very important, the team didn’t need any sort of distractions,“ you stated and let your arms fall to your sides now. 

"Well, you sure are a distraction,” Willy noted with a smug look, “the best kind of course,” he added. 

You sighed as your heart did a little pitter-patter from his flirting. Finally you let yourself look over at Willy. His hair was damp, his cheeks still a bit rosy from practice, while his outfit was exactly what you wished you could be in. His Leafs grey hoodie with his number in the corner and some jogging pants, really the exact opposite of what you were wearing. Willy brought a hand out of his hoodie pocket and pushed his hair back out of his face while the corner of his lips turned upwards. 

“I had a good time last night,” he stated while turning his body towards you. 

“Me too,” you breathed out a reply, your voice was quieter than usual. Which Willy noticed, his brows pulling together slightly while he took a step towards you. He was so closer, you could really appreciate though baby blues up close. 

“Where did I lose you after the family skate?” He asked, tilting his head to the side just a little bit. 

You inhaled, holding your breath for a moment before letting it out and closing your eyes. He lost you to the professional side of everything. A side that was slipping away as you felt Willy’s hand brush your cheek, his finger barely touching your skin. When you opened your eyes, Willy was looking right back at you, making your heart beat right out of your chest. Never, ever, had you felt like this about someone. 

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Willy spoke softly. “Can I?” He asked, proving yet again to be the sweet boy you were getting to know.

Truthfully, you really wanted him to. Your gaze wandered back up to meet his eyes. And as his hand found your face again, this time cupping your cheek, you inhaled deeply and waited. Willy's face inched closer and closer till finally his lips just barely grazed yours. Your eyes fluttered shut and without even thinking you were leaning forward so your lips smacked against Willy's. 

For a first kiss, this put every other to shame. Together you moved perfectly in sync, it made you feel tingly inside. Then William brushed back your hair and rested his hand on the back of your head while taking a few slow steps forwards - moving you backwards while you were still invested in the amazing kiss. Your back hit the cool cement wall gently, Willy's hand now was flat on the wall beside your head and the other run along your jawline. 

Your head was spinning as his tongue swept over your bottom lip, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss. Without hesitation you opened your mouth slightly and let your tongues collide. Only when you felt as though you were running out of breath did you pull away from Willy's lips, which he was a little reluctant about and quickly kissed you again. He pulled away again and you watched as his eyes trailed upwards from your buzzing lips to your eyes.

With the intense stare between you two, a chill went down your spine. Or maybe it had something to do with the wind picking up. Willy's lips tugged up into a lopsided smile and he let his hand fall from the wall. The two of you let the moment hang in silence for a minute longer before you finally spoke up. 

"You'll be at the party later right?" You questioned, head tilted to the side. 

"Yep," he nodded. 

"Good," you smiled. Willy was smiling back at you, it seemed like he hadn’t quit smiling this whole time. Maybe you hadn’t either. “Did you uh, want to go grab something to eat before the party, maybe?” You asked before overthinking and second guessing anything. This moment between you two was too perfect to ruin with whatever you could make up. 

“I’d love to,” he said. 

“Okay,” you smiled and then pulled out your phone from your pocket, “I just have to make sure I don’t have any other meetings here,” you stated while shooting your father a quick text. 

“They’ve been keeping you busy lately hey?” Willy questioned, genuinely sounding interested. 

“Oh yeah,” you breathed and looked back down at your screen to read the text from your father. “But it seems I’m free for the rest of the afternoon,” you smiled and looked up at Willy again. 

Willy licked his lips - which caused your eyes to flickered down to them - and then he gave you a toothy smile, “so, what did you want to do with this free afternoon then?” He asked. 

You, you thought. But you quickly shook the dirty thoughts from your mind and shrugged your shoulders. You had at least 3 hours till you had to get back to your place and get ready for the party tonight. And honestly, you sort of were completely over dressed for any sort of casual lunch date. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, you thought to yourself. This wasn’t a date. It was just two people going out to lunch. Moments after sharing one hell of a kiss. 

“How about we go down the street, there’s this awesome little Italian place that makes some good pizza,” you exclaimed just as you two started to walk down the hall together. 

“I could totally go for some pizza,” Willy all but moaned out. You giggled as his expression, which earned a light nudge from him and a chuckle in return. 

The short walk out of the stadium you two kept up a flowing conversation. Willy talked about how Kappy was trying out some new whack diet with his model girlfriend and how he had to try dragon fruit for the first time. The way he stuck out his tongue and made a face of disgust made you giggle - which then made your cheeks flush as he smirked your way.

There was a part of you that was glad you and Willy didn’t bump into anyone players or staff of the team, but there was also a part of you that wanted them to. It was this fun feeling of sneaking around with your high school crush while your parents were turned around. But you knew that people not seeing you two leaving for a lunch date - was this a date? - was a good thing.

“I’ll drive,” you exclaimed just as you and Willy were getting close to the exit doors.

“You sure?” Willy asked. In which you nodded your head and found your keys from your purse. You still had to walk a bit longer till you could see your pride and joy.

“Yeah, I have to at least ditch this jersey or else I’ll be getting some weird looks,” you exclaimed while pulling the end of the jersey up a bit.

“Weird looks?” Willy questioned, furrowing his brows.

“If any Leafs fans notice my jersey, odds are they’ll also notice who I’m sitting with,”

“They could also know who you are,” willy stated. He did have a point. It wouldn’t be the first time that a die hard Leafs fan noticed who you who. You’ve had some walk up to you and ask simply how you are or about the draft when it’s that time of the year too.

“You’re not wrong, but it’s rare if my dad isn’t with me,” you stated. You pushed the unlock button on your keys and the lights of your sleek black Ferrari.

“Wait,” Willy paused a foot back from the passenger side door in awe while you rounded the back of the car to get to your side. “This is actually your car?” He asked.

“Well, yeah,” you shrugged and opened your door, “what did you expect?”

Willy still seemed to be a little bit in shock as you lifted the jersey over your head and folded it up lazily before throwing it into the back seat. You stood up straight again to look over the hood of the car at Willy. A smile on your lips, you were actually really enjoying the shock value of your driving this car had for Willy. Of course it wasn’t anything new, practically everyone didn’t believe you owned such a nice sports car, but you did.

“Let me guess,” you paused as you got into the car which willy took note of and got in as well, “you expected a boring Jetta or a Lexus, which I actually had for my first car, oh maybe a Tesla,” you listed off the typical rich girl cars - which all your school friends drove. But you weren’t the average rich girl. You appreciated cars, especially your Ferrari.

“Honestly,” Willy looked around the interior in awe while buckling his seatbelt, “I guessed a Bentley,”

“Gross,” you said with fake disgust. Willy chuckled and you started the engine, the sound made his eyes widen while you buckled up and through it into reverse.

You were pulling out of the parking lot as you noticed Willy wasn’t looking out the windows, he was staring right at you. Feeling a little nervous under his stare, you turned to him when you stopped at the light getting out of the stadium. You cocked one eyebrow up and gave him a smile.

“What?” You questioned.

“I’m just thinking about how hot you look behind the wheel of a freaking Ferrari,” he said with a smirk still on his lips.

You laughed and then brushed some fly away hairs behind your ears. Willy’s smirk only grew, which made your stomach feel hollow almost - boy it has been a while since you’ve felt like this. You tried to relax and focused on driving, knowing you’d rather not crash with Willy in the car. As you parked the car in front of the pizza place, you noticed a few people staring, but you were used to it since you drove such a nice car. But there was also the nice looking boy stepping up to the restaurant with you that must’ve made some heads turn too.

“Thanks,” you smiled as Willy held open the door. He nodded and then followed you to where you read the sign you were familiar with, ‘seat yourself :)’ so you chose the table beside the window closer to the back.

“Hi guys, can I grab you something to drink?” Our waitress came out, her blonde hair shined in the sunlight while her big eyes stayed on Willy’s.

“I’ll just get a Pepsi,” he said politely with a smile.

“And I’ll get a water,” you said, causing her to look your way now and then she smiled to Willy once more and walked off.

“So,” Willy’s voice had that classic ‘things are about to get awkward during this date that might not even be a date’ sound to it. You chuckled under your breath and leaned forward in your chair to rest against the table. 

“Oh don’t go being all awkward on me now, Nylander,” you said, “your tongue was practically down my throat just a while ago and only moments ago you said I looked hot behind the wheel,” 

William laughed, a whole hearted laugh, that caused your smile to only grow more. He nodded and leaned back in his seat, staring at you while you gazed down at the menu in front of you. To be honest, you already knew what you were going to order. But judging by the fact Willy was staring at you instead of the menu, you knew you should probably offer a suggestion to the boy. 

“The margarita pizza is really good,” you stated, William nodded and cleared his throat while picking up the menu - realizing he had been looking for too a little long. Then before you could continue to suggest what to order, your lovely waitress returned with your drinks. 

“There you go,” she said while setting down the drinks. 

“Thank you,” Willy had the polite smile on his face again.

“Are you guys ready to order?” 

“I actually still need some time,”

“May I suggest the margarita pizza, it’s really good for first timers,” 

“Yeah, I was just telling him the same thing,” you exclaimed with a tight smile on your face. Both the waitress and William looked your way now. The waitress was trying way to hard to not glare, while William was trying hard to not laugh out loud again. 

“I think I’ll give this margarita pizza a try then,” Willy said while handing the waitress his menu, “how about you, babe?” The way he said babe, in such a teasing matter, made your cheeks burn while your heart almost skipped a beat. 

“I’ll get the same,” you said, “thank you,” you added while handing the waitress your menu and then she walked off without another word. Good riddance, you thought. 

Your phone lit up then, a few notifications from Sammy coming in and your mother too. You were replying to a text quickly to Sammy when you noticed Willy was sitting back in his seat, arms crossed at his chest, and he was staring - yet again. Putting your phone away again, you rested your elbow on the table and grabbed your cup of water. 

“What?” You questioned before taking a sip. 

Willy shook his head, “nothing,” he replied. 

“Mhmm,” you hummed, “sure,” 

He laughed before taking a sip of his drink too. “Really, just admiring,” he shrugged. You felt yourself blushing again, but decided to ignore it and took another sip of your drink. 

“So, tell me about Sweden,” 

“That’s not creepy,” Willy chuckled. 

“What?”

“I personally have never told you I’m from Sweden,” 

“William, I’ve seen your hockey stats and your wiki page too many times to not know you’re from Sweden,” you explained. 

“Creepy,” he said in a hushed voice. You chuckled and just shrugged. 

“Google me then, I’m sure you’ll find something on me,” 

“Or I could just ask,” he smirked. You rolled your eyes and then motioned for him to do so with your hand extended out. 

And that’s how you really got to know William and how he got to know you in the matter of an hour. Between bites you played a speed round of sorts, getting to know the little facts, and after you were finished eating you talked more on the heavier things. Before you knew it, the bill was being dropped off by the now quiet waitress and William was snatching it off the table before you could even look up from your phone. 

“We can split it,” 

“And what kind of guy would I be if I let you pay on the first date,” he said it so casually, the mentions of this lunch being a date. 

“First date?” You questioned, raising a brow as William kept eyeing up the lunch bill. 

“Yup,” he kept his answer short and sweet. 

You two didn’t talk as the waitress came back and handed Willy the debit machine. He then held the door yet again for you as you left and you two got back into your car. As you pulled out of the parking spot, that’s when you spoke up again. 

“You should know,” you paused and took a left hand turn to get back around to the stadium, “I don’t kiss on the first date,” 

“So only before them?” Willy asked, referring to the steamy kiss you two shared before lunch.

Well, he definitely got you there.

[pongpalace]

the sun can warm the skin (but there’s far less skin about)

Day 1 of #omgcpwomenweek: Seasonal Activities 

unbeta’d and based on my experience with canadians who don’t understand what temperature is.  

also on ao3

Caitlin bounces on her toes while she waits for her name to be called by the barista. She’s been back at Samwell for just about a month and a half, back in classes for three weeks, and she thinks there’s enough of a chill in the air that Annie’s should have their pumpkin spice drinks out, but the barista didn’t agree when she tried to order ordered a PSL. The caramel latte she’d had to get instead will have to satisfy the sugar craving her Friday afternoon anthropology class always gives her, but she’s not holding her breath. Caramel is the lesser of Fall flavours in her opinion.

Her name is called just as she’s getting on the wrong side of hangry, and she slides the cardboard sleeve she’s been worrying at on the paper cup that holds the extra hot drink. She says, “thank you,” and gets a smile from the tired looking barista, different from the one who insists that pumpkin spice isn’t in season yet. She thinks that maybe he would’ve made her a drink with the pumpkin spice syrup she knows has to be somewhere in the store if the promotional countdowns are anything to go by.

A gust of wind rushes into the cafe as Caitlin shoulders open the door to leave, so she tucks her chin into her collar, grateful for the warmth of the latte, even though it’s not pumpkin spice, seeping into her hands as she walks towards the Volleyball House.

The sun is warm on her skin too, warmer than expected considering how low it is in the sky. The days have been getting shorter too and like every year, Caitlin will mourn the summer, but she’s looking forward to Fall too, when she can get use out of the scarves she’s bought strictly for East Coast use. Thick, knit fabrics don’t really have a place in California. Plus, call her a stereotype or whatever, but pumpkin spice anything doesn’t taste nearly as good iced.

She turns to start up the walkway to the Court and almost drops her latte when she sees another stereotype. This one is Canadian and blonde and Caitlin doesn’t know why she’s surprised by anything that happens at the Volleyball House anymore.

“Are you fucking insane?” she asks March, who’s lying out on a Spongebob beach towel in a bright pink bikini on the dirt that passes for a front lawn. She has Carly Rae Jepsen playing on her phone. April’s there too on her own My Little Pony towel, but she’s got sleeves and pants on, and is sitting up cross legged so she can read from a book thick enough to be a textbook, but could honestly just be something she’s reading for fun.

“Oh hey Farms.” March sits up on her elbows, and pushes her big sunglasses down her nose so she can look at Caitlin.

“Nice to see you too,” April says. She looks up at Caitlin, shielding her eyes from the sun, and smirking now that there’s another witness to March’s ridiculousness. She dog ears the page she was on and closes the book.

“They’re practically selling PSL’s, you can’t seriously be out in a bikini,” Caitlin says, pointing at her paper cup with her free hand to emphasize who ‘they’ is.

“Wanna keep this tan for as long as possible,” March replies, gesturing at her body. Caitlin and April both snort; March is as pale as she was when they left for the summer.

“Fuck you both,” March sniffs, laying back down. “It’s like plus twenty; perfect tanning weather.”

“I don’t know what that means, but it’s been in the sixties all day which is not perfect tanning weather.” Caitlin shakes her head. “Besides, I’m pretty sure if you’re nips are hard, it’s too cold to be tanning.”

“Excuse you, my nips could be hard because I have outtie nipples, you don’t know.”

“I do know because that’s something you would’ve told us.” Caitlin steps over March, the locker room oversharer, and goes up the stairs to the door. She lets herself in and gets through pretending to read half a chapter before March and April join her in the kitchen.

“Oh, sun too hot?” Caitlin asks. March is still standing in the doorway, but Caitlin’s can still see the blonde hairs on March’s thighs standing up from the goosebumps all over her body. April laughs loudly.

“What happened to quiet little frog Farmer?” March asks. “I want her back, she was nice.”

“She would agree that now is not the time to be suntan- hey!” Caitlin protests as March steals a sip of her latte.

“Oh gross.” March makes a face. “That’s not pumpkin. You said PSL’s were out.”

“I said practically.” Caitlin makes a grabby hand for her drink back, but March passes it off to April.

“We’re gonna check out the corn maze tonight,” April says, after she’s taken a sip to confirm that it’s not pumpkin spice. “Oh whoa, that’s sweet.” She smacks her lips, whether to get rid of the taste or enhance it Caitlin doesn’t know, and finally Caitlin gets her drink back. “You in?”

“Is it even open?” Caitlin asks. “It’s pretty early, no?”

“Too early for corn maze, too late for sun tanning, are you ever truly happy Farmer?” March muses. She dodges the cardboard sleeve Caitlin throws.

“I just mean, is the corn tall enough to be a maze?” Caitlin continues.

“Probably not,” April shrugs. “But you feel like a giant finding your way through the baby corn stalks, it’s fun. Plus, we’ll make Irish coffees or something to go.”

“Yeah okay. I’ll go with Chris once they’re fully grown,” Caitlin says. He was on some preseason team bonding things this weekend and she had already done more than she planned for her own weekend off, the last one they’ll have before the volleyball season fully kicks off, by going to the Volleyball House instead of her dorm after classes, but a corn maze sounds exactly like something they could do any afternoon they both have off to hit their self-imposed in-season monthly date quota.  

“Fiiiiine,” March and April say at the same time.  

“For mentioning a hypothetical date?” Caitlin rolls her eyes and finishes her latte. Her captains have been spending too much time with the hockey captains.

“Preemptive fine?” April tries.

“No.”

“Frog Caitlin would pay the fine.” March says.

“Go hang out with the frogs then.”

“I think they’re still scared of us.”

“Because it’s intimidating when you pretend not to feel the cold!” Caitlin says, pointedly staring at March’s hard nipples. March just grins, unashamed.

“Unless you’re gonna wear that to the corn maze—no,” April cuts herself off when March starts to looks thoughtful. “I’ll start fining for nudity.“

“We’d get a lot out of Grace and Bekka,” March says, but she leaves the kitchen to put on actual clothes.

“Are you gonna be okay in what you’ve got on or do you wanna more layers?” April asks Caitlin. Caitlin doesn’t even have to think about her answer.

“More layers please,” she says.

She may love fall, but that doesn’t mean she’ll ever get used to the chilly East Coast weather during the season. April nods, she probably expected the answer and goes to get more clothes for her and Caitlin to put on. By the time March comes back down in jeans and an oversized flannel, with the sleeves rolled up so no one forgets she’s Canadian, Caitlin has fit another sweatshirt under her cardigan and is in the process of waiting for a text from Bekka that says Caitlin can borrow her puffy vest. She gets the text, and April finishes wrapping herself up her layers and they both ignore anything that March has to say about Fall temperatures.

The sun is just dipping below the horizon by the time they have dinner and get to maze. It provides no warmth and barely any light, but despite Caitlin having to wrap practically her whole body around the thermos of Bailey’s and hot chocolate for warmth, she’s happy that an East Coast fall means that she’s with her East Coast friends.

[mapleleafstrash]

Offbeat (Part Two) - Auston Matthews

A/N: Due to all the positive feedback I was really motivated to get this up asap! Let me know what you think!! :)

Thanks for all the support as always guys, and I’m pleased to announce I’ve reached over 500 followers!! WOW!!

Requested: Yes/No

Characters: Auston Matthews (Feat. Connor Brown, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, and Kasperi Kapanen)

Words: 4,625

Warnings: Language 

[Part One] [Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five] [Part Six] [Part Seven]

“You didn’t mention this was a group excursion,” you gritted out, as your best friend just grinned sheepishly towards you.

When Connor had invited you up to his family’s cottage for the long weekend, you hadn’t expected a bunch of his Leafs buddies to be joining. Sure, one or two, but not six. That seemed a bit drastic.

Now as you stood with your arms crossed in Connor’s driveway, Kasperi’s familiar jeep pulled up, and Zach arrived shortly after in his own vehicle.

“Oh c'mon babes, we have more girls with us this time,” Madison chirped from beside Connor, her pink tinted ray bans flashing in the sunlight. She looked absolutely stunning today. With her long hair, down in waves, and a cute beach outfit on, Madison looked beautiful. While you, well you didn’t feel so attractive.

You had your hair up in a pony tail, and one of your many ball caps on. You were wearing your pair of worn out keds, along with your set of rolled up light wash jean capris. On top, you were adorning your lucky t-shirt. It was from a hockey tournament you had won when you were sixteen. The grey coloured material had pulled over time, and a few holes could be found along some of the seams. Due to the holes, you had just put on a bandeau underneath, leaving a few glimpses of your pale skin free for anyone to see.

If you had known it wasn’t just going to be you, Connor, and Madison, you would’ve made a better effort to clothe yourself this morning.

When you saw the other Leaf girlfriends who were joining you, you definitely wanted to go die. Alannah, Zach’s lovely girlfriend, was a sweetheart, but she was also a bombshell. The funny part was that Zach knew it and loved to show his long-term girlfriend off. The other girlfriend, Annika you believed, was everything you weren’t, which made you cringe. She was tiny, but her body was sculpted beyond belief. Yep, there was no way you would be going out to the lake this entire trip.

“Y/N!”

You sent your Swedish friend a smile, as William charged up towards you. You hadn’t seen him since your club night a couple weeks ago as he had gone back home to visit his family.

“Hey Will,” you greeted, and laughed when the power forward gave you a tight hug and lifted you slightly.

“How’s my favourite Canadian?” he questioned, causing a loud shout of “Hey!” to come from both Connor and Zach, who were preoccupied with packing the latter’s trunk.

You stifled a giggle, “I’m alright, how was Sweden?”

“It was awesome,” he sighed, a smile appearing on his lips as he thought of his home country, “you’ll have to come next time Y/N, you’d love it,”

“Maybe one day,” you replied, and William’s lips suddenly made an ‘O’ shape. “Speaking of the trip, I brought you back some presents,”

“What? You didn’t have to do that,” You said as William scrambled back to Kasperi’s jeep.

“Well yeah, I had too, besides it’s nothing huge or anything,” William shrugged, as he handed you the small giftbag.

Taking the tissue paper out, you laughed as you pulled out two boxes of Swedish cookies. William had kept them stashed away at his apartment, claiming they were too good to share. But one night in front of most of the guys, William did allow you to have one, as you were his favourite Canadian after all.

“There’s one more,” William told you, as he took the sweet treats out of your hand.

Reaching in, you chuckled and shook your head when you pulled out the bright yellow shirt. “Did you seriously get me your shirsey?”

“It’s a limited addition Y/N, they’re from the world championship, so I thought you could add it to your collection,” William explained, a hint of humour in his voice. It had become a running gag in your group of friends to give you their hockey gear as presents.

“Thanks Will,” you smiled, giving him a one-armed embrace.

“Hey! You didn’t get me anything!” Kasperi complained, as he joined you both.

“That’s because you’re spoiled Kappy. Besides, you’ve been to Sweden, where Y/N here hasn’t joined us yet,” William pointed out, giving his best friend a shove. “When I take her to Sweden, we’ll come visit you in Finland,”

“Hey party people!”

Looking over, you grinned and waved towards Morgan, who himself had just arrived. “Is that everyone?” you then questioned, looking towards Connor specifically.

“Auston and Mitch should be here any second,” he replied, and your stomach dropped. Of course, he was coming.

“So how are we dealing with the seating situation?” Zach then asked, approaching your group.

“Well Mads and I are coming with you and Alannah. Leaving the seven of you,” Connor explained.

“Well why don’t Y/N and Will come with me, and then Mo can go with Matts and Marns?” Kasperi suggested, and I nodded, silently agreeing with the Finnish Leaf.

“Yeah, okay, sounds good, now we just have to wait for dumb and dumber,” Morgan sighed, and Connor nodded, “Matts said they were on their way,” and just as he finished his sentence, the sound of Mitch’s car revved around the corner.

“You’re late,” Zach chastised when Auston rolled down the passenger window when Mitch’s car came a stop in front of the house.

“Sorry, dumbass here got lost,” Auston sighed, earning him a smack from Mitch.

“Well let’s go, we’re burning daylight here,” Morgan said, making his way up to Mitch’s rear door, and slipping in.

As you turned away to walk towards Kasperi’s vehicle, you stopped when Auston’s eyes caught yours.

“Hey Y/N! You need a ride?” Auston’s voice called out to you. Morgan then wiggled his eyebrows from the back seat and Mitch sent you a playful wink.

“Nah, she’s coming with me!” William’s smooth voice then replied, answering for you as he pulled you along. You sent Auston an apologetic smile as the Swede hauled you away, while he just raised an eyebrow.

“You made the right choice Y/N,” Kasperi chuckled as you and William slid into his back seat. “We’re the cool car,”

You snorted, “okay Kap,”

The three cars pretty much drove together for most the ride. It was about a two-hour drive to Connor’s cottage, and you’d done it multiple times throughout the years, so you knew what to expect.

You mostly just stared out the window, and bopped your head slightly to the sound of the music coming through the cars’ speakers. The conversation between William, Kasperi, and Annika filtered through your ears but you honestly weren’t paying too much attention. Your stomach was still in knots. The thought of spending four days with Auston and being at a cottage caused your insecurities to run rampant through your head.

You had decided you wouldn’t be going anywhere near the lake, as you didn’t want to wear a bathing suit around any of the guys, let alone Auston. You were semi-disappointed that meant not being able to participate in any of the water sports, but you knew you’d be able to go boating. What about room arrangements? Connor only had five rooms and a pull-out couch. Knowing your luck, you’d end up on the lumpy sofa bed. You sighed just thinking about it.

“So Y/N,”

Turning your head away from the window, you looked towards Kasperi’s blonde girlfriend, who was looking at you intently.

“Oh here we go,” you heard Kasperi sigh, earning a chuckle from the boy sitting next to you.

“You and Auston huh?” She asked, raising her eyebrows and sending you a grin. You groaned and turned back away. You didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

“Annika!” Kasperi chided, sending her a look and she pouted, “What? It was just a question,”

You sighed and decided to play along, “what about it?”

“Well how long have you liked him?” she asked, blinking her big blue eyes towards you.

“Is it that obvious?” you questioned, snapping your head back in defeat.

“At least he’s clueless,” William said, patting you on the thigh in comfort.

“I think it’s cute,” Annika smiled, “you’d be the lovable, dorky, odd couple,”

As her words sunk into you, the feeling of utter dread seeped back into your body. You knew she didn’t mean it in a rude way, but it still hurt regardless. “I see,”

“Y/N,” William sighed, knowing exactly where your thoughts were going. “She didn’t mean it like that,”

“Oh no! I didn’t mean it in a bad way! It’s just that the girls Auston typically go for aren’t exactly like you,” she explained, “as in like you’re not his type. Oh, crap, no I mean, I just,”

“Annika!” Kasperi scolded again, and she firmed her lips together.

“It’s fine,” you finally voiced, bringing your knees up to your chest and staring back out the window at the passing forest terrain, “it’s not like she’s wrong,”

“Y/N,”

“We’re almost here anyways, it’s the next left,” you spoke, hoping to end the conversation.

As Kasperi pulled up onto the long gravel drive way, you smiled slightly at the familiar sight. The Brown Family Cottage looked as good as ever. The beautiful home had a long balcony that stretched around the front, and held a path that led down to the small beach. The cottage also came with a newly finished boat house, that held two boats and a few different seadoo’s. The best part however, was that you could go up onto the top of the structure, and either sun bathe, or star gaze, whichever met your fancy. The beach was complete with the long dock that stretched out past the boat house, and led to the deeper water.

“Wow,” William breathed out from next to you, and you flashed him a smile as you both made your way towards the cottage home. Carrying your bag in, you set it down onto the long table.

Once you walked in, you immediately found yourself in the kitchen and dining room area. Further in sat the entertainment area, which included a flat screen, a sound system, and a piano, along with the wood-stone fire place. Past that, was the rec-room. Memories of playing mini-stick hockey with Connor made their way through your head. You used to spend countless hours on rainy days playing in there.

To the left of the main room, held the long hallway which led to the five different bedrooms. There was the very large master, two suites, and then two regular sized rooms. There was one bathroom as well, but it was mainly for the two bedrooms that didn’t come with their own ensuites.

“I call master!”

You were pushed to the side when Mitch zoomed past you. Turning back, you almost ran into Auston’s chest, who had clearly followed his hyperactive teammate through the front door. You opened your mouth to speak but closed it as Connor’s girlfriend ran past the both of you.

“Mitchell Marner, it does not work like that!” Madison screeched as she chased after him, wanting to claim her room.

Auston chuckled softly as you suddenly heard a loud 'ow!’ echo from down the hall.

“Y/N, you can just use your normal room, okay?”

Grabbing your attention, you nodded towards Connor and walked past Auston, tracing back your steps to collect your bag. You were inwardly thrilled you were getting your own room. No lumpy sofa-bed for you!

About twenty minutes later, you were lounging in the living room with Morgan and William on either side of you. Once the room arrangements had finally been decided, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

“I just don’t get why I have to be on the couch,” Mitch muttered, as he walked in to join us, taking a seat on the small sofa across the room.

“We all drew straws Mitch, fair is fair,” Auston said, taking a seat next to him.

Auston, William, and Morgan would be sharing the other remaining bedroom, which came with a double bed and a bunk bed. Leaving poor Mitch on the sofa.

“But Y/N gets that entire room to herself,” Mitch whined, “it’s a queen-sized mattress, she doesn’t need all that space,”

You suddenly felt bad. He wasn’t wrong, you didn’t need all the space but you wanted your privacy, which was precisely why you were given your own room in the first place.

“Maybe one of the guys will let you cuddle?” You said, and the two boys on either side of you and Auston all suddenly looked upwards, avoiding yours and Mitch’s gaze.

“Well don’t you all volunteer at once,” you laughed sarcastically.

“Who’s ready for the lake!”

The five of you all turned your head towards Madison, who had come out of the master suite in her bright bikini. William whistled low causing you to whack him hard in the gut.

“I’m going to take the boat out too, so if you want to join, now would be the time,” Connor added, walking in behind her.

“Nah, Lannah and I are going to go tan,” Madison then told her boyfriend, and flashed a grin when Zach’s girlfriend also came into the room in her bathing suit.

Connor rolled his eyes as the two walked past him and out towards the beach area.

“I’ll come,” you spoke up, causing Connor to send you a grateful grin. You knew you wouldn’t have to go into the water, and you always loved boating with your best friend.

“Anyone else?” Connor questioned, as you stood up to join him.

“I think I’m going to take a nap, jet lags killing me,” William then said, stifling a yawn.

“Mitch and I wanted to go fishing off the dock,” Morgan explained, while Mitch nodded.

“We ready?”

Zach then appeared into the room with his swim shorts on and his sunglasses perched on the top of his head.

“Auston what are you going to do?” Connor then asked the younger boy and he shrugged, “I guess I’ll come with you guys,”

“Sweet, now let’s go,” Zach said, moving towards the door. You chuckled and walked beside Connor as you followed the older boy down to the lake. You could hear Auston’s footsteps trailing behind as the four of you went down to the boathouse.

“You can actually drive this thing, right? Like legally?”

Connor scoffed while you just chuckled. “Yes Zachary, I can,” he bit out, as you all made your way down the dock and towards the boat.

“I’m so excited,” you grinned. Just thinking of the wind in your hair and the light mist from the lake made feel right at home. Connor just sent you a knowing smile.

Once you reached the boat, Connor leaped into the water vehicle, while Zach shakily stepped in from off the dock. Auston followed Connor’s lead, his long legs allowing him to hop in easily.

Crouching down, you gripped the edge of the dock, and placed one foot down into the swaying boat.

“Here, take my hand,”

Looking up, you flashed Auston a grateful smile and took his hand, as he helped you safely into the boat. “Thanks Auston,”

“No worries,” he shrugged, sending you a small smile.

“Hey Y/N, would you mind untying the ropes for me?” Connor then asked, as he pulled the buoys into the boat while Zach had taken a seat in the passenger chair, pulled his shades down, and placed his feet up comfortably onto the small dash.

“Princess here has already gotten comfortable,” Connor pointed out, snickering at his teammate causing Zach to just simply flip him the bird.

“Yeah sure,” you smiled, stepping back towards the edge of the boat and untying the three knots keeping your boat at bay.

Once you’d untied the ropes, you waited for Connor to start the motor before you pushed off from the dock, allowing the boat to float out into the open water.

As Connor pulled out of the small bay, you took a seat at the head of the boat, opposite Auston who himself was already staring out around the lake.

You passed by many small islands and lots of other gorgeous cottages. You were heading to the marina to get some gas to bring back for the weekend to fuel the boat and the seadoo’s. It was a twenty-minute ride out to the small marina, which was located on the other side of the lake.

Staring out into the sparkly blue water, you adjusted your hat and placed your fly away strands behind your ears. Connor and Zach had fallen into their own conversation but you were having a hard time hearing them due to the sound of the water coupled with the loud revving coming from the motor.

“So how many times have you been up here?”

Turning to look back at Auston you shrugged, “I probably couldn’t count, Connor used to drag me up here all the time when we were little,” you explained, “we’d come out three or four separate times during the summer,”

Auston nodded, “must’ve been nice,”

“Yeah, it was,” you grinned to yourself. “It was a little escape from everything,”

“I can see the appeal,” Auston spoke, as he looked back out at the surrounding scenery, “now I know why everyone in Canada seems to be obsessed with cottage country,”

“Well when you’re living in the city all year, its nice to come out here and just unwind. Get back to reality, right?” you said, curving your lips upwards.

Auston smirked, “Yeah, I think we all need a bit of that,”

Once you arrived at the marina, you stood up and helped Connor properly connect to the dock. As you began retying the ropes against the dock you smiled to yourself once you realized Auston had also stood and was tying the rope next to you. By the time you had finished your one, Auston had completed the other two. You were surprised to say the least but you just shrugged it off.

The four of you hopped up onto the dock and walked down to the gas meter. Connor had brought four gas canisters that needed to be filled, so you each carried one. While you waited for the marina employee to fill the canisters, you stayed with Connor while Zach and Auston walked into the convenience store to grab some drinks.

As you stood tapping your foot up against the wooden dock, Connor conversed with fuel attendant. Your eyes trailed around your surroundings, looking at all the different people and the different boats that were around. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as busy as you thought it’d be for a Friday afternoon, but you supposed it was better for you. You usually had to wait for your turn in line to buy gas so it was a pleasant surprise when you found the line was empty.

Turning around to look back out onto the water, your eyes widened suddenly.

“Shit!”

Running back down the dock, you heard Connor question you while you ran away, “What? Y/N What’s wrong- Oh fuck!”

Connor’s boat obviously hadn’t been properly secured and had begun floating away. Even though it hadn’t gotten too far, it was well enough away from the dock. You could hear your friend’s heavy footsteps trailing after you as you sprinted to the end of the wooden platform. Without thinking, you took your phone out of your front pocket and dropped it down onto the dock safely and kicked your flip flops off before you dove into the water.

Your nerves screamed within you as your body hit the ice-cold lake water. Kicking your legs, and sending you upwards, you took a huge breath as you popped up to the surface.

“Shit that’s cold,” you cried out as you pushed on, hoping to get used to the water’s temperature sooner rather than later. Because you were in such a deep part of the lake, it was much cooler than the water back at the cottage.

“Y/N!” Connor called out to you, but you put your head down and began swimming forward, your arms and your legs moving as fast as they could.

“What the hell?! What happened?”

That was Zach, who had clearly witnessed the commotion.

As you kept swimming ahead, your limbs were beginning to get tired. It seemed that even though you were swimming further and further out, the boat just kept drifting away. You were determined to catch it, but you weren’t sure if you were going to have the strength or the energy to push it back. It was too big for you to be able to do it on your own. You figured you’d have to climb in and either drive it or paddle back.

“Are you okay?!” Connor yelled out to you, and you turned back slightly and gave him the thumbs up.

Once you finally caught up, you reached up to grip the side of the boat to try and pull yourself up and over the edge. You grimaced as your arms cried out for you to stop. You typically weren’t even able to pull yourself up out of a pool without using stairs let alone a boat. But you were bound and determined this time, and despite the pain and fatigue you were able to put your foot up onto the side and lift your body up and over the edge.

Rolling over, you landed onto your back and placed your hands onto your stomach. Breathing in and out deeply you sighed and closed your eyes, trying to catch your breath.

“Y/N!”

Sitting up, you stood shakily and looked back towards the dock. Auston had now joined the others and him, along with Connor looked extremely concerned where as Zach looked absolutely stunned you’d been able to swim out that far.

“Just take a minute!” Connor told you, “make sure you catch your breath!”

Sending him another thumbs up, you keeled over and placed your hands onto your knees, making sure to ventilate properly. Taking another deep breath, you then walked down to the end of the boat. Looking at the ignition system, you groaned when you noticed Connor had taken the keys with him, leaving you no choice but to use the spare paddle that was lying in the back near the motor.

Picking the wooden oar up, you took a wide stance and began paddling the boat back to the dock. You winced as your arms continued to throb, but you knew you couldn’t stop.  About five minutes later, you were only about fifty feet out from the dock. Noticing you struggling, Connor took action.

“I’m coming Y/N!” Connor then proclaimed, as he stripped his shirt off and jumped into the water, leaving Zach and Auston behind.

Popping up, he took quick strides as he made his way out to you. Groaning from pain and from his weight, you helped Connor roll over into the boat. Pulling him in you let out a large sigh of relief. As he walked over towards the driver’s seat you plopped down square onto your bum, and tossed the paddle away.

“Please tell me you brought the keys,” you wheezed out, as you laid back down onto the floor, and Connor chuckled, “I’m not that dense Y/N,”

“Thank god,” you sighed, closing your eyes and feeling a sense of relief when you heard the boats motor turn on.

You sat up when you felt Zach and Auston jump into the boat. Thankfully, they were kind enough to load the boat.

“Y/N, that was really fucking cool, like totally badass,” Zach admitted, and you rolled your eyes, “thanks Hymy,”

“Here, I made sure it stayed safe,” Auston said, as he pulled your phone out of his hoodies pocket. You sent him a thankful smile.

“I need a beer,” you groaned out, as you slowly lifted your body up off the floor, and fell down onto the leather passenger seat.

“You need a medal,” Connor joked back as he turned the boat around to begin to head back to the cottage.

“What the hell happened anyways? I thought you tied the boat down Y/N,” Zach then questioned.

You shrugged, shaking your head, “I thought I did,”

“It was my fault,” Auston then spoke up, “I didn’t tie it down properly, which was probably why Y/N’s knot got loose.”

You knew he was right. He was spot on. But you weren’t blaming him, you should’ve double checked.

“Accidents happen,” you sighed, trying to make him feel better, but he shook his head, “I should’ve been the one to swim out all that way though, not you,”

“It was instinct, I didn’t have time to think or place blame Auston, I just saw the boat floating away and I acted, don’t worry about it,” you explained and he nodded, but turned his body away from the three of you.

Zach waved his hand, silently telling you to ignore him, but you couldn’t help but pout slightly. You didn’t want him feeling guilty.

By the time you got back, everyone immediately questioned why you were sopping wet. Connor had dried off quicker due to him only wearing his swim trunks, where you were still wearing your full outfit.

“I think I’m just going to go lay down,” you spoke up once you all had gotten back onto the beach.

Everyone seemed to understand, and you headed up to the cottage. Shrugging your flip flops off, you went into the bathroom and stripped yourself of your soaking clothes. Using one of the many bath towels under the sink, you dried yourself with the fluffy material, and hung your clothes over the side of the tub.

Pulling your hair out of its pony tail, you grimaced when you noticed how knotted it was. Exiting the bathroom, you walked into your bedroom and closed the door quietly. Grabbing your hair brush, and dropping your towel, you stood in front of the vanity’s mirror and attempted to brush through your tattered hair.

You screamed out in frustration, and slammed your brush down onto the vanity when the knot in your hair just seemed to get worse and worse. You didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with it right now. You figured you’d just go have a nap and then go shower afterwards. A thick glob of conditioner was sure to do the trick.

Suddenly without warning two quick knocks rapped against your door and just as you were about to speak, you squeaked instead when your bedroom door was thrown wide open. You reached back to grab your towel, but it was already too late, the damage had already been done.

Starring wide eyed, you took a step back as Auston Matthews stood in your doorway, his eyes surprised, but not shocked as you thought they would be. You were shocked enough for the both of you. He licked his lips as he watched you, and you shook your head.

“Auston!” you screamed, wanting him to get out.

He didn’t respond, as his eyes instead trailed up and down your barely-covered body. Your heart was rapidly beating and your throat had gone dry. You were beyond embarrassed. You were absolutely mortified.

“Auston! Get out!” you squeaked out again, this time getting his attention.

But rather than turn around and leave, Auston shocked you by stepping fully into your bedroom. His brown eyes never left yours, and you suddenly recognized the look he was giving you. You took a shaky breath and gulped, this wasn’t happening. You then took another step back, as Auston slammed your bedroom door closed, and stared you down.

[megaraxdimitriou]

1. Describe the character’s height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

“I’m a big ol string bean, at 5′10. I’d like to say healthy because i exercise quite frequently but i pretty much stay the same weight i have for years due to my various love for food.” Meg is fit/slim, but she never turns down the opportunity to treat herself.

2. How old is he?

“I’m the big two-o.”

3. Describe his posture. Does he/she carry himself well or does he/she slouch?  

“I’m not much of a sloucher. My mom would always smack my hands at the dinner table if i was slouching even though she let my father do it. So i’d say pretty well, mostly from habit.” That and her mother had Meg take ballet classes when she was little, so bad posture was always a big no-no.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

“I guess fit? Haha, is sleeping in til the afternoon an illness? Because if so, you got me.” No Meg is pretty healthy physically wise.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

Graceful, hah that’s a laugh. I don’t know? I walk like a regular human being, is this even a real thing?” Yes it is Meg, lol. Meg is pretty relaxed in most aspects, if anything she walks casual, although sometimes if in a good mood she has a charming strut she puts on.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

“Meh.” Wow, Meg my god. Meg has never been one for appearances; it wasn’t until recently that Daphne got her in things like doing her hair and makeup. Meg doesn’t really care for it, but most of the time shes confident in her own skin.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

“I’m not pale, but i’m not really dark either. I look i got a tan, but got out of the tanning booth halfway through. Like a golden-brown potato chip. I do get oily sometimes, it just mostly looks like i’ve been sweating though.” meg-girl. Meg is slightly tan, but in the winter her complexion lightens immensely

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

“My hair is probably about upper-mid back. I usually don’t do anything with it, but it’s naturally wavy a bit. So most of the time its just down, or up in a pony tail.”

9. What color are his/her eyes?

“Hazel, but the green outshines the most. My mom always use to call them Σμαράγδια της θάλασσα, which translated means Emeralds of the sea.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

“I’d like to think my eyes, and i have a lil freckle above my lip that draws a bit of attention. Whether good or bad i’m not really sure which.”

11. What are his/her chief tension centers?

“I guess my shoulders.” Shoulders/Upper back.

12. What is the character’s wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he/she have six of the same suit?

“I don’t know, i don’t feel like what i wear falls under any certain type of fashion style. I just wear whit i like.” Meg can go from casual to classy as hell. It just depends how shes feeling and what shes dressing up for. Most of her clothes are either dark's or neutrals, but there is some pops of color in there.

Most of the time she is dressed up like this (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

13. Do his/her clothes fit well? Does he/she seem comfortable in them?

“If they didn’t fit, i wouldn’t be wearing them. Sometimes i like clothes that hug my body right, sometimes i like wearing loose things that fall and hang off my sides.”

14. Does he/she dress the same on the job as he/she does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

“Sometimes, but mostly its still casual.”

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

Laced solid colored underwear.

Speech

1. What does this character’s voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

“Haven’t really thought about that much?” I’d say somewhere in the middle ground. Her voice is feminine but has strength behind it.

2. How does he/she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he/she talk easily, or does he/she hesitate?

“Normal.” Meg never raises her voice unless around Hades or shes in an argument. Other than that, no. She never really is one to hesitate.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

“I guess i used too. I was raised in Greece, but my mom taught me English when i was very young. She said it was always handy to know more than one language. Most of the time people can’t tell i’m from another country until i start speaking my native language.”

4. What language/s does he/she speak, and with how much fluency?

“I can speak Greek fluently since its my native language, English as well. I know a few words and phrases of Albanian and Latin, since a lot of people in Greek used a variety of languages.” 

5. Does he/she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

“Sometimes. I speak my native language more in my head than anywhere else. Or when my mother calls.” Sometimes if Meg is flustered of angry, or it just slips from her mouth without her even realizing it.

6. Is he/she a good impromptu speaker, or does he/she have to think about his words?

“Never hesitate. Say whats on your mind.” Oh meg shaddup, you hesitate sometimes binch don’t give me that.

7. Is he/she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

“I want to say eloquent, but honestly that sounds way more re-fined than i feel like i am?”

Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Is he/she book-smart or street-smart?

“Uh, both? I’d like to think i have both.” With Meg its a fair middle ground. Meg is intelligent but sometimes lacks in the motivation to do her work department. And she has plenty of street wit from Hades.

2. Does he/she think on his feet, or does he/she need time to deliberate?

“Feet. Definitely feet. Probably would’ve been as in many situatuions as i have if i put more thought into certain things...” Hahaha, *coughs* Herc *coughes loudEr* HaDES

3. Describe the character’s thought process. Is he/she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

“Instinct, although sometimes more logical than if not.”

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Tbh, i’m not sure because Meg’s bio is still in the drafts and shes not listed on the dorm listings. But im pretty sure shes in University from what i remember.

5. What are his/her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he/she interested in learning more about?

“Ah, you’d laugh. It’s kind of lame.” Meg has a love for mythology and anything to deal with that. She loves reading myths and legends. It brings out the childlike aspects in Meg.

6. Is he/she an introvert or an extrovert?

7. Describe the character’s temperament. Is he/she even-tempered or does he/she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

“Introvert. I don’t care too much for people.” That and usually Hades got her busy/and or kept to himself a lot. It takes a certain person to make Meg and extrovert, aka Daphne/Tito.

8. How does he/she respond to new people or situations? Is he/she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

“Depends on the situation or person.” Meg WILL fight for what she wants, so if on her bad side she could raise hell if she wants too. Although shes not the type of person to ask for help either. But when it comes to new people she’s suspicious in the sense she never fully can trust a person until she gets to know them better. But if she feels secure around someone she’s very laid-back.

9. Is he/she more likely to act, or to react?

“Act.”

10. Which is his/her default: fight or flight?

“Fight. Always fight.”

11. Describe the character’s sense of humor. Does he/she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

“Gallows humor. I don’t care for vulgar jokes boys make. It makes me feel like i’m losing more of my brains cells from listening to something like that.”

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he/she deal with them?

“Not that i’m aware of no.” Meg doesn’t have depression, but she can feel quite lonely/or sad sometimes.

13. What moments in this character’s life have defined him/her as a person?

“I feel as if i’ve had too many of those moments.” When Megs dad died, or betraying Herc, working for Hades. There’s a lot lol.

14. What does he/she fear?

“Having my freedom taken away. Never standing up for what i want or believe in.” The irony.

15. What are his/her hopes or aspirations?

To be happy. Move on from the past and start something fresh and new.

16. What is something he/she doesn’t want anyone to find out about him/her?

She’s not as strong as puts on.

Relationships

1. Describe this character’s relationship with his/her parents.

“I’m very close to my mom. She had to raise me alone for the majority of my life  and she worked so hard to have the things i could. I could never repay her for all she’s done for me. σ'αγαπώ μαμά (I love you mama).” Meg was a big daddys girl, but her father passed away when she was 7 from a motorcycle accident.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

“Nope.”

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he/she is close? Are there ones he/she can’t stand?

“Not really.”

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he/she considers part of his family? What are his/her relationships with them?

“Not at the moment.” She’d say Hades or Peyton and Patrick since she see’s them practically all the time.  But it’s not a good relationship with Hades.

5. Who is/was the character’s best friend? How did they meet?

“Daphne. I love her.” I’m not sure how Meg met Daphne, but i’m blessed that she did.

6. Does he/she have other close friends?

“Tito for sure. He always makes me smile. I don’t know what it is. Berlioz too, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.”

7. Does he/she make friends easily, or does he/she have trouble getting along with people?

“I’m i feel it’s easy to get along with people, but sometimes people are annoying and it frustares me beyond belief.”

8. Which does he/she consider more important: family or friends?

“Family. Always Family.” Meg doesn’t have a wide variety of friends, so Family is most important to her. Especially since they’re people who feel like home to her.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he/she been married more than once?

“Single? ha, married? I’m not sure that will ever happen.”

10. Is he/she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

“Uh, no?”

11. Who was his/her first crush? Who is his/her latest?

“Uh, well there was this boy from my home town. I mean he was sweet and really naive, but i think thats what i liked most about him. Just the pure innocence about him, and i fucked it up. What a surprise. I hope he's doing okay. Recently? No-” Bish talking about Herc, and we all know who Meg is talking about recently bish i see you

12. What does he/she look for in a romantic partner?

“Someone i can hold real conversations with, someone i can laugh and be myself around.” Meg is simple she just wants someone is going to be there for her, even if she doesn’t necessarily need it.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he/she relate to them? If no, does he/she want any?

“I don’t want to even phantom the thought of having kids right now. But maybe someday.” 

14. Does he/she have any rivals or enemies?

Meg doesn’t want to answer this question because she doesn’t want Hades to over-hear lmao.

15. What is the character’s sexual orientation? Where does he/she fall on the Kinsey scale?

“I’d rather boys, but intelligent ones.” Probably 0 or 2.

16. How does he/she feel about sex? How important is it to him/her?

“I want it to be with someone i care about and vice versa. I’m not the type to sleep around, but i mean to the people who do it you do you boo; just not my thing.”

17. What are his/her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

“I’d rather not talk about this, thanks.” Meg is quite a passionate person and she’s not going to give everything up so easily because she likes a fight. It would depend what mood she’s in, she’d love intimate or go farther into the rougher aspect of sex. Like hair pulling, lip biting, and all that good stuff.

Beliefs

1. Do you know your character’s astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he/she fit type?

I feel either an aries or leo. But probably mostly aries because they’re lively, passionate, courageous. Their negative traits would include being impatient, stubborn, and impulsive which just all sounds like Meg perfectly tbh.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his/her life?

“I really don’t have any specific view on it. My mother gave me the choice of choosing/doing whatever i wanted to with religion. Maybe i just haven’t figured it out yet.”

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

“Don’t we all have a code of morals? We all know right between wrong, but sometimes we do it anyway. It depends, although it would take a lot for me to compromise it.” Like being forced to frame drugs on Hercules lol.

4. How does he/she regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he/she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

“Tolerant. I like to hear the other side of things or someone’s opinion on the matter.”

5. What prejudices does he/she hold? Are they irrational or does he/she have a good reason for them?

Mostly with everyone not because of color or what they look like, but shes always felt skeptical towards people because unless you don’t know that person like the back of your hand you don’t know what they’re capable of. Just like Hades. So pretty much Hades ruined her when it comes to people in general.

Daily Life

1. What is the character’s financial situation? Is he/she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Meg has been comfortable, but there are times when she was younger that her family was hurting for money. 

2. What is his/her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him/her?

“Under the radar.”

3. Where does he/she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his/her home his/her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he/she share it with others?

“I miss my home back in Greece. It was just beautiful, i miss it so much sometimes compared to the form i’m living in at Walt.”

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he/she spend his/her money on?

“Probably movies, i love to indulge in fantasy.”

5. What does he/she do for a living? Is he/she good at it? Does he/she enjoy it, or would he/she rather be doing something else?

“Nothing really.” Do you mean work for Hades? Then yes, and she doesn’t hate it but she doesn’t love it either. She’s known Hades for so long now that he feels like a friend in a weird twisted way.

6. What are his/her interests or hobbies? How does he/she spend his/her free time?

Meg will never admit it, but dancing. More of a classical style. Definitely something like this. (x)

7. What are his/her eating habits? Does he/she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Meg doesn’t have big meals unless she’s going out to eat, so she snacks a lot.

Associations

Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his/her favorite:

1. Color?   Purple 2. Smell?  The Ocean 3. Time of day? Sunset 4. Season? Autumn 5. Book? Anything that has to do with Mythology, she has a guilty pleasure for the Percy Jackson series. 6. Music? Upbeat songs, once that are relaxing to listen to. She has a soft spot for ballads. 7. Place? By the crashing waves of crystal blue ocean, by herself with a good book. 8. Substance? Vodka/Wine 9. Plant? Iris 10. Animal? Humming bird

[sending-the-message]

My Wife Thinks I Sleepwalk (Part 17) by TuckandRoll91

I came to, screaming, like a man on fire. It took me a second to realize I could move, and I threw myself out of bed, onto the floor, rolling and howling, trying to put out phantom flames. I could still feel it. I was still burning. I tore off my shirt, as if it were actually on fire. I saw angry red welts rising and fading, up and down my arms.

“David?!” Claire was at my side, “Where did you go?”

I couldn’t form words to answer her.

She grabbed me by the shoulders, then jerked her hands away, as she’d been burned herself. She looked at her palms, shocked and confused.

“He set me on fire!” I managed to choke out through gritted teeth, as I resumed roaring in agony. If my eyes hadn’t been squeezed shut in pain, I would have seen Claire go pale.

“Hang on, Baby.” She said as she ran into the bathroom.

I honestly don’t know how long she was gone. But I heard water running, and she returned with a soaked towel and draped it over me. I heard a faint sizzling, as I tried to arc away from the new pain, a cold, wet, towel, across my back and shoulders. A moment later, the pain subsided to the point where it was bearable. She left and returned three more times, with three more wet towels.

I managed to sit up, and watch, in amazement, as steam rose from the towel and she wrapped around my legs. Fifteen minutes later, those angry red welts from the phantom flames subsided for good, and the burning sensation had to degraded to that of a mild sunburn, like always, though, I bore no outward signs of injury, other than the welts, that had already disappeared.

She slid down the wall to sit on the floor beside me, as I shook and shivered in my damp cocoon. “David, what happened?”

“Bad one.” I told her, through chattering teeth.

“You said someone set you on fire?” She wanted to wrap her arms around me, I could tell, but she didn’t want to cause me anymore pain. “It felt like I burned my hands when I touched you.” She said, then turned to stare at a spot on the opposite wall. “What happened?”

“What I told you about Ernie Stepro?” I swallowed, hard. “Turns out it wasn’t true.” I closed my eyes, trying not to think of what I had done.

I could feel her questioning eyes on me.

“Hawthorne killed him.” I sighed, “Before the rampage. She tried to stop him, our daughter, but she was too late.”

“So Hawthorne killed them?” She was dumbfounded, “Why?” I could have let her mislead herself. Maybe I should have, but I’d promised her, and myself I would never lie to her again. “No, Claire,” I let my head sink, in shame, in grief, “I did.”

She jumped to her feet and backed away from me. I don’t know which hurt more. Being set on fire, or seeing fear in her eyes, Fear of me. “You did?” She said, not wanting to believe it.

“Yes,” I lowered my head again.

“David,” She was fighting tears and losing, “I need you to explain to me why. Why did you-“ Her voice broke. “Why did you kill them? He gave you a chance to change history for the better..”

“She was going to.” I said quietly, “Our daughter was going to do it. To preserve our history. She begged me to stop her. So I did.” I explained, “I think the me from her time sent her back to keep events the same.” I was fighting my own tears, now, and losing, “I couldn’t let her, I couldn’t make her a murderer.”

“That still doesn’t tell me why you felt it necessary to kill six people!” Claire barked, a mixture of fear and anger in her voice.

“They were already dead, Claire, years before you or I were even born,” I began, “and I needed this Mountain, in order to become who I am. I needed- we needed them to die, so we would be here, now.”

She was twisting my mother’s ring on her finger, as if she were about to take it off. She sat down on the bed, still, twisting and pulling at the ring. “You need to explain this, very clearly, David.” She said, anger, heartbreak, and sadness evident in her tone.

I took a deep breath and said, “Okay.”

First, I told her about how Dad trained me on that mountain. I told her how My Grandpa survived his war due to a time-traveling older brother. My Dad, survived his war, because he was, is fucking good.

“I grew up, playing hide and go seek, with a Marine Scout in these trees, Claire.” I explained, “Most of that training would be considered child abuse, if not for my condition. I learned how to evade and avoid, and get myself to safety.” I also learned to hear the difference between blanks and live rounds when they were fired in my direction, but I left that bit out. “The way I can run, the way I can fight, I learned most of it here.” I told her, “It’s saved my life more than once, or at the very least, kept me from being exposed for what I am.” I told her. “The trips into town for supplies, and whatnot, I talked to the locals, heard the stories about this place. Then I went to the library, and looked up the newspaper articles. I knew their names, I knew about Ernie Stepro and just how wretched a human being he was.” She was glaring at me, now. “That’s when I took an interest in journalism. Without this place, maybe I don’t pick Stanford, and slip on an airplane. Maybe I don’t decide [redacted] University is a better fit, and within a reasonable drive from home. We don’t meet on the Commons. Our daughter is never born. Maybe we both die in childhood. You almost drown in that riptide. She saved you. I almost drown in a swimming pool, and she saved me.” I finished. “My point is Claire, they were already dead, and we are not. I don’t know how drastically different our lives would be if they lived, if we would even still have them.”

Her expression softened as she met my eyes, and she stopped fidgeting with the ring.

“And I,..”I tried not to break down, and nearly failed, “and I couldn’t let our baby wear this hurt.” Claire was off the bed and had her arms around me, “I didn’t have a choice.” I told her as I let the tears come.

We sat that way for a long time, her crying into my shoulder, as I cried into hers.

Claire sat bolt upright, and said, “David, he knows where we are!”

“Yeah,” I said, “And When.”

She was looking at me, astonishment on her face, as no fear or surprise was evident in my voice, because I honestly felt none. I knew this, because he made a mistake. He came after us here on The Mountain, My Mountain. Hawthorne was right, after Audrey’s funeral. I didn’t have it in me to kill in cold blood. That had changed. “Claire,” I began, “I need you to teach me how to swim.”

She cocked her head at me, and said quietly, “What do you have in mind?”

“First” I told her, “Learn to swim.”

“So, I almost drowned, and conquered my fear to be a lifeguard and swim competitively.” Claire needled me the following morning, on the dock on the lake. “You almost drowned, and decided that the water just isn’t for you?”

I took it as a positive sign. She had calmed down, and seemed to accept my reasoning for carrying out Ernie Stepro’s rampage. I had given her some space and went for a run, first down the Mountain, then back up it. It had taken the better part of the previous day, but I had a feeling, things were as close to normal as the ever would be between us.

“It’s for bathing and drinking,” I explained, “and should be avoided if it’s more than an inch deep.” Yeah, those old fears were making me rethink my plan. I steeled myself and pulled off my shirt. “Let’s do this before I run away.”

“I still have trouble believing it.” She said, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. “Not that I’m complaining,” She said as she untied the sash on her bathrobe. “If you spent as much time as I do at the pool, looking like that with your shirt off, there would be no way you would’ve been single when we met.”

Then she dropped the bathrobe. “What?” She said, as I blinked at her, “You said it yourself, no one around for miles. And I didn’t pack a swimsuit. There was snow on the ground when we left.” She was wearing my favorite outfit, nothing at all.

I grinned at her.

“Besides, I figured you might need a little extra motivation to get you in the water.” She said, coyly, looking back over her shoulder, just long enough to make sure I was watching as she walked to the end of the dock. I lost sight of her in the fog as she dove into the water. Transferring my fears on to her, I ran to the end of the dock, to make sure she was okay.

She came up, smiling, ear to ear, “It’s like bathwater!” Then her expression changed to one of sudden pain. She grunted, “Cramp!” as she struggled back toward the dock. I moved to the edge and reached out for her. She latched onto my arm with both hands, and planted her feet against the piling. “Sucker.” She said with a mischievous grin, and she pushed off, and catapulted me off the dock, ass over shoulders, into the water.

Quickly, I reoriented myself, and kicked off the bottom, and broke the surface sputtering, “Claire!” I flailed toward the dock, “I can’t swim!”

She caught one of my arms and pulled me in close, “Stop struggling, or you’ll drown us a both.” She told me evenly, as she slid an arm under mine, “Relax, you’re okay, I’ve got you.” She was holding on to the dock when her free hand. “Kick your feet, just fast enough to keep your head above water.” She said, as she shoved me back out into the water.

I started to panic again.

“David, Honey, calm down.” She reassured me, “I am right here. If you go under I’ll have out before you even touch bottom.” She pushed away from the dock, floating just out of reach, “Use your legs and arms, to stay in place, slow, easy, don’t thrash.” She demonstrated, “See?”

“Yeah,” I told her, trying, and for once, actually succeeding, to calm myself down. “Okay, Not drowning, that’s good.”

She laughed at me. “I still can’t believe you spent your summers here, with this lake, and never learned to swim.”

“More important things to do,” I answered, “Plus, it scared the hell out of me.”

She smirked at me, “Never figured you for a wuss.”

“Are we okay, Claire?” I asked, as suddenly as the thought occurred to me.

Her smirk vanished, quickly replaced by a warm, forgiving smile. “Yeah. I didn’t understand at first.” She looked away, “You told me not to say this,” She started with a distant look in her eyes, “But you seemed to know I would anyway.”

I gave her a look.

“You, well, you from our daughter’s time, came to see me yesterday, while you were out for your run.” She explained.

“What?” My eyes bugled out, and I almost sank before I caught myself, and resumed paddling.

She laughed, “Exactly how you said you were going to react.” She swam a little closer, “You, well, he, explained it a little better.” She leaned in and stole a quick kiss, and just as quickly, changed the subject, “Okay, you know how to float, time to learn to move.” She said as she kicked away. “Catch me, and I’ll keep you.” She flashed that mischievous grin again, and took off like a torpedo through the crystal blue lake.

Three days later, I finally caught her. Or, more accurately, she let me catch her. No, I didn’t spend three days chasing her around that lake. We would go out in the morning, so she could make sure I was practicing. I tried explaining to her, that I really didn’t need to practice as once I knew how to perform a certain stroke properly, I could never forget it. But she didn’t believe me, and thought I was just trying to stay out of the water.

So when I caught her ankle and pulled her to me, she readily wrapped her legs around me, in the middle of the lake, and purred, “About time.”

That afternoon, wrapped in blankets before the roaring fireplace, I rolled over and said, “You let me catch you.”

She smirked at me, “Of course, I did.” She rolled to face me, “I was all-state and had scholarship offers for three different schools.” She was wearing a mischievous grin, and not much else. “You think you could actually catch me?”

I laughed and collapsed back to lay flat on the blanket. “Glad you did.”

“I mean, seriously,” She sat up and pulled on her tank top, “It was that or not get laid until fall. A girl’s got needs.” She found her gym shorts and slid into them. “Get dressed, They’re letting us finish the semester online, we need to study.”

I laid there and sighed, “Claire, I don’t need to study.”

“Oh, Mr. Doesn’t-Need-to-Study, then why is my GPA a half point higher than yours?”

“Because I pick a class to tank every term.” I said, flatly.

She gave me a look. I explained how my memory worked. “How do you think, I, well, the older version of me, knew I wouldn’t be here when he dropped in to talk to you? Because, he, well, I knew exactly where I was, and exactly when I would be back. I think it’s part of my condition.”

“I don’t believe it.” She shook her head at me. “Why would you intentionally tank classes, if school is that easy for you?”

“To stay off the Dean’s List.” I told her, “I can’t afford to draw attention to myself.”

“It’s a little late for that.” She snorted.

“Yeah, I suppose your right.”

“And I wish you would quit talking about, well, it, like you’re sick.” She planted her hands on her hips, after tossing me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “I mean, really it’s a tiny bit amazing, and apparently, you will learn to control it.”

“About that.” I said as I got dressed, “I think I’ve got an idea.”

When I slipped back to see my mom, I was wishing she could meet Claire. Mom kind of did with that letter. When I slipped back to the day Claire met me, I just wanted to go back, to go back, to the way things were, when it was just fun, to be with Claire and her, our friends. I wanted to see Addison, happy, vibrant, alive. I wanted to things to be the way they were, before Hawthorne attacked us.

When I slipped back to when I carried out Ernie Stepro’s rampage, I was thinking about our daughter.

On all three occasions, I was in the right place, to slip back to the right time. The puzzle didn’t match the picture on the box, just yet, but the border was damned near complete.

On each slip, I was there, then, to fulfill the desire I had upon falling asleep. Like I said, not complete knowledge, but an idea.

“So, wait,” Claire said, as she paced the greatroom at the Lake Cabin, “You think your thoughts as you fall asleep help you pick where, when to go?”

“Best explanation I can think of,” I answered.

“What about all the other times?”

“I don’t know.” I replied, “Maybe it’s just like a dream, random.” “My apartment?”

I swallowed, “I was thinking about leaving you.”

She spun on me, heartbreak on her face.

“No, Baby,” I started, quickly, “I didn’t want to.” I continued, “I just, didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to involve you in this mess, that’s pretty much my life.”

“Our life.” She corrected me, as she paced back toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the eastern wall of the greatroom.

“I know that, now.” I tried to reassure her, “Back then, I didn’t.”

“So if you concentrate on a person, someone you care about, that happens to be present in the same location, at some point in the past—”

The window spider-webbed with a thump and a crackle, as Claire staggered two steps backward, and dropped to the floor. In the distance, I heard the unmistakable echo of a gunshot, through the trees outside.

As I ran to her, I heard two more thumps, and more glass crackling, followed by two more gunshots. I picked her up and dragged her toward, the kitchen, before she got her feet under her.

“David,” She found air again, “What the fuck!”

“We armored the truck.” I told her, “You think we didn’t armor the house?”

“He’s here!” She nearly screamed.

“Yeah.” I answered, as I flipped open the intercom panel, and pressed the key code. All over the house, half-inch thick steel shutters slammed shut over the windows and exterior doors. “His funeral. This way.” I led her past the kitchen island, to the basement door.

“What if he finds a way in? He obviously knows about this place.” I could hear the fear in her voice.

“Then he knows even trying to defeat our security measures will result in him getting sent right back whenever he came from. He knew the glass was bulletproof.” I told her. “He’s just trying to get my attention, and hoping I do something stupid.” I explained as I led her down the stairs.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and opened a closet, and took two sets of body armor out, “Put this on,” I said, as I held the vest out to Claire.

She took it, and held it up, “Is it even legal for you to have this?”

I pulled her close and kissed her. Then I answered, “I do not fucking care.” Then I put my own vest on, and helped her into hers.

“What are we going to do?”

By now a helicopter, a ten minute flight away, was spooling up. Three minutes from now, very skilled men and women, with guns, in my employ, would be boarding. Five minutes after that, Hawthorne would be dead, or waking up realizing that an attack against MY Mountain was a very bad idea. Thirteen minutes. I thought, I need to distract him, for thirteen minutes. Then I shoved her into the middle of the basement, and stepped back past the threshold.

“Something stupid.” I said, as I flipped the switch that would lock her in. The door, that would take a very skilled demolitions expert and a satchel full of shaped charges to open, slammed shut.

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