#i hit the post limit god damnit

[mosstardust]

I wish I didn't have the plot points of this game in my head. Some of them, at least. I remember something vaguely about the starting Beheeyem, but that's the extent of it.

Anyhow, the starting dungeon! It's definitely one of those. A good tutorial, if not for the whole type chart (I am a Mudkip in a Grass dungeon). Still great.

[64rd]

Local cat shitposter hits daily post limit again. 3 injured, 5 dead

[rusty-gloinks]

MURDER DRONES EPISODE 5 : Random details and favorite parts of this episode

Will be putting major spoilers under cuts if anyone has NOT seen the new episode, or has yet to see it. CW/TW: Blood, body horror, murdery stuff! SPOILERS!! AHHH!!! You get the point. I am not responsible for your actions :3

(This post is a mix of different things btw, Md related tho)

None of this will be in order, and I might need to make a PART TWO!!! Since the total is 45 images. :’)

FIRST UP. I would like to take the time to appreciate doll so have some LOVELY LITTLE images of her I took.

She looks so fucking awesome???? Like holy shit. She slayed!!!!!

not to be fruity .but. yea

SHE. also Isn’t that the campsite? Or just a different location with the same appearance.

OKAY. Next up. BABYGIRL . I SQUEALED AT LIKE EVERY SCENE OF THEM SHES SO FUCKING CUTE. MAN😭

BLEEEEEH (I’m going to make this my icon soonthat was the purpose of the screenshot. Also because I love them)

World is mine by Hatsune mi- cyn. World is mine by cyn. The famous vocaloid /j (HSES 😭😭😭😭)

Noticing how her balance is SOOO Much better while holding someone?. Also MOOD .just like me .real 💔

i lov e you🥺EEEK /p. Shes melting

MY SIB AND I WERE FUCKIJG DYING OVER THE PUPPY EYES.LMAO. I love their humor

J* , and they locked her in the basement. I am so SAD about this information

PROTECTIVE BIG BRO MODE…babys

Okay, listen, i know these 2 got shipped before the release but OUCH this makes things so much weirder!!! eugh:( (mainly saw em as friends.tttotallt not becsuse I project my friendship with my silly mutual onto them.no. /sarc)

anyways forget them being friends as my headcanon. THEYRE FUCKING SIBLINGS EVEN BETTER!!! (prjdedcts me and my elder sib onto th— *gets killed /j*

GAY RIGHTS(After the 2nd watch i realized she was making them kiss each other and I started laughing so hard my sides hurt)

Okay glitch QUIT SHOWING OFF. god damn !!!!! Literally appreciating this scenery so hard. 10000/10. :3

YKNOW HW I WANTED TO SEE TEARS IN THE NEW EPISODE!! LOOK. KIND OF CLOSE!!

LOOK HES SOBBING!!!! ALMOST. I GOT WHAT I WANTED OMFG!!!!! YAYYA!!!! (Love it when ppl cry /j

Lovely little lad. Reading abt dogs:) so cute…

subtle hints of favoritism..👀(she obvs likes J more I think,)

I love how immediately i could tell this was drawn by Liam. Canonically J in the show but like his style is so adorable and bouncy!!!! AND LIKE yummyys:3 eated

Cute detail in Uzi’s room. SHE LIKES BABY COWS GUYS. ITS TIME TO MAKE FANART OF UZI WITH BABY COWS. /J

Blushys:)!

For those wondering what this is it’s basically a ripoff of YouTube. The caption is titled "Top 100 Doors ever!!11!" and then the views at the bottom 😭😭. KHAN AND HIS FUCKING DOORS GOD DAMNIT

This part scared the shit out of me i was literally about to cry. I THIUGHTT SHE KILLED HIM

I had to slow this down and repeat the same clip OVER AND OVER Just to get it right, apparently the solver can swap roles? (The order is supposed to be yellow then purple since Uzi takes over as an admin instead of CYN.) very cool.

STP FIGHTING D:

BOTH VRY SCARY :(

Better glimpse of her backpack. Cute little skullbat zipper!! Also batteries. 👍

Apparently DEAD BATTERIES, aka the logo on Uzi’s sweater could be a possible band? Or reference to a band I don’t know? Like how they have my chemical robots (or something like that) as a ref to the band MCR (romance).

Sigh., N was that you.

Conlang? Fictional language? Glyphs? I’m assuming it’s VERY important (since liam lovessss foreshadowing, i will further elaborate). Hoping there will be ways to "simplify" it to english!

Yknow how in episode 2 Uzi takes braidens sentience or sumn like dat. Yea 💀

Alright I’ve hit the limit, gonna rb again with part 2!!!!! Soon. Maybe

[stalkerofstuff]

LEMME STALK YOU BACK IN PEACE GOD DAMNIT, STOP UPLOADING SO MUCH MASTERFUL CREATIONS IN THE DEAD OF FUCKING NIGHT.

(affectionately)

OOC: To be fair that’s when I have time too-

Lol I do have classes so normally I post after the limits get reset as I can’t stalk (or I will hit the like limit too soon-)

So yeah-

[sweetbunanarchy]

LET THERE BE ANARCHYYYY

I can’t make like video essays and continuously make threads on twitter and bc of that I am deciding to ramble about my fav things if I’m not posting art bc ay no word limit so FUCK IT WE RAMBLING ABT ANARCHY BAYBEE

The one game that never leaves my mind and the one that inspired my latest username so lets just talk abt real quick :D

When I was in middle school I would get into a good chunk of things like anime, other games. Bc I didn’t have certain systems like most ppl I would just watch gameplays and cutscenes for them in get into them that way. I stumble across a game called MadWorld and immediately become OBSESSED, the style of black & white with the only color splattered everywhere is RED MWAH BEAUTIFUL MY LITTLE BRAIN WAS EXPLODING and not too long after that I learned that there was a continuation of sorts for it...Anarchy Reigns. You know how you take like your ocs and put them in like a whole ‘nother universe, kinda like an au situation yeah that’s what Anarchy Reigns is GBSJDNJF It’s post post-apocalyptic, chaotic and just hell of a lot fun to just look at. But the main charm of it is the characters themselves and how fun and unique they are just in design alone

While the game isn’t story heavy it still has a plot to follow that works imo! Now you’re probably asking (probably not but) “BUN! This looks cool, but why after so many years as a grown ass man are you still so obsessed with a game you didn’t even get to play?” And to that I say....it’s bc of him-

YES ITS BC IM GAY FOR THIS MAN N HE’S THE BLUEPRINT FOR MY ATTRACTION TWORDS FICTIONAL MEN

Visually his design and how big he is (7′2 LOR D HAVE MERCY), his overall design, how expressive he is, hIS CHAINSAW ARM GOD ITS ALL SO DAMN GOOD!!!!!! In MadWorld he’s passed off as this cold-blooded killer bad ass which is sexy as fuck but in AR they give him more depth by giving him a daughter, Stella, and we see a softer, more kind side to him only to see him lose his daughter and through the campaign he runs on grief and rage wanting to get revenge on the bastards that took the one thing that he cared for. THE CAN’T EVEN SMOKE ANYMORE BC STELLA DIDN’T LIKE HIM SMOKING N ITS AAAAAAAAAUGH It’s something that comes off as simple but still just sweet and sad at the same time. 

And again the other characters are really good as well but just none of them hit me as hard as Jack did bc of this development he got and if we ever got more content for this game I woulda loved to see it for other characters BUT it’s long gone AGHBDJD. As much as I want platinum to bring it back I know they won’t bUT I CAN STILL DREAM DAMNIT...just hoping they don’t mess it up as Bayo3 bc lord that is a whole nother can of worms for another day. BUT ANYWAY Anarchy Reigns overall has a near and dear place in my heart and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t one of the many things that inspires me as an artist, I miss this shit so damn much and still crossing my fingers for something, if not the AR or MW then...just something of Jack PLATINUM PLEASE-

[vagueconfusion]

God Fucking Damnit I Am Working An Extra Shift Next Week Again

EDIT: I HIT THE POST LIMIT?? AGAIN???

[little-virus-sasha]

ffg vinet arc ep 4 s1, hong kong ninja revenge! (part 3 because character limit)

video starts bugging mr wilson: OH MY FUCKING GOD! CAN THESE SPECIAL GUESTS STOP APPAREING?!?!?!?! tomás: oi! I want to join in as well! mr wilson: tomás from the channel neotrshow? ugh, ok, let's do this, what you have to say about this amazing game /s tomás: oh, nothing, just wanted to make a cameo pulls out game boy mr wilson: oh.. awkard silence for 20 seconds.. mr wilson: alright, this is getting awkard, can you, remove yourself from this post tomás: sure thing connection terminated fresh:oi! want to join in as well! mr wilson: ugh, you as well fres- notices air cut wha- NO! YOU CUTTED YOUR HAIR AND NOW IS GOING TO FUCK UP WITH THE CONTINUATION OF THE VIDEO! fresh: but we are on tumblr mr wilson: ugh, GET LOST! fresh: go fack your seeeeelf! ninja is hiding outside of wilson house ninja: here we are, it's time for my sweet revenge, sweet SWEET revenge... it'll be a nice revenge, must admit... looks though window oh, there he is, playing... whatever gods know... hm, I must enter in somehow... hm... brilliant! door bell rings.... again, again and again mr wilson: for god's sak- FRESH! THE DOOR! door bell ringing fresh! the fucking door! didn't you heard?! fresh: I MUST DO EVERYTHING AROUND HERE? ugh... opens door

ninja: in a team rocket like disguise would you like to talk about our lord and saviour cyana? fresh: ah fuck, do I have to? ninja: YES YOU MUST! may I enter? fresh: sure I guess... ninja: thanks, might grabbing me water? fresh nods awkardly, and goes to the kitchen..... heh mischevious laugh finally, just me and him! removes disguise he'll never know what hit them pulls out dagger well, you days are conted... and 0 will hit today! fresh: got your wate- wait, WHAT THE FUCK? alert! nes metal gear starts playing ninja: DAMNIT! WAS DISCOVERED! fresh: wilson there was a ninja behind ya! mr wilson: really? check behind couch..... well, there isn't anything anymore, so... yeah ninja: if you are truly a man, go to your backyard, and fight me, wanted to do a sneak attack, but that idiot got me discovered! fresh: OI! ninja: so, bring it on! 1X1! wilson backyard! no itens! me vs you! mr wilson: OK MISTERIOUS VOICE THAT CAME FROM EVERYWHERE AND THAT I SHOULD PROBALLY IGNORE! LET'S GO! runs to the backyard so who wants to fi- oh! intense showdown between ninja and mr wilson round two! fight! mr wilson starts with a punch, but the ninja sucker punched him in the belly, wilson tries to do a flying kick, but he missed! then, before the ninja could do anything, wilson grabbed his arm and starts biting it, but the ninja tripple punch them in the face, and then immedially followed with a hellicopter punch to mr wilson belly! and then a right hook! oh, but wilson counter punched his belly, then shoryuken! toasty! ninja dogde rolled away from ms wilson, and started using surikens! but mr wilson dogde them! and then the ninja... pulled out naruto surikens? mktrghfgrui wah? mr wilson: naruto surikens? how fuckin old are you partner? the ninja eyes roll, and goes for a punch oh hoho! you think? arquimedes! I choose you! ninja: SHIT NOT AGAI- oh! I brough THIS for a reason! pulls out toiled taper, and throw it! archimedes is distracted! the ninja goes for a kick to the belly, then a punch to the face! and then a uppercut! ninja won fresh: walks around the corner, alert! nes metal gear! THE FUCK IS HAPPENING AROUND HERE? fiaspo: so, who do you think will win the 3rd round? mostly everyone: ninja tomás: fresh nogy: who? gusang: you... are kidding right? fiaspo: wt- no! you can't bet on fresh! he's not even in the fight! fresh: ... wha- tomás: oh yeah? watch me! gets up of the chair gusang: wha- where are you going!?!?!? tomás: teleports behind fresh oi bitch! I betted on you! go and fight! fiaspo: wai- HOW? gusang: oh, that's easy, on the og video, jump cut, and scene transition, here, fast travel and filling plot holes with ciment me: yeeeeeah baby! snif I hate tumblr writing limit...

[nessinborderland]

Between Apple Pies and Chocolate Cosmos (01)

Pairing: Aguni x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Character Study

Words: 6.4k

Summary: Aguni first laid eyes on you in the greenhouse. After that, he simply couldn't take you out of his mind.

Warnings: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Feelings, Eventual Romance, Denial of Feelings, Slow Burn, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Notes: This was inspired by the wonderful @aghostsrantingcorner ask. For reference, there’s some things in this fic that were inspired by these posts by @hatterstan-shameblog​. This will be 2-3 parts max. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do <3

Aguni first laid eyes on you in the greenhouse.

It was a rainy morning, and the Beach was as silent as you would expect after a night of deadly games and partying. He always took advantage of the silent mornings to have a walk around the place, breathe some fresh air, and – most importantly – attend to his garden.

He had started working on it soon after he and Takeru found the Beach, still in the early days when it was only them. He never saw a reason why he shouldn’t. Since he was stuck there for an indefinite amount of time – since he would probably die there – he might as well keep up with the only hobby that brought him some resemblance of peace.

So, he did it. Every single morning. It kept him grounded; reminded him of who he was.

His Eden – as he liked to think about it – was a medium-sized glasshouse near the kitchens, surrounded by land where he had replanted a variety of fruit trees and berry bushes that he had found around Tokyo. It needed some remodeling, but it was perfect as soon as he was done fixing the broken glass and built a system to expertly use the rainwater. He loved the place. Its variety of colors and smells, the silence, and – what made him the happiest – being able to watch the literal fruit of his labor grow.

It was his little piece of heaven in the hell he was trapped in.

Now, one thing about the greenhouse: no one was allowed inside the place beside him. Everybody knew it. It was not like anyone had any real interest in plants or vegetables but, still, people knew that that was his place. Even the old ladies responsible for the meals knew to not go inside; if they needed any ingredient, they asked him.

So imagine his surprise when he got closer to the glass walls of his greenhouse and heard soft singing coming from inside. It was barely audible, the tip-tap from the rain hitting the glass making it harder for him to understand any words. But he knew someone was in there.

His first thought was to barge in and kick out whoever was disrupting his garden. He could feel his anger grow as he stared at the blurred figure on the other side of the glass, messing around with his stuff. He took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside. 

The air inside the greenhouse was warm, with light condensation already sliding down the glass walls. The intruder – a woman, he noticed – was with her back turned to him, humming a song that was more than familiar due to Takeru’s taste in music.

“... lay all your love on– ” you gasped as you turned to him, no doubt startled by his presence. The vase in your hands shattered as it hit the floor with a loud smash, and you let out another startled sound. You crouched to clean up the mess, a row of apologies already escaping from your lips. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, please don’t move while I–”

“You shouldn’t be here,” was all he said as he stood there, stoic and cold expression looking at you from above. Your face was vaguely familiar to him – like every other face at the Beach – but he knew nothing about you. He noticed when you froze and slowly looked up, locking eyes with him. He saw the exact moment you recognized him, eyes growing wide and mouth agape as you held broken pieces of clay in your hands.

“Aguni–”

“Clean up your mess and leave,” he mumbled as he walked past you to access the damage you had done to his greenhouse. He noticed how several of his previous empty vases were now occupied by small plants and flowers that he had meant to work on that morning. You had just done his work for him. And perfectly, he could tell. Or as perfect as he could expect from someone that wasn’t him. He felt his anger subside. “The chamomile is supposed to be planted next to the tomatoes,” he said as he started carefully removing the small flowers from the vases. “We have no need for tea here.”

“Hmm...I thought you were using those for medicinal purposes?” you hesitantly asked. He kept his back to you, focusing on the task at hand as he waited for you to leave. Leave, however, you did not. "I'm sure they could be useful if–"

"There are only two kinds of people here," he interrupted in a cold tone. "The living and healthy, and the dead. If you're wounded, you belong to the latter. The tomatoes, though, could use some–"

"But couldn't we start an infirmary here?" Your question made him stop what he was doing, and he raised a brow as he looked at you over his shoulder. No one interrupted him; ever. You clearly didn't notice his hard stare as you continued to talk, "We could use garlic and oregano oil for infections, and aloe vera for–"

"You shouldn't be here," he repeated, now in a tone slightly louder than he liked to use. You halted mid-sentence, the small smile on your lips changing into a frown. "I'm not repeating myself. This greenhouse is off-limits. Leave." 

He gave you one last glance before focusing again on his task, listening as you gathered the broken vase. A whimper made him look back at you, watching as you stared at your bleeding finger, droplets of blood falling on the rich soil underneath you. He sighed before grabbing a roll of paper towels from a shelf above his head, turning to hand you one.

"Thank you," you said in a low tone as you accepted the help and involved the tissue around your finger, hissing from the pain.

Only then did he notice what that broken vase had been carrying. At your feet, in the middle of a small mountain of dirt, was a chocolate cosmos. It wasn't one of his flowers, he was sure of that. He had never even seen a live specimen before.

"Weren't those extinct?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Your eyes widen at his question before you looked at him with a soft smile on your lips. He felt the tips of his ears get warm; why in the hell were you smiling at him?

"Mhm, I think so... You can still find them in captivity, though," you said as you gently picked up the reddish-brown flower. You looked at him for a moment before nodding to the table behind him. "Could I get another vase, please? It's just that she's been staying in a box since I got her and I just wanted to– oh, thanks!"

You smiled at him again as he handed you another small vase without a word. Aguni averted his eyes, focusing on your hands as you arranged the pretty flower in its new home. He felt... uneasy, is the word. His usual relaxing morning had been ruined by some random woman with a nice smile.

He didn't like that one bit.

"Well... I'm gonna go now," you awkwardly started as you made your way to the door, before stopping and turning around as if you forgot something. "Oh, by the way, did you...did you do all this?" you asked, gesticulating around you. He nodded once and you smiled again. "It's beautiful. Good job."

With those words, you finally left him alone. 

Aguni was sure he wasn't just blushing in his ears now. His whole face was warm. He never had anyone compliment him on his gardening skills before. Yeah, Takeru told him several times he was good at it, but no one had actually shown interest. It made him feel some kind of way.

He shook his head and got back to his work. He could still enjoy his quiet morning before a council meeting if he was fast enough.

»«»«»«

You were there the next morning.

The sun had barely risen when he approached the greenhouse, a warm cup of coffee in hand while he whistled a tune that had been stuck in his head since he woke up. He hadn't even noticed you until he went to open the door, your voice making him jump slightly where he stood.

"You like ABBA too?" you asked from behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to stare at you. You were sitting under a tree not far away, that same nice smile on your face. You were holding something in your hands – something that he noticed was hot – as steam was visible in the chill morning air.

He felt his ears get warm again; damnit, he hadn't even realized that the tune he was whistling was the same song he had caught you singing the day before. He took a deep breath and shook his head. 

You both stood there, clearly waiting for the other to speak first. He was never a man of many words, though, so he just nodded once in your direction before getting inside his greenhouse and closing the door behind him.

A knock on the door not long after made him roll his eyes. He walked away from his work table with a sigh, cursing at his lack of peace and quiet; all the man wanted was to drink his morning coffee in solitude.

"What?" he asked as he opened the door to find you there, holding something wrapped in paper in his direction. He had noticed the steaming thing earlier. "What's that?"

"I wanted to thank you," you said, almost stumbling over your words as you signaled him to take it from you. "It's a pie."

"A pie?" he asked slowly, raising a brow in distrust.

"Yes, apple pie," you sent him a small smile as you tried to get him to accept the baked good. When he just stood there, arms crossed, your smile fell. He almost, almost, made a move to grab your offer then. "Hmm, Mrs. Yamamoto from the kitchen lets me use ingredients sometimes to bake stuff, and as long as I clean everything after–"

"I don't eat breakfast," he interrupted, arms still crossed as he looked you up and down with furrowed brows. He was trying to understand your intentions towards him. What was your move here?

"Oh, but you should, you know?" you said in a raised tone. "It's the most important meal of the day! A-and this one was made with your apples, so I thought you would–"

"What do you want from me?"

Even though Aguni was a man of few words, he never had any problem being direct. When you just looked at him with big, confused eyes, he was even more weirded out by your manners. You were either being genuine or were a really good actress. He didn't know what made him more uncomfortable.

"I just want to... to thank you for the vase?" you hesitantly answered, arms lowering.

His hand snapped towards your arm before he even realized, suddenly aware that he did want that pie. However, a pained gasp made him release you immediately upon touching you over your jacket. 

"Are you hurt?" he asked, secretly hoping he hadn't actually hurt you.

"I- I'm fine," you answered with a shake of your head. "It was just a small injury from yesterday's game."

"Let me see," he ordered.

You stared wide-eyed at him, and it almost made him backtrack and send you away. Why should he care if you were hurt?

Aguni was about to do exactly that when you gingerly extended your arm in his direction. He focused on your arm as his fingers lightly grabbed your wrist, pulling your sleeve up to show a burn mark roughly the size of your palm. It didn't look too bad, but he could see that you hadn't put anything on it.

"Come," he said as he gestured at you to follow him inside the greenhouse.

He worked fast as he prepared something that would help you with your burn. He didn't know much about medicinal plants, but he knew enough.

He gestured at you to sit on the table as he carefully applied a mix of aloe vera and oats to your injury with light feather-like touches. It was all done in silence until he heard a noise from you, something resembling a barely huffed laugh. He glanced up to notice you looking straight at him, that same damned smile on your lips. He quickly focused back on the injury, hoping you wouldn't notice his red ears.

"I thought I was part of the dead now," you said, clearly referencing what he had said the day before. He grunted with a shrug, now at all interested in talking about his change of ideals. "You know...I never thought you were the type," you kept talking, and he kept addressing your injury. "To like plants, I mean. This place is amazing." 

"What type am I, then?" he caught himself asking. Not that he particularly cared about your answer, but curiosity got the best of him. You laughed at his words and shrugged.

"Hmm, I don't know... the type that punches tigers?" He had to control the will to smile then, hiding his face from view. "I really wasn't expecting tall, big, and stoic Aguni to be so good with plants. I'm pleasantly surprised."

His movements halted for a second as he processed your words. He was sure he was red all over his face now, damn you. He continued what he was doing before he could overthink your words too much.

"Never judge a book by its cover."

He cringed as soon as those words left his mouth. What a corny thing to say. He decided then that your burn was sufficiently covered in aloe, and immediately retracted his hands, turning his back to you as he cleaned his fingers and tried to get his blush under control.

"Hmm, I guess you're right…" you said as he heard you stand up. "Well, thank you again, for this." He nodded and grunted in acknowledgment without turning to face you. "And the pie is here, just in case you want to try it." You hesitated, "...Hmm if you don't want it, you can always give it to Last Boss. He- he caught me in the kitchens once and I promised to bake him stuff if he helped me clean up after. He doesn't talk much and he's kind of scary, but he's nice." He turned to you then, and the expression on his face might've told you that you were overstaying your visit, so you quickly rushed for the door. "Mm okay, bye!" you said as you sent him an awkward wave and left.

He wondered if you thought he was scary but nice.

»«»«»«

A piece of chocolate cake was left by his greenhouse the day after.

The day after that, a croissant.

The gifts were always accompanied by small notes written in pretty handwriting. Some were simple recipes; others were small facts about medicinal plants he knew nothing about. He kept them all, safely hidden in a can on his worktable. A week went by where he expected a new pastry or sweet to welcome him. And, without fail, there it was. He never saw you around though, in the mornings or throughout the day, which he found odd. He didn't even know your name, but he found himself searching for you throughout the Beach, or in the games at night. But he never saw you. He would've thought you were dead if it weren't for the consistent gifts you left at his door.

Now, he wasn't lying when he said he wasn't a man for breakfast. He really wasn't. But after trying a piece of that apple pie, he saw himself devouring almost the whole thing. The same with the cake and the croissant. They were probably the best baked goods that he had ever tried. He was even more excited to start his mornings.

This morning, however, he arrived at the greenhouse to find nothing by the door. No box, no note, no wrapping. Nothing. He furrowed his brows, feeling disappointed, but quickly shrugged the feeling off as he got inside. Your pleasantries had to stop someday.

It bothered him, though. And he hated the fact that it bothered him. He hated the fact that he cared. He spent the day thinking about it. Thinking about you. Where could you possibly be? What happened? He didn’t even know your name. He didn’t know what bedroom you lived in, and it was driving him mad.

He had zoned out throughout the morning meeting, lashed out at several of the militants, and was now fully ignoring Takeru as his best friend went on and on about something he didn’t care enough to even pretend to be listening.

“Mori, hey!” His friend snapped his fingers in front of his face, forcing Aguni out of his thoughts. He stared at Takeru with a frown.

“What?” he asked, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him.

“The first time all week that we’re having lunch together, and you’re quieter than usual,” his friend said, nodding at the plate of barely touched food in front of him. “You’re not even eating. What’s going on?” 

“I’m fine,” he shrugged, stabbing a piece of roasted rabbit with his fork and taking a bite. He chewed as he thought of a good excuse. Takeru could be annoyingly perceptive when it came to other people’s emotions, especially his. “Just have a lot on my mind, that’s all,” he finally said.

His friend looked at him for a moment before setting his elbows on the table, supporting his chin on his palms. Oh no, he knew what that meant. He was about to be questioned to death.

"Are you in love?" he asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

Aguni choked on his own spit at the man's question, violently coughing as he vehemently shook his head. 

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he asked after easing his cough, throat burning, and eyes teary from the effort.

"Well let's see," Takeru started, hand raised as he prepared himself to make a list. Aguni instantly regretted his question. "You've been late to meetings almost every morning for the past week, you barely pay attention to anything I tell you and I'm pretty sure I heard you hum 'Lay All Your Love on Me' by ABBA the other day. I've never heard you do anything close to singing," Takeru said as he wiggled three raised fingers before raising a fourth. "And a little bird told me that they heard you talking with someone inside your garden house." The smirk on his lips turned into a grin as Aguni averted his eyes. "So, tell me; who is she? Or is it a he? C'mon, you know you can tell–"

"I don't know what you're talking about," was all he said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.

Takeru wasn't easy to fool, though.

"You know what, I know you're full of shit, but I will allow it," he said with a fork pointed in his direction. "For now, at least. Now it's dessert time!" Takeru licked his lips as he pulled a tray to the center of the table. "I've been wanting you to try this for days, it's delicious!" He opened the tray to uncover two perfectly sized individual pies. Not just any pies, either. Aguni knew exactly who made them.

"Where did you get this?" he blurted out, staring at the perfectly cooked pastries. Takeru looked at him with a confused look.

"Huh, the kitchen? Where else?"

"Yeah, but who made them?" Aguni pressed further, wanting an answer that would show him that you were actually alive. "Were they made today?"

"Uh, I would hope so, yeah. And I don't know who made them, old Yamamoto just said it was one of her helpers," Takeru retorted with a shrug. "They're amazing, though, you should try it."

Aguni almost felt himself sag in relief. If these were made today, that meant that you were alive. It also meant that you definitely had stopped leaving gifts at his door. He tried not to focus on how he felt a little hurt by it. It was not like you owed him anything, anyway.

He still couldn't stop thinking about you as he finished his lunch with Takeru. He hated to admit it, but he felt bad for how he had treated you when you first met. He felt like he owed you at least an apology, and – not like he would ever admit it to himself – he wanted to see you again.

He always went for a short walk after lunch before having to proceed with his duties for the day. He wasn't exactly surprised to find himself by the kitchens, peeping inside the large double doors to take a look – part of him hoping to see you there.

What he saw instead were the so-called Food Ladies, a group of old women that had taken upon themselves the important role of cooking for everyone at the Beach. They were now chilling and having their own meals after the lunch hour rush. He spotted Mrs. Yamamoto, the oldest of the bunch – that also happened to be the boss – leaning by the doors that led outside, smoking her usual cigarette. She spotted him too, with small dark eyes that made him want to run away. It was strangely similar to the way his grandmother used to look at him when he misbehaved as a child.

“Oi, boy, c’mere,” she called him before he could walk away. The laughs and conversations of the other women ceased immediately as he entered the room. They eyed him for some time, one of the old ladies elbowing another before whispering something he couldn’t hear. His brows furrowed; he hated all that attention.

“Mrs. Yama–”

“You have to learn how to control your militants, Aguni,” she said as soon as he got close enough. “Two of your boys were disturbing one of my girls this morning. God knows what they would’ve done to the poor thing if I hadn’t shooed them away.” He had to control his facial expression; was she talking about you? “That girl gets up before dawn to cook sweets for so many people in this godforsaken place, and that’s how they repay her?” The old woman shook her head, before adding, “The rude boy with the piercings on his face and the odd one with the katana. See to it that they don’t get close to her again, do ya hear me?” 

He nodded once before turning to leave, anger already simmering inside him. He had the urge to use his fists on a very specific someone.

He found whom he was looking for on the roof, as he expected. Last Boss was the first to notice him, eyes going wide as Aguni power walked to the man next to him.

“...and Chishiya– oh fuck! What the hell?!” Niragi screamed as Aguni pushed him toward the edge of the roof before forcing him to lean over it.

He held the man by his collar, almost making him lose his balance and fall to his death. Part of him really wanted to let go. He knew what Niragi was capable of.

“What were you doing in the kitchen this morning?” he asked in a cold, emotionless tone. The younger man looked down before visibly gulping and staring at him with a furrowed brow.

“T- The kitchen?...” he asked back. Aguni took a deep breath before loosening the grip on his shirt, making Niragi yelp and grab his arm. “Look look, it was his idea to go there, I didn’t do anything!”

Aguni looked back at Last Boss, and the man raised his hands while shaking his head.

“He- he just followed me there, I didn’t ask him to come with me,” the tattooed man said, stumbling on his words. “If you’re talking about the old lady, she kicked us out, but we didn’t do anything, I swear.” 

“The girl?” he asked through gritted teeth. He was starting to lose his patience. The younger men shared a look between them before Last Boss started talking.

“Y/N?” he asked for clarification. So that was your name. “We didn’t touch her. Niragi just took some pies and we left.” 

“Is that so?” Aguni asked Niragi, the man still in his grasp. He knew what he was capable of, and he wouldn’t put it past Last Boss to lie for his friend. “Cause that’s not what I heard…” his fingers loosened once again around the man’s collar, making him tighten his grip on Aguni’s arm.

“Fine, fine, I- I might’ve teased her a little,” the man confessed. “But I didn’t mean to make her cry, and we left right after. I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

Aguni considered his words for a moment, before pulling Niragi off the edge and pushing him to the ground. The man cursed something under his breath that Aguni preferred to ignore as he now focused on Last Boss.

“Do you know her last name?” he asked. The man shook his head. Aguni sighed; he would have to check Mira’s records if he wanted to find her room. “You both better stay away from the kitchens and from that girl,” he said, now keeping his stone-cold gaze on Niragi. “Is that clear?”

Both men nodded. 

Without another word, Aguni left the roof.

»«»«»«

It was surprisingly hard for him to find your room. 

Mira had immediately denied any access to her records, claiming invasion of privacy. Which it was; he would probably do the same thing if he was in her place. But he pressed on, and she eventually gave in, simply saying that you lived in the south wing of the Hotel, somewhere on the second level. He accepted the information and forced himself to ask around for you, as inconspicuously as he could. Surprisingly, practically no one recognized the description he gave of you, and no one knew your name. He was almost giving up when finally...

“Oh, Y/N?” a couple of young women said. “Yeah, she lives next door to us, room 237.”

He finally had your room number.

Aguni spent five minutes gathering the necessary courage to knock on your door, hesitating and almost leaving every time he lifted his knuckles against the door. He made a frustrated sound, annoyed with himself.

“You’re an idiot,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Hello?” someone greeted behind him. Aguni froze before looking over his shoulder. There you were. Dressed in shorts and a light jacket, hair in a braid over your shoulder, and a hesitant smile on your face, you looked pretty in his eyes. It really made him wonder if Takeru was right; he did have a crush on someone. “Hmm, is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, uh- hey.” He cleared his throat as he realized he had been staring. He could feel his face getting warm. “Hm, how’re doing?” he asked, before grimacing. Ah yes, Morizono, very nice. You raised a brow as you looked at him for a moment.

“I’m... fine,” you answered with a hesitant smile. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, I- I wanted to apologize,” he cringed at his stuttering. But there it was. Direct and clear. The fastest he could get himself out of this awkward conversation, the better. “I heard about what happened this morning with two of my militants, and I just want you to know that they won’t bother you again.”

“Oh, that was just a misunderstanding!" you say as you shake your head. "I was just talking with Mrs. Yamamoto about that. Nothing happened."

"That was not what I heard."

"No, no, I'm fine, they didn't do anything to me," you reassured him. "Niragi just… said some mean things, but Last Boss stopped him. Mrs. Yamamoto thought they were hurting me and I'm really sorry." You shrugged and gave him an awkward smile. "I just cry sometimes. I even went to talk with Last Boss about it, but I think Mrs. Yamamoto really scared him, 'cause he keeps avoiding me." You said with an awkward chuckle. "But I'm okay, really."

Aguni grunted with a nod, convinced that you were telling him the truth. Still, he wanted those two, Niragi in particular, as far from you as he could.

"If they mess with you again, let me know, all right?" You nodded at his request, and he almost had the urge to smile back at you. "Okay then," he said with a nod before making a move to leave.

"Hmm, did you enjoy today's pastry?" he heard you ask in a hesitant tone. He turned around, confused. There was no pastry waiting for him today. He said so to you, and your brows furrowed. "Uh, no, I'm pretty sure I left you something. Strawberry pie with a chocolate crust?"

"There was nothing when I got there," he said. There were butterflies in his stomach, though. You hadn't stopped baking stuff for him, after all. 

"That's odd…" you said as you bit your lip, wondering what could've happened. "Well," you shrugged, "I'll make sure you get it tomorrow morning, then."

He nodded without a word and watched as you smiled at him before moving to open your door.

"How's your arm?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. You froze by the door for a moment before showing him your arm, skin looking much better than it was just a week prior.

"That aloe mix you gave me helped a lot. Thanks, again," you said with another one of those smiles that made him want to smile back.

"You know…" he hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying what he meant to say, eyes on your feet, "If you ever want to, you can show up by the greenhouse, sometimes. There are these new seeds I got that might interest you. I don't know, but the offer stands."

He shrugged, like what he just said meant nothing. He finally focused on your face, and his stomach did somersaults as he found you grinning at him.

"I would like that very much." 

»«»«»«

You were there the next morning.

And the next. And the next. And the other one after that. Always with a smile on your face, always carrying a new sweet that you would both share.

The first days were as awkward as you could imagine. He almost feared looking you in the eyes, feeling like a teenager again with all the blushing and weird sensations in the pit of his stomach. All he needed was a smile from you to look as red as one of his tomatoes. 

At first, you would eat in silence, until you eventually broke it by mentioning something about plants, or what flowers you were expecting to bring the next time you went scavenging. Then it would be just you doing most of the talk as he stuffed his mouth with whatever deliciousness you had brought him that day, nodding, and grunting on occasion. He realized he liked hearing you speak. Hearing your voice.

Then he would start working on whatever he had planned the morning before, and that's when you would watch him as he went around his garden showing you things. You would give him ideas from time to time, always following him as you attentively listened to his words. He realized he liked the attention. Your attention.

It didn't take long until you were more comfortable around each other. Then you would both talk freely, almost always about plants. He would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to know more about you, but he didn't have the courage to ask.

"What did you do... before?" you asked one day, about a week into your morning rendezvous. You were sharing a quiche today, and he took his time chewing before answering.

"Was part of the SDF," he said. You nodded like it made sense that a man like him had a job like that. "Nothing too interesting, though,” he said with a shrug. “You?"

"Worked at my family's bakery," you said, a small smile on your face as you seemed to think back to those times. "My grandma taught me everything I know. She made the best quiche in Tokyo, you know? Mine has nothing on hers."

He couldn't control his chuckle then, nor he meant to say the words that got out of his mouth next.

"Takeru would love to hear that."

"Who?" you asked, brow raised as you chewed a piece of the salty pastry. There were flakes of crust on the corner of your mouth, and he had to control the urge to wipe them away with his thumb. He shook his head instead.

"Just a friend from… from back home," he said. "The man can't cook to save his life but bakes one hell of a quiche. Yours is better, though."

You smiled at the compliment and proceeded to eat in silence. He didn't want to waste the chance to get to know you more, though.

"What do you do all day?" he asked. You raised a brow, and he specified what he meant, "I mean, I barely see you around and no one seems to know you, so…"

"Oh, I just stay in my room all day," you said as you shrugged and let out an awkward chuckle. "I'm not really a people person and I spend most of my nights awake, so I mostly just sleep."

"What do you do when you're awake, then?"

"I go to the games, I bake and, well, now I spend some time here with you." He could swear his heart beat a little faster at your words. He felt strangely honored that you decided to spend time with him. 

"Yeah, I'm not much of a people person myself," he said. "Plants are much better, aren't they?" He tried to send you a small smile but immediately regretted it as it felt more like a grimace. You smiled back at him, though, so it probably wasn't as bad as he thought it was. 

"Hmm, you're right, but I don't mind some people."

He didn't know what to make of your statement.

»«»«»«

A month passed when you met every morning. 

Your joined morning routine had taken a comfortable rhythm for both of you, where you ate, talked, and worked without that awkward vibe of the first few days. With you joining him in the work, his crops flourished. It was the best part of his day, without a doubt.

He realized several things during that time.

The first was that you liked to sing while you worked. Didn't matter if you were planting potatoes, watering the flowers, or preparing herbal remedies – that you had eventually convinced him to be useful – you were always humming a tune under your breath, or singing the words aloud. 

The second thing he realized was that he liked it.

He liked to hear you sing so much that the songs would stay in his head for the rest of the day, and he would wake up with your voice still echoing in his head. He had even caught himself whistling at times. Once during a council meeting, where he had zoned out again and was completely oblivious to the fact that he had been humming 'I Want to Break Free’ by Queen until Takeru snapped his attention and everyone was looking at him like he had grown two heads. All except his best friend, that had a knowing smirk on his lips.

The third thing he realized – and, to his shock, didn't surprise him – was that he had totally developed a crush on you.

"So, am I ever going to meet them or what?" Takeru asked over his glass of golden whiskey, taking a sip when Aguni took too long to answer. "You can't keep them a secret from me forever."

"I don't know what you're talking about," was all Aguni said as he took a gulp of his own drink, avoiding his friend's eyes and looking at the moon up high in the sky. His friend really had the best view for late-night drinking, especially after a stressful game. 

"Fine, don't tell me," Takeru shrugged like he didn't care, but Aguni could tell he one hundred percent did. What was he supposed to tell him? There was no relationship for him to talk about. 

"Okay, listen…" his friend's eyes shined as he focused all his attention on him, making Aguni want to hide from his scrutiny. He took a deep breath before saying, "There's nothing to talk about. There's no relationship."

"Ahh, but you're in love, aren't you?" Takeru let out an excited laugh, and Aguni could feel the corners of his mouth pulling up. "In all the years we've been friends I saw you like what? Three people? And you never behaved like this." He drank whatever was left of the drink in his glass before filling it up again. "This one sure looks promising." There was a pause where they just drank in silence before he asked again "So, what's her name? It’s a she, isn't it?"

"Y/N," Aguni mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. Takeru's eyes widen comically at the name.

"The pie girl?!" he asked in a raised tone. "You're head over heels for the pie girl?" He laughed then, and Aguni furrowed his brows in annoyance.

"You know her?" 

"Yeah, I mean, old Yamamoto wouldn't tell me who the miracle baker was, so I went to see for myself. She's cute," he let out a mean chuckle, "I knew you were getting thicker around the waist. She's feeding you well, I see."

"Yeah." Aguni gave him a full-on smirk as he said the next words, "She makes the best quiche I've ever eaten." 

The shocked and offended gasp that left Takeru's mouth almost made him laugh. 

"You take that back!" the man punched his arm once and drank the remaining of his whiskey in one single gulp. "You just ruined my night. Get out and think about what you just said. I'll be expecting an apology by morning."

Aguni laughed then, the only kind of laugh that he could only make when he was around his best friend.

"Yours is good," he shrugged, still laughing. "But hers is better."

»«»«»«

->Next Chapter

[bifrosted-flakes]

GOD FUCKING DAMNIT

I was so close to making it all day without hitting post limit

HAHAHAHAHA

[candyradium]

Finally got around to typing up my Technoblade D&D build!!! I’ve been working on making these for a lot of the Dream SMP characters, and I thought it would be fun to have him in stat block format, so you too can throw c!Technoblade at your players as a final boss! (Disclaimer: I don’t know how accurate the CR level is, I just set it to 8 since the build is a lv8 build PC build.)

Image description and explanation/rambling below the cut!

[Image ID: A D&D stat block for Technoblade. It reads:

Technoblade

Medium humanoid (firbolg), Lawful Neutral

Armor Class: 18 (Half plate, defense fighting style)

Hit Points: 72 (8d12+24)

Speed: 40 ft.

STR: 18 (+4)

DEX: 14 (+2)

CON: 16 (+3)

INT: 14 (+2)

WIS: 13 (+1)

CHA: 6 (-2)

Saving Throws: Str +7, Con +6

Skills: Athletics +7, Intimidation +1, Perception +4, Survival +4

Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, slashing

Senses: passive Perception 14

Languages: Common, Elvish, Giant, Goblin

Challenge: 8 (3,900 XP)

Innate spellcasting. Technoblade's innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

1/short rest each: detect magic, disguise self

Speech of beast and leaf. Technoblade has the ability to communicate in a limited manner with beasts and plants. They can understand the meaning of his words, though he has no special ability to understand them in return. He has advantage on all Charisma checks he makes to influence them.

Powerful build. Technoblade counts as one size larger when determining his carrying capacity and the weight he can push, drag, or lift.

Unarmoured defense. When not wearing any armour, Technoblade's defense equals 15. He can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Reckless. At the start of his turn, Technoblade can gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls he makes during that turn, but attack rolls against him have advantage until the start of his next turn.

Great weapon master. When Technoblade scores a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduces a creature to 0 hit points with one, he can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action. Additionally, before Technoblade makes a melee weapon attack with a heavy weapon that he is proficient with, he can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, he adds +10 to the attack's damage.

Warrior of the Gods. If a spell, such as Raise Dead, has the sole effect of restoring Technoblade to life (but not undeath), the caster doesn't need material components to cast the spell on Technoblade.

Divine fury. While Technoblade is raging, the first creature he hits on each of his turns with a weapon attack takes extra necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + 3.

Action surge (1/rest). Technoblade takes one additional action on his turn.

Combat superiority (4/rest). Technoblade can apply the following maneuvers using his four superiority die (d8s):

Feinting attack: Technoblade expends one superiority die and uses a bonus action on his turn to feint, choosing one creature within 5 feet of his as his target. He has advantage on his next attack roll against that creature before the end of his turn. If that attack hits, add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll.

Menacing attack: When Technoblade hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one superiority die to attempt to frighten the target. He adds the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it is frightened of him until the end of his next turn.

Trip attack: When Technoblade hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one superiority die to attempt to knock the target down. He adds the superiority die to the attack's damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw (DC 15). On a failed save, he knocks the target prone.ActionsHidden step (1/rest).

As a bonus action, Technoblade can magically turn invisible until the start of his next turn or until he attacks, makes a damage roll, or forces someone to make a saving throw.

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.

Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.

Multiattack. Technoblade can make 2 weapon attacks.

Rage (4/day). As a bonus action, Technoblade enters a rage that lasts for 1 minute, ending early if knocked unconscious or if Technoblade's turn ends and he hasn't attacked a hostile creature since his last turn or taken damage since then. He can also end his rage on his turn as a bonus action. While raging, Technoblade deals +2 damage, has advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. Technoblade cannot cast spells during a rage.

End ID.]

Okay. Rambling time.

Holy SHIT I loved making this. I tend to play spellcasters or dex based characters, so it was a lot of fun to make a str character for once.

Stats first. As a barbarian/fighter and also as a force of nature, str is his highest stat. I could have made it 20, but I have a weird aversion to writing up characters with maxed out stats for some reason? Anyway, that’s what he has. He can always boost it if he takes another level in fighter. I also decided to give him pretty high intelligence and wisdom, which are rare in barbarian characters, since, y’know, their main point is to hit things very hard. But Techno is so, SO resourceful, and one of the main reasons that he’s so good at fighting is because he does his research and acquires the best items for it and puts himself in the right place at the right time. Hence the high-ish int. I feel a little bad making his charisma so low, but cha represents several things, most notably the ability to talk to people and force of personality. Also known as: how hard it is to be swayed or controlled, magically or otherwise. Remember what happened at the festival? That’s low charisma. Also I had to give him a low stat to balance the fact that he’s insanely good at so many fucking things. Why.

As a side note, when picking his proficiencies, I was using the homebrew rule that you can use your strength modifier when you roll for intimidation. So his Strength (Intimidation) check would actually have a +7, which is MUCH better than the Charisma (Intimidation) check of +1. Big strong characters are absolutely scary, damnit, and I will die on that hill.

Next up: race. I HAD to make him a firbolg. They’re connected with nature and are often portrayed with animalistic features (e.g. Caduceus Clay from Critical Role), and it means we can have both pig Techno and anime Techno, since firbolgs naturally have the disguise self spell. I just think that’s neat. They also get the ability to turn invisible! Which Techno has been doing a LOT recently! Sure, firbolgs can only do it for a turn, but it still fits.

Onto classes. Barbarian was a dead certain for Techno, honestly - his battle prowess, how he acts when he fights, it just fits so well. Even his use of potions - he gets a lot of buffs from them, increased damage and damage resistance being the two most notable and the two that best translate to D&D rage. Even speed potions - barbarians get +10ft movement speed at level 5. And barbarians are made for two-handed weapons, so obviously I HAD to give him a greatsword. The Orphan Obliterator is a deadly weapon. He also still favours swords even when axes are better in the newest version, so a greatsword was a must. Also I just really like greatswords.

I wavered a bit when picking a subclass, to be honest. I’m not really a big fan of any of the official subclasses (they don’t really fir my playstyle, which is why I homebrewed an entire new subclass for my barbarian character, but that’s a post for another day), but looking through, there were a few that could work. Originally, I picked Juggernaut - this was because of how he fought during the Dream battle, moving Dream around the arena into a more advantageous position for Techno, which is the Juggernaut’s 3rd level ability in a nutshell. They also can’t be knocked prone, and both of these things work INCREDIBLY well for skywars/bedwars style combat - staying put on this island and knocking off your opponents.

However, in the end, I decided to go with Zealot. It was inevitable after he REALLY started building his character on the Dream SMP, which is what this is mostly based on. Zealots have two main points: they follow a God, and it’s very, VERY hard to kill them.

Sound familiar?

Techno isn’t just a barbarian - he also has three levels of Battlemaster fighter. The barbarian/fighter combo is one of the best there is for sheer combat power (bested only, in my opinion, by barbarian/moon druid - those characters are actually unkillable) and the choice of Battlemaster specifically opened up so many options in combat. I had debated going with champion, just for the crit probability boost, but ultimately decided that Battlemaster was infinitely more fun. The three maneuvers were picked for a combination of reasons - they’re all incredibly useful in combat, but I also just thought they were thematically accurate and/or funny. I just had to give him Menacing Attack, because one of the few constants in Technoblade’s combat is people running the hell away from him during competitions. Feinting is for pure combat ability, and Trip is just. Really funny to me. It worked better when he was Juggernaut and literally couldn’t be knocked prone, but I just like the idea of someone using their full action to try and knock over this eight foot tall firbolg (they’re so fucking tall! This bitch is massive!) Technoblade just. Looking down at them before knocking them clean off of their feet with one swing of his Greatsword.

And finally, weapons and magical items. The magic ones didn’t actually make it onto the stat block, because I wanted it to be purely basic character building, but I absolutely had some ideas. Some of these were rolled on loot tables, some were completely homebrewed to fit Techno’s canon weapons. Guess which ones lmao.

magical heavy crossbow (use charge to fire 3 bolts simultaneously, using only one arrow, rolling an attack for each. Each target must be within 10ft of each other. 7 charges per day)

explosive bolts (10ft radius, double dice of the weapon it’s fired from, dex save)

mithral half-plate

ring of feather falling

trident of flight (attunement) (30ft swim and flight speed, 120ft flight speed when its raining)

upgraded cape of the mountebank (8 charges, 2 for misty step, 4 for dimension door) (yes it looks like his normal cape)

bag of holding

sword of life-stealing (attunement) (I don’t know why I added this except Techno’s canon sword would be VERY hard to homebrew and also he can do enough damage with a normal one so he could literally just have like a +2 or something. Do what you want)

[gumnut-logic]

Minerva (Bit 4)

Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 | Bit 4

Really just some brotherly fun :D I’ve posted a couple of snippets from this bit, but there is plenty more, a whole 1600 words worth :D

Thanks to @vegetacide​ and @scribbles97​ for the reading and support ::hugs you guys::

I hope you enjoy this fluff :D

-o-o-o-

“Scotty! Bro! How ya doin’?”

Virgil had to smirk at his little brother. Gordon was acting like his hand had been caught in the candy jar.

“Gordon, what are you doing in Minerva?” One lowered just slightly. “Virg? What the hell? Gordon!”

“What?! He needed some fresh air!”

“He has two broken legs!”

“Yeah, but Grandma was cooking up a storm.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

Virgil twisted his lips. “You do know I am a sentient being and can both speak for myself and make decisions on my own.”

“Did you hear something, Scott? There was interference on the line. Sounded like Virgil was claiming he was able to look after himself.”

The snort from the hovering Thunderbird was loud.

“Hey!”

Gordon actually cackled. “Sorry, Virg. Great at looking after everyone else, total shit at looking after yourself.”

The glare he shot his brother should have scalped him.

Gordon only grinned more. “We all have our strengths and weakness, bro.”

“Shut up, Gordon.”

Thunderbird One began lowering as if to come into land.

“Hey, don’t you dare land that tin can on the reef, Scott. Mel will have your hide, right after I kick your butt.”

“Keep your pants on, Fish, I’m well aware how attracted you are to my butt.” Thunderbird One pirouetted midair like the graceful craft she was under his brother’s hands, shifting towards the centre of the lagoon. Her landing struts unfolded from her fuselage.

“He’s not going to...” Virgil’s eyes widened.

But Gordon was grinning. “Oh, yes!”

A crack in the air and pontoons at the end of her landing gear inflated with a snap, One suddenly sprouting what looked like fat ski blades. Her front strut shot out extenders either side for stability and Thunderbird One settled on the calm ocean like the prim and trim bird she was.

“That’s not something you see every day. I thought Scott hated landing on water.”

Gordon snorted. “He does.”

“If Brains asks, it’s practise and equipment testing.” Scott’s voice was smirking on comms. In the distance his brother’s flight chair slid smoothly out of the cockpit to hang above the water. Scott reached beneath the seat and pulled out a package. With a yank of a cord, he inflated his own little lifeboat, chucked it onto the water surface, and lightly stepped onto it. He sat there fiddling for a bit, enough to have Gordon frowning across the water, but then Scott was moving in their direction.

“So, dropping by for a swim? Or just checking up on us?” Gordon’s voice was flippant, but Virgil sensed a touch of concern under it all.

“Does it matter?” As Scott got closer Virgil frowned. The blue of his uniform was smudged with something black.

A flick of the water seat’s controls and Gordon yelped as Virgil flew off the edge of the reef and splashed his younger brother with water as the contraption forced stability in a way it really wasn’t quite designed for. Virgil cursed as the seat hit its maximum speed which was little more than walking pace, a limitation he had put in there himself to stop Gordon from killing himself. But it got him across the water, however slowly, those few moments faster to his eldest brother. As Scott pulled up alongside him, Virgil raked him with his eyes.

His brother was filthy, but there were no obvious injuries. “What the hell happened to you?”

Scott rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Took a bit of a tumble down a coal mine.”

“A coal mine? Are you okay?” Scott still looked a little off with his pencilled-in eyebrows still growing back. Wasn’t the first time one of them had had to use makeup to hide an injury from the world at large. Scott had more soot on his face than anything else. “Did you wear your helmet?”

His brother’s shoulders slumped with the most put-upon whole-body expression he could manage. “Of course, I did. I’m fine, Virgil. A few bruises and a lot of grime. That’s all.”

Virgil didn’t stop frowning as he grabbed a handle on the inflatable and held himself steady. “Why didn’t you go home and get cleaned up?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just happened to find a brother with two broken legs sitting on a reef out in the middle of nowhere. What the hell are you doing out here, Virg? You’re supposed to be resting.”

“I am! I’m still sitting on my ass. Andre and Cecil, not to mention, Gords, have me wrapped up in bubblewrap. I’m fine!”

Scott arched a wonky eyebrow at him.

Virgil’s lips twisted and he combed his brother with his eyes for injury one more time before conceding. “Fine. We’re both fine.”

The grin that split Scott’s face was kind of worth it.

It was a sign of how involved they were in each other’s medical condition that they both startled as Gordon suddenly surfaced beside the boat. Their fish brother flicked his wet hair out of his eyes forcibly enough to get both of his brothers with the spray.

In the distance, and still on the reef, both Andre and Cecil were staring at them.

“Hey, bros.” Gordon pretty much hovered in the water like the water seat his movements were so practised. “How goes?” In others words, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ When both brothers just stared at him, his eyes narrowed. “Scott you’ve dragged Two Broken Legs out onto the water by your mere presence. You look like shit, he worries. Go back to A Little Lightning and get cleaned up. Meet you on the reef when you are more respectable.” The Fish’s glare turned to Virgil. “And you. You are giving Andre conniptions. You fall off this seat, there is drowning in your future. I know you know this because you drummed it into my head multiple times.” His brother parroted Virgil’s own words from years ago. “‘Its use must be accompanied by adult supervision at all times’. While I know ‘adult’ in my case can be a grey area, we didn’t hire two suitably respectable nurses for you to fly out of their reach and go drown yourself. Now, get your ass back on that reef before I throw it onto my boat, take you straight back home, and force feed you Grandma’s cooking!”

Virgil stared at Gordon. Okay, perhaps he had acted a little irresponsibly. Of course, Scott took the opportunity for what it was and turned his own glare on Virgil for reinforcement.

Gordon’s glower upped a notch at the lack of movement. “Now!”

“Okay, Gordon. Fine. Whatever.” Virgil somewhat meekly let go of the life raft and turned back towards the reef, the seat humming quietly beneath him. Gordon growled further words at Scott and a moment later the life raft took off for A Little Lightning.

It wasn’t often Gordon put his foot down, but it was usually a good idea to agree with him when he did.

But then it wasn’t like he could fall out of the seat, being strapped in an all.

The whole tone of his own thoughts screamed pout and Virgil was forced to acknowledge that yes, Gordon was right.

The aquanaut swam alongside him, quite capable of keeping up with the seat’s easy pace.

By the time they reached the edge of the reef, Virgil had worked himself up to an apology. “I’m sorry, Gordon.”

His brother had stopped swimming a little way back and was now wading. Looking down and watching where he put his feet, Gordon sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Virg. Just keep yourself safe and in one piece, and we won’t have any problems.”

Virgil brought the seat to a halt and turned to his brother. “Gords, thank you. For all of this.”

Gordon stopped and stared, a small smile curving his lips. “Anytime, bro.” And of course, he had to take it that step further. He flung his arms wide. “My boat is your boat. Mi Casa, es su casa. Yours, mine, ours. Happy families and all that.”

Virgil stared at his goofball brother a moment. Then a flick at the controls, he darted over, grabbed two armfuls of Gordon and hugged him until he squawked.

“Oh, god, Virg, getorff!” Gordon struggled, but even in the water, he was no match for heavy lifting biceps. If Virgil closed his eyes and just clung for a moment, he wasn’t going to admit it or care. If it wasn’t for the fact that the seat was on the verge of flipping, he would have hung on longer.

It was Gordon stumbling and righting him before he took a swim in the drink that finally broke the clinging.

“God, Virg, don’t you dare get all teary on me or I’m telling John the combination to your personal refrigerator.”

Virgil grinned, if a little sloppily. “He already knows and it is not what you think.”

“What, it’s not Two’s launch date?”

“What?” Oh shit.

Gordon’s grin split his face in half and he cracked up laughing. Virgil was reduced to grabbing at him again in either an attempt to throttle him or give him the biggest noogie since he hit adulthood. That explained the mystery of the damned banana caramel pie from last week. He’d have to change it again.

His brother ducked out of reach basically by throwing himself underwater. Sure, the water seat was designed to follow, but damnit! “You owe me pie! Cecil made that for me, you brat!”

Gordon just kick-splashed his brother and laughed harder.

-o-o-o-

TBC

[catxsnow]

Please do 14 with Tim!

14."I swear to god the next person that scares me, I'll punch them"

Sorry I didn’t get to post yesterday, School got me hella busy!

Kori took Halloween maybe a little too seriously. With the help of all the Titans, she had transformed the tower completely. It felt like a horrific maze every time you walked through it. Things jumping out at you, creepy statues that stared into your soul, and fake spiders everywhere you looked.

It was awful. Not to mention that Bart and Rose took every chance they got to scare you. You weren't sure you were going to make it to the end of the week before having a heart attack. It seemed the whole team was eager to team up against you for Halloween.

It was Kon this time who had gotten the drop on you. Icy cold chills down the hall to and eerie sounds that made you want to run back to your room. It wasn't until he had flew towards you, stopping only inches from your back and yelling in your ear did you finally break down. Petrified eyes and a scream that rattled the whole building.

Kon had his hands on his knees laughing at your reaction while you were fuming. "That's it! The next person that scares me is getting punched!" You stomped your foot on the ground. It only made him laugh harder. It was far too easy for him and the others to scare you - which was saying something because as a Titan it was impossible to put you in a state of fear.

With a huff, you left you laughing best friend. It was ridiculous how much they enjoyed torturing you like this. You headed back to the safety of your room where you could finally get some peace from all their mocking.

"Stupid Kon, stupid Bart," you muttered to yourself, collapsing on your bed. You dragged your hands down your face, keeping them rested over your eyes. "I can't wait for Halloween to be over!"

As you opened your eyes again, only inches above your face was someone in a Scream mask. Without hesitating, you let out a scream of your own and held true to your words earlier. Your fist jutted out and punched whoever was trying to scare you again. They cowered back at the sudden pain and ripped the mask away.

Tim stood there, holding his bleeding lip. "What the fuck Tim!" you screeched. So far, you room had been completely off limits to whoever tried to prank you. This whole time, Tim was the only one to not try to scare you once. You thought he was on your side - but apparently he had just been waiting for the right moment.

"God damnit," Tim groaned. He swiped his tongue over his lip to soak up some of the blood. Instant regret flooded him - why did he have to try and take Conner's advice? Scaring you was the last thing to bring you closer together.

"Serves you right!" You jumped up from your bed. It wasn't unusual for Tim to be waiting for you in your room. You were easily the closest person on the team with him. Everyone knew - and everyone assumed you to be dating on the sly. It had crossed your mind - and his - several times but it never truly happened.

There were times of on and off. Times of crossing the line of dating and friends. Those were the moment that you realized you would always care for him as a little more than a friend but too weary of a lover. Tim was a mystery that was dying to be solved. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I could get a good scare in you at least once! Everyone else has done and you haven't punched them in the face," he glared. It wasn't the first time he was on the receiving end of your punch and it was never a good time. "I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were going to hit me."

"Good, remember that next time you try that shit," you rolled your eyes. Tim stood there expectantly - as if he was waiting for you to apologize. You crossed your arms over your chest and narrowed your eyes. "What? I'm not apologizing - you brought this upon yourself."

"Obviously," Tim scoffed. He wiped away the last few drops of blood with the back of his hand before looking up at you. Even through his busted, swollen lip he still shone a smile at you. You always had a way of making him smile, even when you weren't trying to. "Let me make it up to you?"

"How's that?"

Tim jutted his chin towards a container on your dresser that you hadn't noticed before. He must have brought it when he snuck into your room. Inside were dozens of Halloween themed cookies. Tim knew he was going to feel bad for scary you - but Conner had insisted that he should try it.

"Take the night off to watch horror movies with me and you've got yourself a deal," You bargained. Tim chuckled at your offer - spending all night cuddled next to you in bed watching scary movies? There sounded like no better deal that could be made.

"Deal."

[wizisbored]

What are some of your favorite lines you've written for your fics? (Also I'm sorry things aren't going well right now. Sending love 💜)

right its time to go diggin im using this as an excuse to reread everything because i cant think of any lines off the top of my head even though i know theres a shitton

premptively putting a cut here because this will probably end up long as shit and you know what fuck yea to that because fuck yea to being proud of what youve made

SO

hallelujah, first thing i posted:

If those bastards want to make her part of their shitty musical, then she’s going to make it difficult. Or at least inconvenient.

The hive is not inconvenienced in the slightest.’

- idk if this is as funny as i think it is but i find it funny

"Nobody dies with dignity, Emma. There's no honour in the thing, however you dress it up."

- wrote that to sound creepy and now i cant decide whether i actually think its true

But he’s holding her like she’s his salvation, as if it’s his life hanging in the balance.

- salvation is just a good word tbh

It’s hopeless, but she refuses to be killed by a game of fucking ‘got your nose’.

purgatory, intended to be a shitpost but now i unironically think of it as the best thing ive ever written

After a few years (or maybe seconds, it’s not clear) / it takes a moment (or maybe it doesn’t, who knows?) / An undocumentable amount of time passes. /  They might have slipped into an uneasy silence lasting millenia - or milliseconds - if it wasn’t for the jolly tune that suddenly fills the air. / for minutes or years or millenia or maybe even eons / After a brief, indescribably long nap / But the incomprehensible amount of time seems somehow shorter this time.

- 2 in one of fucking with the concept of time and hinting at an unreliable narrator, hell yea. its about the weird atmosphere, baybeeeee

“Does one day of trying the hardest we could outweigh years of not trying at all?” Emma wonders aloud. Paul squeezes her hand.

“I damn hope so.”

He doesn’t ask if she believes in Hell.

- even without context i like this line but in context it really helped set the sombre tone so i could do a full 180 at the end of the chapter

Emma wonders whether they’ve been sent to musical hell for failing to stop the musical apocalypse

- love the implication that there is a hell dedicated to annoying people via musical theatre

“You said- you told her you’d never be in a musical?”

“Yes.”

“And then you died performing a musical number?”

“I- yeah, I did.”

“Brilliant! Now, that is stupid!”

- probably my best characterisation of death, sounds like something that would be said in a stupid deaths bit, i can hear it in his voice

teachers pet

“It’s only blatant if people know about it. So in actual fact this is secret favouritism.”

- hidgens gives absolutely 0 shits about the ethics of the situation good for him

“And if that is kidnapping, well, consider yourself kidnapped.”

- once again ethics simply do not matter

“Oh, where is your sense of adventure? Are you not curious about the results of washing baked beans?”

- this line hants me when im trying to make stew or just have some fucking beans on toast because I am curious about the results of washing baked beans

“Well, if it isn’t, and we both die, then I’ll be quite disappointed. We did spend all evening on this, after all.”

- priorities

finishing what we started, actually originally a scrapped ending idea for igtlt that i liked too much to abandon entirely

“How many bullets?” He eventually asks.

“Enough.”

- they just know what theyve got to do

Only thing left to say is a big ol’ fuck you to… God, everyone else in the fucking world. Oh, and God. Fuck you God, you prick.

- gotta love them tto refs

wildfire, almost 20,000 words of angst that im going to read through because fuck it why not

She doesn't understand the order, at least not yet; a dog doesn't understand the first time she's called to heel. But that can change. Though, from the bared teeth of this dog, the trader guesses it may take a while.

- this is actually something i really like doing in narration, calling a character something in dialogue or comparison and then directly calling them it in the narration

He understands; she doesn't want to show weakness to someone who could exploit her, doesn't want to show gratitude to someone she hates. But the tribeswoman is tired and scared and hurt, and it's obvious. She's broken, at least for today.

The loneliness, however, refuses to wane. It settles in her chest like a physical need, a craving for closeness.

- got inspiration for this description by thinking about hugging my partner while i was stuck in lockdown

"You can say that again," the older woman mutters, shaking her head. "God-fuckin'-damnit, Lauren, why d'you never think about the implications?"

Jemilla turns to her with a questioning look. "Who's Lauren?"

"She-" Molag begins to explain, then pauses. She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. "I don't even know."

- crossover jokes hell yea

He’s tolerable, she’s decided, at least relatively so, but not trustworthy. If she could truly trust him then he wouldn’t be involved in all this. If she could trust him, she wouldn’t know him.

The thinly-veiled threat in his grin

She stares up at the man, shaking, whimpering, pleading. Wordlessly begging for him to stop.

- gotta love reaching the breaking point

She probably looks insane, bruised and bloody and laughing quietly to herself in a cage. She doesn’t care. They can think she’s insane, just as long as they don’t think they broke her.

laughing as they rediscover half-forgotten days spent as children let loose in a world that seemed so huge and yet so small at the same time

“You know, kids like Zazzalil - scrawny little things born as Autumn died - they’re not supposed to see Spring.”

- i will see any character without a detailed fleshed-out backstory and say ‘is anyone going to make headcannons about that’ and then not wait for an answer

Maybe the pain will shock her out of her head.

im going to live twice

It feels more like a bag of broken crockery than a human.

- this was the only time ive ever had to describe something really gory and decided to make it as uncomfy as possible

she notices with a concerning level of non-concern

Paul Matthews is gone, boy. And if I catch you using a dead man’s name again, well.

- its about the ✨forced disconnect✨

It stares at him, and for a moment he sees the young man that Benny used to be, silently pleading for the agent to tell him he'll be okay.

"In my defence, that was the Colonel's idea.” The man raises his hands in surrender. “I wanted to call you Lauren. I was outvoted.”

- i will take literally any chance to make a 4th wall joke and that is a threat

“I’ll see what can be done,” he assures it, knowing full well that nothing will be.

- xander doesnt flat out abuse emma in the way mcnamara and shaffer do but hes still cruel in subtler ways

“No chance of being hurt?”

Xander nods. “No chance of you being hurt.”

-  ✨foreshadowing ✨

If only he was free, free to just get up and go find Blue and tell her - actually tell her, out loud, with words - that she’s going to be okay. If only he could say that and have it be the truth.

She holds onto that piano. Right now, as she kneels crying into the tabletop, it's all she has.

- ‘sir thats my emotional support near-complete stranger’

smoke and feathers

Irony can be a cruel, twisted bitch.

- probably the best opener ive written

There’s a sort of pathetic irony in the fact that she slipped on a stone while wading across a shallow stream and broke her neck.

The stars move across the sky, and she still doesn’t know why.

- sounds poetic and all while also being a fuck you to the chorn twist because i hate it

It seems like every time she looks away the moon goes from waxing to waning and back again, time marching onwards in one unending night, swallowing one unending forest.

Even with her limited view of the person’s face, Zazzalil can see the softness in their expression. She’s hit with a pang of longing for Jemilla.

They share those tender looks that make Zazzalil long for home.

The kind of silence only shared between people who can appreciate the simplicity of each other’s presence

aaand thats pretty much all of em. i know when you said ‘some’ you probably meant less than this but i will give a consice answer to a question when pigs fly. i was going to do the double e au too but its past 1 am now and im going to bed. thanks for this ask because whether intentionally or not you just made me read 48,860 words of fic and thats a damn good distraction when things are getting a bit shitty :)

[cycwrites]

Switching Gears Part 5 - Truce

Words: 11,400ish

Rating: M (Eventually)

As always, my undying gratitude to @tiny-maus-boots for never giving up on me even if I take 3 weeks to sit down and finish a chapter.

Tumblr Master Post

Also on AO3 and FFN

----------

~A~

On Saturday a week later, Aubrey decided to take the short two block walk from Stretch to her favorite juice bar. She had just stepped onto the sidewalk after crossing the street when she saw people pointing. She took out one of her earbuds but as she turned to find out what the hell was going on there was a loud rumbling sound growing from her left, which was the direction people had been pointing. She looked up and saw a crowd of kids on skateboards about to hit her. Jerking backward to avoid being run over - the mass of teens taking up all available sidewalk space - she stumbled off the curb and felt a flare of pain from her left ankle. Pinwheeling her arms she tried to maintain her balance but her ankle didn't want to support her weight and she prepared herself to fall ass over teakettle into the street.

“Look out!” There was a clatter and a yell to her right and then she found herself caught and cradled securely and protectively against someone's chest just as a semi-truck drove behind them, close enough that Aubrey’s hair fluttered in the breeze.

“Holy shit!” Aubrey's heart raced in her chest, stuttering every time she realized that if she'd fallen into the street there was no fucking way the truck could have stopped in time.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” The arms around her were gentle and showed no sign of letting go before Aubrey was ready, so she took a moment longer to take stock of what had just happened, wondering whose heart was beating harder, her own or that of her rescuer.

“I think so?” Aubrey gingerly rotated her foot and hissed out a breath. “Except I think I sprained my ankle.”

“Here, let me help you up on the curb.” By the quickness of breath and shake to their words Aubrey knew her rescuer was just as freaked out as she was. “Nice and easy.”

Gingerly Aubrey hopped on the curb, holding her leg up to avoid the natural instinct to walk on it. Strong hands braced against her waist until she found her balance against a nearby mailbox. “Thanks.” She awkwardly turned around and stopped in shock as she came face to face with the brunette bell thief. “You.”

A wry smile curved the other woman's mouth. “Me.” She lifted her sunglasses to rest on her head and Aubrey felt a sense of deja vu, except her expression this time wasn't condescending but full of genuine concern. “Can I trust you to not try and hop away while I go get my bike?” She nodded at the juice bar two storefronts away. “We can take one of the tables outside and see how bad it is.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “See if they serve anything alcoholic on the side.”

Aubrey blinked, her brain still scrambled from the near death experience. “I…” she licked her lips, fright having dried her mouth. “Yes.” She hesitated. “Thank you.”

The tall brunette walked back to her bike which was laying half on the curb and half in the street. Lifting it easily to the sidewalk, she walked it over to Aubrey who was still staring at her.

“I can't believe what just happened.” Aubrey paused. “What actually did happen?” She still felt like she was in a dream that she could not wake up from.

“You almost got mowed down by a group of tweens who need a good ass kicking. Then you almost got mowed down by a truck.” She eyed Aubrey. “Are you going to punch me if I put my arm around your waist?”

“What?” Aubrey blinked. “Why would you - oh.” She half laughed. “To help me to the table. Right. Sorry, still out of it.” She shook her head. “I think saving me from being run over is more than enough reason to declare a timeout.”

“Okay, then here we go.” Her arm gently circled Aubrey’s waist while her other hand kept hold of her bike. “We’ll go slow.”

After putting an arm around the other woman’s shoulders, Aubrey hopped tentatively, finding it was easy to move forward with her support. The two of them made their way to the juice bar and Aubrey gratefully settled into a seat at one of their outdoor tables. She was painfully aware of the eyes on them and had already waved away other people who offered to help. It was bad enough that her erstwhile nemesis had seen her trip over her own feet much less be the one to literally save her life. Aubrey couldn't believe the last ten minutes weren't a nightmare.

She lifted the strap of her messenger bag over her head and let it rest in the chair beside her, watching as her rescuer walked her bike over to chain it to a nearby telephone pole. Coming back she pulled another chair in front of Aubrey. “Okay, gimme your leg.” She wiggled her fingers and Aubrey hesitated, eyeing her narrowly. “Oh come on.” The brunette let out an exasperated sigh when she didn't move. “Damnit Aubrey, stop being so stubborn. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Aubrey pressed back into her seat. “How do you know my name?” She took a quick breath and let it out in a hissing whisper. “Are you stalking me?” Anger was better than the sick feeling roiling in her stomach every time she thought of the semi rushing behind them.

“Oh for the love of…” the other woman trailed off and ran one hand through her hair. “No. I'm not stalking you.” She paused and took a deep breath, obviously pushing back frustration. “I'm friends with the owner of Stretch It Out and she told me your name when she watched the video feed of… the day we first met.” One dark eyebrow went up and Aubrey straightened defiantly despite wanting to squirm a little.

It was one thing when the feud was just between them but knowing that Chloe was aware of their petty actions made Aubrey feel incredibly childish. “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “My mistake.”

“Mmhm.” She held out her left hand again but her lips twitched like she wanted to smile. “Leg?”

Slowly Aubrey extended her left leg, surprised when the grip around her calf was gentle and not the rough handling she'd half expected from someone she'd had a silent war with for the past few months.

“Can’t tell if it’s bruising yet under your sock, but it’s definitely swelling.” With a light but sure touch fingers gently probed at her ankle, stopping just this side of agonizing every time Aubrey hissed out a breath. “Stacie, by the way.” She looked up and met Aubrey's confused look. “My name.” She smiled a little. “So you can call me something other than what you probably do in your head.”

Aubrey felt herself blush. ‘Mother would send me to my room without supper for forgetting my manners. For a week.’ She cleared her throat again. “Sorry. I’m still a little shaken.”

“Understandable.” Stacie looked back down and gently tried to rotate Aubrey’s foot. “Any cramping or muscle spasms?”

Aubrey forced herself to relax as she became aware she’d been clutching the seat of the chair with both hands. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Good.” She ran her fingers over Aubrey’s ankle once more and then scooted forward a few inches to let Aubrey’s calf rest on her knee. “I think it’s a strain though, not a sprain. Depending on how much you can keep it elevated and iced, it should heal in a few weeks.”

Aubrey wanted to pull her leg back but it really did feel better up. “How can you be sure?”

There was a moment of hesitation. “I’m a physical therapist.” Stacie nodded at Aubrey’s foot. “I’ve seen hundreds of these.” She pursed her lips. “Of course, it might not be a bad idea to maybe see your doctor, just to be safe. Make sure nothing is actually torn.”

Aubrey blew out a breath, glad when this one finally didn’t shake. “I’ve had a tear – back in college – and it doesn’t feel the same.” She tried a smile but it didn’t feel like it fit on her face yet. “This pain isn’t as sharp or as deep.”

Stacie nodded. “Good. It didn’t look like you twisted it too badly as you went off the curb but if you start to get cramps or spasms, go see your doctor.” They both looked up as one of the employee’s came out from the juice bar and Stacie spoke first. “Sorry we’re taking your seats, I promise we’re going to buy something-“

“Don’t even worry about it,” the woman interrupted, holding out her hand. In it was a large Ziploc bag half full of ice and wrapped in a towel. “We saw what happened and wanted to make sure you were both okay.” Eyes wide, she handed the bag over when Stacie reached for it. “I’ve never seen someone move so fast.”

Aubrey braced for both the cold and the pain as Stacie placed the baggie over her ankle, making sure it covered the top and sides. “What do you mean?” The woman, whose name tag read ‘Kylen’ looked back at Aubrey.

“We saw her,” she nodded at Stacie, “fly off her bike at practically full speed and take off toward you at a dead run before it had even landed on the curb. I honestly thought there was no way she would reach you and you’d both end up getting run over.” Kylen frowned toward the street. “I wish they’d change the speed limit through here.”

“Me too,” Aubrey muttered, the surreal sensation of falling and being caught coming back to her. “Thank you for the ice.”

“But don’t you guys worry about buying anything.” Kylen jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “And if you need anything else, just wave.” Aubrey nodded and the woman turned and walked back inside, calling over her shoulder. “Just bring the towel back and we’re even.”

Aubrey waited until they were alone again, ignoring the stares of people passing by them. “You ditched your bike?”  She watched Stacie adjust the towel a few centimeters.

“I heard the semi behind me at the same time I saw you step up on the sidewalk - which was about two seconds after I saw the skateboarders.” She fidgeted with the towel again, not looking up. “I knew there was no way I’d be able to keep my balance on my bike if I tried to catch you while I was on it.” Stacie lifted one shoulder. “So I had to get off it.”

“Did you know it wouldn’t land in the street?” Aubrey asked curiously.

“No.” Stacie looked up, one corner of her mouth lifted. “But it’s just a bike.”

“Oh.” Aubrey said softly. “Thank you, Stacie.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I’m just glad I was there.” Stacie sat back, one hand keeping the towel in place. “My heart hasn’t slowed down since I heard the truck behind me.”

Aubrey gave a weak laugh. “I know the feeling.” She closed her eyes for a second, her own racing heart only gradually beginning to slow down. “I think I actually felt yours after you caught me.” She lifted her hand, unsurprised when it trembled. “Hopefully that stops soon.” Lowering it back to her lap, she closed her eyes again and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

“I definitely know that feeling.” Stacie said softly and Aubrey looked at her curiously.

“You?” Aubrey looked down at Stacie’s hand where it held the towel in place, her fingertips resting on Aubrey’s shin. “Your hands seem pretty steady.” There wasn’t even the slightest hint of a tremor, just warmth where they touched her skin.

“Occupational hazard.” Stacie was also looking down at Aubrey’s leg. “Can’t let the patients know you’re nervous. They tend to not trust that you know what you’re doing.”

“Makes sense.” Aubrey settled back in her chair and studied the woman across from her who was gently lifting the ice to check on the swelling.

Now that she wasn’t influenced by frustration, Aubrey could admit that Stacie was pretty. Honesty forced her to amend that to beautiful  and she immediately heard Beca’s ‘Ha!’ in her head. Plus on top of the whole hero thing, Aubrey could tell that Stacie actually cared about making sure her ankle was taken care of; the concern the other woman was practically radiating spoke of an empathy Aubrey wasn’t sure she deserved. In different circumstances she’d have maybe… but now… Aubrey sighed as the full extent of her pettiness sunk in again.

“I’m sorry, did that hurt?” Stacie looked up from where she’d been readjusting the icepack.

“What?” Aubrey blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts. “Oh, no. It’s… I think the ice is helping.” She flexed her foot slightly and winced. “Maybe not.”

Stacie chuckled. “It is. The swelling isn’t nearly as bad as it could be. But you’re definitely going to feel it for a while. Actually…” She shrugged out of her own backpack and set it on the table. “I’d really like to wrap it, keep the swelling down.” She met Aubrey’s eyes and looked hesitant for the first time. “But it would mean taking off your shoe and sock so you could leave it on as long as possible today.”

“Oh.” Aubrey wondered how many times she’d said that in the last few minutes. “I… Sure.” She smiled and this time it felt more natural. “You’re the professional. I trust you.” Then she frowned, not having the faintest idea she was going to say that.

“You do?” Stacie’s eyebrow shot up as searched through her bag.

Aubrey didn’t answer right away, knowing that the pause was nothing short of awkward and it made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t like she had any reason to distrust Stacie but she didn’t actually know anything about her either.

Except she’d just saved Aubrey’s life and was actively taking care of her despite everything over the past three months.

Aubrey made a decision and took a measured breathe. “This may sound… stupid… but is there any way we could start over?”

Stacie eyed her, the other eyebrow joining its partner. “Like a truce? No more chains and bells?”

Aubrey shifted, aware that she was blushing again. “Something like that.”

“Sure,” Stacie said easily, pulling a small first aid kit from the bottom of her pack.

“Really?” Aubrey was surprised and wasn’t sure if she’d have been so quick if the positions were reversed. Stacie really had done nothing wrong and Aubrey’s reaction had been over the top.

“Really.” Stacie set the kit down.

“That’s… wow. Thank you,” Aubrey said and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Aubrey.”

Stacie smiled and shook it with a firm grip. “Stacie.” She let go and opened her kit, pulling out an Ace bandage. She closed the kit and stored it back in her bag. “You sure you’re okay with me taking off your shoe and sock?”

“Yes,” Aubrey agreed. “I think you’d do it with less pain than I would. Or at least quicker. I see you’re prepared for anything.”

“Another occupational hazard,” Stacie chuckled. “Alright, here we go.” She moved the ice to the table and began to untie Aubrey’s shoe. “If it gets too bad, let me know but it’s going to hurt some and the quicker I can wrap it the better.” She looked up, her left hand cradling Aubrey’s calf and the right poised to slip off her shoe. “I don’t really have anything to distract you with, but if you focus on watching how I wrap it, it might help. You’ll need to do this the next few days.” One corner of her mouth twitched up. “Unless you’ve got someone at home to help you wrap it when you wake up.”

Aubrey blinked, sure she was imagining things but she swore she heard something more than just casual conversation in that last sentence. “No, I… uh… no.” Her brows knit together in sudden pain as her ankle began to throb again. Looking down she saw that not only was her shoe off but so was her sock. “Sneaky.” Stacie tucked her sock into the shoe and handed it to Aubrey who stored it in her bag.  

“When necessary.” Stacie looked up briefly and smiled at her. “Definitely bruised. That’s going to be a gorgeous shade for the next several days.”

“Lovely.” Aubrey said dryly, taking in the bruise that had already bloomed around her ankle. “Guess I won’t be going to Stretch for a while.”

“Not if you want it to heal,” Stacie said as she began to wrap the bandage around Aubrey’s foot, working her way from toe to heel, moving quickly as she spoke. “If you had a tear in college, this will be familiar. Let me know if you’ve any questions.” She wound it around Aubrey’s ankle and calf in a figure-eight several times before wrapping the final ends around her calf. “You’ll also want to loosen it a few times a day for blood flow but the most important thing is going to be RICE.” She sat back in the chair and put the ice back on Aubrey’s ankle.

Aubrey closed her eyes in relief as the pain slowly lessened again. “That sounds familiar.”

“I could go into doctor mode and explain it,” Stacie sounded amused. “But people tend to hate that if they already know the answer.”

“I know it’s simple, but I can’t think yet, so please, feel free.” Aubrey huffed out a breath. “Thank you, again. That does feel better.” It wasn’t a lot, but anything was better than the first blinding moments after the near accident.

“Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.” Stacie explained.

“I knew it was simple.” Aubrey opened her eyes again and was caught by the quiet empathy on Stacie’s face. It threw her enough that whatever she was going to say next was forgotten. “Uh…” Fortunately Stacie misunderstood and went into greater detail.

“Just keep off it as much as possible, keep it wrapped for at least two days though three is preferable. Ice it for twenty minutes or so at least four times a day for the next two days as well, to keep the swelling down. Don’t let the bandage be so tight that it cuts off the circulation. And last, ideally we’d like it over your heart for elevation, but at least keep it parallel to the ground as much as possible. Plus the pillow prop while you sleep.”

It was on the tip of Aubrey’s tongue to ask how to reach Stacie if she had any questions but she realized how stupid and presumptuous it was. Obviously the answer would be to call her doctor and she wasn’t sure why she thought Stacie would hand over her number. Instead she just nodded. “Right. That's... right."

“Do you need…? Is there someone who can…?” Stacie hesitated. “I can go home and get my car, so we can get your bike – I assume it’s at Stretch – but I’d hate to leave you here until I get back.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a friend I can call. She’s got a truck, so no worries on the bike.” Aubrey smiled at her. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Here’s another one – what kind of drink do you want?” Stacie made a face. “Now that the adrenaline’s worn off, I could really use a drink.”

“Only if you let me pay,” Aubrey opened her pack and pulled out her wallet. “Least I can do since you swooped in and saved me.”

“Actually,” Stacie winced. “I probably owe you, considering…”

“Clean slate,” Aubrey said and held out the twenty she’d pulled from her wallet. “Leave the change for a tip, but I would die for the strawberry smoothie with bananas and apples.” She grinned. “And if they do have alcohol on the secret menu, vodka.”

Taking it, Stacie laughed. “Deal. Alright, this is going to sting and I’m sorry, but I’ll be gentle.”

Aubrey tightened her grip on her bag and nodded. “I know.” Even she wasn’t sure if she meant she knew it would sting or that Stacie would be careful. “I’m ready.”

Stacie lifted Aubrey’s leg up with her left hand under her calf and stood up carefully, making sure not to shift or bump it. As she rose, she pushed her chair backwards so she could turn her body sideways and step back, keeping Aubrey’s leg motionless. Then, with her right, she pulled the chair forward again and placed her bag on the seat, setting Aubrey’s calf gently on it.

“There, all done.” Stacie stood up and eyed her handiwork.

“That hardly hurt at all.” Aubrey let herself relax again. “And that’s kind of miraculous considering.”

“What can I say; I’m great at my job.” With a grin, Stacie turned toward the building. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“No worries, I’ll call my friend.” Aubrey pulled her phone from the bag. As Stacie walked inside, Aubrey muttered to herself, “Who is going to have a fucking field day with this.” Unlocking her phone she opened up her favorites and dialed Beca’s cell. It didn’t ring long before it was answered.

“Hey Aubrey. Aren’t you supposed to be in your death on wheels class?”

Aubrey gave a small laugh. “You can’t knock it till you try it.”

“Sure I can. Watch me. Oops, one sec.” Without waiting for a reply Beca set down her phone and Aubrey could hear her ringing up a customer.

While waiting she stared at the ice pack covering her leg, trying not to let her mind remind her that she’d almost been run over. Something, she knew, she was not going to tell Beca over the phone. If positions were reversed she’d be completely freaked out until she could see for herself that Beca was actually okay.

“Sorry about that.” Beca had picked up the phone while Aubrey had been distracted. “We’ve actually got some customers this fine Saturday morning. What can I do for you if you’re not spinning the day away?”

“I was wondering if you happened to drive your truck to work today.” Aubrey resisted the urge to shift in her seat, not wanting to accidentally jar her foot and whimper into the phone.

“You’re in luck,” Beca said cheerfully. “Said vehicle is currently parked behind the shop. What did you have in mind? Are we driving out to that new pizza place tonight?”

“No,” Aubrey said slowly. “Not exactly. I strained my ankle and could use some help getting my bike home.”

All trace of joking dropped from Beca’s voice immediately. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Mostly.” Aubrey smiled at the worry filling her friend’s words. “Just can’t walk on it.”

“Dude.” Beca blew out a breath. “Lead with that. How’d it happen?”

“Walked to that juice bar on 6th. Slipped off the curb.” She frowned at her foot.

“Please tell me you’re not lying in the street and calling me.” Beca half laughed.

“No,” Aubrey said quickly, before the thought of the truck could come back. “I had help getting to a table outside.” Automatically her eyes drifted to the window of the juice bar, finding Stacie just turning around to check on her. Aubrey gave her a thumbs up and could see Stacie’s smile just before the clouds shifted, the sun coming back out to obscure the glass under its glare.

“Okay good,” Beca fell silent for a moment. “Let me call Lilly, see if she can come in and close today. It might be a while – are you sure you’re okay? Are you going to need the doctor or is there anything we’re going to need to get?”

“I promise, I’m fine. We’ll just need to get my bike from Stretch on the way home.” Aubrey paused, thinking. “I think I’ve got a couple ice packs and can order groceries if I need it.”

“We’ll get to your house and see what you need. I’ll run to the store for you.”

“Beca you don’t…”

“Zip it, Posen.” Beca cut her off. “You took care of me when I had that death flu last year, so this is just me returning the favor.”

Aubrey smiled, touched at the concern she could hear. “Okay, I’ll shut up. Thanks.” She looked up as Stacie came back out, a drink in each hand.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be there when I can – is that the place that’s only got street parking?”

“Yes,” Aubrey said, turning to scan the street. “And it’s all full.”

“Damnit. Maybe I can just double park and come help you to the truck.” She could practically hear Beca’s frown.

“I could probably hop my way to the street,” Aubrey teased.

“You will not.”

Aubrey blinked as the words echoed both from the phone and in front of her. She looked up and saw Stacie was frowning at her. “I won’t?” She wasn’t sure how to take the fact that she and Beca had said it at the same time and in the same disapproving way. “Hold on a second, Beca.”

“Not a chance.” Stacie set both drinks down. “I’ll stay here till your friend gets here and will help you over.” She paused in the act of preparing to move Aubrey’s foot so she could sit down again. “Unless you want me to leave?”

“No,” Aubrey shook her head. “That’s not… don’t you have things to do?”

“I can go later,” Stacie said as she reversed the process from earlier until Aubrey’s calf was once more resting on her knee. She looked up from arranging the ice and saw Aubrey watching her. “I’d rather make sure you didn’t have any more mishaps.”

“Alright,” Aubrey smiled at her. “Thank you.” A pointedly cleared throat drew her attention back to the phone. “Sorry, Beca. But apparently if you just pull up in front, I’ve got help to get to the truck.”

“That sounds like a woman and your voice went all soft and girly!” Beca accused. “Are you using your injury to get a date?”

“No! And it did not!” Aubrey said indignantly, immediately flushing as Stacie’s eyebrow went up.

“Well now I know you’re lying, but I’ll see for myself soon enough,” Beca said. “Sit tight, I’ll get Lilly in and be there as soon as I can.” She hung up before Aubrey could come up with any sort of denial.

Aubrey shook her head and put her phone back in her bag. “My friend’s got to cover her shift but then she’ll be here.” She picked up her drink. “Thank you again for…” She laughed. “The rescue, the first aid and the drink.”

“You paid for the drink,” Stacie pointed out. “You’re welcome, but, Aubrey… You don’t have to thank me for any of it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” She paused then continued. “If it’s not too nosy, why’d you yell there at the end?”

Caught off guard by the question, Aubrey couldn’t think of a lie fast enough and found the truth coming out before she could stop it. “She asked if I was using my injury to get a… uh… date.” She busied herself with stirring her smoothie with the straw, almost able to feel the considering look she knew she had to be getting.

But all Stacie said was, “I take it you didn’t tell her about the semi?”

“No,” Aubrey said, still unwilling to look at her. “I figure that’s better to do in person, with all my limbs mostly intact.”

“Good plan,” Stacie mused. Aubrey finally looked at her and saw the expression she’d been expecting was still there. “Is that a thing you do often?”

“Withhold the truth?” Aubrey blinked at her, confused.

“No… Use injuries to pick up women.” Stacie smiled when Aubrey flushed. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That was presumptuous and uncalled for. I apologize.”

Aubrey forced herself to stay relaxed. “Accepted.” She gave a small smile. “Though it’s been so long since I’ve been on a date, I probably should.” She blinked as she realized what she’d just said. And that she’d said it out loud. And who she’d said it to.

“Oh?” Stacie’s brow went up again.

“Oh… uh… that’s not…” Aubrey swallowed nervously. “I didn’t mean…” Obviously she was still shaken and completely off her game because normally she was far more articulate than she’d been today. It didn’t help that Stacie was gorgeous, caring and, so far, had a good sense of humor. In any other circumstances Aubrey would have been extremely intrigued and gone for it. Except she’d been so petty for the past few months that there was no way Stacie could be interested.

“It’s okay,” Stacie said, patting Aubrey’s calf lightly. “I was just teasing, I’m sorry. Again. I’m too used to giving Chloe and Emily a bad time.” She hesitated then continued. “It only happens when I feel comfortable around someone.” She gave a crooked grin. “Guess this truce-slash-clean slate thing is working.”

“Good. Maybe we can just forget I was a jerkface. I mean,” She cleared her throat. “That’s… good.”

“I don’t know that I’d call you a jerkface,” Stacie said, tilting her head. “A little intense that day, maybe.”

“Now you’re just being nice,” Aubrey interrupted with a laugh. “I was totally a bitch before and after.” She fidgeted with her straw again. “I don’t even know why I did it.”

“I definitely didn’t expect to have to get Chloe’s bolt cutters,” Stacie nodded. “I was a little… let’s just say hot under the collar.” She grinned suddenly. “Chloe said she’d never seen you look so pissed.”

“Oh god.” Aubrey set down her drink and covered her face with her hands; the chill from the one that had been holding her drink was a welcome sensation on her now burning cheeks. “I don’t have anything I can say in my defense. I didn’t think she’d be involved. Which is dumb, because I know the camera is there.”

“Eh,” Stacie shrugged. “She was amused more than anything. She kept…” Stacie broke off and cleared her throat. “She said I must have hit a nerve because she’d never seen you anything but cheerful.”

“Great,” Aubrey muttered. “I can never go back there.”

“Don’t be silly. Chloe would blame me.” Stacie said immediately. “Do I lose points for agreeing to the truce if I tell you that Chloe asked me to stop stealing your bell a week ago?”

“She did?” Aubrey eyed her. “Do you guys talk about it often?” What she’d really wanted to ask was if they talked about her but she didn’t think she wanted to know the answer to that. Or maybe she wanted it too much.

“No,” Stacie said earnestly. “I swear. She and my cousin came over for dinner that night and the bell was sitting on my counter.” It was her turn to squirm. “She told me to stop making her an accessory to theft.”

“I hadn’t… thought of it that way.” Aubrey said slowly.

“Me either,” Stacie shrugged. “It was just between us – but Chlo pointed out that if you chose to get the police involved, I was the one who was actually stealing.” She smiled wryly. “Technically you weren’t really doing anything wrong.”

“I would never have gone that far.” Aubrey shook her head. “That… I felt it was between just us too and never would’ve gone to anyone else.”

“Same.” Stacie nodded. “So we didn’t really talk about it.” She smiled again. “Unless I needed the cutters.”

“I’m sorry,” Aubrey said again. “The whole thing was extremely petty and I made a much bigger deal about that spot than it actually was.”

“It’s not like I didn’t park there on purpose afterward,” Stacie replied. “Not that I know your schedule, but if it was free I took it. Just to be an ass.” She took a drink. “So I guess that means we’re both petty. Except we’ve agreed that’s the past.”

“So we should both stop apologizing for it.” Aubrey smiled when Stacie nodded. “Alright. I’ll try.” She suddenly became aware that Stacie’s hand had been resting on her calf since she’d patted it and was grateful when Stacie steered the conversation elsewhere. Because it felt nice. Natural. And Aubrey wasn’t ready to deal with what that meant yet.

“If it’s not a bad injury, you should be able to maybe use it lightly after a week or so. Maybe two to be safe.” Stacie narrowed her eyes. “No spin class for at least three though a month would be better.”

Aubrey frowned. “Shoot, I didn’t think of that.” She glared at her ankle. “Flo is going to kill me and I’m going to get fat.”

“I highly doubt that,” Stacie shook her head. “Plus Flo’s not that bad.” She hesitated. “At the risk of sending us both into PTSD… Maybe one of the beginner yoga classes would help you not feel like you‘re just sitting around.” She raised one finger. “But only after two weeks and only if you’re able to walk on it without pain.”

“I’ve never done yoga,” Aubrey said, fighting the flashback that swam through her mind.

“It’s very calming and… it can center you.” Stacie said. “I’ve done it for years. Even thought of teaching it once or twice.”

“Why didn’t you?” Aubrey asked without thinking. She definitely understood what Stacie meant by feeling comfortable – she wasn’t normally this nosy at a first meeting.

“Timing,” Stacie said regretfully. “But I haven’t given up hope. Maybe when I retire.” She looked back at Aubrey. “Sometimes the instructors can give alternative poses if you let them know in advance that you’re favoring an injury.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Aubrey said. “Being unable ride a bike will either be a great break or drive me completely insane.”

"Is this going to cause problems for your job?" Stacie asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Aubrey said slowly. "I'm a vocal coach, so I can sit down and put my foot up."

"That sounds so fun!” Stacie leaned forward eagerly. "Do you also do the pianist accompaniment?"

Aubrey laughed. "Sometimes, but we'll have to make do with recorded music for a while. Do you sing?"

"Just for fun; usually in the solitude of my apartment or with Chloe and Emily." Stacie sat back again. "Or when they drag me out for karaoke somewhere."

"Emily? The one who works at Stretch?" Aubrey asked in surprise. She hadn’t put the two together when Stacie had first said her name but now it clicked.

"Yeah, she's my cousin." Stacie took another drink.

"So, I definitely picked a fight with the wrong person," Aubrey mused then blinked as she realized what she said but Stacie only grinned at her. "Can we forget I said that?"

"In the spirit of our new truce, yes." Stacie tilted her head. "But I reserve the right to maybe revisit it if we move past the awkward phase." She winked and Aubrey felt her cheeks grow warm.

"I suppose that's fair." Aubrey wasn’t sure if she was blushing because of the reminder of how they met or because of the wink. She was afraid it was the wink, which meant she was rushing headlong down the hill of new crush and that was entirely ridiculous considering how annoyed she’d been by this very same woman since they’d met. Mostly. Honesty forced her to admit that she’d kept up chaining Stacie’s bike because she just couldn’t stand to lose even if she was the only one who cared. She ignored Beca’s snort in her head and changed the subject. "So you do karaoke?"

"Sometimes. Why?" Stacie settled back in her chair again, her expression thoughtful; almost as if Aubrey had done something to surprise her.

Aubrey wasn't even sure why she asked, but since she'd started herself down this path she had to continue. "My best friend and I go to Lyrics & Libations every Friday." She realized she was twisting her fingers together and forced herself to still them. "You should join us one night. Uh, all of you," she added quickly.

"We went there once." Stacie nodded. "Nice place, good singers... great vibe." She smiled slowly and Aubrey’s heart sped up for an entirely new reason. “Are you sure you’re not using your injury to get a date?”

Aubrey forced herself remain calm because this was definitely steering them into the realm of flirting and butterflies had grabbed hold of her stomach and were trying to tug it out of her body. “Are you saying I would only get a date out of pity for my injury?”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that…” Stacie’s smile widened further, slow and sure, as her eyes once again scanned Aubrey, full of something that Aubrey’s slowly waking up ego wanted to call interested appreciation.

“Good.” Aubrey lifted the straw to her lips and took a drink, trying not to smirk. She couldn’t help her own pass over the woman in front of her – every inch of tanned and toned leg up to where they were covered by form hugging bicycle shorts; slender arms that showed off defined musculature every time she moved; green eyes that were sparkling, with amusement as Aubrey met them. “Now that that’s settled.”

“Mm.” Stacie’s eyebrow bounced.

“If you ever find your way to the L&L on a Friday, just tell the bouncer that you’re with me. She’ll show you the table.”

“Ooh. You’ve even got a reserved table?” Stacie whistled. “Fancy.”

“Do I lose points if I say it’s because I happened to pick a best friend who is friends with the owners?”

Stacie pursed her lips. “No, I don’t think so. Means you have good taste.” She paused and Aubrey saw a flash of something pass through her eyes before it was gone too fast to identify.

‘Well shit, now I’m in the gutter.’ Aubrey took a drink to give herself time. ‘Thanks, Beca. I didn’t used to be a dirty bird.’’ When Stacie’s lips twitched Aubrey realized she wasn’t the only one potentially thinking of a different meaning to those words.

There was a pause then. It wasn’t awkward and Aubrey felt it should be. They were still two strangers, for all that they’d been circling each other from a distance for months. But she couldn’t deny the tug she felt as they both sat there, sipping their drinks and watching each other. It was stupidly rash and impulsive – two things Aubrey had never been. Until, she supposed, she’d left her job as a lawyer to move to a smaller town and teach people to sing.

Maybe this was just a continuation of her growth from the crappy, career driven drone she’d been to someone who got up in the morning with the sun and took a ride around her neighborhood to wake up instead of getting the biggest espresso she could get her hands on just to find the energy to go to the office.

‘Maybe Stacie is my next step.’

The thought startled her – rash and impulsive, like chaining a woman’s bike to the rack – and she was glad when Stacie broke the silence. Because it had also felt right, and she wasn’t quite bold enough to take that leap. Yet. Not until she was sure she wouldn’t be doing it alone.

“So what kind of truck am I looking for?”

“Just a black F-150.” Aubrey looked past Stacie down the street. “And I think she’ll actually come from behind you since she didn’t have to get it from home.”

“Any identifying marks in case she doesn’t?” Stacie looked over her shoulder reflexively.

“Just the name of her bike shop, One for the Road, in blue and white.”

“Sounds like drinking and driving.” Stacie turned back around when Aubrey laughed. “What?”

“I tease her about that all the time, actually.” Aubrey chuckled.

“Great minds,” Stacie said. “Actually, I’ve heard of that place. They’ve got a really good reputation.”

“Ever been?” Aubrey asked curiously.

“No, I’d researched the bikes I wanted before I went and ended up at DSM.” She blinked when Aubrey made a face. “Now what?”

“Sorry, habit. They’re sort of Beca’s nemesis when it comes to racing.”

“You can have a bike nemesis?” Stacie laughed.

“What would you call the last few months?” Aubrey tilted her head.

“Hm, good point.” Stacie tapped her chin. “Though, really, I think my nemesis was your bell.”

“It’s because it was jaunty, wasn’t it?” Aubrey teased.

“Maybe.” Stacie took a drink while Aubrey look past her as a car turned onto the street. “She here?”

“I don’t think so, it’s too soon.” But it was definitely a black truck headed their way. Aubrey waved as Beca paused in front of them, making obscure gestures with her hands. “Well, that is her, but what the hell is she doing?” She frowned, trying to decipher the motions.

“I think she’s saying she’s going to circle the block,” Stacie said looking back down the street. “Because it’s going to take a few for us to get sorted and over there and there’s cars behind her.”

Aubrey gave Beca a thumbs up. “That seems way too logical for her.” Beca returned it and resumed driving down the street. “But apparently you’re right and I’m impressed.”

“Me too,” Stacie said with a laugh. “Alright, let’s get you on your feet and ready.” She nodded when Aubrey opened her mouth. “And I won’t say anything about the semi.”

Aubrey eyed her. “Well that’s scary.”

“What?” Stacie picked up her pack and shrugged into it before moving the bag of ice from leg to table.

“Beca’s always ranting about mind readers…” Aubrey laughed and shook her head when Stacie glanced at her. “I just roll my eyes and tell her if she wasn’t always in the gutter it wouldn’t be a problem, but now… that was exactly what I’d been about to ask you.”

“If I was, you wouldn’t expect me to admit it, would you?” Stacie said loftily.

“I suppose not.” Aubrey set her own bag on the table. “How do you want to do this?”

“Let me get up first, so I can pull you out of your chair. The longer you can avoid trying to use it the better.” Stacie said as she carefully lifted Aubrey’s foot and stood up again, this time pushing the chair out of the way. “Think you can resist the urge to put it down?”

“Only if I keep telling myself the floor is lava but only to my left foot.” Aubrey shook her head ruefully as Stacie let out a bark of laughter. “If you ever tell the kids I teach that I used that phrase, the truce is over.” Aubrey convinced herself she was just tuning out the pain when she focused on the fact that Stacie didn’t look ridiculous bent over with Aubrey’s calf in her hand. Then again, it could be the amount of leg on display so close to her face.

Stacie solemnly crossed her heart. “Promise.” She nodded encouragingly. “Alright,” she lowered her arm a little more. “Remember…”

“Lava.” Aubrey took a deep breath. “Okay.” She lifted her leg from Stacie’s grip and nodded. “I got this.”

“And I got you.” Stacie straightened, holding out her hands and Aubrey took them, ignoring the renewed throb of her ankle.

“Count of three?”

“On three or after three?” Stacie asked as she tightened her fingers.

“Dealer’s choice.” Aubrey shrugged.

“Let me do most of the work,” Stacie said. “One, two…” She pulled Aubrey easily to her feet – rather, to her foot – so easily that Aubrey overbalanced and tilted, having also used her arms to pull herself up. “Oops.” She let out a huff as Aubrey collided with her and quickly wrapped one of her arms around Aubrey’s back and held her steady. “Sorry about that; how’s the foot? Did we bump it?”

Aubrey prayed to every god she had ever heard of that she wouldn’t start blushing furiously at finding herself held gently against Stacie’s body. Again. It was so much more distracting face to face and no longer on the edge of death. “Nope, it’s fine.” She cleared her throat and Stacie stepped back carefully, still helping Aubrey to balance with one hand. Aubrey reached for her bag but Stacie had already snagged it with her free hand and slung it over her shoulder.

“I’ll carry it over.” She handed Aubrey her drink. “That way you don’t have to take it off again when you get in the truck.” Stacie slipped her arm around Aubrey’s waist as Aubrey reached across Stacie’s back. “Let’s do this.”

“Thanks.” Aubrey looked up at the running of feet. “I guess you found a spot?”

Beca came to a halt, her eyes wide as they darted between Aubrey and Stacie. “Someone pulled out as I turned the corner again.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder then pointed at Aubrey’s foot. “Dude! Holy fuck you’re purple!”

Aubrey looked down. “So I am.” She looked back up at Beca with a grin. “Thank you for coming to get me.”

“Of course,” Beca said, crouching down to get a better look. “You’re sure you’re not broken?”

“Yes I’m sure.” Aubrey rolled her eyes. “Stacie’s a physical therapist and has assured me I’m not going to die.”

Beca stood up slowly. “I am going to assume you’re Stacie and say thank you for helping out klutz over here.”

“Right place, right time,” Stacie said. “I’ve always got a first aid kit with me, so it didn’t take long to fix her up.” She held out her free hand. “Stacie.”

Beca shook it. “Beca.” She looked between them again. “Is there anything I can help out with or…?”

“With Beca here to carry things, maybe it’ll be easier if I just carried you to the truck,” Stacie said casually. “Keeps it elevated and from bouncing.”

Aubrey froze in place. Logically she knew that Stacie had to have been offering from a purely practical point of view – everything she’d said was accurate and there was no inflection otherwise – but Aubrey didn’t think she stood a chance against her hormones if Stacie carried her like a damsel in a romance novel. As the seconds ticked by and Stacie grew more and more innocent looking, Aubrey realized she was being teased again. Or maybe tested.

“Actually,” Aubrey finally said, ignoring Beca’s eyebrows shooting up as far as Aubrey had ever seen them, and held out her drink. “Can you carry this and grab the ice off the table?”

“Uh…” Beca eyed them both. “Yeah, sure.” Beca took the cup as she stepped past them. “Is that it?” She reappeared with the towel and ice hanging over one arm, Stacie’s drink in the other. “I’m assuming this is yours and you don’t want it left behind.”

“Thanks,” Stacie held out her hand for it. “I’d have forgotten it.”

“I think that’s it.” Aubrey assured her. “Stacie can get me to the truck.”

“Then let’s get you home.” Beca raised her eyebrows. “Do we need to stop for crutches? I assume you’re going to need crutches for a while. You can’t just hop everywhere even if it would amuse me greatly.”

“No, I’ve got some stored in a closet somewhere.” Aubrey said. “I’m ready when you are, Stace.”

“Alright, nice and easy.” Stacie’s arm tightened around her as Aubrey hopped forward. “Let me know if we need to pause or if you change your mind on the hopping.” Aubrey stuck her tongue out and Stacie grinned at her. “Do I need to give Beca the rundown on what you can’t do and how long you have to wait until you can?” She laughed quietly. “You seem the type to rebel against orders.”

“Actually, Aubrey loves rules.” Beca said cheerfully. “Normally she’d hit me for saying that, but since she’s otherwise occupied…”

“We’re about to get into the same truck,” Aubrey growled and Stacie laughed again. “You’re going to be in punching range.”

“Good point.” Beca mused. “Maybe we should just put you in the truck bed.” Aubrey took a breath but before she could say anything Stacie tightened her grip.

“No, that’d bounce her around too much and could injure her worse. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”

“Spoilsport.” Beca sighed.

“How did you get here so fast anyway?” Aubrey asked to distract herself as each hop jarred her.

“Lilly was already in the shop and I didn’t know it.” Beca laughed. “I texted her to see if she could come in and she appeared behind me twenty seconds later.”

Aubrey chuckled. “I’m waiting for the day you put a bell on her.” She looked up when Stacie gave a low grunt and saw she was frowning. “Bells can be handy,” she said lightly.

“So you say,” Stacie shook her head. “I still disagree.”

Beca quickened her pace as she dug her keys out of her pocket. There was a beep as the truck unlocked and Beca opened the passenger door. “It’s not like the truck is jacked up or anything, but getting you in and out of this thing will be fun.” She watched them approach, her worried expression giving lie to her casual conversation.

“Beca,” Aubrey said as they reached her. “I’m going to be fine. It really is just my ankle.”

“She just needs to keep it wrapped, elevated and iced. And she can’t try to walk on it for at least a week.” Stacie turned her head to look at Aubrey. “I’ve got an idea and I don’t know if you’re going to go for it.”

Aubrey eyed her narrowly, not letting herself get distracted by the sun highlighting the flecks in her eyes. “Is this a truce breaking idea?” She ignored the curious look Beca was giving her. There’d be time to explain this entire afternoon when they were alone.

“I don’t think so?” Stacie hedged. “But I was thinking if we back you up to the truck I can lift you up so you don’t have to try and push with one foot.”

“That’s actually a good idea, Bree.” Beca said when Aubrey hesitated in answering. “Getting out is easier because you can lower yourself with your arms. After I go in and get your crutches. While I think I can help you get into the house without them, it won’t be as easily as Legs here.” She leaned inside to put Aubrey’s drink in the cup holder. “I’ll hold yours,” she said to Stacie, “while you do the heavy lifting.”

“First you call me a bitch and now I’m fat.” Aubrey frowned at her. “Tell me again why we’re best friends?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Stop stalling, woman.” She stepped out of the way when Stacie handed over her drink.

“Alright… You’re right.” Aubrey agreed and with Stacie’s help got herself situated in the open door. “Whenever you’re ready.” She was disturbed by how much she noticed the lack of Stacie’s arm around her when they separated. She was even more disturbed by how natural it felt when Stacie stepped up and gripped her waist. In any other circumstance this position was immediately followed up by a lot of kissing and the sheer muscle memory of it made her sway forward an inch before she stopped herself. It didn’t help when Stacie’s eyes dropped to Aubrey’s mouth, her fingers flexing against Aubrey’s hips, and pure reaction and nerves made Aubrey wet her lips. The moment hung between them for a timeless instant before Beca cleared her throat.

“If you guys need me to come back later…” Her gleeful tone meant she was going to be insufferable on the ride home.

Stacie met Aubrey’s eyes, a smile playing along generous lips. “Ready?”

Unsure for a split second if Stacie meant for them to make out or to get Aubrey into the truck, she could only nod. Stacie’s hands tightened on her hips and as she lifted, Aubrey pushed backward with her hands on the seat behind her. When she was settled, Stacie stepped back once more.

“Please don’t bump your foot swinging it in.” She turned to Beca. “Can I get the ice?” When Beca handed the towel over, Stacie took the bag out of it and slung the towel over her shoulder.

Aubrey carefully turned herself until she was sitting in the car with her left leg slightly crossed over the right and resting on the calf. “This should work for the ten minute drive home.”

Stacie leaned forward and arranged the ice until it was resting on the bandage and not her skin. “It’ll probably fall off on the drive but until then…” She pulled Aubrey’s bag from her shoulder and handed it into the truck. “It was nice meeting you, Aubrey.” She held out her hand, one corner of her mouth twitching into a grin.

“Thanks for the rescue,” Aubrey said again as she took it. “I definitely owe you one.”

“Clean slate, remember?” Stacie said as she backed up and turned to Beca. “Nice meeting you too. Make sure she stays off it. If she doesn’t tell you the rules, go look up RICE and make her follow them.”

Beca frowned as they shook again. “Like, cooking? Do I have to put Aubrey’s foot in a bag of rice like you do when you drop your phone in the toilet?”

Stacie eyed her, obviously wondering if Beca was serious but finally noticed the grin Beca was having trouble holding back. “Something tells me you and I could one day be great friends.”

“Same,” Beca laughed and handed Stacie her drink before going to the drivers side and getting in. She started the truck and Aubrey rolled down her window. “Since you were in the right place at the right time, you get the lifetime friends of friends discount if you ever find yourself in need of anything from the shop.” Aubrey’s brows shot up and she turned to look at Beca who merely looked past her and out the window.

“You don’t…” Stacie said as she leaned in the window, her arms resting on the frame, but Beca interrupted.

“Too late, it’s said. Plus it’ll win me friend points I can use against her later.” Beca frowned when Aubrey hit her thigh. “Shit, I forgot you were in hitting range now.”

Stacie laughed. “Get her home and get that elevated.”

“Yes, Doctor.” Aubrey reached out and put her hand on Stacie’s arm. “Thank you.” Stacie covered it with her own and squeezed.

“Anytime.” She stepped back. “It really was great to meet you.” She nodded at Beca. “Both of you.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you around,” Aubrey teased. “One way or another.”

“Not for at least a month or I’ll get Beca to kick your ass.” Stacie’s brow arched.

“And I will.” Beca agreed and turned to Aubrey. “Ready?”

“Yeah, it’s starting to ache again.” Aubrey sighed. “God I hate being injured but being unable to walk is the worst.”

“Could be worse,” Stacie said and Aubrey shuddered. “Bye.” She took another step back as Beca backed the truck up so she could pull back into the street when the traffic was clear.

Aubrey watched her, feeling the echo of warmth around her waist and the touch of gentle fingers on her leg. She realized she was a little sad and wondered how her feelings for someone could change so fast. Then, before she got too far down that path, Beca distracted her.

“Dude. You guys totally almost made out in front of me.”

Aubrey gave a startled laugh. “We did not.”

“Oh yeah. She’s gorgeous so I wouldn’t have blamed you.” Beca drummed her fingers on the wheel. “I’d have totally watched too.”

“Oh my god.” Aubrey buried her face in her hands. “We were not going to make out in front of you.” She could feel her cheeks flame under her fingertips.

“So you’d make out if I wasn’t there?” Beca sounded far too amused for Aubrey’s liking.

“I don’t…” Aubrey stopped and tried again. “There was going to be no making out.”

“Useless gay.”

“Hey!”

“Did you get her number?” Beca glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

“No.” Aubrey admitted.

“Then I say again: Useless gay.”

“Shut up.” Beca snorted and Aubrey dropped her hands back into her lap. “It… it wasn’t really that kind of meet cute.”

“Taking care of a stranger’s ankle is exactly a meet cute.” Beca said slowly, as if to a child.

“She’s not totally a stranger,” Aubrey mused without thinking.

“HAVE YOU BEEN HOOKING UP WITH SOMEONE AND DIDN’T TELL ME!?” Beca risked a look at her, over exaggerated outrage written all over her face.

“I am not hooking up with anyone!” Aubrey thumped her in the leg again.

“But she’s not a stranger? What are you keeping from me?” Beca’s tone was edging into sulking and Aubrey immediately felt bad. They told each other everything and Aubrey didn’t want Beca to think she’d broken that unspoken promise.

“She’s the bell thief?” The truck fell silent and Aubrey found she was holding her breath.

“I’m sorry – did you just tell me that tall, dark and almost-pinned-you-against-my-truck back there is the same woman you’ve been warring with over the past few months?” Each word was spoken carefully and Aubrey couldn’t tell if Beca was amused or angry.

“Yes?”

“And you let her put her arm around you?”

“Yes?” Aubrey turned to watch her.

“And she got it back?”

“You make it sound like I was going to maim her or something.” Aubrey accused.

“You’re the one who said you couldn’t let her win.” Beca threw her another look. “What happened to ‘the war’?”

“Well...” Aubrey sighed. Hopefully Beca wouldn’t freak out since Aubrey was safe in the truck with her. “There’s a bit more than I told you over the phone.”

“Did you fall off a curb cause you guys were making out?”

“Oh my god, no! Would you stop bringing that up?” Because if she didn’t, Aubrey was never going to get it out of her own mind.

“Nope.” Beca said and gave a small sigh. “It’s a really…really… good image. And you can’t really complain because you just acted out at least half of it.”

“You’re such a gutter rat.” Aubrey resisted the urge to fidget because Beca was right and Aubrey’s brain kept showing her Stacie’s eyes on her lips. It didn’t help that she’d been pressed against Stacie’s body several times in the last hour. Now that she wasn’t freaking out about dying she was aware of how much she’d enjoyed it. And already missed it.

“Guilty.” Beca smirked. “Okay, now that that’s established, what did you actually want to tell me?”

“This is going to be a super hard right turn from pornoland, but…” Aubrey sighed. “I actually, literally-no-joking-here, think I almost died today.”

“What do you mean?” Beca stiffened in her seat and looked at her as they came to an empty four way stop.

“I stepped onto the curb but then a bunch of skateboarders almost knocked me off it. That’s when I twisted my ankle and started to fall backwards into the street.” She put her hand on Beca’s thigh as her eyes got wider. “But instead of hitting the ground, Stacie caught me… just as a semi passed behind us.”

“You… you almost…” Beca’s eyes shimmered as her voice broke. “Holy shit, Aubrey.”

“I’m okay, Becs.” Aubrey felt the sting of her own tears and was glad she’d waited until they were face to face before telling her. “I’m okay. I’m in the truck with you. And the only thing I’ve hurt is my ankle.” She squeezed Beca’s thigh lightly. “I’m right here and I’m fine.”

“But you could’ve…” Beca jumped as a horn blasted behind them. “Fuck!” Her eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. “Asshole.” She blinked quickly and a few tears clung to her lashes. “Okay… Okay. Let’s… Let’s go get your bike because there’s a whole lot to unpack here and I just…” She cleared her throat as she pulled through the intersection. “I need a minute.”

“I know,” Aubrey said quietly. “It’s why I didn’t tell you on the phone.” She left her hand on Beca’s leg, knowing she’d need a physical reminder if their positions were reversed. In moments like this, logic didn’t matter and irrational fear almost always won out.

“I’d have…” Beca blew out a breath as she began circling the parking lot looking for a spot. “Oh I’d have lost my shit, Bree.”

“I know.” Aubrey fell quiet as they waited for someone to finish pulling out of a spot; waited until Beca had parked the truck and turned it off. “I really am okay, Beca. I’m safe and with you.”

“I should be the one comforting you,” Beca let out a weak laugh. “Not you comforting me.” She took off her seatbelt and sat for a moment before she turned until she was kneeling on her seat, facing Aubrey. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She leaned over and hugged Aubrey tightly. “I don’t… I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re one of the few people that’ve taken the time to get past my resting bitch face.”

Aubrey reached up and gripped the arm Beca had across her chest with both hands. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, Mitchell.” She willed herself not to cry but it was a close thing as the emotions of the day caught up with her. She promised herself that she’d have a good cry once she was at home; maybe in a bubble bath with her foot propped on the edge of the tub.

“Okay.” Beca sat back in her seat and wiped her cheeks. “Tell me the rest of it.”

“Not much more to tell,” Aubrey sighed. “She apparently saw what was going to happen and jumped off her bike to catch me. The juice bar employee said she thought there was no way Stacie could reach me… but she did.”

“She literally caught you?” Beca sniffed but her voice was steadier. “Like a literal superhero swooping in to save you?”

“It’s not like she flew,” Aubrey said automatically. “But… yeah. I guess you could say that. She helped me back up on the curb and that’s when I realized who it was.”

“Did you punch her?” Beca asked and Aubrey let herself relax. If Beca was making jokes then she wasn’t spiraling about Aubrey’s near miss.

“No, but she did ask if I was going to if she put her arm around my waist to help me to a table.” Aubrey winced as she forgot her injury and shifted, bumping her ankle. “Shit.”

“Crap, okay. Gimme your key and I’ll go get your bike.” Beca held out her hand. “You can tell me the rest of it on the drive home.”

Aubrey opened the zippered pouch on the front of her bag. “Sounds good. It’s definitely starting to remind me it exists.”

“You probably were too distracted by the almost making out to think about it,” Beca said as she grabbed the small keychain Aubrey handed her. “I’ll be back.”

Aubrey shook her head as Beca quickly left the truck and headed toward the bike racks. “That went about as well as I expected.” She grabbed a napkin from Beca’s glovebox and wiped at her eyes. By the time Beca returned and hooked Aubrey’s bike to the rack sticking out of the truck’s hitch, Aubrey was calmly drinking the last of her smoothie.

“Was it in ‘your spot’?” Beca asked as she started the truck. Aubrey was relieved to see that Beca was clear eyed and her voice no longer shook.

“Yes.” Aubrey shrugged. “I can’t help it.”

“It’s a good spot, right in front,” Beca said absently as she backed out of the parking spot. “Definitely superior to the one’s in front or behind.”

“I hate you.” Aubrey leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “Now there’s two of you.”

“You actually love me.” But there was something in her tone that made Aubrey open one eye and squint at her. “But maybe not as much as you lurv the bell thief.”

“Lurv?” Aubrey closed her eye again. “Two encounters and mutual harassment doesn’t make lurv, Beca.”

“Of course not, you were in public. Can’t make lurv in public without getting arrested.” There was a pause. “Unless you’re very sneaky.”

“I sense a story I haven’t heard yet.” Aubrey opened her eyes and found Beca grinning at her.

“Maybe – but you’re also not going to hear it now. Maybe later when I’m drunk. There was a park, some sprinklers on a timer… the usual.” Beca shrugged. “But first, tell me everything that happened after she got you to the table.”

“There’s nothing,” Aubrey said. “We just declared a truce; she told me how to take care of my foot. We exchanged basic info-”

“Except phone numbers,” Beca interjected.

“-like our occupations but no… no phone numbers.”

“Then how are you going to find each other again?” Beca said as they waited for a light.

“Well, I know where she is at least some of the time.” Aubrey shrugged. “Plus she’s best friends with Chloe, so I could ask her for her number.”

“Wait – she’s friends with the woman who you did not ask out for the past year? But you’ll ask said woman for her best friend’s number?” Beca laughed. “I love you, please never change.”

“Hm,” Aubrey considered. “Good point. But her cousin Emily works there. We talk every time I see her, so I could do that if I really wanted.”

“Why would you not?” Beca turned onto Aubrey’s street.

“I don’t know. She didn’t ask for mine either.” But Aubrey didn’t think it was due to lack of interest. “Maybe we’re just going to let fate decide. Since she’s known Chloe forever, and we’ve only met twice in the year plus I’ve been going there, maybe it isn’t meant to be.”

Beca waited until she’d pulled up in front of Aubrey’s house and turned off the car before answering. “I was wrong before – your whole first encounter is definitely a meet cute.” She ignored Aubrey’s sound of protest and kept talking. “And you guys had chemistry that I could see in the whole five minutes I was in your presence. I really did think she was going to kiss you before she boosted you onto the seat.”

“Me too,” Aubrey muttered. “I swayed.”

“I saw.” Beca grinned at her. “You literally fell into her arms as she saved your life… But because you’re a useless gay you didn’t ask for her number.”

“I did invite her to karaoke…” Aubrey trailed off.

“Oh, maybe not so useless after all.” Beca said approvingly. “I’m so proud of you!”

“Well, her, Chloe and Emily.” Aubrey pursed her lips. “There may have been some panic involved.”

“Annnd now it’s back. We’re going to have a long talk after I get you settled and stocked for a week.” Beca opened her door. “Are the crutches in the garage?”

“I think they’re in the spare room,” Aubrey said after a moment’s thought. “If I needed them I didn’t want to search the whole garage for them.”

“Alright,” Beca hopped out of the truck. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Ha. Ha.” Aubrey flipped her off as she closed the door. She watched Beca go into her house and settled back in the seat. It was annoying that Beca was right.

She had already begun to fall for the bell thief and that wasn’t like her at all. Aubrey Posen was a woman who never did anything without a thoroughly thought out plan of attack.

‘No,’ she reminded herself. ‘That’s who you used to be. You came here to be different. More spontaneous. This will work out how it’s supposed to.’

And as much as she’d panicked at the thought of asking Stacie out on a date – which since Beca would be there it’s not like it’d be an actual date – there was a calm space at the center of her thoughts. One that was telling her she’d meet Stacie again – soon – and her life would change for a second time.

Aubrey was surprised to realize how much she was looking forward to that moment.

---------------------

A/N:  I've officially reached the end of things I had already written, so my '10 days between posts" is no more. I've been working a lot of overtime at work and hadn't counted on how completely it would suck any ounce of creativity out of me, so please forgive the length between posts. I swear it will be finished and not abandoned though!

(x)

[crunchity-munchity]

God fucking damnit I very much am that kind of bitch who sees a mysterious masked character and immediately falls in love

God damntit fuck I've known about the spec ops guys and anonymous for a while and I hate the kinds of people who just simp all over them and shit, like bruh no

However I do not doubt, even for a second, that they and other riot peeps I've seen are hella attractive

My stupid ass has had a crush on V from V for Vendetta for a while not to mention other characters like Hei from darker than black, so yeah. It was bound to happen

This is probably gonna be the only post I make about this tho cuz tik tok need to shut the fuck up lmao

Also I've hit my daily post limit so this will be seen way later than intended 😂

[didnt-hear-idsb-live-again]

HOLLY I JUST HIT POST LIMIT

FUCK GOD DAMNIT NO this is an assault tactic by the Republican Party itself and i won’t stand for it