#i spent too much time for this to look like shit but ehh whatever

[targarrus]

cat i’m a kitty cat

[mrskurono]

Schweiden Sex Education || Wakatoshi Ushijima x Fem!Reader

Tag(s): oral, semi public, slight age gap, talk of taking virginity, dirty talk

Character(s): Wakatoshi Ushijima (hq), with mentions of other Schweiden members  

Word Count: 4k

a/n: I intend to make this a mini series so here’s to keeping one thirsty brain cell (:

part (2) (3)

The Schweiden team had always felt like a home to you. Really it was your home. And had been for the past six, almost seven, years now. The only ones who held supremacy over you were Nicollas and Fukuro. And that was a tenuous supremacy when you argued you did more work than they did to help manage the team. Mostly the veteran men didn’t argue with you.

And surprisingly neither did the newbies as they came in one by one. Each year adding another body to your roster and another mouth to listen to. Quickly though the Schweiden players always seemed to get the hint who was the mother hen of the eagle roost. Even the obstinate youngsters the team got within the last few years realized that. 

Korai perhaps your hardest to twin. Like a true middle child. He raised hell when he could but learned fast you had no time for games. The other two though? The one to come after him was sullen but determined. You honestly appreciated the break Tobio gave you in comparison to Korai. But the older of the three newest recruits? He left you stumped.

Wakatoshi Ushijima. Or as Tobio and Korai repeatedly said, Ushiwaka. Came first. He was quiet and good at what he does. An obvious pick for the team. Like all your players you wanted to cultivate a good relationship with him. If your boys were happy then they played happy.

But unlike Toshiro who you could call if he was gonna have a bad day by the way he left his equipment in the Schweiden’s gym instead of the lockers. Or Fukuro who almost never had a bad day if there was a pack of spearmint gum set on the bench right inside the men’s locker room. Your newest eaglet was something of a mystery.

The first season you had him under your care was ruthless. He wouldn’t speak but maybe two words to you. And that was in one week. When you tried to make him feel more at home the man would look at you with a dumbfounded look and tell you his home was back in Japan. These gestures seemed to go right over his head.

Korai came along the following season and with another younger player you thought maybe Ushijima would warm up to you. That was a false hope as most of the season was spent rangling Korai for better or worse.

It wasn’t until the youngest Schweiden came that you finally had some insight to the stoic man. Tobio had off handed comments about their matches back in high school. Specifically his first year as he would repeatedly tell you that his team got to go to nationals that year and not his. This didn’t help you a lot but the other things he and Korai drug out of him did.

Soon you tried using Ushiwaka instead of anything else. Tobio and Korai insisted maybe he felt to formal around his manager. It would illicit a response of him looking at you. Just to quickly look away. Then it was anticipating things he might need. Extra towels, clean jerseys for practice, even snacks here and there for long practices. All of it met with him staring at you from either a distance. Or avoiding eye contact with you the second you were within arms reach of him. 

Concerned he might hate you. You tried harder to win your player over. A happy player was a happy win.

“Ushiwaka-kun!” Again this week you flag him down as he enters the gymnasim with Tobio. In your hands are the water bottles you always keep filled for the men even if they bring their own, “And Tobio-kun how are you guys today?”

Like normal Tobio yawned, regardless of the fact it was two in the afternoon, “Fine I guess. Where’s Hoshiumi senpai?”

“Went to go get something for Fukuro apparently it wasn’t clear,” You had a good idea of what a normal Tuesday looked like for your men, “Do you want me to get Toshiro to practice with you two today?”

“Sure,” Tobio thanked you.

But it was Ushiwaka’s scowl that still you wanted to prevent. So of course you offered him a bottle, “I got the electrolyte power you like Ushiwaka-kun.”

Staring hard down at you. It takes you a moment to realize he isn’t staring at the white sports bottle. And indeed staring at you. Ready to open your mouth and ask what the problem was, Tobio nudges him in the side. Korai was seen coming back in from the other end of the gym with Toshiro. Meaning whatever kinship you were trying to cultivate was cut short by the men going to business with practice. Once again foiled in trying to make all your players happy. You sigh and go about the rest of practice helping where you can.

Throughout the practice though something seemed off. Every time you turned around you found Ushiwaka’s eyes on you. No matter where you were in the gym. Be it picking up volleyballs. Or bent over refilling bottles. His gaze followed you from a distance. Having not realized this much until you had unbutton the first few buttons of your shirt to let yourself breath.

Pulling away the fabric from your neck and collar to fan yourself a little. This was when you saw Ushiwaka's face nearly boring holes into you. First you thought he wanted something. But the second you went to go grab a water for him, the six three brute of a man turned away quickly. Stumping you once again for what he was looking at you for.

A second time that day, towards the end of practice, did your attention get peaked once more. You were standing around the men with clipboard in hand. Arms folded up under your bust and waiting for Fukuro and Nicollas to finish their spiel. That your gaze found Ushiwaka's gaze indiscriminately locked onto your chest.

Sure the team members were all taller than you but almost none of them looked at you like that. Even Korai who you always kept an eye on just because he ran his mouth so often. So when it was Ushiwaka's olive green eyes entranced by the dip in your shirt, you had to do a double take to make sure he was really staring at you.

Holding still you forget to listen to what is going on around you. Just staying still, breath caught in your chest as you wonder how long he’s going to stare at you. Unsure if he’s even noticed you watching him. 

Soon there is a heat creeping up on your cheeks. The objectification almost a turn on. You wonder if he’s tried to look down your shirt before. Has he looked at you wearing shorts? Did he notice the one time you wore your leggings with the hole in the crotch? Each daunting thought made your insides twist with giddiness before that was ripped from you the second your eyes met his. 

Like every time before, Ushiwaka looked away. Scowl on his face and refusing your eye contact. Even if he was just staring down your shirt he didn’t decide to keep looking at you for long. You thoughts a buzz as Fukuro called the meeting over and now you had something else to think about.

Thoughts stirred in you from that moment. Perhaps you were trying to get his attention in the wrong way. Practices and meetings didn’t change. But the way you presented yourself did. Keeping blouses unbutton lower. Tucking things up high with the threat of midriff always lurking. You took full advantage of showing yourself off with little comment from the older players. For as far as they were concerned was you were seeing someone outside work. It wasn’t knew for you to spruce up when you had a suitor. There was no suitor but there was someone who had noticed your change in attire.

“Pay attention!!” Korai raged about the third ball that went right by Ushiwaka’s head. This was getting worse by the day and Korai’s fuse was getting shorter. 

“What? I was.” Ushiwaka frowned at his teammate like he was lying.

“Huh?? Really?? Paying attention??” Korai bolstered his chest at his fellow volleyball player, “Three balls what am I your ball boy??”

“No we have one of those.” Tobio interjected. Little to care about Korai getting bent out of shape but he did think it was ridiculous to hear that they didn’t have one.

“Ehh??? I know that!” Korai huffed as he chucked at ball Ushiwaka’s face, “I’m tired of this idiot sucking at practice!”

You overheard the Schweiden youngerster arguing so you look up from your paperwork actually not aware of anything. Practice was almost over so what Korai was getting bent out of shape over confused you and the rest of the team.

“I hit every serve.” Ushiwaka informed the shorter wing spiker like there was no validity to his accusations.

Korai made to mock him childishly and rolled his eyes before looking over at you for some reason, “If he wasn’t thinking about fucking you all the time then we could get something done!”

“Alright!” Fukuro clapped loudly like that was cover up what his teammate decided to blurt out, “I think we’re done for today!”

More than stunned you look behind you like Korai might have been meaning someone else. Even if you were showing a little more skin this past week you still thought it was a joke.

“He’s all pissy because he’s a virgin-” Korai started up again but Nicollas decided he’d put his foot down too to help Fukuro out. 

“Wait and your not?” Tobio looked genuinely surprised at the white haired man.

“What?! No I’m not what kinda question is-”

“Clean up! Or laps now!” Fukuro hollered.

Fukuro’s laps were hell. 

Stunned by that entire transaction right in front of you. It takes a moment before you really even register what Korai said. But it’s then that your eyes dart right over to Ushiwaka. He’s still a virgin? You couldn’t tell it Korai was being a shit or maybe, there was some validity to that?

Sure your cleavage was slightly self indulgent to make yourself feel good. But knowing that you had become a possible fixation was....almost hot?

Now it was your turn to not take your eyes off your teams wing spiker. Had a normal person been called out like that then they would be a mess or at least red with embarrassment. Ushiwaka seemed, unphased. While they cleaned up and didn’t earn actual laps. You hung back with the dwindling fact that Korai told the truth and wasn’t just trying to start something for being crabby.

Having taken too much time after the little outburst. You ended being one of the last people to leave the gym. Nicollas and Toshiro waved you good night. With a small apology for earlier. You laughed it off and chucked it up to Korai being himself. When you turned around though you saw one of your members was still practicing sole. Ushiwaka.

Clipboard hugged to your chest you watch him for a second. Still no illicit response for what happened earlier. Was he just staring at you because he didn’t like you?

No answer as he looks at you once. But then drops his volleyball in the bin to disappear back into the locker room. You guessed you should probably head home now. Only to be stopped with a wicked idea surfacing in your mind.

You could just ask? Where was the harm in asking?

Setting your things back down you make your way back to the men’s locker room. Vacant now so you knew no one was back there but the wing spiker. 

Searching the locker room you spot the younger man over by his locker. Of course getting his things. Maybe things really were in your head and Korai was talking out his ass. But when you watched him peel off his jersey your lady brain had other ideas.

It had been a while since you’d gotten any. Passing into your late twenties did that as did travel and working with a team of constantly sweaty men. So the last time you might have actually seen action was more than a few months. 

Your grip on the edge of the lockers you leaned into tightened. He was, god he was delicious to look at. An impulse and you push away from the locker.

“Ushiwaka-kun!” You hail him but before he can register the intruder in the locker room, you have yourself pushed up against him. Looking up at him with the perfect view down your blouse, “...is what Korai-kun said true?”

For the first time, in almost three years, the glimmer of a response shown on the man’s face. It was subtle. And you would have missed it had you not been watching him so closely. But the way his adam’s apple bobbed up and down in the most guilty swallow of a man’s life. Korai was right.

Fueled by the temptation of untouched skin. You push yourself up on the man’s lips without question. Knowing full well that no one besides you had touched them. Kissing a virgin never in a million years had you thought it would turn you on like this,

Almost entirely one sided. Not for the sake of the feeling of Ushiwaka lean his tall frame into the kiss. He purely did not know what to do when your lips met his. Stunned by the fact he’d stared at them for countless hours with lewd thoughts always surfacing. Now that it was actually happening though the volleyball savant had no idea what to do. 

Pulling away with a lingering touch on his chest. You realize just the bridge of his nose has gotten a dusting of blush on it. He really had no way to word anything. Perhaps Korai’s loud mouth was the best thing to happen to either of you.

“Let me,” You whisper like someone is going to hear you in the vacant locker room, “Let me show you.”

His thick brows pinch in the middle and he’s left wondering what you want to show him, “What can I see?”

Your heart jumps into your throat. He had no idea and here he was going to take a hasty kiss as enough. You weren’t though after the years of misunderstanding. Now you found a language you could talk to him in.

“Let me show you, what to do,” You look at the hand pressed against his chest. The toned muscles underneath as wonderful to touch as you imagined. Licking your lips you struggle to keep your composure as the need to be the role model came before all else, “Let me teach you about sex and....I’ll guarantee you’ll be the best at it. Promise.”

Nothing but humming taking over any thoughts he had. Just like every time he caught a glimpse down his manager’s shirt. It was the same body tingling hum Ushiwaka got from that as well. Without an idea what to do or say it was Korai’s brash words that came to mind. He told him to always say yes to a lady if she mentioned sex. And looking down at you. The fact sex and the dip in your shirt were right there in front of him. Ushiwaka understood he had to say yes.

“Yes.” He found his eyes locked in on your clevage again. This time it was hard not to be when you pressed your body up against him, “...Yes please.”

Goosebumps prickled over every inch of you. The way your loins aches was unreal. You hadn’t been this giddy and horny since you were a teenager. Quickly to seal the deal you meet his mouth again. This time taking it a bit slower. Until you put your arms up around the back of his neck and pulled him into you, “...lesson one, kissing.” You brush your lips against his and hum, “Kiss me back and follow my lead.”

That was hard. First it was just him pressing harder into your lips than you were into his. When your lips parted though and your tongue grazed his bottom lip is when Ushiwaka dialed it back to truly let you take the lead.

With the sweet taste of his lips on your own. Wrestling for dominance over the kiss was nothing. Seconds in and you had your tongue exploring every inch of your mouth as he at least got the hint to bring his hands up to your sides. Not much but it was something. Ushiwaka was at least trying to take more in the sloppy kiss than he had when you first kissed him.

Finally when you pull back for a breath. It’s more than obvious the tent in his jersey shorts. If his untouched lips tasted this good. Could the rest of him be as delicious.

“Sometimes....” You started slowly, drawing a hand down his neck and peppering his collar bone with kisses, “We use our mouths to kiss more than just lips.”

“Like necks?” Ushiwaka, though holding a steady tone still, was gripping your sides even harder. Outwardly he wouldn’t let on but his body was reacting magically to your touch.

“Necks...” You murmur against his and trail down, “Chests...Stomachs....Private areas.”

Pushing him to sit. Perhaps a smart choice if he’s never experienced it before. You kneel between the wing spiker’s legs. Bringing yourself close to his clothed cock as it stood at attention for you and only you. Of course you lick your lips.

Untouched. Unsoiled. All for you to taste.

Your palms rub against his thighs. Finally the first normal sign he was enjoying himself as Ushiwaka’s moan was dampened by the fight to keep it down. His eyes shut tight and chest heaving a little. You smile as you bring your face close to his groin, “Don’t keep it in....that’s the part of the fun.”

This was true in fact when your lips pressed to the clothed underside of his cock. A deep throaty groan leaving the man. You could smell his precum through his shorts. At this rate you knew to thread carefully less he blow the second your fingers encircled him. And desperately did you wanna taste that cum.

Careful to free his cock from his shorts. You take a moment to not believe this man is a virgin with the length he is packing. Long, girthy, and a sight to be hold. Your mouth begins watering not just at the idea of him being untouched. But at the beautiful cock before you.

“I’m going to touch you....so I can get it in my mouth,” You don’t lie about the showing him thing. Deliberate in your movements. Hands touching up his thick thighs. Until finally the moment of truth. Your fingers curling around his base as Ushiwaka groaned unable to stay quite like he hoped.

The wonderful musk of his precum. And the sight of him nearly shaking in his seat. You could feel your slick coating your cunt lips and threatening to really ruin your panties. Patience was needed though. If you were going to teach him properly.

“Do you wanna look at my tits while I suck you off?” You offer. Eyes shut but he had spent so long staring at them you couldn’t keep them clothed.

Ushiwaka’s green eyes open, contrasting the red tint to his face, and he looks down at your chest so close to his cock, “...yes, yes I would.”

Wasting no time you let go of him just to peel your top off. A reward for him like the blowjob you were about to give him wasn’t enough.

You press your breasts into his thighs. The warmth of your chest sending a shiver up the man’s spine. Nothing compared to the way your hand felt gripping his cock though. Not the slightest idea how delightful his cock was either. So when you finally made a glutton of yourself and swallowed only about two thirds of his cock up. Well, Ushiwaka thought that was just a moment of heaven on earth.

The warmth of your cheeks wet and velvety. Enveloping his cock like nothing his hand could do. Even in his wildest ideas he never  conjured up the idea this is what it would feel like. It was near too much.

You cheeks hallow as you struggle to take all of him. Desperate though. You press more into your mouth as your tongue works over time. Loving the sight as his head tips back and lips part slightly. Finally something you could read from him.

Eager to taste more you bob your head up and down on his cock. Sucking like your life depended on it. His precum soiling your tongue just as your juices seeped into your panties. Even the tingle of your tits pressed to his thighs was turning you on. Seeing him above you, gripping the edge of the bench and heated expression ruining that stoic look. It certainly was something you could get use to.

But no for long. Maybe not even five minutes in and you felt the jerking twitch of his cock. Faster than even you anticipated. It didn’t keep you from pulling your lips off his cock. Instead you wanted it more.

Eyes locked up on his face. Lips slurping what of him you could while your hand moved with you to jerk him off. Ushiwaka had no idea what to do with his hands or what to even say. The way you looked at him left him frozen as the undeniable need to cum finally was too much. 

Warm spurts of cum filled your mouth. Before you were ready so some of the precious treat leaked from your cheeks. A choke and a sputter when you couldn’t keep up with the cum load he was giving you. Almost missing the guttural, almost whiny, moan that left the man above you. Face twisted in pleasure. It drove you to suck him dry of all that cum he was feeding you in his pathetic excuse for stamina. He really was a virgin.

Finally with the taste of his cum on your lips as you cleaned his cock off for every last drop. You look up at the mess of a man and smile. Certainly the most relaxed you’ve ever seen him in two years. You find it easy to believe he wasn’t going to back out of this sex education arrangement now.

Making your way back up his chest. Hands drawing up his toned muscles until you were at eye level with him. You gently press your lips against his. Not too much. Not ready to overwhelm him with the taste of his own cum. But enough that he does figure to lean into you and wrap his arms around the exact spot he did before.

“Do you want me to teach you?” You mumble against his lips.

That same swallow from before. Now though he was a little dazed looking at you as the warmth of your skin was something entirely new, “Yes.”

The want in his voice makes you grin, “What do you want me to teach you?”

“Everything. I want you to teach me everything.”

[gooferdusted]

hypothetically, if I were to write a fix-it/rewrite au fic, (thinking of starting at s5 but debating starting earlier) what are some storylines you’d take out/change, characters you’d save/kill, and specifically changes to sam’s character/arcs you’d like bc i need ideas

ok. ok. I'm gonna try to not go completely off the fucking rails while I write this up but I gotchu (also these r all just my own hot n spicy takes so like. pick what u like, it's all goodie goodie)

• no time passing differently in hell. literally four months is ~Enough!~ a year is enougghh!!!!!! like I get that they wanted to make hell this horrible unreachable thing but u can still like... get that across without having it be this unfathomable chunk of time out of a persons life. like sam was down there with TWO very pissed off angel's for 180 years??? how can he still speak english??? how does dean remember ANYTHING about his old life when mentally more than half of it was spent being endlessly tortured until he finally cracked??? its just.... Too Much...

• ON that note, I feel like later on they never rlly had sam and dean bond over the fact that like... they are genuinely the ONLY two people on earth who have survived actual hell. I mean we got that one off line from dean at some point but??

• no chuck as god. just a greasy greasy rat man getting insane stories projected into his brain. and on the topic of that.... I dont like the reflection of the real life fanbase in the spn universe??? they're pulp fiction novels, it should be all like 50 year old + ladies who picked them up at the local bargain bin, not b*cky r*sen

• I like... WANNA say smth abt s4..... bc I think the way that they handled things were a little out of character BUT I also think that was lind of the point??? like the angels and demons were manipulating them to say/do things they would normally never say/do to eachother to drive a big enough wedge between then that they would eventually say yes to being the vessels. like it hurts to watch sooo much but it did drive the plot forward in a very particular way that probably couldnt have happened otherwise. that being said, when the levee breaks makes me sad, and I dont want to see sam crying for his dead mother alone in a basement! cest la vie.

• sam and dean.... are Friends...,, why did we all forget that..... watch hell house and maybe I'll calm down.....

• PSYCHIC SAM!!!!!! you all know me. you know how I feel about psychic sam... robbed. s4 finale rlly had sam like "drinking that much demon blood has truly changed me forever..... theres no going back now...... 😔😔" like ok. ok. where are your superpowers. where are they.

• I wish some of the other special children had made it out :(( I really liked andy and ava (also sam finding other friend who are like him??? queer allegory??? spare queer allegory?????)

• I also dont think the roadhouse shouldve burned down!!! that shouldve been a Staple Location like Bobby's house. same w Missouri's, literally why did we only visit her once.

• ur sending an ask to my blog so I assume this is just a given for u but!!! we're takin away the misogyny. we're takin away the fetishization! anything that would be given the greenlight by joss whedon we are putting straight in the trash. <3

• this is mostly a thing in later seasons like. idk 9-15, but no ppl knowing who the winchesters are. they are NOBODIES. they pop up like little meerkats and fuck everything up beyond repair.

• also no fancy tech. no iphone 76z or whatever the fuck. sam has an ipod 1. the wheel is so stuck he can barely press play anymore. remember when he literally just tore off the top casing off his laptop and threw it away? more of that.

• no nice clothes. NO nice clothes we fuckin hate that. everything sam and dean own was purchased pre 1995 and dean is an expert at removing blood stains and sewing up jackets. dean will walk into a laundromat with a tide pen and just start goin for it like that scene in deadpool.

• tbh.... I feel like the issues in later seasons are really this massive horrible domino effect. like I could say heres how to fix s7-10 but the fact is if shit hadnt gone down lile it had in s7 s10 would be a different story entirely.

• I am gonna do it tho bc I suck <3

• s6: soulless sam was funney but did that really go anywhere? no. tbh I dont remember what happened w cas and I'm just not going to look it up. it's just not in the cards for tonight. dean w lisa.... ehh.... I've discussed this at wayy too much length w mushroom and we both agreed that dean would probably keep hunting to keep his mind off things and to try and honor sams sacrifice. I guess theres an argument to be made for the fact that it kind of was Sam's dying wish that dean just go fin her and live a normal life but... idk. purgatory was. . indeed a Concept..... that could have maybe gone somewhere if it didnt rapidly spiral into....

• s7!!! I mean. jesus christ. I know some people like this one but jesus christ. the way they literally couldnt commit to having sam have genuine mental health problems after centuries in hell or to just magically wipe them away..... bobby dying halfway thru.... charlie was a bright spot I suppose, but her intro is not my fave episode w her.... idk what the fuck happened w cas, I guess he was god. the leviathan designs were kinda neat but like oh my fucking god it wasnt worth it.

• s8: uh. rough start. idk why the turn tables so suddenly and dean's like "why didnt u look for me >:((" bc??? yall agreed not to???? at the VERY least they couldve had sam been like "I legitimately had no reason to think u werent dead and in heaven and tha wouldve been a little rude of me to pull u out of that." but we went for ~drama~ to make it spicy I guess. ouygh. bunkers there!!! that was cool!!! MoL is a cool concept!!! altho... it doesn kinda contradict the whole sam and dean are nobodies thing... idk. trials of hell was like... cool in theory but bad in practice unless they were planning on ending the show for realskies. and they did not.

• s9: uhh... hated gadreel! hated that shit! wish they had spun that whole storyline to be more "hey sam I noticed u were s*icidal should we maybe address that??" or even like.... I mean dean probably couldve just TOLD sam abt his plan, he had already convinced him to stay alive by that point??? there was no reason to lie!!! plus the betrayal of gadreel not being who he said he was wouldve been like. literally enough drama, we didnt need to fracture the team again. and cas was??? where exactly??? be was human for at least half of that season but hey didnt know what to do w him so they chucked him in a convenience store??? good lord.

• s10: got no suggestions for that one, just toss it

• s11: ok... shes cute.... we can forgive her.... the lore is shaky at best but the episodes SLAP and the characterization is *chefs kiss*. it's been a hot minute since I've seen it so if smth sucked I dont remember and I plan to keep it that way!!!!

• s12: n.. no. no mary. no mary unless we're doing it right. and I promise u doing it right was not poorly ripping off kingsman. couldve brought back bobby!!! if they desperately wanted some drama couldve brought back john!!! actually fuck that, no way

• s13-15: no thoughts, only jack kline <3

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #648: Going Out (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

11:33 a.m. at the Smash Mansion......

Dark Pit: (Makes his Way to the Door and Opens it) I'm heading out!

Pit: Wait. You are? We're about to play Mario Party in a few minutes.

Ren: Yeah. You love those.....that and causing Ryuji misery along the way.

Ryuji: (Glares at his Bro) Dude!

Ren: (Shrugged) Hey. It's the truth.

Ryuji: Yeah. But.....still!

Dark Pit: Trust me, as much as I would love to mess with Skull Boy and countless his losing streak....

Ryuji: (Rolled his Eyes in Annoyance) Glad to see you're still liking my suffering in the brand new year, DP......

Dark Pit: You bet your ass I do. But alas, I have to go somewhere. It won't take too long though.

Makoto: Alright. But be sure not go out for too long, okay? We have a long day ahead of us.

Dark Pit: Roger that, sis. (Walks Out the Door) Later.

'Door Closes'

Pit: Huh. I wonder where Pitto is going to in this early time.....

Futuba: (Shrugged) Probably going out for a walk or something.

Pit: Maybe......

11:54 a.m. Outside of the Big Bang Burger Building......

Dark Pit: (Standing Beside the Building While Checking the Time on his Phone) Where the hell are they? We agreed meet here around 11 and everything.....('Sigh') I guess maybe they really are busy after al-

????: PITTO-KINS!!!~

Before Dark Pit could react to anything, he immediately gets hug tackled by a energetic girl with a peach colored ponytail.

????: (Smiles Brightly While Hugging Dark Pit) It's sooooo great to see you again!~ Happy New Year's!~

Dark Pit: (Blushes While Sighing and Gently Pats on the Girl's Head) It's....good to see you too, Kyoko....

?????: D'awww~ Did our angel boi actually waited for us?~

Dark Pit: (Sees a Another Girl With Black Hair Making her Way to Him and Kyoko While Smirking) ('Tch') The hell do you think, Misako? You did told us to meet up here. And yet you're twenty minutes late.

Misako: Yeah, sorry about that. We were finishing our make-up. And by "we", I mean little miss pretty girl over there.

Kyoko: (Pouts at Misako) Hey! There is nothing wrong with getting yourself ready for a date. Speaking of which....(Turns to Dark Pit) How do I look, Pitto-Kins? Do I look okay?

Dark Pit: You look great, Kyoko. Don't worry about it.

Kyoko: (Blushes While Smiling Brightly) Awww~ Thank you!~ You really are a sweetheart~ (Gives Dark Pit a Kiss on the Cheek)

Misako: (Starts Smirking at her Boyfriend Again) Well, he did waited twenty minutes for us to get here. (Playfully Pulls on Dark Pit's Other Cheek) Goes to show that this Dark Angel here has a big heart after all~

Dark Pit: (Blushes Even More While Groaning ('Ugh') Whatever! Can we just go in and eat already?!

Misako: Lead the way, babe~

Inside the Big Bang Burger Building.....

Pit: (Sitting on his Side of the Table) So.... how's school going for you girls? Get into anymore fights lately?

Misako: (Raised an Eyebrow While Sitting on the Other Side of the Table with Kyoko) Bold of you ask of us that on our date, angel boi.

Dark Pit: Hey, you're the ones who got yourselves into them on a daily basis.

Kyoko: That is true.

Misako: (Glares at Kyoko) Seriously?

Kyoko: (Pouts at her Best Friend) Oh don't be like that, Misako! Name one time we HAVEN'T gotten ourselves in a fight.

Misako: I.....(Was About to Come Up With an Answer, But Ultimately Gives in When She Couldn't Think of Anything) ('Sighs in Defeat') Fair point. (Turns Back to Dark Pit) But even still, you don't need worry about something like that, DAD. We can take care of ourselves just fine in any fist fights, thank you very much.

Dark Pit: I know. You two kick a lot more asses than I can count. It's kinda impressive if you ask me.

Misako: (Smirks at Dark Pit Once) Admiring us already, babe?~ That's a shock~

Dark Pit: (Glares at Misako in a Bit of an Annoyed Manner) You just love to mess with me, don't you?

Misako: (Shrugged) Hey. It's not my fault you're too easy to tease~

Dark Pit: (Rolled his Eyes) Anyways, I was thinking.....You guys are interested in participate the Smash Tournament with me someday? I can try and talk Mario into letting you two join.

Misako: (Seems Unsure) Ehh.... I think we're gonna take a hard pass on that one.

Kyoko: (Frowns a Little) Yeah.....Most of the fighters there are wayyyy tougher than the any guys and gals we've faced so far. We wouldn't even stand a chance.

Dark Pit: I dunno. I think you girls might have a chance if winning a fight or two. You both are pretty strong after all.

Misako: You think so?

Dark Pit: Yeah. I mean, you were able to send a Yakuza's daughter flying from a literal building before. If you can do that, then I don't see you having any problems facing against anyone in Smash. Not even aganist me.

Misako: (Smiles a Little) You really have that much faith in us, huh?

Dark Pit: Of course I do. You two are my girlfriends. It's only natural for me to give you all the support that you need. (Starts Blushing a Little) Cause I love you guys like that, you know....

Kyoko: (Heart Begins to Melt in Happiness) Pitto-Kins.

Dark Pit: Yeah.

Kyoko: Can I hug you? Like, right now please?~

Dark Pit: Can't we just wait until we-

Kyoko: (Immediately Gives Dark Pit the Sad Puppy Dog Eggs While Wobbling her Lips Up and Down)

Dark Pit: ('Sighs in Defeat') Fiiiiine. Come here.

Kyoko: Eeee!~ (Excitedly Got Up From her side of the Table, Sit Next to her Boyfriend and Hugs Him Lovingly) Thank you for being a supportive boyfriend for us~ We really appreciate it a lot~ (Gives Dark Pit a Another Kiss on the Cheek) ('Mwaaah')

Dark Pit: (Blush Turns Bright Red) H-H-Hey! What with the kiss!?

Kyoko: (Giggles Softly) Sorry~ Your cheeks are practically kissable at this point. Plus, you never said that I can only hug, sooooooo.......

Dark Pit: ('Sigh') Shit. You're right.

Kyoko: Yep! Misako, you wanna join us?

Misako: (Shrugged) Eh. What the hell? (Got up from her Seat and Make her Way to her Girlfriend and Boyfriend) It has been a while since I made our dark angel boi's heart skip a beat.

Dark Pit: Do you have to kiss me right now?

Misako: (Place Two of her Hands on Dark Pit's Cheeks and Give him a Seductive Smirk) Yep. Now plucker up those lips~ (Gives Dark Pit a Kiss on the Lips) ('Mmwaaah')

Few Minutes Later in the Streets of Smash Town.....

Kyoko: (Sighs Relaxingly While Walking Next to her Girlfriend and Boyfriend) That was a good lunch date~

Dark Pit: Yeah. Not gonna lie, I actually had a great time today.

Misako: Same. (Smirks at Dark Pit) I especially had fun messing with you earlier~

Dark Pit: (Looks Away From Misako While Crossing his Arms) ('Tch') A kiss is a kiss. It wasn't that big of a deal....

Misako: Oh really? Then why were you lighting up like a Christmas tree when we walked out together?~

Dark Pit: (Starts Blushing Yet Again) N-No reason.....

Misako: (Chuckles Lightly) You're adorable, you know that?~

Dark Pit: Kyoko is the adorable one in this relationship. Not me!

Misako: Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, cutie.

Dark Pit: (Glares at Misako) What was that?

Kyoko: Now, now, children, there's no need for any of us to fight. We can a be cute together~

Misako: Yeah. No.

Dark Pit: Not happening, Kyoko.

Kyoko: (Turns Away from The Duo in a Pouty like Fashion) ('Hmph') Cowards.

Dark Pit: ('Sigh') As much as I would love see your cute, pouty face some more, I gotta get back to the mansion before my dork of a brother and the rest of the gang gets worried. Hope you understand.

Misako: Eh. Don't worry about it. (Smiles Softly) Being able to spent time with you at all today is good enough for me.

Kyoko: (Smiles Brightly) Me too!~ Thank you so much for letting us take you to lunch.

Dark Pit: I should be thanking you for having me. (Gives Both Misako and Kyoko Each a Kiss on Their Cheeks) Be safe out there. And try staying out of trouble for once, alright?

Misako: (Playfully Rolled her Eyes) Okay, dad, we'll try. You better text us back once you get home.

Dark Pit: Relax. I will.

Misako: I'll hold you to it. (Gives Dark Pit a Kiss on one Cheek)

Kyoko: (Gives Dark Pit a Kiss on the Other Cheek) We love you~

Dark Pit: Love you guys, too. Take care. Alright?

Misako: (Smiles Softly) Will do, chief. (Walks Away) Later.

Kyoko: (Walks Away with Misako While Happily Waving Goodbye to their Boyfriend) Have a nice rest of the day, Pitto-Kins!~

Dark Pit: (Waves Back at his Girlfriends Before Slowly Smiling Softly Once He Sees Them Walking Away in a Far Distance) (Huh. Funny. Who would've thought having two girlfriends would be pretty nice?)

@keyenuta

@princekirijo

@26shann

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@italian-love-cake

@caleb13frede

[solecize]

le printemps

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘. a conversation. high school graduation is coming up and the future is looking uncertain for you and donghyuck. 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. donghyuck x reader 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. mature language, recreational marijuana use, mentions of underage drinking 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 2.5k 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒. just some stuff i needed to hear and some stuff i’m sure someone out there needs to here too? also lmao not proofread as per usual

spring was the season of new beginnings. there was a feeling of hope floating through the air, a feeling of quiet excitement for what was to come. long gone were the days of your footprints imprinted on layers of frost upon the sidewalk and the taste of hot cocoa everyday after school. the warmer weather called for cooler drinks. flowers began to bloom beautifully from the ground—and now, it was your turn.

you were excited for whatever was going to happen in your life within the next few months. never more than now were you ready to let go of the past few years in the same school, passing by the same faces in the halls, and skipping the same teachers’ classes. well, perhaps not so much so when it came to the last part: you found yourself taking a “detour” out of the cafeteria with your boyfriend hyuck after lunch, only to never come back for your next class.

lee donghyuck was that guy. he was the class clown with a headstrong attitude that everyone loved and admittedly, that included you. it started last year, when he transferred in from across the country. with his infectious charms and smile, you were drawn in almost immediately. he was in your classes and hung around the same group of friends, always teasing you in flirtatious ways and doing nice things for you without any reason from the beginning. the two of you started dating after you boldly confessed to him at a house party, albeit after having a few drinks, and the rest was history.

“there’s like two weeks of school left, what’s mr. kim gonna do? fail you?” donghyuck chuckled, as the two of you dashed out the back exit of the gymnasium.

sure, he was a bad influence at times. your parents warned you themselves on the matter after meeting them for the first time, but you didn’t mind. donghyuck was exactly what you needed at times, letting you get a taste of the “wilder” side of life. late night sneaking out of your bedroom window, trying new food, taking up new hobbies together, the works. he was the little nudge you needed to enjoy life at times. 

you scrunched your nose up at him. “hey, i have to leave a good impression on him before i leave!” the two of you found yourselves outside and with hyuck gently gripping your hand as he led the way, you knew exactly where he was headed. 

“look at these bad kids go!” hollered a familiar voice and your head snapped to your left, where you saw his friends jeno, jaemin, and renjun whistling at the two of you. donghyuck only grinned at them, mouthing words that you could only guess were ones of threats in case they decided to rat the two of you out. the other three hooligans continued teasing from a distance, as they made their own way back inside the building.

the soft breeze blew against his slightly unbuttoned uniform shirt and against your skirt, causing it to slightly lift. donghyuck immediately pushed it down when he saw that, while continuing to lead the way down the street. his light brown hair shone bewitchingly underneath the sunlight and your eyes trailed down to his mouth. the male had a permanent smile attached to his lips when he was with you, unlike his usual playful smirk or the scowl that he wore whilst in school.

there was not a trace of surprise in you when you two ended up at the place dubbed as your and hyuck’s rooftop. not the man who owned the barbershop below’s rooftop, but it belonged to the two of you. just a block or two away from your school, you only felt like it was right to claim the rooftop as your own after the two of you shared your first kiss here. after the time you ran out here after failing your math test—donghyuck trailing right after you—and throwing up all over the concrete. after all the countless memories spent here without getting caught, you felt that the carving with the two of your names validated your ownership.

“there really is just two weeks left, huh. . .” you trailed off, letting the thought sink it.

the end of the school year had a different vibe. every student felt the weight of final exams or simply relieved at the thought of finally getting out for a two month or so vacation period. plans for the break were made, ranging from going out with friends or even more lessons to drown in during what was intended to be time away from school. the constant between all points on the spectrum was the anticipation. like the spring time, there was a feeling of hope. however, between the graduating upperclassmen, some of them knew they were faking it.

“everyone thinks they’re going to be alright and they keep saying it over and over again because they think if they do, it’ll come true,” donghyuck explained. “almost of all of us don’t know what the hell we’re doing now, why would we know shit about what we’re going to do after the cap and gown?”

you leaned against the edge of the rooftop, elbows propped up, while hyuck stood behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist. 

you replied, “do you know what you’re doing?” it was a dumb question, you realized that when he immediately laughed, but you wanted to hear what he was going to say.

“hell no. otherwise, i’d be going straight to school like everyone else.” he’d been clear on his plan to take a gap year and spend his time travelling and working, all while giving himself more time to think about exactly what the hell was the direction he was planning to go.

“you think you’re going to be alright?”

donghyuck slowly tore his arms away from your body and by the shuffling of his backpack, he was probably searching for his grinder and rolling papers.  “eventually, yeah.” 

you already knew, since from the moment that you two met, it seemed like he had a craving to be high all the time. that was just him, typical rebellious hyuck. you’d experimented with your friends before meeting him and after becoming a couple, you didn’t mind the free weed. it made conversations far more interesting.

“do you?”

the question caused an unsettling knot to form at the bottom of your stomach. you wanted to say something optimistic, but trying to force it out of your throat tasted bitter. you weren’t sure at all. biting your tongue, you simply shrugged in response. 

“i mean, you’re going to a good school and everything. you’re pretty set,” he pointed out from behind you.

you said, “but everything’s moving so fast that i don’t know if i’m doing the right things or doing what i really want to do. i feel like i’m making decisions on the fast lane with half open eyes.” it was a confession that you’d iterated over and over again to your friends and sometimes your parents, though the latter would never quite understand what you were getting it. it was always you being overdramatic about your perfectly fine future or that you were—

“—thinking too much about it. the fastlane is always the best ride, isn’t it?” 

there was a part of you that wanted to listen to hyuck and what he was saying, but everything felt so conflicting. you had hope for your future, yet thinking about it made your insides flip and turn at every possible outcome. taking a glance back at donghyuck, you saw it in him, too. he said he was going to “eventually” be alright, but even though he wouldn’t admit it, there was a mutual feeling of anxiety.

his eyes softened when they met yours and he gave you a small smile. “princess, you’ll be okay. you damn well know how bright  you are and you have a plan.” 

you hated being that person who rambled on and on, dumping all of their worries onto another person. you much preferred to keep anything inside to refrain from burdening others with your anxieties, but it was different with hyuck. it was comfortable with him. he genuinely listened and cared.

he said, “i can’t see you as anything but successful. i hope you realize that.” hyuck was having a troubling time rolling his joint atop his accounting textbook, which made you chuckle a bit. “you’ve worked too hard these past few years. have you seen the way you stay up late to finish your work? sure, you don’t start until the very last minute, but you put a hell lot of effort into your stuff.” you snorted at his mention of your procrastination, as honest as ever.

you responded, “alright.” looking out past the buildings was the skyline of the city, seemingly limitless. “and i know you’re worried, too. you just won’t say it aloud, hyuck.”

he made a noise of lax, sounding like an “ehh. . . .” as if he wanted to argue, but didn’t open his mouth to actually do so.

“it’ll work out for you,” you attempted to convince.

there was the drawing of a long sigh. “fine. i feel like i have no answers to what i’m doing right now. every choice i make scares me now.” donghyuck paused, looking at the ground. “but, i don’t want to feel like i’m going to regret anything, you know?”

you turned around and your back was now facing the edge of the rooftop. he finished rolling the joint, licking it close and his eyes were on yours as he did so. they were piercing. above the two of you,  the velvet clouds crawled across the sky. you embraced the faint scent of street food being fried on the sidewalk and marijuana and as donghyuck edged closer, the smell of musk and rosewood. it was exactly what you wanted to remember when you looked back on these memories as a future you.

“and spending too much time about your possible regrets is something you’ll regret in the future.” you grinned at his stunned expression, which transitioned into a mirror of yours when he processed what you said. 

“you get it,” he breathed, snaking his arms around your waist once again, but this time, his face was inches away from yours. “i know i shouldn’t have asked you earlier. .  .but i want you to know that you’ll be alright.”

all you could do was nod in silence, losing yourself in his eyes. just like the first time. they shone and he tightened his grip around your waist, as he closed the distance between the two of you. it was sweet and soft, full of comfort. the two of you remained like that for what seemed like forever.

there was nothing that made you feel warm inside like the way hyuck kissed you.

the moment, unfortunately, came to an end. a loud bang could be heard from below and the two of you jumped, thinking that someone was about to climb up the stairs and catch you on private property. donghyuck took the initiative to peek from behind the pillar blocking your view of the staircase.

“just a raccoon,” he announced, chuckling a little bit. hyuck began walking back towards you, the joint still in between his right index and middle fingers.

you felt a lift of relief—this was not going to be a good day to be caught trespassing and skipping class.

donghyuck shoved his hand inside his pants pocket and pulled out a lighter, pointing it your direction. “m’lady, would you care to do the honours?” in no universe would you ever be able to resist his cheeky little grin and rolling your eyes, you snatched the lighter out of his hand and clicked it. he held out the joint and you let the tip burn.

“hey?” you said all of a sudden and hyuck looked at you inquisitively. “one more question.”

he shrugged. “yeah, shoot.” the male pulled the joint away from the flame and brought it up to his lips first, inhaling from the other end.

something about the question made you feel silly, just like the first one did, but you didn’t mind in front of him. “do you think we are going to be okay?”

at that, an uncomfortable kind of silence developed. you only found it so at the way hyuck scrunched his eyebrows together, clearly trying to string together a response, but the only words that managed to come out were “well . . .” 

“did you have plans to break up after graduation?” you blunted, folding your arms around your chest and leaning back on the edge. “be honest, i won’t be upset.”

“of course not!” donghyuck scoffed, smoke coming from his mouth as he spoke. “when i said i wanted to stick it out with you a year ago, i meant that.”

he passed the joint to you after that. you didn’t hesitate bringing it up to your lips, letting the feeling overtake your being. the question even plagued you at times, wondering if it was worth it to continue a seemingly temporary high school relationship past what was supposed to be the expiry date. with donghyuck, it didn’t feel right to just give up because of what everyone else said. 

you simply replied, “okay.” and you believed your boyfriend. over the period of time that the two of you dated, his friends often remarked that they’d never seen him so serious about a girl until you. you saw the way the panic emerged in his muscles after your question. 

“you’re being too serious. don’t be.” hyuck insisted, cupping your cheek, and you wished that you held as much assurance in yourself that he did.

“i’m just scared.” you shook your head, looking out again past the city skyline. everything seemed so much smaller from up at that rooftop, but you knew that once you were out those doors with your cap and gown, you were going to feel as tiny as an ant in the real world.

winter was just as beautiful of a season as spring. the season of spring was one of new beginnings, but that also meant new endings. looking at hyuck, you didn’t want him to be a page you had to turn over to move on. it was stupid, it was reckless, it was what young people did. it was love. fake hope repeated over and over again in the head to make themselves believe that it were to come true.

donghyuck ran his fingers through his hair. “no matter what happens, i’m going to be here. i know i can tell you all day that your future is going to be fine, but i show you at any waking second that i’m at your side.” 

the two of you spend the rest of your time finishing the joint, talking, giggling about how jeno ruined the last lacrosse game of the school year by hijacking it as the mascot, and eating potato chips that hyuck brought. you fell asleep for half an hour on his lap. he gave you a piggyback ride home in the wrong direction. everything seemed alright, like you’d been worried about, but that was all for now. your love for hyuck was now, just as you realized you should have focused on.

[blueplanettrash]

Eastside

This a story suggested by @2windowpanes where Lance and Keith met earlier in their lives and didn’t realise who they were until they did a mind meld exercise. I’m gonna have a few parts after as well. I hope everyone enjoys! 💙

They met one year at summer camp. They had a crush on the same guy and caught each other staring at him. At first, they fought for his attention and fought each other in the process. When they both realized that he was dumb as a stick and didn’t realize they were both crushing on him, they became best friends.

Their names were Akira and Leandro.

Usually, Leandro had no problem with getting along with people, no matter what but when he saw another boy looking at Dillon (the boy he had a crush on), he wouldn’t stand for it. He ended up calling the boy out behind the meal hall right after dinner.

“Stop looking at Dillon,” he said, crossing his arms trying to come off as threatening in some way. Surprisingly (at least to him), the boy just raised his eyebrow at him.

“No,”

“W-what!!? Why!?” He demanded.

“Because I like Dillon too!”

“So, stop liking him!”

“No!”

“Fine! I guess I’ll just have to get him to like me first!”

“Good luck with that!”

“You too!” With that Leandro, turned and stomped away, shoulders tense. Akira looked after him, his eyes narrowed.

And so their rivalry began. They were constantly working against each other, whether it be by bringing Dillon gifts or demanding their attention, or damaging each other’s chances in some way. One day, Leandro would shove a bug down the back of Akira’s shirt, making him hop around the camp, shrieking as he tried to get it off. Another, Akira would sneak under the table and tie Leandro’s shoelaces together.

Was it juvenile? Yes.

Did it work three times? Also yes.

In the grand scope of things, it wasn’t a very sophisticated “prank war” by any means but the word of their “battle” spread across the camp and it became something to look forward to. Almost everybody knew about the war and who it was about, except for one person;

Dillon.

Now, people would look at this situation and think Dillon is dumb as a stump and you’re absolutely right. He was, but they didn’t see it that way, in fact, they saw it as kind of adorable that he was so innocent. At first at least. Then one day after a wilderness survival session, they sat with Dillon as he studied the small map they were given.

“Is the blue part, water or the sky?” He asked, pointing at the coloured parts of the map. The rose coloured glasses over both of their eyes shattered. As candidates for the Galaxy Garrison and prodigy students, there's only so much they can take.

“Uuhhh, yeah, sorry Dillon, we gotta go,” Leandro said, pulling Akira up and bolting away.

Thankfully all of this happened in the first few weeks of the summer and for the rest of it, they spent together. Honestly, if they had to describe it, it was every summer teen movie filmed by Disney ever. You know, the typical enemies become friends and save the day or whatever. They never had a final boss battle but you get the point. Unless you count when their parents came to get them.

The night before they left, they snuck out of their cabin and to the fire pit. With the fire extinguished and the light from the camp almost completely blacked out, they could see the stars stretching across the entire sky.

“Wow, the whole summer passed and there wasn’t a single, other cute guy,” Leandro mused.

“If this is any inclination to the rest of my life, I’m gonna be disappointed,” Akira agreed, chuckling.

“What about Dylan, he’s kind of cute,” Akira suggested.

“Ehh, he’s okay I guess but man I thought this was gonna be my summer for romance,”  he sat up quickly before sighing. “What am I even talking about? No one would want to date me anyway,” Leandro huffed, pressing his face into his knees.

“What’d you mean?” Akira asked with concern. So far this summer, he hadn’t shown this side to Akira. He was usually confident in himself and in turn boosted Akira’s confidence.

“Dude, just look at my face, no guy would ever ask me out,” he peeked back at Akira.

“Well, at least you’ve got perfect teeth,” he shot back crossing his arms and lifting his lip to flash metal lined teeth at him.

“The braces are gonna come off eventually, my skin is gonna look like this forever!” Leandro whined.

“You’re being dramatic Leandro,”

“Obviously!”

“Come on, we’re only fourteen, we’ve got forever to find boyfriends!”

“When have you been this upbeat?” Leandro said with mock suspicion.  

“Since I saw my best friend upset,” He scoffed, crossing his arms triumphantly.

“Man, why can’t I have friends like you at home?” Leandro sighed, laying back and looking at the stars.

“Because I’m irreplaceable,” Akira teased, laying beside Leandro.

“True,” he sighed. “I’m gonna miss you Akira,” he said quietly after a beat.

“Me too,” he sighed, looking over at Leandro.

“Promise you’ll come back next summer?” Leandro asked, his eyes suspiciously glassy. He held out his pinky, Akira sniffed and nodded his head latching his pinky to his.

“Pinky promise,”

“You’re not going back this summer,” his mama informed him as she pulled out his suitcase from the closet.

He’d just gotten off school for the summer break and brought the camp application to his mother to sign so he could back. He couldn’t wait to see Akira again and catch up. Unfortunately, his mama had other plans.

“What!?” Lance cried, his eyes wide. “Why not!?”

“We’re going to Cuba for the summer,” she said shortly, handing the case off to her son. Normally Lance would be excited to be spending his summer away from home but he’d been waiting for camp the entire year. He’d even been counting down on his calendar.

“But-but, I want to go back!” He cried, desperately. “I promised Akira!”

“Akira?” She questioned in confusion. “Was that the boy you hung out with last year?”

“Yeah, and I promised that I’d be there this year,”

For a second, there was a look of sympathy on her face before she sighed and rubbed her hand down her face.

“I was going to tell everyone together but your grandmother is sick and the doctors don’t think she’s going to make it through the summer,”

“What?” The colour drained from his face and shock overtook his senses. He felt arms wrap around him and he sank into the comfort, he didn’t even realize that he was sobbing. While he looked out the window of the plane, he hoped that Akira would forgive him for breaking their promise and more than anything wished that they would meet again someday.

The first time Lance saw Keith, he didn’t know what he was feeling. It was a weird mix of familiarity, but also competitiveness? In simple terms, it was confusing as hell and he didn’t know what it meant. When he found out who he was, he thought he figured it out. Keith Kogane: one of the most talented pilots of their generation, almost as great as Takashi Shirogane, or so everyone was saying. So he chalked it up to him wanting to compete with Keith, prove who was the better pilot.

“Dude, why are you always staring at Keith?” Hunk asked one day, while they were eating in the mess hall. Lance chewed thoughtfully for a second, still burning holes in the side of Keith’s head.

“I don’t know… I’m pretty sure I hate him?” He questioned with a tilt of his head.

“You don’t know?” Hunk deadpanned. Lance hummed and shrugged.

He really didn’t know, but nothing else made sense.

He thought that maybe that weird feeling would go away after a week or two in Voltron. Team bonding and all that, but it just kept getting stronger. To be perfectly honest, it was interfering in their team dynamic and everyone was starting to notice. Surprisingly, Keith was acting strange around him as well. At times he would look around and catch Keith just staring at him with narrowed eyes. At first, he thought he was glaring at him but then he’d tilt his head as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

Allura and Shiro finally had enough of their behaviour and she and Coran organized a second bonding session with the mind meld headbands. But this time they weren’t trying to form Voltron, they were just trying to get to know one another.

They sat in their circle thinking of happy memories or things that would help their teammates know more about them. Things were going smoothly until for just a second Lance thought of Akira. Keith gasped, his mind suddenly racing with thoughts. He pulled the headband off and dropped it on the floor. The others pulled their’s off as soon as they lost Keith’s connection and watched him with concern.

“Keith?” Shiro reached out to grab his shoulder but Keith was too busy studying Lance, who had narrowed his eyes at him.

“What’s with you?” Keith’s eyes widened.

“No. Fucking. Way… Leandro?” Keith asked, staring across the semi-circle to Lance. His mouth dropped open in shock. There was only one person his age who knew that name.

“Akira?”

There was a beat of silence before they both jumped up and leapt at each other with excited shrieks of “HOLY SHIT!” They collided in a hug and started squeezing the life out of the other.

“Man, you had some glow up,” Lance whistled, pulling his bottom lip down. “Look at those beautiful teeth!” He whistled.

“Me!? Look at you! I’ve never seen clearer skin!” Keith said, with a wide grin, reaching out to pinch Lance’s cheek.

“Wait. You guys knew each other?” Pidge deadpanned, pointing between them.

“Yeah! Oh my god, it’s been so long!” Lance laughed, hugging Keith again. “We have to catch up, we’re doing a spa night right now!” He cheered dragging a smiling Keith out of the training room.

“Wait! How do you know each other!?” Hunk yelled.

“Later! We’re having a best friend night!” Lance laughed back.

In case you’re wondering why they didn’t recognize each other:

Keith has braces, his hair is short, and he has glasses.

Lance has pretty bad acne (why he’s so careful with his skin now, glasses, and he was really short.

[tumblunni]

Ehh i think i finally summed up why all of this steven universe diamonds stuff has been so underwhelming.

YES you can redeem a villain

but you have to

actually

TRY

Yes you can write a story about the world’s most fuckin horrible person being really actually sad at heart

Yes you can write a story about an abusive parent actually being able to change

Yes you can write a story about some wild genocidal alien civilization of asshole space rocks actually only doing it because something something societal pressure DESPITE BEING THE ONES IN CHARGE WHO SET THE DAMN RULES I GUESS

But fucking hell its not gonna be EASY and you shouldn’t treat it that way.

All of this shit was SO fucking quick?? And everything else WASNT!

You spent SO long hyping up these guys you spent SO long convincing us that they WERE evil and that they had entirey different motives for what they were doing and EVEN WITHIN THIS FUCKING EPISODE you spent more time showing us White Diamond being absolutely ridiculously existentially horrifyingly awful and refusing every offer everyone gave her to help and refusing every chance and fucking fucking goddamn violating people’s entire minds and just.. fuck.

After all that you cant just fuckin have steven walk up to blue and yellow and say “hey everything you did was bad” and them go “GEE WE NEVER KNEW!” for some reason this time they’re convinced in a single sentence despite it being the same sentence steven said before in every damn episode and pink said to them years before and every person they abused and enslaved and mutilated and KILLED said while they were DYING

And you can’t fucking have white diamond never redeem herself and never change and never admit she’s wrong and steven SOLVE IT WITH FUCKING FIGHTING WHILE SAYING HE DOESNT WANT TO, WHILE THE ENTIRE SHOW TRIES TO CLAIM THE REASON THEY ARE DOING IT THIS WAY IS BECAUSE OF PACIFISM

because seriously he?? just defeated her?? and this made her?? change???

redeeming a villain shouldn’t be easy. redeeming a villain has to have the villain TRY. white diamond has done nothing to prove she really has a heart, prove that she really did all this for sympathetic reasons, prove that she’s able to change, AND ESPECIALLY NOTHING TO MAKE IT UP TO ANY OF THE PEOPLE SHE’S HURT

she just got defeated and basically admitted she’s wrong cos she has no other choice. and i guess her blushing because steven issued a SICK BURN to her is meant to be enough proof that her entire motivation so far has been because of self confidence issues forcing her to put up a false front aka her entire personality we saw so far. If you wanna tell me she’s entirely different to what we saw so far then please could you please give it more screentime than twelve goddamn seconds.

This is like how yellow and blue just suddenly were accepted as part of the family and steven agreed to go with them to homeworld literally just because they realized he “is really pink diamond”. Like they never fucking repented or actually learned to empathise with humans or ever explained why they dont empathise with humans no nope the only answer we got is that they were sad about their sister/daughter/friend dying even though they were already doing all the same evil stuff before that and its what caused her to leave in the first place. no we’re gonna just completely trust them instantly and not even continue making an effort to convince them? we’re gonna trust them so much we’re gonna trust that white diamond will also change just cos we beat her up? COS SERIOUSLY STEVEN FUCKIN DEFEATED BLUE AND YELLOW IN A FIGHT AND THATS THE END OF THEIR ARC, HOW IS THIS PROVING THE POWER OF PACIFISM!! beating everyone up and then saying the same singular sentence again and somehow now it works!! or saying “my mum was pink diamond” and it doesnt convince them but hey if we say it again with magical proof its true then i guess it works now. wow that sure does argue the power of words i guess

everything EVERYTHING they did was just a fuckin misunderstanding cos they dont UNDERSTAND they were doing bad and thus they dont have to face any form of consequences beyond being mildly embarassed i suppose.

if you wanna make that the ending then you need to work to disprove all the hours you spent implying that.. yknow.. they were doing things because they were evil

and even if theyre sympathetic they still did evil things and they still need to work to prove that theyve changed

and ESPECIALLY if you’re making a show very heavy on subjects like LGBT discrimination it shouldnt be FUCKIN WOW UNEXPECTED that the audience would see this plot as a metaphor for stuff like homophobia and abusive parents and.. yknow.. societal oppression in a law system that forces you to live in the closet in constant fear of being discovered and killed. and all the other apparantly accidental undertones of racism and extermination of indigenous people in stolen land which YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED PEOPLE TO SEE WHEN THE PLOT IS LITERALLY EXTERMINATING PEOPLE TO STEAL THEIR LAND

all of that means you need to do MORE work to prove that that isnt actually what the plot is supposed to be, and more work to redeem villains who are very heavily goddamn triggering to a large part of the vunerable audience YOU SPECIFICALLY MARKETED YOURSELF TOWARDS

this was just so fucking overwhelming and somehow rushed despite being an hour long episode, and i hate it because the show spent so much effort on so much other stuff yet decided to half ass it at the really important part that NEEDED to have thought and time put into it if it was gonna nail the landing

especially after ALL THAT FUCKIN TIME AND EFFORT INTO THINGS THAT ONLY AMPED UP THE VILLAINY AND TENSION OF THESE GUYS AND MADE IT SO MUCH WORSE

like fucking hell how can you be so tone deaf??? this has been in the planning for so damn long and theyve been working on it forever and THIS is what they chose to rush over? this is the priorities they thought were important? even just within this episode if youre struggling to fit it all in then like seriously cut out some of the stuff like the montage of unseen fusion forms that did basiclaly nothing but a few jokes, and the equally as rushed bad lars and sadie romance resolution. Which is another thing that needed a lot of work to fix when the introduction we got to these two was a really unhealthy relationship and a dude who refuses to change despite being given twelve chances but suddenly changes COMPLETELY on the thirteenth one and i guess cos he died that proves he’s all good now. Except he acts all weird and creepy in the very next episode and endangers his new friends by acting all possessive over sadie again and getting angry that she has other friends????

i hate it because ive had to deal with the fandom telling all the people who were rightfully uncomfortable with how these subjects were handled that oh we’re just overreacting and oh wait and see cos they totally have a big plan for the ending or something that’ll make it all make sense. And comparing people being triggered by child abuse and racism to “huhu those dumb su criticals who hate the art style” or whatever...

god, man, its just a deflection of what the issue really is

“oh youre saying NO VILLAINS can EVER be redeemed and NOBODY can EVER talk about dark stuff in shows without being SECRETLY BAD AND SUPPORTING IT IN REAL LIFE?”

no im not saying that im just saying the subjects are fucking depressing to people who’ve suffered from the real life stuff and the villain redemption should be GOOD and should THINK ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE if it wants to make up for it

like fucking hell look at how much zuko from avatar went through before his redemption. look at how long he struggled with his morality and how long it took him to realise he was wrong. look at how much detail they showed us on all the people who negatively influenced him into making the bad choices he did. look at how much he went through to make up for what he did and apologise to everyone he hurt. look at how everyone he hurt didnt believe him at first and it took a while for everything to work out. look at how sometimes he messed up and took steps backward before getting to where he needed to be. and look at how he actually changed as a person and continued learning and growing and trying to be a good person even far into the future after the story ended.

hell, fuckin look at PERIDOT! peridot had a full goddamn zuko arc! peridot had more screentime than all of the diamonds combined, and it was way better utilized! she had a full process from being introduced as a scary villain BECAUSE OF MISUNDERSTANDING WHO SHE REALLY WAS, then being revealed as having a fully rounded personality, flaws and redeemable traits while still being a villain. and moments of her proving that she did indeed only become a villain because she didnt understand what she was doing was wrong, and a personality that matched with that reveal rather than having NO INDICATION she was like that until it suddenly happened only after she was defeated. and her redemption came slowly through friendship with steven and it had moments of the other characters not instantly trusting her and also of her making mistakes and struggling with believing steven’s philosophy when it went against everything she knew about life. and speaking of which it was established that she had a very different life which had negative influences pushing these ideas upon her, and tough stuff that made her scared and pressured. Not just being in a high position of ruling over a planet in the lap of luxury and ONLY AFTER BEING DEFEATED do we learn that they feel pressured by the societal expectation to be perfect and they actually would have agreed all along with dismantling the system but they were just too afraid to be honest. Or whatever the fuck that rushed ending was trying to go for! And man even after peridot joins the team she’s NOT redeemed yet, she’s initially only halfway doubting herself and only teaming up with steven because they’re both afraid of the cluster. And she messes up and says horrible shit to her new friends and feels the consequences of her actions and chooses to change. And her ultimate choice to switch sides is REALLY hard, she gets so close to going back to the diamonds and its a great personal sacrifice on her part when she chooses to give it all up and make an enemy of the person she was so scared of!

and GAHHH that good redemption is one in a million episodes that really set up the diamonds Being Bad and should have been a goddamn tally in the “effort required in the fuckin ending” chart!

could we not have even just had one ten minute episode of blue and yellow going around earth and experiencing human life and realizing there’s things worth protecting? or a few damn scenes foreshadowing white being actually insecure and lying to protect herself, rather than GENUINELY ABUSIVE BECAUSE SHE’S BAD?

and seriously even if you hurt people because you hate yourself YOU STILL HURT THEM

a sympathetic backstory should be a reason why they COULD be redeemed, not proof that they already are redeemed just because the backstory was stated in words and nothing else has fuckin changed.

imagine if zuko just lost one fight to aang and said “yes but my dad abused me” and aang was like “oh no now lets team up with zuko to beat up his dad” and none of the bad things zuko did were ever mentioned again and also he keeps his season 1 personality throughout the entire series

imagine if peridot fuckin.. just changed sides cos she’s funny and we like her. people wantedher to change sides as soon as she acted funny and likeable but they still made the effort to actually prove she had changed! the diamonds didnt act remotely harmless or remotely good until they just suddenly are in the very last episode.

hoo

fucking

ray

also why are we constantly just ignoring all these dark things about homeworld? like the episode with holly blue agate and the famethyst slave caste and all the creepy ways the entire place operated. i totally thought thatd.. yknow.. EVER BE REFERENCED AGAIN?? its never even mentioned that anyone even WANTS to go back and save them?? and the human zoo were outright stated to be like.. unsaveable. “oh theyve never known real human life and theyre happy in their slavery so itd be cruel to take them away from it” One off episode, forgotten about. And the creepy as fuck scenes of gems being BUILT INTO THE WALLS AND DOORS AS SECURITY SYSTEMS and the confirmation that more lapis situations are constantly going on yet somehow that singing hairbrush person doesnt get all the sympathy that she did. And steven going daww at the pebbles instead of being horrified that theyre born to work as servants and forced to live in the walls because the noblewomen dont want to look at them? and he asks them to make him a new outfit?? and theres no plot anything involving them except them puttering around in the background outfitting?? like was none of this meant to be seen as PROOF THAT THE DIAMONDS WERE EVIL and PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO BE SAVED????

goddddd

please say they were rushed or something please say this is all the faultof being given less time than they expected please say there were other plans for other episodes we didnt see that would have given at least slightly more substance to any of this

also why wasnt this even advertised as the last episode if its the last fuckin episode

hhhh well at least obsidian was a great character design and so were the other fusions and new outfits even if they only appeared for twelve seconds. and white’s whole scary evil mind invasion stuff was really good even if it actually hurt the episode by being good, kinda

man im not even mad or anything i just feel mehh and bored and like im actually glad its over. i never wanted to feel that way about a show that used to be so good. i kinda wish the earliest episodes werent so good if the answers to all those well set up mysteries were gonna have so much less effort than the setup itself

...man i should make a whole post about all the mistaken ways i THOUGHT the show was gonna go that actually would have been way more interesting than the real answer.

i’m just super glad that my last theory was wrong cos wow that would have been the only thing worse than this ending! when white pearl first appeared before we’d actually seen white diamond, and it had all this thing that white diamond hadnt been seen in ages.. well i was worried it was setting up some sort of reverse twist where actually white pearl is bodysnatching white diamond instead of vice versa. So the whole evil empire would actually be run by a member of the slave class that its oppressing, and the diamonds/representative of the upper class would actually be poor victims all along. dear god i am so glad i got that wrong! tho im weirded out by how evil white/pink pearl looked in that first hint that she was originally pink pearl??

anyway basicallly im just so fuckin tired

[beans-and-rice101]

Merry Christmas

Prompt: Imagine being the Christmas Gift Master for the Avengers or the Justice League. - @darkshadow3942

DISCLAIMER!!! I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE WITH SOCIAL ANXIETY/BEING INTROVERTED!! I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE WITH A SPEECH IMPEDIMENT!! MY KNOWLEDGE ON BOTH SUBJECTS IS INFORMATION I HAVE GATHERED FROM UNRELIABLE SOURCES! however i am lazy and can't be bothered to do research rn SO IF WHAT I'VE WRITTEN IS INCORRECT OR MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR UPSET PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A RESPECTFUL COMMENT!!

So this is actually completely wrong when compared to the prompt but I took creative license so fuck you. Also it's way late for Kringle but WHO CARES. I worked pretty hard on this so be gentle?

~~~

"T-Tinsel? Check. Tree? Check-k. Obnoxious self-sus-sustaining Christm-m-mas lights? Check. Met-t-ticulously crafted gingerb-bread houses that n-no one w-w-will eat because I w-work for a t-t-t-team of ungrateful sh-shits? Ch-Check." You placed the clipboard down after ticking the last box. You had volunteered as Christmas organizer this year as Pepper was busy trying to convince Mr Stark to leave her pregnant ass alone for five minutes. Worst. Decision. EVER.

You had decided(in your naive eagerness) to invite not-really-Avengers as well because you pitied Quill when he tried to explain the concept of Christmas to the Guardians. Plus you wanted to meet the Spider-Man that Mr Stark had been fussing over. God that man needed to chill. You had only hoped he would relax enough this past week for you to get everything done. Hardly. But no use dwelling on the horrors of unpaid apprenticeship! You still had a lot of work to do. Let's see... Hang up the tinsel and assorted decorations, figure out how to attach the lights to the top of the compound, hide the food from Clint and Thor, pick up the order of mince pies from Bow's and Holly's Bakery, be at the airport at 10:00am sharp to recieve Mr Stark and Mrs Potts, arrange the assigned rooms for the Wakandan and spacefaring guests... God... What were you forgetting!?

You pulled out your phone and look back through your notes for the day. Ah, yes. Pick up Peter. Peter? Oh, right, Peter Parker. Spider-Man. Happy was away with family - who were invited to join, but declined - in California. This left you with the additional task of either driving Mr Stark to meetings and seminars or organizing for chauffeurs. You honestly preferred the latter, but To-Mr Stark always insisted on paying you for the ride. Plus, he wasn't that bad as travelling partners went. In fact, for the co-CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, Mr Stark is pretty cool. He isn't without his snark and a certain level of entitlement; and occasionally forgets that people like you live under different circumstances, but all in all, not the worst boss. Certainly better than the one that pays you.

Lost in thought, you very nearly ran into someone. Looking up at the person steadying you, you swallowed loudly at the sight of Steve Rogers. You smiled weakly and mumbled an apology as you looked down at your watch. "Oh sh-shit!"

"Uhh..?" Your gaze snaps back to Steve, who looks more than a little worried by your outburst. "Everything alri-?"

"I'M SORRY I HAVE TO GO THANKS FOR THE CHAT BYE!!" You sprinted past him; later you were informed that this was when you dropped your phone, but at the time your thoughts lay with the fact that it was 9:45am and you had to get your ass in gear.

You barely got to the airport as Mr Stark's plane was set to land. He and Mrs Potts had insisted on flying to San Francisco themselves to pick up Eddie Brock - Mr Stark's newest "find", whom he was as of yet, unsure of. Mr Brock had agreed on the condition that he stayed in a hotel of his choosing as opposed to the compound. Whether that was a lack of trust in you, Tony or himself, you weren't certain. Whatever the case, you didn't mind, as it was one less room for you to organize. As you contemplated Mr Brock, you turned up the radio, listening to the Christmassy songs.

Despite your responsibilities this year, you still found that you enjoyed Christmas. There was something about the cheesiness of it all. How over the top people would get, going to such great lengths to prove their Christmas Spirit. You were content with spending most Christmases by yourself, but lately you had been wondering what Christmas would be like when spent with someone. Don't be mistaken, you had plenty of memories with your family, and they stayed in touch, but it had been years since you had been home for Christmas. Your thoughts moved to the Avengers. Superheroes, secret agents, goody-goodies the whole lot of 'em. Most days, you found it hard to understand how so many different people could share a space... Maybe you envied them... You weren't much older than Peter Parker, but you would never consider to include you in the superhero equation.. You tried to convince yourself that you wouldn't belong, anyway. You had nothing to contribute; aside from coffee, bad jokes and a stutter that even your family couldn't decipher.

The car door opening jolted you out of your thoughts, and you looked over to see Mrs Potts sliding into the seat next to you. "How's planning going?"

"...How d-do you d-d-do it?" Mrs Potts laughed. After Mr Stark and Mr Brock were seated, you began the drive back to the compound. Along the way, you stayed mostly silent - unless it was to correct dates and names Mr Stark got wrong that Mrs Potts missed - and listened to the conversation. It was clear, at least to you, that there was both an air of caution from Mr Brock towards Mrs Potts, and a faint tint of distrust in Mr Stark's words to Mr Brock. You had never thought to ask why Mr Brock was of such interest to the billionaire, and from the air between the two men, you didn't intend to pry. You, personally, thought Mr Brock was quite polite, if a little blunt. He thought to include you in conversation, despite barely knowing you for a minute. When you started driving him to the hotel, preceding dropping off Mrs Potts and Mr Stark(who seemed hesitant to leave the two of you alone...), Mr Brock seemed to grow more closed off. You supposed he didn't want to distract you; or perhaps he didn't care.

With the lack of conversation, aside from occasional directions from Mr Brock, you started zoning out again. There was no point in returning to the compound straight after dropping him off. You would only have 20 minutes, then, to spare before it was time to go pick up Peter. Mr Parker? Should you address him formally as well? He was maybe two months older than you. You supposed it was better to be safe than sorry, but something about it felt wrong...

"Thank you for the lift." You nodded, smiling at Mr Brock as he got out of the car. "It was n-n-no problem, M-M-M-M-..." You sighed, giving up. You just nodded again. Mr Brock pulled his suitcase out of the trunk himself, waving off the doorman. You leaned out the side window, taking a moment to figure out your words before speaking. "I'll be b-b-back-ack at 6:15. Is that-at okay?" Mr Brock copied your earlier action before stepping back from the curb. You waved at him as you pulled away, contemplating what to do. You supposed you should at least pick up those pies from the bakery. In fact, it wasn't too far from Mr Parker's address... Nope. Didn't like it.

The bakery smelled fresh and the air was warm, compared to the snow outside. You rubbed your hands together, regretting not wearing thicker clothes. "Order for Mr T-T-T-Tony St-t-Stark?" The barista looked through the boxes and picked up a large cream one with clear plastic on the top so you could see the treats inside. You smiled thanks and regretted not returning the "Merry Christmas!" that followed you out into the cold. You sighed, taking a moment to look around. The street you were on wasn't too busy, and the shops were cheerful enough, but it seemed you were destined to be in a mournful mood this afternoon. You checked the time. 12:42pm. Not too bad on time. You decided to keep the pies in the back so that you weren't tempted to eat them. You had cookies at home that you could snack on.

Pulling up at the Parkers' house, you braced yourself for conversation. "Hi. I'm here for P-P-Peter Park-k-ker." Ehh. It was understandable. That was what you told yourself as you rung the doorbell. You heard the sound of footsteps(sprinting??) approaching the door, and it swung open to reveal a boy with a cheery smile and messy brown hair. He yelled goodbye to someone inside, before hauling his backpack to the car. He was already in when you got there. Oh boy...

"So... You work with Mr Stark, too?"

"For. I work-k for Mr St-tark."

"Oh. Right. So... You've met the other Avengers? Like... Personally?" The dreaded question. You shifted slightly, preparing the words on your tongue. "N-no. Not p-p-personally. I only work-k for Mist-ter Stark."

"Oh." Peter looked out the window. Oh God... You knew what he was thinking about. Here it comes- "So... Is your stutter, like, a speech impediment?" You sighed quietly. "Yes, it's a sp-peech imp-p-p-pe-pe-RRAA!" You slammed the breaks in frustration, skidding a little. You took a deep breath, and turned to Peter, who looked more than a little shocked. "I understa-tand that you have qu-questions, and this is p-p-probably your first-t t-t-t-t-... Your first ex-per-i-ence-" You said the word slowly. "-with someone lik-ke me. But I have answered these que-questions too man-n-n-n-ny times before. P-p-please do not ask-k anymore." Peter had the conscience to look apologetic and he nodded in understanding. "Okay. I promise not to ask anymore questions like that."

"Thank you."

You arrived back at the compound at about 3:08pm, and watched Peter run over to greet Mr Stark. As soon as you had started driving again, you felt guilty for snapping. You were grateful to Peter for being the civil one and apologizing, and you knew he crossed a line... Forget it. He apologized and you forgave him. He even offered to take the pies in, so you guessed there were no hard feelings. Anyway, back to doing your job which, funnily enough, didn't include yelling at superheroes.

You had 2 hours before you had to go pick up Mr Brock, so you decided to run back to your apartment and amuse yourself until then. You had all but given up on completing your other tasks. The Avengers would simply have to put up the tree themselves. You would apologize tomorrow. You hoped Tony would understand...

Your apartment was kinda chaotic, but you were pretty decent at keeping things in the area they belonged, so it wasn't too hard to navigate. It also meant you were less likely to lose something valuable if you were broken into. You pondered this as you prepared a simple sandwich for yourself. The ideal Christmas dinner. At least munching on it gave your mouth something to do. You checked the time. 5:41pm. You supposed you could leave now and pick Mr Brock up early. Or wait outside for him.

You decided on the former, as you realized the latter made it seem like you were here for suspicious reasons. You found out from the front desk where he was staying and took the stairs to avoid people. Mr Brock's room wasn't difficult to find. You knocked. Inside, there came a sound like a wounded animal. You grew worried, as Mr Brock's voice sounded deeper when he answered. "Yes?"

"Uh, hi. It's m-me, ag-gain. I hope I'm n-n-not intrud-ding, bu-but I had t-t-time to spare s-so..." You trailed off as the room behind the door grew quiet. "M-Mr Brock..?" Getting no response still, you knock again. The door swings open to reveal... Mr Brock. He looks a tad more shabby and a bit nervous, but he smiles anyway. You recover your professionalism and return the smile. "I've pu-parked the c-car out the fron-nt. I hope you d-d-don't mind, b-but I'd like t-t-t-... The evening to m-myself." Mr Brock looks confused. "You're not going to the party?"

"I'm n-not an Avenger."

"Neither am I." You huff. "I d-don't work WITH Mist-ter Stark-k. I'm his assis-sis-sis-..."

"Assistant."

"...Yeah..." You give him a tight-lipped smile and gesture back to the stairwell. "I'm g-gonna wait in the c-c-car..." Mr Brock nods, turning back to his room. "I won't be long."

Indeed he wasn't. You were only sitting in the car for 10 minutes before Mr Brock slid in behind you, looking only slightly less disheveled. But he was in a suit, and you'd seen Mr Stark look worse, so you started driving. The car ride is much like before, only you occasionally catch Mr Brock muttering intensely to himself. Odd. Now that you think about it, Mr Brock seems to be absent of many common traits among the people Mr Stark tends to recruit. Perhaps that was the reason for the underlying hostility between the two. Mr Brock certainly makes you slightly anxious. But you boil that down to second hand stress on his behalf. Checking the time again - 6:12 pm - you force yourself to calm down. If Mr Stark trusted this man enough to allow him around his pregnant wife, surely he's safe enough to share a car with.

You pull up to the compound and smile encouragingly at Mr Brock. He returns it and nods in gratitude before getting out. You watch him stumble up the stairs, a distant part of you wishing you could join in. Inside looks so happy and bright. Such a distant, alien world to you. So far out of your reach. Held within your sight by one man who, while friendly enough, barely acknowledges your existence. These people are far removed from you. The good they do surpasses your life. This is what you force yourself to remember, and you wipe the tears from your eyes.

The drive home is difficult, to say the least. What with the tears in your eyes, and the pull you feel back towards the party, you're surprised the car moves at all.

Your apartment is cold when you arrive. Not only due to the obvious symbolism of how lonely you are, but also because you forgot to leave the heater on. You don't care much, though. After everything, you just want to crawl into bed. At least there, you can dream. You can return to the party, to be greeted by smiling faces, all of them delighted at your arrival. There, you can exist in the world you crave. Part of a family that stretches through space.

There, you might just have a Merry Christmas.

[laromurl]

One Piece Fanfiction

Zoro Roronoa x Nila Faurgard (OC)

A/N: this is part two! I hope you enjoy 😊

The young mermaid stared at Nila's missing arm curiously. She had never seen someone with a missing limb and specially a young woman. Nila noticed it but didn't mind. She would have to get used to it.

The stopped at Saboady thanks to Hachi and Ceimi's recommendation. Nila hadn't ever been there but she's heard stories from the members of her father's crew that it was a beautiful and fun place. It was filled with bubbles that floated up but popped when they went to far up. Luffy touched one and when he saw that it wasn't popping, he stuck his head inside. Now he was even more excited to leave the ship.

They docked. Nila was excited to just stay in the ship and sleep. She needed so much rest before going back to her fathers because of course she would go back. And she had spent most of the nught talking to Luffy about Ace. How fortunate that she had been saved by Ace's brother. Although she didn't know how to feel about Zoro abandoning his Pirate Hunter life to become a Pirate.

"Ah, well, I'll see you guys later." Zoro was the first to get down, jumping from the ledge even with the stairs right beside him.

"Wait! You can't go by yourself!" Nami said almost jumpimg out of the ledge. "You're going to get lost and we don't want to look for you for days again ."

"Ehh." Zoro turned back to the girls. He waved her aside ans began to walk again. "I'll be fine. I don't get lost. These trees have numbers." He pointed at the 41 etched on the closest tree.

Nami growled at him and crossed her arms. "I don't want to risk it. Take Nila with you."

"Wait.."Nila was ready to argue but thw look in Nami's face stopped her.

Both Zoro and Nila sighed defeated, knowing better than to argue with Nami. "Okay, Nila hurry."

Nila shook her head at that preposterous idea and tried to cross her arms. It escaped her that she only had one arm and she became embarrassed. She gave in after that and jumped down from the boat, following him while remembering the number on the tree. Hachi had informed them that Saboady was split up into 'groves' and the number of the grove was usually written in the tree.

They walked back and forth for a while in silence. They have crossed the same boulder and weirdly shaped tree five times. Nila suspected he was lost but didn't say anything. It wasn't her business to know where they are. She just wanted to enjoy her little escape. And she was only suppose to show him the way back to the ship.

After a few more hours of the same shtick but in a different part of the island, she had had enough. "Ay, let me lead. Okay. You're terrible at this."

Zoro humphed. "That's why I brought you a long. You know this stuff." He hiccuped. Not from being slightly drunk but from being hungry. He hadn't eaten since this morning on the ship but somehow he had gotten his hands on some sake.

She groaned and rolled her eyes before walking towards the groves Hachi said had shopping centers. Along the way she relaxed a bit and her annoyance with him left. At the end of the day, her hatred for him was misplaced. He owed her nothing let alone to save her. She just needed to enjoy these few weeks with them. They had saved her and kept her along.

Besides, she was okay for now. She was away from her father and he thought she was dead probably.

He left her to die! She gritted her teeth and left her shoulder in frustration. Her own father left her to die. How could he be so cruel? She thought that even after everything he put her and Milo through, even after turning Milo in as punishment, he would still love his kids. But he used her as bait, left her for dead and she lost an arm.

Zoro noticed her grumbling to herself and knew what it was about. She was starting to see her father's true nature or atleast realizing that he was a piece of shit. He felt responsible for this.

He placed a hand on her head. "We're here." He said pointing to the crowd walking to and forth from little shops. They had their shopping bags in the bubbles that float all over the island. They were pretty resistant.

She dug through her bag around her hip and counted the money she had. It was just enough for a couple of meals. Zoro looked at her and sighed taking another gulp of his sake. She was such a pettiful woman. "I'll pay. Let's go eat something."

She would have accepted his offer if she didn't remember that he had no money. Nami said so before they found Hachi and Ceimi. She smacked his hand from her head. "You don't have any money. I'll pay."

He became sheepish, remembering that that was true and followed behind her. They got closer before the crowd stopped and seemed to face the center of the plaza. She walked cautiously feeling the atmosphere change. The chattering stopped and she could faintly hear whispers. Something was happening. "Z-" She turned to warn him but he was drinking and passed her oblivious to everything.

She ran after him. "Zoro, slow down. Something is happening." She whispered.

"Eh?" He turned to her. "Did you say something? There should be a restuarant close by."

He weaved between the crowd and she followed falling into the edge of a big opening. There was a guy in some sort of wierd suit and a bubble around his head, holding a leashed human. The man was older, with blood all over his head and tears. She was paralyzed for a second. She had heard about them but she had never actually seen one of those people. That guy was bad news.

"Zo-" she stepped forwards to stop him but a hand clasped over her mouth and She was pulled back with an arm in her stomach.

Zoro walked on, the onlookers gasping. This wasn't looking good. Was Zoro this oblivious or was he so confident? Either way she didn't want to be caught up with this. There was already navy around. It was best to stop it as soon as possible. She got dragged back where she was out of earshot from Zoro.

She pulled back the hand and turned around. She didn't know who she was expecting, but it wasn't Trafalgar Law.

"Trafalgar?" She was surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

She heard a gunshot and immediately she ran back to Zoro. He was on the ground with a young girl of top of him crying and calling him brother. He seemed to still be breathing.

The Celestial Dragon moved on and after a few minutes, Nila ran to Zoro. Her breath was hitched in her throat. He was alive but how much alive? "Zoro are you okay?" She helped him up after the pink haired girl got off him. "Who was that?" He asked.

"A Celestial Dragon." Nila murmured breathinf out a small prayer of gratitude. He was oblivious!

"You don't want to get on their bad side! The navy will be here in seconds if you hurt him." The pink haired, woman now, scorned him. She had a piece of meat on her lip and short overalls.

Nila then turned back to ask Law what he was doing there but he had dissapeared. She became annoyed quickly. That man had no manners at all. Last time they had seen eachother, he halped her escape from her father. His submarine was perfect for her to hide for a couple of days. But...she ended up going back to her father. She always does.

Pleasantries were exchanged with the Jewel Bonny girl or whatever her name was. Nila quiet frankly didn't care. She was busy trying not to be noticed by a pair of Navy men she saw pass by. She expressed her gratitude to the girl for saving Zoro and grabbed his shirt, ushering him out of the center. They would have to eat somewhere else.

Away from the center, she begrudgingly berated Zoro for being so oblivious. "I swear you idiots just keep getting in more trouble. I've heard about you guys, you know." She turned to him, poking his chest with a stern finger. "I know about Alabasta and the islands in the sky. The World Government have been keeoong an close eye on you guys and now everything in on the paper! Do you really think we need more bad juju from you killing a Celestial Dragon?"

Zoro lowered his head in irritation. He was hungry and sober again. "Is that what he was? Why is he do important? He looked like a scumbag to me."

Nila stiffened. How were there poeole this incredibly stupid? "You stupid! The Celestial Dragons are descendents of the twelve families that started the World Govrrnment. They are Gods in this world."

He looked at her for a few seconds before shrugging and placing his hands in his pockets. "So? I don't believe in Gods."

This took her off guard and she tensed up from frustration and annoyance. This man was definitely an idiot but then again, this crew had been the only one to make impossible things happen...or so she's heard. She was amused first before breaking out into laughter.

Zoro stared longer than he should have. It was strange but he had never seen her laugh so hard that she was holding her stomach. The permanent creased eyebrows that always suspected everything were suddenly gone and the freckles on her cheeks popped out more making her look like Milo alot more intensely. He had forgotten how much Milo used to talk about his sister. They looked exactly the same, down to the brown waves with sprinkled white patches of hair all over.

He didn't know when it happened but he found himself smiling at her happiness and soon he began to talk to her about everything and anything to make her laugh.

...

Kuma looked at Nila. She was furiously protecting Zoro like a mother bear would her cub, using her body as a shield as she was too tired and worn down from producing to many golems. She was tried, done, defeated but she still had her life to give for Zoro's.

Sanji was trying to protect her and Zoro too but he was just as badly injured if not more. Zoro could barely move. He hadn't even been able to land a blow on Kuma before keeling over from the injuries he sustained the first time Zoro encountered him in Thriller Park. He was in terrible shape but he still kept trying to fight. He insisted Sanji and Nila leave for cover but they weren't listening and it was making Luffy crazy with frustration that he had no way of protecting his friends from the Pacifistas and the Admiral.

She didn't even stop to think why she was trying to save him in the first place. Maybe she thought that deserved to live more than she did. Maybe she thought this would be her only good deed. Maybe she just wanted to protect him.

It wasn't a problem for Kuma either way. He swiped his paw across her body and she found herself flying upwards at an incredible speed.

[incarnateirony]

One more P5 post

I wanna know how much time the creators spent arguing with people on twitter, considering the comments on the Phan-Site polls. Will put behind a cut.

I mean, they hit all sides from auto-believers, internet trolls, people who are like ITS STILL ILLEGAL!!! and THIS IS THE POLICE JOB pics or it didn't happen, whatever. But my favorites are "IF UR SO JUST, SHOW UR FACE", "I bet they're crying LOL", "Shibuya's fucked", "Hang in there you guys ;w;", "WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE", "world-famous fail looool", "kill this stupid website" or whatever else. Or the timeless “so wait, who do we hate?”

QUESTION: Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves? This poll is adopted on 4/15.

0-10%

"'of hearts?' What tryhards"

"I've been waiting for this!" 

"Isn't it just a prank?"

"Never even heard of them"

"Who made this site? Ridic"

"even kids aren't that dumb"

"gtfo with that shit LOL"

"is this a cult?"

"my friend says they're real!"

"sauce plz"

"viral marketing...?"

10-20%

"It's just a coincidence..."

"Petty criminals? Pointless"

"This is getting good!"

"Too elaborate for a prank"

"Vigilante justice is wrong."

"What about the pupils?"

"What's gonna happen now?"

"What's he gonna be hit w/?"

"i just can't"

"pics or it didn't happen"

"ppl really believe this? lmao"

"ppl who buy this... -_-"

"they can't catch EVERYONE"

"they're just making threats"

"thieves are the bad ones"

"was it rly a phantom thief?"

"what a joke"

QUESTION: Are the Phantom Thieves just? This poll is adopted on 6/11.

10-20%

"Akechi-kun is right!"

"Isn't it a crime?"

"It's called the law..."

"NO! justice ain't that simple"

"NO. They piss me off."

"Steal dem corrupt hearts!"

"They seem full of it, so NO"

"They're still thieves..."

"They've always been fishy..."

"This is the police's job."

"better be arrested soon"

"don't even bother with this"

"get off your high horse"

"hmm seems interesting"

"i hate Akechi, so YES???"

"if ur so just, show ur face"

"they're allies of justice."

"they're up to something"

"this has to be fake, lol"

"this is so immature."

20-30%

"Isn't it a crime?"

"Probably at least somewhat"

"They seem full of it, so NO"

"They're cool, so HECKYEAH!"

"They're still thieves..."

"get off your high horse"

"i dont buy into that stuff."

"of course not. done"

"that "justice" stuff is ehh"

"this is so immature."

30-40%

"both are crossing the line"

"fukkin hypocrites"

"get rekt, scumbags lmao"

"Hang in there you guys! ;w;"

"I bet they're crying LOL"

"Neither are just"

"Shibuya's fucked"

"they're both shit."

"What cheapass justice, lol"

60-70%

"AGAIN, YAAAAAAS!"

"Such annoying marketing"

"Their word is final."

"better than the cops"

"i bet it's worldwide news"

"justice was w/ the thieves."

"what a time to be alive"

80-90%

"Calling card! YAAAAAAS!"

"Exterminate his family too!"

"Here comes the apology rofl"

"I've been waiting for this"

"Leave everything to them~"

"Make him beg!"

"No apology yet? :["

"Ooh, a calling card! kekeke"

"SO MANY COMMENTS OMG"

"Take him out. It's an order"

"The world needs to see this!"

"They better not screw it up"

"Yeah, get that greedy CEO!"

"an apology isn't enough."

"become prime minister plz!!"

"dat okumura stock drop lol"

"destroy all evil!"

"let's hear from the workers!"

"no more big bang burg, lmao"

"stop fucking around"

"we're with you, p.thieves!"

"❤❤❤ Phantom Thieves ❤❤❤"

On 10/12, the support rate drops from the 90s to the 70s due to the death of Kunikazu Okumura.

70-80%

"Is he really dead...?"

"Now, who's next? ;)"

"Well that was disturbing..."

"die capitalist pigs!!!"

"whoa wtf"

On 10/13, the support rate drops a bit again to the 60s.

60-70%

"Awww, what a waste"

"Evil has perished."

"Gotta break a few eggs"

"So, whodunnit?"

"Were we deceived?"

"do we know how they do it?"

"eh, good riddance"

"killing ppl's a no-no"

"omg, the comments hahaha"

"omg, they went overboard lol"

"they got carried away..."

"what about his daughter?"

Over the next week, the support rates drops to the 50s, 30s, and then 20s.

""justice" sounds hollow now"

"—DELETED BY ADMIN—"

"Are the calling cards fake?"

"Blame the politicians too."

"Bloodthirsty killers!!!"

"Enough is enough!!!"

"Even Akechi's lost it"

"False charges happen, but..."

"Hurry and arrest them"

"Hurry up and execute them!"

"I dare to support them."

"I kiiinda sympathize..."

"I reported this website."

"I told you so..."

"I'm scared to go outside..."

"Is the admin an accomplice?"

"No hate-slinging, please!" (a message from the admin, Mishima)

"Officer, look!"

"Oh how far they've fallen"

"Pls don't kill me ;_;"

"Police were negligent too."

"Shut this site down!!!"

"That was traumatizing..."

"They must be punished."

"They need to be executed"

"They were screwing with us."

"They're assassins."

"Ugh. We were fooled."

"We can't leave them be"

"What about the politicians?"

"awful, they betrayed us"

"bring on the breakdowns~!"

"cant say w/o evidence"

"cmon, just kill everyone!"

"didnt expect much anyway"

"got anything better to do?"

"he had it coming, amirite?"

"id bet money on the rest"

"its just coincidence, yep"

"just turn yourselves in pls"

"lel, regret backin em yet?"

"lol dont be fooled so easy"

"lol, ppl still like them?"

"low expectations, ho!"

"media's garbage as expected"

"overhyped imo"

"p quick to switch sides lol"

"support went to shit lmao"

"tbh i just wanna troll, lol"

"their fans are guilty too"

"they even steal LIVES???"

"they're just suspects..."

"throw em in the slammer!"

"trash talking feels risky..."

"typical bandwagon, gg"

"uhh, yea they're evil"

"waste of tax money imo"

"wat do they want, anyway?"

"world-famous fail loool"

QUESTION: Are the Phantom Thieves innocent? This poll is adopted on 10/29.

Around 20%

"—DELETED BY ADMIN—"

"30 million yen OMG XD"

"Akechi-kun, save us!"

"Enough is enough!!!"

"False charges happen, but..."

"Is the admin an accomplice?"

"Oh how far they've fallen"

"Record-breaking evil"

"They gotta be arrested now"

"can't know w/o a trial"

"id bet money on the arrest"

"if ur innocent, show yourself"

"lol this place went to shit"

"ppl still stand by them?"

"that freaked me out omg"

"they're def guilty"

"they're freaking out hahaha"

"they're running loose rn..."

"this site pisses me off"

"waste of tax money imo"

"what if they are LOL"

"who cares either way?"

After the protagonist fakes his death, and approval drops to 0.3%.

"Akechi got the last laugh!"

"AKECHI IS BAE!!!"

"A worthy end for a villain"

"c'mon, leak his name!"

"Evil is destined to perish."

"he went down easy"

"hope things are safer now"

"Justice with Akechi!"

"Just like Akechi-kun said!"

"kid had it coming, lol"

"So did he do it or not!?"

"so he HAS to be guilty"

"The truth's lost to the void"

"We'll finally have peace"

"we do need a new authority..."

QUESTION: Do you support the Phantom Thieves? This poll is adopted on 12/7.

Around 0.8%

"a lil too late tho"

"dat comeback looool"

"I'd never support them"

"I'm getting confused..."

"I can't believe anybody..."

"i don't really care"

"Is Shido gonna apologize?"

"It's happening again..."

"just typical slander imo"

"lol no way i'd support them"

"may just be election shit"

"moar like phantom GRIEF"

"Must be tough for Shido-san"

"My scandal sense's tingling!"

"no one wants you thieves"

"phantom thieves WIN PLX!!!"

"political attack, REALLY???"

"ppl still defend them? lmao"

"Shido, just take the win"

"Shouldn't Shido explain?"

"Show yourself, Akechi!"

"smear campaigns are gross"

"So he didn't die..."

"srsly, a tv hijack?"

"Stay strong, Shido-san!"

"stop makin such a big deal"

"talk about election drama"

"they're still criminals"

"they can't take a hint"

"this country is effed up"

"this is a murder warning..."

"This isn't debunked yet?"

"this site's still up? :o"

"TV hijacking is terrorism!"

"was it the others? :o"

"was that statement a lie?"

"what about the election?"

"what a comeback..."

"Why isn't this on the news?"

"wow, ppl are desperate..."

QUESTION: Do the Phantom Thieves really exist? This poll is adopted on 12/19.

Around 19%

"And then, there were none"

"can't someone just fix it?"

"cmon thieves, say something"

"Enjoy prison, Mr. Shido~"

"even shido... FAIL"

"everyone, just disappear"

"Everyone was shameless"

"—GAME OVER—"

"go ahead & celebrate, idiots"

"I feel like an empty husk"

"im just like... so what"

"In the end, who's to blame?"

"i shoulda known better..."

"ive lost my will to live..."

"just destroy this country"

"kill this stupid website"

"my support was a waste"

"Next person please!"

"nobody asked for this"

"no thanks to those thieves"

"nothing changed. boringggg"

"Someone do something!"

"soooo is shido alive?"

"so wait, who do we hate?"

"so what WERE they??"

"The election was a farce."

"the future's screwed LOL"

"they're harshin my mellow"

"They better settle things"

"thinking hurts my brain"

"this country's done for"

"This is a stain on history"

"this is fucked up..."

"this is going nowhere"

"useless scum"

"we need answers"

"What's with this question?"

"who cares abt the election?"

"why'd we even bother"

"why this. even now???"

Then the dramatic final cut where everybody believes in them and it’s like # OF FANS ---> FAN POWER LEVELS ---> FIGHT Q( ‘-’Q )

[lazyneonrabbitt]

The Serpent and the Wolf. Pt.3 [Jughead Jones]

[Pt.1] [Pt.2] [Pt.4]

You woke up from a strange noise, jumping up causing Sweet Pea to awake as well. You couldn't see a single thing in the dark and the cracking and growling noises seemed to be coming from right in front of you and you reached for where you knew a lamp switch was located. 

As soon as you switched on the light, the growling got worse. You started to recognize the sounds as you let out a soft "oh no.."."What the hell?!" Before Sweet Pea had a change to get up, the thing in front of him had jumped him already. You managed to jump aside in time and watched the scene with terror, already having your phone at your ear waiting for FP to answer. As soon as he answered you summarized the situation and hung up again. You knew how strong Jughead was when he got really mad. FP had agreed to let you watch their training from a safe distance. You saw Sweet Pea struggling, but he managed to throw Jughead to the side, where he landed on the floor with a loud thud. The sounds of bones snapping got worse and the growls got louder and more beast like as the boy on the ground twitched and changed underneath his clothes. You knew what was going on but had never actually seen it happen. Sweet Pea on the other hand was terrified to no end. He was slowly backing up, away from whatever was happening but couldn't get his eyes off the boy on the ground who had managed to half shrug, half tear off his jacket and was now looking more like a beast than a boy.

He saw every single change that happened to Jughead, from his eyes and fangs that distorted his otherwise human appearance, to the fully changed creature that stood in front of the two of you. Right as you wanted to start running towards the front door, you were thrown against the large couch. Not even a second later you heard a crash followed with snarls, a crunching noise and screams. Jughead had jumped Sweet Pea, shoved him against a wall, knocking over everything in his path and had his fangs sunk deep into Sweet Pea's neck and chest. You stood up, frozen in shock as Jughead opened his mouth, letting go of Sweet Pea who dropped to the ground, not moving.You heard a noise outside and a moment later your trailer door was thrown open and FP ran in, looking as terrified as you were that first night. He grabbed Jughead by his neck and threw him aside and kept him down while instructing you what to do with Sweet Pea. You did as he said and struggled pulled him on the couch, laying him on his side to expose the entire wound that ran from one of his shoulder blades, over his neck and shoulder and ended over half of his chest. By now your silence had turned into sobs of fear for your best friend's life and about how you were going to explain all of this when your boyfriend turned back to himself. 

A hand on your shoulder snapped you back to reality as FP spoke carefully. "Let me look at him for a bit. You watch Jughead, he won't hurt you." You wanted to believe him so badly. You carefully moved away to let FP closer to look at the wounds but couldn't get yourself to move further away and towards your boyfriend. Still crying over everything happening right now, you took slow, small steps, getting closer to a weirdly calm Jughead. He held his head low, keeping his gaze fixed on you which only scared you more than you already were. When you stopped moving towards him, he carefully stepped closer to you like he knew you were scared. You had no idea what was going on in his head currently so immediately jumped back as he took his first step.

"Kid, listen to me." "Hey!"

It took you a moment to realize that was meant towards you and turned around. FP pulled up his sleeve revealing long gashes on his lower arm that were slowly healing. "I tried to take that sweater you gave him. Lashed out and immediately stopped when he realized what he did." A genuine smile appeared on his face when he looked past you at how his son was behaving. He realized what he did hurt you a lot. He hurt your best friend. You followed his stare and looked behind you again and saw how close Jug had gotten to you. He lifted his head and touched your hand with his nose showing you he truly didn't want to hurt you. He opened his mouth for a short moment and closed it again, like he tried to speak but it wasn't working.  You sat down in front of him and reached out again to touch him, carefully petting him like you would pet a large dog. But this time not an actual dog but a shifted werewolf who was your boyfriend.

Boyfriend. You thought. You're petting your boyfriend like you're petting a dog. 

With that thought you immediately pulled back your hand and struggled stringing a whole sentence together. "I ehh.." you looked around trying to avoid eye contact. "I forgive you." You finally said. With a satisfied growly noise he pulled you into a clumsy hug, burying you in his fur. You felt him take deep breaths as he held you close and slowly started changing under your touch. You wanted nothing more than to jump out of his arms and look away, but you knew he wouldn't let you go so you sat through the change until it was over. Now daring to look up again, you found Jughead staring right at you, clearly still struggling to find the right words to say. He was still covered in blood. Sweet Pea's blood. "Oh no. Sweets!"

With that sudden realization you quickly got up and turned around to look at your best friend, his entire torso, shoulder and neck were still covered in blood and the huge bite mark was bandaged up in strips of what once was Sweet's shirt.  You let out a sigh of relief as you saw his chest slowly rise and fall, showing you he was still alive. FP was still on the floor next to the couch watching your friend and Jug had appeared next to you, a hand on your shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said carefully. "I saw the two of you and-" You cut him off by shoving his hand off your shoulder and sitting down on the armrest of the couch. "We were both wrong." Jughead's expression changed back to anger. "Nothing happened. We just watched TV until we fell asleep. He kept me from worrying about you too much." You both sighed as you looked back up and met with Jughead's eyes again.  "I should have known to not be so close with my best friend anymore now that I'm dating you."

After that night, things went back to normal pretty fast for Jughead, he was back to spending most of his time with Betty, working on the Blue&Gold, writing his novel and solving all the weird shit that went around in Riverdale. This lead to you spending most of your time alone and soon enough you were back at the White Wyrm and getting a job as bartender with Toni. For Sweet Pea it was a completely different story. He got thrown into a life he didn't want to live, especially with his already problematic anger issues. He barely had any control and, according to Toni, hadn't been at school much since everything seemed to trigger him and he almost lost it when someone was trying to pick a fight. And with that almost revealing the existence of werewolves in Riverdale to an entire school. FP spent all the time he could on helping him control his anger. He admitted that it was a far bigger task than it had been with Jughead, since he was never really a violent person and he was having a hard time teaching this kid anything at all since there was just way too much that seemed to trigger him. You tried to spent most of your free time at the Wyrm with Sweet Pea when you knew Jug wouldn't be home anyways. By now Toni and Fangs both knew everything about the Jones family's secret and swore to protect that secret, mostly by babysitting Sweets and drag him away whenever he got pissed. Which was very often. You all were surprised, even Sweet Pea himself was, that he hadn't completely lost it yet with all the Ghoulie business going on lately. 

You had a day off from work, but still spent is at the Wyrm with Toni, keeping her company during her shift and texting FP about how Sweet Pea was doing and complaining about everything and nothing, with the current topic being the boys in your life. "You really need a girlfriend." Of course that's what Toni should suggest, she'd probably even volunteer to be that girlfriend. "No but seriously. If he's spending so little time with you and so much with her," she kept talking while pouring drinks. "then tell him to get his shit together. Why don't you just break up with him?" 

Sweet Pea entered the bar and spotted the two of you almost immediately. Walking closer he picked up on Toni's talking. Well, more like yelling. "Why don't you just break up with him?" He hoped he heard that wrong and tried to push the thought away as FP had taught him to do and continued your way and sat down on the chair beside you. Both you and Toni were surprised to see him so suddenly, normally his entrance was loud and obvious. You also hoped he didn't hear what you were just talking about and were now awkwardly staring at each other to come up with new topic to talk about. "So how was your day with FP?" Toni asked, setting down a drink in front of Sweet Pea. "Better than expected." He started, taking his drink. "Else I wouldn't be here, would I?" He laughed as he set his glass, now half empty, back down on the bar.  The three of you had a great time together and stayed till late before all heading back to your current sleeping addresses. On your way back, you texted back an forth with Toni, continuing your chat where you left off before Sweets joined.

'You know I'm gonna tell him if he doesn't start spending more time with you, right?' -Toni I know. Oh and if you want you can stay with me tonight. Guess I'm alone again..

''On my way.' -Toni The trailer started to bother you more and more with every time you came home alone. You knew Jughead made a deal with his dad to stay at his place as he came home late so he wouldn't wake you, but you had no idea how often he really stayed there overnight. It was a ridiculous agreement anyways, why couldn't he just come home at normal times? Your thoughts kept getting crazier by the minute until they were interrupted by your trailer's door opening. You had given Toni a spare key for when she didn't have a place to sleep, and she kept you company on your lonely nights. "So your lover boy isn't coming home again?" Toni always had unique entrances. She never walked in with a normal Hello. "He texted me he got a lead or something so he would be working all night." You sighed as you showed her the long text in which he tried to explain himself. You were slowly getting enough of it but were too scared to admit it to her, or to yourself for that matter. You didn't want to hurt Jughead, you knew what could happen if you did. You already saw what happened when he only thought something had happened.

Everything was just too much for you now, you threw yourself on the couch and just let out everything you had been holding back since this whole thing started, crying your eyes out. Toni did everything to make sure you were comfortable and managed to calm you down after a while. Without a word, you took your phone and dialed Jughead's number, not thinking he'd pick up since it was almost morning already by now. But he did answer and sounded still very awake. 

"Hey, why are you calling? Is something wrong?" Hearing his voice caused you to break down again almost immediately. You tried to to talk through sobs and explain everything as simple as possible.   When you were down, the other end of the line was eerily silent for a bit. Toni had her arms around you already again, also eagerly waiting for an answer to come. "So, what are you trying to say? I want to hear you say the words." Toni looked at you, concern clear in her eyes. "Jug, I.." You sobbed. "I think we're done." You said quickly before hanging up and throwing your phone on the other couch after turning it off. Toni hugged you closer and let you cry for as long as you needed, until you fell asleep. She carefully got up and made herself comfortable on the other couch as usual before dozing off as well.

[thezeekrecord]

GAGEGN ch10

[index/summary]

REPORT: Regarding subject "Benry"'s contact with employer's observations for [REDACTED]

Benry awoke on the floor of an unfamiliar room.

That was fine, of course. He’d wake up somewhere unfamiliar all the time—not even literally, sometimes, but it would feel that way mid-action, mid-conversation, mid-whatever; it felt like he just sort of popped in and out of existence at random sometimes. But he was used to it. Benry slowly sat up. There was a thick blanket draped over him, and his head had been rested on a pillow—more comfort than he’d gotten accustomed to, at least. He dragged himself up to his feet, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Not that he really needed sleep, as far as he could tell, but it most certainly was an easy way to pass the time during the boring hours everyone else was asleep. Benry yawned loudly, scooping up his Gameboy off the floor and heading out of the room.

Tommy was here, currently stood over the stove. Benry plopped down into his metal chair that he must have left there, enjoying the cool feeling that seeped through his pants. “Sup, Tommy.”

Tommy jumped, letting out a yelp as he turned around to look at Benry. With a sigh, he curled his lips upward just a little bit. “Oh, hi, Benry.”

“Whatchya making?” Benry asked.

“Egg sandwich.” Tommy replied, turning back to the stove. “Do you want one?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Benry played his game as he waited, enjoying the sound of Tommy cooking. Eventually, Tommy set a plate out in front of Benry. It was, based on Benry’s combined understanding of eggs and sandwiches, indeed an egg sandwich—an egg, between two slices of bread, and some other shit Benry didn’t care to analyze. He set the Gameboy aside and picked up the sandwich to cram a massive portion of it into his mouth to get the eating experience over with. He stopped, though, slowing down a little to take in the flavor.

“Holy shit, bro.” Benry struggled to say with his mouth full.

Tommy looked back at Benry, lips curled upward again. “Do you like it?”

Benry nodded. Tommy turned back to the pan, and Benry took his time finishing the sandwich before wiping his hands off on his hoodie and picking up the Gameboy again. Tommy eventually sat down beside Benry, much taller sitting on the barstool as he ate his breakfast quietly.

Benry felt comfortable. Sat in a quiet room, having just enjoyed good food, playing on his Gameboy beside one of his best friends—it was good, he thought. He liked this.

“Benry?” Tommy said.

“Hm?”

“What do you want—um, what do you plan on doing, now that we’re out of Black Mesa?” He asked, looking down at Benry.

Benry shrugged. “I dunno. There’s some games I’ve been wanting to play for a while...”

“I mean, um, long-term.”

Benry didn’t have an answer for that. He craned his neck behind him, to the right so he could look out the back door. “Bro, it’s so bright outside.”

Tommy didn’t reply to that. Benry stood up, folding up his metal chair and tucking it under his arm.

“I’m gonna go to Gordon’s house.” He announced, carefully slipping his Gameboy into his hoodie pocket.

“Benry, don’t—I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Tommy said, reaching out and grabbing Benry’s hood as he tried to walk away. “Don’t you remember last night?”

“Huh?”

Tommy’s expression changed. Not that Benry could really read it; Tommy and the humans seemed to put so much stake into the tiniest changes on their face—just raising a single eyebrow could mean the world to them, and Benry would just be left in the dark, struggling to catch up.

“Mr. Freeman is going through, ummmm, a t—a tough time right now.” Tommy said, looking somewhere else. “I think you should give him a little more time before...uhhh, before you go see him again.”

“Ugh. Fiiiiine.” Benry groaned, setting his chair down right where he had been standing and sitting back down. “You got video games?”

Tommy shook his head slowly. “No, I, umm...I haven’t had the time to replace anything I—any of the games I used to have.”

“Yo, we should go get some.” Benry suggested. “We could go to the Gamestop, get you a Playstation.”

Tommy made a sound that Benry was pretty sure meant he liked the idea. “...Yeah, okay. Umm, let me just get dressed, and—and we can see if Darnold wants to come.”

Benry waited for Tommy and Darnold in the living room. Benry found it hard to believe “getting dressed” was the only step in their process, considering how long they took to head back downstairs—Benry could usually change clothes within a minute, and they spent twenty minutes on whatever process they had going on. Darnold insisted on pausing to pour himself a thermos of coffee before they finally piled into Tommy’s brand new car. Benry lounged in the backseat, listening to Tommy’s music—he called it “happy hardcore”—and watching the clouds and telephone poles race past him.

This was pretty good too, Benry thought. He couldn’t shake a feeling like he had missed this. He wasn’t sure what that feeling implied, but that wasn’t an abnormal thing for him—for all the feelings that always insisted on popping up inside of him, he only really understood them about 30% of the time.

Eventually, the car came to a stop, and Tommy and Darnold began to climb out. Benry dragged himself out as well, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he followed the two inside a mall. It was crowded—more people than Benry was used to seeing, generally. The way there were really wide halls with shops set up to the sides brought up some distant feeling inside him. It wasn’t a feeling he liked, but he pushed onward, reaching out to grab Tommy’s forearm. Tommy didn’t pull away, at least, allowing Benry to close his eyes and just let Tommy drag him along to their destination.

Tommy and Darnold were talking. They seemed comfortable with each other, based on how much talking they did. That was cool. He didn’t really process anything they were saying, but their tone was nice to focus on as opposed to the other sounds of the mall.

Finally, Tommy stopped, and Benry opened his eyes, finding them inside the Gamestop. He stepped further inside eagerly, looking through the shelves for a long time to pick out games that grabbed his interest. By the time he was done, Tommy was already holding a Playstation box under his arm, watching Benry. Benry took his stack of games to the counter, throwing down some random amount of cash and coins on the counter and letting the cashier figure it out. Once that interaction was socially deemed to be over, Benry followed Tommy and Darnold out of the Gamestop.

They didn’t go back to the car, though. Benry followed the two through a few more stores in the mall, buying more things that Benry didn’t really pay attention to. And they stopped at the food court—which Benry grew less annoyed by once Tommy had placed a smoothie in front of him. As Tommy and Darnold talked some more over their food, Benry glanced around at the crowd of other people. It was still strange, but Benry felt like he was adjusting to it, at least. He stopped, though, when he saw a familiar man in a suit stood by a table on the other end of the food court. Darnold and Tommy were wrapping up already, standing to put their trays away as Benry stood to approach the man.

“Hey.” Benry greeted.

The man looked at Benry with a strange expression, adjusting his tie and looking back up towards Tommy. “...Hello, Benry.”

“Whatchya doin’?” Benry asked him.

“I could ask you the same thing.” The man replied. “I really am, quite...busy, Benry. If you wouldn’t mind, I am trying to, keep an eye on everyone.”

“Why?”

The man let out a breath, adjusting his tie again. “It is business that does not, concern, you. Now—I believe Tommy is looking for you. You wouldn’t want to, keep him waiting, hmm?”

Benry glanced back to where he’d left Tommy. Tommy was indeed looking around the food court, searching for Benry.

“One more thing, Benry, before you go.” The man said as Benry turned to leave.

“Hm?”

“The time you all...have left in this world as it is, is meant to be enjoyed.” The man said, looking back up at Tommy. After a moment, he looked back down to Benry with cold blue eyes. “If I determine anything to be, unsafe, for my progeny...then I will be forced to take rather...drastic measures. Do not force my hand, Benry.”

Benry didn’t process a good portion of that, as a baby had begun screaming on the other end of the food court, and that was grabbing at his attention much more. Benry just nodded.

“Sure, man.” He mumbled before turning and heading back to Tommy.

As Benry approached the table, he and Tommy finally locked eyes, and Tommy gave him a look that Benry was pretty sure was supposed to be friendly.

“Hi, Benry.” Tommy greeted. “Where’d you go?”

“Huh?”

“You disappeared for a minute.” Darnold filled in.

“Oh, yeah, I was talkin’ to uhhh...” Benry paused. He didn’t know the guy’s name. Was he supposed to? Ehh, he’d just wing it, he thought. “G-...Gary man.”

“Gary man?” Tommy echoed.

“Yeah. That guy.”

There was a sound.

It was loud, drilling into Benry’s ears like it was trying to tear into his skull.

It was familiar—not exactly the same, but familiar enough that it made a pressure build up inside of Benry.

Benry bared his teeth, searching for the source of the sound.

It came from everywhere, pressing down on him, pushing him to the floor.

Colors shifted around him, indistinct forms closing in, surrounding him, trapping him.

Benry forced himself back up to his feet.

Benry let out a sound of his own, relaxing a little when the figures moved back, giving him space.

The sound was relentless, clawing deep inside his head.

Benry began moving, growling when he collided with things he couldn’t quite see.

Then, finally, the sound stopped.

****

“Jesus, that’s so loud!” Darnold shouted over the fire alarm, hands pressed to his ears.

Tommy nodded, quickly scooping up their bags. Other people had already begun shuffling out, covering their faces as thin plumes of smoke billowed from one of the restaurants. Checking to make sure he had everything, Tommy glanced around the table, finding Benry on the floor.

“Benry!” Tommy called. “Come on, it’ll be quieter outside!”

Benry didn’t respond. His palms were pressed to the sides of his head, entire body shaking violently.

“You guys have to get out! C’mon!” A security guard called out.

Tommy ignored him, kneeling down to Benry. His eyes were wide open, looking frantically around him as he breathed hard.

“Benry, come on.” Tommy said, as quietly as he could without being drowned out by the fire alarm.

A few security guards were already approaching, one ushering Darnold towards the door as two others knelt down, reaching out towards Benry. Benry looked at them, eyes unfocused, and scrambled to his feet. He tried to take a step back, only to collide with a table behind him. He clawed at the table with one hand, baring his teeth at the security guards who tried to reach out to him again and roaring, almost just as loud as the alarm that echoed through the mall. Everyone took a step back, and his muscles relaxed just a little bit as he kept looking around him. He stumbled forward a couple steps, colliding harshly with more tables as he moved in the wrong direction.

“Benry!” Tommy called out. The sound was getting to him as well—he needed even just a second of quiet.

Tommy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the overwhelming sounds of the alarm grip him before he finally felt that familiar click in his head. To his relief, the whole world stopped around him except Benry, giving them both a silent respite from the alarm.

“Benry, come on.” Tommy said gently, approaching Benry to place a hand on his shoulder.

Benry whirled around, fingers hooked into claws as he looked at Tommy. Tommy backed off a little.

“I—I stopped time, I think, so...it’s okay.” Tommy went on, pulling up one of the chairs and sitting down. “We can just...take a second.”

Benry finally relaxed some more, dropping back down to the floor. He reached behind him to pull his hood over his head, pulling on the strings to close it over his face and laying down on his side. Tommy waited for a little while, struggling to maintain the timestop until Benry sang out a few purple orbs at him.

“Ready to go?” Tommy asked.

Benry nodded.

Tommy helped guide Benry to his feet. Benry didn’t seem ready to speak, but he sang out a few orbs of sweet voice in thanks, giving Tommy a quick kiss on the cheek before they shuffled around tables to leave the building. Tommy left Benry beside the frozen form of Darnold, who was staring worriedly through the windows of the food court. Tommy smiled softly at him before hurrying back into the building to grab their bags. Once Tommy was sure they had everything and he was back outside with his friends, he let out a breath, and time resumed around them.

“Whoa!” Darnold exclaimed, taking a shocked step back from Tommy and Benry. He wheezed a little, clutching his chest and doubling over. “Jesus, when did you guys get out here?”

“Just now.” Tommy answered. “I umm, I stopped time for a second.”

“You what? ”

“Oh! Yeah, I can do that.” Tommy explained hastily. “I guess I accidentally th—uhh, threatened Dr. Breen with it a couple times, before I knew what I was doing.”

“Hoo, boy.” Darnold breathed out as he collected himself. “You really are an alien, huh? Not that I doubted you, just...y’know.”

Tommy snickered a little at Darnold, then turned to Benry. He was shielding his eyes from the sun with his hoodie, grumbling something under his breath.

“You okay?” Tommy asked him.

Benry nodded.

“Alright. Let’s, uhh, let’s go home.”

As the three turned to circle around the outside of the mall, Tommy’s father stood just around the corner, watching with some relief as they headed peacefully to their car.

[previous | next]

[rpchive]

Ninety Sixth Encounter-- Knowledge and Power

this is the 0 to 60 rhianna warned you about

The door to Daedalus' room swings open and the man himself casually steps out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. He rolls his neck and shoulders around a couple of times to stretch them out and lets out a small groan. Sliding his sunglasses back over his eyes, Daedalus makes his way down the hall while stretching his arms out in front of himself. He passes through the console room and steps inside the kitchen, glancing around for something as he scratches the back of his head. Though it's not even noon, Maya is already drinking what is presumably her second bottle of some type of alcohol. There's no visible proof that she's even eaten anything for breakfast. She glances over to Daedalus when he enters, but doesn't greet him. Daedalus briefly glances at Maya as he heads toward a cabinet before doing a sudden double take. A moment passes before he speaks. "Uh... You seem new." Maya: Oh really now? Didn't think you could even see me since you're wearing fuckin' sunglasses indoors... Daedalus: Hey, I've made 'em work. Besides, I think your taste in breakfast is more questionable than my outfit. Maya: Didn't I see you yesterday? How'd you forget my name already? You guys kinda saved my life, after all. Guess you're used to fishing girls out of boxes in space, huh? Daedalus: Wh- Oh. No, wrong skinny tall guy. I'm his... twin. Maya: Oh, cool; I thought I was just seeing double 'cause of the vodka. Right; well; my name's Maya; I almost died in a box in space, but your robot decided to loot a spacecraft that was torn in half, so now I'm on your ship. Daedalus: Well, I've heard weirder reasons for being on this thing, so welcome to the club I guess.

He turns back to one of the cabinets and pulls out a thing of coffee grounds. He starts the brew and then turns back to Maya again while it runs, leaning against the counter. "Seriously though, what's up with the drinking? It's like... well, I don't have a watch, but it's pretty damn early to be hitting the hard stuff." Maya: The corporation that basically kidnapped me about...10 years ago? Shot me and all my friends into space in an attempt to kill us all along with one of the monsters we were charged with overseeing. If it hadn't killed us, they were planning on shooting the survivors with a laser they had trained on the ship from the moment we left. And that's just yesterday's mistake. Daedalus: ... Shit, alright, I'll give you a pass for now. This wasn't another alternate universe version of Aperture, was it? Maya: It's a place called Lobotomy Corporation. Believe it or not, they export energy; but that's about all they provide uptop. The coffee machine finishes brewing finally, prompting Daedalus to grab a mug and pour some of the pot for himself. "Energy? So what, kidnapping and babysitting monsters are just hobbies or something to them?" Maya: Oh no, that's where they /got it/ from. Interactions with these monsters somehow release energy that can be harnessed and refined into tons of other stuff. Us employees were allowed to use excess to create armor and weapons to defend ourselves with like some kind of sick joke; doesn't make a damn bit of a difference when you're in the wrong corner. Daedalus: Shit... I'll be honest, the whole "monster energy" thing sounds neat, but I know all too well what being trapped in a facility is like. Not sure what'd be worse though, that or solitary confinement. Hell, maybe it's just two sides of a shitty, shitty coin. Maya: ...So you guys came from something like Lobotomy? Daedalus: Ehh, vaguely, and not all of us.

He takes a sip of the coffee, flinches slightly, and sets it back down with an angry scowl. "Tch, too damn hot... Anyway, only me, Collin, and Fawkes came from that place, although I guess I technically wasn't physically present. Point is, Collin and I spent a good couple years or so in this place called Aperture Science, which was a facility designed to test different inventions and whatnot. The problem is that it was taken over by the world's most complex and sadistic AI who wanted nothing more than to test shit, regardless of the cost." Maya: Oh, believe me, I've met AIs like that. Angela was the same way. Then again, she had some weird thing for the Corporation I never really understood; moreso than all the others... Daedalus: Damn, you just had everything back there, huh? Still, at least you had other people around. Getting so desperate for interaction that you befriend a box isn't a good place to be, I promise. Maya: Hey, at least a box won't die on you. Daedalus: No, you'll just be forced to incinerate it in order to move on to the next test. Maya: Anyone who says they're looking to better the world through any sort of business is full of bullshit. Science for the greater good isn't a fuckin' thing; people only care about themselves... Daedalus: I'd be inclined to agree, but the other people on this ship seem pretty damned and determined to prove otherwise. And hey, not all science is bad. Cavemen didn't have coffee machines, after all.

He takes another sip, looking more pleased with the result this time. "Thank God, finally left the lava threshold..." Maya: Maybe not; but I've still yet to see anyone swearing they're gonna fix somethin' big with science do a damn thing good with that promise. It's only ever ended in blood and tears. Daedalus: Well, can't argue otherwise there. But hey, to hell with those people. They've got no hold here on this little soda machine of ours. Maya: ...I don't know shit about any of you; but I get the feeling you guys can make a real change...but you're rough around the edges; disorganized as hell...you people would fall apart in a heartbeat if you ran into something you couldn't handle; I can see it in all of you. You're close friends, that's for sure, but in a pinch, you'd all die in an instant. I've seen it dozens of times in my employees...but the right guns; the right clothes; your close friendships; they won't save you from something all-powerful, or something smarter... Daedalus levels a steady glare at her for a few seconds while he takes a longer swig from his mug. He smacks his lips a couple of times and then lifts the mug slightly in her direction. "Thanks for the encouragement, coach." Maya shakes her head slowly, letting out a sigh as she sets her bottle down.

"You can be sour; but I'm right; you people need help. I asked some of your friends to tell me about the stuff you guys do; what you get into and the like. That Jay kid and your twin are magnets for disaster; everybody in this box is a damn kid; most of you don't even know what you're capable of, let alone what you can do in cooperation with each other...everything you do unfolds in front of you; you've never been prepared for a single incident, and it will cost you in the long run." Daedalus: I didn't say you were wrong, y'know. Your delivery could use some work though. Plus, you don't seem that much older than any of the rest of the people here, and I'm damn sure they're not gonna take kindly to being called "kid". Maya: ...Maybe so. I just don't want to watch this fall apart. You guys could really fix things if you just...knew how to work better. All I'm saying is that it really shows that you guys just kinda...picked up some weapons and started kicking shit around if only to stay alive. Coincidentally, this led to you fighting for greater causes...but it also puts you in more danger. Looks like you're putting the cart before the horse, really. Daedalus: Well, it's not like all of this started deliberately; it was a pretty frantic scramble for survival at the start of it all. Hell, I've only been alive again for a few weeks now, so it's not like I had any input in all of this. Maya: ...Okay, I'm a little tipsy, but you said you were a twin, right? Daedalus: It's a very loose term for a much weirder situation. Maya: I'll chalk it up to clone shenanigans and move on; okay. At the very least, you guys have a medic, and specialists in the recurring fields of...shenanigans that surround your lives. That's a start; probably how you've made it so far. Right, well, once I'm sober again I can probably try to figure out how to help you punks pull your shit together. In the meantime, your medic has the right idea; reliable communication in any situation is invaluable in your situation. Daedalus: I can give you a detailed story if you ever want it, but sure, clone shit. Guess I'll get out of your hair while you try and make your lesson plan or whatever it is you're planning on doing. Maya: Again, when I'm sober, for sure. But alright; you do you, pal. Daedalus starts to walk back out but stops after a few steps. He turns back to the counter and pours a new mug of coffee before setting it down on the table next to Maya's glass. "Should help you sober up. I think."

Not waiting for a response, he heads out of the kitchen.

I think those two could be friends if he can get past Maya’s...extra

[Meanwhile]

Collin casually knocks on XL's door and takes a step back. Silky answers the door instead. "Oh, Collin! Need something?"

Collin: Oh, hey Silky. I was just wondering if XL had finished working on those communicator things after that incident on the island. Never know when we're gonna need those things again, after all. Silky: Thanks to Rio, yeah, we've got a more functional build going this time. They're still kinda big, but they look a lot less like toys. She's still trying to make one for everybody though; but there's several that are ready now. Collin: Ah, nice. What've we got now, then? Silky goes back into the room and retrieves another one of the hockey puck sized commuincators; the colors now a darker shade of blue, nearly black, with lighted ring around a small touch screen in the center. The ring at the moment is glowing white.

"The light has multiple functions; it can change colors; you can turn it off; it can shift to a blacklight;  but mostly it's just to tell the commuincators apart. They're waterproof to absurd depths, mostly for my sake; heat resistant to extreme temperatures, mostly for XL's sake; in all likelihood they're cold resistant, but we weren't able to test that past the freezer since Firefly was so busy...there's trackers, but they can be disabled; a recording function; obviously a camera and mic, but both can be disabled individually..." XL: We mostly made this with the idea of one of you getting kidnapped or running off in mind; if anything weird happens; we'll be able to find you; hear you; or see what's going on. All these functions can be voluntarily disabled, but only by the owner themself.

that’s gonna be useful considering their history, lol. half of holding off on this was making the design, the other half was that it would make doing dumb shit harder. but it could also make things more interesting!

Collin: Wow, that is... one hell of an overhaul you've done here, XL. No wonder you've only got a few ready. XL: ...Oh, you bet. With you guys, we need to be prepared for anything and everything; our equipment should be no exception. Collin: So uh... how do you fly this thing, exactly? XL: It's a touch screen, but there's also a pair of buttons on the bottom; both on the front and the back; either of these will turn it on. Perfectly silent; the backlight can be dimmed to illuminations essentially entirely invisible in darkness. From there, it's just a menu and some icons; easy and fast to navigate. Collin: Faaair enough? I can probably figure it out. I can work a portal gun, so this can't be much harder, right? XL: Oh, this'll be a piece of...it'll be easy as pie, ahaha... Collin's expression changes to his "must've missed a joke" face for a moment. "Well, should I come back when they're all done, or...?" XL: Unless you'd rather pass out the finished products.

Collin: Hmm, well, maybe we should hang on until they're all done actually. It'd be kinda weird trying to pick out who should get one now that I'm thinking about it. XL: Suit yourself; you know where to look if you need them sooner, though. Collin: Alrighty, I'll leave you to it then. Got a guess on how long it'll be? XL: Maybe a few more days; week and a half tops. Collin: Kinda figured. I'm gonna head to the kitchen if you need me for some reason. Silky: We'll keep it in mind! Collin gives a small wave and leaves down the hall, passing through the console room on his way to the kitchen. Maya is at the console, arguing with Nydins about something.

Nydins: We can't just 'drop everything and hold a meeting;' people are working on important things!

Maya: Oh yeah, you look really busy, sweetheart. Look, I really need to talk to everybody I can; but if you feel like you don't need to hear it, that's perfectly fine, you can drop me off wherever you land that isn't Earth; I'm perfectly fine with not helping you people if you're unwilling. Collin: Is uh, something wrong? Rio: Maya's saying that we need to have some kind of big, serious group meeting about how we do things around here, but, well, Nydins doesn't think that's worth interrupting XL and Firefly over... Collin: I mean, I know XL's busy working on those communicator things, but what's Firefly up to? Nydins: I'm...not sure, but she said it was important, so I believe her!

Maya: Aaaand that's exactly why I want to have this talk. Collin: Alright, alright, if it's really that important, we can at least go ask them if they can put it on hold for a bit, right? Maya: Trust me, it won't take too long.

Nydins: ...Fine; where do you want everyone to meet? Here?

Maya: The practice room.

Nydins: B-but there's nothing in there!

Maya: Exactly; it's huge and empty, perfect for all of you to have an unobstructed view. Collin: View of what? Maya: What I'm gonna talk about. I'll meet you there; get your buddies.

With that, she walks off.

Nydins: I just can't read her...she feels like a tight spring just waiting for something, but she doesn't feel bad... Collin: I know exactly what you mean. Still, she seems pretty serious about whatever this is, so I guess I'll go bug Firefly first and see if I can get her out. Rio: Alright...I guess we'll see you in the room? Collin: Sounds good. Try and round up whoever you can too while you're on your way. With that being said, Collin leaves the console room and heads over to Firefly's door, which he knocks on a few times. After a few moments, Firefly comes to the door and opens it slightly, though she seems distracted.

"Is something happening?" Collin: Kinda, yeah. That person that Fawkes saved, Maya, seems really set on getting us all together about something. Can you walk away from whatever you're doing for a few minutes? Firefly: ...Yeah, sure. Just uhh...give me a little bit, I'll meet up with you once I sort this out. Collin: ... Do you need help in there? Is everything alright? Firefly: I'm fine; I'm just looking over some stuff while we're coasting. Collin: You seem a little too distracted to just be reading a book, honestly... Firefly: I didn't say it was a book. Collin: Well, what is it then? Firefly: The flower petals that were in the compartment of the casket Maya was in. They're not right... Collin: Somehow I'm not surprised by that. Well, don't wait too long, alright? She seemed pretty serious about talking to everyone. Firefly: Yeah, I know... Collin leaves Firefly and heads back to his room to get Jay and whoever else might be inside.

I’m sure that Maya mentioned the ship got ate in half, but that won’t stop Firefly from trying to figure out what ate it

As the group assembles in the training room, Maya stands patiently by herself, nodding in approval once she sees everybody in one place.

"About time; thought you guys were gonna keep me waiting forever."

Collin: Sorry, it takes a little bit to get everyone together. Walking around the front of the group, Maya continues to look everyone over carefully.

"Yeah, I understand that. Used to run an entire sector of the Corporation; organization kinda had to be my jam. Do you know why I called you all here?" Daedalus raises his hand. "Oh, oh, pick me!" Maya: Yes, you; the smug, sarcastic stunt double in the shades; what's your answer? Daedalus: You're gonna tell us to get our shit together so we don't die horrible, horrible deaths, right? Maya: In a nutshell, yes. Kind of had a broader explanation, but you know.

Nydins: W-we don't need you to tell us how to do our jobs!

Maya turns, locks eyes with Nydins, draws a gun, and fires six rounds directly at Jay's chest. Every round, however, was a blank of some sort, doing no physical damage to him whatsoever. This, however, does not change the fact that he looks like he wants to vomit on the spot, shakily backing away from Maya before she speaks again.

Maya: You didn't fact check me at all, you know. I told you this morning that I'd talked with your friends to learn about you; that was a lie, I asked your ship to show me everything you'd ever done the instant I got here since you left me alone and unguarded; I stayed up all night learning everything there is to know about every single one of you, then I used your ship to make all kinds of weapons that could've had you all dead in 5 minutes tops; which you also didn't notice. The only things left in my room now are Hal and my suits, but my point still stands: you trust too quickly. Collin: What the fuck?

Collin's hands erupt with energy, crackling with barely contained power. "What kind of fucking stunt are you trying to pull here?" Maya: Look, these guns aren't loaded; check them yourself. Check my whole suit if you want; hell, I'll let you search me too if you want to. My point is that you found me, a sole survivor, on a stranded ship in the middle of space- a ship that was destroyed; torn in half; everybody else bled to death or killed themselves; and you didn't wonder why I was like that? You never thought that maybe I dragged that body over to my casket; that maybe I lied about making friends; you didn't once think that maybe I killed that entire ship and you let me onto yours? Unguarded?! If I were a villain, you'd all be dead. Fawkes' visor blinks for a few seconds "No live ammunition detected. She's telling the truth about that, at least." Rio: There's better ways to tell us these things...!!

Maya: But would you do anything about it? I watched those two kids get kidnapped; tortured; dismembered; and stolen from several times; and they didn't do anything about it! Jay's heart is still exposed; Collin still let me stay alone without question; not a damn one of you even questioned why I had guns in my casket if I was supposed to die in it; you idiots are asking to be taken advantage of, and the universe has obliged over, and over, and over again. I'm cutting you off; you're too soft, and you need an intervention; you wanna be fucking superman; you need to address your kryptonite first. Collin: Call me an idiot ONE MORE FUCKING TIME. Maya: What, you wanna hit me over this? You're mad and scared, right? You should be. You should've been yesterday. I didn't change; you just started seeing me as a threat because I spelled it out for you; because I needed to spell it out for you; and I just gotta ask you, do you really feel safe? You're only two years into this gig and you're still making day one mistakes; I'm just trying to help here. Collin: Oh yeah, because pretending to shoot my fucking boyfriend really sets the fucking mood, doesn't it? Maya: I feel like we're getting off on the wrong foot here; mind giving me a hand in this whole heart to heart thing you have going on?

Nydins: THAT'S ENOUGH!!

Maya: Oh no, I was just getting started.

Demo: The only thing you're starting is a fight! Just shut up; you're making this worse!

Maya gives a shrug as she puts her gun away. "Mad as we are; I'm right."

Maya’s...good at her job. she won’t quit doing it just because she’s not at Lob Corp anymore

Collin struggles to bring his breathing back down to a normal speed and gradually dissipates the energy around his hands. "....Fine. So what do you even want, then?" Maya: I'm not asking you to get paranoid about every stranger you run into that happens to have combat experience; I'm not even asking you to question each other; but clearly the way you've been doing things isn't good enough. Like I said, you need to figure out your weaknesses and learn how to make up for them, or it's gonna bite you big time. Daedalus: Well that's all well and good, but do you have any ideas for that, or is that just the next part of our grand personal adventure that we have to figure out? Maya: Oh, that's gonna be my personal mission with you guys; I figure since you trusted me enough to unload 6 rounds without clocking me into the Nth dimension, the least I can do is figure out what your weak points are and try to help you fix them. Just don't come into my room unless you just really wanna see all the stuff you went through condensed into a few movies; feel like that'd be a bit much. Fawkes: Actually, that brings me to a question I have about all this. How exactly did you figure out how to use the IT for all of those things so quickly? Maya: It makes rooms and food; it can make anything, right? So I asked for clothes; then my suits; my old weapons; ammo; then I realized there weren't any limits. Everything functioned like it did in Lobotomy, but all of it was fabricated from the ship. So I asked for dangerous things; I asked if you had weaknesses, and it literally handed them to me with no problems at all. I figured if it could do something so dangerous, it could tell me about you; so I asked again. I expected a book or something; this damn thing showed me everything from the moment that Jay built it; then from his perspective, all the way up until you found me. Daedalus: Amazing. This stupid soda machine would sell us all out at the drop of a hat. What a comforting thought, huh guys? Demo: It accommodates anyone we let on board. It helped her because we told it she was okay.

Maya: You handed me your history the moment you left me alone.

she does raise good points, even if I’ve never actually thought about making somebody ruin the IT from the inside out

Collin: ... Fucking Christ... Maya: If you want my face value observations; you're making a right step with getting some communication going; separation usually cripples you guys pretty badly. Taking whatever Jay is out to hunt more of what he is has had an 80% backfire rate, though; so if I were you, I'd find a way to block your chest off, or do what Demo does and find a way to distance yourself from your...whatever it is now. Can't say much about the rest of you; you're all working on your individual issues yourselves. Daedalus: Damn, the kleivenn always get the easy bits. Maya: You in particular; you're the one I wanna find out about the most. For somebody that literally came from nothing, you're also nothing to shake a stick at; but it's pretty apparent that you've got about as much of a clue as to what you're capable of as everybody else, and that's pretty...well, it's something to think about. Daedalus: Oh believe me, I've been working on it. Not saying I've made much progress, but I'm fully aware I've got some weird shit going on now. Maya: For what it's worth, Big Red over there might be able to help you out as much as your..."twin." Between the two of them, you'll at least have some idea of what it is you're dealing with, even if you don't figure out what you're capable of. Daedalus: We'll see about that, I guess. The nice thing is that I can work as my own welder now, at least. Maya: I'll probably try to regroup you guys once I have more to say, but for now, I think you get the point.

alienrabitt: ...Just...promise you won't bring guns next time...?

Maya: Guns; swords; flamethrowers; no weapons; promise. Sensing that the meeting is over, Collin turns around and practically storms out of the training room and down the hall. The crowd disperses; Jay going off on his own somewhere, while Zenith and Rio hang back and quietly discuss if they should try to comfort their friends. Rolling her eyes, Maya elevates one of the training room obstacles to use as a seat while she pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Maya: Class is dismissed; you guys can run too, y'know... Daedalus: Oh I know, I'll be out of here in a sec. I'm still just sorta marveling at just how fast you managed to make Collin jump from zero to a thousand. Maya: Guess that's the fear of god people are always talking about, huh? Daedalus: Probably could've been worse. Pretty sure he was more scared than angry still, so at least that went in your favor.

yeah, that’s what she meant by “fear of god;” she made him scared, didn’t she? :P

well, demigod but Y’Know

Blowing out smoke, Maya glances off towards a wall.

"If he's expecting an apology, it's not happening. I'm not expecting a thanks either." Daedalus: Oh hell no, neither of those things are happening- Well, that may be a lie, but we'll have to see. Personally I don't think you're wrong in the slightest, but that's beside the point. Anyway, you enjoy your smoke break, I need to get back to work. With another sigh, Maya looks back to Daedalus.

"...I didn't used to be this harsh, y'know. I spent half the night that I was watching those videos debating on if I should actually address you guys like this or not. In the end, I saw my team in your friends, and I couldn't let it happen twice, y'know? So you're right about that, I'm not sorry." Daedalus: Hey, justify it however you want. I'm in no position to judge. Just be careful about Collin for a little while, you've miraculously landed on his bad side through a combination of timing and pressing two of his very few buttons. Maya: You've got it, blues brother. Daedalus: .... Oh, the sunglasses. Har har, good one. Anyway, I'm out.

Daedalus waves once over his shoulder and leaves the training room. After a while of slinking around in the shadows, Azreldeh finally finds the room Collin is in, slipping under the door and appearing on the other side.

"Slow down, tiger; that much thunder's gonna have lightning too close to home." As Azreldeh reforms inside, she notices that the fountains and the water wall have completely frozen over. The hot tub jets have stopped, leaving the room eerily quiet aside from the quiet crackling of the ice. Collin stops pacing in a circle around the tub and turns to face her, struggling to pull his expression away from a burning anger. "What are you doing here?" Azreldeh: I was worried about you? I've never seen you get that mad at somebody before. Collin: I'm not mad at her. Not anymore, at least. Azreldeh: Then what are you mad about? Collin: Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that I could've gotten every single person I care about killed in a matter of hours? Azreldeh: I mean, feel free to feel mad, but anger won't fix the problem. Guilt; fear; those things you can learn from or something; but anger? What's there to gain from being mad when there's nobody to punish? The only one who gets hurt by that is you, and the guy who took six hypothetical rounds to the chest and hasn't left the bathroom since. Collin: You think I'm not feeling all of that at the same fucking time? Jay could've died right then and there, and there wouldn't have been /anything/ I could've done to stop it. How the fuck can I say that I care about Jay and everyone else when I almost let that happen? Azreldeh rolls her eyes. "First of all, normal bullets wouldn't kill Jay. It'd shatter his heart, but he'd survive. Secondly, even if you had no idea who the hell this chick was, you also couldn't have prepared for a damn thing she was capable of. If you let it happen, that means that, on some level, you knew something was wrong, but you didn't say or do anything. But that's not what happened, right?" Collin: Well no, but that doesn't change the fact that she could've theoretically wiped us out anyway. Azreldeh: Lots of people could've done that. Hell, half the people in the IT could do that at any given moment at time, but you don't see them doing it. She definitely had a point; you guys are a little too quick to be welcoming; but you can't just be paranoid and heartless either. She just doesn't want you getting your kindness taken advantage of. Collin takes a breath and then rubs his eyes with the palms of his hands.     "God... I just don't know what to do now. I feel so stupid looking back on how easily we just let people in here." Azreldeh: ...I mean, what else is there to do? You can't do much to actively take her advice in the moment; clearly everyone else here is trustworthy considering you've been living with them since you got free...unless you mean long term. Collin: I /do/ mean long term. It's kind of inevitable we'll pick up someone at some point in the near future, or at least the opportunity to. Azreldeh: On the honest, straight fly? Not much. I mean, you don't really have a reputation to keep up, so theoretically you could just...leave people that are blatantly desperate or whatever, but then you'd wind up abandoning actually helpless people with people that want to hurt you...ultimately, there's not much you can do besides let people in anyway and just...keep an eye on 'em? Maybe don't straight up guard their room and stuff, but y'know, look for weird things. Collin: Yeah, like the IT manufacturing them weapons specifically tailored to kill each of us... Azreldeh: Maybe your first order of business is making your ship less accommodating. She couldn't hurt anybody if she couldn't do that. Collin: I guess. I just didn't think the IT could do something like that. I mean furniture and clothes are one thing, but being able to figure out how to make something to kill a specific person? Azreldeh: I don't think you understand the limits of what you're dealing with. Do you even know anything about what's powering this place? Collin: Well yeah, it's a chunk of the green sun from SBURB. I knew the IT was intelligent to some degree, but not like that. Azreldeh: Who says it's because the ship is smart? You don't know much about how that chunk of sun works besides being a power source, right? Maybe that's why Maya could make all that stuff. Collin: I... guess. I really don't know. Azreldeh: But Demo and Jay would know, right? Getting to know how your ship works is the first step to knowing how to stop it from doing things you don't want. Just telling it not to might not be enough if someone manages to do something weird with that sun chunk by itself. Collin: Maybe so. God, alright, I should probably go see if I can get Jay out of the bathroom then. Azreldeh: You sure you're gonna be alright? Collin: I have to be. Especially if Jay's locking himself in a bathroom like that. He did get shot at, after all. Azreldeh: Don't talk like that. How you feel; how you're handling this; that's important too. You shouldn't be your own last priority. Collin: It's a hard habit to shake. I've lived through worse though. I did lose a leg once, y'know. Azreldeh: Maybe so; but just because it's smaller doesn't mean it's not important. Little things pile up. Collin: I know that, but... I really don't have the time to uncork all of that right now. Azreldeh: Just don't let it wait; I know how Demo got here, after all. Collin: Daedalus is already here, so at least I got resurrecting my doppleganger out of the way already. Azreldeh: Heheh, yeah. Just...be careful, okay? Collin: I'll try my best, for whatever it's worth.

He glances around at the room. "God, I'm going to have to fix this at some point." Azreldeh: Oh, don't you worry; I've got no problem heating things up. Collin: You don't have to do that. It's my mess after all. I didn't even mean for it to happen, it just sorta... did. Azreldeh: It's whatever. You just worry about your boyfriend; you can worry about me later~.

you’ve hit on somebody in every single log you’ve been in, haven’t you?

Collin: Wh- Good grief, alright, I'm out then.

He makes his way out of the room and heads toward the bathroom. As promised, the door is locked, though the only proof that the room is even occupied is Demo sitting with her back against the door. Collin: Uh... Jay, you okay in there? Demo: He's...fine. He just keeps freaking out; I tried to get him to talk to me, but once he heard me, he quit talking altogether. He hasn't come out or said anything since. Collin: Well hell. Jay, can you please say something to me? "...-on't want to..." Collin: Is there anything I can do to help? Demo: Look, the door's gonna open eventually; there's only one bathroom on the IT unless there's an emergency, so you can't stay locked in there forever, asshole. Besides, it's not like you haven't been shot at before; suck it up. Collin: Demo, that's really not helping. Besides, your girlfriend hid in here for like two days or something once. Demo: She came out when she had to... Collin: Just let me handle this for now. Jay, would you mind letting me in, or would you rather I stay out here for now? Demo slides away from the door as she feels Jay begin to open it, though he seems to be hiding behind the door. Collin steps inside and closes the door back behind him. Jay has stuffed a bunch of towels in the bathtub and has been sitting in it, facing the door the entire time Demo was there. He has blatantly been crying, and will not meet Collin's eyes. Collin puts the lid down on the toilet and sits on it like a chair. "... Want to talk about it yet, or do you still need a few minutes?" alienrabitt: ...Do you think we made the right call letting people on the IT? Collin: ... I do. That much I still don't doubt. Do you not think so now? alienrabitt: ...I don't know. After Oz got taken care of, I stopped having dreams or nightmares about stuff that could happen, but ever since that weird...thing took Demo, I can't stop seeing things. Even the things around me don't feel right; and when Maya pulled out that gun... Collin: ... Did it play into whatever weird thing you were feeling? alienrabitt: It felt like reality had fragmented; in that moment, I saw every possibility in that situation; I couldn't handle it; I watched her shoot me; I watched her kill everybody; I watched her fire blanks; I watched her fire them at Rio too; but only one of those actually happened here; but I don't care which one happened! Collin: That's... Jesus, okay, that's new. I was wondering why this was hitting you so hard, honestly... alienrabitt: I wasn't scared of her, I just...something is wrong. Somebody shouldn't be here; or we ran into somebody weird, but something is very, very wrong... Collin: Okay, it's okay, just calm down for now. I believe you, I'm just not sure what's going on. alienrabitt: ...I don't know either....I'm not sure I want to... Collin: Well, it probably has to do with whatever that thing was with Demo, right? alienrabitt: ...Maybe so. I've just never had this serious of a reaction; not even to... Collin: Not even to...? alienrabitt: ...No. This is something worse than unpreventable; this thing could ruin everything we have. This doesn't just have the capacity to hurt us, whatever's messing with us could bring an end to absolutely everything we care about; I can feel it.

I can’t remember what he was talking about; wanna say it might’ve been uhh...not being able to predict the whole Dez thing

Collin: ... Alright, well I'm definitely scared now. What is it, though? alienrabitt: That's the thing, I don't know! I'm supposed to be able to see what's capable of separating us, but this time I can see everything except for what's causing this! Collin: Maybe it has something to do with that thing that took Demo? I mean, this all started after you ran into it, right? alienrabitt: M-maybe, but I don't know where it is now... Collin: Well, it'd have to be back in Silky and XL's universe, right? alienrabitt: Yeah, but where? Are we sure it's a good idea to track this thing down? Collin: I'm... not sure, about either of those things. I'd say we could go ask someone else about this first, but who would we even go to? alienrabitt: It was working with Lana, right? Maybe it still is...? Collin: And Nuru is probably looking for her too, so at least we wouldn't be alone? alienrabitt: We just need to stop it. Whatever it is, it can't go free. Collin: Especially if just being near it is messing with you this badly. Everyone's okay though, I promise. alienrabitt: ...S-so...what did you decide to do about what happened? Collin: What do you mean? alienrabitt: Are you gonna do something to Maya? Or the IT? You looked really upset, but I...I couldn't go after you...not like that... Collin: Not to Maya, no. Her way of communicating might be fucking horrible, but she had a point. The IT though, we're definitely gonna have to figure out soon. alienrabitt: ...What do you need to do? Or know...? Collin: I'm... not sure. I mean, I guess we need to know what it's really capable of, and if we can stop people from doing all that stuff Maya did. alienrabitt: It's capable of just about anything we ask it. The power that I had as Demonstrator was all due to my connection with the green sun; being able to access that power allows the IT to provide anything, reasonable or not. It's how it can be so much bigger on the inside. Collin: Well, can we put some sort of limit on that? I mean, she was able to have it make weapons to kill each one of us specifically. That seems a little terrifying, don't you think? alienrabitt: Weapons don't mean a damn thing if the person using them doesn't know how...I have to wonder how much of what she said is bullshit. Collin: I'm... not really sure. I guess we'll have to talk that out some more, but let's worry about that later. Are you gonna be okay? alienrabitt: ...Yeah. I'll be fine as long as nobody pulls any stunts like that again. We just need to find that damn thing... Collin: I'm sure we can manage that. It's pretty easy to get into trouble with us, after all. alienrabitt: Let's find Nuru first. If she finds Lana, that thing won't be far... Collin: That's what I was thinking. Wanna get out of this bathroom, then? alienrabitt: Y-yeah... Collin: Alrighty. Hug first? Letting out a relieved, yet tired sigh, Jay hugs Collin. "...Thanks..." Collin returns the hug, gently kissing him on the top of his head. "Anytime, my love."

get a room

uhh, the next log is Intense if it’s the one I think it is, but we’ll be confronting Lana!

[ktrsss1fics]

Passionfruit.

There is a saying that says, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

In order for something to happen in Vegas, Georgina Ferguson needed to get to Las Vegas. She should have been getting ready for brunch with the girls but she wasn’t. She was currently stuck in a window seat on an overcrowded Delta plane at LAX. They had been stuck at the gate for the past forty-five minutes. She was on her way to meet her friends to celebrate Mags’ birthday and to watch Niall perform at the iHeartRadio festival.

At that very moment, she regretted her decision to book the flight. Her original plan was to drive out after work Friday night. She could have slept on the floor in Brittany’s room and enjoyed an extra night out with her friends. The universe had other plans for her. Georgina didn’t get out of the office until half past eight. By the time she finished packing, she’d be driving through the desert in the dead of the night. Too many dangerous hypotheticals had filled her brain so she decided against it.

Since arriving back from Aruba, she tried to be more of an active participant in her social life. She tried to not let work consume her. She spent a few nights a week bouncing between the homes of her friends. Most of those nights were filled with food and laughter. On the nights she wasn’t trying to change her friends’ perception of her, Georgina was sat in a theater room with a bottle of wine and a curious puppy.

Niall’s adoption of Scout had been beneficial to the entire group. They had something to occupy their time while he was gone. Scout took day trips with Britt and Dave, stayed the weekends with Mags and Jamie, and spent the rest of her time at Georgina’s flat. The little chocolate lab was a constant reminder of their Irish best friend. Everyone tried to spend as much time with her as possible.

When the plane finally was up in the air, Georgina used her time to mentally prepare for the weekend. Her itinerary included a little bit of gambling, some fun by the pool, and a good amount of alcohol. She had no issues with those plans. She had actually been looking forward to them all week.

There was one thing that she was worried about.

It was going to be the first time she’s seen Niall since he left.

They texted every day and FaceTimed when he could but things were different. She’d get to see him in the flesh for the first time in a month and she was nervous about it.

She was nervous that things were going to be different. She was nervous that him being away would change where things were headed. She was nervous that he had found someone new.

She knew it was her insecurities poisoning her mind. She hadn’t been in this phase of a relationship in a very long time. The last time she had a serious crush on someone was when she was thirteen. The last time she wanted to get to know someone better she still had posters of Take That on her walls. She felt like the rusted Tin Man in the forest and Dorothy hadn’t found her yet.

By the time she came out of her thoughts, the plane was ready to make its final descent. She hadn’t realized how quick the flight had been. She made a mental checklist of what she needed to do as soon as she got off the plane. When she headed to baggage claim, she turned her cell phone back on. A flurry of notifications flew across the screen. There were a few messages from work and a voicemail from her mother. The rest of the notifications were from her friends giving her a hard time for being late. She watched a series of videos on Snapchat of Niall and the boys giving her a lecture. Hearing his laugh, seeing his face, and realizing in a short few hours she’d be able to be in his presence made her nerves start to fade.

Her luggage came around the conveyor belt quicker than she anticipated. She was in the middle of setting up a ride on Lyft when the llama luggage tag her brother gifted her last Christmas caught her eye. As she went to grab her bag, a text message came in. Apparently, there was a car waiting to pick her up. She was so surprised by the gesture that she didn’t pick her bag up in time. She took a deep breath as she waited for it to come around again. She needed to get it together.

With her luggage in hand, she made her way towards the exit. A dark haired man, waiting by a black town car, held a sign with her name on it. Niall always thought of everything. The man was from Texas and reminded of her father’s brother. He made a few jokes as they fought through airport traffic. She sent the girls a message letting them know she was on her way.

Jenna’s aunt had helped the group get a block of rooms at a discounted rate at the Cosmopolitan. From the pictures that were sent, the rooms were nicer than all of their homes combined. It was going to be a good time.

As the car turned onto Tropicana, a wave of electricity shot through her body.

She made it.

She was in Las Vegas and she was ready for whatever the weekend had in store.

As soon as she got to the hotel, Georgina checked in and headed straight to her room. She wanted to change out of her flight clothes and into something more comfortable before she saw her friends. She pulled out two birthday cards from her carry-on bag. The one for Mags was filled out within a few seconds. She gushed about their friendship and how much she appreciated the older sister influence Mags brought to her life. The second card was left blank.

She didn’t know what she wanted to say -- not yet at least.

She grabbed one of the wrapped gifts from her luggage and her purse before leaving the room. Almost instantly, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She had put a ban on all work business for the weekend. When Debra’s name appeared on the screen, she knew that ban was a good idea. She hit ignore as someone catcalled her from down the hall. She looked up to find Jamie standing with a smug look his face and a bucket of ice in his hand.

“Does your lady know you’re catcalling other women?” Georgina asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Ehh, she won’t mind it.” He smiled as he waited for her to catch up.

Georgina picked up her pace until she met him. They shared a brief embrace before falling in stride with one another.

“You fly the plane here yourself, Ferguson?” He teased as they stopped in front of a room.

“Feels like it.” She sighed.

“You just missed Ni.” Jamie said trying to get his room key out of his wallet. “He had to go do soundcheck or an interview or something official.”

Georgina took the ice bucket trying to help, “Oh. How was brunch?”

“Bit overpriced if you ask me.” He shrugged. “But it was nice. Right now we are trying to make a plan. The um girls were thinking about going to the pool. The lads and I were going to start drinking. You are welcome to join either group.”

“Good to know.” She smiled. “How’s she doing?”

“Countdown to thirty has already started.” He said shaking his head.

“Is she mad I missed brunch?” Georgina asked slightly worried.

Jamie looked surprised. “No way. She totally understands. She had a meltdown Wednesday night because she didn’t think she’d get everything done on Thursday. Work comes first.”

“I feel so guilty.” She sighed. “I’ve been doing good lately. I just don’t want you guys to go back to disliking me because I work all the time.”

“Fergie, you need to cut yourself some slack. You’re doing your best and it shows. No one hates you.” He said stroking her back gently. “No one ever has.”

“But in Aruba…” She started to say but stopped when he turned to open the door.

“That was Keith being a twat.” Jamie shook his head. “We might give you shit but it’s because we love ya.”

Georgina faked a smile stepping inside the room, “If you say so James.”

“Who’s there?” Brittany’s distinct voice called out as she leaned towards the door. “Hey babe!”

“Fergie!” Mags squealed as she stepped out of the bathroom.

The two women pulled each other into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry I missed it.” She whispered in the older girl’s ear.

“Hush! You’re alright love.” Mags squeezed her a little tighter. “Didn’t miss much.”

“First rounds on me tonight, yeah?” Georgina said as she pulled away.

“Not gonna argue with that.” Mags winked before motioning towards the bar. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” She smiled before handing over the gift. “Happy Birthday!”

While Mags read her card, Georgina walked around the room greeting the rest of her friends. Brittany had gotten up to refill her drink. She filled up an extra flute of champagne and handed it to her best friend. Georgina placed a kiss on her as a sign of gratitude.

“Flight from hell?” Brittany asked with a laugh.

“You have no idea.” Georgina said taking a small sip from her glass.

“Did ya have a fucking layover in Wolvo or what?” Dave teased bringing over a container of orange juice for the blonde to add to her drink.

She put out her glass for him to fill. “It feels like it.”

“What took so long?” He asked topping it off.

Georgina tapped her glass against his as a thank you.

“Apparently, planes need fuel to fly.” She said dryly.

“You don’t say.” He replied in a faux posh accent.

“Shocking, I know.” She replied mimicking his tone.

“Ferguson, I love you!” Mags called from the room caressing a bottle of sherry.

“Love you too, Sister Mary Margaret.” Georgina teased making everyone in the room laugh.

“Who wants Bristol Cream?” Mags called out opening the bottle.

Brittany got up and headed across the room to fill up another cup.

Georgina felt Dave move closer to her. He raised his drink to cover his mouth but she couldn't understand what he was trying to say. He scanned the room. No one would notice if they slipped out onto the balcony.

Dave nodded towards the door and made his way outside. Georgina followed behind him. Once outside, she sat down on the chair in the corner. Her eyes trailed off to the sun soaked Strip as he sat down beside her.

Dave sipped on his beer slowly. Georgina took her eyes off the road and focused on him.

“What's up?” She asked nudging his leg.

“He's nervous.” He said keeping his eyes on the street.

It took a moment for Georgina to realize who he was referring to. Once she did, she didn't know how to respond.

“He's like really nervous.” He repeated.

“I would be too.” She stated deciding to play it cool. “I mean two performances in one day and all those people to sing too.”

“No babe. He's not nervous about that.” Dave said turning his attention to her. “He's done all that before. He’s used to playing massive crowds. He's nervous because he's going to be performing for you.”

She tried her best to fight off the blush that wanted so badly to form. “What?”

“You haven't seen him solo yet. He's worried he's not going to impress you.” Dave smiled.

“How do you know that?” She asked shyly.

“Told me during our cuddle this morning.” Dave said placing a hand on her leg.

Georgina’s face lit up. “Your what?”

“Britt went to Jenna’s room to help her with her hair so we just had a little cuddle and talked about the day.” Dave explained. “He just mentioned he was a bit worried that you wouldn't like it. You're the last one of the group to see him perform.”

She couldn't help but smile. Niall Horan was probably the sweetest boy she'd ever met. He always wanted to please his friends. He was such a perfectionist. If one of them wasn't pleased with something, he would try his best to fix it. He wanted them to like his music and so far he had succeeded.

Dave squeezed her leg, “Are you two together?”

She shook her head finishing off her glass. His straightforward approach took her by surprise.

“Really? He's more smitten than usual.” Dave said surprised. “I figured maybe you came to your senses.”

“We’re just friends.” She said glancing up at him.

Dave nodded. “Oh.”

“But like not like before. Like actual friends.” Georgina admitted softly.

“So you aren't being a dick to him anymore, that's good to know.” He teased making her blush. “That's probably why he's a lot happier.”

“He uh cares a lot. I couldn't do that to him.” She admitted. “I mean he's Marcus but he's not Marcus, ya know?”

Dave looked confused before it hit him. “Fuck. He's Marcus.”

She nodded slowly. “That's why I hated him.”

“But he's like top shelf Marcus,” Dave replied. “Like top shelf top class non-cheating Marcus.”

“So basically he’s not Marcus. He’s Niall.” She laughed making him smile.

“Yeah. Niall’s Niall.” Dave said.

“The reason I was looking for him that day was because I felt bad for being mean to him.”  She explained. “Our last dinner in Aruba made me realize everyone thinks I'm a bitch so I've been trying to fix it.”

Dave rolled his eyes. “Fuck Keith. His opinion doesn't matter.”

“Yeah well it put things into perspective.” She sighed. “So when I couldn't find him, I thought he left for Ireland already and I had been mean to him so I wanted to fix things.”

“And you fixed them. Kid still thinks you shit rainbows and butterflies.” Dave teased.

Georgina shoved him playfully. “Fuck off.”

He leaned in close and lowered his voice. “I didn't tell Britt and I won't tell her about this either.”

“Why not?” She asked watching him finish off his drink.

He shrugged. “Like keeping secrets with you.”

“Just like primary school.” Georgina said patting his leg. “Never did tell Britt you had a crush on her.”

“No but fucking Sophie did.” He grumbled.

“Can't say anything around the women in that family unless you want everyone to know it.” Georgina said as the balcony door opened.

“You convince her to make out with Ni, yet?” Mags asked with a smirk.

Dave’s eyes lit up as he scanned between the two women. “What?”

“Nothing!” They sang in unison.

He narrowed his eyes at them. “Don’t believe ya. I’ll be keepin’ my eyes on you two today.”

Mags rolled her eyes dramatically. “Wastin’ your time love.”

“It’s girl talk.” Georgina said patting his leg. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Fergie Ferg, we are going shopping at Caesars.” Mags said. “Wanna come?”

“Sure.” She smiled as she stood up.

“Georgina, if you want to make out with him, he’d let you.” Dave said patting her leg as she walked past him.

Mags and the rest of the girls started laughing loudly. Heat rushed to Georgina’s cheeks.

“Oh fuck off, all of ya.” She rolled her eyes as she headed inside.

The best thing about Las Vegas is the mentality that rules don't matter. What happens there, stays there. The possibilities are endless. A person can openly drink a cocktail, smoke a cigarette and gamble all while waiting for their morning breakfast. Naked women are sprawled across the streets of the Strip while men from Australia strip for bachelorette parties full of intoxicated women. Buffets of surf, turf, and everything in between are accessible twenty-four hours a day. Alcohol is served in bowls, pyramids, and even the Eiffel Tower. It's every wild child’s paradise.

Georgina was trying her best to live up to that wild child persona. So far she had won fifty dollars playing roulette, bought a Celine Dion shirt for her mother, and watched Mags spend too much money on a pair of shoes. She even splurged on some Taco Bell on the way to the arena where the concert was being held. She was already enjoying this trip a lot more than the last time she was in Sin City -- and she hadn't even seen Niall yet.

She felt good and that in itself felt good.

She currently stood beside Jenna in an overcrowded line at a concession stand. Britt and Mags were right behind them. The boys had sent them on a beer run. They were only a few songs away from when Niall was due on stage and the boys wanted to do a celebratory toast in his honor.

Georgina couldn't deny that she was a bit nervous. The fear of the unknown was always something she struggled with. Being that this was the first time she'd get to see Niall by himself, she didn't know what to expect. She knew he was a great performer. But he wasn't going to have those four moving parts around him and that was a scary thought. The rest of their friends had already seen him perform on more than one occasion. They made it to Wango Tango, they caravanned down to see him in San Diego, they made the trip out to be at Summertime Ball, and they scheduled their life around the LA date of his current tour.

She couldn't do that. Her job wouldn't allow it.

She fit a tinge of guilt when she thought about watching him sing. It had nearly been a year since he released his first solo single and she hadn't taken the time to see him sing it live. She knew that he understood. Her work schedule was hard to plan around. But there was something inside her that made her feel like a terrible friend for waiting so long.

That's part of the reason why she needed to get her hand on a pint before he came on stage. She needed something to calm her nerves.

By the time the girls got back to their seats, Ryan Seacrest took the stage to amp up the crowd before announcing who the next act was. As soon as Ireland left his lips, it was pretty obvious who it was going to be.

A boisterous chant began as the lights went out. High pitched squeals and mind-numbing screams filled the air. The lights went out. A drum beat started to play as Georgina held her breath.

This was it. The moment she was waiting for.

By the time the rest of the band kicked in, a spotlight shone brightly on center stage. A charismatic boy from the midlands of Ireland stood with a guitar and a beaming smile on his face. As soon as the first note left his lips, Georgina and the group of women standing in front of her were done for. They had perfect reason to be. His voice sounded even better in person.

Two songs in, Georgina almost couldn’t believe her eyes. Niall Horan was the ultimate performer. The way he moved around the stage and interacted with the audience was electric. His dedication to his craft was admirable. Everyone in the stadium could tell that he genuinely loved what he was doing. He had grown so much since she’d seen him last. He wasn’t just the fourth member of a boy band. He was a confident (and incredibly sexy) independent artist with a story to tell. She watched the group of women in front of her melt over the boy who was so drunk at Jamie’s 30th that he sang a potted plant to sleep.

His set was short but the songs he chose were memorable.With one song left, Niall rested an arm on his mic stand while taking a sip from a bottle of water. The cameraman focused in on his face. A mischievous glint shone in his eye. That look was infamous amongst the group -- especially was booze was involved. Georgina didn’t know what was about to happen but she knew it was going to be good.

Niall grabbed the mic off the stand and put the bottle on the floor. “Oi Vegas!”

The crowd cheered in response.

“Mr. Cameraman, can you put the camera on the spot that we discussed earlier?” He asked with a smile.

Georgina watched as the camera scanned the crowd. It wasn’t long until her face was being projected across the jumbo screen. Brittany and Dave erupted into laughter.

“Oh look it’s Fergie! Hey Ferg.” Niall cheered into the mic.

Her eyes went wide as all eyes focused on her. She raised her pint in front of her face trying to hide but it didn’t work. Niall’s infamous laugh erupted loudly through the sound system. Georgina shook her head. She could feel her entire body getting warm from the attention.

“Why ya – why ya shakin’ your head at me? Is it the attention? Am I embarassin’ ya?” He asked with a  cheeky grin. “If any of you want to know any facts about flowers, Fergie’s your girl.”

Georgina casually flipped him off making the rest of her friends laugh. The group of women in front of her were quick to shoot dirty looks in her direction but she didn’t care. Niall was proving that things were going to be fine between them.

The smile on Niall’s face grew even bigger. “Fat Tuesday later?”

Wolf whistles escaped the lips of Jamie and Dave causing Georgina’s skin to grow pink.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He winked. He cleared his throat. “Anyways, we have to go over one more person. Op! There were go. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my friend Mags.”

Maggie dramatically took a bow making him laugh.

“Today is her twenty-ninth birthday.” He said making the crowd scream.

“You see the handsome devil on her left? That’s her fella Jamie.” Niall explained. “When the last song I’m gonna play tonight first came out, he was obsessed with it.”

“What is he doing?” Mags asked not knowing what was going on.

“Sang it in the shower, at the gym, on his way to work.” Niall laughed looking directly at his friend. “He sang it so much that little Miss Mags banned him from singin’ it.”

He jutted out his hip and started to mimic Mags’ accent. “If you aren’t Niall, you aren’t singin’ it.”

His entire group of friends keeled over in laughter. His impression was spot on.

“Anyways, if it’s alright with Miss Margaret, the last song of the night will be a little tune called ‘This Town’.” Niall said with a smile. “Is that alright with the Birthday Girl?”

The small brunette sent a double thumbs up towards the stage. The crowd cheered happily.

With a nod of his head, Niall placed the mic back on his stand as his drummer counted him in. The folky song about falling in love in a small town engrossed the audience. Brittany linked her arm around Georgina’s as a soft sing-along took form.

Jamie started off the song in perfect sync with Niall. By the time chorus came around for a second time, his singing stopped. No one really noticed though. No one saw him pull a box out of his pocket and get down on one knee. Mags gave him a confused look as he tugged on her hand. He started to speak but the sounds of the crowd made it hard to hear.

He realized his plan wasn’t working so he put a new one into place. This caught the eye of everyone around them. Tears formed in the eyes of Georgina and Brittany as they saw what was happening. Jamie opened the box to reveal a large diamond ring.

Without a second thought, Mags agreed. Jamie stood up and pulled her into his arms. A sweet embrace was shared between the newly engaged couple as the song came to an end. Niall peered into the crowd looking for his friends. Before thanking everyone for watching his play, he called out Jamie’s name hoping for good news. The cameraman panned the crowd until their group appeared once. Mags held up her hand showing off the ring that had just been put on. With a large smile on his face, Niall let out a small cheer before hopping off stage.

The lights went out and everyone prepared for the next performer to come on stage. Jenna worked her way over to the other girls. She pulled them into a group hug. Congratulatory kisses were placed across Mags’ face as her ring was inspected. They couldn’t believe what just happened. Their friends were engaged and the entire world got to see it.

Before the next performer went on, Georgina and the gang headed back to the hotel. They grabbed a few boxed meals from Taco Bell and a couple bottles of alcohol on their way up to Jamie and Mags’ room. A feast fit for a frat house commenced as they waited for Niall to join.

“Jim Jam, you take a loan out for that rock?” Georgina asked taking a sip of her mixed drink.

“I know Daddy Warbucks.” Jenna joked patting his back.

“Very funny.” Jamie rolled his eyes. “It was six months of overtime actually.”

“It’s stunning.” Brittany said grabbing Mags’ hand. “Absolutely stunning.”

“Way to put the pressure on mate.” Dave said. “We’ve got to compete with an entire planet.”

“Size shouldn’t matter.” Georgina said.

“We’ll uh let Ni know you think that.” Mags winked making the other girls laugh.

Heat rushed to Georgina’s cheeks as the boys started to join in on the teasing.

“I mean we aren’t sayin’ that’s an issue with him but uh it’s nice to know, right?” Keith said.

“Why do you guys always get naked together?” Brittany rolled her eyes.

Dave shook his head. “What we do by ourselves is none of your business.”

“You are all idiots.” Georgina said as a knock came to the door.

“Yeah yeah but you love us.” Jamie said as he left to answer it.

Standing with two magnum bottles of champagne and an excited look on his face was the group’s favorite Irishman.

“Nialler!” Brittany and Jenna cheered as he stepped inside.

Mags made her way towards him. “You are a little shit Niall Horan.”

“You loved every second of it..” Niall said with arms wide open.

“You’re right.” She whispered pulling him in for a hug. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Congratulations babe.” He said placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Let’s get those bottles opened.” Keith said getting plastic cups ready.

Niall handed the bottles over before going around the room saying hello and thanking his friends for coming to see him play. With a half eaten taco in her hand, Georgina watched Niall joke around with Dave. He looked happy -- like genuinely happy --  and that made her happy.

He casually slipped away from Dave and made his way towards her. She put down her food and stood up from her spot on the couch. The light in his baby blue eyes grew a little brighter as he saw the smile on her face. He opened his mouth to thank her for coming but she stopped him.

“You’re a little shit Horan.” Georgina said shaking her head.

Niall just laughed before pulling her into his arms. She sighed as he held her close.

He whispered in her ear, “Have I fucking missed you…”

“Can’t say the same.” She said as he tightened his grip on her.

Niall pulled his head away from her confused. “Why?”

Georgina stood back and hit him in the arm. “Four fucking people asked me for flower facts before we left!”

Niall giggled trying to defend himself from her. “Fergie! I’m sorry. I thought I was bein’ funny.”

“You do know a lot about flowers, G.” Brittany said eavesdropping.

“Yeah well that doesn’t mean the whole world needs to know.” She said shyly.

“Ferg, you bring those black heels for me?” Jenna asked from across the room.

Georgina turned her attention towards her friend. “Yeah have ‘em in me room.”

“I need them before we leave.” She said taking a sip of her champagne.

“What are we gonna do?” Jamie asked. “Like what’s the game plan?”

“First we are going to toast to the happy couple.” Dave said raising his cup in the air.

“Oi oi!” Niall said slinging an arm around Georgina’s shoulder.

“Out of all of us, we knew it’d be you two first. Congratulations to Jamie and Mags.” Brittany said as the rest of the group finished their drinks.

“Now that that’s taken care of, we need to get fucked up.” Dave said casually. “Only logical.”

“Why don’t the ladies get ready while us men head downstairs and pillage the tables?” Jamie suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Mags nodded. “Ferg, did you bring your big curling iron?”

“Yeah in me room.” She said. “And Britt, I brought the lipstick you asked for.”

“Girls trip to Ferg’s room.” Jenna said heading for the door. “Bye boys.”

Georgina turned towards Niall. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Ni, you gonna come with us?” Dave asked as the rest of the girls made their way to the door.

“I need to get a quick shower in first. Kinda sweaty and need to calm down after all that.” Niall said. “But I’ll meet you down there when I’m done.”

“Sounds good. We’ll see ya there mate.” Jamie said. “You two change your shit and let’s go.”

The group headed their separate ways. The boys got dressed and headed down to have a few cigars at the bar. The girls made their way to Georgina’s room in search of things they needed to get ready. When she opened the door, a surprise was waiting for her.

Sitting on the dresser near the television was a gorgeous floral arrangement.

The group of women couldn’t believe it. These weren’t the run of the mill arrangements bought at the farmer’s market. These were top-dollar boutique flowers. Georgina had a feeling about who they came from but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“What the fuck?” Mags whispered. “Georgina! Who are they from?”

“There’s no note.” Georgina said smelling them.

“You’ve got a secret admirer, G.” Brittany nudged her.

“I wonder who they’re from.” Jenna said touching a few of the petals.

Georgina turned to look at her friends. “You guys did this. Didn’t you?”

Jenna, Mags, and Brittany looked at her confused.

“If this is you three sending these pretending to be Niall so I will make out with him, I swear to God I’m going to lose my shit.” Georgina said with a sigh.

Mags cackled loudly, “That would be fuckin’ brilliant.”

“If we were pretending to be The Baby, we’d leave a note.” Jenna said crossing her arms over her chest.

“And we wouldn’t spend this much money on ya.” Brittany winked.

Georgina rolled her eyes. “You three are such bitches sometimes.”

“We are only jokin’ babe. Bit of banter.” Mags said softly. “We love ya too much to be that cruel.”

Georgina’s cheeks grew a little warm. Maybe there were from Niall after all.

“Maybe there were for Mags and they got delivered to the wrong room.” Jenna suggested.

“Or it could be that new guy at work. What’s his name Ferg? Nasty Nate?” Brittany asked.

“Nathaniel?” Georgina said running a hand over the top of the arrangement. “I hope not.”

“What if it was Marcus?” Brittany teased.

“You can fuck right off Brittany Anne.” Georgina glared.

“I'm only joking. He wouldn't be able to afford anything this nice.” Brittany said heading towards Georgina’s luggage.

“Whoever sent it has good taste.” Jenna sighed.

“Why ya sighin?” Georgina asked stroking Jenna’s back lovingly.

“Just bein’ a jealous sad sap.” Jenna shrugged. “I think I need to get drunk.”

“That's our cue to get this show on the road.” Mags said linking her fingers with Jenna’s.

Brittany grabbed everything Georgina had brought for her friends. “Thanks for this babe.”

“Yeah no worries. Are we meeting back at Mags?” She asked heading for her bag.

Mags nodded. “Whenever you're ready.”

“Brilliant. See you then.” Georgina said as her friends headed back to their own rooms.

She barely got a shower in when a knock came to her door. With a toothbrush in her mouth and a towel on her head, she answered it. Standing in a button up shirt and a nice pair of nice jeans was a very tired looking Niall Horan. His hair was freshly tousled and his cologne was doing its best to reel her in.

“Sorry, your kind isn't allowed round these parts.” She said dryly.

“Why's that?” He asked shoving his hands in his pockets.

Georgina shrugged. “Don't really like your face.”

Niall rolled his eyes and walked past her. She headed back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth.

“Why aren't you going down with the boys?” She asked before splashing water on her face.

“Just wanted a few minutes to myself.” He called back from the other room.

“But you aren't --” She mumbled into the towel she was using to dry herself.

“You know what I mean Ferg.” He sighed.

“You spent too much time with them already.” She called back as she plugged in her hair dryer.

“Kinda. Just needed some time to regroup after all the chaos of today.” He explained.

“Understandable.” She said throwing her wet towel on the floor. “Not gonna be able to hear you for a bit so don't say anything important.”

“Won’t profess me undying love for you, don't worry.” He mumbled dryly.

Georgina rolled her eyes as she ran a comb through her hair.

He was such a little shit.

As he waited to spend some time with the one girl he’d been missing the most, Niall laid down on her bed and closed his eyes. It wasn’t even ten o'clock yet and the pop star wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. The past week was finally catching up to him -- the anticipation of seeing his friends, the excitement of performing in front of that large of a crowd, the travel, the night of drinking the night before. It was all too much for the twenty-four year old.

He needed a recharge but he knew it wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

They were in Vegas after all.

They were in Vegas. He really couldn’t believe it. He had been waiting for this day since he left for tour. They were finally reunited, even if it was for a night. Just knowing Fergie was going to be in the same vicinity as him boosted morale.

Georgina had unfortunately missed his show in LA. He knew she tried her best to be there but as usual her job got in the way. He was disappointed but there was a small part of him that was relieved. The amount of pressure he had put on himself to be perfect was ridiculous. The amount of pressure he put on himself to be perfect for Georgina was even worse.

He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to like his performance, his songs, his stage persona. She had always been a tough critic. Unlike their friends, she’d tell him the truth no matter how much it hurt. In the industry he was in, he needed those type of people in his life.

When he heard the dryer turn off, he knew he had two options. He could get up and be proactive about finding out her opinion or he could wait for her to come to him. He chose the latter.

“Ni?” Georgina called from the bathroom. “Do you know what clubs we are going to?”

“Omnia, I think.” He said trying to remember if the girls had said something earlier. “Maybe XS.”

“Hopefully not Hakkasan.” She said quietly.

The corners up his lips turned up into a smile. “Why not?”

“Niall Horan, you know the answer to that!” She exclaimed.

“Fergie, everyone’s forgot about that.” He laughed. “No one even saw you fall.”

“Clearly, that’s a lie!” She said stepping out of the bathroom.

“I know it is.” He laughed.”But I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Alright Mr. Life of the Party.” Georgina teased. She smiled at the sight she saw. He was curled up in a ball ready to fall asleep.

“You like the flowers? I did some research and did you know that striped carnations--” He started to say.

Georgina quickly interjected. “Mean I miss you.”

“Of course you knew that.” He mumbled shyly.

“Thanks for not including a card.” She said sitting beside him on the bed. “Sherlock, Watson, and Agatha were havin’ a field day trying to figure out who they were from.”

A deep belly laugh escaped his lips as he opened his eyes, “Really?”

Georgina nodded. “I tried to make them feel bad by saying they sent them as a  way to convince me to make out with you.”

“Why is the thought of us making out such a horrible idea?” He asked softly.

She shook her head before laying down beside him. His arm immediately pulled her closer.

“Us making out isn’t the issue.” She whispered. “It’s doing it in front of them.”

“We’d get shit for days.” He sighed kissing her forehead. “I know baby girl, I know.”

Georgina sighed nuzzing into his neck. “Let’s take a nap.”

“You’re supposed to be the disciplined one.” He whined.

“We can take twenty minutes.” She yawned. “Then you need to leave and go be a lad.”

“I want to be the old man of the group.” Niall yawned in return closing his eyes.

“You can’t. You’re the baby.” She said. “Speaking of, I got you a gift. You want it now?”

“There isn’t enough time for a nap and a blow job, love.” He deadpanned.

“Fine.” She grumbled in mock annoyance.

He peered out of one eye, “Wait, are you being serious?”

“You rejected my offer so the world will never know.” She smirked.

Niall leaned forward and placed his lips to hers, “You’re a brat Ferguson.”

She didn’t say anything. She just leaned in a little closer and kissed him.

This was the kiss that they had been waiting for. The kiss that had been building since the day that he left. The kiss that savored good morning snaps and good night texts. The kiss that had been on his mind all morning. The kiss that she had been wanting to give the moment she saw his face.The kiss that sent a shock through his entire body and woke him up.

He snaked his hand through her hair holding onto the back of her neck. The slow and intimate kiss turned into a few quick pecks as his lower lip got caught between her teeth. He took this as a sign. In one fell swoop, Georgina was on her back and his body was rested on top of hers.

The sexual frustration that had built up was finally being released. His hand made its way down to her hip. He held on tight. He was going to appreciate every inch of her body while he got the chance. As his lips worked against hers, she arched her back pressing herself against him.

It happened quickly. Flesh was bitten, a few moans escaped, and as soon as she felt his hardened member press against her, she knew it was on. Her hands slid down his midsection heading for his belt. It wasn’t until she got it undone that he pulled away.

“Ferg.” He panted. “We-we can’t.”

Georgina sighed. “I know.”

Niall nudged her nose with his own. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She mumbled into his lips. “Was fun while it lasted.”

He peeled himself off of her and rolled onto his back. A deep rooted sigh left his lips.

She patted his stomach gently. “Night’s still young kid.”

“Yeah but Jamie is going to want to get obliterated.” He said as she rested her head on his chest. “And that means it’ll be a no-go.”

“Just ‘cause they are doesn’t mean you have to.” She said looking up at him.

“Right.” He said sarcastically. “Like that’ll work.”

“Well I’m not going to drink that much.” She declared.

“Like that’s going to work, love.” He tickled her playfully.

“Stop.” She giggled. “Niall! Stop.”

He interlocked her fingers with his.

“I’m just gonna blame it on work.” Niall decided. “Which isn’t lying. I can’t drink that much.”

“Don't forget you owe me a drink from Fat Tuesday.” Georgina whispered.

“I know.” He kissed her forehead. “Maybe two.”

“Ooh, someone’s doin’ well for ‘imself.” She quipped in a posh accent.

He blushed. “Fuck off Georgina.”

“Niall Horan, I will deny this if you ever bring it up in front of anyone but I’ve missed this.” She admitted looking up at him. “A lot.”

“Missed what?” He asked.

“This.” She motioned towards the two of them. “The banter. Hangin’ with ya. Us.”

“So really you just missed making fun of me? That’s real great Ferg.” He rolled his eyes.

Georgina nuzzled into his neck. “Can you please say that again in your whiny voice?”

Niall squeezed her hand gently. “I think I hear Davey callin’ me.”

“Hey! Don't go.” Georgina pouted. “I was only joking.”

“Stop being so cute. It’s gonna make leaving even worse.” He sighed.

“No.” She said fiddling with one of his fingers. “Not allowed to talk about that yet.”

“Well what do you want to talk about then?” He yawned.

“The fact that you’re a bloody magician.” She said softly.

“How so?” He asked confused.

“You can go from Mr. Chill Irish Man Child who’s all about golf and Guinness and making your friends drive all the way to your house because you don’t want to ever leave it...” She said dryly.

He just laughed at her backhanded compliment.

“...to Mr. Charismatic Musician on stage. It’s quite impressive.” Georgina admitted.

“Trust me it’s taken years of practice.” Niall said.

“Well it shows.” She said running her fingers around one of the buttons.

The room got quiet. Niall ran through different ways of asking the same question. He didn’t know how to approach it. Lucky for him, Georgina already had the answer he was looking for.

“So you know that I liked when you were in the band. Those guys were great -- especially Louis.” Georgina paused. “But I like you by yourself so much better.”

His skin grew warm. “Really?”

“Yeah, it just... fits you so much more.” She explained. “It’s so you.”

“Ye-yeah?” He stuttered before clearing his throat. “You think so?”

“You were worried for nothing. I was thoroughly impressed.” She whispered making his cheeks turn pink. “The song from Aruba is even better live, in case you were wondering.”

“Thank you.” He smiled. “That means a lot.”

The room grew quiet. Niall revelled in the fact that she actually enjoyed the show he put on. She liked his show. She liked his music. She liked him. That made all the pressure he had put on himself to be perfect worth it.

“So um what are you gonna do with those rugs when tours over?” She asked trying to be as casual as possible.

“Nice try, weirdo.” Niall laughed knowing where she was going.

“What the fuck? First it’s the chair in Aruba and now the rugs, why can’t you let me have nice things?” She whined playfully.

“If I let you have those things, then how will I get you to come over to my place? I know the chair is a prime selling point for all friend functions at my house.” He said softly.

“Hmm...you do have a point.” She said in a teasing tone.

“That's just plain rude.” Niall flicked her shoulder.

“You've got Scout and I've grown accustom to watching Project Runway in that theater of yours.” She said with a smile. “So I think you can give up the chair already.”

“Speaking of Scout, how's the ol’ girl?” Niall asked interested.

“She’s fabulous. She's spending the night at Keith’s. His roommate Phil is watching her.” Georgina explained. “She's really loving puppy school. Bit of a class clown -- just like Dad.”

“How are my other children?” He asked nervously.

“Everything but the bougainvillea is dead.” She said with a voice full of sorrow.

Niall wasn't buying it. He let got of her hand quickly, “You are shit at lying.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “They are all alive and accounted for.”

“Your mum was right about you.” He mumbled as he took a strand of her hair between his fingers.

“What was she right about?” She asked glaring at him.

“You're a major pain in the arse.” Niall explained.

“I don't like the fact that you hung out with my mum in London.” She said embarrassed. “It's not very fair -- you two ganging up on me ‘n that.”

“S’been four years of absolute shit from you. I needed to bring in reinforcements.” Niall said.

“She thinks you two are proper mates.” She looked up at him. “Every conversation after the London show has ended with ‘our boy Niall.’ She always has remind me to remind you to take your vitamins and get your rest. You might be young but sleep is important.”

“I love Mama Ferguson.” Niall smiled.

“She really appreciated you inviting her. As cringey as this might be, Slow Hands is her favorite song now.” She said shyly.

“A lot of the older ones like that song.” Niall blushed.

“Fit young boy singing about sex...hmm I wonder why they would like it.” She said dryly.

“Didn't ask for that sass, Ferg.” He mumbled.

Georgina sat up slowly, “My deepest apologies.”

His phone started to ring in his pocket. Georgina knew what it meant. She got up off the bed and headed for her bag. Niall answered the call and quietly talked to Dave about where to meet.

“I'll be down in five.” He said as he watched her walk towards him with a gift in her hand.

“Don’t read the card while I’m in the room. I was a little bit buzzed while I wrote it so I’m sorry if it doesn’t make any sense.” She blushed handing him his present.

“You know you didn’t have to get me anything.” Niall said holding onto the bag.

Georgina just rolled her eyes and motioned with her hand to open it.

His eyes lit up as he pulled out a massive book. It was an encyclopedia of every plant species in existence. He skimmed through it and couldn’t believe his eyes. Color photographs and paragraphs of information of plants from all around the globe covered the pages.

“It’s the latest version. I figured it’d be something fun to read on the road.” She said shyly.

“This is amazing Fergie.” He said glancing up at her.

“I saw it and thought of you.” She said tucking some hair behind her ear.

“I absolutely love it.” Niall said standing up. He kissed her. “I really, really do.”

“Good.” She smiled. “What’d Davey say?”

“They are going to go play a game of poker and they want me to join.” He sighed.

Georgina nodded. “I need to get ready anyways.”

“Want me to open this now?” He asked reaching for the card.

“Up to you.” She said before nodding towards the bathroom. “I’ll be in there.”

Niall sat back down on the bed as she walked into the bathroom. He slowly opened the orange envelope and pulled out a card. A birthday pun covered the front. As he read what she wrote on the inside, his eyes got a bit glassy. The words that she wrote were the words he needed to hear.

Niall always felt bad when he had to leave his friends for tour. But this time around was the first time he actually felt guilty for it. The day he left Los Angeles was probably one of the worst days he has ever had. The look on her face as he left her flat was etched in his memory. It always found a way to make an appearance on the nights he felt the most alone.

He felt so bad for leaving her. She was just discovering her feelings for him. She was finally allowing herself to open up and be vulnerable. She was finally letting him in and he just left. Niall didn’t want her to resent him for leaving. He didn’t need Fergie regretting her decision.

The words that she wrote made everything okay. He didn’t need to hold her hand through this. She was doing fine on her own.

He read the paragraph once more trying to soak up everything she had said. He deserved to be happy. He deserved to be touring the world doing something he loved. He didn’t need to worry because she was going to be there for him when he got home. This small sign of reassurance had refilled his tank and he knew the next couple months were going to be just fine.

He got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. She had a curling iron attached to her hair. Noticing his presence, she let the strand of hair fall. Turning towards him, she noticed his baby blue eyes were a bit shiny. Before she could ask what was wrong, the young man engulfed her in a hug. He didn’t say a single word. He just held her tight.

This was the hug she had needed since the day he left. The hug that told her everything was going to be alright. The hug that was more important than sex or making out or holding hands. The hug that meant they were going to make it through the next few months unscathed. The hug that showed how he really felt. The hug that was going to hold them together until they were reunited again.

“I know if this goes further, it’s not going to be easy.” He whispered in her ear. “My job, your job, our friends, the public… but just trust me when I say this... it’s going to be worth it.”

“I know.” She whispered back. “I’m ready for it.”

[farfallaracine]

The first time I cried on... three years??

So, Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving. I should be happy, right??

Well, for some reason I'm not. It was a beautiful day, nice weather. I slept 12 hours last night. I woke up at 9.30am today; a good day was starting.

My hostmom [HM for short] is usually busy and tired after work. That is one of the main reasons why I try to hangout with friends and to be at school as late as possible. And also, my HM is telling me that "I don't need to say 'yes' to everything", like, what are my possibilities? stay home and wonder around while you tell me "are you bored? I'm sorry, Reg, that you don't get to go out".

What happened? Well, yesterday I was free and I hanged out with an International Friend (mostly my only friends here). And today, Thanksgiving, is for the family. And tomorrow is Black Friday so I said [like a week ago] that I wanted to go. After my HM telling me no because it is full of people and it gets violent, and she's not going to drive around during that day and no-uh-o, no shopping for me, I said "she's right, I better don't go shopping for Black Friday". And also today was this event I though I could go, but she's not driving me and aparenly if she's not, then no one is. And my other International Friends were talking about going ice skating [shit I tried once and I didn't like it, but, shit I love watching it and fuck, time with friends, and why not?? FUN??? WHY NOT?? What's my other option? Stay at home and not do anything??] And I asked her if I could do it and she was all like "Look, I'm just saying I'm not getting out of the house today, what you do..." [this morning, not yesterday, not a week ago, this morning] so I though "Well, if I can get a ride then I can go" [shit, I'm fucking used to do shits by myself, like "Hey, Reg, is your family going?" "Ehh... no?? Why??" and I'm fucking ok with that]. And then she got all fucking pissed 'cause me, going OUT on BLACK FRIDAY?? oh no, we talked about this. But I'm not going shopping?? Bitch, it is at CROWN CENTRE and bitch, it is a mall (of course I didn't know, 'cuz I'didn't know that you can fucking ice skate inside a fucking mall, I went ice skating ONCE and it wasn't even in my fucking country and how was I supposed to know?? I told you that in my country I just know of three places to go ice skating... I couldn't possible know that it was going to be inside a fucking mall] So, shit, maybe it is going to be full and that goes inside the no-shopping-on-black-friday parameters, I guess.

So then my International Friend [from wednesday hangout] tells me "hey, do you want to do this with Japan 'n me?" and I'm thinking, my HM is not going to like it, but, hey, they are offering to take me and she wants to stay home, so what's the problem?? And I asked her.

She got fucking pissed. Everythibg was going to fast to understand. She wanted to know where, when, with who... and I get that, but she was pissed, like "why are you trying to go out tomorrow? I told you not to". Finally she told me to "do whatever I wanted" so I said, shit this, I'm going.

And then, about forty minutes later, we were driving to our house and she starts talking shit. Like suddenly I'm a brat that never listens to her. Suddenly WE. HAD. PLANS. FOR. TOMORROW. Suddenly, we were going to decorate our fucking house for Chrismas?? Suddenly is not just chilling at home, it is cleaning the fucking house. Suddenly it is doing stuff together. And I'm like "bitch, you didn't tell me about this when I asked you several times last week" and she was like "bitch, shut the fuck up, I told you. I told you several times that we have shit to do and not to go out 'cause we are doing stuff together and why are you being like this? I told you not to go out on Friday and you are finding ways, asking me, asking my mom, asking Lisa, you never listen, you do whatever you want" And I'm completely confused like 'who the fuck is Lisa?, we had plans?? So when you said this morning that you are not getting out of the house it meant that I'm not going out as well? What the heck are our plans??' And she starts talking "I'm sorry, Reg, I'm sorry for picking you, I'm sorry that you have to be stuck with me, go tell everybody how mean I am, I'm sorry for having you in my house and that you can't do anything". And I literally started crying.

It wasn't a dramatic way [well, maybe], it wasn't sobbing 'n shit. It was like someone like me would cry in a car. As selfcounsious as I am: no witnesses to defend me, I wouldn't be able to talk. So I just stared strait to the road in silence as the tears rolled down my face. I didn't cleaned my tears. I breathed calmly. A silent cry. My nails hurting my hand. "She is using that card while angry? That means nothing. Nothing you say while angry has real meaning. Except this truly has. Two months ago I was told I couldn't change house. I've been trying to make this work for two months. I almost cryied at school once. I've been trying to stay positive every fucking day for this to work. Your house is fucking full of shit? It's fine, I'll just undust a little bit so it will look cleaner and I will say that 'I was in the mood of cleaning'. There are cans in your basement that went bad on 2015? I'll pretend I didn't see them: cans? What cans? You are on call two weekends on a row? It's fine, I just want to rest, I don't need to go places or do stuff with you, I love being at home while you sleep and complain. Your fridge is full of shit going bad? It's fine, I like eating the same food for days until there is no leftovers. And your fucking dog bringing us apart, 'cuz telling her to move while having hot shit on my hands is rude. I've been trying to make this shit work so hard. I've been trying to make us work so hard. Every fucking day. And you complain about something I did and I say 'you are right' trying to make you feel better about yourself 'cause you feel your life is a mess [and you have told me about it]. And you are using that cheap argument while you are mad? Is it a joke for you?"

And even further: All that times I've been telling her that I'm happy of being here. All that times I've been saying how much I love everything there. All that times saying 'hey, your house is great', 'hey, you're fine', 'hey, don't worry'. Does she even takes me seriously?? She doesn't care what I think. She just complains how sad it is for her house, for her, for me, for whatever. And try to tell her, 'hey, if you put part of yourself, things will go fine, they are already pretty ok.' But she doesn't care.

You guys have no idea how hard I've been wanting to cry. Weeks feeling like I'm going to cry or trow up, because every time I hear the car parking I have twelve seconds to think if I left a window open, or a light on, or if a shelf is open, or if there are dirty forks on the sink, or if it is too obvious that I had clean something and if I have a good excuse for that if she asks me. Me planing everything I say. Me finding ways of noding at them even when I could tell them why I think they are wrong.

So I just cried in silence for a few minutes. I don't know if she noticed it. She thinks I'm a spoiled brat that does whatever she wants, but she doesn't know how tiring it is to pretend that I'm thankful for being with her until I believe it myself. Saying all the time, when she is not with me, when I'm not talking with anyone from AFS, just telling random people that asks 'how are you doing with your family?': 'We are fine. We have been doing great progress. I'm happy.' Don't get me wrong, I am, but there is so much tension behind it.

So how was my first Thanksgiving? I spent the day with people I don't know. The turkey was crap. The only edible thing was green beans, but I was too full with crap that I couldn't enjoy it. It was boring as hell. Then I cried and felt like shit. I don't know, I think it could have been better.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Whille writing this I cried.

While writing this I heard That One Song That Always Calms Me Down on repeat dozens of times.

When my HM and I talked we didn't use bad language, but it works for showing the mood.

I really need to go to sleep right now.

[pregnantcornbread]

Mass Effect: Andromeda - Choices, romance, further questions.

So, I preordered Mass Effect: Andromeda to be delivered to me via courier on release day. Why? I absolutely loved Dragon Age: Inquisition, and loved BioWare’s style. The hard choices you have to make actually make a difference in the story, as do your personality and influence (not like TellTale’s Walking Dead series, who promote that your choices matter, when actually, they really don’t, the story continues regardless). In DA: I, I was a female hunter Lavellan, with not-so pointy ears (which made a difference how the other elves interacted with me), and a Ghilan'nain vallaslin (which endeared me to the halla herders). I originally romanced Blackwall, but when he left, I went full Cullen, a satisfying relationship filled with awkward coughs, innuendo, and drug withdrawal – and frequent visits to the ramparts for ‘alone time.’ I spent over 300 hours completing every side quest, relishing in new environments, killing everything bad in sight, trying not to whine when all the important choices somehow fell to me (including what is to be done with a man who is flinging goats at my stronghold) and taking down all the dragons. I never felt tired playing that game, the ‘fetch’ quests were fun due to the party banter (hint: if you have your romantic interest in your party, things get hilarious!), and the lovability of your party, well developed characters who don’t just rehash the same lines all the time (except in fight mode: “Solas needs help” is still ringing in my ears, after all this time). The DLC was quite well crafted as well (although The Descent is possibly my least favourite – why am I collecting mugs in the deep roads again? Trespasser had a great ending, and gave you another change to mix it up with your crew). So my expectations were quite high with ME: Andromeda.

After spending a quick five minutes deciding on a male or female Ryder, I chose the obvious. After having to play countless RPG’s as a man (Far Cry, Shadow of Mordor, Sleeping Dogs, GTA:V, Witcher), I chose a woman, because yeah, I am one. I spent an hour fixing my Sara to look like a human rather than whatever the preset was. My Sara, in the design part, sort of looked like a young Mary Steenburgen. Satisfied with my choice, I got on my merry way with the game. Upon waking up out of cryo, I saw everything that was wrong with my Sara’s face, the shading was shitty, the skin was terrible, her nose was way bigger, her eyes looked purple in some lights (instead of deep blue) and what was up with her goddamn eyebrows? But in some scenes, she actually looked like the Sara I had designed. Rather than spend another hour redesigning her face, I decided to roll with it and keep her. It was a good choice, because she looked like present day Mary Steenburgen with worse skin and a neck tattoo, and looked like she had seen some shit and could handle her shit, rather than some prim and proper pathfinder’s daughter who was only on the ark because her dad said so.

End game spoilers ensue, so please read at your own peril:

The following is split up into three parts: My choices in the game, romance, and post-game questions.

My game is at 111 hours and 98% completion. There were two quests that I did not finish before completing the game (excluding the medicine quest after Herbal Entrepeneurs, because it was bugged) – ‘Path of Hero’ and ‘Aid Apex’ (because I killed all the architects before I got the mission, and so had no option to scan them). Post game, these quests are no longer available to me.

My Choices:

Sometimes I would leave the game running for hours while deliberating on a choice. My first choice was whether or not to have a scientific outpost or a military outpost on the first world, Eos. As your advisors tell you, what you choose will reflect on how the initiative is seen in the eyes of possible intelligent life in the system, and will set the standard of what you intend to do in the system. I chose a scientific outpost – less “we’re coming to invade you”, more “we’re just here to live and learn.”

First murderer: I chose to release Nilken, because intent is not a crime, but I also didn’t speak to his wife outside the jail, so his secret was not exposed.

Vehn Terev: I gave him to the resistance, because interfering with Angaran justice wasn’t the right play.

Path of a Hero: I spoke to Kerri, but declined her offer, as I was just new to this pathfinding business, and didn’t feel that I could offer any nuggets of wisdom. Then I forgot about it and it failed the quest. Meh.

Reyes Vs Kelly: Both are terrible choices for leaders, but at the time, I wanted to see where a romance with Vidal would go, I played it out, and was disappointed, but in my do-over, I still let Kelly die, because she was quite evil. Even though Reyes was a tosser for cheating, he still seemed the better hand.

Angaran AI: I gave the Angaran the AI, because I didn’t feel right about keeping it for myself – and potentially angering the Angara.

Secret Water reservoir: I let the Angara merchant keep the water in reparations for the outcasts killing her brother, and to prevent the Nexus from becoming a thoroughly colonising body in Elaaden.

Drive Core: This one was a bit fuzzy for me, because I was also doing the quest with the AI saboteurs, and they were talking about Overload (I think), a program about a weaponised AI, and Drack was sending me emails about Overload Morda, so I thought that Morda was a weaponised AI. I ended up scanning Knight’s hideout a little too thoroughly, which made her people hostile to me, and she ended up being sniped on the Nexus. Alain vows revenge, which is unfortunate, because SAM made him walk again. After finishing a few more quests, I came back to Elaaden and I ended up trusting Morda with the drive core, because pissing off all the Krogan was not my idea of ‘peace among worlds.’ Also, after all the shit the Krogan have been through, the Krogan need a voice at the table – they didn’t even get their own pathfinder!

Avitus Rex: Rex became a pathfinder, because he was out finding Turians when the Turians weren’t.

Sarissa’s Fate: I couldn’t let Sarissa keep her position after all that dickery that got her Pathfinder killed. It may not have been the smart move, but although she was the best person for the job, a huntress without her squad’s support will not go far. Also, I don’t think I could have looked at Cora if I agreed to lie to everyone about it. If Tann (number eight in line) can be the director, why can’t Valderia?

Salarian doctor: Ehh, what a moral dropkick. He got jail.

Exaltation facility: I let it stand, for further help in the final mission.

Salarian Pathfinder: This one was heartbreaking. A female Salarian who is an actual trained pathfinder (would have been the only one in my crew), who is captured trying to rescue her people despite my commands to get the f out of there vs Drack’s dime a dozen Krogan scouts. I had planned on saving the Krogan scouts beforehand, and had Drack in my party, but while I was doing this mission, I was really torn. If I choose the Salarian, the Krogan won’t trust or respect me, but if I chose the scouts, I would get further support from the Krogan, with no real consequences on the Salarian side. Whatever I chose, I would be taking a side, with consequences down the line. I went with ‘Krogan lives matter,’ despite sacrificing the most badass Salarian, ever. I mean, every Salarian would want to mate with her just for the prestige!

Kill code: While it may come to bite me in DLC or sequels, I used it, just to get it out of the way. I don’t trust Primus to honour his deal in the future.

Ambassador: I loved Morda for the choice (just to spite Tann), and Bradley would have been a good second, but I ended up conceding power to the Moshae, I believe she was the smart choice. Although I had enough of a presence to unite the Angara and the Initiative, the Moshae would not be swayed by outside or inside influence. If I chose Hayjer, the Krogan would hate me, as much as “Krogan lives matter,” Morda would only act in favour of the Krogan and Clan Nackmor, and possibly make a heated attack against the Salarians/Turians in retaliation for the genophage, and Bradley, well, I could be accused of being specist.    

  Romance:

This is where I think the game could use improvements. It is pretty disappointing if you are FemRyder or a MaleRyder who doesn’t romance Cora (the extreme effort put in this relationship compared to the minimal effort of the others is quite disappointing – they actually kiss properly and there’s thrusting!).

Look at those two humanoids realistically kissing!

The lack of dialogue choices means that relationships become boring and quickly. While in DA:I, the cut away sex scenes did hold a little to imagination, that fact that you could go and talk to your interest during long, arduous missions and sneak away for a little kiss cut scene helped keep your interest in them, and having them in your party was always a hilarious time (“Keep your eyes off the Inquistor’s behind!”). While playing the game, you get a sense of your SO and your squadmates, their endearing and not-so endearing traits, it almost felt like they’re almost real people. DA:I is a well-fleshed out, well-written RPG, and the relationships are defining trait of this game – I’m sure that if all there was to do was going around killing things, I probably wouldn’t care. Instead, you help Cullen get off his lyrium addiction, let Iron Bull teach you your umm… limits, hunt around trying to find the perfect gift for Sera (much to the utter dismay of your compatriots), read terrible poetry to Cassandra, strong-arm a fop for Dorian’s pendant, save a spirit with Solas, challenge Josephine’s fiancée to a duel, save Leliana from spy assassins, and want to give Blackwall the coward another chance.  

The last major RPG I played that had multiple romance options was Fallout 4, and I romanced MacCready, Cait, Piper (just to shut her up – every time I’d talk to her, she’d want something more - ehhhhgghh), Danse and Curie (to also shut her up). Having one romance option in FO4 became too tedious, the only thing that changes is their scripted dialogue when they wake up next to you, so I romanced others to see what they said – because I honestly didn’t care about romance in that game because it was so flat.

Here’s who I romanced in ME:A (usually by flirting with everyone and then seeing what happens):

Liam – I started off flirting with Liam because he seemed interesting, until he quickly didn’t. His dialogue doesn’t change. You can’t really flirt with him in between missions after you’ve had a one night stand, and he’s so boring, I’d rather eject myself out of an escape pod than deal with him. If you go the whole game with Liam, he makes you a jump pack, but is it really worth it for being bored to death?

Vidal – I quite liked having someone off the ship to avoid a HR nightmare, but it turns out that after you become exclusive and dance with Reyes, that’s it – that’s your big romantic scene. Reyes becomes a chatterbox of nothing after that.

Jaal – Jaal is interesting, and unknown, and kind of reminds you of a perfect, dreamy boyfriend who is too in touch with their feelings, and you stay with them because you don’t want to deal with the fallout if you break up with them, because they’ll probably kill themself. Rocking a sexy, deep voice, I was almost convinced to be in a relationship with him, if not for Jaal’s confusing switch between Vulcan logic and hopeless romantic during the course of a conversation. Jaal is a warm space Mufasa, and will tell you what you want to hear, but his sex scene kinda sucked. Although the post coitus (?) debrief with Lexi is quite hilarious.

Vetra – I’m not sure if I didn’t flirt enough with Vetra, or if she didn’t want to be with me because I told Sid off – a lot, but perhaps it was never meant to be. My codex reads that Vetra hopes that we can be friends, so perhaps admonishing Sid worked against me.

Suvi – I didn’t flirt with her at the beginning, and I decided against a relationship with Suvi because her sex scene was awkward/awful.

Which leads to my commitment for the game:

Peebee is the one with the purple jacket… not young Sarah Paulson rocking the undercut…

Peebee – Peebee is a thorn in your arse from the moment she joins your crew. Rem-tech this, remnant structures that. Tight-lipped, evasive, and a motor-mouth, she’s a bit like Sera from DA:I, but a bit more grown up. She has limited long-range fighting skills, so bringing her to anything bigger than a small raider camp firefight is pointless. She insults Vetra, Liam, and Cora, but has some quite funny conversations with Jaal (interspecies breeding) and Drack (about their age). Liam and Cora, even during the final stages of the game, relentlessly question her loyalty. I chose Peebee because her storyline was the most interesting, as opposed to other potentials (Liam – “Hey, I’m a boring human too.” Jaal – “I’m an alien, meet my mothers, I moisturise my neck flaps.” Vidal – bad boy Han Solo). I turned down Peebee’s offer of casual sex, because at the time I didn’t want anything to do with her, so I told her that I’d want more to get her to leave me alone, and I didn’t want a Liam thing – where you have a one night stand once and then all of a sudden they want you to commit. But I kept flirting with her, regardless, recycling the “I like it when you flirt” dialogue whenever I got on the ship. I couldn’t do that with Liam, Jaal, or Reyes. Turns out, the more I learned about Peebee, through doing her loyalty missions, the more endeared I became towards her. From being tight-lipped and evasive to slowly trickling out interesting snippets – like her relationship with Kalinda, and her rem-tech project, she started to grow on me as I realised that she was not like the others, who give you all the information up front and you spend the rest of the game cycling through dialogue that you first heard 70 hours ago, with minor changes mirroring your progression in the story. You have to prove to her that you’re trustworthy. If you do commit to a relationship with her, and reciprocate her trust - it leads to a pretty explicit sex scene – complete with Asari melding. While the mechanics of the scene are quite awkward with FemRyder’s weird facial features – she looks like she’s super confused and not enjoying it all – trusting Peebee enough not to leave you brain dead during the first time she has melded with someone, and having Peebee trust you enough to meld with you makes the relationship all that more worthwhile. While I’m all for space boinking, Peebee’s relationship was less about the physicality of the act of boinking, and more about the trust and emotional connection inherent in the relationship, which I felt was satisfying. Post-meld Peebee has some killer dialogue aboard the Nomad, inviting Cora over for a pyjama sleepover, faking extreme horniness to get Jaal to admit that he was faking being asleep, and at the end, when you ask her ‘what am I going to do with you?’ she offers to make you a list. But the relationship and closeness doesn’t really go anywhere near the level of a relationship that DA:I does, due to the stunted dialogue choices. Although, I hope I didn’t get Peebee pregnant.

Post-Game Mysteries:

The ending scenes kind of set up the unfinished issues for the DLC/sequels – Primus wanting to kettify everyone, exploring Meridian, understanding the Jaardan, finding all the other lost arks, how many more useless solar systems are around, etc. Some questions remain, though. Say if I find a way to fix Ellen Ryder, what could she add to the story, other than my mother being there? She may be able to assist with new gadgets for players who chose a biotic route, or will she just serve as a ‘bringing your romantic attachment home to mum’ trope? Should we care about Jian Garson’s death and the mysterious benefactor? You learn during the game that the Milky Way has been fucked over by the Reapers, but we can’t save them, should we care?

After finding out why Alec Ryder made Sara the Pathfinder, all I wanted to do was talk to Cora about it – she wasn’t “looked over” and the promotion was to protect Alec’s secrets (i.e. Ellen on board, Milky Way gone to shit). I felt like my number two deserved an explanation, rather than sullenly assisting the other untrained Pathfinders on the Nexus (who did nothing, by the way – go out and bloody Pathfind – it’s not that hard!). I noticed that after ‘Journey to Meridian,’ Cora seemed cold, and would barely speak to me. Perhaps she was disappointed in me choosing Peebee, or perhaps SAM leaked what I found out to Cora. Will I ever get the chance to tell Cora about it?  

During the pre-prologue descision making process, you get to choose if you want a Male Shepard, or a FemShep (your ME:3 save has no bearing over this game). I went with a FemShep, like my ME:3 counterpart. Did I hear Jennifer Hale during the game? No. Does it even make a difference? Unknown.

After leaving Meridan and coming back to talk to everyone, some questions remain. During the epilogue, you meet the new crew responsible for Meridian. After you come back, the Australian implores you to go and find the sprog (a baby). Every time I see Addison, I ask about the baby that was born on a spaceship flying away from the Kett, who I suggested the family settle on Eos (no way was I going to get that lady on the Nexus – she’d have hated it!), but when I’m in Prodromos, I can’t find the baby. If that baby has been stolen by the Kett, I swear – I will hurt Bradley!

Further questions: Will Lexi and Drack ever get together? Will Vetra find love? Will Peebee take Jaal’s offer to try Asari-Angaran reproduction? Will the Nomad ever get some tunes? Will Drack live to see great-grandfatherhood? Will Cora hook up with Scott? If I agreed to sign up for Jill’s insemination program, and Peebee was carrying my child, could I raise them as siblings? How would my FemRyder deal with being a father?

What would happen if the Jaardan came back to Meridian to check on their experiments? What happens if the scourge takes over Meridian? Have I screwed over all of humanity by settling them there?