#i just wanna uh enjoy a pop culture moment without it being seen as a morality test

[chappell-roans]

i really don’t understand people who think they’re doing the lord’s work for spreading around m*tty healy is problematic posts and twitter threads thinking it’s their duty to save taylor from a problematic dude and someone saying they just have to live with her decisions or not stan her anymore if they can’t handle it is somehow the unreasonable one idk

[masonscig]

attached series | part two: envy

pairing | mason x detective x felix [detective sofía olmos]

word count | 3.8k

tags | @choicesarehard ; @pixelsandkink ; @brightpinkpeppercorn ; @messofakind ; @raleiighcarrera ; @pixeljazzy ; @cellophanesheep ; @senatorraines ; @beccadavenport ; @wayhavenschronicles ; @hudush ; @pumpkinpeng ; @knightava ; @thebobbyfish ; @agentnate ; @admdmrtn ; @losingface (lmk if you want to be removed)

author’s note | omg i can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me that people liked the first part, as bare bones as it was since i didn’t really have an idea then but i definitely do now! i’m obsessed with writing felix AND mason so this has been soooo much fun. thank you if you’ve read this !!!! i hope you enjoy it :)

read on ao3

•─────────────────•

He strode down the hallway, hands in his pockets to give the illusion that he didn’t give a shit, when he was most definitely on edge. His fingers flicked his lighter open and closed against the twill lining of his pockets, trying to focus on the soft clicking noise it made instead of the swarm of thoughts clouding his conscience.

He still couldn’t figure out why he cared so much.

So what, she didn’t try to contact him the past week? He didn’t give a shit. He had bigger things to worry about.

Like his job. And the next piece of ass he was going to conquer.

He had an ample selection of people to choose from, inside the Agency and outside of it. All he had to do was pick his target, turn on a bit of his whorish charm, and – nine times out of ten – they were putty in his hands.

It was baffling to him that since meeting her, when he caught someone staring at him, the familiar glimmer of hunger in their eyes, he felt nothing.

Sofía had burrowed her way into his subconscious and wouldn’t get the fuck out no matter how many distractions he created for himself. 

He rounded the corner, picking up speed to push through the large wooden door leading to the meeting area.

Despite everything, his pulse quickened at the thought of seeing her again. Not that he’d admit it, but he was… mildly excited.

––––

He plopped onto the cushiony sofa, swivelling so that he could lay back and prop his legs up on the arm rest, folding his arms behind his head.

“Am I doing the Ferris Bueller pose right?” He grinned, wiggling his ankles.

Nate sighed, pointing to his feet.

“Yeah, aren’t my new sneakers sick? I wanted the Marty McFly shoes but they were so expensive so Sofia helped me pick a knock off instead,” he beamed, extending his leg towards Nate. “Wanna touch ‘em?”

“Please get your feet off the couch, Felix,” he commanded gently, licking the tip of his finger to flip the worn page of his dense book.

“Awe, you’re no fun. If I put my feet on the ground, who’s gonna see ‘em?”

“This isn’t show-and-tell, Felix. This meeting has a purpose,” Adam said from the corner of the room, standing rigid against the wall.

“Every meeting is show-and-tell if you have something new, like my shoes,” he wiggled his brows, leaning forward to untie and retie his shoes for the hundredth time, trying to get the loops just right.

“Seems like you had a good time with Sofía yesterday,” Nate murmured, glancing over the cover of his book, a soft smile on his lips.

Felix’s grin stretched wider at the mention of the detective’s name.

He’d had more than a good time with Sofía at the mall. He’d had the best time.

They’d spent nearly the whole week together, binge watching films to cheer her up. He didn’t really have the attention span to watch movies, but sharing a blanket with her, fingers grazing when they both went for the kettle corn at the same time… it was straight out of a rom-com.

He didn’t really get the hype of kettle corn, but people were supposed to eat it to enjoy movies more… right? He could care less about how shitty it tasted as long as he could spend more time with her.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with me like… this for the past few days, but I really appreciate it,” she smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ve got to make it up to you somehow.”

“Hmm,” he mused, screwing his lips to the side of his face. “Nope. I’m just happy we’ve gotten to hang out. You’re always so busy!”

“You say that like you’re not a whole ass supernatural being that works for a secret agency,” she raised a brow at him, the smile still tugging at her lips.

“Touche, touche. I’ll give you that, human,” he said, pushing his brows together like he was trying to sound commanding.

“Oh, please, don’t give me that ‘human’ talk. You know you love our pop culture way too much to talk down to me like that,” she laughed, pretending to shove his shoulder.

“Yeah, I really do,” he laughed. “There’s so much I wanna do that I haven’t been able to with all of this ‘lay low’ shit. Sometimes it makes me wish I had a past human life I could remember like Nate or Adam, ya know?” He shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, when it clearly was something that passed through his mind often.

She shifted on the couch, looking a little uncomfortable. Oh no, he thought. I should’ve just kept that in. There I go again, oversharing when I don’t even know if she cares –

“Is there anything I can do to help you with that?”

“Huh?” His focus was torn away from overthinking.

“If you’ve got a bucket list, I can try to help you check some things off,” she shrugged, tossing a few pieces of kettle corn into her mouth, crunching softly.

“What’s that?”

“Like, a list of things you wanna do before you die. Things you wanna do before you kick the bucket.”

“Well…” Felix trailed off, shrugging. “I don’t know why I’d kick a bucket, but I’m not dying anytime soon… or ever.”

Sofía snorted, the sound reverberating off of her apartment walls. “That’s an idiom, Felix.”

“Hey, you don’t have to call me names,” he pouted, brows furrowed.

An even louder laugh ripped from Sofía, her chest heaving as she cackled. “Felix – Felix, please –” She wiped the tears from her eyes, barely able to catch her breath.

He was a little upset at that.

He didn’t have a chance to learn all the stuff he wanted about humans. Nate really only taught him what he thought was important for Felix to know – boring things, like literature and etiquette.

She must’ve noticed him frowning, because her laughter tapered off, looking guilty as soon as she realized he didn’t get it.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I was just messing with you. You’re the funniest guy I know, seriously. And you don’t even try.”

A smile bloomed across his features, a warmth blanketing him, so comforting that he didn’t think the crisp fall wind could make him shiver.

She thought he was funny. The one thing he was good at without being taught.

“Thanks,” he murmured, looking away from her. Did he sense a blush coming on? Wow, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But maybe not as of recently, since his cheeks burned around her way more than he’d like to admit.

“Well,” he said, after a brief silence. “I don’t really know where to start.”

She pushed her brows together, her glasses sliding down her nose, which she pushed back in place with a finger. “Hmm… is there anything from the movies we watched that excited you?”

He flipped through images in his brain, trying to pin down things he was drawn to from the movies they’d binged. His eyes lit up the moment he settled on an idea.

“I wanna go to the mall, you know, like in Chopping Mall, except we don’t get killed. I’ve never been to one before.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You’ve never been? Like… ever?”

He shrugged. “I kinda had to stay inside until I learned, uh, what are they called?” He snapped his fingers, squeezing his eyes shut while he racked his brain for the phrase he couldn’t recall. “Social cues! Yeah I was terrible at that at the beginning. Couldn’t go two seconds without bringing up home and the fact that I’m… ya know.” He gestured to himself.

“A vampire?”

“I was gonna say devastatingly handsome, but that fits too,” he grinned as she playfully threw a piece of kettle corn at him.

His smile fell a bit. “I’m trying to make up for lost time.”

“You’ve got forever, right?” She asked hopefully.

He sighed. “Yeah, but when you’ve already missed so much of human history you kinda want to learn more. Nate and Adam and even Mason have cool stories that I can’t even compare to. I want that.”

He pretended not to see her flinch slightly at the mention of Mason. God, Felix, your one job was to distract her. Good work.

“Well, we’re just gonna have to make our own history, huh?” She said softly, gently placing her hand on his arm, a sweet smile on her face.

She was beautiful. He’d seen the movies – he knew exactly how he was supposed to feel when he saw the person he wanted. And for him, when he looked at her, the fireworks were firing off in the background.

He barely resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face. Just barely.

When they finally made it to the mall in the city, after pulling a Ferris Beullers’ (they lied to say they were going downtown to patrol when they were ditching), Felix practically skipped up and down the waxed linoleum flooring, in awe, like a child in a candy shop.

With comically large eyes, face pressed up against the window, he spotted the Marty McFly-esque sneakers and dragged Sofía inside.

So, the shoes meant a lot to him. A symbol of his favorite day in Wayhaven – well, technically outside of Wayhaven, but Adam didn’t need to know that.

“Yeah. I had a great time patrolling.”

––––

Mason pushed through the doors, barely acknowledging the rest of the team’s presence as he retreated to his usual corner, next to a one person armchair.

He tried drowning out Felix and Nate’s incessant chattering, the noise nagging at him like a toothache.

His hand reflexively reached for his back pocket, nearly about to grab a cigarette from the pack. Much to his annoyance, he was reminded that he’d left them in his room, since she was going to be there.

He settled for flicking the lighter again, lips curling into a sneer every time Felix laughed a little too loud. 

His senses were suffering. His head was getting cloudier and cloudier with each passing second.

When the fuck was she gonna show?

Before he could leave to retrieve his cigarettes, Sofía shouldered her way through the heavy door, struggling a little beneath the weight, her bangs falling in front of her glasses.

She looked a little disheveled, like she’d just woken up, but not messy. She was well put together all the time, like every single item she wore was meticulously chosen; she made it look effortless, nevertheless.

It always made him proud of how quickly he could turn her into a writhing mess, and that he was the only one that saw that side of her.

He bit back a smirk, shifting his weight so his hip propped up against the arm of the chair, expecting her to plop next to him.

So when her hazel eyes focused on Felix first, he couldn’t help but grimace.

Her face lit up, and she rushed over to the sofa, passing Mason and Nate, while keeping her attention focused solely on Felix.

“You wore the shoes!” She grinned, dropping her bag on the floor next to the coffee table.

“Yeah, I’m just breaking them in,” he said, wiggling his feet, still splayed out on the couch.

She plopped onto his legs, making Felix laugh out loud. “Hey! Didn’t you tell me not to crease them?”

“Scoot over and I won’t,” she giggled as he lifted his legs dramatically one by one, grazing them over her ducked head.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her face. She was so… happy. A complete 180 from earlier that week. Not that he expected her to come in a blubbering mess but… something wasn’t right.

Since when did those two get so damn close?

The ache in his head dulled, his senses more manageable from the moment she walked in.

“Hey Nate. Adam. Mason,” she said, waving generally. To any other person who didn’t know Sofía, they’d think she was being friendly. But the millisecond of a pause before she said his name proved she was still upset with him.

Felix leaned in to say something, eyes wide with a grin to match, invading personal space like he normally did. It wouldn’t have bothered Mason, if he hadn’t noticed one thing.

Her heartbeat sped up.

––––

He slid his bookmark into the crease, carefully closing the book. He’d heard Rebecca drive up, so she’d walk in any second now.

Where Nate sat on the love seat in between Felix, Sofía and Mason, he could sense the tension hanging in the air like a shroud smoke. 

Mason was nearly seething in his corner, eyes locked on Felix and Sofía like a cat with its back arched, visibly frustrated. Felix was either willfully or blissfully ignorant of Mason’s energy, while Sofía was wrapped in her own bubble with him, quiet laughs exchanged in the tiny space between them, the occasional word echoing off the brick walls.

Adam could tell, too. A single glance exchanged between them proved they both knew something was wrong.

Rebecca pushed her way through the door, quickly surveying the group before addressing everyone and moving on to explain their assignment.

“We’ve heard rumors of something lurking on the outskirts of Wayhaven, right at the edge of the  town’s limits. Over the next week, you’ll need to split and patrol to confirm if it’s petty gossip, or something more.”

As soon as the last word was out of Rebecca’s mouth, Mason stormed towards the door, opening it with such force that it smacked the wall, cracking the wood, splintering against the brick.

Sofía flinched, eyes wide. Her posture deflated, like she was finally in a good mood that was ruined by Mason’s explosive behavior.

Nate grimaced, sensing the atmosphere shift from tense to dismal. Even Felix’s smile had faltered as he stared at the doorway Mason exited through.

Sofía’s pulse raced as she stared at her lap, absentmindedly twisting her rings around her fingers. 

Rebecca sighed, cutting through the uncomfortable silence. “Sofía will need someone to accompany her, but the rest of you should be prepared to defend yourselves if needed.

“This is a relatively laid back assignment compared to what you’re used to, but I don’t want you to let your guards down. As we’ve seen before, anything can happen. You need to be prepared for the worst. Are there any questions?”

“Who’s going with Sofía?” Felix blurted, glancing back and forth between her and Rebecca.

“I’ll let you decide amongst yourselves,” she gestured at the remaining Unit Bravo members. “However, Sofía has the last word.”

In her own way, Rebecca was extending an olive branch, as miniscule as it was. Sofía hadn’t warmed up to her quite yet, but Nate was anxiously hoping he’d see their relationship blossom in his lifetime. 

Rebecca glanced at Sofía, who was still wringing her hands together, half paying attention.

“Keep me updated,” she nodded curtly, glancing back and forth from Nate and Adam once.

“Of course, Agent Olmos,” Adam said, tipping his chin at her respectfully. As soon as Rebecca was out of the room, Sofía rose from her spot on the sofa.

“I… I have to get back to the station. I’ll get in touch with you after I’m off,” she murmured distractedly, tossing her bag over her shoulder and exiting before they could respond.

“I’ll go with Sofía,” Felix volunteered. “She’ll need someone to cheer her up while she’s out there.” He was clearly upset with how things played out, and Nate knew he needed to physically be there for her to comfort her – that’s the way he’d always been.

“I suppose,” Adam mused, rubbing a thoughtful hand against his chin. “We’ll be close by in case you need anything from us.”

“Watch out for her,” Nate warned gently, nodding towards Felix. “Adam and I will take the West and East borders of Wayhaven. You can take the South, near the entrance.”

“And Mason?” Felix asked, looking like he didn’t want to know the answer.

“He’ll take the North border. Alone,” Nate nodded. “I won’t tell him that you’re with her.”

Adam squinted. “I can’t guarantee that I won’t let it slip if he asks me.”

“Adam,” Nate sighed.

“I refuse to lie. If Mason asks me directly, I will let him know. Otherwise, you’re in the clear.”

Felix grimaced, pinching the strings at the hem of his scarf between his fingers, tugging at them absentmindedly. “Guess I gotta hope I’m lucky.”

Adam snorted. “Luck won’t help us if Mason finds out we kept this from him.”

––––

Sofía jogged down the hallway, shoving out the double doors towards her car.

Mason stood next to it, puffing a cigarette, arms crossed, looking absolutely volatile. Smoke curled around him like a warning sign, like his boiling blood was pushing steam out of his body. Don’t come closer, it said. She did anyway.

“What are you doing out here?” She sighed, shifting her purse on her shoulder, keys in hand. She’d slowed a few feet away from him, his back turned to her.

He didn’t answer her, nor look at her, eyes transfixed on the swaying trees on the edge of the woods.

“I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to the station.” She walked around him, refusing to look at his face, reaching out for the handle.

“You seemed to have a lot of time to waste back there,” he growled, stopping her in her tracks.

“Seriously?” She turned towards him, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. “What does that mean?”

“I’m not gonna spell it out for you, sweetheart,” he mumbled around the cigarette, pinched between his lips, set in a thin line.

“Why the fuck are you acting like this? And back there, too, in front of everybody. What’s your problem?” She asked, craning her neck forward.

“You could’ve at least tried to keep that shit to a bare minimum in a meeting.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. You’re not dumb, detective,” he enunciated each syllable of her title, like it was an insult.

“Since when do you care about being ‘respectful’ in meetings?” She air quoted around the word, keys jangling from where they hung off of her thumb.

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you berating me right now, when I don’t even know what you think I did wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, insufferably, shrugging like he wasn’t making her crazy. God, Sofía normally wasn’t an angry type – but she was stubborn, and Mason knew exactly how to push her buttons. “Then why are you acting like a fucking child?” She asked, voice raised. Guilt set in after she heard her voice echo around her. Maybe it wasn’t the best move to argue with Mason when all of Unit Bravo could hear. He was silent. He took long, deep drags from the cigarette, pinched between his thumb and pointer finger. He let the smoke seep out his nose slowly, clouding his features. He inhaled one last time, flicking the bud onto the ground before he smashed it beneath his boot. He met her eyes, the grey of his iris nearly swirling like the stormy, tornadic clouds.

“Your heartbeat.”

He said it so low that she could barely understand it herself. Maybe he didn’t want the team to hear. Didn’t want Felix to hear.

“I literally can’t control my heartbeat, Mason.”

“It spiked… around him.” His eyes flickered away from her, towards the trees again.

“That’s what you’re mad about?” She huffed in disbelief.

Silence. “Well, can you stop acting like that? I’m not yours. You made that clear last week,” she rolled her eyes, unlocking her car, opening the door.

“Acting like what?” He challenged, nearly growling. He’d completely ignored anything beyond the initial question.

“Like you’re jealous,” she nearly spat, tongue flicking as she enunciated each word.

“I’m not fucking jealous.” His nose scrunched like he was holding back a snarl.

“Yeah, well your tantrum says otherwise. Stop acting like a baby. You’re too old for this.”

His eyes narrowed, and he stepped back, letting her slam her door. He turned and walked in without another glance.

She revved the engine and peeled away from the warehouse, expecting to feel a sense of triumph in having the last word, but nothing came. Just emptiness.

––––

A growl ripped from Mason as he paced around his room towards the door, dragging his laundry basket behind him.

For the millionth time, Felix tried pawning his responsibility off onto Mason by planting his harder to wash items at the bottom of his basket.

He didn’t want to learn how to wash a beanie or a scarf, so he pawned it off on the person down the hall.

Felix never pulled this shit with Nate, so why would he try it with Mason? It was beyond him.

Laundry basket grating on the ground behind him, sending electric shocks up his spine at the volume, Mason gritted his teeth, ready to fling his basket at Felix’s door, fully prepared for the plastic to shatter and rip into their clothes. But it was worth it.

Instead, he found the door ajar, the sickeningly bright tones of Felix’s room instantly giving him a headache.

Ugh. What the fuck was so great about the color yellow?

Adam had warned all of them to passcode lock their doors behind him no matter what, since they clearly only relied on themselves for security, being that their home base was in the center of the woods.

Mason dug through the basket, flinging shit into the room, strewing the bright socks, beanies, t-shirts, and scarves across the floor.

He still had a bone to pick with Felix, but at least he got most of his anger out of his system.

Right as he was about to leave, something next to the entrance of his room caught his attention.

The shoes Sofía bought Felix.

Crisp, clean, and begging to be tampered with.

He didn’t mull over the decision for long, grabbing the shoes by their laces and chunking them into his basket, covering them with a pair of jeans.

He grabbed the basket with the tips of his fingers, hoisting it over his back, strolling back towards his room with a slight pep in his step.

––––

[momentofmemory]

FICTOBER 2020 - day thirty-one

Prompt #31: “I trust you.”

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall.

Words: 2218

Author’s Note: an underappreciated aspect of chess culture? games played for fun are called Skittles. set post 5B, Scott & Stiles take a break to play a game of chess, and wind up talking about a whole lot more than just a game. Gen fic, Scott & Stiles focus. Stiles POV.

>> j’adoube (i adjust)

Stiles tosses his pen in the air. Watches it flip, twice. Catches it, barely. Toss and repeat.

“Hey, Scott.”

Scott, who’s sitting across from him at the desk, just grunts without looking up. They’ve been going over scholarships together for the past three hours, and it’s the most mind-numbing use of a Saturday Stiles has had in a very long time.

Which, considering most of his Saturdays have been more of the terrifyingly bloody variety, is probably still preferable. But still.

“Scoooooooott.”

Scott flips to the next page. “Mm?”

Stiles throws his pen at him and smacks him squarely across the face.

“Ow, Stiles—what?”

Stiles flips over onto his stomach, triumphant to have finally gotten Scott’s full attention. “You wanna play a game?”

Scott puts his own pen down and leans back in the chair, stretching and popping in a way that suggests being hunched over for that long is unpleasant for even a werewolf. “What kind? Board game?”

Stiles grins.

Board games, to his mind, are sacrosanct.

Not necessarily because he loves them—given a free range of choices, he’d rather do just about anything else—but because it’s so easy for them to suck.

Yahtzee, Monopoly, Shoots and Ladders, Candy Land, Sorry, even Risk—there’s just too much luck involved for his taste. Draw randomized but predetermined cards, roll uncontrollable dice. And that’s not even touching the disaster that’s Life, where the only two choices that ever matter are college or career, kids or no kids.

Absolutely nothing about bite or no bite, or possession or no possession.

Or ‘betrayed by a monster that gets your best friend killed and your crush of five years committed to an asylum,’ but.

Either way, it’s a joke.

There are better board games. Clue or Scrabble, which still rely on the hand that’s dealt, but at least can be salvaged with enough knowledge and strategy.

But he has the best one in mind for today.

“Chess?”

Scott’s eyes light up with a competitive glint Stiles feels like he hasn’t seen in ages, and he knows he’s won.

“I could do a round or two,” Scott says.

“Oh, thank god—”

“But, then we have to get back to work on these.”

“Yep, uh-huh, absolutely,” Stiles says, rolling off the bed and hunting underneath it for his set.

He fully intends to bribe Scott into playing way more than that, but one thing at a time.

His fingers close over the wooden case and he draws it out, blowing a bit of dust off the top. He turns it over in his hands.

If board games are sacrosanct, then chess is the holy grail.

Most people don’t get the attraction, and he respects that. It takes a certain level of concentration to be good at chess, and considering how many strategy books he’s read on the topic—even if he rarely remembers them—he can beat a casual player without too much effort. Plus, most people prefer games that don’t require much thought, perfectly wiling to just roll their dice and move their mice.

Stiles respects that a lot less.

What he likes about chess is that it’s the one game that’s completely and totally winnable every time—with no variation from chance or random dealing. He might be outmatched, but he’s not outnumbered.

Every choice he makes is fully his own.

It’s the best game.

The only marginal difference is that white has a slight advantage, as it gets to go first, so as Stiles tosses the set onto the bed he says, “I can be black this time.”

Scott barely glances up from the scholarship he’s still worrying himself over. “Hm? No, that’s okay, I don’t mind. You can take white.”

Stiles rolls his eyes and flops onto the bed. “You’ve been black the past like, eight times we’ve played. You’re white this time.”

“Stiles, I really don’t care if you want it.”

It’s an innocuous statement, but Stiles’ temper flares because all he can hear is that Scott thinks he needs the advantage—even if it’s one that, statistically, barely even matters. “What, because you don’t think I can beat you otherwise?”

“What? No, Stiles, I—” Scott falls silent, and it’s enough to instantly cool Stiles’ frustration. “I just—never mind. I can be white.”

Stiles hesitates for a few beats, then turns the board and starts setting the pieces up so the white ones are facing Scott.

He pauses. He’s been trying to pay more attention to Scott lately, but it’s hard—Scott tends to fold pretty quickly on smaller issues, and he tends to—

Well.

Not.

“Then again,” he tries, “I guess it doesn’t really matter—”

“You asked me to play white, so I’ll play white.” Scott’s voice is flat. “You were right; we haven’t switched it up in a while, so it’s only fair. Just give me a sec to finish this.”

“…Okay.”

Stiles toys with the edge of the board as he waits for Scott to finish restacking the papers.

One of the reasons Stiles likes chess is because it makes for a surprisingly good Rorschach test, and he’s played it with every member of the pack at some point or another.

Liam’s not much of a challenge, mostly because he’s made it clear he doesn’t care. The one time they played, he’d started strong—aiming to capture more than aiming to secure—but his failure to consider long-term strategy had gotten him into trouble almost immediately. With Malia, she has a good concept of how to control the center of the board, and favors trap-based strategy, but her ability to pay attention to her opponent’s gameplay is usually her downfall. Lydia tends to focus on a bishop and pawn strategy, which works very well for her mostly because it infuriates Stiles—his own strategy relies heavily on a more spontaneous approach to movement, and her method thoroughly demarcates most of the board. That’s probably why he enjoys playing with Kira, whose strategy rotates every time they play—as soon as he’d introduced her to the game, she’d started binging chess tutorials at speeds that put his own research to shame.

He hasn’t had the chance to play with the new pack members, but he has his guesses as to how that will go. Mason will play circles around him, but be super nice about it. Hayden will either trounce him thoroughly if she cares, or lose terribly if she doesn’t, and there will be nothing in between. Corey… Corey will probably favor the knights, which will make him hard to beat on the front end, but almost impossible to lose to in the endgame.

But he can work with that. All of those strategies make sense; make it easier for him to understand and categorize them.

He looks down at the white and black pieces, standing silently in anticipation of the match.

He can’t think of any reason Scott would want to reject the advantage, unless it was just for his benefit, but he hadn’t appeared to be lying.

And now Scott probably won’t tell him because he’d snapped at him instead of just asking.

Stiles winces and rakes his hands through his hair.

It’s just a chess preference. It’s not like it matters.

Except it does, because everything between them feels so fragile after Theo.

Stiles’ thoughts are interrupted when Scott vaults onto the bed, accidentally knocking one of the pawns forward as the board lists to the side.

“Whoops,” Scott says. The tiniest of smirks appears on his face as he moves to fix it. “J’adoube.”

Stiles rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to announce that that’s not your move when I can clearly see what just happened.”

“Can’t be too careful,” Scott says, adjusting the piece. “You’ve definitely called me out for less in the past.”

“You tried to change your mind after wrapping your whole hand around a bishop! How is that less?”

Scott shrugs, and Stiles is relieved he doesn’t seem to be bothered about the pieces anymore. “I’m just saying. Can’t be too careful.”

“A mindset I would normally endorse wholeheartedly, however.”

Scott laughs, then settles in cross-legged and stares down at the board, elbows resting on his knees and face furrowed in contemplation.

Stiles glances at Scott, then at board, then back at Scott again.

Scott doesn’t move.

Suddenly, it’s really bothering Stiles that despite having played with him more than anyone else, despite knowing him better than anyone else, Stiles still doesn’t understand why Scott plays the way he does.

It’s not that Scott’s exceptionally bad, or that Scott’s exceptionally good. It’s that he’s both.

When he plays with Stiles, he matches him step for step, pivoting his goals almost as quickly as Stiles does. But the few times Stiles’ seen Scott play with others, that ability seems to vanish—his level of competence almost directly mapped onto the level of the person he’s playing with, above or below where Stiles would expect it.

It doesn’t make sense, but that’s just Scott. Stiles had long since acknowledged that there were always going to be some things that didn’t make sense about his best friend.

That was before Theo. Before everything that was Scott & Stiles fell apart.

And also, Scott still hasn’t moved.

“Hey Scott?” Stiles waits until he glances up at him, chin still resting in his hands. “You gonna go, bud?”

“Yeah,” Scott says. He blinks down at the board. “There’s just… a lot of options.”

“Okay, right, that’s true,” Stiles says. “But it’s also just the first move.”

“Yeah.”

Scott reaches out and touches the pawn from before. He hovers there for a moment, then retracts his hand—the pawn still unmoved.

Stiles clears his throat.

“Really? You want me to—” Scott sighs. “J’adoube.”

“Technically, you’re supposed to say that before you touch it.”

“And technically, you said I didn’t have to say it earlier, so that one could count for the one I just did.”

“Bro,” Stiles says, because this is getting ridiculous. “Literally just move the pawn. Or a knight. Or any of the other pawns. There are zero other options.”

“I know, I know,” Scott says. “I just… what if I move this piece, and then you move like your knight or something, and it turns out I made the wrong move?”

Stiles squints at him. “It’s your move. Why would my move, which comes afterward, make yours wrong?”

“Because I have to stop your plan.”

“Right, but like.” Stiles tilts his head. “What about your plan?”

“That is my plan.”

Stiles’ brain short circuits, and he spins rapidly through every game he’s ever watched Scott play. “So—so wait. You mean every time you’re playing you’re just… trying to figure out your opponent’s plan? You’re not making one of your own?”

“I mean, kinda?” Scott reaches for the pawn again, then pauses before touching it. “J’adoube.”

“Yeah, whatever, just move the pawn,” Stiles says. “So earlier, it wasn’t about wanting me to have an advantage; you wanted black because… it’s to your advantage?”

Scott spins the pawn around in a slow circle, then lets go of it without moving its position. Again.

“I guess,” he says. “You like playing white better and I like black better, so it just… makes more sense to let us play the ones we actually prefer.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that?”

Scott shrugs. “It just seemed like it was important to you, and I… I didn’t want to argue.” His eyes drop, and so does his voice. “I don’t want to argue with you anymore.”

Something clicks in Stiles’ mind. “J’adoube.”

“Uh,” Scott looks pointedly at the pieces, which are still unmoved, and his hands, which aren’t anywhere near them. “What?”

“‘I adjust,’” Stiles says. “That’s what you’ve been doing. Adjusting your plan to match mine, or—or anyone else.”

Scott picks at the edge of his sleeve. “And that’s bad?”

“Um.” Stiles hasn’t gotten that far. “No? I mean like, you’re clearly very good at it. You’ve definitely beat me enough times doing it.”

“I sense a ‘but.’”

“See, there you go, anticipating me again. You’re a pro.”

“Stiles.”

“Yeah, okay, the point.” Stiles glances down at the chessboard—and then at the pile of scholarships, too. “Look, I’m just saying you gotta just take the shot sometimes. Or move the pawn. Whatever. My point is, it’s okay to make your own plans.”

Scott shifts a bit to look behind him at the paperwork, something both worried and hopeful in his expression.

“And then, y’know,” Stiles continues, “you can always adjust them later if you have to. But you don’t have to start out that way.”

Scott picks up the pawn and turns it about in his fingers. He bites his lip. “And… you trust this to work?”

“Nah, man.” Stiles settles back against the wall and nods towards the board. “It’s the first move; I have no idea how it’ll play out. But… I trust you enough to know that you can handle it if it doesn’t.”

Scott’s eyes get suspiciously bright, but Stiles doesn’t comment. “I trust you, too.”

(And, well.)

(If Stiles’ eyes get a little bright too, no one comments on that either.)

Scott moves the pawn to e4, and lets it go.

[tyranttortoise]

How would boys react to watching a movie with their crush and there being an unexpected sex scene? Like these scenes where there's a lot of loud makeout sessions and moans and technically it's not porn but it's so loud and in your face. How would Fell, Swap and Swapfell bros react to seeing that when their crush is sitting next to them? (Bonus points for embarassed, red in the face crush)

(*I ended up doing Fell and Swap bros because I feel like I need to start kicking these down to four skeletons at a time.  Hope that’s okay!)

_______

You and your skeleton companion are watching You on Netflix, settled onto the couch as a nice way to unwind after dinner.  You’re feeling good about the fact that you talked him into watching it; the beginning of the first episode had quite a few literary references that were a little too human for him and went right over his head.  You half-expected this to be a show that you’d just chalk up to being a cultural barrier he couldn’t overcome enough to enjoy, but then the plot quickly ramped up.  

You were both intrigued, wrapped up in the story.  And then came a scene with a double-whammy.  Not only was the protagonist caught in a voyeur situation, but the sex scene involved unexpected nudity (the kind that would be flagged for sure on tumblr, a cynical part of you thinks), exaggerated, open-mouthed moans, and strategic camera angles.

Immediately, you freeze, feeling your face begin to flush hot.  If you were by yourself, this wouldn’t make you feel quite as mortified, but he’s right there.

_______

Red

He doesn’t think much about the sex scene when it pops up initially, except that he feels for that poor bastard that’s stuck watching the scene unfold from the shadows.  That’s gotta suck.  He wasn’t expecting the nudity so quickly in the series, and he chuckles.  “well, sweetheart, ya certainly know how ta pick a show.”  

Red glances over at you with a sharp-toothed smirk, and then finally realizes just how red your face is; his teasing only served to deepen your blush.  

“Hey, I didn’t know!” you respond defensively, shoving his shoulder, while he laughs harder.  You focus on looking at him instead of watching the scene, and try to compose yourself.  Your heart’s beating quick, so you must be more flustered than you thought.

“sure ya didn’t.  i mean, if ya wanted to watch some porn wit’ me, all you had t’do was ask.”  Red leans in, his arm resting behind the couch cushions by your head.  His grin is teasing, but there’s a certain heat in his gaze that’s different than before.  It feels almost like a challenge, but more of an... invitation?

Or are you just reading into this wrong because your mind’s in the gutter?

“You wish,” you scoff, pushing him back with a hand against his chest.  “Just watch the show, you perv.”

“takes one to know one,” he absently retorts, obediently returning his gaze to the TV just in time for the scene to shift from gratuitous sex to plot.  

His arm doesn’t move from behind your head... and sometime during the show, it drops to your shoulders.  

You lean into him.

Edge

Edge freezes up much like you do, unsure how to react.  His face is glowing red, flushed with magic, and he realizes that with every passing moment, it looks as if he’s watching with rapt interest.  

Horrified that you would think that of him, Edge deflects the only way he knows how:  with anger.  

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF ASGORE’S BEARD DID YOU INSIST ON WATCHING?!”

“Hey, I didn’t know!” you shoot back, absolutely mortified.  You knew he was going to react like this!  You knew he was going to be horrified -- he always hates Red’s perversions -- and think you to be some sort of pervert.

(I mean, if he only knew, but you’re letting your gutter mind slip out gradually.)

“It’s just one scene, Edge.  It’ll be over in a sec.”  The words come out in a rush; your face is burning, and his face is redder than you’ve ever seen it.  Edge can’t look at you; he’s too embarrassed.  

The scene is still going, so he yells to cover up the sounds from the TV.  “I HIGHLY DOUBT IT WILL BE JUST ONE SCENE!”

“If you don’t wanna watch it, we can find something el--”

“NO.”

He surprises himself by cutting you off.  Edge doesn’t want to admit that he’s intrigued -- or that the one scene has sent his mind straight into the gutter, too, and now he’s wondering what you’d look like with so much skin on display, and what kind of sounds you’d make.  

Stars, he can’t look at you.

“YOU WANTED TO WATCH THIS.  AND NOW YOU HAVE ME INTERESTED IN THE PLOT.  THE TERRIBLE PAPYRUS DOES NOT QUIT THINGS HALFWAY.”

He stares ahead of the TV, his arms crossed and his chin raised defiantly, while you relax beside him.  You want to point out his reddened skull, but you decide to have mercy on him and fall back into a comfortable silence.  Edge isn’t one that likes talking during a show, so you reach out and pat his upper arm.

His reddened skull doesn’t disappear anytime soon.

Blueberry

Blueberry feels his face light up a faint blue as soon as the scene begins.  He isn’t sure how to react.  If he was watching it by himself, he would be unphased at this point, although he did ask Papy one time why humans were obsessed with mating on camera.  Oddly enough, Stretch had nearly spat out his coffee and asked if Blue had been using his laptop recently.

The more Blue researched humans on his own computer, the more desensitized he realized he was to it.  

So why is he absolutely mortified?

“W-WELL, THAT WAS UNEXPECTED, MWEH HEH!” he blurts nervously, his voice sounding higher than usual, filled with nerves.

His eyelights shift to you.  He’s so embarrassed because you’re sitting next to him, furiously blushing, and it’s making his SOUL pulse through his bones.  You’re a human -- these are humans.  Do you think that he’s envisioning you in this situation?  That he’s picturing you without your cloth--

Whoops, now he is.  His skull glows brighter, and he laughs again.  

Loudly.  Nervously.  

You, on the other hand, are stammering an apology.  “Geez, Blue, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to expose you to that out of the blue -- shit, uh, without that unintentional pun.”

This gives him pause.  “EXPOSE ME TO WHAT?  TO A HUMAN SEX SCENE??”

Oh god.  You meekly nod.  “Well, yeah.”

Blue relaxes, grinning broadly.  “OH!  IS THAT WHY YOU’RE SO RED?  YOU WERE WORRIED?  WELL, FEAR NOT, MY HUMAN BESTIE!  THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE HAS DONE PLENTY OF RESEARCH ON HUMANS!!  AND THAT MEANS I AM WELL-VERSED ON WHAT HUMAN MATING ENTAILS!”  

... Did Blue just admit to you that he’s watched a lot of porn?

You can’t help it; you start laughing, and you can’t stop.  

Meanwhile, Blue tries to backpedal, while he simultaneously wishes he could hurl himself out the back window.  

Stretch

The lanky skeleton doesn’t even blush when you glance over at him.  Instead, he rolls his sucker around in his mouth, his relaxed grin still perfectly in place.  

Is it that he’s completely comfortable with you, or is he the type that just isn’t bothered by nudity?  Is it a skeleton thing -- or at the very least, a monster thing?  After all, physically, monsters and humans are incredibly different (there were plenty of humans wondering what monster sex looked like, but you’re not sure if the monsters shared the same perverted curiosity), so perhaps the intimacy didn’t translate.  

“there’s somethin’ i don’t get about this, hun.”

“Huh?” you snap out of your introspect.  Were you staring at him?

“why not just have curtains?  i’d always feel like i was bein’ watched.  and that’s exactly what’s happening here.”

“That’s your takeaway from this?” you can’t help but press, your embarrassment fading.

“sure.  what should i be taking away from this?  that i might need to watch you around my pillows?  is that a human thing?”  He gestures toward the screen, where one of the humans is... uh, enjoying the softness of a pillow even more than they just enjoyed their lover.

You swat him with a pillow from the couch, and he moans in-sync with the character on TV.  

A moment later, both of you are laughing.  

You’ll have to remember this the next time he wants to lie on you and asks you to be his pillow.  

If you’re lucky, you might be able to make him blush.

[valnune]

Obey Me! OC - Wine Mom Chapter 8-8

This is Wine Mom’s chapter for the dance. Oh. Both Wine Mom and Marshmallow have an added dance with Diavolo ;)  Enjoy.  Word Count: 6707 Within the golden illustrious palace of the Demon King, the residents of Purgatory Hall, exchange students Simeon, Luke, and Solomon, were joined with the denizens of the House of Lamentation, the demon brothers, accompanied by the final exchange student, Althea. It was a retreat designed to celebrate the exchange program and how smoothly it was running. Smoothly was not the word she’d use for it however. While the situation itself was one of jovial merriment, a banquet before them prepared by the Demon Lord’s Butler Barbatos and the unseen staff that lurk in the shadows, Althea had been having the antithesis of amusement.  “...Well then, I suppose it’s about that time.”  Diavolo, a man who seemed surprisingly pleasant given the fact he was supposed to be, according to all she knew about Hell prior to arriving in the Devildom, had risen from the table that everyone had been seated at for the meal. As he rose, so did everyone else, more or less, rise with him in time as you would expectantly do for someone of such high royal status. Yet he also looked off to the side and waved a hand to the staff who were only visible from the reflections on the golden floor. The table glittered before them and disappeared before her very eyes through means of magic, much to Beelzebub’s displeasure, mumbling and groaning about how he wasn’t finished eating.  “Ignore him, Diavolo. Go ahead.”  Lucifer had distanced himself, and so did the other brothers. She had known that there were more festivities to be had, and while she enjoyed the tour and perhaps the scavenger hunt itself for its intellectual and cultural insights, this was a surprise for her whatever it was. Fun fact: Althea did not like surprises. You can’t prepare for surprises. That, and most surprises were disappointing. This one time however, was the exception to the rule. This was something the heiress was a bit more used to.  “All right then, here we go…” 

As the lights went dark over the entire area, her vision became obscured so that not even a shine from the floor or chandelier was able to gleam through. This was a spell, it had to be. Though she was unfamiliar with sorcery, she had been around it enough to feel the charged particles linger in the air. If she had arm hair, surely the hairs would be standing up as she felt static prickle along her skin. Althea felt a weight against her neck, and the texture of other fabrics. As the lights went on, all was revealed as the room they were in was transformed to a grand dance hall. Each demon was within their natural form, and the students, herself included, were adorned with fanciful formal attire. 

This is the sort of thing that could tempt mortals to fall. All those stories about grandiose, larger than life scenarios. Oh, how the Devil could tempt you with whatever it is your heart desired. Indeed. Decadence and Sin was mired throughout this place. She had been raised Catholic, went to an all girls, Private Catholic School, and although she had enough skeletons in her closet to fill a graveyard, was still faithful to God. 

“Magic really does come in hand sometimes, huh?” Solomon passed by her, his cloak bearing a mantle now for his formal robes his smirk remained the same no matter what he wore. 

“We were the only ones here just a bit ago, but now look at all these people…” Luke’s formal attire suited his diminutive appearance, rather looking like a flower boy at a wedding. Though that wasn’t much better than a chihuahua.

“They’re all guests from across the Devildom, and there certainly are a lot of them.” Simeon was the other angel, dark skinned, dark haired, with eyes like the Caribbean Sea. Yet, she was expecting to see that the angels had wings, apparently neither manifested them or were able to. 

Yet all of the individuals here, those she knew, those she didn’t, were in their demon forms. Wings, tails, and horns of all shapes and sizes were visible. Yet it seemed, from what she could see, that only Lucifer retained feathery wings. The rest had wings like that of a bat if they had them. Satan and Leviathan only had tails and horns- and despite Satan’s questionable fashion sense, it was Diavolo who truly caught the eye. The man had already been enough to catch the eye before; broad of shoulder and frame, tall of statue, clearly the largest demon she had seen but in his true form it was something else. 

His bare chest was adorned with golden accents and a few tattoos that accentuated his muscled form. Triangles bore upon his forearm and his attire on his lower half of black and white was still draped with gold chains and just the same as his torso. His neck held a black and gold collar that went all the way up, yet it didn’t look like it was difficult to turn his head in. All the while, a mantle of black fur curled over his arms behind his shoulder blades like a runway model. His hair turned a blood red and his skin deepend in colour. The future King of the Devildom truly looked like royalty in this moment for even his horns and four bat wings were tipped with gold. Yet he wasn’t the only one who was striking. 

“...Yo, Al… ah… ah…” Mammon seemed stunned for a bit at her appearance, and as Althea took a glance over what she wore, it seemed that it was the gala gown. It seems that it was replicated perfectly- and she didn’t have to pay the hefty price again for it either. 

With a thigh high slit, the gown was practically entirely gold, the leaves, vines, and flowers upon the skirt gold, the bodice and interior, all shades of gold in various ways that had a satin reflection as much as the room around her. Yet that wasn’t all, it also appeared her jewelry was replicated as well, bejeweled bracelets and the cascading necklace upon her bare neck and collarbones. Glancing to the side, she saw Barbatos give a nod. It seemed that he had done his research to make the gown as faithful to her own as possible. 

“I- Ah- Al- Althea! Um, like… you know… uh, I mean, like… uh… L-Like, you’ve gotta have weird tastes to ask a human like you to dance. I’m guessin’ no on here’s gonna do that, huh? Ahahahah!”  Mammon then mumbled something under his breath, looking away from her gaze, the blush upon his cheeks was expected by now. 

His demon form, as this was the first she had a chance to see it, was what she assumed he thought looked cool. A leather half cropped jacket that came nowhere close to being able to close was studded and had gold dangling decorations on the popped collar with belts that crossed his chest with two strips of leather that clutched the X. His bat wings were angled downwards and held white markings on them, just as his chest bore markings almost reminiscent of tribal war paint. 

“My oh my, Mammon… this look is more suited for the bedroom than the ballroom, don’t you think?” Althea closed the distance and brought her hand towards his chest, ever so slowly dragging a finger across one of the white markings. Mammon seemed to freeze a second and take a half step back as his blush intensified. 

“Mm? Y- yeah? W- wait- I mean! Y- what are ya doin’?! Y- ya can’t go sayin’ that here-” He even smacked at her hand, however light the trailing of her nail had been across his chest. Though, Althea’s reaction as a smug, mused grin at how flustered her had become. 

“Oh, I know- I know. I just like to see you blush. It’s terribly entertaining, darling.” Placing a hand on her hip, she canted them to the side as Althea couldn’t help but laugh in the most amused of ways. Teasing Mammon was probably her favorite thing to do in all the Devildom, which honestly was saying something because she lied. There were a few things that she did find enjoyable since being here. 

“Stop it-! Would ya? Geeze. Now I don’t even know if I wanna pair up with ya for a li’l bit!”

“Mammon, why not just admit that you want to dance with Althea?” 

“You’re such a loser! And a total tsundere! Looooool People are sick of characters like that!... Didn’t you get the memo? Lololol Those characters are so yesterday! LMAO.”

Satan and Leviathan mocked the already wounded Mammon, pouring a bit of lemon and salt into the cut Althea made. The both of them had been a curiosity to her. While certainly she did get along with Satan as he tended to with others, she was used to people faking their smiles and demeanor and found it tiresome to guess their motives. Levi was easy to read, just like Mammon, in that he wore his emotions on his sleeve and he had quite a bit of emotions as well.  A bit of a smile formed upon her lips again and as she was about to offer a head-pat to comfort the second oldest brother, he burst out in frustration to number 3 and 4. 

“GRRRRR! Get outta here, both of you! Shoo! Shoo!” Mammon smacked the hand away again to avoid being head-pat but also waved his hands frantically at Satan and Levi.

“Althea, come dance with me. Now.” A voice came from the side, deep and commanding. 

“Lucifer, surely you can ask a lady more politely than that.” A bemused chuckle slipped from her lips as her eyes leveled upon the mighty first born in his prideful glory. Accepting the hand that was extended towards her, she could tell just from the shadows nestled in his gaze that this was not a frivolous encounter. 

“Wh…!”

“See, you should’ve just come out and asked Althea to dance.” Satan let out an audible sigh. 

“The loser was rejected! Haha, awesome! Loool!” 

“SHUT UP YOU TWO!” 

A hand remained delicately rested within Lucifer’s, another hand pinching the corner of her dress as the pair made their way further onto the dance floor.  Her eyes glanced over, lingered upon his facade as he seemed to be watching her from the corner of his eyes as well. As soon as they were appropriately distanced enough from others, her hands went in position and remained there without a shred of doubt in herself. 

“It would surprise me if you didn’t know how to dance.” 

“You would be correct to assume that I know. However, the question is, can you keep up with me?” 

“Is that a challenge?” These words could have been spoken by either of them, as both held a certain tension that charged between the both like electricity about to go off. Yet it was Lucifer who stared down with a foreboding gaze as if to question the human who dare challenge his pride. 

“No. Not yet anyway.” Althea was taking full advantage of them being in a public location and while she would contest him while not surrounded by others as well, she was all the more confident in just how many people were around them. 

Lucifer was savvy on the pickup, and as the music started, took careful stride. Long, graceful movements were made upon the dance floor, something that she could easily pair her steps with. Needless to say, she was not one to fall behind with every pivot, twist, and for the longest of whiles, the two would not speak, merely stare intensely at each other as if to try and make the other person become unnerved and miss a step. Of course, she didn’t expect to be able to stare down Lucifer, however, she made certain not to lose any of her own ground. Finally, the dancing slowed enough for the discussion to begin. 

 “You might be able to charm Mammon, but I will not be so easy. I will cut directly to the point as you already know this is not a dance out of politeness or interest.” 

 Althea certainly expected him to be dramatic, yet as he pulled her body in close, pressing snugly so that it made it difficult to breath, she knew that it was best to dispense with the games, lest she make any following interaction with him sour. It was quite clear that with how tightly he was squeezing her hand, that he was demonstrating his force, able to easily break every one in her hand should he feel like it. With his lips whispering next to her ear, the heat of his breath chilled at the back of her neck. 

“I know you’re plotting something with Asmo...”

His words remained cold, and for a moment, she wasn’t certain if she could even breath, let alone feel her hand with just how tightly she was squeezed and yet that moment passed. He eased up and a slow, more basic dance resumed. Step, step, step, glide. Step, step, turn, step glide…. Just a bit to be able to get a bit of air in her lungs as he continued. 

“Let me make one thing clear: I respect my brothers’ freedom to do as they wish. However, if I ever sense that you’ve become a threat to either Diavolo or us… then I will show you absolutely no mercy. Understood?” 

There were any number of approaches she could take here. Should she simply take his warning and be done with it, should she try to reach out with attempted understanding, perhaps threaten back and put pressure on him to show she wasn’t going to be pushed around or controlled?  Certainly any number of them could backfire and while accepting it seemed the safest option and be done with it, she was in Hell and if she was going to be stuck down here for the year, she was determined to make them suffer just as much as they were making her suffer. 

“Oh, I understand. However you need to understand something yourself, Lucifer. You’ve taken someone away from their home, away from everything they’ve known to be real and then forced them to adapt- and I don’t like surprises. I don’t like change- and like you, I like to be in control of everything around me. Perhaps all of this is just a fleeting moment in your ancient life, but it’s not to me. If I were you, I’d be more concerned about Solomon. He actually has the power to change things here in the Devildom and he might just have the mind to. A warning you gave me on the first day.” 

There was no point in mincing words and while she really could take the most advantage of her time here, and while Althea could manipulate and con others, she’d much rather not put in the effort to deal with demons. The only reason after all as for why she was making these pacts to help Belphegor was because that damned voice in her head wouldn’t let her sleep. Making pacts with the demon brothers, while amusing in hindsight for the look on Mother Superior’s face at the next alumni reunion will be precious, was never something she particularly cared for. It was a means to an end. He should be thankful she wasn’t more malicious. 

“Oh, I have my eye on Solomon as well. However, he is a figure we’ve had our eye on for quite some time and understand his motivations. You are an unknown. And while you are forced to be here, you would be wise to keep your nose out of where it doesn’t belong.” There was an abrupt turn with those words as his hands remained tightly gripped within her own, a jerking pull to one direction as the dance was nearing its end. 

“Where it doesn’t belong? Or where I don’t belong? It seems to me that you don’t entirely trust Lord Diavolo. My my, how scandalous, Lucifer. Do you doubt his wis-”

“Watch it, Human.” Once more Lucifer abruptly pulled upon her hands but at this point, it was because the dance was at an end, and so was his patience. 

“...Pardon me. Well, looks like a new song has started. I’d love the chance to dance with Althea. Might I cut in?” Speak of the Devil. It was almost too  perfect his timing as Solomon approached. There was an unassuming smile upon his features as if he knew this was exactly the perfect moment to approach. 

“...Fine. I get the feeling that you’ve gotten the message and you understand what I’m telling you, Althea. I’m glad we got to have this little talk.” Inclining his head ever so briefly as she placed her hands within Solomon’s for the dance, Lucifer shot a glare that threatened to freeze the entire Devildom. 

“... What was that all about?” Solomon gave a side glance to Lucifer who was now on the hunt for Mammon, seeing as he was no longer visible on the dance floor, it likely meant that he was attempting to steal something. 

“It was exactly what it looked like.” Her words were evasive as was her dancing, for it seemed that Solomon as well was a graceful dancer. With her heels, she was even able to remain at eye level with him instead of having to look up. 

“Oh? I see. So you were flirting then.”  A fake laugh erupted from him, one that was obvious enough to her just how fake it was. Though he continued to speak as a delicate little dance proceeded. 

“You certainly aren’t meek, are you? When I heard that the other human they selected wasn’t a witch or sorcerer, I half expected them to be eaten alive and had their soul taken within a week. However, while you may have made pacts with demons, you still lack the power to command them.”  

Of all the humans that they could select, it was Solomon. Of course she knew who Solomon was, she was Catholic. Yet, that he looked so very different from the portrayals still was a bit of a surprise. Then again, there were many things that were coming to a surprise as her. Once more. She did not like surprises, even if this one did come in the form of an attractive young man. 

“Lack the power to control them? Perhaps I don’t have magic like you, but I certainly can still command them. I daresay my method is more fun.” With an aloof shrug of her shoulder, Althea turned her head off to the side with a bit of a hmph. Though, she knew that Solomon still had something up his sleeve. He wouldn’t bring that up for no reason.

“Well, everyone has some amount of magical power by nature. However, there are some people in which it actually manifests itself, and some people in which it doesn’t. And even among those in which it does, some have more of it than others. It varies based on the individual. Seeing how it doesn’t even manifest itself in you to begin with, even though you’ve made pacts with demons, you can’t take command of their powers.” 

“This has been made clear enough to me as is, Solomon. What is your point?”

 Althea kept her gaze turned to the side, dancing around him and dancing around the subject just as he was. Solomon was obviously building to some point, bringing up and reminding her that she couldn’t use magic. In truth, she had been researching to see if there was a way to get around that. While it was still unknown all of what magic could do, the amount of benefits you could apply it to in the human world would be quite advantageous. But just what was he getting at? 

“How would you like me to lend you my power?”  Solomon gave a side eye, clearly trying to tempt Althea with the thought and to get her to read into it more and more. He was having quite a bit of amusement with this, wasn’t he? 

“Depends on what your price is… But. I am more concerned about your motivations in this. What do you get out of this?”  Althea’s eyes narrowed all the same, sliding her body closer towards his own, fingers on his shoulders sliding a bit down his arm. 

“A price? What sort of person do you think I am? I am but an innocent la-” 

“An innocent lamb. Yes yes, if you’re an innocent lamb, then I’m a fairy princess.” 

“Well, glad to meet you, your Highness… Hmm. Well. Let’s just say I’m curious to know what would happen if I did. You’re a destabilizing element here in this world. I can’t say what might happen if I do this, which is exactly what makes it interesting. We are on a retreat after all. Why waste this opportunity?” 

From what she had known of Solomon, he didn’t lie. However, he wasn’t one to tell the whole truth either, or he would avoid answering the questions all together if he didn’t wish to say the full truth either. While she was confident enough that he wished just to see what would happen, Althea was not one to enjoy being used for entertainment of others and there was no guarantee what would happen or what effects would linger, if any. She needed assurances before accepting and just how he would do this. 

“You have me intrigued, however. I do have conditions. First, how do you intend to share this power and for how long?” 

“For six hours, I can allow you access to my abilities. This should allow you to command the demons you’ve made a pact with. As for conditions, you don’t need to be so wary of me. After all, us humans need to look out for the other.”  Solomon kept his words aloof and lofty, offering words of grandeur as a gesture to try and make her more accepting of his proposition. However, she was not one to just simply accept something without knowing the full details. 

“You may know demons and you may know magic, but it is precisely because you are human that I am wary of you. I make no assumptions about the world around me, for the rules I know do not apply, yet the one thing I have the utmost confidence in, is a fellow human, for I know the evils we are capable of. I also know enough to not believe in all of the legends about you.”  

Althea picked up the pace of the dance, sliding her leg up and inward against his own as she then kicked her heel around his own. Dropping her weight, she forced Solomon into a dip for dramatic effect so that the weight of her words would add pressure and assurance to what she was about to say. Yet it was the piercing, stern nature of her eyes that would contest the shrewd gaze of his own. Perhaps she couldn’t stare someone like Lucifer down, but with Solomon, she had the utmost confidence in this. 

“I will accept your offer, but know that if I find any lingering effects or if you attempt to do anything else of a similar nature without informing me…” Althea then leaned in to whisper against his ear, much like what was done to her earlier. 

“...You will find out why Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned… and I would oh so hate to get your blood on my hands, as pretty as the colour would be…” 

Pulling him upwards now, Althea then proceeded to dance with him again, holding his hand firmly within her own , the other upon his back again. Yet for all what was said and done, Solomon just smiled. Althea hadn’t been able to threaten him enough or perhaps it was effective but not in the way she wanted exactly. Though the way he remained smug annoyed her, she couldn’t let her expression show any of it. 

“Hahaha. And they say I act like a demon. Hmm. Very well. You have nothing to fear from me. Just a moment… and… There.” 

Solomon had stopped the dancing between them, just as the song ended as well so it didn’t look so suspicious. He made a subtle hand gesture, but did not even speak words and around them, it almost seemed as if there was a bit of glitter floating in the air. A chill ran down her spine as the tips of her fingers felt almost faster… and then the feeling faded, going numb and returned to feeling the way it had before. 

“For the next six hours, you’ll have access to my abilities. You are quite a curiosity, Althea. I’m excited to see what will happen…” 

A smug side glance was sent her way, and in return, she shot a narrowed one of scrutiny. It was hard to tell exactly who had won that battle, but unfortunately, she felt like she was in the red two for two tonight. This was not what she wanted. To be put under pressure from Lucifer because he was afraid of losing control, and accepting the temporary use of magic from humanity’s (theorized) most powerful sorcerer. She needed a drink. 

Walking past a waiter, Althea plucked a glass of demonus off of the tray. This truly was Hell. She hadn’t had a glass of wine in ages and demonus didn’t seem to affect humans. Still, it had a similar taste which was at least a slight benefit. Making her way to Asmodeus, who, for one time in this night wasn’t surrounded by the group of scantily clad incubi and succubi, was speaking with Satan over something. It was a good opportunity to see where she could get something that could numb her a bit. 

“Ooh ooh! Look! Althea made it back in one piece.” Asmodeus actually noticed her and skipped over a bit. His demon form had four smaller bat wings upon his back, a sleeveless blouse with roses imprinted upon it, and what appeared to be a centipede in gold that wrapped around his torso. 

“Dancing with Lucifer and Solomon. Aren’t you the popular one tonight. Whatever they wanted, it couldn’t be good.” Satan was obviously watching, he seemed to know as much stuff as Lucifer when it came to people watching. Of course he would have seen that they were speaking. It made her question if any demons could read minds. 

“Lucifer threatened me and Solomon is looking for entertainment. So. Just a regular night in the Devildom. Listen- do you know where I can get human world wine?” Althea casually waved a hand as she glossed over what was said, downing the glass she had in her hands. 

“Threatened? What did he say this time?” Satan shook his head, whether he was concerned or just feigned it was hard to tell at this moment, however, whatever Lucifer was for, Satan was always against. 

“Weeeeeeeeell…..? Why not kill two birds with one stone?” Asmo plucked the glass from her hand and turned her gaze to the idea that just popped into his head. 

“Just as a little favour to me, why don’t you try and dance with Lord Diavolo. It’ll be super fun.” Like a giddy school girl, Asmo pointed out the Lord of the Devildom not too far away from them. He was in the process of crossing the hall and she could easily intercept him. What was better, is that Lucifer was distracted shaking down Mammon for all the things he had stolen. 

“Not only would it annoy Lucifer, but imagine the status you would gain by being seen dancing with him.” 

Satan brought up a good point. It would annoy him, which was the opposite of what she wanted right now, however, it was going to be something to add clout to her. Networking was one of the things she excelled at. So, with a wink to the both of them, Althea sauntered her way to Diavolo, hips swaying as she did so. This was the time to turn on all of her charm. There was nothing to hold back with. As she neared him, she could feel the heat of Lucifer’s gaze upon her once more. Yet he was too late, she was already there. 

“Lord Diavolo, I must thank you for this lovely turn of events. It is something I couldn’t hope to dream of attending. Would you do me the honour of a dance? I would be grateful and gracious if you would accept such a request of mine.” Placing a hand over her heart, Althea dipped her head in a bow, bent knees ever so slightly for a curtsy before straightening up. 

She was thankful to be a woman of stature, for it would be easy to be lost or overwhelmed with a man of this size. Perhaps, she might be able to actually enjoy the dance for what it is however. After all, it is something that she did have formal practice in. Growing up in a family of wealth, no… growing up as the middle child in a family where it pushes your children to succeed, Althea had picked up many artistic hobbies or skills in her youth to try and impress her family. She didn’t expect to use any of them all that often, let alone for such an important thing like this. 

“Ah, Althea! I’d be delighted to share a dance with you. I saw your dance with Lucifer and I must say I was a little jealous. I haven’t danced with Lucifer in centuries!” His cheeks went a bit flush, as if he was actually jealous. Diavolo was a strange sort of person, always laughing and smiling, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Then again, she knew just how entitled people could behave. She was one after all. 

“Jealous, My Lord? Why, I find it more jealous that he gets to share your company with such great frequency. I daresay I put Lucifer in a bit of a panic earlier. My most sincere apologies if he confides in great lengths about it later. I take entire ownership of his unrest.” 

As her hands came into place within his own, the moonlight from the windows illuminated her near sickly pallor and the gold between them. A glance to the left, she noticed that the other dancers had given them space. After all, it was as Satan said, dancing with the Lord of the Devildom was quite a thing of status. Yet this was not status she could use. It was simply, for the moment, for the enjoyment of it. Resting her other hand upon his shoulder just over the mantle, her eyes glance to the right. Lucifer watched from a distance, not daring to separate the two for the moment. This was her moment. 

“Please, please. No need to speak so formally. Though you say you put Lucifer in a panic? Haha! That sounds just like him. I don’t think he’s had anyone challenge him outside of his brothers for quite some time.”  Diavolo seemed to laugh at this, all the more amused over the turn of events. He was surprisingly light on his feet, able to stride through the dance hall with great sweeping motions. No. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising. She should come to expect that he’d excel at something like ballroom dancing. 

“My apologies- ah.. Hm. Admittedly, I am not good at relaxing. It is not as if I challenge him to cause him grief. That is a byproduct I cannot control, but I will not allow others to control me, regardless of who they are. It is simply my nature to challenge those who think themselves superior.” As if in reaction, her grip tightened a bit in place, even if Diavolo remained the same, not adding fuel to her tension. This was strange for her. It was not like Althea to be so candid with her responses and while she didn’t like to lie about things, she wasn’t the most forthcoming with her feelings either. 

“Hmm. I think I know what’s going on here. You’re reminding Lucifer of how he first behaved when he came to the Devildom. I must say, this certainly brings back memories!” Diavolo’s signature laugh was quite loud from a distance but up close it caused her to wince a little bit. Still, regardless of her sigh and frown, Diavolo only seemed to smile and laugh all the more. 

“Yes! Exactly! He made that exact same face!” He didn’t relent with his humor, finding too much enjoyment in the similarities. 

“Lord Diavolo, please-” Althea shook her head as the pair spun around in the dance, not once miss-stepping or having a single tap of her shoe off beat with the music. Even though she was being teased, she had to keep herself poised through the dance at all times, after all, there were eyes upon them. 

“Now I’m curious to see you in his outfit. Hmm. Yes. I’ll have to get Barbatos to tailor you a suit.” It was as if he was already imagining this in his mind and at this moment, Althea was sympathizing with how Lucifer had to deal with this spoiled prince. There was no getting out of this whim of his, was there? 

“Oh come now, don’t sigh. I do mean it, however. You and Lucifer share striking similarities at times and yet there are things you are the exact opposite with. I believe he is concerned because he knows what he is capable of but is uncertain where your loyalties lie.” It seemed that Diavolo had returned to being serious, though perhaps he was always serious, even when joking. 

“I can understand that, and perhaps he is not used to having to sympathize with humans, and I will certainly not take anyone’s pity, but he should not expect that I will simply sit back and let myself get pushed around by anyone, human, angel, or demon.” Her gaze had been to the side, scrutinizing the situation as she had been on edge this entire time. It was as if the dance that was supposed to be for fun was turning more into something to be paranoid over. 

“You must have had a difficult life to assume you must constantly defend yourself. Let me ask you this, Althea. What do you believe in? What is the dream that you are fighting for?”  Diavolo directed the conversation back on track and brought his hand up to her face, drawing her gaze back towards his own as the pace of the dance started to slow down. 

This is something that she had to think about carefully. It was something that she hadn’t particularly shared with anyone, and it was still too soon for her to determine if Diavolo was indeed someone that she could trust. After all, he was a demon, and while he might seem pleasant and charming, that is how they reel you in. You can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar after all. Still. She could not deny the fact that she was in hell, so she applied prudence and caution. However, it was something of inner reflection that she had to consider why she was always behaving in such a way, so much so that it caused her to isolate from others in the pursuit of glory. 

“There are societal expectations that one should strive to be the best they can possibly be, a society that demands perfection. The idea that if you are not the best, you are not good enough to leave an impact on the world. To leave a legacy. Your mark, your name. To be remembered. I dream to have a legacy where I will not be forgotten after I am dead and gone. I fight, so that others will not ignore me.”  

That is the closest reason Althea could think of right now. Of course she also believed that since she started down this path, she really couldn’t stop. After all, she had already committed to years into an economics degree, currently with a Masters and while math was not the most interesting thing, she knew that money made the world move. It was one of the reasons she surprisingly got along with Mammon, despite his idiocy, she could take full advantage of his abilities in a way that aided them both. 

“And what of happiness?” The dance had now stopped, and Diavolo had his hands resting on either side of her shoulders, staring towards her with a look of genuine concern now. 

“Happiness is not something I assign value to.” Her voice was flat in response, now taking a step backwards out of his attempted comfort. Perhaps Diavolo only had the best intentions, but that she said as much was enough as is. The pursuit of happiness was not within her schedule. If it happened, it happened, but she would not directly go out of her way to do something fun for fun’s sake, there was always another motivation attached to it. The amount of priority happiness had on her list was leagues below most other needs. 

Yet, while Diavolo might have wanted to continue the conversation, Lucifer had made his way over, quite displeased with how long their conversation went on. Not like she cared. Althea waved over a waiter, needing another drink and swearing she would give someone a lobotomy with her nails if she didn’t get alcohol this time. Again. Just demonus. 

“And just what were you discussing with Diavolo?” Lucifer’s arms were crossed over himself, stern voice, strict posture, all the while Althea kept her gaze turned away, pretending not to see him. 

“Oh relax, Lucifer. This is a retreat after all. I was just noticing how many similarities you and Althea share! I have a wonderful idea I must tell you and Barbatos about!” Diavolo placed a hand upon Lucifer’s shoulder and went back to beaming brightly, now patting him in an encouraging way. 

“Lord Diavolo, I swear if you-” Althea widened her eyes, this was not something she wanted to go through with and while perhaps he had a striking coat, Althea was not going to play dress up for someone’s amusement.

“I want to see the both of you wearing the same outfit and pose for the RAD Newsletter! Think how well an advertisement it will be!” On cue with Diavolo’s laughter and Lucifer’s sigh, Althea downed the glass in her hand and just started to walk away. No. At this very moment, she was most certainly glad to not be similar to Lucifer in the way that at least she could walk away from this situation. He would have to endure the conversation and hopefully he would speak sense into the Lord of the Devildom. 

Staring down into the empty glass, it was at that moment that Althea did need to consider what she wanted in life. Her world was turned upside down with the realization that some things in her life were now meaningless in comparison to the eternity of either the Devildom or Celestial Realm that awaited her after death. She made no illusions that she was virtuous, but she was not quite tipsy enough to have a philosophical debate with herself about this. No, instead her eyes drifted upon a roughed up little demon sulking against the wall. 

“Mammon…” Muttering his name below her lips, Althea could at least relax around one demon that didn’t care about pretenses. Then again, he might also know where an actual bottle of wine was. Maybe Solomon’s power could be used for more than just causing mischief later on. With a saunter and sway of her hips, Althea flipped a hand through her hair and approached the Avatar of Greed. He did look like he could use a bit of cheering up. 

[starburstonlayaway]

for @elizabroadwaytrash and i

Current word count :

40,813

Basic summary:

Tyler and Ethan’s family goes through a lot of changes following their marriage. They lose people, take others in, and new journeys are ventured on every day, no matter how scary or exciting.

Title? WIP? Alternate titles?

“Leave a Message.”

Yes, it is a work-in-progress.

I don’t believe we had any alternative titles, and if we did, I do not recall them.

Favorite character and how they are introduced:

Tyler. He’s introduced at the beginning of the first chapter, seen before anyone else.

Favorite ship:

Rose/Victor! I haven’t gotten to writing their relationship and build-up, but from our plans and how we’ve designed Victor’s character to be, I’m excited.

MC’s biggest mistake:

Rose is probably more of an MC than the others, despite it being a Tyler/Ethan fanfic.

Her biggest mistake was probably refusing to give up on Carter. While he was her boyfriend, his actions toward her (and later, Jazzy) were unacceptable after she came out to him. She isn’t to blame at all, but it’s definitely the thing she regrets most.

Inspiration:

A webcomic on Webtoon called “Always Human.” The comic explores the events happening to the girls Sunati and Austen throughout the course of their relationship. Beautiful art, realistic problems (despite being set in a futuristic utopian society), representation, and well-written romance. I wanted to incorporate these factors into LaM to make it similar to a story I enjoyed very much that left an influence on me.

Underrated character appreciation:

Jazzy! Rose’s best friend. Even in the separate story where she’s one of the main set of characters, she’s still very overlooked. She’s very upbeat and friendly, with lots of knowledge on wlw pop culture and history!

A few favorite dialogues:

“I’m ready, but we’re not in a rush or anything.” “Of course we’re in a rush, you slut! The sooner you guys get married, the sooner you have kids, and the sooner I’m an uncle!“ “Aren’t you occupied enough as it is? If you’re so involved in the idea of having a family, then why haven’t you and Jack had any kids of your own yet?“ “Don’t roast us like this.”

(spoken angrily) “Hey, Mister, that’s my soup!”

“That’s Amy! She’s probably Chica and Henry’s favorite out of all of us, but WE SHOULD REALLY SHARE CUSTODY OF HENRY.”

“Uh, I like to read, mostly, but watching older cartoons is also fun.” “Ooh. What cartoons do you like?” “My current favorite is Adventure Time!” “Adventure Time is considered an older cartoon now?” “Guess so.” “Damn, we’re getting old.” “We’re already old, dude.” “Thanks I feel worse.”

“What kind of cancer is it again?” “Leukemia.” “The survival chances of that aren’t terrible.” “Wow. Thanks.”

“You punched Jazzy?! You fucking punched Jazzy?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why would you punch someone for standing up to you when you were the one being a dick?!” “She wouldn’t get out of my face—” “I don’t wanna hear that bullshit! Carter, you can hurt me all you fucking want and I won’t care, but you’ve crossed the fucking line. Jazzy is the only person that’s been nice to me all year. She’s supported me and loved me no matter what, something you never fucking did!” “What the hell are you—” “We’re done, Carter! I never want to see your ugly transphobic douchebag ass again!”

MC moodboard:

N/A

MC’s fondest memory:

Probably when she was adopted. It was the most exciting day of her life, and lead down a journey of self-discovery.

In close second is the day she became friends with Jazzy. She was there for her when she needed her most.

Songs that remind of LaM or the characters:

“What About Us” by P!nk, probably definitely because it’s the song I used for Tyler and Ethan’s first dance.

“Leave a Message” by gnash, the song I named the book after! This one doesn’t need much of an explanation.

“Party Tattoos” by dodie. I plan to use this song in the closing chapter, sung by Rose.

Enjoy torturing the characters?

Not really, but I do it anyway. Good for character development, which there’s a lot of. But I don’t enjoy it, no. I love the characters in this book like my cat and dogs: with all my heart.

MC’s biggest fear:

Being unaccepted. This fear makes itself evident after what happens with Carter. Her mother’s reaction enforces this more.

Goals:

To finish LaM by the end of sophomore year, editing and all.

To be proud of the finished product.

To use this book as a reminder that I can do it. I can write.

Characters’ secret talents:

Ethan, despite not playing for many, many years, still excels at playing the ukulele. This becomes not so much of a secret later on in the book.

Rose is surprisingly good at tic-tac-toe. Not necessarily a talent, but definitely something she’d want you to note.

Turned into a media? Cast?

Seeing as LaM is a piece of fanwork, I don’t believe I would turn it into a media.

If it was to be a media, however, along with Tyler Scheid and Ethan Nestor to play Tyler and Ethan, as well as Mark Fischbach, Amy Nelson, and Kathryn Knutsen to play their friends, a few choices I would make would be to cast Janet Mock as adult Rose Scheid and Elliot Fletcher as adult Adrian Garcia.

MC’s basic morals and general beliefs:

Rose’s number one moral is to never make someone feel shut out. Having been rejected (as well as accepted) many times in her life, she knows that she never wants anyone to feel like that, and makes an effort to be the reason.

How MC found out the tooth fairy doesn’t exist:

She never really believed in it, to begin with.

Best name:

Jasmine “Jazzy” Hinojosa-Mills.

Least favorite OC:

Carter. Abusive transphobic asshat that left Rose with lots of insecurities and trauma for years to come.

Snippet:

Mark really had gone all out with making the altar just like Tyler had wanted it to look. The arch was made out of ebony wood that had been painted white with golden accents. Flowery vines were twirled all around the wood, the flowers colors of black, grey, purple, and blue. The chairs surrounding the aisle were all made of the same wood as the arch, the cushions blue and grey. Both Ethan and Tyler’s family alike filled those chairs, chattering away with one another. Tyler quickly scanned the side filled with Ethan’s relatives, and wasn’t surprised to see Ethan’s aunt and uncle were not present. He hoped to god that Ethan wouldn’t notice. The guests quieted down and turned their heads to look at Tyler, and he felt put on the spot. Most of the guests smiled at him, others clapped quietly. He could see that two people in particular were both smiling and clapping. Seeing Jack and Kathryn so supportive of him was majorly comforting to Tyler. He exhaled, and glanced at Mark behind him. Mark was already smiling, and nudged his head towards the arch. Tyler walked down the aisle and received praise from just about everyone sat in chairs. He high-fived Jack on his way to his place next to the officiant. The lady smiled at him, and he returned the gesture. She opened her book as Mark took his place next to Tyler, gazing over his friend’s tux and wiping off some dust quickly. Mark gave Tyler a thumbs-up, and Tyler couldn’t stop smiling. Now that he was actually out in front of the guests and standing where he was meant to be, his nerves relaxed. In fact, every thought he’d ever had in doubt of this marriage before that moment vanished, as soon as Ethan walked out.

WIP representation:

LGBT

Tyler/Ethan

Rose is trans

Jazzy is pansexual with two moms

Adrian is trans with two moms

Marcus has two dads

POC

Rose and her mother are black

Adrian and his mama are Mexican

Disabilities

Marcus has leukemia (cancer of the white blood cells)

Standalone or part of a series?

Standalone. Although I suppose you could call it a spinoff of one of our other works, the reader does not need to read that series to understand this story.

Biggest character development:

Definitely Rose. Seeing as the story follows the changes through most of her life, there’s a big difference in her character comparing the first chapter she is introduced to the closing chapter, where she takes center stage.

People who know of the WIP:

My co-writer, Caroline. Though I’ve done most of the writing, Caroline and I brought the idea for this story to life together, creating a unique cast of characters such as Jazzy, Rose, Adrian, Marcus, their families, Victor, Rose’s mother Aaliyah, and Ethan’s uncle Zane. Without her, the story would not have been written in the first place.

The lovely readers on AO3. I’ve uploaded chapters of the WIP onto there, updating at least once a month. It feels good to be putting some of my work out there for other people instead of just keeping such a joy all to myself. Of course, this is just a personal opinion.

Characters’ annoying habits:

Jazzy’s very short-tempered. Make one wrong move, anyone could get shouted at, lectured, maybe even a blow to the face.

Marcus feels a lot of self-pity and spite. He wishes his parents wouldn’t baby him so much just because he has cancer. This, later on, leads to him participating in multiple illegal activities to antagonize them.

Adrian grows to be more selfish as he gets older, even going out of his way to go into the military and disappear from Rose’s life out of the blue one day without telling her. He later regrets this.

Rose has plenty of autophobia to go around. After her mother gave her up to the orphanage at a young age and Carter’s abuse towards her in her late middle school years, followed by Adrian’s sudden leave after high school, she always fears being alone or abandoned by the people she cares about.

Tyler and Ethan both never seem to recover from the grief of their first child’s loss. This makes them closed off to people who ask about the incident, and could sometimes bring them back to their depressive state.

Very last three lines (with context):

“Unsure was she on how to approach this. She’d felt it since that first night she met him, but it’d grown more and more out of hand since. They’d also became closer as friends, even now sometimes hanging out without the needed assistance of Marcus and Jazzy by their sides to ease the tension.”

Context: Rose had just come to the conclusion she had a crush on Adrian.

Characters: Based off IRL people(through looks, personality, or habits)?

Tyler, Ethan, Amy, Kathryn, Mark, Jack, Chica, Henry, and all of the parents in the story are based off IRL influencers. The characters have only been switched and changed a bit, as well as the relationships, of course, to fit the story.

Impossible friendship:

Carter and Jazzy. Don’t really need to explain it if you’ve read the work. They hate each other’s guts more than anyone, and they could never kiss and make up. As characters, they aren’t the types to do that at all, especially with each other.

Am I proud?

Yes. Leave a Message has been my most dedicated piece of work so far, and I’d say I’m well on my way to reaching my personally-set deadline next year if I keep it at the rate I’m going. Not to mention the characters and plotlines are exciting and realistic, in my own opinion. There’s still a lot left to be written, but I’ve got everything planned out. I don’t plan on stopping until I’m finished with it.

[imwcrkingonit]

Title: Coffee Shop Adventures Summary: For the prompt “Can I have a sweet coffee shop AU but Ethan is the one working in the coffee shop and with the crush on unsuspecting Benji??? (Having Luther and Brandt in it will be great too)” Requested by: @kuroinekokun

Ethan could still remember the first time he ever saw him.

It was a Tuesday in the middle of June, the sun was already high in the sky and there was a cool breeze that flowed through the door every time it opened. Which was why he noticed when someone entered.

On that particular day, it was a quiet start and therefore, Ethan merely stood behind the counter cleaning the top as he heard the bell ringing to indicate the door opening. Looking up, he smiled ready to greet his customer when he spotted the young man. Dark blonde hair slightly scruffy, thick black rimmed glasses sitting across the bridge of his nose, a laptop bag thrown over one shoulder and a brightly coloured plaid shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. Almost immediately, there was something about him that just made him melt a little. He wondered if maybe it was just an instant infatuation caused by being without Julia - it was coming up to five years now, so that was entirely possible - but he brushed it aside and placed the cloth over his shoulder.

“Good morning.” he said with a smile, leaning on the counter as the man approached. “What can I get for ya?”

“How much sugar can you put in a coffee before it crosses a professional line?” Oh god, he was English too.

“Well, how much do you want?” Ethan asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh… We’ll go with four. I mean, I see you’ve got the little sachets on the tables so worst cast scenario I can OD on those.” As the man spoke, Ethan couldn’t help laughing and he nodded.

“Four sugars. Got it.” he replied. “Next question: which coffee?”

“Cappuccino please. With an extra shot of caffeine if you can spare it.”

“I’m sure I can manage that. But only for you.” Ethan accentuated his words with a wink before he moved to make the coffee. “Take a seat and I’ll bring it over to your table.”

“Oh, brilliant. Thanks.” The blond man grinned brightly and moved across the room, choosing the little booth in the corner. Once there, Ethan noticed that he pulled out his laptop and opened it up, ready to do some work. As he prepared the coffee with one hand, he tugged one of the business cards which had their wifi information on from the stand. He was going to need it. As he continued his preparations, he glanced over at the man, watching the way he pushed his glasses up his nose, crinkling his nose a little as he did. There was something so fascinating about this man and he could not help his mind wandering. There was something in the back of his mind worrying that this was too soon, that he shouldn’t think like that yet, but at the same time, he could almost hear Julia’s voice in his head telling him to not be an idiot and grasp a good thing when it literally fell right in front of him.

Placing the cup on a saucer, he lifted it in one hand with the card in the other and approached the table.

“Here you go.” he said, placing down the two items. “Be sure to let me know if you need anything else, alright?”

“Anything else?” the blond replied, looking up at him with a bright smile.

“Anything you want.”

There was a brief pause as they stared at each other, green eyes staring into blue before he spoke up once more.

“How about your name?” Ethan noticed the way the stranger’s cheeks reddened slightly when he asked the question, almost as if he was embarrassed, fearing crossing a line.

“Name’s Ethan.” he replied, confidently. “And yours? Only fair, right?”

The tension seemed to drop from the man’s shoulders and he was smiling again. “Benji.”

For months he watched, observing the way Benji would sit at the same table each time, with his laptop (every few weeks, there would be a new pop-culture sticker on the case, leaving Ethan to smile) and his glasses and his cappuccino with extra extra sugar. He was smitten, there was no denying it. And given that even Luther had seen it from his spot back in the kitchen, Ethan knew he was in trouble.

“Ethan, I swear to god, if you don’t make a move someday soon then I’m gonna kick your ass and then make your move for you.” Luther commented as Ethan walked into the kitchen one day, almost bumping into the wall as he moved with his head turned to see the way Benji was chatting with his friend.

“Shut up, man, I can’t make a move. He’s a customer.” Ethan whipped Luther’s arm with the cloth in his hand before laughing, running his hand through his hair. “Besides, he’s with that guy again. Probably his boyfriend. If he even goes that way... Oh god, what if he’s straight. I can’t handle this, falling for another straight guy.”

Luther couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head as he plated up the toasted sandwich that Benji had ordered. “Look, Ethan. You can’t keep hiding back here blushing like a lovestruck teenager every time he comes in. What would Julia have to say if she knew what you were doing?”

“She’d probably push to the front of the line to kick my ass before you did.” Ethan admitted, smiling at the memory of his wife. He did miss her dearly, but he also knew that she wouldn’t want him to be alone and miserable for the rest of his life.

“Go take this out, flash him your killer smile, and just see what happens. Ok?” Luther held out the two plates of food for his friend to take, raising an eyebrow as he waited.

“Alright. You’re an asshole, Luther, you know that.”

“I know. I also know you love that about me. Now get outta here.”

At the table, Benji was frantically babbling about his latest customer who kept insisting on fixing his computer himself, only to predictably bring the device into him a few days later when he realised he made it worse.

“He never listens!” Benji’s arms flailed about before his shoulders sagged, gaze narrowing when Will began to laugh. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just listening to you, king of not listening, complaining about this.” Will commented, sipping his coffee.

“Whaddaya mean? I listen.”

“Not to me.”

“I do too!” Benji sounded almost offended at the accusation.

“Do not.” Will childishly responded with a grin, amused by Benji’s het up attitude.

“Ok, tell me what I don’t listen to you about. I wanna know.”

“Well, for starters, you never listen to me when I keep telling you to go and ask that cute barista out.” Will motioned over his shoulder to where Ethan was moving into the kitchen, Benji’s eyes widening when he spotted the way the man nearly collided with the wall before disappearing into the kitchen.

“That... I can’t do that. He’s gorgeous. There’s no way he’s single. And if he is, knowing my luck, he’ll be straight as they come.”

“You don’t know that.” Will’s smile softened a little, wanting to see his friend happy. “Come on... Just... Ask him if he wants to go for a beer sometime. Doesn’t have to be a date, just to get to know each other.”

Benji stared longingly at the closed kitchen door, sighing as he shook his head. “I dunno, Will... I don’t know if I’m ready to face another rejection.”

“Buddy, he won’t reject you. Who would be stupid enough to do that? Hell, you already know I’d be in there if you weren’t my best friend.” The comment resulted in a small scoff from Benji, as Will opened his mouth to move on. Before he could speak, however, Ethan appeared from the kitchen with their lunch and Benji quickly sat upright and smiled at him.

“Alright, got the BLT.” Ethan placed the meal in front of Will, then turned to Benji. “And one ham and cheese toasted sandwich.”

“Thanks, Ethan.” Benji smiled up at him, meeting his gaze for what he was sure would be far too long. But he couldn’t help it, especially when the other man smiled like that at him. Will glanced awkwardly between them for a few moments, before the sound of him loudly biting into his sandwich snapped both men from their trance.

“I, uh- well, enjoy the food, guys.” Ethan nodded and then quickly rushed himself back to behind the counter. Benji watched him go, only to find Will staring at him when he turned back.

“What?”

“Go. Now. Before I throw up.”

Biting on his lower lip, Benji glanced back to where Ethan seemed to be hiding behind the coffee machine, and he finally gathered his courage and stood. “Right... Be bold, Dunn. Be bold.” Slowly, he walked up to the counter and cleared his throat to get Ethan’s attention.

“Oh, did I forget something? Shit, what was it? I’ll have Luther make i-”

“No, no... Nothing was missing. The food’s spot on. As always.” Benji chuckled, smiling as he pushed his glasses up his nose nervously.

“Oh, good. Then what can I do for you?” Ethan stepped over to lean on the counter and smiled, waiting for Benji’s answer.

“Well, I.... was wondering...” Smooth one, Benji. Just ask him for fucks sake. “I wanted to know if you’d like to go grab a beer with me sometime? I mean, you totally don’t have to, and I won’t be offended if you don’t want to, but I thought I’d-”

“I’d love to.”

“-you- really?” Benji’s voice was a little higher pitched as he asked, eyes widening as he stared at Ethan.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like to grab a beer with you sometime.”

Benji’s cheeks turned a little pink and his smile grew as he ran his hand over his hair. “I- well... ok, that’s.... good. Good, yeah.” He paused, finding himself staring at the way Ethan smiled over at him, catching himself quickly. “Good. I’ll... better go get that eaten... I think your buddy might be mad if I let his cooking go to waste.”

“Yeah. Yeah, he wouldn’t be best pleased.” Ethan replied, chuckling nervously as he watched Benji backing up.

“’Kay... I’ll uh... Yeah.” Turning around, Benji moved back to the table, leaving Ethan in awe at what had just happened.

When he cleared the table once Benji and his friend had left, Ethan found a napkin with a phone number and a little smiley face written on, leaving his heart racing.

Luther was right. He was acting like a lovestruck teenager.

[butshesmagic]

1-62! gogogo

Sorry, I just saw this! Haven't been on much! 1. Yes, if it's a sincere apology. 2. Personality, have you seen this face? 😂3. No, but I have my moments just like anyone else who looks a little longer at mirrors or takes selfies and debates on which is better than the other cause both look decent. 4. My brows at times, I always paint my nails perfectly lol, I like how I sing now that I quit smoking and stay hydrated, I like that I'm losing weight and can be more active than I used to be. It's the little things.5. Loam, hole in the earth, and September remind me of Creampuff cause like yeah. And uh psychosocial reminds me of my ex from my sophomore year. Because that bitch was bat shit crazy. (Reason why we dated for only a few days, I didn't know how to lesbian at the time)Also the stupid burger song reminds me of dee 😂 6. Ooohhhhh I love sunset colors! Purples and pinks and oranges with blues. That and the deep dark sunsets where the suns just about faded but the sky is light purple with pink and deep dark blues. Those are my two favorites. I also love eyes when light hits them a bit. Brown eyes are a soft caramel color, some brown eyes are so dark but there's a reddish hue in the light, and so pretty. Blue eyes are so lovely and don't even get me started on green eyes 👀 7. I have so many. My top 2: the scenery of city lights in the evening. I live for that. And colorful skies. Always. 8. Sex is love with the right person, and it's also a healthy way of bonding. It's an emotional roller coaster, it's intriguing and exciting. I couldn't have sex with someone if I didn't trust them or have a strong connection with them. Like one night stands? I would never. I'm just not that type of person anymore. Meaningless sex is no fun, drunk sex is sloppy sex. Sex just because, is boring. 9. I have a lot of kinks, and I'll only share just one. Be. Rough. At. Least. Once. Unexpectedly. You take complete control. Choke me to shut me up, pull my hair, bite me, fuck it, break skin. Anywhere. Everywhere. Don't be gentle, make me ache the next day. Wanna do it in public? Yes please. At home alone? Throw me on the floor, don't be nice to me, I don't deserve a soft bed. XUUSJSKDKXXUHDOFOIJS that's enough. -clears throat- ok ok ok snap out of it10. Liars, people who show no interest but yet waste your time, cheap asses, people that take advantage of your kindness, overly assertiveness, obnoxiousness. 11. Body odor/ bad hygiene, personality (if they're shitty), or two faces, or excessive negative comments/complaining all the time. UGH NO BYE12. Mmmm I have a few. TBH my emotional ass 😹13. I've only dated 4 people. 2 guys, 2 girls. I only fell in love with one person whom I still have feelings for. 14. I'm a sucker for closure, if me and someone have left things on a bad note, dating or friendship wise, it's going to keep bothering me without closure. Especially if they meant a lot to me. If they weren't shit to begin with, I would just pretend they don't exist, or they just never cross my mind unless I'm reminiscing. Generally I'm good with moving on, unless I have feelings for them. Romantically or not. 15. Oh god where do I begin?16. My lack of self esteem. And my body. 17. Mmmm being more physical. My birthday is coming up and even though I don't wanna do anything or care for it, I'm getting my 3rd tattoo!18. Yes. When I'm not being stubborn. 19. Oh hell yeah. I know I have my savage times, but I'm only a total asshole to people who are like that to me. I never look for problems, but I'm quick to address it if I feel there is. I'm overall a good person, if someone is kind and respects me, they'll get that in return, always. I always stand my ground. 20. Si 21. Trying, listening, living, learning, and communicating. 22. Hell no lmao 23. Truly fell in love with one person. 24. No. That's just so stupid. Get to know the person first. 25. Psychology 26. YAS b 27. Yassss 💦 28. Foreplay, and effort29. No.30. I don't know? That shit just happens.31. Anything. You'd be surprised how much I know. Lol32. Nothing is embarrassing. It's music. I'll jam out to some pop and get all suicide silence on your ass in a minute33. Nothing really 34. Umm by crying or distancing myself. Happy, by being goofy and giggly. 35. I used to FaceTime with my best friend.36. I like phone calls. Sometimes. I think I will always enjoy when someone takes time out of their day to think about you and call you justvto say hi. So okay fine, yes I like phone calls. 37. It's okay, I like it. But if they're boring, bye. 38. The fuck is that?39. I'm not THAT emotional 🙄40. Two days ago. Cause I was just having a rough night. Funny how this is my answer after my previous answer ^ 😂41. Used to love eating and smoking. Now I quit smoking, and I can barely stomach anything anymore. But honestly though, I'm an adrenaline junkie. And I haven't rode in a roller coaster in god knows how long. This summer is going to be lit ✨42. No. I'm more afraid of the people I love, dying.43. Shalissa 44. Dom. but being a sub sometimes is 🙌🏼The best of both worlds. The same old sex life is so damn boring.45. A fat chick that's losing weight so she's trying to make her clothes last longer cause she's broke and can't afford cute shit til I can't get away with it anymore. 💀46. In front of few people yes, in a stage with a lot of people, no. Weird, isn't it?47. Nah, I'm the one that always got called on when hoping I didn't 48. It depends tbh 49. Don't make me talk about the worst thing. And the best thing, is something I'm still waiting for. 50. Nah 51. California, New York, and Paris. Just because! Scenery! Cultures! YAS 52. Getting tattooed.53. All the time, the fuck 54. I always lay on my tummy to fall asleep and I'll wake up on my sides lol 55. My life is a slump 56. No. 57. Not as much as I used to be58. Ew 59. Once 60. Some deep shit 61. Anything! 62. I am sometimes. Only to family lmao and no it doesn't