#i just remember seeing chucky for the first time and doing a double take to make sure i was seeing things right

[oh-men-of-dark-and-dismal-fate]

Since Billy Bibbit and Charles Lee Ray were both played by the same actor, I propose an AU where Billy did not die in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, but dissociated with his real personality and crafted a new one. When he finally signed himself out of the ward, he left Billy behind and walked out as a new man. He walked out as Charles Lee Ray. He traded one prison for another.

[spilled-some-blood]

Dating The Slashers Include

Includes: Bubba Sawyer, John Kramer, Billy Loomis, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Stu Macher, Amanda Young, and Tiffany Valentine

Warning: Slight smut warning for Freddy (but are you shocked?), but mostly just fluff

Dating Bubba Would Include: -Starting off as probably best friends -laughing and walking around a lot together -becoming very close, somewhere in between friends and lovers -you making the first move -maybe by accident -you’d probably be talking to him and Choptop -“Why don’t you ask that guy out?” -“Because I like Bubba, remember.” -“You do?” -luckily, he likes you too -going on a first date -it not being awkward at all -if you go out on the town, you end with a hot cup of tea and new clothes, wanting to get him out of the blood covered apron -back at home, laughing and hand holding, forgetting it was actually a date -you end with a soft kiss -both of you blushing madly -the two of you will sit on a sofa and Bubba mumbles about anything -being the last ones awake -Bubba falling asleep on your shoulder -you are smiling -you also falling asleep, not wanting to wake him up -the next morning, you greet with a kiss, as if it has been done a hundred times already -every night, before bed, cuddling on the sofa and cuddling together -searching for Choptop with him -just to please him -always being amazed at how smart he is even though he can’t talk -he knows everything about you -just on his own way -stroking his hair in a calming manner -always holding hands -quick kisses -favourite place is his room, where you can sit close and lay your head in his lap while in a puddle of happiness -spending holidays with each other -one time by him, one time with you -just being cute together -always thinking of each other -general love and sweetness

Dating John Would Include: -Reading books together in the living room with a blanket draped over you. -Laying your legs on top of his whilst attentively looking over the pages. -Him playfully starting to trace patterns on the bottom of your feet, fully knowing that you’re the most ticklish person ever. -It eventually became a full-on tickle fight. -But when you’re starting to scream for mercy he’ll stop so you can breathe again. -Making traps together as well. -Him giving you tight hugs every time you remind him you love him. -Snuggling into his jigsaw robe. -It kind of smelling like him. -He gives you neck kisses and collarbone kisses and doesn’t matter what kind of kisses… -Cause they’re loving and soft and gentle just like him around you. -He looks at you with sleepy puppy eyes and it melts you every. single. time. -Over all, he is so very happy about being with you. -Because you’re kind and amazing and loving towards him, and he can’t quite understand what you see in him. -But you make sure to remember him, very often, that he’s just as lovable as you. -And he will never appreciate someone more than his beautiful girlfriend/boyfriend.

Dating Billy Would Include: -Him coming up with pick up lines and always strolling up to you casually, looking you up and down, as he bites his lip and says something stupid -Billy dragging you to see a movie he loves -Going to see it with him but him smiling the entire time -Acting up together -You're concentrating on something and he'd look at you and forget to breathe -Nose kisses -Neck kisses -Changing study locations due to the seasons/weather -Quiet 'I love you's' -Cheek kisses -Trips to the kitchen to bring a worrying amount of sweets back to the room -Stu forcing you to share -Having a competition to see who can scream 'I Love You' the loudest -Having a very public relationship -Seeing each other across the hall or corridor and running dramatically into each other's arms and hugging -Stu would tell you off but you could see a twinkle of laughter in his eyes at your escapades -Sudden passionate kisses when you realise you’re alone -'It's been 1 day, 5 hours, 12 minutes and 6 seconds since I’ve seen you' -Comforting him when his dad hurts him -Stu always laughing when he sees him zone out because he's thinking of you -Spending most of your time together -Your family loving him instantly -Warm, comforting hugs to keep each other stable -Sitting in peace, tracing patterns on each other's skin -Having a very goofy relationship -You almost never stop laughing -Cuddling almost constantly -Whispering 'I love you' against your neck as he places soft kisses against it -Playing with his hair -Being the 'It' Couple -Braiding his hair even though it's short so it ends up being multiple little random braids in his hair -Him laying his head on your lap -His HAIR -Soft sighs falling from his lips as you lightly scratch his scalp -Him putting his cold feet on you when you're in bed -You shrieking and kicking him off -Wearing his Ghostface outfit -Double dates with Stu and his dates -You brushing his hair -Him attempting to brush yours -Watching the stars -Lazy days cuddling on the couch -Playing with his hair. A LOT -Putting flowers in his hair -Just loving his hair -"Sometimes I think you're only dating me for my hair" -"I am"

Dating Michael Would Include: -Him being extremely protective over you -No one daring to pick on you because of this -Shy smiles and glances -Believing in him -Him opening up to you and showing you his kind vulnerable side -Sharing secret kisses -Getting unexpected gifts -Him smiling when he sees you wearing his stuff especially his jumpsuit -You bring out the better side of him -Sitting by the couch and leaning on each other -Teaching him out to act out rationally, not on anger -Holding hands in public with your hands locked tightly by your sides -Him getting jealous of other guys and you teasing him about it -You being the big spoon because even though he acts really proud, he likes to be held at night -Sneaking around a lot -Midnight rendezvous -Neck kisses -Him calling you stupid nicknames to annoy you -"How are you, my sugar-drop?" -You hit him on the shoulder and him acting as if it didn't hurt but oh my god it does so much -Lazy Sunday mornings where you just sleep the day away -You wrap your arms around him from behind and hugging him tightly -Waking up to him tracing patterns on your skin with light fingers -Always trusting you with absolutely everything -Lots of giggles -Midnight dates -Deep talks in the middle of the night, either in bed or over anything. Him always playing with your hair -Him always being able to be himself with you -Suggestive grins during class -Sending animal-shaped notes to each other -Him being a perfectionist -So much sarcasm -Him laughing at you when you won't admit that you're a bit jealous of all the female and male attention he receives -You hiding his stuff to tease him -But him not being able to be upset with you -Arguments about minor things but both of you not meaning it seriously -Stolen kisses -Lots and lots of neck kisses -Sneaking into each other's homes -Back rubs -Cuddles

Dating Freddy Would Include: -Sometimes starting conversations but loving the silence of the moment. -At night he never lets you roam around without him. -After he tells you about how everyone hate him, understanding why. -But still doing after and it becomes a thing for you. -Starting to let you in more about his plans. -But carefully -Loving (ssshhh) your curious side and how you wanted to know more about all his slasher friends. -"So If that's the most painful place for a man where is it for a woman?" -"Well aren't you a curious little thing dear." -The other slashers not minding you. -He obviously had told them not to harm you. -You getting along with Chucky after you get to know each other a little more. -"Okay, now I know why he is your favourite. He is really interesting under his arrogance and big ego," you say and Freddy smirks. -"Hey, I heard that f-! " *Freddy looking disapprovingly* "......lovable normie" -Taking a stroll with him in the nightmare realm. -Gripping his hand tightly. -Playing it cool but when a bird scares you, you scream and fall into his arms. -"You know this is kinda ironic right? I can probably harm you more than anything in this forest. " -"Oh hush! " you say. -Kisses in secret places. -(Getting closer sentimentally to you.) -Seeing him battle and win his opponent is a total turn on (Sorry not sorry) -Mostly rough sex -Like taking his time with you -Slowly approaching the pain-pleasure subject especially after he founds out that you like spanking and choking (sorry not sorry again). -Blowjobs for sure. -Like when he is feeling pissed and generally needs to feel like a powerful man you are right there. -You feeling sometimes that he might not do some things because he might not think you are good enough -But he kissed you to shut you up -Talking back to him one day while going to hang out with Bubba and Jason. -Telling him not to blame the others. -Pinning you to the wall. -"Listen to me, dear. You don't tell me what to do. Also, someone has to be blamed." his hands lowering to your waist and leans to your ear. " You have to get used to it love if you want to be with me." his hands slowly trailing up your thighs. "So now shut your pretty mouth because it's not going change anything," he says smirking to you now caressing you. -Sighing and accepting that there is nothing that you can do. Kissing him while he leads you to your room too pissed to be around anywhere now.

Dating Stu Would Include: (Oh look, it’s two Scream imagines)

-where do I even start? He’s a kinky rat, everything to him is a kink -him falling completely in love with you, and never want to see you hurt in any way, especially by himself -he’d spoil the shit out of you -and he’d protect you to death -people would know not to touch you, those who have tried disappear -he’d take you shopping with full security -he’d be the guy waiting outside the change room to tell you how gorgeous and sexy you are when you come out -his hands go anywhere they want to, that’s just him. So if you wear a dress, you can guess where his hands are going -he’s the guy with his arm over your shoulders when you walk -very possessive -rough and VERY kinky sex lets are honest -but he spoils the shit out of you. wait I legitimately already wrote that but it's so true. -he’d love when you sit on his lap -especially with nothing on or in his room ;) -it throws other slashers off because they know to respect you and not look at you too long or Stu will flip and stab them -he’s the guy that can growl that sexy growl when he’s angry -but purr that sexy purr when he’s happy -you like both sounds. so sexy -he’d take you to the most expensive places and buy you the most expensive outfits and jewellery, although some of the outfits can’t even be called outfits ;) -date night is the best -ride or die. -him driving you places and speeding to make you laugh and scream. -rough ‘you’re mine’ kind of kisses -but the way he grips your waist when he kisses you is 100% -I mean, I wouldn't say he would be the best boyfriend, but it would be an experience

Dating Amanda Would Include: (Oh look, another Saw imagine) -Looking out for each other -Playing with her hands -Her being a real getlewoman -Her getting embarrassed and flustered when people ask her how she managed to get an 'an amazing person like you' -You tell her you're the lucky one to have a girl like her -Her getting clumsier when you make her nervous -Smiling when you notice Amanda getting more comfortable in your relationship -Opening up to each other -Meeting John and him adoring you -Her telling you all about her favourite fictional characters and how the pretty ones remind her of you -Her getting you the 'pretty’ characters toys as a gift -Lots of hugs -Her watching you talk, write or anything else -Blushing furiously when you catch her staring -Quick pecks in public at first -Watching anything together while cuddling -Her depending on your emotional support a lot -Light touches -Teasing each other -Amanda going on and on about basically anything and you just listening because you like seeing her happy -Picking a single flower and placing it in your hair -Sweet cheek kisses just whenever -Catching her looking at you and looking down and catching her eye and blushing furiously -Sitting by the lake and doing your work -Helping her out with her rehab sessions -Always standing up for her and vice versa -Spending a lot of time in her room just talking to her -Her heart fluttering all the time when you're around -Warm hugs where neither of you wants to let go -Helping him overcome her drug addiction -Comforting her when she feels useless -Gentle kisses -You aren’t a fan of a few a things she likes but you still listen because the excitement in her voice when she talks about it is so freaking adorable! -Cute nicknames -Spending entire days together -Letting Amanda play with your hair -So many inside jokes -Falling asleep under the stars -Food fights -Reminding her about what she's forgotten -Piggyback rides

Dating Tiffany Would Include: (You already know I freaking love Tiffany so you know this will be a long one) -God, she’s so fucking dramatic. -There would be multiple public declarations of love a week, without a doubt. -Crybaby™ -You’ll be goofing around together and say something jokingly rude, like how annoying she is, or some shit like that -And she’ll just deflate -She’ll start pouting, and a small crease between her eyebrows will appear -So, of course, you feel bad -So you’d take her face between your hands, and just start placing little kisses all over her face -On the cheeks, the nose, the forehead (if you can reach, that is) -After a minute you stop, looking Tiffany in the eyes at last after brushing her curls behind her ears -And they’re just filled with amusement, and she also has a shit-eating grin on her lips -She’d trick you into giving her extra affection because she’s a whiny little baby she loves you so much -So you smack her across the head -After a while, this little trick wouldn’t work, so she’d start finding other ways of getting what she wants -It’s not that you don’t show her enough love, it’s just that she needs excessive amounts -Because Tiffany never does anything halfway -It’s all or nothing -And with her, it’s often all. -She’d always show you off as ‘her girl’ and literally never shut up about you -And at first, people found it cute, because ‘aw, look how in love they are!’ -But now everybody just wants to put duct tape over her mouth -(they all still find you two cute, but, God, does Tiffany ramble) -You’re constantly talking about the future. -“What’d you think our wedding will look like?” -“How many children do you want?” -Pranks. So. Many. Pranks. -You turn it into your own little competition to see who can get the other better. -This was fun until the paranoia set in. -“Why are you looking at me like that..?” -“Because I love you.” -“Tiff….” -“Mmm.” -“What have you done?” -*Cue you chasing her down the house whilst screaming profanities, both of you laughing as you do so* -Her taking you on adventures around the town -She would teach you how to be a sassy bitch -Or, if you already knew how you’d have small games together. -Just you two, one-on-one. -You’d either: A) kick her ass, and she’d insist that she let you win, or B) be so damn terrible, but look so adorable trying that she would let you win - although she’d never make a joke about it, she’d support you and help you get better. -Throwing stuff to each other while the slashers are arguing. -Her aiming the paper so it hits your head, so you decide to make her get in trouble with Freddy -Mean Girls puns. -“You dropped your coffee? Get in, bitch, we’re getting more” -“How dare you!” -Tiffany laughing because of how terrible the jokes are. -Also, just horrible jokes in general. The type that makes you cringe, but also giggles. -Her being so open with you. -This girl will literally share anything with you. No fuss, at all. -She believes that trust is the foundation of every relationship, so why should she keep secrets? -She has so much faith in you, so the thought of you ever telling anyone something private has never even crossed her mind. -She hates it when you’re sad. -It physically pains her to know that you’re hurting. -So she’ll do everything she can to make you happy again. -Want to cry it out? She’ll hold you, murmuring words of comfort as she does so. -Feel like eating away from your problems? She’ll take you down to the kitchen so you can both have as much food as you want. -Just need to let it all out? She’ll take you by the hand and walk you down the lake so you can throw stones into the water. Or she’ll just take you up to the bedroom so you can scream into a pillow until your voice stops working. -Constant physical contact. -Even if it’s just holding hands, or feeling your shoulder brush against her: she likes to know that you’re there, and you’re safe. -Because in such a short amount of time, you’d become so important to her. -And she couldn’t bear to live without you by her side.

[thisiswhatshefelt]

For Olivia | Chapter Three

Author’s Note: We’re still in fluffy territory right now, but things pick up in the next part. I’m having so much fun writing this! Hey, look at me. Writing fluff. Who would have thought? Not me. Characters: Chef Coco Cruz & Black OC

Chapter Summary: Coco and Olivia officially meet for the first time. Previous Chapter: Two

Chapter Three On Park Sundays, Olivia’s always the first one to stir in the apartment. There’s an initial panic just as Shanice remembers what’s supposed to happen on this particular Sunday, but the feeling subsides to an undercurrent as she’s getting Olivia ready. Shanice takes her time in the closet, carefully considering her wardrobe this morning. She opts for a fitted tee and jeans instead of her usual hoodie and hat combo.

She catches her reflection in the mirror and slows her movements, suddenly finding this extra work is ridiculous for someone who may not even show. The anxiety begins to creep up again, slinking into the room.

What if she hates him? Shanice thinks. Or worse, what if she loves him and then he abandons her?

She doesn’t dwell on these thoughts for very long because Olivia is pulling her out the door soon after finishing breakfast. Shanice is still chewing a piece of toast when they get onto the highway.

They’re only at the playground for half an hour and Olivia’s disheveled clothing already looks like she’s halfway through finishing a decathlon. Shanice is watching Olivia go down the slide when she receives a text from Coco, signaling that he’s five minutes away. She beckons to Olivia, and she reluctantly trudges over.

“I don’t wanna leave yet,” Olivia begins to whine in protest.

“No, no, we’re not leaving,” Shanice shakes her head. “Remember I’ve been telling you that mommy’s friend from the other night might come to the park?”

Olivia shrugs, longingly gazing over at the rush of kids now heading to the wooden pirate ship. “The man that bringed the pizza?”

“He didn’t bring–” Shanice shakes the thought out of her head. “Yes, him. He’s coming over here to say hello.”

“How come?”

“Well, you know, he really likes the park, so when I told him we were going to be here, he asked to join us,” Shanice explains in logic that only makes sense to a child. “All you have to do is say hello and remember your manners. That’s it.”

Olivia waits impatiently, fidgeting back and forth on her feet. Shanice is thankful when she finally catches a glimpse of Coco rising from a car in the parking lot. She lifts Olivia and sets the child on her hip as Coco closes the distance between himself and the girls.

“Glad you made it,” Shanice greets him with a smile, and she’s genuinely relieved he’s kept this first promise. “Olivia, can you say hi to Johnny for me?”

Olivia shrinks at the attention, as she usually does with strangers. “Hi,” she says, turning into Shanice’s shoulder.

Coco’s lips part into a crescent, but he can only suck in a quick, soundless breath. His mouth wordlessly falters before smiling and giving way to simple yet weighted beginnings. “It’s nice to meet you, Olivia. You can call me Coco if you want.”

“Kay,” Olivia’s voice comes out no more than a breath as she lays her head on Shanice’s shoulder and pulls a few of Shanice’s shoulder-length twists over her eyes. Olivia curls in closer, attempting to disappear against the woman.

“It’s alright,” Shanice whispers back, giving a small squeeze. It’s alright, it’s alright. “Do you want to go back?”

Olivia nods slowly and Shanice lets her slink back to the ground.

“Where I can see you!” Shanice calls out to the small, retreating figure before stepping off to the side with some of the other parents. Coco sidesteps to follow her lead.

“Sorry.” Shanice can’t help but apologize. “Olivia’s just really shy around people.”

“Not your fault I’m a stranger,” Coco says. “Maybe I should’ve brought her a gift or something-”

“She doesn’t need gifts,” Shanice shakes her head, holding up her hand to stop him mid-sentence. “Just a little time, if you’re willing to give her yours. She’s a completely different kid when she’s comfortable.”

Coco’s sheepish gaze lands on Olivia and it follows her as she chases another girl over to the ship’s nautical wheel. Without taking his eyes off the children, he starts speaking. “I got another daughter, you know. That hostess at the restaurant?” He turns to Shanice, and she nods to both acknowledge and encourage. “My mom pretty much raised her as my sister until she was twelve. That’s when we let her know, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so pissed. Got her a laptop and a new phone, thinking it would make her happy. She set them both behind my car one day, so I rolled right over them when I was backing out.”

Shanice suddenly snorts and Coco looks at her strangely at the outburst. She cups her mouth with both hands, but it does little to stifle her growing laughter. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to say all that.”

“I didn’t even mean to unload that family drama on you,” Coco chuckles, watching her laughter settle. His face contorts into an incredulous half-grin. “Don’t know why I even told you that.”

Shanice understands what he means. Their first two meetings they share are tense, but she allows herself to be nicer today until she’s given a reason not to be. As they speak, this moment is oddly comfortable. Like meeting an old friend…under the strangest circumstances.

“I haven’t been a teacher very long,” Shanice begins, composing herself, “But I’ve learned that teenagers are some of the most vindictive people in the world. Exceptional grudge-holders. It’s pretty impressive, actually.”

Coco smiles as he nods, thoughts briefly somewhere else. “Yeah, Letty’s good at that.”

“Couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t in school,” Shanice leads, trying not to seem like she’s being judgmental or prying, but she is pretty nosy.

“We’re in the middle of moving her into my place. I gotta get her registered for school and all that, so my mom can go traveling Europe and shiiii…” Coco’s voice strains towards the end when he realizes he’s about to swear in the middle of the playground. “She deserves to travel and have some fun after raising Letty. But it’s about to be all on me, and I’m just…”

“Scared?” she offers, and he shrugs. “Understandable. I’m not an expert, but kids mostly just need to feel safe, be encouraged, and be able to trust you.”

“I had all that and still ended up in jail.”

“Good point,” She playfully concedes with a shrug. “Sometimes you just gotta cross your fingers and hope for the best.”

After a beat, he knits his eyebrows together as he recalls something. “Wait, where do you teach?”

“I’m an English teacher at Damon Pope.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise, “That’s where Letty starts on Monday.”

“Really?” Shanice shares a similar look of disbelief. “So, you don’t live too far away from us.”

“Right at the edge of town,” he tells her. They get quiet, leaving things unsaid. He’d been living so close to Olivia and didn’t even realize until recently. Within the same school district.

Their conversation is benign after the awkward break. They opt for small talk until Olivia runs over with wood chips sticking to her feet and her hair coming out of her puffs.

“Can we go eat?” she asks, huffing and puffing.

“You want your PB&J?” Shanice asks, reaching to fix her hair.

“PB&J and pizza!” Olivia exclaims with a smile, throwing her tiny fists in the air.

Shanice makes a disgusted face, “Pizza again?”

Coco chimes in with an idea. “How about somethin’ with less preservatives? You two could come back to the restaurant.”

Olivia’s stomach answers for them both. ________

Once at Tres Reyes, Shanice is again overwhelmed by the amazing smell coming from the kitchen. She’d been secretly craving the food since stepping foot inside the restaurant. Letty’s at the front desk and she does a double take when she sees Coco being followed in by Shanice and the little girl.

“This is Letty,” Coco tells her, tapping his hand on the podium twice to pull her attention towards him. She is unabashedly staring at the child. Her little sister. “Letty, this is Shanice and Olivia.”

Shanice and Letty share very heavy nice to meet you’s.

“Where’s jefe?” He asks with a nod.

“Next door, yelling at Chucky again,” Letty tells him, staring at Olivia.

Letty puffs out her cheeks and crosses her eyes, making Olivia giggle through her teeth against Shanice’s shoulder.

“She’s so cute,” Letty gushes, but her voice is low as she seems to be speaking only to herself.

Coco surveys the restaurant with a glance. “It’s pretty slow, you want to help me with something?”

Letty nods.

“I’m gonna bring out a few things,” Coco says as he leads them through the restaurant before landing at a booth near the service window.

Coco throws an arm over Letty’s shoulder and whispers something in her ear as they walk towards the kitchen. By the soothing look in his eyes, Shanice can tell it’s an apology. He doesn’t expect to have his two daughters meet this way, and the weight of the moment doesn’t fully register until now. They go to the back for a while and an older woman with long dark hair approaches the table.

“I’m Vicki,” the waitress greets them. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Just a ginger ale for me, please,” Shanice says.

Vicki turns to Olivia, “And what about you, princesa?”

“Apple juice, please,” Olivia speaks slightly muffled, biting the collar of her shirt. Shanice tugs the fabric from between her teeth.

Vicki smiles, giving them both a knowing look before walking away from the table. She wonders how many people Coco has told about what’s happening. Everyone is in on this big secret except Olivia.

Coco and Letty soon walk out with three trays filled with small bowls of toppings. On a single tray was a small tortilla. They place them on the table and Letty seems to linger until the restaurant door opens. She hesitates but leaves to tend to the incoming customers.

“This is kinda like a pizza. We can put anything on it,” Coco explains, picking up the first bowl.

Shanice encourages the moment, “This all looks so good, doesn’t it, Mushroom?”

Olivia only nods, still uncomfortable about her surroundings. She settles onto her knees with her hands flat on the table as she leans closer. She scrunches her face up, squinting with one eye at something in particular. “Where’s a’sauce?”

“We’re gonna spread this on it instead,” Coco says, holding up the bowl of refried beans. He demonstrates spreading it on half the tortilla. “You wanna try?”

Shanice watches as the words spark excitement in Olivia’s eyes. What Olivia actually hears is ‘You wanna help me make a mess?’ Her favorite pastime. She takes the spoon Coco’s offers and starts spreading the beans on the rest of the tortilla.

“Good, now you can put anything you want on it,” Coco tells her, pushing a bowl of shredded cheese towards her.

She dips her little fingers in the bowl and starts sprinkling it all over the pizza, but it mostly gets on the table. She takes some of the cheese from the table in the other hand and stuffs it in her mouth.

“Hey!” Shanice says, briefly tickling both Olivia’s sides, eliciting a loud laugh. She involuntarily brings her arms down to shield her sides. “Don’t eat all the ingredients!” Olivia just eats more, laughing louder.

Coco gets a playful look on his face before taking a small piece of diced tomato. He throws the piece in the air and catches it in his mouth. Olivia is astonished, immediately tries to do the same with the cheese, but it ends up all around her like confetti. Some lands in her hair, but Olivia only laughs again.

“Boy…” Shanice slowly sets her gaze on Coco, giving him a comically blank stare.

Olivia has a diced tomato in her hand aimed like a baseball. She throws the tomato at Coco and he expertly catches it in his mouth. Before Shanice can say anything else, Olivia throws a handful of cheese at her, expecting Shanice to also catch it in her mouth, but it catches her off guard. Cheese falls on her chest and soldiers.

“Sorry,” Olivia sings, but she doesn’t look sorry at all. She’s smiling from ear to ear, stuffing more cheese in her mouth.

Coco lets out a laugh as Shanice eats the cheese from her shirt. In that moment, Shanice can see what Mel found attractive about him four years ago. She notices the dimple in his cheek deepening every time he smiles.

“Love that you taught her that,” Shanice says with playful sarcasm, as she picks cheese out of her hair. “Alright, let’s finish so we can eat the, uh…”

“It’s called a tlayuda,” Coco finishes.

“A yuda?” Olivia questions.

Coco smirks at her pronunciation “Yeah, it’s almost like a pizza.”

“Kay,” Olivia says, focusing on putting more toppings on the tlayuda.

A few moments later, Letty returns with a much neater version of the dish. Her mouth waters at the strips of steak, cheese, and fresh avocado loaded onto the tortilla.

“Sit with us?” Shanice suggests. Letty doesn’t hesitate, sliding next to Coco and bumping him in the process. Coco dramatically crashes into the booth’s half wall, eliciting another giggle from Olivia. Slowly, the little girl Shanice is familiar with begins to emerge.

“Hi, Olivia,” Letty greets her again. She’s trying to make eye contact with a preoccupied Olivia, as if she’s trying to get the attention of the cool kid at school. “I’m Letty.”

“Hi,” Olivia croaks out between haphazard bites of the tlayuda she’s made. She greets Letty out of reflex and immediately looks up when she realizes three sets of eyes are on her. Olivia suddenly plops down on Shanice’s lap, pushing the back of her head against her chest.

“So Letty,” Shanice begins, wrapping her arm across Olivia. “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other. I teach over at Damon Pope.”

“Forreal?” Letty asks slyly as she takes out her waitress pen and pad from her apron. She wets the pen with the tip of her tongue. “And which class is that again?”

Shanice lets out a small laugh when Coco’s eyebrows furrow suspiciously. “Why you wanna know?”

“I’m just assuming it wouldn’t hurt to know the teacher personally.”

“I teach English, but I’m kind of known for being a tough grader.”

“Ooh, then forget it,” Letty says, putting her pen and pad down on the table. Coco tsked.

Shanice can’t help but laugh, “Mr. Kochiss teaches British Lit, and I’ve heard a lot of students say that his class has a more…relaxed grading policy,” Shanice says, choosing her words correctly. “But you seem to be a very intelligent girl. If you want a class that’s a little more challenging, I teach Lit Comp. It’s an AP class, but if you’re serious, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“AP?” Letty’s eyebrows raise playfully. “So is that Kochiss with a K or a C?”

“Leticia,” Coco says, his voice coming out as more of a groan.

“Oh, what? I can’t joke now?” Letty asks innocently.

Shanice laughs into her first bite of tlayuda. She has to lean awkwardly over the table because Olivia is still parked on her lap with no intention of moving.

Shanice lets out an unexpected moan when she tastes the food. “This is so good.” She doesn’t realize the way she sounds until she looks up to find Coco’s half-lidded eyes on her. It’s just a flash, but it feels like an eternity when their eyes meet across the table. He quickly averts his eyes down to the table as he taps a song with his fingers.

“When will you…” Letty starts, oblivious to the previous interaction. It pulls Coco’s and Shanice’s attention back. “When are you going to, you know…tell her?”

Shanice loudly clears her throat. “Uh, not for a while. We all still need to get to know each other better. Get comfortable.”

“About that,” Coco interjects. “I was thinkin’ next time we could meet up at the beach.”

Olivia perks up again just then.

“We don’t say eachbay or oolpay or any large bodies of aterway around this one.” Shanice practically hisses the words as she pushes them through her teeth.

“Can we go to the eachbay today? Pleeeease?” Olivia begs.

Shanice threw her hands up in defeat. “Great, now I can’t even say it in pig Latin.”

Coco speaks up, “You know what would be better than going to the beach for just a little while today?”

“What?” Olivia surprisingly doesn’t shy away.

“Staying for the whole day on Saturday. If that’s okay with Shanice, of course.”

Olivia turns around so that she’s kneeling on Shanice’s thighs. The little girl takes Shanice by the face to whisper with wide eyes. “Can we go to the beach on Saddurday?”

Shanice whispers back, mirroring her animated expression. “Yes. As long as you’re good.” Olivia starts leaving greasy kisses all over Shanice’s forehead. “Alright, alright!” she says at full volume now. “Girl, you’re gonna take off my eyebrows.”

“And I could come too, maybe?” Letty asks as Olivia sits back down. For a moment, she’s just a little girl asking to tag along.

“Aye, you gotta be good too,” Coco teases.

Somewhere along the conversation Olivia falls asleep against Shanice’s chest. She looks down at the little girl and is thankful the day doesn’t turn out to be the disaster she’d imagined.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Horror Villains Reactions: To S/O Who Thinks They’re Smiling/Laughing ‘Too Much’

So, I’ve been having this problem, where you know, I’ve been happy. I know, it’s the worst. A curse.

But then I thought I was looking like a crazy person in here all alone in my bedroom, because I’m smiling and laughing a lot (And then I tell myself Stop it Hannah, damnit. We wanna be happy. Set a good example, dang!) and I thought this would make a cute reaction post! Total fluff! So here we go.

Remember, DON’T EVER THINK THIS WAY, ITS GOOD TO BE SMILING, I LOVE YOU

I hope this cheers some of ya’ll up ^^ 

~~~

Billy Loomis: “Yeah, I noticed. But ‘too much’? No way. No such thing, come on.” *Gives you hug* // Also will probably make fun by asking if its because your cheeks hurt and then hooking his fingers into the corners of your mouth and tugging (Not enough to hurt!!)

Bubba Sawyer: Noooooooooooooooooooooo! Be happy Y/N! Bubba will c r y.

Carrie White: She thinks that’s very silly of you and, also, she tells you a bit shyly that she’s noticed and thought you looked really pretty.

Chucky / Charles Lee Ray: “The fuck? Get here and let me punish you for being an idiot- get here- hey.” When you refuse to go over to him, he grins. “*Tells an inside joke between you two that he knows you think is hilarious, just to be a shit.*”

Chop Top Sawyer: “Reeeaaaalllllyyyyyy?” Chop Top turns on you, a mischievous grin on his lips. // He’s gonna chase you.

Drayton Sawyer: Don’t be ridiculous, Drayton says, sighing deeply. That’s the craziest idea he’s heard for a while. Also, he secretly loves your smile- he’s just too nervous to say it. Why do you think he’s always making you food he knows you like!

Debbie Loomis: Deeply rolls her eyes and makes a ‘tut’ sound, then turns to you again and exasperatedly smiles, shaking her head. “Do be ridiculous, sweetheart.”

Freddy Krueger: *Points sternly at you with a knife finger* Smile! *Bastard will chase you if you refuse, but he means well!*

Inkubus: Compliments you on your smile- he loves it! You can’t possible smile too much for him!! He understands, though, like Mickey and Stu that maybe your mouth hurts or something and you can have cuddles.

Jason Voorhees: Does a freaken double take. You’re… too happy?? I’m sorry, Jason doesn’t comprehend. He thought he was doing a good job- please, explain to him. He’s new to the whole ‘human’ thing (Even though he was one, obviously). When he understands though, he’ll be exasperated and just pat your head.

Jedidiah Sawyer: He thinks: Man, I wish I had that problem. // On the outside: He sits with you and he’ll massage your cheeks with his thumbs.

Jennifer Check: “I have a solution for you,” // You: “What?” // Her: “If I’m making out with you, you can’t smile.” *A flirty smile* // You: “Well, I guess, its worth a try!” *You try to sound sarcastic. *

Jill Roberts: For a split second, she thinks about saying something sarcastic or mean… but then she can’t bring herself to do it and just grants you a little genuine smile and runs her hands affectionately through your hair/over your head.

Luda Mae Hewitt: “Oh, sweetheart… “She laughs, very gently and shakes her head. She thinks that’s slightly silly and very cute, but also on some level understands. “Okay, do you want some downtime then? We can sit and have some tea?” // Luda Mae’s great.

Mayor Buckman: Thinks he’s sneaky and spends the rest of the day doing things he knows makes you laugh or happy. He just wants his sunshine to be happy all the time!!

Michael Myers: He will fucking tickle you, don’t test him.

Mickey Altieri: He understands. He thinks it’s pretty damn cute that you think that, because its good to be happy!! But he will bring you into a hug so you can hide your face in his chest. “Baby, baby, its fine! It’s a good thing.”

Midnight Man: Okay, he really doesn’t understand humans right now.

Pamela Voorhees: Oh my god, she thinks you’re the cutest thing. Her sunshine!

Patrick Bateman: Man, he has this problem too. Not because he was actually happy, but because he sometimes can’t tell how much smiling is too much for his act. You guys talk about this // Secretly he loves seeing you smile so much.

Pennywise (OG): Oh, my god, he will be a shit and tell sooooo many jokes. He just likes to see you happy!

Pennywise (New): Takes your jaw in his hands and brings your face close to his, then makes the biggest, sharpest smile possible. I don’t know why, he just deemed it fitting. Makes you smile some, at least. Probably ends up getting stuck with you massaging your cheeks cuz they HURT.

Roman Bridger: Will massage your cheeks for you with his thumbs. I mean, he’s a bit of stuck up twat-ish guy, but he completely changes around you honestly. Becomes so much happier and nicer. He’s loved and wanted, for once! 

Sheriff Hoyt/ Charlie Hewitt: “What th- Girl/boy, you take that back.” If you insist, he’ll sigh and ask if you want to go on a ride with him, just to cool off a bit. Its his answer to all problems but it generally works.

Stu Macher: Okay, he will be a bit of a shit at first and make you laugh some more with his stupid cute jokes, but then when you starts complaining about your cheeks hurting or you get upset at him he’ll bring you into a hug so you can hide your face in his jumper.

The Man: “Baby girl/boy… “He moans, exasperated but grinning at you. “No… “

Thomas Hewitt: Similar to Bubba, he wants you to be happy all the time, so uh… he has no sympathies. This sounds like the right time to settle you in his lap and have cuddles.

[rebel-without-cause-x]

Forget I Said Anything Part 2

Requested By Literally EVERYONE!!!

SOA Tag List @chibsytelford @talicat713 @corebore123 @nothingeverdies @teapartydreams @mrspeacem1nusone @khyharah @itmejado @woahitslucyylu @beth-winchester21 @minnicelli @everyhowlmarksthedead @trulysuccubus @haynsey @witching-hour - if you want adding to the tag list let me know :)

It had been 2 months since Jax had blurted his true feelings, which meant it had been 2 months since you had spoken to or seen Jax. Every time you arrived at teller-Morrow Jax would leave without saying anything to you.

You were miserable, you didn’t know life without your best friend, you spent your life attached at the hip.

Trudging into the club you leant against the bar, reaching over and grabbing the bottle of whiskey.

“He still not talking to you?” Chucky asked.

“Can you blame him?” You shrugged “he confessed how he really felt and I basically stomped all over his heart”

“But you are best friends”

“Was best friends Chucky” you sighed as you saw Jax wall out of the dorm with yet another crow eater in his arms.

A wave of jealousy washed over you.

“You can’t be jealous remember” Tig said nudging you.

“Please don’t remind me” you mumbled resting your head against his shoulder whilst making eye contact with Jax.

It was the first time he didn’t look away instantly, you couldn’t read the look in his eyes.

“I think I’m gonna bounce” you muttered putting the bottle down and standing up.

“But we’ve not seen our girl in ages” juice smiled draping his arm over your shoulder.

“I know but it just hurts, I know I was the one to break his heart but in the process I’ve lost my best friend” you sighed.

Meanwhile whilst Tig and juice were talking Chibs was speaking to Jax.

“She misses her best friend Ye know” Chibs said sipping his beer.

“Yeah well she basically made me tell her the truth and then just stood there so sorry we aren’t all sunshine and rainbows” Jax huffed

“Jackie boy she was shocked but she didn’t say she didn’t love you back” Chibs said.

“A bit too late now man”

“Look Ye both are miserable without each other” Chibs nodded over to you at the bar “I think deep down she does love you the same and is just as scared as ye of admitting Ye true feelings”

“I don’t want to know Chibs she’s made her choice” Jax spat.

Another month had passed, over the last few weeks you felt like you had been crushed, it was the other night when things hit you like a ton of bricks.

You were snuggled on the sofa wearing one of Jax’s hoodies he had left at yours, the TV was on but you weren't paying attention because you were replaying every single memory of you and Jax and that’s when it hit you.

You were in love with him.

You had pushed the feelings down for years for this exact reason.

Since that day you fell deeper into a slump, only leaving the house to go to work and get food.

Your phone had been blowing up since you got home so you switched it off without looking at who was trying to get hold of you and flopped onto the sofa pulling the blanket over you.

A couple of hours had passed when you heard the front door open.

“Lass it’s only me” Chibs shouted.

You knew you should have moved the spare keep.

“Why you here?” You mumbled

“Because we’ve been trying to get hold of ye for hours and with not getting a response we got worried” he said squeezing your shoulder.

“Well I’m fine so you can go” you huffed.

“That’s not the only reason I’m here” he sighed “it’s about Jax”

“I don’t want to know” you said shaking your head. “I don’t need to know which crow eater he is with now”

“Lass” Chibs said crouching in front of him “there’s been an accident”

Them four words made your heart drop and your mouth go dry.

“He wouldn’t want me there, he hates me” you scoffed.

“Come on we both know that isn’t true” Chibs whispered.

After a moment of silence you finally spoke.

“How bad?”

“Bad, that’s why we need Ye, he got hit by a semi”

You felt sick all of a sudden as the memories of JT came flooding back.

“He’s lost a lot of blood kiddo and ye are the only one that’s a match” he sighed

As much as you didn’t want to see him, you couldn’t just let him die, kicking the blanket off yourself you slipped your shoes on and followed Chibs to his bike in silence.

The ride to the hospital was horrible, you held onto Chibs so tight but he didn’t mind. So many thoughts were racing through your mind, you couldn’t lose him forever.

Soon enough you were walking the halls of the hospital until you reached a nurse.

“Are you Y/N?” She asked.

“That’s me” you nodded.

“Okay if you would just follow me and we will double check that you are a match and if you are we can start the transfusion” she nodded.

As you followed the nurse you looked over at the guys pleading with your eyes that one of them came with you. You hated needles and Jax always came with you when you needed to have bloods taken.

Happy was the first one to stand and follow you into the room.

Soon enough the test was done and you were comparable with Jax, and about 2 hours later you were sat on a hospital bed with a cup of tea, silently praying that he would be okay.

It felt like centuries had passed when a doctor walked into the room.

“Mr Teller is now stable and awake, he is currently asking for his bear” the doctor said looking confused but carried on “he is one lucky man, once we stopped the bleeding he was only left with a large cut to his side, some small cuts and bruises and a broken arm”

You was in disbelief at the fact he was asking for you by the nickname he gave you when you were 5.

“See he doesn’t hate Ye” Chibs whispered kissing your head “Ye feeling okay to go see him?”

“I’m a bit light headed still” you nodded as he helped you off the bed and put his arm around your waist, walking you to Jax’s room.

Taking a deep breath as Chibs pushed the door open, the sound of the door made Jax look up and when he saw it was you a small smile appeared on his face.

“What happened to you bear? You look pale as shit” he asked concerned.

“Might have saved your life” you shrugged as Chibs helped you into the chair, you didn’t miss the look of confusion on Jax’s face “well seen as you have a couple bags of my blood flowing in your veins I’d say I saved your life”

“You donated your blood” he whispered.

“Jax you have a rare bloody blood type and turns out I’m the same so yes I donated my blood without even thinking about it” you whispered “I couldn’t let you die on the table”

“I’m gonna leave Ye two alone for a bit” Chibs nodded before leaving the room.

The room fell silent as neither you or Jax knew what to say to each other.

“I’m sorry” you mumbled “I panicked when you said you was in love with me, because I had buried my feelings for you years ago”

“Wait what” Jax said

“You was with Tara at the time I realised I loved you more than just a friend so I buried my feelings because I didn’t want to lose you” you whispered not looking at him. “The last few months have been awful without you”

“Come here darlin” he whispered holding his hand out.

Carefully you squeezed into the bed with him, snuggling into his chest.

“Seems like we have both been idiots bear” he laughed softly as he ran his hand up and down your back. “So what happens now”

“I don’t know, all I know is I want you back in my life” you whispered “but can we just take things a day at a time”

“I can do that” he whispered kissing the top of your head. “But I can finally kiss you right?”

“Yes” you giggled looking up at him.

As soon as your eyes locked he moved closer to you, pressing his lips gently against yours, you responded fairly quickly deepening the kiss as his hand rested on your cheek.

Your stomach was doing summer salts right now.

Pulling away you rested your forehead against his and couldn’t help but laugh as you heard the rest of the lads cheering and whistling from the other side of the door.

You had no idea what the future held for you and Jax but right now you didn’t care as the world was right again as you snuggled into his side.

[debbiechanclub]

BTOOT Trent/Alex Supercut!

Listen, I know that I’ve hinted at Trent/Alex quite a lot throughout BTOOT, starting with the very first chapter. And I know there are a few people who lowkey ship them. So I decided to make a supercut of all the times that it seems like there’s something there for reasons. Perhaps sequel-related reasons.

Anyway, I don’t have a word count for this but... it’s long.

Tag squad: @hotyeehawman @freshlysqueezedmox @comeasyoudar @librathepheonix13 @heelchampbucks @gabbynorth98 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @exe-sadboi-exe (let me know if you want to be added!)

Chapter 1

“Sudden Death” was nothing more than “Never Have I Ever.” But, quite frankly, Alex was a little nervous. She knew this group of people—and she knew they had little to no shame.

“Okay, these are the rules,” she explained. “We’ll play like normal—but Chuckie and Orange will be the only ones putting down their fingers. The first one to put down all three fingers is the loser of the round.”

“Okay, just to clarify,” Scorpio asked, “so whoever still has fingers up at the end wins the whole thing?”

She nodded. “Correct.”

“I don’t like this,” Chuck said, even as he held up three fingers. “Y’all are gonna say things you know I’ve done to make me lose.”

“Never have I ever been a conspiracy theorist,” Frankie smirked. Chuck didn’t think it was funny.

“Especially you!”

“Alright, he actually has a point,” Alex begrudgingly admitted. “Let’s keep it unbiased. Kris, you start.”

Kris put a finger to her lips in thought. “Hmm… oh, I know,” she smirked. “Never have I ever slid into someone’s DMs.”

Alex let out a loud burst of laughter. “Maybe if Trent was playing,” she commented.

“Jeez, Alex, just put me on blast,” Trent returned.

She just smirked and took another sip of beer.

Chapter 5

Step one for dealing with jealous, catty bitches was to look hotter than them. Check. Step two was to completely ignore them and live your best life. Check. Two drinks in and hanging with her boys and Kris, Alex was having a great night.

Trent nudged his chin at her. “Wanna do a body shot?”

Chuck nearly choked on his beer. “Fucking what?”

Alex smirked as she leaned toward him. “Are you hitting on me, Trent?”

“I don’t know,” he coolly returned. “Do you want me to be?”

She arched a brow. “My eyes are up here, big shooter.”

He pursed his lips. “Come on. You wanted me to look.”

She bit her lip as she sat back again. “No; let’s not. I don’t want to make Chuckie jealous.”

Chuck just rolled his eyes.

“I do want another drink, though.” She scooted past James and made her way to the bar. As soon as she was out of earshot, Chuck glared at Trent.

“A body shot?”

“Relax,” Trent said. “That was a test to see if Mariposa has joined us. Obviously, she has.”

James smirked. “Nice.”

Kris sent Trent a confused look. “Mariposa?”

Chuck sighed. “‘Mariposa’ is what we call Alex’s drunk alter ego.”

Kris’s eyes widened with excited curiosity when he said that. “Okay, I have to hear this.”

“Alex turns into the biggest flirt on planet Earth when she drinks, as I just clearly demonstrated,” Trent explained. “I guarantee you she’s not coming back from the bar. She’s gonna pick some poor unsuspecting target and spend the next ten minutes fluttering her eyelashes at him.”

“Hence, ‘Mariposa,’” James added.

“When we were in Vegas for Double or Nothing, Mariposa spent all night flirting with Chuck here,” Trent said as he pointed a thumb at Chuck. “It’s what gave him the balls to confess his undying love for Alex.”

Chuck smacked the tabletop. “Okay, again: I was also very drunk that night, and I’m not in love with Alex!”

James sent him a look. “Whatever you say, bud.”

He just grumbled and drank his beer.

“Anyway, we’ve turned it into a drinking game of sorts,” Trent said. “We like to make bets on who she’ll go after.”

Kris laughed into her drink. “Okay, that’s kind of messed up, but also kind of hilarious. Can I get in on it?”

“Absolutely,” Trent said. He waved his hand out over the room. “Please, make your selection.”

“Yes! Okay.” She eagerly looked around, searching for a pick. “What’s her type?”

“She likes beards,” James answered.

Kris frowned. “Hm. Well that knocks out my initial pick, then.”

“Who?” Trent asked.

She smirked. “Maxwell.”

“HA! Oh shit, I hope it’s Maxwell,” he laughed. “That would be fucking hilarious to watch.”

“I don’t think he’d know what to do with her,” James commented.

“Come on, Alex wouldn’t flirt with Maxwell,” Chuck dismissed. “He’s like seven years younger than her.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like he stands a chance, anyway,” Kris said with a nod toward the bar. “Cash certainly doesn’t waste any time.”

They all looked over. Sure enough, Alex was leaned back against the bar with Cash Wheeler standing just in front of her; and judging by their body language, they weren’t talking about the weather.

“Damn,” Trent said. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Alex looks fucking hot tonight.”

Chuck shot him a look.

“What?” he shot. “Like you didn’t notice.”

“I mean, I don’t swing that way and I noticed,” Kris admitted.

James smirked again. “Nice.”

Back at the bar, Alex let out a laugh as she flipped her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder and playfully hit Cash on the arm. Trent looked back at the others. “What did I say?” he said as he picked up his drink. “She’s not coming back.”

Chapter 8

Alex pushed her way back into the Best Friends’ locker room. James sent her a look from where he sat on the couch, watching the monitor in the corner. “Well. You won, at least,” he commented.

She completely ignored him as she crossed the room and sat down in her cubby. She was not in the mood—and it was obvious. He gave an apologetic sigh. “I’m sure Adam didn’t mean to do what he did,” he said. “Things happen in the heat of the moment.”

She continued to ignore him as she rifled through her suitcase. All she wanted was to get changed and leave—

“Alex.”

“What?” She glared at him. He frowned.

“Are you okay?”

The genuine look of concern on his face made her stop. No, she wasn’t okay. But before she could say so, Chuck and Trent came through the door. Neither of them so much as looked at Alex as they walked into the room. She grabbed her clothes and started for the bathroom—but then Trent said something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

“Are you fucking Kenny again?”

Chuck let out a frustrated breath. “Dude, come on,” he said; but Alex spoke over him.

“What?” Her voice came out in a hiss, full of venom. She couldn’t believe the nerve of him, asking her a question like that in front of Chuck and James. It wasn’t any of his business.

But he didn’t really care. “Chuck told me what happened before we left the hotel last week. And after what just happened out there… it sure seems like there’s something you need to come clean about, Alex.”

Alex took a step closer. “That’s not any of your fucking business, Trent.”

He scoffed. “That’s a yes.”

“Dude, lay off!” Chuck unexpectedly burst. “You’re being a total dick right now!”

Trent’s eyebrows arched. “I’m being a dick? She’s the one who’s been toying with your emotions for the last year!”

“WHAT?” Alex exclaimed. She was incensed. It took all of her not to throw her clothes in Trent’s face. Chuck must have thought she might because he jumped up and stood between them.

“Alex, I don’t think that, I swear,” he said. But Trent wasn’t done.

“Oh, don’t play dumb,” he spat. “You flirted with Chuck all the time while you were fucking Kenny last year because you knew he’d give you the attention you wanted but weren’t getting from Kenny. You take advantage of his feelings for you, Alex.”

“TRENT, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Chuck whirled around to glare at him. James jumped up and stood between them.

“Okay, now’s probably not the best time for this,” he implored. But Alex had heard enough.

“Fuck you, Trent,” she spat. “And get off your high horse before you break your neck. It’s not like you’ve never tried it with me despite anyone’s feelings.”

She threw her clothes forcefully across the room and started toward the exit. Chuck’s shoulders slumped. “Alex, he’s not speaking for me!” he called. But she was already halfway out the door, trying to ignore the tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

Chapter 9

“I’m not trying to convince you that Kenny’s a bad guy. He’s not,” Trent added, as if he was worried that was what she thought he was trying to do. “I just think you deserve better than what he can probably give you.”

Trent looked back down at the floor, his piece said, and Alex did the same. But then she put the bag of candy down and pulled him into a tight hug. “It means a lot that you think that,” she said. “But you know only I can decide what’s best for me, Trent.”

“I know,” he said as he squeezed her back. “But I want the best for you, too.”

They hugged a few seconds longer before Alex pulled back. “Truce?” she asked.

He smirked. “Truce. I really don’t like fighting with you. You’re vicious.”

Her mouth dropped in mock-offense. “What?”

“Come on,” he flatly returned. “You didn’t need to throw out that comment about me trying it with you.”

“Well, you did,” she returned. “At New Year’s. Remember?”

“Yeah, I know what you were referring to,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You looked hot that night, sue me.”

She smirked. “Aw, thanks, Trenty.”

“Shut up,” he muttered; but he was smirking, too. “Now are you gonna share those, or what?” He nodded at the Sour Patch Kids. “It’s a two-pound bag.”

Alex genially rolled her eyes as she picked up the bag and ripped it open. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous,” she said as she offered it to him, happy to have resolved at least one of her anxieties.

Chapter 15

With every word that came out of Matt’s mouth, Alex’s heart sunk deeper and deeper into the pit of her stomach. She felt sick. If what Matt said was true, then it cast that weekend nearly two months ago in a whole new terrible light. While she’d been cuddling in front of a fire with Cash, telling him she didn’t know what she and Kenny were, asking him to share a bed with her, Kenny had been thinking only of her. She’d thought he’d just been too busy to make time for her, when in reality he’d been planning to prove to her how much he cared; how much he wanted to change for her, just like he’d said. And she hadn’t given him a chance to prove it. She’d shot his chance dead in the water. She was absolutely disgusted with herself.

Matt’s voice cut through her thoughts. “I’m sorry. But I had to tell you because I know Kenny won’t.”

Alex didn’t say anything in response. She didn’t even look at Matt before she turned on her heel and left, walking swiftly through the halls to Gorilla, in a daze. Everyone else booked for the tag match was already there when she arrived, milling around, waiting for the show to get underway. Trent spotted her the same time she did him. “There you are,” he said. “Did you get lo—”

He didn’t finish his sentence. Alex had walked right up to him, wrapped her arms around his middle, and hugged herself tight against his chest.

Everyone around turned to look. Trent went stiff, unsure what to do. “Okay, Alex,” he said. “I’m a little confused, but I’m not gonna stop it if this is what you want.”

“Trent,” she breathed. “Please. I just need a hug from my friend right now.”

He must have heard the emotion in her voice, because she felt him relax after she said that. He wrapped his arms around her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” she said.

There was a thoughtful pause. “Are you good to come out there with us?”

She didn’t answer right away. “I think so,” she decided.

“What the hell is this?” Alex suddenly heard Chuck proclaim. “I know you’re not leaving me out of a Best Friends hug right now.”

She felt Trent pick up one of his arms and make a motion as if he was cutting his hand across his throat, signaling to Chuck that now wasn’t the time for jokes. There was another pause. And then Chuck asked, “Are you okay, Alex?”

No, she thought. But she said, “I just need a minute.”

Trent rested his chin on top of her head. And then she heard James say, “Who do we have to murder?”

Me, Alex thought. But before she could say anything, Best Friends’ music started up.

Trent pulled back and looked down at her. “Are you sure you’re good?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” He squeezed her shoulders and nodded toward the entrance to the babyface tunnel. “Well let’s go, then. We have some Inner Circle ass to beat.”

Chapter 16

She grabbed her phone off her bed and walked back to the mirror. She mussed her long brown hair just so and half-tucked her oversized tank top into her cutoff shorts, adjusting it so that her lacy bralette peeked out of the low-cut neck, and struck a flattering pose. She must have taken twenty photos before she finally got one she liked. It was definitely a little bit sexy; but honestly, that was what she wanted. She opened up Instagram, chose the photo from her gallery, and typed up a caption. Feeling cute, might delete later #ootd. And then she hit “post.” To everyone else, it would just look like a typical girly Instagram post. But when Kenny saw the locket around her neck, he would know.

She tossed her phone back onto the bed and went back to cleaning out her dresser. She got through the rest of the t-shirts and most of the next drawer before she couldn’t stop herself from looking anymore.

She picked up her phone and opened Instagram. The picture already had a few dozen likes, mostly from fans but a few from friends. Trent had already commented. Your pockets are longer than your shorts. She rolled her eyes.

Chapter 17

Friday evening, music streamed through the speakers in Chuck’s apartment in Philadelphia. Alex had made the near six-hour trip from Roanoke earlier that day, and she felt like Chuck, Trent, and James had been falling over themselves to make sure she was happy ever since she’d arrived. Chuck had ordered in cheesesteaks for dinner from her favorite local spot. Trent had bought her not one, but two two-pound bags of Sour Patch Kids. And James was watching her drink like a hawk, waiting to fill it back up as soon as she was done. It was kind of unnerving, especially since he was wearing his sunglasses and she couldn’t see his eyes.

Not that she needed another drink at the moment. She and Chuck were playing beer pong against Trent and James—and they were getting their asses kicked.

Alex closed one eye and poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, aiming for a cup in the center of the triangle on the other end of the table. She shot; and it bounced off the rim.

“Come on,” Chuck breathed. “You’re the only one of us who went to college, you should be good at this!”

“You’ve only made one!” Alex returned with a motion to James and Trent’s nearly intact triangle of cups. “That’s just one more than none!”

While they were arguing, Trent took the opportunity to sink his ping pong ball into their last remaining cup.

“GREG!” Chuck shouted.

He smirked. “Drink up, buttercup.”

“No!” Alex proclaimed. “We get to shoot until we miss.”

“Why bother?” James remarked.

“Oh, you’re dead.” Chuck said. He picked up a ping pong ball and tossed it. It landed in the cup on the right bottom corner of the triangle. He threw his arms into the air. “YES! DRINK, YOU LITTLE BITCH!”

James just smirked and took a sip of his alcohol.

Trent rubbed his hands together. “Alright, Alex. It’s all on you.”

Alex got in her shooting stance. She wasn’t sure if closing one eye was helping or hurting at this point; she’d already had a few and was starting to feel it. She aimed and fired. It started to go in a cup in the middle—but Trent used his finger to flick it back out.

Alex’s eyes widened as she let out a gasp. “Oh, you’re never gonna get to see my tits now.”

Chuck choked on his drink. Trent’s eyebrows arched. “Were you gonna show them to me?!”

She gave a nonchalant shrug. “I don’t know, maybe. I know you’re jealous that Chuck and James got to see them when they walked in on me that one time.”

“He totally is,” James said.

Trent sucked his teeth. “Man…”

Alex just smirked and took a sip of her drink.

“And on that note,” Chuck said. “It’s time for shots.” He walked over to the kitchen and pulled out four shot glasses. “What flavor does everyone want?”

That was another thing Chuck had done: he actually had made the Sour Patch Kids-infused Vodka. And from what Alex understood, it had been a pain in the ass.

“Blue raspberry,” James answered.

“I’ll try cherry,” Trent said.

Chuck filled one shot glass with blue-colored vodka and another with red-colored vodka. “Alex?” he asked. But she wasn’t paying attention.

“Where’s my phone?” she asked. She looked around the room. She thought she’d left it on the arm of the couch, but it wasn’t there. She patted her pockets, making sure she hadn’t picked it up and forgotten like a dunce; but they were empty. She started to search the cushions of the couch—but Trent walked over to her.

“Your phone? Yeah, I hid it.”

She whirled around to look at him. “What?”

He smirked. “You shouldn’t have left it just sitting out in the open when you went to the bathroom.”

“Trent,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Give me my phone.”

He shook his head. “No.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll show them to you.”

His eyes flicked down to her chest. He seemed to consider it; but then he looked back up. “No.”

“Trent…” she whined.

“Alex…” he mimicked.

She pouted. “Why’d you hide it?”

“Because.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “One, it’ll keep you from spending all night glued to your phone waiting for whoever to text. And two, it’ll keep you from drunk texting whoever, which I’m guessing you’re about one and a half drinks away from wanting to do.”

Alex fidgeted under his gaze. He wasn’t wrong. She’d been incessantly checking her phone ever since she’d arrived, each time hoping to see a text from Cash—and each time being disappointed. They hadn’t talked since that night at the hotel, and each hour that went by without hearing from him seemed longer than the last. She knew he was hurt; she didn’t blame him for not wanting to talk to her. But she just wanted to know if he was even thinking about her. And each time she looked at her phone and didn’t see his name, it was like another papercut on her heart.

“He’s right,” Chuck said. “Forget about your phone, and anything else going on outside this apartment, just for tonight. Alright?”

He offered her a shot glass full of bright green vodka. Lime. She thought back to two nights ago, remembered how she’d missed the person she was two months ago. Tonight was a chance to be that person again, even if just for a night.

She took the shot glass from Chuck’s hand. “Cheers,” she said, and she kicked it back.

* * * * * * * * * *

Alex woke up with Trent’s arm draped over her waist atop the blanket they shared. He must have rolled over in his sleep and flung it across her. She gently grabbed his wrist and picked it up, trying to place his arm down on the air mattress in between them; but he pulled it back and snuggled with his pillow, dead asleep. She smirked to herself. She’d always been jealous of how he could sleep like a fucking rock.

Chapter 20

“Okay. You, me, darts. If I win, you show me your boobs.”

Adam watched as Alex playfully rolled her eyes at Trent’s suggestion. She was a shot of Jose and a beer-and-a-half deep and feeling it; he could tell by the lazy smile on her lips. She always got that smile when she drank.

“And if I win?” she asked.

Trent looked up, deep in thought. “If you win… I’ll pay for your next set of gear.”

“Deal,” Alex immediately accepted, and she grabbed Trent’s wrist and pulled him over to the dart boards, a satisfied grin on his face. Adam shook his head as they went.

“Y’all are weird,” he said with a drink of his nearly empty beer.

“Oh come on,” Chuck returned. “You’ve known Alex longer than us. You were probably acquainted with Mariposa years before we ever gave her a name.”

He shook his head. “No comment.”

“That’s guilty,” James quipped.

“Yeah, it is,” Chuck smirked in agreement.

Adam drained the rest of his beer to hide his grin. He almost hadn’t come out with them tonight—he was surprised they’d still wanted to at all, after what the Inner Circle had done to Orange—but he was glad he had. If he hadn’t, he’d just be sitting in his hotel room, ruminating. About how his relationships with his girlfriend and his tag team partner were falling apart at the seams, about how he wasn’t sure who his real friends were anymore. Buzzing on whiskey and with nothing better to do, he’d confronted FTR back at the arena about what they’d done to Ricky Morton last week, about how Dax had faked a leg injury the week before that—and they’d completely turned it around on him. Something about how it wasn’t personal; how they’d needed to know if they could trust him after all the nasty things Matt, Nick, and Kenny had said about them; something about how he’d always been stuck in their shadow. They weren’t wrong. And with a tag team gauntlet match next week to determine who would get a shot at Adam and Kenny’s championships at All Out, Adam wasn’t sure he wanted to give Matt and Nick yet another opportunity to eclipse him.

“You guys want another?” James asked.

“Yeah,” Chuck said while Adam nodded. “Put it on Trent’s tab.”

James pointed at him as he stood from the table. “Was already planning on it.”

He walked off, and Adam’s eyes drifted to where Alex played darts with Trent. She stood close to him, her fingers laced behind her back, and just as he was about to throw his dart, she tilted her chin up, pursed her lips, and blew into his ear. He flinched, and she let out a loud laugh as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to say something in her ear. Alex pushed him away, a flirtatious grin on her face, and Trent turned back to the board and threw his dart.

“Trent certainly seems to like Mariposa,” Adam remarked.

Chuck scoffed as he glanced over his shoulder. “Are you kidding? He loves her.” He turned back around. “It annoyed me when I had feelings for Alex, too.”

* * * * * * * * * *

“You do realize you’re about to lose, right?”

She pursed her lips at Trent. “We haven’t been scoring properly.”

“But I’ve gotten more closer to the bullseye than you.”

Alex just took another sip of her beer. Trent squared up and tossed his final dart. It stuck in the single bullseye.  

He gave her a cocky smirk. “I’d say that’s a pretty definitive victory.”

“Congratulations,” she slyly returned.

He rubbed his hands together, basking in his win. “So, where do you want to do this? The bathroom? Actually, no—I can wait until we get back to the hotel. I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

Alex stepped close and put her hand on his shoulder; he reflexively put his on her hip. She frowned apologetically up at him. “Oh, Trent. Mariposa made the bet, but it’s Alex’s body.”

His head fell back. “Goddammit,” he breathed.

A wide grin broke out over her face. “Come on, I need a refill.”

Chapter 22

There was a beat of shocked silence. Alex tensed, bracing for their reaction. And then Chuck gaped, “Callie broke up with Adam and now she’s staying with Matt Jackson?”

She nodded again. “Apparently.”

More silence. And then Jim said, “That’s a clear violation of bro code.”

“No shit,” Trent added. “What an asshole.”

“Of the highest order,” Alex agreed. “After Adam did what he did, Matt came barging in here to scream at me about how I must have had something to do with it.”

Trent blinked and shook his head, his eyebrows arched high on his forehead, like he didn’t comprehend what she’d just said. “I’m sorry, what?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Matt thinks I put Adam up to sabotaging them,” she muttered.

“What?” Chuck shot. “Why?”

“Because he’s a dick,” she returned. “He said I had ‘every reason’ to do it and that I have Adam wrapped around my finger just like I do Kenny.”

Alex stared at the floor, anxiously chewing at her lip. Of all the awful things Matt had said, that was what had hurt her the most. She didn’t give a shit what he thought about her—but if there was even a chance that Kenny or Adam felt that way, like she’d manipulated them somehow… she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Trent said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Matt violated bro code by shacking up with his friend’s ex-girlfriend—”

“Major violation,” Jim interjected.

“—and then when Adam retaliated, Matt barged in here and blamed you for it?”

“More or less,” Alex confirmed.

Trent stared back at her, stunned. And then he at looked Orange. “Jim, let’s go.”

He abruptly stood from his seat. Jim did the same, albeit much more lazily.

“What’re you doing?” Alex charged.

“Not letting Matt get away with being a complete fucking asshole to you,” Trent answered, and he went out the door, James right behind him. Alex jumped up and went after them.

“Trent, wait. I handled it!”

“I’m sure you did,” he returned. “And I’m gonna back you up.”

“I don’t need you to!”

“Well I’m gonna back up Adam then, how about that?”

Alex stopped, taken aback by his response. Pride swelled in her chest. Suddenly, she didn’t want to stop him anymore.

She hurried to catch up with them as they marched around the corner toward the Elite’s locker room—and she nearly froze again. Matt and Nick were approaching from the other end of the hall, and they both looked just as pissed as Trent.

“Perfect!” Trent proclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Just who I was looking for.”

Matt’s brow lowered. “Oh yeah? For what? Come to gloat about your dirty win?”

“Yikes,” Trent winced. “Someone sounds salty.”

“What do you want, Trent?” Nick shot.

“That’s a great question, Nick!” They all came to a stop as they met in the middle of the hall, Trent across from Matt, Jim across from Nick. Trent’s eyes narrowed down at Matt. “I would like to know why the hell your brother thinks Alex had anything to do with Hangman screwing you two over when he’s the one who’s trying to screw his ‘friend’s’ ex-girlfriend.”

Matt balked. “Excuse me?” He turned dark, hostile eyes on Alex. “Is that what you told him? That I’m trying to—”

“Don’t talk to her,” Trent firmly cut him off. “I asked you the question, so you fucking talk to me.”

Alex held her breath. Matt glared at Trent. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Really? Because the situation seems pretty obvious to me.”

“Yeah? Well then put two-and-two together, Trent,” Matt spat. “You want to talk about screwing? Alex here is fucking one half of the tag team champions, and the other half wants to fuck her. Oh, and the guys who won the gauntlet? She was fucking one of them, too. Probably still is, I honestly don’t know. So yeah, I think she had a hand in screwing us over. More than a hand, pr—”

He was abruptly cut off when Trent’s fist collided hard with his jaw. He dropped like a rock to the floor.

Alex let out a gasp and jumped back. Nick started for Trent, but Jim pushed him and sent him stumbling over his brother so that he had to catch himself against the wall. Matt blinked on the floor, dazed. Trent loomed over him, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

“That was for Adam, too. And if I ever hear Alex’s name in your mouth again, I’ll hold you down so she can punt you in the dick.”

He gave him one final threatening glare, and then he turned and took Alex’s hand. “Come on.”

He pulled her back down the hall. Jim didn’t immediately follow them. Instead, he held up his hands, stuck up both his middle fingers at Matt and Nick, and then turned and walked nonchalantly away.

Alex was in a state of shock as Trent led her around the corner. “Holy shit,” she breathed.

“Are you alright?” He stopped and looked down at her hand that he still held. “You’re shaking.”

“I’m okay. Just… shocked.” She let out a breath, “At this rate everyone on the roster is gonna get punched in the face because of me.”

“No, Matt got punched in the face because of Matt,” he corrected. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I think you should’ve punted him in the dick then,” Jim added.

A grateful smile curled the corners of her lips. “Well, thank you. This time I’m not upset that someone got punched.”

Trent returned her grin and gave her hand a squeeze; but then he winced and pulled away. Alex frowned in concern.

“Is your hand alright?”

“I think so.” He flexed his fingers and looked at his knuckles. They were red and angry. “I should probably ice it, though. He’s got a hard fucking head.”

She smirked. “Well come on then, Rocky. Let’s get you some ice for that right jab.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Alex and the boys had left the arena as soon as they could. After the heartbreak of the gauntlet match and the chaos of the aftermath, they’d decided to grab some burgers, go back to the hotel, and just veg out in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. It was doing the trick; Alex felt a lot better now that she had a greasy bag full of Five Guys fries, even if she did have to share them with Trent.

“I still can’t believe I missed you drop Matt Jackson,” Chuck proclaimed as he bit into a french fry.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad-ass,” Trent casually stated as he sat next to Alex on her bed. “Alex was super turned on by it.”

Alex sputtered out a laugh. “What? I did not say that.”

“You didn’t have to,” he returned with a wink.

She pursed her lips and snatched the bag of fries from him. “You don’t get any more for that.”

“Someone sounds called out,” Jim remarked. Trent smirked. Alex glared at them both.

Chapter 23

Alex didn’t want to sit backstage any longer. She hurried to Gorilla and went through the tunnel and down the ramp. She shot Santana and Ortiz a glare as she passed them and ducked through the ropes. They smirked and talked shit, but she ignored them as she knelt next to Trent on the mat.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He didn’t look thrilled to see her. “What’re you doing out here?” he groaned.

She just pursed her lips and helped him sit up. He was obviously in pain. Chuck rolled into the ring and they both helped Trent to his feet.

“What happened?” Chuck asked.

Alex glowered at the retreating backs of Santana and Ortiz. “Santana hit Trent with that baton of his. Bryce didn’t see it.”

“Fuck,” Chuck breathed.

They all exited the ring and went back up the ramp. Trent leaned on Alex’s shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist for support as they walked slowly back through the tunnel. Gorilla was full of people when they returned backstage. An eight-man tag match was next, pitting SCU and Private Party against Jurassic Express and the Young Bucks; the winning teams would face each other that Saturday at All Out. Alex noticed Matt and Nick out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored them. Unfortunately, Matt and Nick didn’t give them the same courtesy.

“Sucks losing unfairly, doesn’t it?” Nick smirked.

Alex shot him a venomous glare. “Mind your business, Nick.”

Matt let out a laugh. “Oh, that’s rich.”  

“Alright, seriously,” Chuck spoke up. “I’ve had enough of your bullshit and I wasn’t even there when Trent knocked your ass out.”

“He didn’t knock me out,” Matt insisted again.

Alex scoffed. “Yeah he fucking did.”

He turned his glare on her. “Why don’t you go get bent, Alex? It’s what you’re best at.”

Trent pulled away from her and walked threateningly up to Matt. Nick stepped between them, but he completely ignored him. “I thought I warned you about saying anything to her ever again.”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, you did. But you didn’t do shit about it last night, and you won’t do shit about it now.”

“Try me,” Trent challenged.

A cruel, cocky smirk curled Matt’s lips. “Alex is a sl—”

Trent lunged for him, but Nick pushed him back. Chuck ran over and grabbed Nick, spun him around and tossed him away, and with the coast clear, Trent speared Matt into a stack of equipment crates with a violent crash. The four of them starting brawling, throwing fists left and right, but the chaos was short-lived. Jurassic Express pried apart Chuck and Nick while SCU did the same for Trent and Matt. The latter pair fought tooth and nail to get back at each other.

“You want your mixed tag match?” Matt shouted as he strained against Kazarian’s grip. “You got it, next Wednesday. And I’ll make sure I knock you the fuck out.”

“You’re on,” Trent spat. “But trust me: you won’t even get the chance to try before Alex makes your girl tap.”

He shoved Scorpio off him, and he, Chuck, and Alex backed out of Gorilla, the gauntlet officially thrown.

Chapter 25

They all reset, and Shawn served the ball. Chuck easily bumped it back, but when Callie scrambled to hit it over the net, it flew straight up into the air instead. Cash rushed forward as it came back down and whacked it as hard as he could—sending it flying like a missile right at Alex. She didn’t even have time to pivot before it beaned her hard in the shoulder and careened off into the water.

“Shit!” she cursed.

“Point!” Dax loudly proclaimed.

“Really?!” Chuck shouted. “You have something smart to say about Alex spiking the ball but nothing about Cash hitting it as hard as he can right at her?”

“Come on, it wasn’t on purpose,” Cash defended. He looked at Alex through the net. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

Alex gripped her shoulder as she stared back at him. It stung from the impact of the wet volleyball and was throbbing already. There would undoubtedly be a nice bruise there tomorrow. However, to Cash’s credit, he seemed genuinely remorseful—but then she noticed Callie roll her eyes over his shoulder. She bit down on her jaw.

“I’m fine.”

He frowned, but she turned away and looked at Trent. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “Serve the ball.”

She rolled her shoulder and turned back to face the net. Trent served the ball. It went right to Peyton and she hit it back over. Orange popped it up, and just like she had before, Alex spiked the ball to the other side.

Crack!

“FUCK!”              

Except that time, it hit Callie right in the face.

Blood poured from her nose and dripped into the pool. Peyton told her to pinch her nostrils and tilt her head forward. Cash rushed to her side through the water. He glared daggers at Alex.

“What the fuck, Alex?”

She opened her mouth to say it was an accident, to assure them it was, but no sound came out. Her vocal cords were frozen.

“It was an accident,” Trent returned.

“Didn’t look like it from here,” Dax chirped.

“Oh, shut up,” Chuck groaned.

“It was an accident!” Alex finally blurted. She looked at Callie’s retreating back as Cash helped her toward the pool steps. “Callie, I’m sorry.”

But she didn’t acknowledge her at all, and then Cash whisked her away, holding a towel to her nose. Thankfully, Dax went with them.

“Well, I guess that’s the end of that,” Shawn awkwardly announced. Peyton shot him a chastising look, and then they exited the pool and left, too.

Alex stared in silence into the water. Her nose burned. She hadn’t meant for that to happen. She hadn’t meant for Callie to get hurt. She didn’t want it to be like this between them anymore. She wanted her friend back.

“Hey,” Trent waded over to her. She felt him put his hand on the small of her back underneath the water. “It was an accident,” he gently repeated. “She’ll be alright.”

Alex’s nose burned even more when he said that. “I’m gonna go see if Kenny’s ready to leave,” she said, and she didn’t wait for a response before she climbed out of the pool, grabbed her things, and left.

[toplinetommy]

Without Warning - Matthew Tkachuk

Synopsis: A college!AU where Matty is playing D1 hockey with people he’s actually played with at various levels (he’s in like his third year in this and is going to the NHL after)

Words: 2.9k

A/N: purely basing this off of my friend’s D2 college hockey experiences, stereotypical guy talk is mentioned (like pulling girls), gif credit to @matthewtkafuck

“Just come out with us Chucky!” His captain, Noah yells across the locker room to him. The boys were buzzing, coming off a two-game series sweep against their state rivals, propelling them to a first place spot in the division.

He began taking his chest pads off, contemplating the idea, “I don’t know man.” On one hand, he could go out and finally let loose after a long week of tough practices and study sessions, but on the other he could run into the one person he avoided on campus: you. 

“Bro, you never come out anymore, just let loose!” His center, Auston, advises. 

As Matthew pushes his pads into his bag, he looks around the room. The energy is high and he can tell everyone is deciding to go out and even talking about their post-bar plans. Besides, the weather was actually nice for this time of year. The snow from last week’s storm had finished melting away and the temperature was higher than it normally was for late February in Boston.

“Sure.”

--

The first hour or two of him being at the bar passed by like a blur. Him and Noah had decided to go drink for drink throughout the night and had even started stacking their cups in the corner of the booth their group occupied.

The loud house music beats into Matthew’s ears as he and Noah walk back up to the bar for their next round of drinks. Once they both shout their orders over the loud bass, Noah starts talking about this new girl he’s hooking up with. Matthew listens lightly, deciding he doesn’t really want to hear the specific details of Maya. Or was it Mia? Megan? He didn’t know, and he quite honestly was tired of hearing about it.

“And the other day she came over after practice and bud,” He starts, the bartender cutting them off as he returns with the drinks. Matthew tells him to keep it on his tab before Noah continues. “She did this thing when I was about to -” 

Matthew’s attention on Noah completely halts as he sees y/n’s small but mighty frame on the other side of the L-shaped bar. Her hair was down, framing her face just the way he liked. Noah noticed the stop in Matthew’s breathing and followed his gaze to where she stood.

“Oh, shit.” Noah remarks.

Noah claps his hand down onto Matthew’s shoulder as they both eye her from their spots. Matthew’s feet feel like cinder blocks as he fails to move so she doesn't catch a glimpse of him. As he starts to regain feeling in his body moments later, he brings his cup to his mouth ditching the straw to take a larger than necessary gulp of the alcohol.

He’s pulled away from his cup, however, when he hears her all too familiar laugh, he tenses back up and debates finishing it in one pull. Her head leans back, exposing the skin of her neck as she rests her free hand on the bicep of the man next to her. Of Matthew’s teammate. Of Matthew’s friend.

He turns heavily on his heels, planning to put as much space between the two of the two of them as he possibly could in the run-down college bar. Noah followed closely behind him, coming to a halt at the booth they were once sat at earlier in the night.

“I didn't know she’d be here, bud.” Noah claimed to Matthew, the rest of the guys turning their heads to their conversation.

“Why wouldn't she be here, Noah? It’s literally the place to be on a Saturday night.” Matthew reasoned, rubbing his forehead with his hand that wasn’t holding his drink.

“Why wouldn’t who be here?” one of the freshmen asked, confused as to the situation unfolding in front of them.

“Y/n,” Matthew groans, color draining from his face when he sees her walking in the general direction of the table he’s occupied himself at. He quickly plops down next to Tyler even though there wasn’t nearly enough space for him. “Don’t move, she’s coming over here.” 

Tyler, very nonchalantly, whips his head in the direction Matthew was just looking in to find her. Tyler catches her gaze, and he curses under his breath due to her visibly recognizing him.

Matthew slaps the bicep of his friend for doing next to nothing to avoid her from making her way over to him and his group.

“Hey, Matty,” she greets, causing Matthew’s head to snap up in her direction. He greets her back with his signature tight-lipped smile, hoping that this would cause her to walk away quicker.

“I heard you guys beat Harvard,” She states. Hearing her voice erupts all the past memories of her that Matthew tried so hard to erase over the course of the past few weeks. Her voice is sweet and smooth like honey, completely contradicting the way things ended between the two of you.

Matthew moves to his feet, standing up from the cramped bench he failed to hide himself on. “Hey, y/n.” He greets lowly, looking from your eyes down to your feet. He does it quickly, hesitating to keep his eyes trained on your features for longer than a few seconds. His actions go unnoticed, as she opens her mouth to begin talking again.

“How have you been?” She asks, bringing her glass of whiskey to her lips. He watches her lick the remaining droplets off her lips when she’s done.

“Good, first in the division.” He answers shortly. Matthew leans his body against the wood paneled wall, hand still clasping his drink. He pushes his hands through his curls that he let free for once. Which he soon remembered was something she liked about him, making him feel a little self-conscious in the moment.

“That’s good,” She hums, taking a step towards his stiff figure. This time it was her turn to run her eyes over his body, though she did it much more purposefully and made sure he noticed her actions. He did, and his stomach twisted wondering if she liked the way he looked tonight. He had opted for a pair of light-wash jeans and flannel over his hoodie combo instead of his usual dark grey sweats and t-shirt. 

In the moment he was battling internally with himself on whether or not he really wanted to continue to talk to you, but as soon as her hand softly handed on the muscles of his bicep, the battle was over. He visibly lightened on his feet, slouching a much more normal amount than he previously was and he crossed his ankles as he leant more weight on his one leg.

“I noticed you’ve been playing really well recently.” She compliments, speaking loudly over the thumps of the speakers. He reads her facial features, her eyes are much softer than he remembers and her cheeks are especially pink due to her love of blush and the alcohol in her system.

He smiles just wide enough to show his dimples at the compliment, always one to talk about his accomplishments, especially when it’s about how he plays on the ice. “Thanks, the boys have been rolling lately.” 

“It’s good seeing you all having fun, too.” She starts, gesturing to the group of players. “I know you don’t let yourself have too much fun too often.” The comment she makes is true, and even more so lately due to her. He holds back a scoff at the comment before speaking up.

“There’s a few people I don’t risk running into.” He says bluntly, leaning away from her so she can clearly see the lack of emotion on his face. “I kinda got roped into coming out tonight.” He watches her face falter a bit at the comment. 

Throughout the entirety of their relationship, y/n had only really seen the softer side of Matthew. The two of them had consistently spent time together over the course of the school year, but primarily behind closed doors. Hell, she barely even went to his games even after telling him about her love for the sport.

She still ignores his blatant call out towards her, choosing to not settle on that talking point. An awkward silence falls between the two of them, the loud music and chatter from the crowd filling their ears. 

“What have you been up to?” She asks, and God, all Matthew can think about is how awkward this all is. At one point a few weeks ago, conversation was carelessly easy between the two of them and they talked almost every minute of every day.

In the moment, he knows it’s not the best idea to open up to her again, but he doesn’t really think about all of the bad consequences a simple conversation between the two of them can have.

“Just the usual, hockey, workouts, going to classes, spending all my time at the hockey house.” He answers, voice much tamer than before. He takes another small sip from his cup as you offer him a reply.

Conversation continues to flow between the two of you as the two of you catch up on what the other has been doing since they stopped talking all those weeks ago. He starts to see the crowd thin out, indicating that the two of them have been talking for much longer than he realized.

She steps up on her toes, leaning in further and moving her hand up towards his shoulder, and whispers into his ear, “Hey, you wanna get outta here?”

His head pulls away from hers craning his neck so his eyes are looking into hers. He contemplates saying no for exactly one second before she licks her lips and his mind is made up. “Sure.”

She moves from Matthew’s eyes to his mouth, before she leans in and places her glossy lips on his. A fire lights inside him as he kisses her for the first time in what feels like forever and it’s a feeling he definitely knows he missed.

He pulls away, only enough to speak, “I can drive, I haven’t gotten a new drink in a while.”

She double checks that he’s good to drive before he takes her hand in his and begins to lead her outside. He quickly lets the boys know that he’s heading home and that he’ll see him tomorrow. He continues to walk towards the exit and opens the door for her.

As the two of them step outside, the weather has done a complete 180 from what it was earlier in the night. Where the ground was once clear, there was starting to be a light patch of white snow covering both the pavement and the grass. Y/n shivers in her tank top, and Matthew pulls her closer to his tall frame.

Heavy snowflakes continued to fall as he drove the two of them back to his house off-campus. He turned to look at her in the passenger seat, lightly laughing, “Ya know, I was supposed to celebrate the win tonight with the boys and here I am. Driving you home in the midst of a snow storm.”

She giggled at that, igniting a blush on Matthew’s cold cheeks. He reaches for the knob that controls the temperature in the car, and turns the heat up once more. As he pulls his hand away, y/n grabs it and laces their fingers together.

He gets them to his house, pulling into the crowded driveway before meeting her at the hood of his car. She leans up to him, signifying for a kiss. He meets her halfway, placing his hands on the small of her back. They stand there, kissing in the cold, snowy night for a few more minutes as his hands roam down to her ass. She pulls away from him, lightly tugging on his curls, as he feels his hands grab her ass in a not-so innocent way.

“We should probably go inside.”

“Good idea,” He chuckles, guiding her up the slippery sidewalk towards the front door. 

As they walk through the front door, one of his roommates, Micheal, is sitting on the couch. “Hey, y/n” He greets with a smirk, “Haven’t seen you around in a while.”

Matthew shoots him daggers as y/n says hi back to him. Michael looks like he’s about to start a conversation, but before he can Matthew yanks y/n up the stairs by their intertwined hands towards his room.

The minor comment his roommate makes sticks in his brain as y/n takes her shoes off and sets them by his desk. He watches her sit on the edge of his bed and he tugs a hand through his curls.

“You shouldn’t have come over.” He states bluntly, standing still a few feet in front of her sitting figure.

“You’re the one that drove me here.” She states pointedly.

“You’re the one that roped me into this bullshit! Like you always do!” He exclaims, pointing at her with flailing arms.

“I did not! I asked you if you wanted to leave and you said yes!” She argues, confusion laced in her tone.

“Why did you even come up and talk to me?” Matthew asks, softly. “We haven't had a conversation in weeks and we ignore each other if we see the other in public.” He was honestly tired, tired of the situations she put him in and tired of how he’s felt lately.

“I don’t know, I just -” She stumbled over her words before Matthew interrupted her,

“You know damn well the games you wanted to play when you walked up to me and said good game.” He states matter of factly. He watches her think of a response as he paces in the small space of his bedroom. 

“I missed you!” She exclaims, raising her voice once again. Matthew actually laughs at her statement, throwing his head back as he hears those words come out of her mouth.

“That’s rich coming from you,” Matthew scolds. “You can’t say you missed me when you were the one stopping us from being anything more than what we were! I told you all the time how much I liked you and you just kept telling me you didn’t want a boyfriend and I thought I was fine with that.”

He pauses to take a breath and to collect his thoughts further, he keeps his eyes trained on the wall behind the bed that she’s sat on. The alcohol that was once in his system is completely gone due to the anger in his blood. 

“I let myself be okay with what we were and I let myself be okay with you manipulating me.”

“I did not manipulate you.”

“Yes, you fucking did!”

“I let you do whatever the hell you wanted to do and you chose to be with me, and don’t lie about how I was the only one. I know damn well you were sleeping with other people!” She exclaims. She’s standing now, right in front of Matthew’s towering figure.

“Yeah, because you never said anything about it just being us so you can’t be mad at that!” He yells. He takes half a step closer towards her, head leaned downwards to fully look at her. Both of their jaws are tense and their cheeks pink from the anger. Matthew’s eyes are starting to droop from the combination of the game he played earlier that night, the drinking and just the overall feeling of tiredness he had been feeling lately.

“I’m not mad!” She roared, raising her voice to match Matthew’s.

“Then why are you yelling?”

“Because I’m drunk!” She flails, bringing her hands in front of her face, flexing them in frustration.

“That’s fucking bullshit.” He challenged, moving the rest of the way towards her. He grabs her hands and moves them from where they were in front of his face.

“I let your friends chirp me about our relationship all the time. Every time I saw your roommate at the bar and you weren’t there she’d make jokes about me not being with my ‘girlfriend’ and every time one of them introduced who I was to someone else they’d call me your boyfriend. Literally everyone was calling me your boyfriend except for you!”

“If you didn’t want it all to blow up like it did you should've talked to me.”

“And say what? Hey, I can’t sleep with you anymore unless your friends stop talking to me? I liked talking to your friends, I liked the idea of being called your boyfriend.” He argued further, trying his hardest to get his point of view across.

“I told you a million times that I didn’t want that!” She exclaims, “I was constantly checking in with you to make sure you understood that and you always said you did.”

“Because I wanted to be with you however you wanted.” He reasoned back with her, lowering his voice to the calmest it’s been all night. She stood up as he finished speaking, bringing her face closer to his.

She looked into his tired eyes a moment longer before apologizing and leaning in to connect her lips with his. She found her hands tangled in the hair at the back of his neck as he moved his hands from her cheeks down to her waist, before pushing her back onto his bed.

All he could think of as she walked out of his room was that if he would've just set his drink down at the bar last night and left, he wouldn't be laying in his bed right now, thinking about how he would have to start from square one to get over her again. He quite honestly may have been in love with her, but he couldn’t admit that to himself in the moment and he probably never would.

Matthew was finally feeling like himself for the first time in a long time, until she came in and wrecked his world, much like a hurricane.

[popculturebuffet]

Darkwing Duck Reviews: Darkly Dawns the Duck Pts 1 and 2

It’s a Darkwing Double Feature! Just in time for his ducktales special, I take a look at the introduction of everyone’s favorite Daring Duck of Mystery. In his daring debut we meet Darkwing Duck, an egositical and attention hungry superhero who soon finds himself having to look after a feisty orphan to keep her from getting nabbed by local kingpin of crime Taurus Bulba with the help of his biggest fan. Darkwing owns the night under the cut with decades old spoilers. 

Let’s Get Dangerous.. is tommorow so with that in mind i’m doing a darkwing double feature to refresh myself before the big special. So i’ll be covering both the original series pilot “Darkly Dawns the Duck” and the ducktales reboot episode “The Duck Knight Returns”.  Let’s Get Dangerous Itself because I was so wiped yesterday I didn’t get the other review done and unexpectly got acess to the new episode way earlier than usual so i’d rather focus on that. Got it? Good. Let’s continue past me. 

As usual with a new show a breif bit about my history with it: I watched it years ago, as a friend of mine lent me the first two discs of the season 1 dvd and never found the third one nor asked for them back, nor cared I had them. I thoughtly enjoyed it, had a great time and then it took me a decade or so to actually watch the series again due to a combination of being too stubborn to just buy the season 1 dvd again, a very darkwing move of me in hindsight, and then when disney plus meant I had all episodes at my finger tips I.. sat on them till now.. though to be fair i’ve sat on a LOT of great shows on there including the mandalorian, gargoyles and boy meets world. I have a bad tendency to procastinate, the fact this is coming out so late in the day should be a giveaway. I did read about half of volume 1 of the comic and all of volume 2, so there’s that at least.  Point is this new episode finally made me decide to get off my ass and watch darkwing once again, starting with the pilot and the episodes related to the fearsome four to be ready for tomorrow to see what the differences are (Thoguh I did remember bushroot vividly, so I had that at least).  Something to note before I get started talking about the pilot itself though, is the episode order for Darkwing Duck is a Darkwing Clusterfuck. Now I do understand WHY they aired this way: While some episodes do logically take place after other episodes, you can reasonably pop on just about any darkwing and watch it and enjoy it with minimal need to know what happened in previous episodes, kinda like batman the animated series oddly enough. It was also aired between two networks so on some level I get disney’s confusion here.. but on the other hand it’d take ten minutes, they clearly can call up the creator easily as Tad Stones made a cameo in ducktales 2017 we’ll get to so they could easily get a better order from the creator himself, so they really don’t have an excuse for this, or for slapping the pilot in the middle of season 1. Then again both ducktales 2017 and x-men the animated series were sort of a mess order wise when first put up, so not giving a shit about where episodes are placed for re-watching clearly is a pastime of theirs. 

Now i’ve got that out of my system we can dive into the episode itself and a breif plot synopsis. Darkwing Duck is the superhero protector of St. Canard, a masked vigiliante who takes out crime but wishes he actually got fame and credit for his work. Kind of like Booster Gold but without taking endorsments or as far as we know coming from the future. He also has nothing else as shown by the fact he fights crime, does a training regimine to prepare his breakfast that’s a delight to watch then prepares to sleep. It’s an intresting concept, a hero who HAD a civlian identity once, as the rest of the series would play out, he just no longer needs it. And it’s also ahead of it’s time as batman would explore this idea both seriously with bruce wayne murderer and comedically and seriously with the lego batman movie LONG after this series aired, meaning the writers here figured out what many probably knew about batman and put it into their parody version: Batman is the real identity and Bruce is the mask. Batman only keeps his old self because the bruce id is useful to him: It keeps people away from his company, puts up a playboy facade that draws attention away from him being batman, and allows him to do various charities and what not and help honor his parents in a way that dosen’t involve swooping in and kicking people in the throat. And as seen with bruce wayne murderer when the option to throw bruce away for good came up Batman gladly took it.  This is the same idea: Drake Mallard ONLY cares about crime fighting, has no friends no family, we never do find out jack about his family hopefully if there’s a full reboot series Frank and Matt fix it for their version. He has nothing, and is fine with that. He hasn’t really had a reason to care about anything else than his own glory and works alone not because it’s less efficent but because his oversized ego means he dosen’t want to share credit. IT’s an intresting start and his ego would be a defining bit of who he is and used intrestingly int he reboot but we’ll get to that there. 

His life changes forever though when local crime boss Taurus Bulba unleashes his latest scheme: To steal the Ramrod, a gravity manipulating device created by the late Dr. Quackmeyer.. late because Bulba’s men killed him and were dumb enough not to get the arming code for the ramrod first a year ago. Bulba is also behind bars but in one of my faviorite gags of the episode despite the warden’s constnat gloating, Bulba has taken the “Supervillian makes jail into a base” Or “Jail is nothing to a supervillian who can easily get out trope” to ludcrious machines. He has whole meetings with his minions, keeps the ramrod once he gets his hands on it in the laundry and has a ship SHAPED LIKE HIS FACE built into his cellblock. I’ts just so over the top it’s glorious. But yeah since Bulba can’t go after it at first he sends his three goofy minons, one played by eddie “Mandark” deezen in.. love that guy. 

THey do end up stealing the ramrod thanks to the help of bulba’s cool, non-anthromporhic condor who he uses as his right hand man and as his link to his minons via a small tv aroudn it’s neck. That.. is awesome. Darkwing spots the condor but fails to stop the three stooges or the condor and gets unknowingly blamed for the robbery..and stopped to get glamor shots not realizing the guy thought he was a criminla which.. fair enough. It is a shadowy disguise after all. 

Darkwing ends up grabbing onto the vulture sonic 3 style, but ends up falling off him into a hangar where we meet the original version of Launchpad McQuack, whose apparently quit working for scrooge and has his own hangar now though it wouldn’t be a stretch that scrooge bought it for him.. he does , stingy as he is, appricate hard work and launchpad wanting to start his own buisness and while hte planes were probably all on launchpad, Scrooge would gladly buy a run down buliding for a loyal friend who wants to put in some hard honest work. Plus it’s a free place to store any vehicles he has in the st canard area.. I mean it’s still scrooge. And yes I know the whole “Tad stones said they aren’t the same universe” non sense. I do have the utmost respect for the guy and he seems really, nice but I don’ tlike that, no one likes that and both the comics and the current duckverse with the ducktales reboot entirely ignore that for good reason.While the two shows are diffrent in tone they stil lfit and it’s not a stretch for launchpad to want to spread his wings or failing that scrooge to help push him out of the nest and give him his own buisness or one of scrooge’s to run. 

But while Launchpad does help DW with a propeller plane they fail and while launchpad offers to be his sidekick, DW gives him the old I work alone bit.  However him being alone won’t last for long as Bulba still needs that arming code and since his only lead is Waddlemeyer’s grandaughter who grew up in his lab, he sends his buffonish minons to go get him. Why he never sends his lone female minon with them is because it’s funnier if she dosen’t I guess. Which it is so fair enough.  So thus we enter Goslyn, who the head of the orphanage is fed up with due to her antics. Goslyn is played as most of you knwo by christine cavanagh.. I honestly forgot and it still throws me off a bit she’s using what would later be her chucky finster voice for a character so completely diffrent. Granted it’s not unusual in voice acting, just weird here and only for me personally having grown up with rugrats but not darkwing. The orphanage head is a bit less jarring as she’s played by Marcia Wallace, aka Edna Krabable from the simpsons but A) that show was already running at this point and B), the character is basically a nicer version of edna versus chuckies voice coming out of a tiny if immensly fun to watch hellion. I do like goslyn, sh’es a fun character even in her shadier moments, it’s just something i’d forgotten about i’ll need to get used to is all. 

Bulba’s hired goons come in claming ot be friends of her grandpas and we actually get some really heartwrenching context for Gos’ behavior: While she does act out she actually LIKES THE orphanage.. ti’s just her friends keep getting adopted while no one wants someone “full of spirit”. It’s heartwrecnhing to hear.. and only gets worse when the goons try and kidnap her.  Thankfully Darkwing.. also kidnaps her, but he kindaps her from kidnappers and while Goslyn naturally takes a second to realize he’s the good guy them shooting at him clues her in. Darkwing, in a rare for the series as a whole moment of reason and not wanting to just power though something himself TRIES to do the responsible thing and leave gos with the police where she’ll be protected.. but given they think he’s a wanted criminal they shoot at him.. and the small child in his motorcycle. Yup that’s the police alright. 

So with no other options Darkwing takes gos home, hyjinks insue including her activintg the breakfast thing. But the two genuinely start to bond. While Darkwing dosen’t WANT to keep her around, the whole not wanting connections thing, it’s clear he’s growing fond of the little snot as she holds her own with his trianing course, they have a tickle fight and in the sweetest moment of the episode the two sing little girl blue, a song her grandfather used to sing her to sleep that she teaches darkwing. It’s an utterly heartmelting bit and Cummings and Cavanagh really sell the hell out of it. It also however turns out ot be plot relevant: Turns out just in case Dr. Waddlemeyer hid the code for the ramrod in the song, and when Darkwing sees a photo Goslyn got from bulba’s goons, he realizes this and realizes that depsite thinking she didn’t know it Goslyn had it all along.. and that as long as h’es around she won’t know.  Bulba is naturally livid at his minons failure and decides now’s the time to take this into his own hands and while he actually liked the prison hq setup, as it did make sense as it was the perfect cover and the warden was too full of himself to realize Bulba was still active and too convinced the bull was beaten down when he clearly wasn’t, but instead as mentioned above awesomely converts his cellblock into a flying ship in the shape of his own head.  Bulba.. is a great villian and I only think the show didn’t use him more because he’s a dead serious, deadly dangerous villian in an otherwise goofy but fun superhero parody show. The show later gained Negaduck, so they had a more dangerous threat for darkwing that fit the show’s tone better while still being utterly terrifying, and likely simply didn’t need him till the idea for the steerminator came up. But I love the guy: he reminds me a lot of the kingpin, a threatning villian who uses his sheer size to beat our hero down, is cool and suave and is an utter mastermind at planning. He also wears a nice suit.  And naturlaly he has a plan to take out darkwing since despite the two never having met, as Darkwing disparages when Goslyn assumes their lifelong mortal enmies like in the comics, they know of each other.. and thus bulba knows exactly what trap to spring to get him out of the way and goslyn into his ship: He flashes a message in morris code that he wants to surrender to Darkwing while stroking his ego a LOT. And it works... while i’ts an obvious trap Darkwing’s so full of himself he goes despite Goslyn telling him it’s very obviously a trap.  Naturally everything goes pear shaped as a result: Bulba shows up, revealing gos not only to be right but easily pummling Darkwing. Which makes sense: While Darkwing is a vetran crime fighter and secret agent, Bulba’s been at being a villian longer clearly as he’s built up enough of a rep both for Darkwing to know him out of hand and for the warden to be proud capturing him. Given what univese this is, it probably isn’t Bulba’s first round with a superhero and given at this stage St Canard only has one.. yeah Darkwing is outclasssed and the police grab him while Bulba scarpers. And while Gos puts up a good fight using the trianing course, Bulba’s vulture gets her. Bulba has everything he needs.  Darkwing meanwhile actually bemoans what a dick he’s been, that the first person he’s cared about besides himself in possibly ever is now in the hands of a murderous mastermind, and that he’s stuck in jail with no one to call on for help. Thankfully.. help arrives.. and by help I mean launchpad backing the ratcatcher, Darkwing’s bike, into the prisoin. He DID come just to bail DW out despite his earlier jerkishness, but backed in and Darkwing not beliving superheroes have time for paperwork, decides to just bust out. And to be ifair int his case he’s probably right as you know, a ten year old might die if they don’t get there in time. So off they go.. but with Bulba in the air they need something with wings to catch him. ANd luckily as Launchpad mentioned earlier he’s been working on something special for darkwing.  It’s with this we enter the thunderquack, which is DW”S awesome headshaped plane. It’s just cool it’s got a nice design, goofy enough tof it the universe but cool enoguh to still be fun to watch. Darkwing has really damn cool vehicles, as the ratcatcher is also awesomely iconic. But yeah the thunderquack impresses darkwing and rightfully so and he decides to make LP his sidekick afterall.  So now our heroes fly into the danger zone and attack bulba’s airship with Darkwing landing on the bow and a scuffle insues with darkwing and hte minons.. who use actual guns which for a 90′s kids show is  a suprise, especially one this intentioanlly goofy, but boy is it nice. However Bulba, being awesomely evil, isn’t dumb and instead of fighting darkwing, which he could win but would win him nothing and having gotten nothing out of goslyn, figures the hero might know the code.. and while Darkwing lies and says he dosen’t, Bulba points out .. he’s right.. but he’s always been a gambling man and has his condor drop goslyn to lure drake into telling him , with DW putting in the code and bulba testing it with a bank robbery.. before predictably having his condor drop the girl because he no longer needs her. Thankfully launchpad catches her in time and then they get revenge on the condor with the thunderquack BITING IT.. which is awesome. Hopefully the reboot version does that. 

Darkwing meanwhile saves the day, his new daughter and the city by simply sneaking over to the ramrod and mashign the keys till it overloads, silly, but undeniably awesome and effective. Bulba TRIES to finish off darkwing this time for foiling his plan.. btu the ramrod explodes and while bulba’s minons and goslyn and launchpad are safe... bulba and darkwing are apparently dead and it’s effective.  A few weeks later Goslyn’s back at the orphanage utterly distraught and broken at being basically orphaned again. Naturally though Darkwing’s alive, having taken his old identnity back since now he has something worth using it for and adopts her, hinting at who he is so she goes with him. And Drake has changed.. sure he’ll still be as egostical and impuslive as he was here.. but he’s no longer just darkwing.. he’s drake again as he has someone worth fighting for.. two someones in fact. He has a friend, a loyal partner to help him fight cime. And more importantly.. he has a loving daughter. And both needed each other: Goslyn needed someone who understood her despite her manic energy, and Drake needed someone who needed him and not darkwing, a reason to be a person outside the cape and cowl and outside the attention again. He needed a reason to live again... and he’s got it. And it’s going to be great. 

Final Thoughts: This pilot is excellent. Well paced, plenty of laughs, tense action and great introductions for everyone involved as well as a hell of a vilian> This is how you do a first episode: it introduces the main themes of the show, both comedically and dramatically, introduces the cast and gives us a one off , or rather two off it’d turn out, villian whose compelling and intresting. IT’s really damn good stuff and I can’t wait ot see what frank does with a simlar story tommorow. Until then, stay safe, and happy hallowen. We’ll be back shortly for The Duck Knight returns and then Let’s Get Dangerous tommorow. 

[dietgaymags]

A definitive ranking of DWTS Season 29′s celebrities thus far

So I'm obsessed with Dancing with the Stars as much as the next guy. I’ve seen every season since number 11, when I was like 9 years old. But I dropped off a few seasons ago, disappointed that they really had the nerve to put the legend Lindsey Stirling on the same season as the other legend Jordan Fisher. That was not fair to anyone, because Lindsey would have wiped the floor in literally any other season. 

But Season 29′s cast was released and I got excited again. About 80% of these names I was not only familiar with, but were people I enjoyed for some reason or another. Skai Jackson, Nelly, Johnny Weir, AJ McLean, Nev Schulman, Carole Baskin, Justina Machado, Monica Aldama, and the list just goes on. They really said “we need to get young people back into the show.” And they did. I was hooked. And though Len is gone and Carrie Ann is going some sort of which way with her votes (we don’t talk about it), I’ve watched every episode with bright eyes and so much excitement. We have some good dancers this season. And some bad ones. But mostly good. So here’s my definitive ranking of this season’s stars (and, by extension, pros). And if you don’t agree, that’s fine. I am simply a nineteen-year-old girl who likes to watch ballroom dancing. 

NUMBER 15: CAROLE MF BASKIN AND PASHA PASHKOV

Besides the moral obligations to not allow a murderer to appear on the show, I think DWTS did a good job trying to rope people in by bringing her on. When the cast list was released, my jaw dropped because I knew she was going home first and I wanted to be there to see it. 

And somehow, she did not... go home first? She made it another episode? While I’m sure it was a ploy to keep people interested in the show so they didn’t watch the premiere and drop off, Carole Baskin is sure to go down in DWTS history as one of the worst competitors. Her highest score was a 16, sure, but her lowest was an 11. We’re treading Master P territory. And I had a full traumatic episode watching her in a lion-esque unitard. Fuck, I needed to bleach every orifice on my body. (Overall Rating: 1 dead husband/10)

NUMBER 14: CHARLES OAKLEY & EMMA SLATER

You cannot tell me this man isn’t having the most fun he’s had in a minute. He was another easy-to-spot early elimination, but I actually enjoyed watching him to some degree. Emma danced circles around him, but you could really tell he was trying his damnedest and I appreciate it. And his performances didn’t strike cold, dead fear into my heart like other people.

He also got the same average score as Carole over the first two episodes, but one of those was NOT an 11. Slightly better, imo, just a little less improvement than Carole---which is why Derek booted him in the first place. (Overall rating: 1.5 left feet/10)

NUMBER 13: JESSE METCALFE AND SHARNA BURGESS

Did they---did they ever dance? I literally don’t remember anything other than that Newsies dance, which I have to say I particularly enjoyed. It might be because I like Newsies. It might be because Sharna’s hair is gorgeous this season. I don’t know, but it probably wasn’t because of Jesse’s dancing. 

That’s literally all I have to say. (Overall rating: 2 confused braincells/10)

NUMBER 12: CHRISHELL STAUSE AND GLEB SAVCHENKO 

WOAH, she’s coming in with the hot takes! Chrishell hasn’t even been eliminated yet! And look, it’s not even Chrishell’s fault that she’s so low on the list. It really isn’t. She’s been performing, well, okay thus far. Not great, considering her highest score was a 26 on a Paso double where she literally did not even dance (look, I’m not a judge, but I would’ve given it a 21 MAYBE). She’s trying, and she seems to be really enjoying it; I absolutely adore her energy. But most of the issue here is attributed to her partner, Gleb.

His choreography is just... I don’t know... lazy. He throws himself around like a god among men and Chrishell is just there. I don’t really appreciate the pros who prefer to dance over their partners instead of with them. I don’t understand why he thinks this method will get him a mirrorball, but it’s just not gonna happen. (Overall rating: 2 measures of actual dancing/10)

NUMBER 11: ANNE HECHE AND KEO MOTSEPE

Look how happy they look! No, but seriously, they didn’t do that bad. They just had a bad week. Week 2, they had a higher average score than SIX other couples on the show, and they left with a score of 21. I legitimately think that their Disney night dance was underscored. Sure, it wasn’t wonderful, but it didn’t deserve a fifteen.

I know they had no chance to win the mirrorball, but Keo has a history of being stuck with less-than-stellar partners. Anne was not a bad match; they just had bad luck and better competition. I did love watching them, though. And Keo is beautiful, but need I say more? (Overall rating: 3.5 early elims/10)

NUMBER 10: VERNON DAVIS AND PETA MURGATROYD CHMERKOVSKIY

I honestly haven’t enjoyed Peta’s choreography since Season 22, when she and Nyle DiMarco ate up the dance floor and left not a single crumb. She and Peta were another pair where I was like, “Wait, who got eliminated? They’re still here?” The judges were right in saying Vernon had a lot of energy on stage, and look at him here. He’s big cheesin’.

They kind of existed for me is all I have to say. The only reason they’re ranked higher than Anne and Keo is because their average score was just overall better. They never scored extremely well, with their highest score being a 22, but they never did too horribly either. They were meh. (Overall rating: 4 touchdowns/10)

NUMBER 9: NELLY AND DANIELLA KARAGACH

Another hot take? Yes. I can never tell whether or not Nelly enjoys being here until he actually dances. During rehearsal, confessionals, critiques, he always looks a little embarrassed or nervous? I’m not sure. But just like Vernon and Peta, all of their dances have been kind of meh. 

That’s not to put Daniella down in any sense. It’s her first season as a pro, and her abilities definitely shine through in her performance. But like I said about Gleb earlier, she has a tendency to dance over Nelly at times (see: the Freddy Krueger dance from last week). I don’t see Nelly living up to the standards the judges say he’s lived up to thus far, but that might just be my personal opinion. (Overall rating: 5 heeled sneakers/10)

NUMBER 8: MONICA ALDAMA AND VALENTIN CHMERKOVSKIY

Another surprisingly hot take. I actually really enjoyed each of Monica’s dances this season, especially since she’s someone with essentially zero dance experience. I’m still very pissy that the Ratched dance sent her home---it was one of my favorite dances of the night, and I have no clue why she only got a 22 for it (especially when Chrishell and Gleb got a 26). 

Val has always been someone on the show who can take a non-dancer and genuinely make them better. This is the case with Monica. We saw so much improvement with her over the weeks. We’re getting to the part of the list where I love all of the dancers. Still, Monica and Jeannie should not have been the bottom 2 last week, but in the case between the two, it’s right that Monica was eliminated. Still, I would have loved to see her next week. (Overall rating: 6 cheer pyramids/10)

NUMBER 7: SKAI JACKSON AND ALAN BERSTEN

Sure, she got the first 10 of the season. Sure, the Chucky dance was kind of spectacular. But she’s also had the lowest score for two out of seven weeks so far. She has yet to be in the bottom, but I’m sure that’s the fans working for her. I can’t deny her talent on the dance floor, but I would argue that objectively, Skai has made the most mistakes out of everyone this season.

She’s been remarkably inconsistent over the course of the season, but when she’s good, she’s really, really good. She was my pick to win when the cast was released, but now I don’t see that happening unless the fans really come to vote on her, which I think they will. But there is no excuse for an 18 on Week 6. She can do better. I know she can. But until then, she stays in the middle of my list. (Overall rating: 6 Ms. Kiplings/10)

NUMBER 6: JEANNIE MAI AND BRANDON ARMSTRONG

To be completely honest, I had Jeannie Mai pegged as an early elimination from Week 1. But she and Brandon continue to astound me as a team. I love every single one of their dances, sad that they’ve been consistently underscored. That Hannibal Lecter paso was stunning, and the Up dance on Disney night made me tear up a little. 

They’re not higher for the sole reason that others are just better. Not because I don’t love what they put out on the stage every week, but Jeannie just isn’t the strongest technically. Until they get eliminated, though, I’ll be watching with bated breath. (Overall rating: 7 hole-in-ones/10)

NUMBER 5: KAITLYN BRISTOWE AND ARTEM CHIGVENTSEV

Do I just not see what everyone else is seeing when they’re obsessing over Kaitlyn Bristowe? I mean, everything she’s done so far has been wonderful, but she’s not my favorite. Technically, it’s on point 85% of the time. and she has the second-highest point total so far in the competition, but she has yet to do a dance where I step back and think, “Wow.” That’s what puts her behind the top four.

I did not like the Cruella DeVille paso doble at all last week, but I think that was attributed to the song choice more than anything else. I have yet to be taken aback by Kaitlyn and Artem, but their work is undeniably, objectively some of the best on the show. (Overall rating: 7 roses/10)

NUMBER 4: AJ MCLEAN AND CHERYL BURKE

Now we’re at the spot on the list where if any of these guys win the mirrorball, I will be satisfied. Something about AJ is simply magnetic. He has such a kind disposition and wonderful talent on the dance floor, it’s so hard not to love him. His samba is one of my favorite dances on this season so far, and I’m genuinely concerned that he’s been underscored this whole time. 

Cheryl is a mf VETERAN at this, too. She knows how to teach this man to destroy a dance floor. The energy he brings, the life he brings, the nasty footwork that he DEMOLISHES. I did not expect to love AJ as much as I do. In my opinion, the most improvement we’ve seen in a star this season. (Overall: 8.5 backstreets/10)

NUMBER 3: JUSTINA MACHADO AND SASHA FARBER

Justina is living proof that you don’t have to be as big around as my pinky finger to do ballroom dancing well. She’s easily the best female star this season, and Sasha has accentuated her talents on the dance floor without overpowering her, which I enjoy. On top of that, she looks so happy to be here, which translates heavily into her dancing. 

I will say, not every dance from her has been my favorite, but there hasn’t been a single dance out of her that I haven’t liked. Her presence is so powerful and destructive that everyone needs to watch their backs. Remember, this is a sitcom mom, not a professional dancer. (Overall rating: 8.5 days at a time/10)

NUMBER 2: JOHNNY WEIR AND BRITT STEWART

I am a firm believer that Johnny and Britt should have gotten a perfect 30 on their contemporary back in Week 5. I am also a firm believer that they should have gotten a perfect 30 on their Viennese waltz last week. I am consistently blown away by Britt’s choreography every single week, and their chemistry as a pair is unlike anyone I’ve seen in the show’s history. 

What I like about them so much is how much of a team they are. That really makes so much difference out on the dance floor. Their grace and style is completely unmatched, and as a first season pro, Britt is destroying some of the pros who have been here for years... Gleb. I can’t wait to see their performances every single week, and I hope they continue to dance together somehow even after the show is over. (Overall rating: 9.9 triple axels/10)

NUMBER 1: NEV SCHULMAN AND JENNA JOHNSON CHMERKOVSKIY

Hey, quick question: did you expect this? Because I definitely didn’t. Catfish has always been my guilty pleasure show to watch when I’m bored and lonely, and Nev has always been this super dorky guy, so when they announced the cast list, I was like “Oh, this is gonna be funny as hell.” Because it could only go one of two ways: 1) Nev fumbles around like a dork and goes home pretty early, or 2) he wins the mirrorball. 

APPARENTLY it’s the latter. Nev surprised me, and I think everyone, with his natural talent, and Jenna is heavily playing off that in her choreography. She’s been giving him very difficult, technical work and he’s has continued to astound. With the first 30 of the season rightfully deserved, Nev is a force to be reckoned with. Like I’ve said earlier, some of the pros like to dance over their partners to hide their weaknesses. I would go so far as to argue Jenna lets him dance over her. Together, they’re an absolute wildfire, and if they continue at this pace, consider the competition already won. (Overall rating: 10 chest hairs/10)

[chocolatechubby]

Morph (Conclusion)

For three months after the Bloated Belly episode, Ben sequestered himself. Except for going to work, and buying groceries, he stayed in his apartment and immersed himself in the powerful morphing software. Every man in his department had become a casualty of his fantasies. He now worked in a world of fat men—no one under 300lbs. His days were filled with watching them sweating, waddling and squeezing themselves into places meant for much smaller people. His boss, now a 400-plus pound eating machine, had convinced Joe Dante of muscle-building fame, to allow gigantic Carl Hurley to become the spokesperson for Bodyworks. Dante then invested in the “Bloated Belly” chain and was now enjoying a wealthy life of immobility with a curvaceous Fat Admirer in Lake Tahoe. 

Ben, however, was miserable. The incident with Devin had sealed it: no more men. After he had left the restaurant three months ago, he headed for Chucky’s, but stopped himself. Hadn’t Chucky been laughing at him as well? His last comments: “Go on you two. I know you’ve got a lot to tell each other. It should be quite a meeting!” That was a straight man making fun of two fags. He had turned away from the Computer Cove and headed for home—his one refuge from the world gone. And he had put on weight. He had put all of his anger and passion into the morphs and eating. Somehow, when he was working, his appetite had become voracious—stuffing himself like Devin at the Bloated Belly whenever he could. His sedentary lifestyle had slowed his metabolism down, and it showed. In the past three months, he had put on more than twenty pounds. He was still nowhere near fat, and surrounded by the truly obese meant that no one had really even noticed. But sitting at his computer, he noticed. He was softer everywhere. And he had a belly.

One evening, after having just finished giving the superintendent of his building a beer belly that would have him squeezing through doors, he felt his own stomach brush against the computer desk. He caressed its curve and slid his hands under his belt. He had gone from a 32” to a 36” inch waist, and he liked it. He liked the power that size gave him. He also loved his new capacity to eat. He had discovered the great pleasure of feeling satiated—having your belly so full that it hurt. It was erotic. And then it hit him: he had been making the wrong people fat. Not that he minded living in a glorious world of blubber at his office, but the “something missing” was within. As he got off on others, he was really desperately trying to get off on himself. The artist must become the clay. 

He knew what he had to do. He stripped out of his clothes: a pair of 36’s, which had already begun to feel tight; and an oversized t-shirt that had become his uniform. He got his tripod and his digital camera and set them up by the curtains in the living room for optimum light. He took several full-frontal shots, and then some profile and rear. As he posed, his dick started to rise in anticipation of what was in store. Taking a deep breath, he sat down at his desk and began scanning the photos into the computer. His mind was a blur. Thoughts ranging from “how big do I want to be?” to “what will my friends and family think?” assaulted him from the right and left. The answers were going to be both frightening and exhilarating. He felt more powerful, and more in control of his life than ever before.

He found a shot that suited him and he went to work. He started with his face, already slightly fuller with the additional twenty pounds, and took advantage of the new curves to bring out the roundness. He used the clone functions to balance out each cheek and gave himself a generous double chin. His gauge of success was his penis: his hard on jumped and danced when the perfect blending was reached. Next, he worked on his torso. He recalled all of the men who had turned him on since childhood and began molding his image into an amalgam of those. He deftly sculpted his neck and arms, adding dimples and folds, so that the flesh seemed to flow and undulate even on the screen. He gave himself generous mammaries with large nipples for sucking—his own beginning to ache in anticipation. And his belly—a glorious mound of flesh, which lifted gracefully and fell to a curve just below a pouch of underbelly. 

He gave himself powerful legs, hands, and feet to carry the excess weight. He took a profile and rear shot and repeated the process on each. His butt became two voluminous balls attached to “childbearing” hips as his grandma used to say, and his back a series of bulges and curves sloping into massive love handles. Lastly, he had his mouse caress his penis—widening and elongating it just enough to suit the large man it was a part of. As he finished this, the program sprang into action and performed a function Ben had never seen before. All of the images he had been working on quickly formed themselves into one 3D image, which Ben could then rotate and examine for any edits. He feverishly worked, checking every detail and making changes here and there. After two hours, Ben sat back in his seat. Sweating, he surveyed his work and was shocked. There before him was a man who weighed at least 500 lbs. An enormous man, who would have real problems squeezing through doors and doing many everyday activities. Was this the man living inside of him? Was he ready for this? As he thought about his life—his relationships and his desires—he knew it was. 

He pressed “enter”, and the now-familiar prompt appeared “Are you really sure?” He clicked “yes.” “Are you really, really sure?” Again he clicked “yes.” Before Ben’s mouse had risen the slight distance up from the click, he felt the change. He was propelled back from the desk by the pressure of his stomach rising out in front of him. His head jerked slightly and was suddenly surrounded by a massive double chin obliterating any trace of neck. His entire body expanded within seconds. He had been wrong: he wasn’t 500lbs. He was now a man of 650 lbs.

“Oh my god” he whispered. His voice had adjusted to his new form. It was a full octave lower than before. Everything about him was massive. He shifted slightly in his chair and felt it scream at the added weight. He knew it would give up the ghost if he didn’t move soon. He had two very strong needs: the first was to see himself in a mirror—he knew the transformation wouldn’t truly become real until he did. The second: to eat. He felt a hunger, the likes of which he had never felt before. As carefully as he could, he braced the side of his computer desk and shifted his weight forward to stand. He couldn’t budge. Ben started to panic—what if he couldn’t get out of his seat? Was he already immobile? He tried again, his upper arms straining with the exertion. This time there was movement—not enough to lift, but enough to allow him to calm down and try again. It took him four tries, but he finally managed to rise. The feeling of the new weight both shocked and aroused him. It almost felt as if he were about to fall through the floor. His stomach hung past his thighs, almost to his knees. It pulsed and jiggled—tickling his member and sending him into paroxysms of ecstasy. He took his first step, and the apartment shook with the movement. He knew his neighbors below were probably thinking earthquake. All he could think about was “mirror.” The closest mirror was in the bathroom at the other end of the hall.

It took Ben fifteen minutes to get there—he had to rest so often. By the time he reached the doorway, he was glistening in sweat and loving every second. Once at the door, he made his next discovery: he was wider than the frame! He had to twist sideways to make it through, and his mammoth belly still swiped the door. As he cleared the frame, he made for the toilet seat and sat down with a clunk! One now filled a space that should have held at least two people. He again braced himself—now becoming used to the process and hauled himself to the mirror over the sink. What he saw astounded him. 

If he hadn’t known the reflection was of himself, he would have looked around for the enormous figure staring back. In the mirror was one of the fattest men he had ever seen. He put his hands up to his gigantic cheeks and chins, only to be surprised by the sausages that were now his fingers. He caressed roll upon roll of avoirdupois—grabbing and kneading each bulge and crease. He took a handful of what were now his mammae and found that he could bring his gigantic nipple to his mouth. On the first lick, his knees went weak and he went crashing to the floor. He knew he was in the body he was meant to have. And he wanted more. As he struggled to rise, his stomach brushed the sink cabinet and began to rumble. The hunger was real and insistent. He then began the arduous task of lumbering to the kitchen to take care of his second need.

Ben sat in his kitchen sucking a ketchup packet. He had spent the last 180 minutes devouring everything else in the room. He had literally cried when he remembered that he had just gone shopping, and had brought enough food and goodies to satisfy his new larger appetite for a while. When he opened the refrigerator, his penis sprang as if seeing the most beautiful guy in the world. He had started with a dozen chocolate éclairs and made his way through fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, ham, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. He hummed as he polished off Twinkies and pies and downed gallons of milk and quarts of soda. And he came. He came like he had never come before. 

Before he knew it, the kitchen was empty, and he knew he had truly come home. His stomach was stretched so far in front of him, he could not move. Moreover, he knew in an hour, he would be ready to start again. Ben let out an enormous belch and rolled himself to the telephone to have food ordered in for his next binge. He knew he had been saving for something—now he knew that his life savings would help keep him in food and clothing for quite a while…CLOTHING! He realized that he was butt naked! How would it look to have this gargantuan man answer the door for the pizza guy in all of his elephantine splendor? While he could wrap a sheet around (actually, would one fit?) for the present, he would eventually have to put on clothes. He knew that he had already surpassed even the top size in the big men’s stores. What was he to do? He would need someone to get him something to wear. 

Who could he call? His friends and family were going to freak when they saw him—he would have to prepare them, and himself, slowly. So who else? Devin? God knows he owed him, and Devin’s reaction would probably be good for a jack-off or two, but he wanted no more to do with him. Who could he call that would not ask a lot of questions, AND have access to the size clothing he would need? Then it came to him…Chucky. Before he could talk himself out of it, he looked up the number and dialed the Computer Cove.

Chucky checked the address again. He was sure he was in the right place, but he just wasn’t sure why he was there. The voice on the intercom sounded strange, but it was definitely Ben. When he had gotten the call at the Cove, he had been closing the shop. He hadn’t seen Ben in three months and had been genuinely happy to hear from him. “Chucky, this is Ben Washington—the guy that used to come into the Computer Cove a while ago….” 

“Ben! I know who you are! Where you been man? You sound a little different. You got a cold?” 

“Uh no, I’ve got…listen…I need to ask a big favor of you.” 

“Sure, anything man, what’s up?” 

The request had been strange enough. Bring the largest size sweats he could find—and a pizza. He always thought Ben was a great guy—never could understand why he hung around with that jerk Devin, but Chucky had learned a long time ago not to ask too many questions. At the moment, he had a million of them. He decided to hold them until he got inside. He rang the buzzer. A voice from inside said, “Come on in, the door’s open.” Again, it sounded oddly like Ben, but deeper and labored. He shifted his packages—he had raided his closet and found a couple of 6 and 7X sweatsuits that he had bought a while ago—and opened the door and walked in. 

There on the couch was the biggest man he had ever seen…and he was stark naked. He was sitting on the couch, breathing heavily. His fat was everywhere—his gut hung almost to his ankles and his round face and double chins jiggled as he shifted to hide his nudity—he needn’t have bothered. He must have been one of Ben’s relatives—the resemblance was clear. However, this guy must have been at least 500 pounds heavier than Ben. 

“Hi Chucky,” the fat man said. “Uh, hi…um…I’m here to see Ben Washington. Sorry to walk in on you like this.” 

“It’s okay…” the fat man puffed. “Chucky, it’s me…Ben.” 

Suddenly Chucky quavered. He looked closely at the eyes encased in the fat man’s face. He knew those eyes well. His knees went weak, and he dropped the clothes and the pizza. His mouth opened, but no sound emerged. “I know…” Ben started. “…It’s a pretty dramatic change. Let me see if I can explain….”

He was about to go on when he found himself tackled by the ex-football player. Chucky had bounded over the clothes and food and landed on the couch on top of the obese Ben, straddling him. Ben felt the unmistakable pressure of the biggest penis he had ever felt. Chucky was as hard as a rock. The football player took Ben’s face into his large hands and caressed him so softly that he moaned. Chucky then plunged his thick tongue into Ben’s lips and Ben found himself opening his mouth and welcoming the heat of the other man’s desire. 

They kissed for a full five minutes before Chucky pulled back, breathless. “I’ve had a thing for you ever since the first day you walked into my shop” Chucky panted. “I always said, ‘this man would look incredible as a big roly-poly ball of fat’…I don’t know how you did it, but you are the most beautiful man I have ever seen.” 

Ben took a good long look at Chucky. He too had changed. He had clearly added a good 50 or 60 pounds to his frame since the last time they had seen each other. He saw this golden brown linebacker as he had never dared before. He suddenly realized that all the times he had told himself that he had gone into the Computer Cove because Chucky looked so much like Devin, he had been lying to himself. He went because he wanted to be near Chucky. Chucky was kind, sensitive, generous, and compassionate. He had been falling in love. He was in love and had been for a very long time. What a day! He had fallen in love with himself and the man of his dreams all within a matter of hours. 

Chucky wiped away the sweat from Ben’s forehead. It seemed every activity caused the big man to perspire. “Make love to me” Ben whispered as Chucky caressed his cheek. “Show me how to enjoy this body.” 

Chucky made a deep growl, which to Ben sounded like a gigantic bear in heat. He could feel the linebacker’s member leaping in his tight sweats as Chucky began to lick Ben’s entire body. When he got to his breasts, he cupped each giant tit and began kneading. Taking it into his mouth, he licked and sucked—savoring each sensation. Ben realized that Chucky was eating him, very much like he would a sumptuous banquet. It made him hungrier for food and this man. Chucky found every spot and fold of flesh on Ben’s body and worked it the same way—fucking the fat with desire and hunger. They came together over and over again. Ben had never experienced anything like it. When it was over, they ordered 300 dollars worth of food and fed each other late into the night before drifting off to sleep in a miasma of gluttony and desire.

Epilogue:

There were several things about being immobile that Ben found frustrating. The most was not being able to see the fruits of his work over the past five years. From the station Chucky had built for him in the back of the Computer Cove, Ben had a view of the entire shop and the street beyond. He also had every modern convenience known to man—including a well-stocked supply of food to keep him company while he worked on his graphics. Now that he and Chucky were partners in love AND the business, he was able to use his skills to help open 10 more Computer Coves across the country. In addition, in his spare time create the world of his fantasies. The wire sources carried the first story hours after the NIH had released the results of their studies. 96% of American men had suddenly become obese. The average weight of men over 18 was 300 pounds. He had made the world fat. 

From his incline bench, he could see gigantic men waddling down the street and squeezing their way into shops. Fast-food chains were doing a booming business, with former Super Size meals now being the “small” on the menu. Brad Pitt was People magazine’s “Sexiest Man of the Year” weighing in at a svelte 400 pounds. 

Life would have been perfect if Ben could get out and see more of what he had created with his software. However, there were incredibly great things about weighing over 1500 pounds. His capacity for food was phenomenal. He could eat so much that feeding him became the sixth-largest source of revenue for the city. Moreover, with every feeding, his gigantic 600-pound husband loved him with more gusto than the pound before. Devin, however, did not find the same pleasure in his new body. Ben had morphed him into the fattest man in the world. Weighing in at over 3000 pounds, the National Institute of Health had sequestered him to be used as the prime case study in their obesity experiments. Life was extremely good.

“Ben?”

It was Chucky. Ben realized that he had been standing over the bargain bin with the “Morph” software staring into space for over ten minutes. “Everything okay?” Chucky asked, a genuine look of concern on his face. Chucky was so fucking beautiful, Ben thought. “Had a rough morning” was his reply as he placed the CD back in the bargain bin. “Just daydreaming a bit.” 

“Oh…thought you may have been pining over your buddy. Haven’t seen you and him around together in a while. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but…are you two still seeing each other?” “Oh, my GOD” Ben thought. “He DOES know about me!” Maybe coming to the Computer Cove after this morning’s office disaster wasn’t such a good idea. 

“Fuck it” Ben thought. He could lie and play it off like the brothers do, but he was tired of playing. “Yeah…” he said, “…we broke up.” Chucky stuttered, “Listen, I know I’m taking my life in my hands when I say this, but I’m glad. He just seemed like a real asshole. You deserve better. I was just wondering if we could go out sometime for a bite to eat. I just think you’re a real nice guy, and I’d like to get to know you. Besides, you’re hot as hell. A little more meat on you wouldn’t hurt, but hot as hell just the same.” 

Chucky blushed but held Ben’s gaze. “Funny you should mention that, big man.” Ben rubbed Chucky’s stomach. “I’ve been looking for someone to help me bulk up a bit. Are you up for that job?” Ben glanced down at Chucky’s crotch and noticed the unmistakable stirring of a sleeping giant. Some things you don’t have to make up. He knew he had hit the right nerve. On their way out to lunch, Ben glanced back at the CD in the bin. The strip glistened in the sunlight. As he prepared himself for the start of many very large meals with this man, he thought to himself: “That is some powerful software.”

The End

 Copyright 2003 by FBC. All rights reserved.

[thirst-trapnhl]

Never Grew Out of This Feeling 3(charlie mcavoy)

(A/N): hey guys! i say this all the time but sorry for how long this took lol. hope you guys enjoy (if anyone actually still cares ab this series??) and i hope it was at least 25% worth the wait! also unedited because I’m actually DYING to get this up lol (word count: 1936) (warnings: underage drinking, cursing)

song of the chapter: hold my hand - new found glory

“you like you’re ready to go, so hold my hand. I’ll take you everywhere, anywhere, you wanna go.”

Charlie arrives at your front door at exactly 6:00 PM on New Years Eve with Chinese takeout in hand and your dad clears the coffee table in the living room so he can spread all the containers out. Your parents settle into their seats on the couch and you and Charlie take the floor, plates piled high. You all turn your attention to the TV as your dad presses play on The Princess Bride, your traditional New Years movie. Charlie and your dad both laugh at all the same parts they always do, and your mother ends up crying at the same part she always does. You clear the table as the credits roll and head upstairs to get ready for your night out, belly full and heart happy. 9:30 rolls around and Charlie’s migrated to the big chair in the corner, messing around on his phone when you finally walk down the stairs. “Thank god, I’ve only been waiting for an ho- “ he stops short when he finally looks up from the screen. “Holy shit!” He’s on his feet in an instant, eyes glued to your body. You warm at his appreciation for your efforts and give a little shimmy and his eyes light up at the way the sequins on your top shine.

“Whatcha think, Chuck? Good enough to ring in the new year?” You wiggle your eyebrows at him and he laughs before shooting a soft smile at you, the one that’s always made you feel like he’s the only person who really sees you. 

“I’d take you anywhere lookin’ like that!” He reaches his hand out to you and twirls you around once just to see you laugh before grabbing his keys from the table and ordering the Uber. You call out your goodbyes to your parents, in their room getting ready for bed and shrug on a jacket. You follow him out the front door, hands reaching for his sleeve. 

He feels you tangle your fingers in the fabric to shield them from the cold and looks back over his shoulder at you. You meet his eyes and his whole face crinkles as he hides a smile behind his collar, just the way it always has. You huff out a breath and furrow your brow up at him. 

“What’re you smiling about, Alvin?” It’s his turn to pout and yours to laugh, loving the way you can always get a rise out of him by poking fun at his chubby cheeks. His pout quickly turns back into a smile, smaller and softer this time, at the sound of your giggle. The ride to the party is relatively uneventful. It’s easy to zone out staring out the window as Charlie makes casual conversation with the driver. Before you know it, a hand comes to grip your knee through your jeans, Charlie giving your leg a squeeze to bring you back to earth.

“You ready?” He asks and when you nod, he bids the driver good night and comes around your side of the car to help you out. You make your way into one of Charlie’s teammates’ house, and quickly find your way to the cooler. You grab a beer for each of you before snaking your way through the bodies back to Charlie’s side. He beams and wraps an arm around your shoulder before continuing his conversation with the rest of your friends. You settle in easily after that, jumping into the conversation when it turns to the show you’re all currently binging watching. It's no surprise when the party turns into a full-fledged beer pong tournament, complete with a bracket written sloppily on the back of a junk mail flyer. You and Charlie slot into the fifth matchup against the goalies and Charlie spends the first four trying to hype you up.

“Chuck, I really don’t understand why you insist on having me as your partner. You have to carry me every single time!” You’re a little exasperated at his undying positivity towards your beer pong skills. He’s had more to drink than you, as he usually does, but you both know he’ll end up making all his shots while yours bounce off rims. He smiles down easy at you and a piece of hair flops down over his forehead, a little damp with sweat. You hear a cheer behind you and you know the game ended and it's time to face the music. 

“I don’t mind doing all the work, you know that. All you gotta do is stand there and look pretty to distract our opponents. You know the goalies both have a thing for you.” He wiggles his eyebrows, barely holding back a laugh as he drags you towards the table and you work together to reset the rack. 

Despite your best efforts to swing your hips and bat your eyes, the goalie tandem take you and Charlie down swiftly. You make your way back to the kitchen to dig around for more beer and when you turn back around, Charlie’s leaned up against the counter, looking at you. “Sorry I couldn’t help out more, bud.” He opens his arms to you and you cross the small kitchen to him, putting your unopened bottles behind him before wrapping your arms around his torso. You can feel the rumble of his chest as he lets out a heavy sigh. 

“I just don’t understand how you can still be SO bad after all this time.” You look up at him in surprise and he’s trying to hide a shit-eating grin, clearly satisfied with your response. You give him a light smack on the arm before sticking your tongue out at him, making him laugh. You grab your corona off the counter and bang it against the edge, popping the cap off. Charlie looks at you, impressed before taking this and doing the same, but with his teeth. He spits the cap into his hand as he laughs at your shriek of disgust. You smack him again, this firmer and on the chest. 

“Don’t fucking do that, you yutz! It skeeves me out and you’re going to ruin your teeth and then those braces your parents paid for will be useless!” He’s almost doubled over in laughter now and you can’t help but stomp your feet when you take a step back from him. He manages to pull himself together enough to stand up straight and wipe the tears from under his eyes. You shake your head at him but there’s no real force behind it anymore, all your annoyance flushed away by how absolutely delighted Charlie is by your reaction. 

“God, there’s nothing more satisfying then winding you up.”  

——

The party continues on into the early hours of the morning, only interrupted by everyone gathering in the living room to watch the ball drop. Charlie’s huddled in close behind you as you stand pressed against the back of the couch. Brett, the more outgoing half of your goalie admirers, turns to you just before the countdown reaches twenty. “Hey, (Y/N), you gonna be my New Years kiss this year?” He’s half joking, but you can feel Charlie tense behind you as he wraps an arm around your stomach. 

You let out a laugh and before you can even answer, Charlie shoots him a “Not a chance in hell, Breezy,” and Brett laughs. The countdown’s at 10 seconds now and, as you do every year, you turn to face Charlie. The countdown reaches 1 and the room erupts in shouts of “happy new year” and  unintelligible cheers. Charlie, as he does every year, lifts you up into a hug and places a kiss on your cheek before tucking his face into your neck, mumbling a “happy new year, bub.” 

You let your hand slide to rest against his jaw and he pulls back to look at you. “Happy New Year, Chuckie.”  You unwrap your legs from his torso, expecting him to let you slide to the floor like he always does, but he holds you face to face with him for a couple seconds longer. You can feel confusion spread across your face when Charlie’s eyes flick down to your lips. You can see the gears turning in his head for a moment before he puts your feet on the ground, kissing the top of your head gently. You decide to let the moment pass, turning to greet the rest of your friends. 

-- -- 

It’s close to 4:30 AM when you and Charlie stumble out of the party, ready to make your way home. The silence between you isn’t uncomfortable, but you can tell he’s waiting for you to speak first. You’re about halfway home, passing the schoolyard, when you stop walking. It takes Charlie a couple of steps to realize you’re no longer next to him. He turns back to you and the beer in your veins makes you unable to collect your thoughts properly. Instead, you just blurt out “Were you gonna kiss me before?” 

Your hands are stuffed in your jacket pockets, as are his, and the words leave your mouth with a puff of breath vapor. He doesn’t hesitate in his answer. “Yeah.” You both take a moment to digest the weight of the situation. You may be drunk, but you know that you’ve reached a fork in the road. All it takes is one look at Charlie to know what you want from the conversation, but the thought that maybe you’re not on the same page is the scariest, biggest monster you’ve ever had to face. 

“Why didn’t you?” Your voice is smaller than you intended as your eyes dart from your shoes scuffling on the sidewalk back to Charlie. You can tell he’s trying to pick his words carefully, and you’re sure that the person you love the most in this world is about to break your heart. You swallow the lump in your throat, ready to pretend tomorrow that you were too drunk to remember this conversation. 

“Didn’t wanna do it if you weren’t ready for it.” The words don’t sting like the ones you expected to hear and you force yourself to look Charlie in the eyes when he continues. “Don’t wanna send you running off. It’s not the right time yet.” A few hot tears leak from your eyes as relief floods your body, and you swear you feel your soul settle. You step to meet Charlie, sliding your hand into his pocket to wrap around his. 

As you tug him along down the street, you look up at him with a teasing smile. “I don’t know how many times I gotta tell you, Charles. You’re not getting rid me that easy.” He smiles down at you and you round the corner, walking along the fence next to the very same playground where Charlie first watched you launch yourself off the swing. The very same slide you climb on top of to smoke and watch the stars. Your eyes can’t help but flick to it, red and plastic and smaller than your childhood memories let you believe. You think about pushing Charlie up against the fence right there and kissing him until the sun comes up, but the rest of the semester and the uncertainty of Charlie’s near future is enough to keep you walking, tucked into his side. “You gonna tell me when it’s time?” You ask, already knowing the answers. Charlie’s always been right when it comes to you, fourteen years in, and you’d follow his lead anywhere. 

“Yup, and not a single second after.”

[lesbicattiva]

araki’s interview at luccacomics&games 2019 part two.

loose & imperfect transcript / translation of araki first interview (30th oct 2PM) at lucca comics & games 2019 at teatro del giglio about his main work: jojo’s bizarre adventures. (talk show translated from italian to english 2/5).

A: Good evening. Q: Good evening. Since we’re here to talk about it, I’d like to ask: how was JOJO’s Bizarre Adventure born? A: [ignores the question just to properly repeat ‘good evening’ again and then point at cosplayers] I think I recognize that character! Maybe I saw it on japanese tv! Q: [stammers] Uh.... my question? A: Oh right [laughs]. The idea of JOJO came because I wanted to draw characters with superpowers that can’t be seen. I wanted to draw that and shape those powers on paper. I did it on shōnen jump, where I debuted, and just tried to pick a name that could be easily remembered, something like with a double J and a double O.

Q: Continuing with the foundations of JOJO, as I was saying earlier, there’s a common theme in this year’s lucca comics and JOJO; the focus on ‘humanity’, its tight bond with ‘fate’ and the ‘immortality of the human spirit’. I’d like to know why these themes have been chosen and why you like them so much. A: Actually, it’s because I’ve been told to draw something like this, and so I did it [editor of JOJO laughs]. But only after drawing it I realized that “wow, I drew something really interesting!” a theme so deep such as ‘admiration for human beings’ and so on. It’s really a serious thing [him, the translator and the two editors laugh] but yeah, I only realized it later because at first I’d just been told to draw [head-editor of ultra jump speaks to araki and he nods]. Well, yes, actually this was the short version of the story, the longer one is that I actually wanted to draw the theme of the ‘affirmation of humans’, of ‘not rejecting your humanity’. And because of this there are ‘good’ characters, which are obviously appreciated, but even ‘evil’ characters have something that can be appreciated since they are human beings. And this was more or less the idea for JOJO’s theme. I gave a bit of a superficial answer at first but now it’s a good answer, isn’t it? [everyone laughs]

Q: Let’s remain on the theme of fate, of destiny, of how we humans are destined, or damned, if you will, to follow a certain path. In JOJO there isn't just the protagonists’ family, which moves from location to location, but there’s also another family.... the Zeppeli [audience laughs]. It’s good to see you guys taking it that way because they really.... don’t. Since, as you can hear, I’m from Napoli, I’m rather curious if their fate will always be the same or if they’ll be able to take control of it someday. A: I don’t mean to ‘persecute’ them, but they are complementary to the Joestar family. Them ending up dying serves to complete the flow of the story and to facilitate the path of the Joestars. Q: But do you see a possibility for them in the future.... I really care about them, you see. A: I’m glad that you’re a big fan of the Zeppeli as I am. But I think that the beauty of their family is in the very fact that, yes they will die, but they will also pass on those values and positive qualities through their deaths. The very act of dying for them allows that. Don’t you think too? Q: Yes. I too.... can’t wait to die. [audience laughs and so does araki, but he’s still a little concerned]

Q: In JOJO, compared to other mangas where characters fight, you made a precise choice; that is, the absence of a direct clash. You opted for a more studied, strategic way of fighting, almost like a chess match. And the cornerstones of that are stands. How do you manage to always find new powers and tactics? A: Having new ideas is my job. I get inspired by many things, especially during my everyday life: when I meet my friends or I see them do particular gestures, when I talk with my old neighbour or when I drink a glass of water and some gets stuck in my throat; then I think “hey! I could make a stand power out of that!”. Basically, I think observing little details is essential to my creative process.

Q: Many of the stories of JOJO are real travel diaries, since a huge variety of settings is present. How much the setting influences the writing and how fundamental is it? Do you start from there to create the story or is it just a plus?  A: I was very inspired by the small trips I did when young. As a kid I would bike to various places, I’d climb up mountains, go around other cities.... This travelling process helped me a lot in my growth – from kid to adult, so for me the philosophy of a journey is very important because it allows the characters who partake in it to evolve and become adults, from the beginning to the end of the journey. As for the other part of the question, thinking about the creative process of the manga for more contained locations.... For example, if you stopped to camp during a trip and encountered one of your fears, you would have to face it directly. But I asked myself what would happen if that fear, that enemy, is the one hiding instead; maybe even in the apartment next to you. From this idea the setting of Morio-cho was born, to have an invisible enemy, a peaceful person who just waits silently somewhere in the background. This has been a different challenge compared to what I previously tackled regarding the process of a journey.

Q: Speaking of Morio-cho, would you like to live in this town you created? A: Yes. I’ve answered your question right away because it’s based on the town where I grew up, near Sendai, it was full of weird people [audience laughs] – well, they were all good people but [laughs a bit] still some were weird. Q: I see. I’m sure there were some Zeppelis there as well.

Q: Again, speaking of the creative process, it’s common knowledge that you listen to a lot of music while working. It’s also an interesting concept, since rhythm is essential to storytelling. How much music, and what type, influences your work? A: What influences me the most is the rhythm, and you can probably see it in the onomatopoeias that I use, which can go like [makes an index gesture] ‘tan-tan-pa’. They are all different types of rhythms that I listen to while writing, this of course influences my creative process as well.

Q: Okay. This is my last question, then I’ll leave the rest to fans. What will the future of JOJO be? A: I don’t know [laughs]. (note: translator suggests he might know but doesn’t want to reveal anything) Actually, I had a good idea of the beginning and a relatively clear idea of the end, but everything else in between is like a jazz concert: it’s a very spontaneous and in the moment creative process. But yes, the ending is pretty definite to me.

F: Hi. As we were saying, you are often inspired by ordinary things: your travels, your childhood, music.... In Diamond Is Unbreakable there's a stand called Bad Company and I remember seeing something similar in a Stephen King's story. I'd like to know if you took inspiration from that and if you like horror movies in general, and if they influence you in any way. (note: people say this guy was rude) A: No, I didn't know there was a story like that. But yes, I do like Stephen King. I enjoyed The Twilight Zone and I'm definitely influenced by horror for my work but I prefer movies like Chucky or Child's Play. I really love horror movies though. 

F: Hi. I read online that the ending and opening songs for the anime are personally chosen by you. I'd like to know if there's an italian song that you like and maybe would use as an ending for the anime. A: An italian song? Mhh. I really like PFM. Was it Premiata? Premiata? [audience claps loudly and araki smiles] Premiata Forneria Marconi, that's it! I didn't decide it just now, I really do like it! [laughs] I also love Puccini's opera.

F: Hello. We know that clothes are one of the main characteristics of JOJO and that many are also inspired by famous brands, I'd like to know, then, what's the creative process behind the creation of those outfits. A: A thing that all of my clothes have in common is that they are comfortable and facilitate movement. In particular, for the protagonists, I always base myself on the model of a classic japanese student uniform, on which I then add other features, like ladybugs brooches or more fancy accessories. But the start is always the school uniform. When I was young I really liked “Babil Junior”, a manga where the protagonist wears a school uniform while in the desert. I found that truly beautiful and it inspired me a lot. To be able to draw these characters in school uniforms and have them go around desolate locations.... It really touched me and even made me cry a bit.

Q: While I search for the next person can I ask another quick question of my own? If you could choose your stand, what would it be? A: Judging by the weather here in Lucca, which has been pretty gloomy today, I’d say that I’d like the stand power of a ‘hare-otoko’ / 晴れ男 (lit. a man that brings good weather). In fact, forecasts said that it would rain a lot today, but since I’m here, thanks to me, there’s good weather [laughs]. (note: believe it or not, it always rains during lucca comics, but for the hours that araki was there, the weather was good. as soon as he finished his talk show, it started raining heavily. he really has a powerful stand.)

F: Hi. A straightforward question: since today's theme is ‘becoming human’ don't you think that Diavolo's punishment was a bit too much? (note: people say this guy was also rude) A: Oh, sorry, you don’t like his punishment? [laughs] I think he was such an evil character that he deserved to end like that. I’ve been told that his death was too harsh by japanese fans as well, however.... I think it was fitting for someone as evil as him. Sorry.

Q: Since time is almost up, allow me to ask the last questions. Is there a character that you think looks like you or just one that you can easily identify with? A: Rohan— [audience interrupts him by cheering loudly] NO NO NO [araki and the translator laugh]. I was saying that Rohan is who I aspire to be but it’s not who I am, sorry [araki and the translator laugh again]. There isn’t a character that I can really identify with but my favourite is Shigechi. [audience is kinda surprised] I like it when he collects the money that fell on the ground.

Q: Looking in hindsight at the work you’ve done on JOJO so far, is there any anecdotes that you’d like to share with us here today? A: I don’t know if it’s interesting but when I was writing for weekly shōnen jump the deadline was set to 19 pages of work each week. But every single time I just couldn’t limit myself to only 19 and always ended up doing 21. Like this, 2 pages were always going to be cut out. They wouldn’t even go in the next chapter because they were part of the current one and thus had to be cut out completely. Currently I’m very satisfied because I have 45 pages to work with in ultra jump. Although, actually, maybe now they’re a bit too many [everyone laughs].

Q: The last thing that I’ll ask you before saying goodbye is: if you could go back to the very first day in which you sat down at your desk and started working on JOJO, is there something that you would do differently? A: I would change the printing mistakes, for example ‘nani o suru da’ / 何をするだァーッ would often be written incorrectly as ‘nani o surun da’ / 何をするんだァーッ (where んだ got added) [laughs and jokingly blames the editor of JOJO, who takes responsibility. even though the editor wasn’t able to correct them at the time he still feels it was his responsibility nonetheless]. But yes, in the end, I would change little things like this, because in the first volumes there were many mistakes like this.

[astarionbae]

au where there was a Group C & D along with Group A & B where theyre just genderbends of A&B so we could have our gladers interact with the fem!vers of themselves heh

I’M CURRENTLY WORKING ON A FRATERNAL TWINS STORY SO THIS IS PERFECT! THANK YOU!!!! Here we go! (P.S. I don’t own the gifs, all rights go to their owners)

Thalia [Group C, Subject C2: The Principal]

Female Thomas 

Portrayed by Shelley Hennig

Her and Thomas get along swimmingly, acting like a set of twins 

She usually teases him and jumps on his back to receive piggyback rides

Thomas finds it annoying but loves to hear her laugh and be happy so he allows it

Thalia & Thomas both gush over Newelle & Newt, saying how they’re suckers for them and would do anything in the world to protect them 

They bond over the friends that they’ve lost and how they each have one little thing that reminds them of them; Thomas having Chuck’s totem and Thalia having Charlotte’s yarn doll

Thomas comforts her whenever she gets easily upset and disheartened

They always sit next to each other and keep each other company because they rely on one another. 

Thomas can see himself in her and it makes him smile because he believes that she’s a nice person and doing her best with keeping everyone safe despite the obstacles that they’ve faced

The both of them play board games, testing their skills, and strategies. Their favorite games are Uno, Clue, Guess Who, and Connect 4

When Thalia is nervous with hanging out alone with Newelle, Thomas offers to join and bring Newt along so it’d be like a double date 

Newelle [Group C, Subject C5: The Bond]

Female Newt

Portrayed by Taissa Farmiga 

When Newt first meets Newelle, he knows for an instance that there’s something about her that makes him want to protect her

Newt shakes her hand, noticing that her wrist is crooked. Upon asking, he learns that in their Glade, Newelle tried to harm herself which resulted in her arm and wrist getting broken and healed incorrectly

Newelle gets nightmares of the her Maze and wakes up screaming and in cold sweats to which Newt runs over to be at her side to calm her down

Newelle returns the favor to him, making sure that he’s alright because she knows how it feels.

They both stay up late at night, staring at the stars and point out the constellations; when shooting stars pass, Newelle coos for Newt to close his eyes and make a wish. He does with a smile. 

When tired and trying to sleep, Newt plays with Newelle’s hair, wanting her to feel safe and important because he knows that feeling all too well

Reading and swimming happens to be their favorite things to do, and so in Paradise, they both lounge on the beach and read to each other

At night when Newelle falls asleep by the fire, Newt scoops her up, carrying her to her hammock but takes his time due to his limp

They both love art, nature, and hiking; they hike to enjoy the nature and enjoy the artistry of the colors and shine shining through the leaves

Miho [Group C, Subject C7: The Monarch]

Female Minho

Portrayed by Arden Cho

Minho finds himself to be good-looking as a girl as he already knew before he met her

Miho is bubbly which confuses Minho at first, wondering why she’s her counterpart until she displays her leadership skills and her quirky remarks

They both race each other for fun but it usually turns competitive, and Miho wins

Miho and Minho become inseparable, forming as one full person and she helps him out with trying to woo Brenda and he helps her with flirting with Brent 

The both of them sit by the Memorial Stone, pointing to names of the fallen and ask for stories of them. Miho points to Ben and Minho gives a huffed laugh, talking about how he was his best friend. 

Minho then points to a a girl’s name, Bea. Miho does the same as him, telling him how she was her friend and that she died from a bad storm that happened in their Glade

Minho sees her being strong and having a great personality; he enjoys being around her because he sees how important she is to her friends, especially Newelle

Like with him and Newt in their Maze, Miho saved Newelle from her accident and from that, he smiles because he knows just how much Newelle looks up to her because that’s what Newt does to him

Freya [Group C, Subject C6: The Arbitrator]

Female Frypan 

Portrayed by Zoe Kravitz

First time Frypan mets Freya, they make and eat bacon cheeseburgers with pickles, tomato, and mayonnaise. 

Frypan talks to her about him and the Gladers’ journey of the Maze and Scorch while Freya tells him about her and her group

Both of them crack each other up with jokes, weird topics, and puns to the point that they are in tears, pig snorting, stomachs hurting, falling over, and can hardly breathe

They develop an inside jokes such as; “hole in the bunny”, “fish fried, double wide”, and “love me some mr. long time”

When Freya’s sick, Frypan makes her soup and tends to her to make sure that she’s getting proper rest 

Frypan tries to be his Wingman self, trying to hook up Freya with Gally in Paradise since she can balance him out and be his anchor; it works and Frypan just grins at his work

They become a cooking duo; doing little cooking skits for the Immune Children to make them laugh and have some form of entertainment and even do Cook Offs to add some fun and suspense 

They go swimming together and play Chicken Fight with Thalia & Thomas

Gabby [Group C, Subject C8: The Minder]

Female Gally

Portrayed by Cara De

With first glance, Gally instantly puts down the fact that she’s his other half because she seems nothing like him, that is until she begins mocking his words and mirroring his body language

Gabby puts on her ‘deep man voice’ whenever she talks to Gally because she believes that he has a husked voice to which he always responds with, “I don’t–No. It’s a normal guy voice.” 

After a while, Gally began growing a fondness over Gabby and she and him go around, checking on Immunes to make sure that they’re alright and stay with them whenever they need to sleep or have nightmares

With Gally’s pup, Chuckie Boy, Gabby takes care of him and watches over him happily which makes Gally happy since he works in Paradise

Before Gally goes on little picnic dates with Freya, he asks Gabby for advice and for what he should say, do, and how to properly act since he likes her a lot

As an activity, they create little many parades with Newt & Newelle’s help to give some festival vibes within Paradise

On the beach, they spend their time playing volleyball with Miho & Minho; theyll play one game as them vs Minho & Miho, the girls vs boys, then Gabby & Minho vs Miho & Gally

They go swimming together and play Chicken Fight with Thalia & Thomas

 Teran [Group C, Subject C1: The Deceiver]

Male Teresa

Portrayed by Freddie Highmore

Teresa greets him warmingly, pleased to meet him and he’s pleased as well, being quiet and kind hearted

They speak of how they both wanted a cure to save everyone in the world but they weren’t going to risk losing their best friends because of it

Teresa and Teran become the doctors of Paradise; nurturing the wounded and sick with home remedies that they remember from growing up 

They plan out birthday calendars for everyone so they can celebrate birthdays and give each kid their own special day so she or he can feel of importance

They attend Fry and Freya’s little shows, cheering them on and laugh along with the kids

On the beach, they help Immunes create sandcastles and teach a few how to swim, acting as their lifeguards

Teresa enjoys spending time with Teran, seeing that he’s well composed and confident in his choices like how she is; especially when they play Jenga and he’s zoned in on moving the block from the tower to try and stack it on top

The both of them agree to keep everyone safe and are determined to ensure their safety in the future

Ari [Group D, Subject D1: The Teammate]

Female Aris

Portrayed by Alycia Debnam Carey

Aris instantly takes a liking to her because she’s very straightforward and is never afraid to crack a joke despite being the background character

They both devour the cornbread that Frypan and Freya both make for them in the morning and again for dinner since Freya makes another pan for them

Ari finds an old deflated basketball, filling it with air, and plays one on one with Aris for exercise which she deeply enjoys

Once in a while, Aris and her switch hoodies around, throwing up their hoods and crouch over while sitting at tables, playing a live version of the game Guess Who with their friends

On the beach, they watch Gally, Gabby, Minho, and Miho play their volleyball game and they change their cheers for the different teams

Aris and Ari are the best Hide and Seekers because they know where all the good spots are and can easily find others from knowing that information

They make little scavenger maps for the Immunes and hide presents in certain locations for them to look for and find; watching them as they’re filled with excitement and searching for the goodies

Ari sings at night and Aris likes to listen in because it reminds him of simpler times, dozing off into good dreams 

Sonjay [Group D, Subject D5: The Resourceful]

Male Sonya

Portrayed by Brenton Thwaites 

Sonya quick to the whip, asking him questions if he likes the same things that she likes and he replies with “yes” for every signal one. She then begins asking him about things that she doesn’t like and he agrees with her

“I already like you.” She says with a smile after the questionare

Sonya and Sonjay speak fondly of their siblings, Newt and Newelle; they share childhood stories and how their older sibling looked after them to make sure that they’d always be loved and safe

Sonjay likes to make wire bracelets for everyone while Sonya joins him with making her flower crowns

At night, Sonjay plays his guitar around the fire and Sonya just admires his musical talent, blushing which causes Newt to nudge her in a teasing manner.

When boredom hits, Sonya and Sonjay both dare each other to do embarrassing things; Sonjay keeps them to a minimal but Sonya goes above and beyond 

When it comes to Ari, Sonjay gets flustered and shy, and Sonya goes to talk to her, letting her know about him and to give him a chance

On the beach, Sonjay teaches Sonya how to boogie board and encourages her whenever she fails, telling her that she’s doing a good job and to keep on trying

Harrison [Group D, Subject D7: The Resilient]

Male Harriet

Portrayed by Jacob Anderson (aka Raleigh Ritchie)

“Well look at you being a stud,” Harriet remarks, eyeing him up and down, impressed. Harrison tries to act like he’s tough but breaks into a laugh, blushing once she says that.

Harrison decides to be in charge of the Immunes, staying with the younger ones, who are 14 and under, throughout the night with Harriet accompanying 

Harrison and Harriet both are the ones who make shadow puppets with the firelight and flashlights 

Harriet sees Harrison as selfless, brave, and daring which she believes are strong leadership qualities and are good personality traits 

They both play Clue with Thalia & Thomas and act as the referees during the Chicken Fights of Frey, Frypan, Thalia, and Thomas as well as the volleyball matches 

At the beach, Harriet and Harrison serve drinks and snacks to everyone, reminding them to stay hydrated and to keep up with their nutrition 

Harrison likes to fish for clams in the sea, trying to find pearls to make necklaces for all of the girls including Harriet  

[clown-bait]

29 Neibolt ST (Monster Roommate AU) CH18

OH WOW LOOK WHOS FINALLY UPDATING! Its been awhile and I need to get the main plot finished before I do anything else with the holiday plot so heres the next chapter. The gang gets take out and bonds a bit over kung pao and entrails. 

CHAPTER 18

Bad cop, Worse cop

“Well while we wait, Leech right? A word please.” the elder clown turned to the vampire. She went to stand and follow him but wobbled on her still busted leg. She would need fresh blood to heal it she had to kill again.

Leatherface helped her to the kitchen and sat her on a chair patting her head with a smile and walking out. Uncle Penny was very quiet it was actually making her quite unnerved. “Alright look this aint easy for me to say-”

“You want me out don't you. What? You worried I'm gonna ruin your little protege or something because he caught a case of the fucking feelings?” she spat claws drawn.

“Will you let me finish? Sheesh you're a little spitfire no wonder the kid likes ya.”

Leech hissed “Fine”

“Junior in there… my nephew…or whatever you want to call it. Look I like that kid a lot alright?” the elder clown began. He seemed to be struggling with this quite a bit “He’s a bit more of a drama queen but he's still a version of me. The kid likes you fangs he likes you a lot. Just be good to him alright?”

“Wait you.. care about him?” Leech instantly dropped her guard.

“Yeah kid, I guess I do.”

“I'm starting to see the relation now, you're both secret softies.” she gave him a devious smirk.

The elder clown grumbled and helped her up. “Don't tell nobody.”

————-

“Chucky does it really matter what we order were just trying to find to information” the female doll reached for her wallet that her husband was going through in search of money to pitch in for their order.

“Look we might as well get some good food outta this Tiff, and I want some of that kung pao.”

“If the doll gets chicken I want noodles” Ash spoke up slamming a $10 on the coffee table

“I'm putting in a request to keep this garlic free.” Leech shouted with a vigorous nod from Dracula.

“C-can I get orange chicken?” Jim poked his head from behind the couch.

“This aint Panda Express Jim they don't got that” Chucky grumbled getting out his own wallet.

“Get the kid sweet and sour pork” Tiff suggested.

“Ask for extra cooOOokiEs!” Penny spoke up jingling his bells as he bounced.

“Ok but do we want rice though?” Freddy called out to the rest of the gang as he repeated their orders

“Don't get it with shrimp I hate their shrimp” Uncle Penny joined in opening his own colorful wallet.

“Leatherface wants egg rolls” the giant excitedly clapped behind Leech and grunted “extra dipping sauce!” she said for him.

“What?! What do you mean you're out of the beef and broccoli what Chinese place runs out of beef and broccoli I'm calling Chin’s at least they have fucking orange chicken!” Freddy hung up the phone and dialed a different number “Hey Ken, its Fred. You got that beef and broccoli yeah?”

“Freddy were supposed to be ordering from the other place so we can find out who has the book.” the gang shouted at him.

“Oh shit. right.”

—————

“Never have I ever…been naked in public.” Chucky stated. The gang were all piled in the kitchen waiting for the unsuspecting delivery person to arrive.

“Oh fuck you.” Leech growled and took a drink along with tiff.

“Wait when did you go naked in public?” Chucky turned to his wife.

“Last girls night got a little uh….it got interesting,,,” Leech trailed off nervously as Penny spit out his drink. (which was just a cup of pure grenadine)

“You did what now?” the younger clown growled.

“Tiff may or may not have killed someone at a spa and then dumped the body at the Quarry” Leech laughed nervously.

“Which led to your brilliant drunk idea to wash the evidence off and hide the body in the lake”

“Look it was nice until that cop showed up! You even said so!”

“Wait you two went on a drunk murder spree and then skinny dipped after?” Chucky looked at both girls in awe.

“Well I had to swim out to the middle to sink the body and there was no way I was going to do that in my nice outfit.” Leech trailed off.

“Shit how come I'm never invited to girls night!?”

“Chucky you're the last person we’d invite to girls night.” Tiff rolled her eyes.

“Am I the first?” Penny turned to Leech excitedly.

“You're the second to last”

“Wait why am I last?”

A knock at the door broke the conversation. The monsters all went eerily silent horrible wicked grins grew on their faces.

“Ash and Jim should go upstairs.” Dracula suggested

“Wait you're not planning what I think you guys are planning are you?” Ash looked at the gang. He was still a good guy despite hanging with villains. Letting them kill some poor delivery kid was a bit over the line for him.

“Go upstairs Ashey” Freddy said clacking his knives on the chair he was in.

“I’m not ok with this”

“Sorry pal, gonna need you to stay out of this one. Bubba help me out here.” Freddy turned to Leatherface who causally walked over to ash and knocked him out cold. Leech snapped her fingers at Jim and pointed at the unconscious man. The poor servant struggled to haul him upstairs. A harder more impatient knock came at the door again. The monsters all vanished out of the room and silence fell upon the old house once more. The delivery girl pushed the door open with an eerie creak. “Um hello? I got a pretty big order here for a mister Kruger?”

The door slammed and locked behind her. She yelped in surprise dropping the bag of food.

“That bitch better not have spilt my chicken” Chucky whispered from the closet.

“Shhh Chucky!” Tiffany hissed.

“Babe I’ve been thinking about that chicken since the phone hung up the craving cant be stopped!”

“I cant remember did you get the white breast meat kind?” Leech whispered from behind them.

“Hell yeah thats the best kind!”

“Nice. I miss Chinese food”

“WILL BOTH OF YOU BE QUIET!” Tiff hissed rather loudly

“Who’s yelling in here? Girl doll, Leech stop chatting!” Penny's head appeared from between the coats

“I wasn't chatting it was Fangs and Chatty Cathy here. Also I have a name clown.” Tiff snarled.

“Yeah don't be mean to my wife Jingles!”

“All of you stop talking! How are you three this incompetent!” the clown hissed

“Hey! I’ve gotten better Pen!” Leech snapped at him, accidentally pulling the coat she was supporting herself with off the hanger and crashing into a broom.

“HELLO?!” the delivery girl called out frantically.

“Leech!”

“I needed something to hold onto! Are you're forgetting that my leg is fucked up!?” Leech hissed at Penny

“Ugh just come here lean on me”

“Aww thanks Pen~”

“Hey love birds shut your traps!”

“Watch your mouth doll!”

The door flung open and the girl shrieked. The monsters seemed slightly caught off guard all looking at one another to make a move.

“Oh hey there…uh you didn't see if the chicken survived did you?’

“You're still on about that?”

“i am craving that kung pao fangs.”

“WHAT THE FUCK WHAT ARE YOU AAAAHHHH” the girl screamed as her head was yanked back and a knife covered finger pressed into her throat.

“Wow you guys suck at this” Freddy laughed as the girl thrashed and shrieked.

“I am injured Freddy, also can you shut her up? I cant hear myself think.” Leech covered her sensitive ears.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll have Bubba tie her up”

“P-PLEASE STOP WHAT ARE YOU-“ the giant grabbed the girl around the waist and carried her away.

The delivery girl was blindfolded and strapped to a chair she couldn't see who was in the room with her but she could hear. Bells jingled around her and something growled.

“Mmmm I must say it is nice to get some take out from time” Pennywise laughed sniffing the girl.

The girl screamed and penny’s claws gripped her shirt sharply yanking her forward. “None of that dear, we just want to ask some questions. Then you can scream all you want hehehe.”

“YEAH LIKE WHY IS THERE SHIRMP IN MY RICE?” a raspy shout came from the living room.

“Alright bad cop my turn” Leech stood up to try to move Penny out of the way but doubled over in pain taking her chair to the floor with her. The clown snarled and released the girl going over to tend to his mate who was raking claw marks into the table.

“You're not going anywhere Leech just sit.”

“Pen I want to help.”

“You’re ruining my table with your helping. Sit.”

“But pen-“

“No buts Leech!”

The two monsters began to bicker and Dracula casually walked over to the poor delivery girl undoing her blindfold and gag. “You will have to excuse my associates my dear, they can be quite barbaric in their ways. Now, we have a few questions for you about your place of employment if you answer well things might turn out for the better for you.”

“W-what do you want to know?”

“YOU BREAK THE TABLE ON A WEEKLY BASIS PEN!”

“YEAH I BREAK THE TABLE! ITS MY TABLE TO BREAK NOT YOURS!”

“Pardon me for a moment dear” the elder vampire turned to the arguing pair. “*AHEM* WILL THE BOTH OF YOU EITHER REMOVE YOURSELVES TO A ROOM OR QUIET YOUR SHOUTING?”

The couple stopped immediately.

“……D-did you just tell us to get a room Drac?”

“Do you not think I am capable of making such remarks? I do live with Fred Kruger.”

“This is taking too long” the clown marched over to the girl grabbing her throat with his claws.

“WHERES THE BOOK?”

“I-I-I-I…”

“TELL ME!”

“Penny she cant speak because you're literally breaking her windpipe”

“Don't tell me how to intimidate my victims Leechie! Stop back seat scaring.”

“Hey I'm just calling it as I see it Pen”

The clown snarled at the nosferatu his claws making small cuts in the girls neck as he glared at his mate. “Your beloved is right clown she's no use to us dead” the elder vampire stated. Pennywise huffed and released the girl who began coughing and crying. Leech inhaled sharply and pushed herself up using her anger to mask the extreme pain in her leg and gut. She stumbled over to the girl and cupped her face. the elder vampire and clown watched on with interest.

“Girl, listen. We need to know if any of your coworkers meet the description of hair gel and revenge obsessed. Probably someone new in town, carries around a creepy looking book”

“T-theres A-Adam I g-guess… He doesn't seem revenge obsessed he seems rather nice really. Will you let me go now p-please?”

“See Pen? You just gotta get straight to the point and- Wait…wh-what was that name?” Leech’s eyes darkened and her blood ran cold

“A-Adam”

Bones cracked in the vampires shoulders and she pulled her hands away staring at her blood covered fingers and back at the girl. “Huh….that… thats interesting….”

“Apprentice, isn't that the name of-“ the elder vampire was cut off by Leech’s soft laughter that grew louder and frantic, her voice splitting into something demonic till the nosferatu doubled over and began shrieking.

“HAHAHAHA SEE YOU CANT HELP IT EITHER!” Pennywise shouted to her beaming with victory as his mate gave into a frenzied bloodlust.

“It seems she's been picking up your mannerisms clown” the elder vampire said to him.

“Birds of a feather.” Pennywise chuckled to himself as leech’s limbs stretched and dislocated. The nosferatu’s face changed to the large eared skeletal bat monster and her claws clacked against the kitchen tiles. The creature charged the delivery girl grabbing her face and tilting her head back. She frantically licked the cuts on her victims neck with greed and when the girl screamed Leech roared back at her in her face. The nosferatu bit down into the girls collar and began to shake her head side to side like a shark cutting out a large chunk of flesh. Pennywise grinned and let out an involuntary purr.

“Ah would you look at that! She's come so far. You must be proud of her.” Dracula said to him looking on like a father at his daughter’s graduation.

“Very.” Penny smiled dreamily. The elder vampire patted him on the shoulder and tipped his hat moving to join the rest of the house having dinner on the couch. Ash came downstairs rubbing his head going to the kitchen to fashion an icepack when he saw the murder scene unfolding in the kitchen

“What the hell happened here?”

Leech sniffed the air a chunk of flesh hung from her mouth. She turned to the human and lunged at him screeching, Ash quickly drew his shot gun and took aim. Before anything bad could happen something grabbed the vampire by the ear and sat her down. Whoever it was spoke to her harshly in Romanian and Leech felt weirdly compelled to obey turning back and landing in a squatting position.

“You need to show me how you did that vampire.” Penny turned to Dracula in earnest.

“What was I just doing?” Leech shook herself in a haze.

“You got triggered!” Freddy shouted with a mouth full of noodles. “Some guy named Adam has the book and you freaked out.”

“WHAT?”

————————

Gasp what a twist. Not really but I’m excited to reveal Adam the vampire to you all and the real reason Leech left him. Also Dracula shouting at night creatures to sit the fuck down in Romanian like he does with the wolf in Bram Stokers Dracula. PS: Don’t break Pennywise’s table.

[forestwater87]

Who did they think they were kidding, anyway?

(Beta’d by @raenbowsofficial​)

Summer 2017

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Gwen groaned, rolling over and pawing blindly at her phone. That was, what, her third time hitting snooze? That meant it was around 6:45, and she had fifteen minutes before breakfast.

Which . . . didn’t seem right. She sat up, double-checking the time on her phone with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Yep, 6:46 a.m., stark white letters against the New York City skyline that’d been her phone background for years.

David usually woke her up before now. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in this late, without the gentle rap on her bedroom door and a sunny “Good morning, Gwen!” Of course, it could be a coincidence that the one morning he didn’t come to get her also happened to be the morning after he’d turned her down for sex and she’d had a major freakout. It could definitely just be unfortunate timing; hell, maybe David had overslept for once.

It was always possible, right?

And if he wasn’t in the main room of the cabin, and if his bedroom door was wide open and neatly put together and empty, then that was just another unfortunate coincidence.

Gwen wasn't very good at positive thinking, not like David. But she managed to wrestle her brain into something resembling optimism — or at least not blind, shrieking panic — as she stumbled through her morning routine, and was proud that she only felt slightly nauseous as she approached the mess hall.

David was standing by the breakfast line, overseeing the Quartermaster as he served the campers. (This was deemed necessary after he “accidentally” impaled the hand of a camper who’d been trying to steal an extra pudding cup. Poor Chucky never quite regained total mobility of his pinky.) Technically the counselors were supposed to trade off this job, but he always volunteered to take her “shifts,” because he liked the extra time to greet the campers as they came to the end of the line.

Usually she was too tired to give much of a shit about anything that was going on before her second cup of coffee, but this morning she couldn’t help but let her eyes linger on the back of the mess hall, watching as David playfully ruffled Max’s hair — easily dodging the boy’s sleep-clumsy shove — and asked Nikki about the caterpillar she was keeping in her overall bib pocket. His smile was happy and relaxed, effortless like it always seemed to be in the mornings. By the end of the day there’d be a bit more strain holding up that expression, but David was a morning person, of course. She’d hadn’t forgotten how much she missed seeing him first thing in the morning, but watching him put a hand on Space Kid’s helmet and comfort him over something QM had threatened, she was struck with a wave of homesickness so bad it felt like a weight on her chest, one that made her shoulders hunch up and her back bow. And for once that feeling wasn’t from seeing the city skyline on TV or from hearing a distant siren from town.

“Morning, Gwen.” David set her tray down in front of her — she hadn’t even thought of getting her own food, she was so used to him insisting — with a small smile that didn’t burn as brightly as the one he’d favored the campers with. “How’d you sleep?”

“Um . . . okay. Pretty well?” After curling up and crying with her teeth sank into her pillow so he wouldn’t overhear and wonder what was wrong. That kind of empty-your-insides sobbing was draining, and as awful as it seemed she actually had slept better than usual. “Overslept a little, I guess.”

She didn’t have the courage to be any more explicit than that, to come right out and ask if he was mad at her and that’s why he hadn’t gotten her up, but he nodded down at his breakfast like she’d asked anyway, twirling the gummy eggs with his fork and gnawing on his lower lip. “Of course. You must’ve been exhausted.” He swallowed, letting the eggs drip back onto the tray and coalesce back with the rest of the goo. “The first few weeks at camp are always pretty tiring, huh?”

His eyes met hers, then, and in them was that uncertain flicker Gwen had grown accustomed to lately, that waver of hope and nervousness like he was hoping she’d take the excuse he was offering and grant him some peace of mind. Just a little bit more, just to hold them together for a few more hours.

She nodded, dropping her gaze to her coffee and swirling it absently. “Yeah, it’s hard to get back into the swing of things.”

“It is!” And again Pavlov, that motherfucker, sprang to mind. Because it was just too automatic, mindless even. A reflex.

David smiled, Gwen felt better.

She felt better, she wanted him to keep smiling.

Which meant . . . lying. Lying until neither of them had the energy to buy it anymore.

But it seemed like the potency of their bullshit was starting to fade. Because that smile, the feeling better, only lasted as long as a quiet breakfast before David climbed to his feet, clapping to get the kids’ attention and beaming. “All right, kiddos! Why don’t you go brush your teeth and Gwen and I will meet you out on the activities field!”

She glanced up at him, confused. Normally they split up after breakfast so that she could watch over (and wrangle) the kids and David and QM would do dishes, but . . . “Who’s gonna take roundup duty?”

His smile didn’t falter, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes as he turned to her. “The Quartermaster agreed to supervise the campers so we can stay behind and clean up before morning activities. Sound good?”

It wasn’t really a question; the kids were already filing out of the mess hall, and QM had disappeared to . . . somewhere mysterious. Either way, this was clearly something they’d worked out while she was still asleep. So she picked up her tray and started to one of the other tables, snagging abandoned silverware and napkins and trying to figure out a way to avoid this conversation.

She had about five minutes to think, as they wiped down the tables and brought the dishes into the kitchen, as she scraped leftover food and campers’ experiments (and she couldn’t always tell them apart) into the trash and tried not to gag, as she joined David over the giant industrial sink and buried her hands in sickly gray-green suds and got to work. About five minutes of near-total silence, of clinking plastic and rustling clothing and not much else. In those five minutes, she failed to come up with anything to say.

But it seemed David had. "Gwen . . ." He swallowed, looking away for a second before taking a deep breath and forcing his eyes back to hers. "What'd I do wrong?"

It took her a second to recover, to swallow her surprise and meet his gaze, and it was just long enough to make every word that followed ring hollow. “You haven’t done anything wrong. Wh —”

Gwen cut herself off. Because what was the point in pretending that she had no idea where this question was coming from?

Instead she shrugged and returned to wiping out a glass with her washcloth. “Really, David, it’s nothing. It’s . . . I’m just —”

“Don’t say you’re tired,” he snapped, and it wasn’t quite angry but it was close, something anger-like but with a little wound in the center, bleeding frustration and impatience and a bone-deep weariness that felt too, too familiar. It was the same kind of pleading aching fatigue that she’d heard just over a year ago, in the words “times have changed, whether I like it or not.”

Times had changed. Whether they liked it or not.

She opened her mouth but he held up one soapy hand, bracing the other against the lip of the sink. “Please, Gwen. I . . .” He sighed, shaking his head. “I’m tired of you being tired.”

Something warm and barbed coiled in her stomach, and it was better than frigid dread or acidic guilt so she grabbed onto it with hands that would be lacerated bloody. He was tired of it? How the fuck did he think she felt having to live it every goddamn day? “Listen, David, I’m trying real hard to hide it and just be ‘happy sunshine camp counselor,’ but maybe it doesn’t come so fucking easily to everyone, okay?”

“Easily?” he repeated with a look of utter disbelief. “Who ever said that anything about . . . who said any of this was easy?”

“I’m just dealing with a lot of shit,” she said, forcing herself to take a deep breath and a few steps back, wiping her hand on a rag she really hoped had always been gray. “I’ve got a lot going on —”

“Like what, Gwen?” They both froze, realizing what he’d just said at the same time, and no sooner had the words left his mouth than he was covering it, ignoring the brackish water dripping down his fingers and wrists. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like — I just —”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t, and her lips felt almost too numb to form the words, but it wasn’t David’s fault. She could hardly hate him for understanding how it was with her — how little it took to leave her moody and overwhelmed and a terrible girlfriend. How “a lot of shit” sometimes consisted of a few sad thoughts that clung to her brain like spiderwebs and gummed up everything that was supposed to make her work like normal people. An idiot would’ve noticed something as obvious as how pathetic she was, and despite his other faults, David wasn’t an idiot.

David shook his head, all the anger leeching out with the tears that threatened to spill over his eyelashes. “No, Gwen, I don’t . . . of course you have plenty going on, I just . . .” His voice dropped almost to a whisper. “I want to be a part of it. I miss you. I’ve — every time we aren’t together, I miss you. And since we’ve been back, even though we are . . .”

God, he was sweet. Sweeter than she deserved, sweeter than was good for him. And even though it was the worst way to respond, even though the Audree in her head was furious and wailing, she tightened her grip on the thorns of anger and dug her nails in, asked herself if she was honestly supposed to believe that he missed being teased and complained at by a bitch like her. He might be a closet masochist, but even he had limits. What kind of misguided hero’s complex kept him trotting back to her side, when her side was full of bad manners and a hideous apartment and no friends and a miserable family, a miserable life, a miserable person?

The same hero’s complex, she realized with a sickening lurch, that kept him chasing after Max. Another joyless, caustic fuckup who didn’t know what to do with such blatant affection and who almost compulsively had to throw it back in his face. Someone with so much potential, if only he had a friend who’d believe in him. A project to nurture and feel good about at the end of the day, a success story that probably only existed in David’s head, a DIY he was still working on.

Did David see her as a project, too?

"Please." She snorted, crossing her arms and feeling the barbs shred through another layer of skin. "You just miss having someone to fuck."

"Wha — ? I . . ." His lips hardened into a thin line. "That's unfair and you know it."

They were jolted back to earth by a shrill beeping, the Camp Campbell theme song that signaled the end of the free period.

He glanced down at his phone, then at the half-finished dishes, and sighed, wiping off his hands without meeting her eyes. “It’s time for the morning activity.”

This wasn't one of their busiest days — Harrison had a magic show, which meant most of the afternoon was spent on the rough wooden benches facing the camp stage — and under normal circumstances the two of them would take the downtime as an opportunity to talk, plan for the rest of the week or mutter snarky comments (while David tried to keep her quiet and pretend he wasn't trying not to laugh), their fingers would find each other's. But he kept his face turned toward the stage and his hands in his lap, so she followed his lead and kept her mouth shut, watching Harrison unfurl a flower from between his fingers with her face blank and her mind racing.

By the time the curtain fell to lukewarm applause, the anger had completely leached out of her, and what was left was cold and sick and sad. By the time they’d sat through a dinner full of stilted small talk and playing with food neither of them were interested in eating, Gwen was pretty sure she was going to throw up the next time she opened her mouth.

By the time they’d returned to the cabin after putting the kids to bed — no stilted, pathetic attempts at small talk, not this time — she was close to a nervous breakdown. Calm down, she told herself, focusing on keeping her breaths steady and regular. This is fixable. You were a cunt, so just apologize and try harder to not be so . . . yourself all the fucking time. David’s forgiving. You’ll be fine.

Probably.

He held open the cabin door for her, as usual, but as she slipped through his fingers caught around her upper arm. “Um, Gwen?”

Her stomach clenched.

Oh god.

David cleared his throat and let her go, stepping inside and locking the cabin door behind them. “Could we . . . talk? I think we need to.”

Oh god.

She was going to be sick. If she opened her mouth she was going to throw up all over the hallway and then she’d have to spend the evening scrubbing partially-digested broccoli out of the carpet and at least that’d be better because then they wouldn’t have to have The Talk — David couldn’t possibly break up with her if she was sick, so vomiting was starting to look like a better idea by the minute . . .

“Yeah,” she said, and she wasn’t sure how she sounded so casual, like she wasn’t talking around a throat thick with acid. “Probably a good idea.”

No it wasn’t. It was an awful idea. It was the fucking worst idea she’d ever heard of.

She followed him into the cramped living room, perching on the edge of her armchair. He didn’t sit down, to her surprise; he just started pacing back and forth, rubbing at the narrow pink scars on the backs of his hands. A nervous habit.

The knot in her stomach grew just a bit tighter.

The silence stretched for almost a full minute, broke only by the light scuffing of his boots against the floor, when she cracked. “Listen, David, I was a total bitch earlier and I’m sorry, I —”

“Wait.” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. H- . . . how to say it. So please, just let me — I just need to get it out.”

She wanted to interrupt, drown whatever he was about to say in apologies because there was nothing good coming next, but his eyes popped open and focused on her just long enough to sever her vocal chords before he resumed pacing, wringing his hands and looking everywhere but at her.

“I’m . . .” His hands kept clenching into fists and releasing, like he was trying to grab the words long enough to force them out. “I’m not happy,” he finally said in a rush of breath, and it was like the tension had been sapped out of him. His shoulders slumped, relaxed, and his hands unfurled. When he turned to look at her, there was something like relief on his face. “I’m not. And — and I don’t think you are, either.” He paused, glancing at her like she hoped she would respond, confirm or deny or make still more excuses.

She didn’t. She didn’t know what she’d even say. Because she wasn’t happy, not even close. But she hadn’t been happy since graduating college, so what the fuck did it matter? And she couldn’t explain that, not to someone like David, someone who’d never understand, so she pressed her lips together and stared down at her thighs and idly wished they were smaller, more girly. As if having skinnier legs would make him want to be with her.

“This is . . . it isn’t working, and it used to. At least, I think it used to. And I don’t know what’s changed, if I did something or if you — or if maybe I was just misunderstanding things? And now . . .” David sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how you feel, about anything. Gwen, I'm trying so hard to be patient, but . . ." He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "I mean — goodness, do you even actually like me?"

He looked up at her again, all big eyes and sincerity, and it didn’t make sense because the words coming out of his mouth were so goddamn stupid, but he was looking at her like they made sense, like he believed them. Like he thought she didn’t . . . that she could possibly . . .

He was waiting for an answer, she realized after a moment. The speech was done, and it was time to explain herself. But what was she supposed to say when she didn’t even understand what the fuck he was thinking? "That's — don't be — I —"

That's ridiculous.

Don't be crazy.

I do. Of course I do.

I like you so much I don't know what to do with myself.

"Gwen?" She snapped back to herself and realized that she had clutched the neck of her shirt and was crinkling it in one sweaty fist. Forcing her hands to relax, she avoided his eyes, because if she looked at him she'd shatter into pieces.

He wasn’t happy. David, the happiest person she’d ever met, the only man who could be tied to a spit-roast and smile, was unhappy. And she’d done that to him. All of this desperate clinging, excuses and being “tired” and half-smiles that must’ve looked as hollow and dead as she felt — it was for her benefit, and it was making him unhappy.

It was selfish, her wanting to be with him. If she had a heart she’d cut him free.

"Listen, David, I . . . like assholes. Guys who are self-involved, who make me feel like shit and who leave. That's my type." She shrugged, feeling oddly weightless. "This has been, I dunno, a fluke, an anomaly, whatever. It was bound to end sometime."

This was better. A dramatic speech, a tearful departure, maybe a little crying in the moonlight; it was downright Byronic. But most importantly, it was her leaving him. If it had to happen anyway, if the right thing to do was make it happen, she wanted it to be on her terms.

She'd been dumped by a lot of people, but she didn't think she could stand being rejected by David.

"Bound to end? I don't . . ." He moved closer, reaching out to take her hand. "Gwen, please —” oh god, his voice cracked and with it her resolve, “— just tell me what’s wrong. We can . . . can’t we talk about it?”

Goddamn it. Goddamn it, goddamn it, goddamn it. She couldn’t do this. She had to get out.

She had to say whatever it took to get out.

"I almost fucked someone else!" The words exploded out of her, totally unbidden; she covered her mouth but it was too late, they were in the air and they'd reached him, he'd heard them, she could see it in the way color bled from his face, making his freckles, usually almost invisible against his pink complexion, stand out in stark relief. And now that she'd started she couldn't stop, blurting out more and more things she'd never wanted to say. "I wasn't even that drunk, he kissed me and I let him, I thought about going home with him seriously thought about it, David! Okay? All this 'we can talk things out' bullshit? That only works with someone who — who —" Who works right in the first place .

For a second he just stared at her, frozen and white like a statue, all bloodless lips and wide eyes and hurt . "Wh . . ." He swallowed, licked his lips, looked down at his toes. "Why?"

His voice was so small. She'd never, ever heard him sound that small.

And that was painful, so she dug the knife in deeper, twisted it with everything she had as though it wasn't her own chest she was stabbing. "Because I make terrible decisions," she spat; he flinched away from her voice, wrapping his arms around his ribs like he needed a hug so badly he'd give one to himself. "It's fucking obvious! It's why I'm stuck in a job I hate, with an education that doesn't do shit for me or anybody else, and dreams that . . . that don't . . . matter." Her voice dropped, almost without her noticing. "All I do is make mistakes," she finally muttered.

Because when God was putting together all the little boys and girls of the world He must've dropped her, something was broken inside her chest, something was missing and there were monsters rattling around in that empty jagged space and everyone she'd fallen in love with left, because she could only pretend to be whole for so long before the rattling became loud enough that everyone could hear it, and no one could sleep next to that kind of racket. Even if they could, even if like David someone managed to ignore it or not hear it — the monsters brought out their claws, because it was a hell of a lot harder to avoid scratches and they wanted her all to themselves, to eat up all her insides and walk around her body.

And that all sounded good, but it was bullshit because Gwen knew there weren't any monsters inside her. She could blame God or her parents or whatever she wanted but she was the only one inside her head and she was the one who kept fucking up, and she was the one who knew David was too good for her and she went and fell for him anyway like the selfish idiot she was. Because if there was a monster it was her, and the only person being hollowed out and destroyed was him.

And there'd been a part of her that'd known that, and it hadn't stopped her.

"Oh." For a second he just looked at her, reading her face and she hated it because she didn't know what he was seeing but it couldn't be good. And she hated even more that his eyes still made her shiver, even looking at her the way he was she still preferred it to him not looking at her at all, even when she was trying to cut him free she still wanted to hold on as tight as she possibly could. "Okay, then!"

She didn't know how to respond, because his voice was taut and too bright, to the point where she glanced around to see if any of the kids had snuck into the cabin without her noticing and he was pretending everything was fine.

But it was just them, and it wasn't fine, and he wasn't pretending.

"I'm sorry," he said after another moment, still strange and cheery and broken, like she was watching a movie that'd been dubbed over badly, and nothing sounded like it came from where it should. And he wasn't smiling, his face was terrifyingly neutral but he straightened his back and squared his jaw and looked away and continued. "I didn't mean to be a mistake. I . . ." He trailed off, swallowing thickly, and now she couldn't look at him either and this was the longest they'd ever gone without eye contact and it just felt so wrong, "I'm going to go check on the campers."

Gwen wanted to leap forward and take his arm, touch his shoulder, say something because he didn't understand, but she just nodded and he left and then all she could hear was her own ragged breathing.

It wasn't fair for him to think that, not when the truth was just the opposite, and no small part of her wanted to chase him down and explain that dating him had been one of the few things she felt like she'd done right — for herself, anyway. Maybe not for him, because how could anything be right if it made him this sad?

And that was what kept her rooted to the ground, and when she eventually started walking it was what directed her toward her bedroom.

The thing was, if she told him he wasn't a mistake he might think they could still work out. Because he was too good, he didn't understand that some people weren't fixable and weren't meant to be happy and there was nothing he could do about it, but if she gave him even half a reason to hope he would try, try until his fingers were bloody and there was nothing left of his smile, and she wasn't going to let that happen.

She'd had her heart broken before and she was still here, and David was a lot more resilient than her so he'd be fine. It'd be a rough few months, he'd probably be sad for the rest of the summer but then he'd go home and next year she wouldn't be here, not even if this was the only job available and Campbell offered her a raise, because she couldn't do that to him and she definitely couldn't do it to herself. She couldn't watch him move on.

He would, of that she had no doubt. He was cute and sweet and sunny, and it was only a matter of time before someone scooped him up, some pretty girl with an easy laugh or a broad-shouldered guy who could give him hugs that'd swallow him. Someone else with the same tenacious optimism, who was so happy they made David look gloomy and short-tempered in comparison, with his favorite-colored hair, pink or green or yellow maybe, that didn't get tangled or knotted or kinked when he tried to play with it but fell through his fingers like cornsilk and reflected the light. Someone he could love effortlessly, without thinking. Someone considerate and perceptive who didn't insult him or push him away, who knew how to say they appreciated him, who never let a day go by without making sure he knew he was good, and special, and important.

Gwen wanted that for him. She wanted him to feel so loved he could drown in it.

She just didn't want to watch it happen.

[blackuigryphonvr]

#PokemonGo #SUGGESTIONS #FEEDBACK

So, it’s really nice to have an abundance of these items. I just wish I’d had them earlier in the first half of this year. I’d been playing since 2016 and I didn’t even get a #DragonScale until AFTER the Horsea Event!

Remember all those Scythers back in several events during the cold weather? Well, I’m still stuck on my Melton Special Research because I’m out of candies n have to walk a Scyther. So, I can’t walk my Shinx(s) or Clamperl(s) or Togapi(s)!

I don’t have enough candies to evolve ANYTHING for these items!

Also, there was a rock type event this spring n I only saw 3 Onyx the entire time. I wish those spawned more because I have quite a bit of Metal Coats, and by now I more effectively comprehend IVs, when previously I didn’t.

As for the SINNOH STONE FAMINE currently going on, I’m definitely NOT in short supply of candies required to evolve the next Pokémon into the Sinnoh Region of the PokéDex!

So, as u can see, I’m definitely in supply of candies, just not Sinnoh Stones

But, the other items for Evolutions I have plenty of items, but not enough candies because they’re never around to catch.

I don’t understand why THOSE Pokémon weren’t available during the Double Candies reward event which was more like a BOOBY PRIZE because I REALLY DIDNT NEED NOR WANT HOPPIP CANDIES! At this point I’m beyond my disdain for Hoppips because every time they do those gleeful chirps n bob around in the air it’s like a malicious taunt of a villain character from an 80s film like the cute Chucky doll from Child’s Play that murders people, Killer Clowns From Outer Space, or Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.... they seem sweet n cute but they’ll taunting u, n evil!

I kind of HATE HOPPIP now! I hate them! I hate their fluffy Evolution! They’re useless! They’re ANNOYING! And it’s infuriating when it’s a Feild Research REWARD! I want to throw my friggin smartphone! I put a LOT of effort into playing! ALOT!!!!! It’s seriously INSULTING! 😤🤬😡🤯😩😫😖😣

I keep telling myself to be mature about it, that it’s just a game. But, I can’t contain it anymore! I JUST HATE THEM!

Last year I used to thing they were cute & adorable, n challenging to catch. But once I evolved my very first one after so much grinding n trying to catch it flying around, I got really bitter when it just died in a PokéGym, n I had been so proud of it at the time. Afterward, it sort of felt like a sick joke.

I probably shouldn’t take in personally.... it’s just a game.... but another one that severely disappointed me was the Lediba & the Ledian. They look soo cool! But, I remember trying to catch them as a newer player back in 2016-2017 at UMASS BOSTON. But, they were useless! I was so disappointed ☹️ about it! U have no idea!

So, for several months in the winter in 2017 I kept catching Tauros instead because they could actually last in the PokéGym. Even tho I still have the majority of those old Tauros from that time period 2016-17 most of them have Bad IVs.

But, for those sentimental reasons of those old Tauros which I still have, I could never bare to part with any of them. I know it’s just a game, and it’s not real, but I felt very grateful to those Tauros for being such good Pokémon in the PokéGyms that I still put them into PokéGyms proudly, especially because they are regionals.

At least a Raticate could be useful, too!

I wish there was a kind of FOUNTAIN of YOUTH ⛲️ to dip my bad IV Pokémon, especially my Shiny Pokémon n my oldies. Some of them have very high CPs but the IVs are trash!

I’d gladly put in the work or quest if such a thing were really in the game! All of my old Pokémon from 2016-2017 deserves better than to be tossed aside like they’re obsolete. But, also all the effort I put into grinding for my Shiny Pokémon only for them to have such bad IVs.

Oh, how I wish I could heal their handicaps n crippled stats! 2 of my TOP CP Pokémon are Slakings including a Shiny! I worked SO HARD TO GET THEM! But, they are disabled & handicapped. 😶

I also cannot bare to part w them. They’re very sentimental to me.

I wish there was a way to GIFT 🎁 and/or TRADE items! I know players whom have LOTS of Sinnoh Stones n even “toss them”, but I have items they don’t.

Same thing with PASSES! I never have enough, n everyone else dumps them. I’m just about fed up with those items that let u change 1 of the moves on a Pokémon! There’s nothing wrong w those items. But I have more than enough. I’d rather have the option to choose my preferences I higher potential of getting stuff I need or want from a preference list or check box.

I watched my kid do the same special research as me n she got premium passes, but I got charge moves or whatever they’re called! I was seriously jealous! And it KEPT HAPPENING! She got passes, but I got those!

There’s no way to trade them, gift them, or have a preference setting to ensure a higher potential of what I’d rather have.

It would be nice if I had a feature like that for Pokémon spawns.

Like, I got barely anything of Onyx spawning n I was even in different towns looking. I’m not saying I want to rig the game in my favor. That’s not fun. But if people on 1 end of the town is getting a certain spawn, n my end isn’t, and it’s pouring rain for over a week, it would be nice to input that in my area, I myself and other people need that Pokémon, so it could potentially start spawning a bit more. That and raids.

There STILL hasn’t been a single Rayquaza in any of the Gyms here! NOTHING! The ONLY reason I have 4 at all is because I happened to be out of town. N since the raids are dead, no one is even raiding anymore over here.