#i um. saw him one time. so either i have a really good memory or i just made up a jojo. hopefully the former

[squishosaur]

character to draw from memory? how about jodio joestar from jojo part 9

admittedly i am not an active jojo fan but i do think i remember seeing him when part 9 first came out at least once. so this is probably very incorrect

[gallaghersgal]

first misses || carmen berzatto

pairing: carmy x fem!reader

warnings & tags: no warnings! fluff, fluff, and more fluff. first kiss scenario. giving carmen the sweet innocent childhood moments he deserves. growing apart but finding each other again <33

a/n: thank u to worm for the idea, and to the tumblr baddie collective for cheering me on! my first FULL length carmy fic, and my first work over 1k in ... actual years i think.

wc: 1.3k

Carmen never liked wearing glasses. they fogged up too often, or slipped down the bridge of his nose. and one time, when he was eleven years old, they just about ruined his life.

You were the prettiest girl in the fifth grade, a Chicago transplant, and the apple of every little boy's eye. But you only had eyes for one Carmen Berzatto. The day you made him hold your hand to cross the street on the field trip to the art museum, he knew he couldn't let summer roll around without telling you how he felt. But Mikey teased him, and Sugar tried her best but her advice sounded too motherly, so Carmen was left to plot for himself.

He still remembers that day, the last day of fifth grade. The pretty gingham dress with the little bow you wore—your Dorothy dress, as you called it—and your hair tied up to play field games with the other kids waiting at pickup. He had tugged you behind the bleachers with nervous, sweaty palms, thankful that you didn't notice or at the very least held back any comments.

"I wanna kiss you," he blurted out, cheeks turning pink at the admission. "C-Can i kiss you?"

You looked down at your feet for a minute, tennis shoe toe digging into the gravel, before you looked up at him. "Um, sure!" you grinned shyly, and Carmen felt like his world was skidding to a halt right then and there. "I've never kissed anyone before. like, on the lips?"

"I-I h-haven't either," he stammered, his face going pale with nerves. His hands began to shake when you stepped up closer.

"That's okay, I think it's easy."

You held out your hand until Carmen took it, then closed your eyes to lean in. He couldn't help but stare curiously, and the moment unfolded before his eyes. Before you could kiss him, your brow ran right into the wireframe of his glasses. You pulled back, a little startled, one eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, 'm s-sorry," he said nervously, watching as you scrunch your nose in concentration. Before he knew what was happening you'd leaned in again. Your lips barely brushed his, those stupid glasses still in the way, but it was a kiss. It counted.

You pulled back with a wide grin, "there! Now we had our first kiss!"

Carmen wanted to say something, he really did. Maybe ask to sign your yearbook, or if you’d want to come see a movie with him, but the teacher was calling your name. You had to leave. You had to leave, and Carmen didn't know if he'd see you at all, for the whole summer. His little heart ached at the thought of not seeing your smile. Not hearing your laugh. Missing the way you always smelled like strawberries and vanilla from your little hand sanitizer, the one he always asked to borrow after recess.

But at that moment you were standing in front of him, with that same pretty grin, and throwing your arms around him for a quick hug. You turned to leave, then turned back, just to surprise him with a sweet kiss to his cheek. "Bye Carmy! Have a good summer!" you said, before running off.

And Carmen just stood there, awestruck.

Sure, he saw you again the next year, but a lot happened that summer. The transition to middle school was a big one, you weren't in any classes together, and year by year the two of you grew apart until Carmen was halfway across the country and you were nothing but a memory.

He didn't see you again until, god, at least thirteen years later. He wasn't sure how long it had been. He wasn't even sure how he'd managed to bump into you. But a few hours and a coffee later you'd given him your number. And that night you'd texted him; would you wanna go out, like on a date? i couldn't bring myself to ask you face to face. but i think it would be nice. just lmk :)

And it was nice. you wore a dress that looked amazing against your skin, and he got to finally tell you how pretty you were, after all the years of silence. After the days spent sketching you in the margins of his notebooks, peering at you from across the cafeteria, and showing up to football games just to get a glimpse of you with your friends. You looked beautiful as ever, and he made sure to tell you. 

“Y’know, I always thought you were so pretty” he mumbled, sounding reverent as he stood outside your apartment door. Your back was against your door, hands not even bothering with pushing it open. 

“That’s really sweet, Carmy,” you whispered. One hand raised up to touch his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin under your fingertips. His cheeks were tinted a soft pink, that same lovely color you’d see when you were young. The one you’d crack jokes, give lingering glances, and throw compliments his way just to see. 

Carmen’s eyes fluttered closed, like he was committing your image to memory. Maybe he was. 

“Do you remember the last day of fifth grade?” you asked cautiously, waiting for him to open his eyes before continuing. “When we kissed under the bleachers?” His embarrassment was written across his face, cheeks flushed and eyes cast down to the floor. You took one curl by the side of his face around your finger, twirled it into a perfect little spiral just to let it go again. Patiently, you waited for him to speak.

“Y-Yeah, yeah. I remember,” he replied with a quiet laugh. “I went home and begged my mom not to make me wear glasses anymore. As if she could’ve done anything about my shitty eyesight,” he added with a scoff.

“Hm. Well, I mean, I guess it worked. You got contacts, yeah? Or are you just blind as a bat?” you asked, and brought your eyes up to meet his own. “Do you wanna try again?” You tacked the last sentence on, almost like an afterthought, afraid if you took too much time to think on it you’d chicken out entirely. 

Carmen grinned, and you swore it was one of the most beautiful things you’d ever seen. Not the tight lipped smile he often wore in photos, no, this was all teeth and sparkling eyes and joy. Like the kid under the bleachers all those years ago. 

“Bats, uhm, they- they aren’t,” he stammered, his hands shaking as they held on to your hips. “Common mistake, see, they’ve actually got-”

“Carmen,” you interrupted softly. He only hummed in response, a soft affirmative noise that let you know he wanted this too. As if the way he looked at you could’ve been interpreted any other way. “Just kiss me.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. His lips were soft–if not a little chapped, but you didn’t mind–when they finally brushed yours, this time with no pesky glasses in the way. One of his hands moved up to the back of your neck, cradling you there.

To call the moment bliss would’ve been an understatement. 

When Carmen finally pulled away from you his eyes remained closed, soaking up the moment, afraid he’d look again to find it was all a dream. A dream he’d had over and over, each night as he drifted off. The sweet girl he’d once known, finally in his arms again.

When his blue eyes finally made their reappearance you were staring at him, analyzing his expression as one finger twirled around that same little curl. “You should come inside,” you told him, and he winced slightly. 

“I-I, don’t wanna fuck it up. Don't wanna rush... this,” he admitted breathlessly, to which you shook your head.

“Nothing like that. Just, don’t wanna stop talking to you,” you explained, showing your intentions were to take this slow. To learn him again, or, was it for the first time? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was his smile, as he nodded and followed you inside.

end.

main masterlist || carmy masterlist

[boytearscore]

why can’t i hate you? — matt sturniolo & chris sturniolo.

summary: being best friends with chris and nick meant the world to you, it also meant you had to deal with their brother’s hate, rudeness, eye rolls, mean comments and coldness all the time. but that didn’t bother you, in fact, it was actually always a pleasure to annoy the shit out of him constantly.

warnings: swearing, enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, love triangle (not threesome), toxic behavior, angst, comedy, possible smut and of course, strong female lead.

taglist: @sleepysturniolo, @soshere, @spideylovin, @calisturniolo, @ilovecheese09, @ncm9696 , @klaus223492, @freshloveforthefit (thank you so much for the support, girls 💋)

author’s note: girls, i’m really sorry for the sudden disappearance. i had work plus lots to deal in life and a bad situationship that ended horribly, so now i have more time and i’ll be back with more updates. this is the next chapter of “why can’t i hate you?” and matt is gonna spill some secrets, stay tuned. hehe.

chapter four.

after finally getting home, you went to bed without checking your phone. chris was still sending messages and you also saw matt’s name on the notifications. but considering the earlier events, both matt’s and chris behaviour, you needed time to think before talking to them. you hated acting out of emotions, people hurt each other in the heat of the moment and that could possibly lead to a cycle end and to be honest, even though chris was suddenly acting like a fucking possessive person, you didn’t want to lose him.

eventually, you fell asleep hugging one of your pillows with a hundred thoughts in mind.

it’s monday, you got up late and went to work in a rush. only having time to take a kick shower and brush your teeth. at this point, you had 30 messages and since there was literally no time to actually read them, you just drove to work in completely silence. half of your brain was a war, the other half was completely calm, thinking in a racional way. the problem is you’re not being able to balance those two things like you usually do.

the day was extremely slow and stressful, some clients had a lot of questions and repeated them multiple times, so you had to explain over and over with your mind already full of thoughts.

you didn’t have lunch break either, a way of coping with an overflowing mind was throwing yourself in work but when was time to go home, your whole body was rigid and in pain.

you went home driving slowly, still in complete silence but your phone starts ringing.

“not right now, chris.” you whisper to yourself rolling your eyes but after a quick glance at the screen, you see matt’s name.

after thinking for a bit, you decided to pullover to answer the call, something inside your heart told you to.

“hi.” he says, and you look at the sky trying to keep your mind clear.

“hey…” you reply, but he doesn’t say anything for a while. with frowned eyebrows, you ask. “did you meant to call someone else?”

“no, it’s just…” you hear a loud sigh. “do you wanna meet me somewhere? we need to talk.”

“um, i’m almost home.” you said, pondering if that was a good idea. “wanna meet me there?”

“good, i’m already here.” you heard him say and before you could answer, he hang up.

you drove faster, but safely. nothing could take the thoughts out off of your mind, the memories from last night and the theories of what matthew could possibly have to say.

the thing is, no one messes with your head when it comes to mixed actions. especially men. they were all like that, you just assume what’s going on in their head and they act all surprised because you’re usually right. and until days ago, you knew matthew. you knew by the way he reacted to your teasing, every single thought he had. but after last night… everything is a blur, you don’t know what to think, you have no control over your emotions, you can’t even say no when he asks to meet you out of nowhere in such a hard day.

before you noticed, you got home. no one was there which made you confused but not surprised, maybe he left after getting impatient? that’s so him.

after parking the car in the garage, you slowly open the door entering still confused. everything was dark and before you could touch the light switch, someone grabbed you by the waist, turning you around. your heart skipped a beat, you grip the person’s hand and twist it with a quick move, making them face the wall.

“hey, hey. it’s me, matt!” he gasps, yelling.

your eyes widen, staring for a second at the back of matt’s head. “the fuck are you doing? how did you get inside?” you ask firmly.

“the spare key, under the plant…” he’s out of breath, almost moaning in pain from your grip. “nick told me.”

you roll your eyes, letting matt’s hand go and buffing. “that kid needs to shut his mouth.”

he sighs, massaging his wrist and biting his lips. you observe him, the way he’s sensitive to touch. the lack of sleep and rest probably got to you because wide things went through your mind.

“don’t ever do that again.” you tell him, throwing your purse on the couch and taking off your blazer. matthew is staring at you without saying anything. you raise a brow.

“what?” you ask and he looks away, scratching the back of his neck.

“nothing, it’s just… you look different wearing that.” he says still not looking at you. “usually you dress like a homeless person.”

“you came here to talk or tease me?” you ask with an annoyed face and he chuckles. that was the first time you heard his little laugh or saw a smile that wasn’t mean on his lips.

“sorry, i…” he finally looks at you, staring at your eyes while leaning against your living room wall. “can i ask you a question?”

the girl looks at the blue eyed boy for a few seconds, confused. what exaclty he could possibly be so curious about and why is he being so… different?

“go on.” she says, taking her heels off.

“do you have a thing for chris?” his voice is low, but loud enough for her to hear. he holds his breath, trying hard not to punch himself for being so stupid.

“why?” she raises a brow, walking to the couch and sitting there, crossing her legs with a nonchalant and calm face.

“you can’t answer a question with another one.” he rolls his eyes and heads to the couch next to hers, sitting calmly.

“i never thought about it.” she replies his question honestly, she really didn’t think about it until the day before when the whole thing happened. “he’s my best friend, i look at him and see my soulmate.” she notices a certain discomfort on matt’s face but decides to ignore it and continue her thoughs. “but not in that way.”

“not what it looked like yesterday.” he says before thinking, internally screaming at himself and she tilts her head again, laughing. “what’s so funny?”

“what’s with you, matt?” she asks him, frowning.

“what do you mean?”

“if i didn’t know you i’d say you’re jealous.”

“bullshit, and you don’t know me.”

“then why?”

“what?”

“why do you care if i’m into chris or not?”

he avoids her penetrating gaze for a few seconds, maybe for a full minute and knowing he couldn’t escape the question, he finally looks at her again.

“because i can’t allow it to happen.” he says firmly, clenching his jaw.

if she was confused before, now the girl was puzzled beyond words and thoughts.

“you think i’m gonna hurt chris? because i would ne…”

“that’s not why.” he interrups her, his eyes telling her more than his words. “i can’t bare to see you with him, that’s all.”

“why?”

an urge to get up and walk towards him washes over the girl’s body, she goes almost in slow motion and matthew follows her steps without blinking.

“why?” she asks again, now right in front of him. he’s looking up at her, his jawline is clenched and his hands are gripping his jeans.

“because…” he whispers, his voice cracking and she bends over facing him closely, matt lets out a sigh with her breath hitting his face. “because if you can’t be mine you won’t be his either.”

[lvndrfucks]

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆ lil cole preston blurbs｡˚💌 ࣪𖤐💐

➤ no doubt you took the longest to get ready between you and cole. all he had to do was change his clothes, but you were in the middle of applying your makeup. a very tentative and rigorous progress. it was often frustrating at times, as well.

from the bed of your guys’ shared apartment, cole observed your routine. he laid on his stomach with his chin resting on the palm of his hand and disregarded phone in the other.

“can i try putting your mascara on you?”

the question surprised you. you glanced at him through the vanity mirror before turning around with a small smile.

“sure.”

he sprung up and took your place on the chair. your legs settled on either side of his lap. he kept both hands on your hips as you swiveled around to curl your lashes first. then, you held out the mascara. before he could grab it, you pulled away.

“be careful.” you narrowed your eyes playfully.

cole scoffed. “careful is my middle name.”

you hummed and let him take the mascara. he opened the tube and removed the excess on the edge. he placed his thumb and index finger on your chin to tilt your head up slightly.

you looked up at the ceiling as he applied the mascara softly to your lashes. you kept your hands wrapped around his stomach gently, your fingers ghosting up and down his sides.

it took a minute until he finished.

“is that good?”

you turned around to look in the mirror. “it’s amazing, my love.” you could see his smile of relief in the reflection. “do you want to do my other eye or should i just walk out like this?”

cole’s eyes squinted in thought. “i think you still look beautiful like this. really rocking the cyclops look.�� he laughed as you slapped his shoulder gently. “okay, okay, come here.”

and the process started all over.

➤ during interviews, cole’s attention was mainly on you. even if you weren’t the one speaking. you guys often sat next to each other. he found your presence very comforting, as you did for his. you often stayed quiet unless spoken to. he would notice the look on your face when you had something to say and would redirect the attention towards you.

“we’re just very excited to see the fans on tour again,” dylan concluded after the question.

you nodded along, your jaw unconsciously clenching.

cole spoke your name. “did you want to add something?”

you looked at him, then braeden and dylan who were already staring back at you. “oh, um…” you were suddenly flustered at the attention. the boys laughed lightly, but let you have your moment to speak.

or when you retold tales from the past, cole enjoyed how animated you were. you had a habit of using your hands to speak and your voice progressively would get louder the more excited you talked. he always found everything you said funny.

“i think that was the maddest i’ve ever seen you,” braeden said to you during an interview. “like you were hardcore defending cole.”

“because he accused him of being on drugs!” your voice bursted. cole covered his face, but it was obvious he was smiling. “the bouncer was like ‘i saw what you were doing with your hands back there,” you deepened your voice to imitate him, “and i was like ‘what we were doing was waiting two fucking hours to get into this stupid club.’ i was so upset that night. i felt like a mother defending their kids.”

the four laughed at the memory.

➤ “i can’t believe you’ve never seen the lego movie.” your face held a look of disbelief at cole.

he couldn’t help but laugh. “i’ve heard of it, but i guess i never found the time to watch it.”

“unacceptable.” you shook your head. “we’re going to watch it right now and you’re going to enjoy every second of it. i’ll go make the popcorn.” you swiftly kissed his cheek before running off to the kitchen.

truth was, cole had seen the movie with braeden long ago when it first came out. he remembered being so annoyed at the fact he wouldn’t stop singing everything is awesome. cole knew it was one of your favorite movies, though, and didn’t mind reacting as if he was watching for the first time again.

➤ the band was in the studio recording a track for the new album. you had to admit these were moments where you got stressed the most. you wanted it to be perfect, just as the rest of the boys.

you were currently sitting at the piano, trying to figure out the melody to one of the songs. you played certain keys over and over again to get it right, but none of it appealed to you.

cole looked at you from across the room just as you ran your hands over your face. he stood from his drum set to make his way over. he sat so he was straddling the piano bench, facing your side.

“you okay?” his hand rubbed over your back in soothing circles.

you nodded with a heavy sigh. “yeah. it’s just not going like how i imagined.”

he nodded understandingly and stayed quiet while you continued to work. you hummed the lyrics under your breath from time to time and took notes on the sheets of paper scattered across the piano. cole knew better than to interject. of course, you loved hearing feedback to improve, but he could tell now wasn’t the right time. this was something you wanted to figure out on your own, for now.

when you rubbed your eyes again, that’s when he stepped in.

“do you want to take a break?” he asked.

you shook your head, fighting off a yawn. “i just have the bridge to finish.”

“hey. let me see.” at first, you thought he meant the music, but instead, he grabbed your chin to make you face him. “your eyes are getting red. probably from rubbing them so much. have you eaten?”

“cole, i don’t want to eat right now.”

“that’s not what i asked.” your brows furrowed as your lips pouted. he gave you a knowing look. “we’re going to get something to eat, then i’ll help you finish the bridge. okay?”

you didn’t answer. your shoulders falling in defeat spoke for itself. he leaned over to kiss your temple before standing.

“hey, we’re gonna go get some food,” cole announced. “do you guys want anything?”

“oh, my god, yes!” braeden was relieved to hear that. “my stomach’s been growling for the last ten minutes. i was ready to add it to the track.”

he told cole what he wanted, then dylan afterwards. cole nodded and grabbed his keys. he looked at you, nodding towards the door. with a quiet groan, you peeled yourself off the bench and followed after him.

in the car, it was hard not to fall asleep right then and there. your head lulled against the window as you struggled to keep your eyes open. cole’s gentle massaging on your knee didn’t help either. you didn’t even process you were at the drive-thru already. thankfully, cole already knew your order.

back at the studio, braeden and dylan eagerly dug into their food. you and cole sat on the couch together as the two of you ate quietly. by the time you finished, you had let out a big yawn you’d been holding in. you let yourself nestle further into cole’s your sweatshirt with your arms wrapping around your stomach.

cole looked back to see you had already dozed off. he chuckled to himself and readjusted you so you were properly laying down. he grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch to cover your body. he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

[oddballwriter]

Moon boys who have a raging crush on a chubby fam reader and they go out with her friends and turns out shes like really good at roller skating and can go backwards and dance to the music? steven would probably have a heart attack 😭

Two Left Skates

Summary: Steven gets invited over to a roller rink by his crush, and neighbor, and he needs to focus on not making a fool of himself, and also focusing on skating rather than on her

Warnings: Fem reader with she/her pronouns. Nothing else honestly. 

Notes: This is just Steven. There is no reference to the rest of the system. 

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 948

The invite was last minute. Super last minute. Same day last minute. But Steven wasn't complaining, after all, in his mind you were the cute girl down that hall that Steven saw every once in a while and at the laundry mat across the street.

So when you both were there doing your laundry and making conversation, you mentioned the fact that you and your friends were planning on going to a bar but one called out last minute. You said that it was a huge bummer because you needed to have a full party, for some reason, Steven wasn't really listening because he was caught up on you just talking to him in general, he said that he felt sorry for you and your friends.

"Do you maybe want to come?" you asked, sending Steven into a bit of a stammer. You want him to come with you and your friends to a bar? You want to go to a bar with him? His crush wants him to go to a bar with her and her friends. That's so out of Steven's element, on so many levels. He's never been invited to anything, gone out drinking, or had anything more than a glass of wine when he's feeling fancy.

"Um, bars aren't really my scene," Steven explains before you interject with "Oh, it's not a bar bar. It's a rollerskating bar.". Steven looks at you, a bit puzzled, "Really?" he asks. "Really." you echo, "Unless you don't know how to roller skate." you reply. "No, I do." Steven confirms, "I haven't done it in a long time but I can do it." he clarifies.

You nod. "So, are you free tonight to go or not?" you ask, wanting to confirm if he's willing to take your offer. Steven nods, maybe a bit too fast, "Yeah sure. I'm free tonight." he says. He wants to slack himself for accepting going out with you and your friends, who he does not know, immediately after saying the words but the smile that goes across your face makes it worth it. "I'll come get you at 8, then." you say as you grab your clean laundry basket and walk away.

Well, now he has to remember how to roller skate before he makes a fool of himself in front of you and your friend group.

After a deep look in his memory and a few videos for recap and filling in the gaps, 8pm rolls around and he opens his door to you standing there and heading off the meet-up with your friends.

Your friends were nice, he met all of them and they seemed happy to meet him. "We've heard quite a bit about you." one of them says. The bar was dim so that the neon lights that accented the building were vibrant but Steven knew he was blushing at the idea of you talking about him to your friends.

The first half of the night was of you all renting skates and doing a few casual laps around the rink, all talking to each other. But soon, Steven found that your friends either started falling behind or going a bit ahead, leaving just the two of you to talk.

"So you skate regularly, huh?" Steven asks you as you two glide along while classic 70s to 80s music plays loudly in the room. "Yeah. I learned a few years ago." you answer, "It's a fun way to get around and be active." you claim. Steven nods, "I haven't done this in years. I learned when I was a kid and then never wore a pair of skates since." he laughs. "You're doing pretty good for not having done it in so long." you smile.

Steven smiles back and tries to say something when something else catches your attention. It's the beginning percussion of Copacabana by Barry Manilow. Your face lights up immediately and you ask a question that Steven wasn't ready for, "Do you know how to dance?". Steven tries to keep his smile, but his nerves are firing off, "In skates?" he asks like there is another option. You nod and he says no. But when you asked if he wanted to try, he didn't say no, at least not quick enough before you decided that for him.

It was fun. A bit slippery on Steven's end but still fun. He followed your lead as you joined the group of dancing skaters in the middle of the rink. Was it a bit ironic to be dancing to a song about a dancer girl who lost her lover in a bar fight and spent thirty years in a mental spiral? Yeah. But you sure danced like it wasn't. You danced really well actually. It was clear that you were no stranger to dancing in skates or in general.

Steven tried his best to focus on dancing himself rather than watching your body dance around. But you sure knew that your plump curves and body shape had something to it. He actually found that he had to focus on the song that was now playing because twice now he's had what he thinks is Love Shack by the B 52's and Voulez-Vous by ABBA play past him.

After who knows how long in the dance circle you and Steven are winded and take a sit-down break at one of the nearby tables outside the rink. "That was fun." Steven comments, "I know, right." you reply with a smile. "I'm surprised I didn't fall flat on my face. That wasn't too bad, right?" Steven asks.

"You'll get better when you do it more." you say with a more teasing smile.

[cyten0]

A Symphony in Crimson

Act 1: A Movement in Black

Chapter 8

✸ “Welcome back stardust! So, how can I help you this time?”

✦ “Hm… Let’s see… So, I assume you saw the chat with the king?”

✸ “Of course! Always keeping an eye on things~ Sadly, I’m afraid I’m drawing a bit of a blank on anything about Wishcraft! Well, besides that term.”

Ugh, just talking about it hurts your head a bit. But it’s critical information, so you endure.

✦ “Right. I guess it’s a way to… Craft wishes? But that’s about it. Harder I try, more it pushes back.”

✸ “Right, so that just leaves either seeing if we can’t spark that memory somehow, or find information on it! Both seem tricky, but not impossible~”

✦ “Guess talking more with the king could help with that first angle. He wants to remember for his own reasons.”

✸ “True! Just make sure he doesn’t find out about you! Wouldn’t want him dropping your secret, now would we?”

✦ “I’ll be careful. Oh, on a side note, you mentioned something strange earlier?”

✸ “Yes! Thank you for remembering~ So far, you’ve looped for two reasons. Dying, or talking to the head Housemaiden. Until just a bit ago! When Odile found you, You didn’t die.”

Huh?!? Wait, they're right, you didn’t!

✸ “Once is an outlier, twice is something to investigate! If death isn’t the only reason you loop, then finding out the other reason, or reasons, seems rather important, wouldn’t you agree? It’s just a theory right now though, so if you have any ideas...”

Wait, there was one other point that almost was one, you think.

✦ “When Isa confronted me, I nearly looped that way too.”

✸ “Oh! Now isn’t THAT some juicy data! Hm… Well, The Head Housemaiden doesn’t seem like she found you out, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. I’ll keep theorycrafting and see if I have any ideas. Meanwhile, feel free to help your friends! Who knows, just might do something!”

Right! Your looking forwards to that! Might as well use these loops to do something nice!

You grab a meal from loop, grabbing the powerful duo from the second floor to get yourself a little extra. Stars you're so hungry you devoured it in seconds and it’s not enough it’s never enough-

Stop. Clear your head. Breathe. And head out.

>>>

Right! Mirabelle. She should be first, given she kinda started this whole thing. You greet her, talk for a bit, and then-

✦ “So, which will you choose?”

You point to the pile of papers, to clarify.

◉ “Wha- WHAT?!?!?!!!! HOW! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!??? ANSWER ME!!!!!”

!!! She has her hand on her rapier!!! She’s going to- QUICK!!!!!

✦ “Y-your choosing someone for something, right?! It seems important, maybe I can help?”

She pauses, and pulls her hand from her rapier. Oh thank goodness. You never thought she’d pull a sword on you unless she found you out! All your survival instincts flared up, you're glad you kept calm!

◉ “I...I guess… You most likely have more experience then I do. Alright, I’d like your help, if you’ll give it.”

Hm? Experience? Uh oh, now your worried! What if it’s something Siffrin is good at that you can’t mimic?

You guess you’ll just have to improvise if it is, and hope for the best.

✦ “Sure!”

◉ “Okay, but this might take some time!! So, Um…”

✦ “Don’t worry, I have time!”

Honestly too much time… And too little… You feel your stomach ache... Ignore it, you have time. You can eat at the bathrooms later, and that will help. This is important.

You take a seat next to Mira. She looks nervous. Hm… You're not good with stuff like this. Um. Maybe. Asking a question will help?

✦ “So… What are those papers?”

◉ “Oh! Um…. Their… Bonding proposals?”

!?! Wait, you remember bonding, you saw a thing about that earlier! It’s… Kinda like Marriage? You're not quite sure of the nuances of... either of those really? So, does that mean Mira’s looking for a partner?

◉ “NO WAIT THAT’S NOT EXACTLY IT PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!! ...It’s… more like dating profiles? I-I’m not looking to be bonded just yet.”

Oh, Okay that makes more sense! Dating is still not your forte, it kinda confuses you, but it wasn’t really Siffrin’s strong suit either so you're not too worried!

You like the idea enough you’ve looked into it, sort of a false hope, but you should be able to help a little? Maybe? Still you're a little surprised Mirabelle is interested in that. She never seemed to care before?

◉ “Okay so… Before all this started with the king… I decided I wanted to, uh, try! To date someone. So I asked a company that does that sort of thing, and they sent a bunch of profiles, for people I could date…"

◉ “I haven't gone through them yet, and I figured now would be a good time. Keep my mind off tomorrow! But, I could use a second pair of eyes. Or just the one eye. As long as it’s not my eyes doing this alone!”

Right. Hm. You have no idea what Mirabelle is into, and she seems to be struggling as well... So, time to do testing! Scientific method, just like Siffrin! Just gauge her reactions, respond in ways to probe for more information, and go from there! You’ve got this Siffrin!

✦ “Alright, let’s take a look, see if we can’t figure this out.”

She pulls out a HUGE folder, and hands it to you.

◉ “Ok! Here’s a few of them, we can take turns! You can go first, and I’ll go after. So uh… Here!”

She grabs a profile of a big buff masculine figure. Plenty of muscle, probably very tast- WOW Okay you need to focus.

Hm. She seems to be the same mount of nervous as before, so not a big reaction. Let’s see…

✦ “Kinda looks like Isa.”

◉ “...Ew yeah, nevermind.”

That Ew kinda boggles your mind, but oh well, she’s got her own preferences. So perhaps not into more masculine types. Hm…

✦ “Well, let’s try someone more effeminate, see if that works. What do you have?”

She shuffles some papers around and hands you a lovely gentle lady. Likely tender and- Focus. Hm…

✦ “Kinda looks like you.”

◉ “...You're right, Ew.”

Again with the Ew? You don’t have much to work with here. You might have to get a bit more blatant.

✦ “Any ideas what kind of person your into?”

◉ “Oh I don’t have a type, I love all people equally!”

✦ “...That’s… Not much to work with…”

◉ “I um… would like someone… Nice?……. And…. Pretty?…….and….. Who… likes me?”

✦ “……. Mira.”

◉ “Nononono let me think a bit more!!!…. I…. want…. Someone who……”

She thinks for a while.

◉ “W-Well, what are you into?”

OH STARS you are NOT getting into that! You have no idea if Siffrin had any interest, and yours are EXTREMELY weird and messed up!!

HONESTLY, why does your brain mix up attraction and TASTE together?!? It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes if one's high enough it can add to the other, Isabeau being prime example! And that is just NOT OKAY!!!

And past dating you have no idea! You’ve specifically avoided any form of dating because of it, you are NOT telling her that, what would she even do with-?

… Wait a second.

✦ “Wait. Are you just going to copy my answers?”

◉ “I-! Um!…. Okay. You got me. I… Really don’t care about dating.”

Fantastic. Well that solves that issue you guess, but then?

✦ “Then why are you worrying about it?”

◉ “…… So…. Siffrin. You know the Change belief means a lot to me… It’s all about changing, becoming better, and most importantly… trying new things. It’s why the house offers so many different classes, you know?…

◉ “So… I’m trying something new! Sometimes, doing that is something fulfilling, and easy, but you can’t just do that kind of stuff forever. That won’t help you change much. Sometimes you have to do things that are scary, or make you… Uncomfortable… Things you don’t want to do at all.”

… You know that when she faces the king, she’s committed to accepting the bad of life as well as the good. But. If she doesn’t like this that much, it seems unnecessary?

✦ “And… Dating is a part of that?”

◉ “Yes! Romantic love is supposed to be the biggest way to change! It’s supposed to change you, give new experiences and…

◉ “And I have to, right? To be a good Housemaiden? I have to bond with them, I have to do things with them, I have to get bonded and have children and love them in this specific way and… and…”

✦ “And it’s not working…”

Like woodcarving, like crafts, like talking, like your body under your skin, like the small details of your face and body, like the gnawing hung̷̯͝er always clawi̵̻̿ng at ẙ̶͈our b̶̡͊ody̸̪͌ and mi̶̯̊n̷͓̄d!

... You understand that feeling more then you’d care to admit.

◉ “...And it’s not working… I can’t, Siffrin, I just can’t! I can’t get myself to feel right about it, no matter how hard I try! I don’t want to do any of it, but I need to do this right? To change..”

...But… The idea of this being so needed for this faith…

You remember the Keyknife. How even YOU were accepted. Believed in. By the Change god themselves...

No. You aren’t okay with this. You don’t care if it’s what the faith said, it shouldn’t! If even Siffrin wouldn’t feel welcomed by this, then…

✦ “...Do you think the change belief is unaccepting? Of anyone?”

◉ “h-HUH?!?”

✦ “I don’t know about the romance, but I’ve never cared about doing things with people.”

Siffrin wasn’t, and right now you're speaking for them. And while you aren’t good evidence, you don’t think you’d want to either, probably.

✦ “There must be a bunch of people who don’t. The change belief should accept that! Because if any part of being alive isn’t allowed then… What’s the point?

✦ “That’s… Something I really like about it. That anyone, and everyone, is accepted.”

...She’s looking at you in surprise. Oh! You just realized you kinda just tried to argue faith to a Housemaiden! Um!

✦ “A-At least that’s what my thoughts are. I get it’s complicated a-and messy but…”

◉ “Y-You mean it? I… I wasn’t even sure there were others like me at all! With how much pressure gets put on us Housemaidens to do that, I… The fact that someone understands at least that!”

You nod in agreement. The relief is plain on her face, before being swallowed up by more anxieties.

◉ “...But. Still, there’s pressure to change in every way you can. I mean, we have yearly festivals for showing yourself as a new person!! Every Housemaiden has changed at least once!"

◉ “Except me. I... I find comfort in being myself! And we really are encouraged to change in EVERY way, from clothing to hairstyles to bodies to personalities and… and… Sometimes I wonder if the Change god understands that sometimes, I’d like just just stay the same…”

...You had no idea Mira thought this way about the change belief… If only you knew what to tell her… Something stirs at the back of your mind.

✦ “...This might seem a bit… weird… to say. But someone once told me… That if..."

That if...

✦ “That If everything changes, nothing really does.”

Mirabelle looks at you in confusion. Stars, it hurts your head to remember this, so much more then normal, but…

✦ “In order for a change to matter, it has to make a difference. Otherwise, it’s barely a change at all. But if everything changes, then it makes no difference how much it changes. And…”

In the end…

✦ “In the end, we are always ourselves.”

You release the memory. The pain subsides. But. You think the words were worth it. Whoever said them. Thank you.

◉ “… That… I’ve never heard that angle before. To make change better by keeping some parts the same? It feels so far away from what we're taught, but... Hm.”

She smiles at you.

◉ “I like it! Hehe! It. It feels like whoever said it understood change really well."

A wave of relief washes over her again, even while she smiles.

◉ “I guess... maybe I can let some things stay. To make the parts I do change matter more. I’ll just… have to make up for it!”

✦ “I’m sure you will. Besides, Less things to change just means you can focus more on what you do! Sounds like fun.”

◉ “hehe! I guess your right!"

She looks you over again, a question on her mind.

◉ “…... Siffrin, do you have… Something like this? Something that makes you happy, but also that you struggle with?”

… Humanity.

It’s hard, playing this part. Putting yourself back together in the right shape. Maintaining it just right so it never looks uncanny. Figuring out what people mean when they say things. Trying to figure out their emotions. Making sure you're expressing your own correctly...

But every time they look at you as a friend, it’s worth the effort. Every single moment.

✦ “...Yeah. But. I’m glad I stuck with it. I wouldn’t have met you all if I didn’t.”

◉ “Oh! Do you want to talk about it?”

You can’t tell her it all but…

✦ “Just. Talking to people. It’s always been a bit tricky for me, but. I’m glad I’ve kept trying. It would have been very lonely without you all.”

◉ “Really? A bit like me too, huh! Well, I’m glad we met you too… Thank you, Siffrin. Thank you, for talking to me.”

You nod, and both just kind of sit there for a half second. Before she notices the time on the clocktower

◉ “Oh, wow, look how long it’s been! Sorry, You probably had other things to do, didn’t you? Don’t let me keep you any more!... I could stand a little alone time. I have a lot to think about!…. I’ll see you later, OK?”

You nod, and head off. You're so glad you did that. It felt nice, to get some of that off your chest… And that memory… You felt something warm from it… You're glad you got to have it, even if just for a second.

...A-Anyways, you should go help Odile next! That book seemed important to her.

>>>

It was quite a mess getting this book! You were half tempted to bite a few people on the way, for more then a few reasons.

But here you are! Odile found this nice clearing to read in, which you're happy about, less smells to worry about. But. She’s just looking at it while closed?

✦ “Aren’t you going to read it?”

◆ “… They said I could have it until we had to leave Dormont, so I have time, but…”

She just continues to stare at it… It clearly matters a lot to her. But it’s intimidating as well, you suppose? That must be why she’s hesitating.

Hm. Time to deploy the old reliable for diffusion! Jokes! And the most reliable joke for something Odile being focused on something is...

✦ “Is it related to your research?”

◆ “… Sorry, What?”

✦ “Is the book related to your research?”

She gives you this look of contemplation…. Wait, it wouldn’t actually be, right? Not something this mundane?

Hm... Well you guess it’s working so… Success?

◆ “Ah, well… I suppose I’ve kept it secret long enough. Don’t tell Isabeau, alright?”

You nod.

If she’s willing to tell you now, you figure you have a pretty good idea what it is. Had your suspicion it was either highly dangerous and secretive, or….

◆ “There is no research. I’m not researching anything.”

✦ “Heh, knew it.”

◆ “Really? You figured it out?”

✦ “Kinda. A normal researcher wouldn’t be able to resist talking about it otherwise. It was either top secret, or you were making it up.”

◆ “Clever. But yes, when Isabeau suggested I was here to research something, I figured it would be easier to just play along.”

✦ “Huh, yeah, that does leave the question. If not to do research then…”

◆ “Why leave Ka Bue and travel for years? Well… I’m here in Vaugarde, to find out more about myself, I suppose… It must not be very obvious to you, but… My mother was Vaugardian.”

Oh!

◆ “I’ve lived my whole life in Ka Bue. My father was Ka Buan, my mother Vaugardian. I have no idea how they met, he never told me, but all I know is she never wanted a child. She left very early on, and I never saw her again. Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned.

◆ “But… she didn’t leave anything behind. Not a single thing. It was alright, my father was a good man and raised me well. Ka Bue was my home.”

Nothing left huh. You understand that. Painfully well. There’s nothing to get back, no matter how hard you try. And it stings you, every single time you notice something missing.

◆ “But one day, a Vaugardian merchant came by, and I saw a book that she wouldn’t sell. A familytale. And she explained what they were. Stories of generations of family members, recorded for their descendants."

◆ “And halfway through, I found out I was crying. I never knew I cared about my other side till then but. I knew. I wanted it. That connection to a history that should have been mine. But was stolen from me. And I’d never have a link to it, ever.”

✦ “Unless you chose to make one.”

You made your link to there. Carved it into your body with your own bare hands. Hoarded what little pieces drifted up in your wake. Held tightly to every memory you could scrounge…

Oh. She looks at you a little surprised!

◆ “I… Yes. The king took over shortly before I arrived, which made things difficult. But While traveling with you all, I got to see more and more of Vaugarde. Got to learn more about the country, the people, it’s faith…"

◆ “And. Half of me is from here. It should be like looking in a mirror but… I felt no connection. It feels awful. Like I should have a place here, and I don’t. My roots were cut without my consent. Like I don’t belong anywhere.”

… Not belonging anywhere… You get that… You nod at her, in understanding.

◆ “But… I found that’s okay. I’m not the only one. Vaugarde is filled with people from other lands. Sure, my features may look off in Ka Bue, but no one minds here. I’m still other, but I am accepted none the less. And have found many who are in similar positions. And I’m very grateful for that.”

She’s lucky. To be able to see that herself. You sometimes wish you could go there, but… Even thinking about trying hurts.

◆ “What about you, Siffrin? Are you learning more about yourself here? It’s alright if you’d rather not tell.”

✦ “… No. And… Yes.”

She gives you an odd look?

✦ “I don’t have ties to Vaugarde like you. But. I do have a place I’m trying to connect to. It’s just. There’s nothing left of it. Just scraps.”

◆ “Nothing left?”

✦ “The island to the North…”

She pauses for a moment, contemplating, before she stops in realization.

◆ “Ah, I see…. that… Oh gems. I can’t even imagine…. At least I still have Ka Bue…..”

A memory surfaces. Something that means something important here. Something you didn’t even realize has been helping you, even as it hurts your head to remember.

✦ “Someone once told me…"

✦ “We tell people who we are with our actions. The rest doesn’t matter in the end.”

She looks at you, surprised.

✦ “If I keep moving, It gives my history some life. What pieces I have might inform my choices, but… It’s what we do that matters the most in the end. And… Traveling through Vaugarde. I might have only learned tiny pieces about my home. Scant scraps I could dig up or barely remember."

She nods, a grim understanding on her face.

✦ “But… We’ve done so much. With each other, with others, with the very places we’ve gone. I’ve left my mark. Even if my home isn’t remembered, I might be. And in making that path, I got to rediscover myself. So in some way, in Vaugarde, in traveling, I learned more about who I am then I could have anywhere else.”

You played the part of Siffrin so long, you started to learn more about how they would act. What mattered to them. And even if sometimes the differences feel glaring, you still cherish what bits of them you’ve kept alive, even if it’s just how their memories affected your own path…

You notice she’s just looking at you. And starts to chuckle.

◆ “I guess in a way, you came to the same conclusion I did, hm? Different route, different words, different methods. But. Yes. Where you're from doesn’t determine who you are. It’s who YOU are that matters most."

◆ “To be fair, It does matter, but mainly in how they’ve formed you. I might be both Ka Buan and Vaugardian, but in the end, I am myself. And that matters far more then anything else.”

You nod. You're glad Odile is who they are. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

◆ “Hehe… I feel so much lighter now.”

✦ “Glad to find that familytale, huh?”

◆ “Maybe. But more then that, I’m glad we talked... Thank you. For listening to me. And finally opening up."

◆ “It’s funny, finding out how similar we are, yet how different as well. It’s nice to know you a little more. Maybe some point, I’ll help you a little finding out about your own roots?”

You nod, and smile. It felt good to talk about that. Even just a little.

◆ “… Now get out of here! I have a familytale to read before we meet up for our sleepover!”

You chuckle a little, and head off.

Okay. Time to help Bonnie!

>>>

Okay, so you got the foods right, and Bonnie brought you out of Dormont to help them. But. Why? And Why towards the castle? What do they need out here?

✿ “….Frin you… You said I could ask for anything, yeah?”

Right… You're getting more worried by the second. But. You’re sure you can handle it.

✦ “Of course! Whatever you need!”

✿ “Okay, well…. I-I need you to teach me how to fight!”

OH! Uh! Okay! That’s, Uh!

✿ “I know Dile’s gonna say I can help tomorrow, but It’ll be from far away, right? I wanna help! To actually help!!! And… for that I’m gonna need to fight! And you're gonna help me!”

Stars okay you don’t know how- How are you- this is-

WAIT NO they're running towards a sadness!!! You start moving as fast as you can!

✿ “L-Look, I’m not scared! COME ON!!!”

Bonnie starts muttering under their breath, you're still trying to close the distance!!! The sadness strikes! Before it can deal any real damage you tackle into it, and crush its throat under your bare hands!!!! BLINDING-

✦ “WHAT WE̸̺͑RE YOU THIṈ̴̎KING???̸̤̅?”

You instantly get to healing the wound, you can smell the blood in the air, it’s driving you mad, you hate hate hate hate smelling that it gives you all the worst thoughts, especially from Bonnie, and you are NOT having any of that, what were they blinding thinking-

✿ “i-i’m sorry.”

...They're shaking, and scared. You… You probably shouldn’t have yelled like that. You make sure the injury is fully healed first, so you can have a clear head.

✦ “...Sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled, but…”

Oh okay softer voice isn’t helping enough, they're still shaking. Maybe…

✦ “Breathe with me?”

They nod, and you both begin to breathe, in and out. In. And. Out…. The smell of blood is gone, Bonnie doesn’t feel like a scared animal. It’s fine.

✦ “...Ok… I’m willing to teach you, but you need to not rush ahead. Otherwise I can’t keep you safe, alright?”

✿ “O-Okay. I’ll listen. Teach me.”

Alright. That’s better. Step one... there’s another sadness nearby. Hm. To properly train, You need to make it so that it feels like a real fight, but remove the danger…

You have an idea. The king has some control over the sadnesses, so this should be believable, if you're careful. It’s also not nearly as effective on sadnesses as it is living beings, but it should be enough to force it to pull it’s punches.

✦ “Alright. I’m going to go to that sadness over there, and use a very special craft skill. It’ll let me have a little control over it, so we can fight it safely.”

✿ “Wait you can do that?”

✦ “Yeah. It’s not as good as what the king does to them, but it’ll keep it from doing anything really bad to you!

✦ “Once I’ve got it, you can come in and fight it properly, okay? I’ll still be by your side, and give advice, and if it goes wrong, I’ll be ready to take care of it. Sound good?”

Bonnie seems a little surprised, and nods in agreement. Good.

Okay. You head towards the sadness. It tries to take a swing, and you dodge to it’s side, circling behind it. You then thrust your claw into the back of it’s neck, and reach for what mimicry of a spine it has. You leave a part of you in there, as it fuses itself to the sadness’s false nervous system.

You then sing in the special voice no-one can hear. And watch as the sadness starts to stumble and twitch, as the piece of you in it’s brain puppets it’s thoughts to your melody. Good.

✦ “You’re up, Bonnie!”

Bonnie, who was just staring in awe this entire time, shakes their head, and starts charging in.

Meanwhile, you try and focus in on Siffrin’s memories. They were trained professionally, much like the rest of their family you think. You try and focus in on memories of their training, see if you can’t guide Bonnie.

You keep singing your song to keep the sadness from attacking before it’s time. It’s trying to fight you, but you don’t give it an inch.

✿ “O-Okay, what do I do?”

✦ “First, check it’s craft type. It’s hands are in a scissors sign, so it’s weak to rock. Looks like we got lucky, that’s a perfect matchup against you!"

✦ “Now. Steady your breathing. Focus. Keep a firm grip on your weapon, and watch it’s movements. Keep your feet firmly planted, and make every movement count. Ready?”

They nod, and you let the sadness loose a little. It takes a swing, but Bonnie dives to the side, out of the way. It tries to take a swing as they're tumbling, but you stop it dead in it’s tracks.

Bonnie turns up just in time to see the shaking sadness inches away from their face. They seem shocked, but you expected this.

✦ “I did say, Feet firmly planted. Step, jump, or run. You can even block, your pan’s tough enough for it. But big moves like that can leave you open. Now. Back on your feet, I’ll let it go, and this time, keep your footing!”

Bonnie nods, still a little nervous clearly, but not nearly as bad as last time. They get up, and when the sadness swings, this time they step back, just out of range! It stumbles a bit, perfect!

✦ “Attack!”

Bonnie swings and thwacks the sadness on it's side. Unsteady as it was, it fully falls over!

✦ “Good! Make use of when your enemy messes up. As you saw earlier, one bad move can leave you open, and that goes both ways!”

Okay. This takes a bit of focus and energy, but you have this down pat.

You keep going, slowly easing up the control as Bonnie gets more confident, until they land the finishing blow. The sadness dissolves, your little fragment falls, but with a single note you have it dissolve too, so Bonnie doesn't notice. It leaves a bit of a bloodstain, but it’s otherwise unremarkable.

You watch as they take in the victory.

✿ “I… I DID IT!!!! I DID IT!!!”

✦”Well done, I barely had to do anything by the end of that!”

✿ “Really? You mean it?”

✦ “Of course! You’re a genuine fighter now!”

✿ “CRAB YEAH!!!!"

They look really excited, before a thought pops into their head.

✿ “…. Um. Hey Frin? Why aren’t we allowed to touch you?”

OH! Uh. That’s…

✿ “Dile and Za and Belle said it’s cause it makes you jump, and you do jump! But I was wondering why, cause it means we’re not allowed to high five or anything.”

Ah. Right. You always get nervous when it comes to touch. Getting that close makes you worried you’ll act up, or they’ll notice something’s wrong. You wish you could feel safe like that, but you just can’t. And at this point…

✦ “I’m not used to it. I’d like it, but just... I get worried. And. Scared I’ll mess something up.”

✿ “How to you mess up touch?… Well, if you're not used to it, we can do what me and Nille do!”

✦ “Nille?”

✿ “My sister! Her names Petronille, but that’s dumb so I just call her Nille. Anyways, she also jumps at touch, but if you tell her first she’s okay!

✿ “She’s really cool and tough, but gets scared really easily. One time I touched her shoulder when she didn’t know I was there, and she screamed really loud! Like UGHYARGH!!!! But she told me after to let her know first so she doesn’t hurt me on accident.”

Oh! That! You get that!… That works? Huh! That… Makes sense! Why does that feel like it’d work? You can keep steady if you know it’s gonna happen, probably?

✿ “It’s also why I wear big shoes, so she knows where I am! Heheh… heh…. I don’t want to talk about my sister anymore.”

✦ “You don’t talk about her often.”

✿ “She’s frozen in time and she’s not here, so I don’t want to talk about her. She says talking about people behind their backs is bad. Also, talking about her makes me sad.”

✦ “Understood.”

They seem happy to drop the topic. You get that, you wouldn’t want to talk too long about those you're missing. Sure, They’ll get Nille back, but that doesn’t make it easier.

✿ “Anyways, if you can see me, and I tell you I’m gonna touch you, then it should be fine, right?”

✦ “Yes! That should work.”

✿ “Okay then! I am going to touch you!!!!”

Bonnie pokes you in the stomach. It’s a bit strong of a poke? And even if you're a little nervous at Bonnie being this close to you, it’s nice! You're being touched! Like a normal person! Yay!!

✿ “Okay! Let’s fight another Sadness! I’m ready to learn more!”

Alright!…

Hm… You just realized something. Bonnies fighting style isn’t very mobile. They're fast, but they're pretty defensive, and that doesn't work in the backline. So…

✦ “I just realized, you might want a ranged option, since you’ll be in the back a bunch. Fighting up close is good to know in general, but you’d have to actually get up there for that to matter unless things go wrong.”

✿ “Oh. Yeah but... I don’t know any crafts like that.”

✦ “Good thing I’ve got just the tool for that!”

You pull out your old Craft Revolver. Guns aren’t well known in Vaugarde, so it’s probably an islander device, but you remember what it does!

Good weapon, can stay in the backline, and doesn’t take a lot of effort from the wielder except steady hands and good eyes! Both of which Bonnie has plenty of! Besides, you weren’t using it yourself. You're much better at fighting up close.

✦ “This is a special device called a Craft Revolver! You charge up the little chambers with craft energy, and when you pull the trigger, it’ll release it in one blast. You just need to focus on aiming it, and can charge it up when we aren’t fighting."

✿ “WOAH. That’s cool! So I can shoot stuff with craft like Odile! That’s super cool!”

✦ “Yep! And it’s accurate even from pretty far”

Oh and most importantly, gotta teach them basic safety!

✦ “Oh, and very important, make sure this little switch is off when not in combat, and on when we are. It keeps it from firing on accident!”

✿ “Okay, Gotcha! I'll be careful!"

You look around. Perfect! A sadness not TOO far from here.

✦ “Okay, see that sadness over there? You can stay right here, and I’ll distract it. Take your time aiming, keep it steady, hold it tight with both hands, and be prepared for it to jump back a bit when you fire it. Take your time, and we’ll see how long it takes to get the hang of it.”

✿ “Okay!”

You head over to the sadness, and start fighting it. You don’t put any effort into your attacks, and you try to keep the sadness in place, so Bonnie can shoot it.

But… You're not used to fighting out here. You’ve been fighting in the house for quite a while. And… You trip and fall over a branch. The sadness tries to go for the opening!

BANG

The sadness crumples to the ground and dissolves, a hole right through it’s head. A perfect shot! And on their first time! You turn to congratulate them when-

✿ “FRIN!!! FRIN!!! ARE YOU OKAY!?!!!”

Oh Stars, they have tears in their eyes! And they're panicking!

✦ “Y-Yes Bonbon I’m fine! I just tripped!”

✿ “R-Really? You promise?”

You nod. Oh stars, you didn’t mean to worry them! You can tell they're scared.

✿ “okay…. I… you haven't called me bonbon in forever… only Za calls me that now…”

✦ “Oh uh, sorry, I don’t know if that’s okay.”

✿ “nono it’s okay you can…. You promise your okay? It just… reminded me of before…”

Before?…. Hm. Likely a sadness fight, but that’s happened a lot.

✦ “Which before are we referring? We’ve fought a lot of sadnesses.”

✿ “What? You- THE ONE THAT GOT YOUR CRABBING EYE STUPID!!!!”

Oh right. That was a little messy!

✿ “AAAAAAHHHH You stupid crabbing- See!! I told you!!! You're so crabbing stupid!!! You think it doesn’t matter!!! You keep getting hurt because of me and you don’t care!!!”

Right… You were the only one who could do anything. Bonnie was in danger. You can fix injuries like that no issue, but healing an entire eye isn’t exactly believable. So you played along, made a scar like any other notable injury they saw, and moved on.

But. You guess it mattered to them.

✦ “It’s fine! It was worth it.”

✿ “It’s not fine!!! You got hurt because of me!!! And I don’t like it, you should have just let me get hurt!”

✦ “You would have died!”

✿ “It doesn’t matter!! If I had died, it would have been fi-”

✦ “NO. It would NOT. It would NEVER have been fine!!!”

You can’t believe they would say that! Never! Never in a thousand years are you going to watch someone die again!!!

✦ “STARS Bonnie, I could NEVER just leave you to die!!! What would I tell your sister? The others? MYSELF??? If I let you die I’d regret it every day of my life, always thinking about what I took from you!!!"

✦ “Just letting you die is no better then doing the deed myself!!!!! And I'd choose your life over a stupid blinding eye any day!!! I just…”

You look at them. They're sad. They're lost. They're alone.

That guilt. You know that guilt so BLINDING well. The guilt of someone getting hurt because of you.

✦ “I know it hurts. It hurts seeing people hurt like that, because of something you did. But it’s exactly the same for what you don’t do. And if I’d let you get hurt like that, I’d be the one in your position. Hurting every time I remembered what could have been.

✦ “An eye you can move past. You can manage with, eventually. But... you can’t bring back the dead, no matter how hard you try.”

You’ve tried. So very hard. Every day. Every second. Every step. But you can only settle for this.

Another memory starts to come forwards. More words from those you’ve forgotten. Those you killed. Couldn’t protect from yourself. Coming to help you even now.

✦ “Someone once told me… Ignoring those you could save is never the better choice. You’ll always regret it.

✦ “So… We just have to make sure we can all protect each other.”

Bonnie looks up at you.

✦ “I’m stronger then back then. And so are you. And we can make sure it doesn’t happen again. I can protect you, and make sure nobody gets hurt. And you can help make it easier, and help protect them too."

✦ “Together, Okay? So nobody is lost. So nobody is hurt. So we don’t have to regret a thing.”

Bonnie thinks. And then quietly responds.

✿ “...promise? Promise you won’t get hurt?”

✦ “Of course! I promise! Super Duper Promise!”

You'll stop even death itself before anyone gets hurt.

✿ “...Okay. Then… As long as you promise, it’s fine! And… I can help! I can protect!”

✦ “You certainly did a good job back there! First time and you got a perfect shot!”

✿ “Wait. I DID!! OH CRAB YEAH!!!! Yeah! I can protect people!!! And you can protect me! And… and we can protect everyone!!!”

You nod, and ruffle their head.

You do take a quick second to check… They did! They remembered to put the safety back up after! That was the one thing you were worried about, really. And given they didn’t do it while you were talking, they must have done it right after the sadness was dead. That’s good!

✿ “hehehe! You see me right? I’m gonna touch you now!!!”

They jump at you and give you a big hug!!! You freeze, not expecting that! You don’t know how to hug right! You…

Okay. You gently, and carefully, hug them back. They look up at you.

✿ “See? You do know how to hug!”

✦ “I-I guess I do!”

You smile, hug for a little longer, before you both head back to Dormont.

Just one person left!

>>>

Isa takes you to this open field.

You hope whatever they have for you won’t be too much effort. You’ve spent a lot of focus today. You're tired, hungry, and still nursing a headache from all those memories you’ve been having. And with Isa, you really don’t want to have anything go wrong.

But you can pull it through. Just a little longer. And then you can eat, and sleep, and recover. You can even slip out during the night for a bit if you need to. Loop can’t get proper food then but you at least wouldn’t be tempted. Just. See what Isa needs.

✦ “So, what do you need me to do?”

▲ “Huh? Oh, um… Lay down with me?”

You lay down, and he lays down with you. You look at him, confused.

▲ “And now, Look up!”

You look up.

Oh. Oh. The Stars.

They're… They're so clear. All around you. Stretching forever. It’s… You… They're so….

▲ “When you asked me what I wanted earlier, I couldn't think of anything. Had everything handled. But then I saw you helping everyone out, and I thought it seemed fun! So… I decided maybe we could just hang out!”

You… You don’t know what to say… He just… wanted to be with you? Nothing else? You…

✦ “I… And… the stars?”

▲ “Right! You often mentioned them, and I didn’t know what that word meant at first, so I took some time trying to figure it out, and someone told me eventually! And then I realized you talk about stuff like this a bunch, stars, planets, the sun, and so on. And that you’d often take time to look out at the night sky."

▲ “So uh. I figured you’d like a nice place to look at them together!”

He… he did this…. For you…? You… Can’t help your tears… It’s….

▲ “Oh crab! Is it okay? I didn’t mess it up, right? I-”

✦ “Thank you.”

▲ “Huh?”

✦ “Thank you! So much. Isa. I… I don’t know what to say…”

He stops, and starts to laugh. Stars, you love it when he laughs. You started making jokes just because it made him laugh. It was the first time you realized you could be human right. And every time you hear it, it brings back that memory.

As the laughter subsides, you just start to drink in the view. He really found such a perfect stargazing place. Away from all the lights, nothing to fade away even the smallest dot. You feel them so closely now. Hear their faint melodies that you’ve always heard. The song you weave into every melody you sing.

You were... worried. That it would be something you couldn't do. But. This? This is something you both can enjoy. He really is amazing.

▲ “By the way, I heard some people can see patterns in the sky. Not sure about what they're called. Conste-something?”

✦ “Constellations! They're very special.”

▲ “Really? Do you know any?”

You think. It’s hard to remember any at all. But. You do know one. It was very special to Siffrin for some reason… You grab a leaf, and craft it’s pattern into it, then hand it to Isa.

✦ “Yes, this one. See if you can spot it!”

Isa takes a bit, before pointing up at the sky.

▲ “Oh! There it is! It kinda looks like a tree!”

✦ “Yep! In fact, it’s where Favor trees gain their strength from.”

▲ “Wait really?”

You're starting to unearth this memory just a bit. It hurts a little, but it’s just too interesting not to talk about!

✦ “Yes really! Those stars together like favor trees, and if you know how to call their attention, and believe in what you want strongly enough, they can help give you the extra push needed to grant your wish.”

▲ “That… huh. I suppose I have to thank them then. I’ve asked for quite a few favors.”

✦ “We repay them in kind, even if we don’t know it. We’re a star in the sky to them, just as they are to us. And what tiny bits of strength we don’t use can be called by them when they need it.

✦ “Nothing on it’s own, but with all the stars in the sky? We’ve probably helped grant hundreds of wishes we never knew about.”

▲ “Wow… How do you know all this?”

You have to fight through a little more headache for that…

Oh. So that’s what Siffrin’s field of study was! No wonder you find it so interesting!

✦ “I think I studied it a bunch when I was younger. It’s not common knowledge anymore, and I don’t remember the details. But… Once I learned even a tiny bit, I had to know all there was!”

▲ “I can see why! It’s really interesting! And. Kind of compelling…”

You both sit for a bit. It’s nice to remember that… You look at Isa. They glance at you a few times. Stars! You shared all that, and didn’t ask them anything!

✦ “Well, I’ve said something important about me! Your turn!”

▲ “OH!! Uh… Hm. Well, you know how I’m from Jouvente, right? Lived there my whole life, big city, way more then Dormont… Anyways, you might think it’s surprising but when I was Bonnie's age, I was the nerdiest kid around."

Huh, really? Doesn't seem their style.

▲ “Massive smarty pants. Like, really, imagine it! Big glasses, neat braids, always knew the answers to any test or question the teacher would give, perfect grades all that. Always too shy to even make a friend on the playground.”

Hm. Now that he mentions it, you did realize he was pretty smart. But he always hid it. Why? What changed?

▲ “Yeah. I… Didn’t like myself. Cause I was smart, but I hated being shy. Being alone. Not even being able to ask a classmate for a pen because I was so paralyzed with fear. I would have lived the rest of my life like that."

That. You remember you were like that for a while.

▲ “But. One day, I looked at myself in the mirror, and thought… Is this it? Is this who I want to be?… I decided I didn’t. Made a wish on a favor tree, come to think of it. That I could be a better person. That I could change."

Didn't want to be... what they were...

▲ “Day after, I headed to a house of change, and got started. That’s what they help you do, you know? Learn new things, do Bodycraft, practice being who you want. And when you come out, nobody will bat an eye. I threw myself into it, just like I did anything else I learned. Lifted weights, practiced my confidence, changed my body to be bigger, stronger, louder! Told myself in the mirror that ‘I’m the Coolest!’.”

So that explains it. Hearing their heartbeat like you do, you notice their far more nervous then they act. So often they feel like a rabbit, but it’s only in small moments. But it happened enough.

Nobody else would notice it. But, you always knew there was remnants of someone else under who he is. Just like you.

▲ “...Change is destruction, you know? To bring change, you might hurt people. Might hurt yourself even. So you always have to be careful, make sure it’s worth it. So, I decided. The person I was... I made them disappear. Killed them with my own bare hands.”

✦ “...So the person you became could live. And the one from before would never come back…”

▲ “… You understand?”

… You… You shouldn’t say it. You can’t. But…

But… It’s Isa. You can’t help it...

✦ “I… Promise you won’t tell a soul?”

Isa looks at you firmly, and nods. You… You trust them. Enough to...

✦ “...I… I wasn’t always a good person. One day, Someone died. If it wasn’t for me, they’d probably still be alive. And... I was the only one left left who would remember them."

Isa stares at you. Not really scared, not upset just...

✦ “So… I took their name. Gave them a second chance. Took up everything they knew. Borrowed every piece of them I could. Learned everything they would have known. To save at least part of them. And bury the one who let them die…"

You grip your cloak tight to yourself.

✦ “I... still worry the old me will come back. That someone will get hurt because of me…”

▲ “Sif...”

Isa doesn’t know what to say to that for a while.

… It’s fair. Even if he only knows one kill, it’s still more then most humans would ever have. You’d get it if he judged you for it.

▲ “… Sif… I don’t know who this person was. But I hope you know. I still care about you. You might not be them, but… They kept you alive. Helped protect your old you from themselves."

You... You guess they did. If it wasn't for Siffrin... You would have...

▲ “Your new self is like armor, shielding the old one. I still know that little shy kid from before is still in me. And they're still an important part…”

A memory surfaces. Something simple, but important. It hurts again but… One more time today.

✦ “...Someone once said… Strength comes in many forms. But the strongest is from those of others.

✦ “I guess we both found people to cover our weaknesses, didn’t we?”

▲ “Heheh… Guess we did… One day, I’ll balance it out, be a mixture of both. Be smart and strong. Because they both matter. They're both a part of me…"

He looks at you smiling, happy, and hopeful.

▲ “I don’t know where you are on this, but… I hope, whenever your ready, you’ll get to do that too. Because I know that every single thing about you has been worthwhile.”

You… He… You weren’t wrong, were you? At the end… He really does…

He wouldn’t though, if he knew what you were. Not really. Maybe what bits peak out seem okay for now but… He has no idea… But still…

✦ “… Same here Isa. I have always been glad to know you. The way you laugh, the way you talk about things you like, the way you can make everyone around you at ease, the way you get all nervous at times when you think no one can tell. The way you notice all the little details about people’s feelings. Just…”

You don’t know what to say. You… You can’t say it.. You want him to say it… To make it real, because if you say it now, you don’t know if you’ll believe it when he does… Even if it’s just once, even if something happens and he forgets it, you need to hear him say it.

▲ “I… Sif… I… I also…”

Something catches your attention, in the corner of your eye, as does his.

✿ “AHAH! See, I told you all they’d be here!”

◆ “More like you heard Isa mumble to himself about it earlier. Nice spot, by the way.”

◉ “Hi Siffrin, Hi Isabeau! We figured you’d be here! Can we join!”

Oh! Everyone’s here!

...You were kinda hoping to see what he’d say, but that can wait till tomorrow.

✦ “Sure! We just finished talking.”

✿ “I brought food! So we can eat here!”

◉ “A nightly picnic!”

▲ “Oh, I can smell the Samosas!”

✿ “Here Frin! I made extra for you! As thanks!”

You smile, and grab a few.

◉ “Siffrin sure was busy today, weren't they? Thank you!”

◆ “Yes, thank you for earlier. You’ve been a great help today.”

You feel glad to be praised! It was worth every bit of effort.

✿ “Frin taught me how to fight earlier! So I can help you out tomorrow!”

✦ “Yep! Turns out with the right tools, they're a natural!”

◆ “High praise, coming from you. Consider me intrigued.”

◉ “What about you, Isabeau? Did Siffrin help you out today too?”

You both look at each other. He smiles. So do you.

▲ “Heh. Yeah. I think we both helped each other.”

… That he did. They all did. You trust them. And… and they trust you…

You're glad you did this. You know it might not last but… You're glad you did it all the same. And maybe. Just maybe…

No, you doubt this would stop the time loops, but… You guess you can hope a little. Surely like this you won't lose them, right?

...It's fine. You will try and hold them tight.

>>>

You’re at the clocktower, getting cleaned up before bed. You make sure to clean up normally, then open up your disguise to clean the undersides, just in case. Never know for sure. You put yourself back together, then check the mirror.

Blind it. That damn horn. It’s poking out of your head again. Ugh. Why is it so hard to keep hidden? It’ll just pop out of the right side of your head if you don’t pay attention to it long enough. Stars why don’t you just-

You reach to pull it out but stop.

You can’t. That stays. You promised.

...You promised? Who would you have ever made that promise to? Who would even care?

But… You know you did. And… Y

our head hurts so BLINDING much thinking about this.

… You just push it back in. It’s fine.

Your having a harder time keeping Siffrin together. You only managed this long because you always get put back in place at the start of the loop. You don’t even know if you’ll be able to heal damage right for long. You’ll need to start getting creative… It’s fine. You can mange for now. You’ll just have to see how it turns out.

[doberbutts]

Do you have any stories behind your dogs' names?

Since I was a little kid I wanted a pair of dobermans like Roscoe and DeSoto from Oliver and Company (the Disney movie), except I wanted to name them Skoll and Hati.

Ok so then I found out that usually male dobermans hate each other and it's to such an extent that most dobe breeders simply will not sell a male puppy to someone who already has a male dog. So I adjusted course to account for same sex aggression and decided to start with just one male.

And then I rescued Skoll.

After losing Skoll, I sort of wallowed for a bit because I grieve, um, very intensely, and I spun my wheels in being interested in getting another but not really knowing how I wanted to go about it. I was on a bunch of waiting lists but they either fell through or still didn't produce a puppy for over a year.

And then a (now former) friend told me about a puppy she was getting and how the breeder still had two males left and the litter naming theme was "moon". I knew I wanted to name my next male dobe something that at least nodded to Hati, since I was unwilling to have a call name that sounds so much like "hottie" because the reception of a black man saying hottie over and over in public spaces is, er, usually fairly poor. Ironically I still got the cops called on me in the same situation I was afraid of, training my dog in public, and it wasn't even over my dog's name.

I contacted the breeder, and a few weeks later was driving home with Creed- named for my favorite videogame series, and his registered name "Chasing the Moon" a nod to the theme and legacy I began with Skoll.

Creed died from cancer and I went back to grieving intensely and not really knowing what to do from there. Someone saw that I was looking for a co-own situation having heard through mutual friends, and sent me a bitch they'd pulled from a pretty horrific situation. She had an interesting pedigree, so the plan was to rehab and then breed her. That was Phoebe, and that was the name she came with, but I thought the name suited her and that's technically a god so sure. Phoebe unfortunately did not rehab as well as we thought she would, and succumbed to her poor condition.

Meanwhile, a good friend of mine that I've known since Creed was a puppy produced a litter she dedicated to the memory of him. The litter theme was Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which we were both enjoying playing in the months leading up to the litter being born. How perfect, my Norse wolf themed naming convention combined with the love of my silly historical fantasy series. So, Fenris, the Wolfkissed.

As for the non-dobermans:

Tiki and Fae are named after a Fire Emblem race called manaketes, who are people who can turn into dragons (or, I suppose more correctly, dragons that can turn into people). Tater was going to be named Corrin in the same theme, but was named by her breeder and I felt knew her name too well for me to change it. Fae's registered name was going to be Tiger King themed and I asked the breeder to please not do that and suggested something Greek God themed to match my gods themeing, and they agreed.

Sushi as the odd one out, I wanted a cute and non-intimidating name for what was supposed to be my service dog. I like plant and food names but was really having a hard time deciding until a roommate made the suggestion of Sushi, which I thought was very fitting and stayed on that.

[reborrowing]

curses and confession, part 1 (Stranger Swap)

okayyy this has gotten past 6k and I really want to post so I'm just gonna slice it up since my chapters are usually ~2k anyways!

next | Stranger Swap masterpost Hollow deals with a witch after having an unprecedented close call while checking in on his sibling (probably read that first if you havent!) word count: ~1.8k contains: angst, fear, survivor’s guilt, self-loathing

Hollow

The property behind Glenwood Court apartments had an old, dilapidated shed that the owner mostly used for storage, when they remembered it exists at all. Amid all their junk and forgotten landscaping tools lived an unusual little man named Ely, though most who knew of him referred to him as the garden witch. 

He was a borrower by most metrics: small, secretive, and prone to hoarding any trinkets left unattended. He had a tail and the same sharp hearing you would expect a borrower to have. But he was also quite visibly something Other. Ostentatious, absolutely out of line with a borrower's instinctual pull towards the shadows. He had a love of light and glitter that accentuated the pair of iridescent wings that hung limply down his back. And the tallest borrower he’d ever met had still only been at eye level with his chest.

Most borrowers were afraid of him. Of course they were, they were such a naturally skittish people. But they had good reason to come visit him anyways. Ely was a miracle worker. Something out of a children’s story. A magician. A witch.

He had clients come from all over the neighborhood, maybe even further corners of the city, because he made trades no one else could. The last of your rice for a cloak you lost a decade ago. A secret for a pinch of luck exactly when you needed it most. Give up a warm enough memory and never go cold again. Odd trades for small impossibilities. The prices didn’t always make sense up front, but they always worked out in the end. He didn’t give out anything for free, Hollow had seen that much. 

She watched with a fascinated sort of disgust as the witch molded a stranger’s words into physical paste with a practiced hand. The stranger walked off with a handful of dust and a smile they tried to swallow when they noticed someone was looking.

The witch called Hollow forward. She swallowed nervously and took a seat on a hackysack across from the small giant. The shed was silent for a few seconds as Hollow tried to remember what it was she had planned on saying. 

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” the witch said through a thoughtful expression

“Ah, yeah. I–a couple times,” she said. Chai had dragged him here for a sleep aid during the pregnancy, and again shortly after Sunny was born for a sleep alternative.

“I almost don’t recognize you without the piebald. Are they alright?”

“Xe’s fine, I’m not here for…xe doesn’t know I’m here,” Hollow said.

The witch raised a brow as his lips bent into an impish smirk. Hollow tensed as she leaned forward like some housewife gathering gossip. 

“Making trouble, are we? Or are we planning a surprise? I promise I’m quite good at either, for the right price,” he said.

“It’s nothing to do with xem, I just had some questions. About magic. Just questions, I don’t need you to cast…it’s about something I saw happen to someone else. Um, my sibling. Val? I wanted to know, how…did you trade with them?”

The witch drummed his fingers contemplatively against his work table in a quick rhythm, then shook his head. He didn’t remember anyone by that name.

Hollow bit her lip as he worried about where else magic might come from, but he wasn’t entirely surprised. The shed was next door and Val had never exactly been the adventurous sort. Not that Hollow knew about, anyway. She could hardly imagine them climbing through the fence. Although lately, every time she tried to imagine much of anything about her sibling, she fell back into nightmares about Val’s hands punching through the colony walls and burying her in rubble or…or worse. 

“Then, do you know where else they could’ve found magic? Or, however you say that. Bargained for it,” Hollow said.

“Other magic? There’s plenty, if you know how to look. I can’t say I know of many others in the area with my level of expertise, but I can ask around. What is it you think you saw?”

“I know what I saw, I’m not stupid.” Hollow said tersely. She glanced around to be sure there was no one who might overhear. “They were huge. Human.”

“Human,” the witch echoed doubtfully. Several seconds passed as the witch considered Hollow’s claim. 

“You saw this? Were they…solid, do you know? Real?”

“They threw me across the cupboard, so yeah, I’d say they were real,” Hollow scoffed.

“How curious.”

The witch smiled and golden wire bangles clattered down his wrist as he abruptly stood up to jump up onto the next shelf. His wings flared for a second, catching the candlelight, even though the jump onto the bracket was low enough that Hollow could’ve easily cleared it. She fidgeted with the frayed edge of his sleeve, not sure if she was supposed to follow. She didn’t really want to see the witch’s full collection of eccentricities.

There was a cluster of thumps overhead as Ely fumbled with whatever it was he was doing. It sounded like a bag full of pebbles, or maybe marbles. Some nonsense. Hollow hated believing in this shit, that someone could just break reality by waving their hands just wrong. There was enough to fear in the world without worrying about finding magic lurking in the shadows beside her.

The witch came back down a minute later, holding a book of scrap paper with messy stitches for binding. It was about half as tall as Hollow was, large enough to be awkward in even the witch’s hands. He sat on the floor and flipped through it, too fast for Hollow to try reading along, though she noticed there were a lot of symbols that weren't a part the alphabet she did know. A minute passed and Ely hmmed and shook his head, evidently there was nothing useful there for him either. 

“Did your sibling say anything about what had happened?”

Hollow fidgeted with her climbing floss. She felt the witch staring at him even without looking up. 

“I didn’t ask. We…didn’t talk. I just ran when they saw me. And then they…that was when they threw me. I wasn’t there long,” she said.

“When was this, anyway? You went and saw your sibling without speaking to them?” 

Hollow hadn’t spoken with Val since she had abandoned them—10 years, give or take. Even when Ritos had shown up with Val limping along behind him, Hollow had only been able to stare. They were a ghost back then and a monster now. What was she supposed to say?

Sorry I left you with her, but I was sure she was going to kill me. Sorry I didn’t come back, but I figured you’d be dead. I’m sorry I didn’t do more for you.

Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.

“I came here for answers, not to be questioned,” she said stiffly.

“Patience, dear. I don’t know any magic like what you’ve described, and wouldn’t it be nice if I didn’t waste time finding you answers you don’t even want?”

“What does it matter whether or not I talked to them?”

The witch took a seat beside her as if they were two close friends instead of near strangers. Hollow flinched as one of Ely’s long fingers tilted her chin so the two were making eye contact. Unnatural. Everything about this man was unnatural.

“What does it matter? If you’re not on speaking terms with your sibling, what does it matter what magics they play with in their free time? Why are the answers so important that you’ll come out and deal with me?”

“It’s dangerous. Them, I mean, or…if they’re h—if they can pass themself off as human like that, they could come after the colony just like any real human. I don’t need to explain why that’s a problem, do I?”

“Fear? Then why waste time coming to me for answers? Your council has its ways to deal with threats, doesn’t it? Even humans,” Ely said. 

“I don’t know if I want them…dealt with. I don’t know where they’d even go or…”

“So what do you want from me?” the witch asked.

“Answers. I want to know what’s going on,” Hollow said stubbornly. 

“Yes, and I don’t have your answers on hand. How I go about finding them depends on why you want them. It will be a lot more work if you’re looking to imitate whatever spell they’ve used.”

Hollow’s face flushed—she’d thought about it. She assumed everyone imagined being human now and then, even if they didn’t talk about it. Who wouldn’t want to know what the world really looked like from human eyes? And Hollow had a list of giants she’d love to confront face-to-face if given the chance: that girl, the leafblower asshole, the gardener, the dog owner across the street, the miniature maker…but it was a daydream. If this sort of thing was real, then dreaming about that sort of violence could invite it. She didn’t really want to fight every other giant that had ever inconvenienced her, even if she could do it without getting hurt. Aggression was their game. 

“I just want to know what happened.”

Ely tilted his head. He looked unsatisfied, like a cat whose prey managed to get out of reach. Hollow looked back down at her lap and took a breath. She didn’t talk about this. She tried not to think about it. There was no good to come of it, just crushed feelings and guilt.

“And…I, yeah, I worry about Val, too. I’m afraid of what they might have gotten themself into. I want to know if they’re…okay. It’s hardly a sin that I care about my sibling, is it?”

It felt like a sin. How dare she? After everything she had failed to do, how dare she claim to care? She’d abandoned them to a horrible fate and then lied about it so no one would find out what she’d done.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” Hollow muttered. 

Ely rubbed her back and for a split second, Hollow felt like a child getting pulled into her mother’s lap after a bad day. And then the overlarge borrower inhaled deeply, almost dreamily, and Hollow pulled away.

“I do love a good confession,” Ely sighed, “Even when the truth is so...plain. You’d likely be better going back and talking to Val yourself, but I’ll see what I can find out, without harming your sibling. Is this agreeable?”

“What do you want from me in exchange?”

Ely smiled, toothy as any predator. Hollow stood up to put at least a few centimeters of distance between them. 

“Don’t worry about payment. I enjoy an excuse to research with my kin and…this has been even more pleasant. I should have some sort of answer for you after the full moon, but you’re welcome to return any time if you need anything else.”

Hollow shook the witch’s hand to seal the deal, then hurried off the shelf. She didn’t want to spend a second more than necessary in that wretched shed.

~

taglist: @da3dm @whumpsday

[galebrainrot2024]

Gale x Tav Enemies to Lovers Part 11

Next part of the enemies to lovers fic, enjoy!

Tav POV

Content Warning: Parental Death

She came to in Shadowhearts lap. Her body twitched and she inhaled as if she had been holding her breath. 

Tav jolted up, seeing Shadowhearts startled face. “Good evening to you, too.” Tav felt the gentle grip on her shoulder and the cool moss of the Underdark, “How are you feeling?” 

Tav wasn’t sure. She couldn’t find a single word, a single sensation. She felt empty. “I don’t know.” 

“I wasn’t sure if I should stick around, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Tav heard Karlach’s sheepish voice. It struck a nerve, allowing the memory to return. Her emotions remained steadied and Tav furrowed her brow, detecting Shadwoheart’s spell. 

Ah. 

Without the fuss and intensity of anger and grief, Tav was able to wipe the fog and see more clearly. She felt ashamed of herself, knowing she was blinded by pain that wasn’t even Gale’s doing nor Karlach’s. Tav gritted her teeth and groaned. He’d want another apology. 

“No, I’m sorry. I.. it’s my own fault.” Tav brought her knees to her chest and rested her cheek on them. “I didn’t tell you what it was. You weren’t to know.” A heavy sigh shook her and Shadowheart rubbed her back in small circles. It made her feel like a child again and she shut her eyes, a quiet, fat tear falling from them. 

“You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to,” Shadowheart cooed.

Karlach piped in, trying to lift the cloak of somberness: “Or, do.”

Tav opened her eyes and saw Gale by the fire. This time, his body was turned to fully face her. As if he’d been watching, waiting for her to wake. Her eyes trailed up his legs and flicked for a moment where they shouldn’t’ve. A blush spread across her cheeks and rose her eyes. They were met with his. 

In them, before he was able to register that she was awake she saw pain. Shame. And… 

She wasn’t sure how long she sat staring at him. His eyes were like black corridors, and he did not look away. It felt as if she’d been shocked, as if he’d cast chain lightning - a spell far too advanced for either in their current state. 

That was maddening, too, on top of it all. To have been ripped of ability and forced to start anew all because they were on the receiving end of a very unpleasant insertion in the ocular region. 

She started when Shadowheart tapped her lightly to remind her where she was. “Oh gods..” Tav gasped and she watched Gale look away. His face was flushed. She watched as he pulled off his sweater, revealing a very loose, white linen shirt beneath. The orb was more visible, the shirt lower - more open. It made Tav’s breath slow and she felt a rush of blood. “Sorry, you startled me. Um..” she turned her face back to the two and felt her cheeks burn. “It was my father’s. A keepsake. I don’t really talk about him so I wouldn’t expect-“

“Oh hells if I had known!” Karlach exclaimed, distraught. 

“It’s okay!” Tav insisted and stood, brushing herself off. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. And, you were doing a far more noble thing. If it weren’t for you, who knows what might have happened. You did what you thought was best and the ring wouldn’t have brought my father back.” She fingered the amulet on her neck, pushing back the tears that threatened to come. “It’s just a thing.” She murmured the last words, a lesson instilled in her early. The value was in people and beautiful moments with them. Things would always come and go; time with friends was never guaranteed. “I’m sorry. But you’re not the only one I owe an apology to I’m afraid…” Tav shut her eyes and rolled her shoulders back, tilting her neck side to side. She took a deep breath and walked towards the fire. 

*** 

“Come to yell at me some more?” Gale’s words stung and he was hard at work, preparing another meal for the otherwise unhelpful companions. Although Gale did always shoo them away, insisting it was easier to do it himself. Tav was a terrible cook, even with a full kitchen. It was something she admired about him, although she hadn’t told him so. The way Gale made food was like to an artist taking brush to canvas. Even with pitiful rations. “Or to blame me for things outside of my control?” Although his voice was cool there was a playful edge to it and a flutter swept through her. 

Tav knew she had earned his callousness, especially after how she’d treated him. She held so little regard for his condition, how that must have felt to be cast aside while that thing fed on him from the inside out. She shuddered, consumed by the guilt - so blinded by her own ego to see. 

He was knelt over the fire, bringing the stew to a boil and wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. Despite the Underdark being a touch cooler than the surface, Gale seemed to be warm. He hadn’t taken off his purple over shirt in their travels thus far so to see him in a more revealing shirt was… a little thrilling. Tav tried to avert her eyes from the way his shirt cut down his chest, exposing the tendrils of the orb and more she cleared her throat, meeting his gaze warily and felt her mouth water.  

“Ah, you’re here for an apology. Twice in less than a ten-day! I don’t know if I should be flattered, concerned, or a little frightened.” Gale’s lips hooked into a crooked grin and he brushed his bottom lip with his thumb, eyeing her curiously. It was as if the world stilled again. This desperate, inexplicable pull she felt towards him would be her undoing. Despite the agitation, the distaste, there was something more potent that stirred between the two. 

“Perhaps all three,” Tav said, biting her lip. “I am.. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.” 

“Oh, well,” Gale rose and walked towards her. He towered over her for a moment, the two locked on one another, “I didn’t take it entirely to heart.” The air between them seemed to spark. Tav was unable to look away and as if by divine force took a step closer. “Apology accepted,” Gale said and leaned in a way Tav thought he was about to kiss her but he brought his fingers to her cheek, brushing something away. “Just a bit of dirt. Sorry,” he mumbled and broke the moment, turning from her. 

“It’s a nice night,” Tav said, looking to make amends beyond a simple apology. She sat beside him as he worked. Their knees brushed against each other and she felt her stomach churn and warmth rush through her. 

 “Oh, it’s quite beautiful.” He sighed, a soft smile on his lips, “Nothing like a frequent brushes with danger to make one appreciate the majesty of the celestial canvas.” Gale seemed to press his leg against hers although neither moved. “She preferred it when we were alone, curled up before a crackling hearth with some ancient, esoteric tome between us, ink glinting in the firelight… ” he trailed off and Tav coughed up a laugh. 

“I’m sorry, who? Mystra?” Tav scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

“Gods no! I’m talking about Tara, my Tressyum.” 

“Oh, right,” Tav smirked as the memory unfurled before her, “It was always Tara this, Tara that.” 

“Well, if you knew her perhaps you’d understand why. She’s brilliant. Formidable personality - reminds me of you, really.” Although Gale’s tone was mocking, Tav could sense it was in jest. It felt more playful, more alive. Tav edged closer to him, her arm brushing against his. It felt like the fire of the nine hells coursed through her. 

“Was Tara.. all you had for company? You must have been lonely…” It was a feeling Tav was intimately familiar with herself. After her father passed she was left to make her way through the world alone, with not even a Tressyum for company.  

“After I was afflicted with the orb, I locked myself in my tower for an entire year. I was inconsolable, wallowing in my self-inflicted tragedy. Sometimes it was lonely. But I imposed it upon myself, after all.” Gale gazed at her, his pupils wide in the dim purple light. He looked down at her lips and then away, “I set up enough wards to keep an army at bay, never mind the few colleagues who sought to inquire about my welfare. Tara did her best to keep my spirits up of course, but there’s only so much one tressyum can make up for one’s entire social circle. And she was often gone, seeking items to treat my condition. You’re the first people I’ve spent a significant amount of  time with in a year or more. I realize I may have left behind the greater part of my wit and sensitivity in my tower.” Gale sighed and Tav felt herself ache for him, to comfort him. 

She placed a hand on his upper arm and felt his body tense beneath her touch. It made her want more.  “No one came to visit?”

Gale took a moment to answer before speaking in a murmur, his face so close to hers. She could smell the wine on his breath. It was a little intoxicating and made her dizzy. “No... unfortunately not.” Gale said, standing - as she sat on the log, looking up at him in the firelight she felt her breath quicken. “I won’t continue to pain you with my ineloquent tongue and poor company.” 

“If it’s alright with you, I’d.. I’d like to stay. To watch.” Gale’s eyes flashed for a moment and he shrugged before coming his hand through his hair. 

“Suit yourself. Care to help instead of just watch?” He shot her another crooked grin and it made her feel weak. 

“I… don’t actually know how.” She blushed, ashamed at herself and laughed. 

Gale blanched, “You can’t be serious?” He waited a moment before chuckling, his voice raising a bit teasingly. “Oh, you are serious. Well, hopefully you can gain something by watching my poor excuse for meal preparation with what I have here. The one thing this merry band seems to hate -“ Gale rummaged through his bag, pulling out a few miscellaneous glass bottles. “Spices. Any time I’ve added them I’ve heard nothing but complaints. I say we add some tonight... maybe you have a more subtle touch.” 

[daughterofcain-67]

ℳ𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒫𝓊𝓂𝓅𝓀𝒾𝓃 𝒮𝓅𝒾𝒸𝑒

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It's finally Autumn and the residents of Montana are excited to celebrate the upcoming holidays, whether its Halloween, Thanksgiving and eventually Christmas. But Beau Arlen wasn’t really thrilled. He wasn’t into the Pumkin Spice season and didn’t really have a reason to celebrate since his divorce. Beau hadn't been to a Fall Festival since before the divorce with his ex and honestly didn't plan on going. But you convince him to live a little, make happier memories while he's here and give him a break from the cases he's a part of. And maybe the both of you may walk through opened doors.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: none! simply fluff with the new Montana sheriff~

Autumn was finally here! You couldn’t have been more excited. You no longer had to worry about the scorching heat of the summer, or the mosquitos that would bug you at night. Now you could finally enjoy the cooler weather, wear your hoodies and cardigans and anything else that was cozy for this time of year. You were so ready for the warm cappuccino and the hot chocolate while snuggling under a blanket to read books or binge your favorite movies.

But the part that you were most excited for was the upcoming Fall Festival! At the festival here in Montana, there were plenty of vendors where people would sell homemade items or foodstuffs. There was games, some rides, and other activities for the kids. There would even be a band and a place where people could dance in the evening, enjoy each other’s company, and there were different fire pits in the night where people could roast marshmallows and make some s’mores. It was nice family fun for everyone and it always got you ready to kick off the Autumn season.

At this particular moment, you had gotten some breakfast treats for the cops in the sheriff’s office and you had gotten some coffee for the new Sheriff in town. You wanted to butter him up for a little proposition you had.

See, you knew he was new in town, and you were made aware through Hoyt that he was divorced. It wasn’t necessarily a good split from what you've heard. You didn’t know how he spent his holidays now, and you wanted him to have fun this holiday season and invite him to the festival! How bad would it be since the two of you would simply go platonically. It's not like either of you were really looking for a relationship anyways.

Plus you needed a break from working in the PI's office and give your brain a rest from the research and tackling different cases for clients. So far it's been predominantly cheating husbands and runaway teens for you.

Coming out from her office, you see Jenny with a smile on her face when she saw you, "Hey! I was just about to swing by your place."

You lifted a brow slightly at her comment, "Um, what for?"

"I kind of needed some advice for a case. But judging by the looks of it, you've got your hands full. Let me help you with that." She smiled and took the box of treats and set them down on one of the tables to the side where some of the officers have been known to put snacks out for everyone once in a while.

"I'd be happy to help, but can I catch you around your lunch break? I kind of needed to talk to Sheriff Arlen for a second." You said and Jenny leaned back a little, raising her brows before she smirked.

"You're asking him to go to the Fall Festival with you, aren't you?" She asked and you looked down at the coffee in your hands.

"It's more of a proposition of two acquaintances trying to find something to do. It's not like it'll be a date." You shrugged, but you knew Jenny would still have that slightly condescending smile on her face, the one that implied she knew better.

Honestly anytime you told Jenny that you were thinking of even talking to Beau, she made you feel like this was some sort of high school suspense drama or something that the kids watch these days where the girl is too shy to talk to the guy or the girl thinks it will never work out. Or something else of that somewhat cringy nature.

You were two adults, you were pretty sure Beau was in his mid forties, you were barely into your thirties. You were trying to be more mature than what Jenny had playing in her mind. Then again she did have a teenaged boy running around so maybe she watched some of those little shows to try and have the conversations stay relevant with her kid. Who knew.

"You know, it's okay to have a crush on a guy even if you aren't a teen anymore. It's not taboo. How do you think divorced people meet other people and re-marry?" Jenny asked and put a hand on her hip and you gave a half smile.

"I think all I can use right now from the Sheriff is a friendship. My divorce from Tristan is still relatively fresh, remember? It's taking a lot for me to even want to ask him to come along. Then there's him and his divorce. And you know how his divorce went better than I do." You reminded her, but you watched her just shrug.

"All I'm saying is don't slam any doors shut when they're barely starting to open up. Keep an open mind and see what happens. I'll catch you later. I'm gonna go see Cassie and see if she can help with the case while you ask Beau out." your friend teased and you playfully rolled her eyes before she walked off.

You walked over to the Sheriff's door and you lifted a hand before knocking on the door. Once you heard him telling you to come in, you opened the door and saw the man you were looking for sitting at his computer screen. His brows narrowed at the screen so much that you could see a wrinkle from how hard he seemed to be focused.

"You think you have time for a coffee break?" You asked and you could tell you broke his train of thought from the way he blinked at the screen before lifting his head up to look at you.

Then you saw that smile that could sweet talk any girl, charm any cop to do what he asked them to do... damned him and his charisma.

"Y/N! What a surprise to see ya. What can I do for ya, Darlin'?"

You swore you needed to find a way to make your heart stop throbbing when he called you Darlin', especially when you knew he called a lot of people different nicknames as a habit he claims he picked up from Texas. He didn't mean anything by it other than just a friendly gesture and you knew it.

"Well, I was in town for breakfast. Turns out I bought too many breakfast items and decided to bring them over here. And I assumed a certain sheriff needed some caffeine." He smiled at what you were saying and let out a chuckle while he turned his chair around so he could get out of it and walk over.

"You're a doll. Thanks." He said and when he went to reach for the coffee, he hesitated before he looked at you, "It's not Pumpkin Spice, is it?"

You laughed and shook your head and handed him the coffee, "No, just the normal way you like it."

He let out a slightly dramatic sigh of relief and he took the coffee before you smirked, "That's not to say I didn't get some pumpkin related treats amongst some other things for breakfast." Beau cringed a little, making you giggle to yourself at his reaction.

"Hey, not everyone's a hater around here when it comes to that sort of thing." You reminded and he shrugged while he took a sip of the coffee, humming with delight.

"Anyway, what have you been up to? I know it's been a while since I've had my hands tied with the past couple of cases lately." He said, but you could understand that he's been busy. You didn't exactly envy him for the workload he had on his plate.

"Just working with Cassie and working on cases wherever I can. Mostly a lot of runaway teens that we just got back to their parents, and paranoid spouses worried about cheating husbands. I just finished up with my last case and we haven't had anymore clients walking in, so it's kind of slow at the moment."

"Man, I wish I had your work load." Beau chuckled and you shook your head.

"No you wouldn't. Guys like you are better off where there's more action. You'd hate how slow it is right now."

"You sayin' I'm the antsy type?" He asked curiously and you shrug.

"I'm saying you'd be happier doing something most of the time rather having longer periods of downtime." You said, "Just from what I've seen from you."

He hummed a little and took another sip of his coffee. You looked over at his desk and saw all the different casefiles scattered about and you bit down on the corner of your lip, wondering if you should even suggest taking him away from work.

"Hey uh... I know you have a lot on your plate right now. But I was wondering if you wanted to go to the festival tomorrow? Given you have a little less going on." You said and he looked at you confused.

"Festival?"

"Yeah, the Fall Festival's everyone's been getting ready for. It'll be a lot of fun and it gets you out of the office for a while."

Beau looked down at you. Jenny had mentioned something to him about the Fall Festival but since Carla left with Emily, he hadn't really celebrated any holidays. He didn't really have a reason to since Emily preferred holidays with her mom and step family. He tried to celebrate the first couple of years after the divorce but it wasn't the same and he didn't see a point in it anymore.

"Actually I think it'd be better if I stayed here, Darlin'. This work ain't gonna finish itself and I'd rather be ahead of the game." He said.

"Let me rephrase that..." He heard you trail off and he saw that certain look of determination in your eye. He's seen it when you were dead set on completing a case or laser focused on doing something. Hoyt said you had your stubborn moments even if they were sometimes few and far between.

"For the sake of your brain, you know, not exploding from the information overload on your abundance of cases, you and I are going as friends to the Fall Festival and you and I are going to have fun. Gets us both out of the offices and out of the house. Plus it gives you some new memories to make while you're here."

Beau couldn't help but grin at you, "For the sake of my brain, huh? How nice of you to consider my sanity." He chuckled before he tilted his head for a moment, "What time am I picking you up?"

He watched as a grin formed on your lips and he couldn't bring himself to saying no to a smile like yours, "How's ten sound?"

"I'll grab ya by ten then." He promised and your grin went to a full smile.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't get into too much trouble before then." You told him and he smiled as he watched you leave the office.

Maybe you were right about getting out of the office for a bit. It couldn't hurt that much and he could give his cases a break for some time. It was sweet of you to invite him along but he wondered how hard it was for you to ask him.

Unbeknownst to you, Jenny told him you were divorced as well. Yours was only about eight months ago and Jenny told him that you buried yourself in as much work as you could in the beginning of it but Hoyt convinced you to kind of ease up successfully about a month ago. Although you didn't really go out much with other people the whole time. From what he understood, this was the first time you really invited anybody to go out and do something with you like coming to the festival.

Maybe you needed this just as much as he did even if he didn't want to admit it.

He couldn't help but wonder how bad your split was, but he was pretty confident that you wouldn't want to sit and compare notes with him about ex's.

All he needed to remember was what time he needed to pick you up for this thing.

The next evening came around and it was already close ten. You were sitting on the couch in your living room while you waited for Beau to pick you up to go to the Festival. You honestly hoped that you'd have fun with this thing. Honestly you were shocked at yourself for even following through with inviting him.

You could hear Beau's truck pulling up and you got up before grabbing your belongings you wanted to take with you. You heard your phone go off with whatever sound you had that would alert you when you had a text. When you grabbed your phone from your pocket you saw that Beau messaged you.

BA: I'm here Darlin

You grinned, putting the phone back in your pocket before you started making your way outside. There, you saw the familiar grey truck and Beau waved at you from the driver's seat.

You grinned and waved back before walking over and you opened the door and sat in the seat.

"Hey." You grinned and he smiled, returning the little greeting.

"So are you ready for the festival?" You asked, buckling up.

"I'm more ready than I think I'll ever be." He insisted, "It's just been a while since I've been to one of these things."

"It's been a while for me too. I haven't been to any kind of festival since I got married. He wasn't really into that kind of thing." You said, placing your little bag down on the floor board, "But anyway, I think my favorite part of the festivals are the vendors. I would do a lot of Christmas shopping early and the vendors had cute little gifts I'd get."

"Yeah, those little vendor tables do have neat little goods don't they?"

"Yeah. And then there's the snacks people come up with too! Some of my favorites when I used to come to this festival was caramel apple ice cream." You said, starting to get excited to come to one of these things again. Honestly even when you were married you should have come to these things even if Tristan didn't like to come.

"That sounds pretty good actually. But ice cream when it's cold?" You could hear Beau questioning your logic a little and you shrugged.

"Sometimes I like cold desserts even when it's cold outside. But then in the times where I don't really want something cold, I loved their cinnamon apple fudge. I had never heard of anything like that but the vendor that year made it taste really good. And I tried a pumpkin pie flavored piece of fudge and that was really good too."

"You guys really go all out here for Autumn don't you?"

"Wait until you actually pull up. I've just talked about little gifts and desserts. It's way better than it sounds." You smiled and you watched a grin begin to form on his face.

After a few minutes you and Beau finally made it to the fair grounds.

When the two of you got out of the truck and made your way to the entrance, Beau's eyes widened. From the looks of it, this was about the size of some sort of city fair. There looked like there were even rides he didn't expect to see and he saw some kids playing some mini games like cornhole while some other kids were playing with horse shoes.

"Wow... You weren't kidding. This place has a ton goin' on." He admitted as he walked beside you.

He hadn't been to something like this in so long that he had forgotten what to initially expect but he had to admit, this did look like fun. Definitely worth stepping away from the office for a while.

"See? I told you it'd be fun." He could practically hear the smirk in your voice and he smirked as the two of you continued to walk together.

From that point on, he basically let you drag him wherever you wanted to go as you showed him around. You convinced him to try some caramel apple fudge. Of course he was a bit skeptical of that kind of flavor but it beat the ice cream, it was way too cold for something like that.

Then some of the rides caught his eye and he saw one that he hadn't gone on since he was in his twenties. It was a pendulum swing and he heard a mixture of laughter along with screams from some girls probably mad at their boyfriends for taking them on that ride. Then he looked at you.

"Why don't we go on that ride?" He asked you, and when you looked at what he was motioning to, you got a little hesitant.

"Are you sure?" You asked and he chuckled.

"What? A spinning swing too scary for the PI? Besides, if you made me try that fudge, I get to take you on a ride." He teased, getting a kick out of messing with you a little.

"What? No! Of course it's not too scary. You've got a deal." You said and he watched you walk over to that line, making him chuckle before he started following after you.

You two waited in the line and he watched the way you were looking up at the ride, watching the way that it would swing back and forth. He couldn't help but wonder what you were thinking about. Whatever it was, you seemed a little deep in it.

But before either of you knew it, it was your turn to board the ride.

When you went onto the ride you and Beau found some spots that were next to each other. You could feel your heart racing in your chest.

Honestly? You didn't think you'd be riding something like this while in your thirties. But you had to admit, stuff like this was bringing back a memory or two. They were bittersweet, but you were trying not to remember the last time you were on one of these. So now you were making new memories and you were happy about that.

Once you were secure in your little spot, you took in a deep breath. A part of you did get a little nervous about these things when you were a kid with the speed and heights of stuff like this, but you supposed it was a little amplified because it had been so long.

Then, the ride started.

The swinging began and you could begin to feel the wind in your hair, then when you felt the ride start to spin around mixed with the swinging, you could feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. And after a few minutes the ride was finally over.

When it came to a stop and you were unbuckled, you could still feel some leftover adrenaline and you were laughing to yourself as you looked up at Beau who was smiling at you after he was finished unbuckling himself.

"I guess I was wrong. Not to scary for you after all." He chuckled and you smiled.

The day went on and you two practically killed most of the day and into the early evening. You could hear some local band beginning to play and when you and Beau walked over to some table to give yourselves a break from walking.

"Beau! Y/N!"

You looked in the direction you could hear the voice coming from and you saw Jenny walking over with Cassie and Denise.

"Well look who joined the party!” You grinned as you got up and hugged all of them.

“So you convinced the good ole sheriff to come out and about, huh?” Denise asked with a playful grin.

“Well I wouldn’t say convince. More like friendly force. She brought coffee so I couldn’t complain too much.” You could hear Beau reply and you chuckled.

You and Beau slid on your benches so the other three ladies would have some place to sit.

“How how long have you guys been out here?” Cassie asked you and you smiled.

“Well since this is Beau’s first Fall Festival here, I thought we should get sort of an early start so he picked me up around ten this mornin.’” You answered.

“Wow, so you’ve been out and about all day, huh?”

“Yeah but it’s been fun. Never in a million years did I think I’d try anything that wasn’t normal fudge. I don’t know if I’d get something like that again.” Beau laughed.

"We've spent most of the day riding on different rides and looking at some of the vendors for some Christmas gift ideas." You spoke.

"Christmas? Already? It's barely the end of October!" Jenny said with a chuckle but you grinned.

"It's never too early to star looking at gift ideas."

"You must be some kind of over achiever. I just wait 'til the last minute. How Tristan cheated on somebody like you, I'll never know." Cassie said and you went quiet.

Beau heard the way you seemed to go silent and watched Hoyt lightly smack Cassie's arm just for Cassie to start rambling.

"Sorry, I just meant that you're great and that he just-"

"No, it's okay, Cassie. You didn't mean anything by it." Beau watched you look at the other girl and smile. But he could tell it wasn't that genuine smile he'd seen you wear earlier that day.

"Well... It's getting kind of chilly. I'm gonna go grab some coffee or cider or something." You said and Beau watched you get up and grab your bag before going to one of the trucks you guys passed.

He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, wondering if he should go after you. Once he decided to go and check on you, he excused himself. He started looking for you, which didn't take too long for him to do and luckily the line for the coffee was short.

By the time he got to you, you already had your cup and you were sipping from it. That same look you had when the both of you were in line for the first ride was on your face again, but this time you looked a little sad.

As he made his way towards you, he reached out and placed a gently hand on your upper back since he came up from behind. He saw you look up at him before suddenly looking away and start to wipe your eyes.

"You alright, Darlin?" He asked.

"Yeah, coffee was a little hotter than I thought and burned my mouth is all." Unfortunately, even with hot coffee, Beau didn't think your pain tolerance was low enough for you to tear up from a burnt mouth.

He pulled you to the side so you two wouldn't be in the way of people getting their drinks, then he wrapped his arms around your smaller figure. Then he placed his head on the top of your own.

"I don't know how bad things were with you and that Tristan guy, and I won't ask. But I know it probably took a lot for you to ask me to come along with you to this thing. And it's good for both of us." He said softly.

"You told me yesterday that besides getting out of our offices, this would be a good time to make new memories. And that's exactly what we've done today, right?" He asked.

There was a couple of seconds of silence before Beau heard you speak again.

"Yeah.. it was pretty funny watching you eat that fudge and see your reaction to it." You said and he smiled before he lifted his head and looked down at you, seeing you start to grin again.

"Hey, it's not my fault they used a little too much sour apple flavoring." He said and he grinned when he heard you start to laugh.

"Come on.. Let's get out of here. I know the perfect place for us to go and end tonight on a good note." He promised.

The next thing you knew, Beau was taking you in his truck to some back roads. You could tell he was getting more comfortable around these roads. Maybe that was from some of the rides he’d take with Cassie or Jenny to help them with their cases.

Either way, he ended up taking you through the back roads to the top of some cliff side that used to be part of an old hiking trail. There was an opened area, the sky was clear and you could see the stars. You smiled to yourself as you looked out the passenger window but eventually the truck came to a stop.

You heard Beau’s door opening and you started to unbuckle. Then Beau came to your side and opened up the door for you. You thanked him and got out of the truck.

When the two of you were out of the truck, you watched Beau open up the door to the bed of his truck. You watched him hop up into the bed then he offered a hand to for you to take. Once you made it into the bed, you watched Beau open up the toolbox attached to the back and you tilted your head when he pulled out some blankets.

“Do you always have those back there just ready to go?” You asked him with a smile and he grinned.

“A good boy scout is always prepared, right?” You could hear the sheriff and you smiled. Then you helped him get the blankets laid out before the both of you sat down and got comfortable. Then there was another blanket Beau set aside and the two of you got beneath the blanket.

Once the both of you were settled, you looked up at the stars and started to think. This had been the most fun you’ve had in a while. You felt happier that day than you had in the past several months since the divorce.

“Thank you… for coming with me today. You were right. It did take a lot for me to ask you to come. It took a lot for me to even want to come to this thing anyway.” You said.

“Thanks for havin’ me come along, Sweetheart.” He said and he could tell you wanted to open up about something, but he wasn’t sure if you knew where to begin.

“When… When I split up with Emily’s mom, it wasn’t easy. It was even harder when Emily chose to go with Carla, but I can’t get mad at her. That’s her mom. It didn’t help when Carla went and got married to Avery.” He began, hoping you get a little more comfortable if he talked first.

“I used to celebrate some holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with it just bein’ me and some buddies before I stopped. Haven’t really had much of a reason to go out and go to festivals and what not. The last time I’ve even gone to one was when Emily was a lot younger, Carla and I were in a better spot then but that was that Thanksgiving and Christmas were the last holidays we spent that were happier.”

“Splits are never easy. But like breakups, they get easier after some time. The feeling’s never completely gone, but it’s easier to cope after a while. Putting yourself out there and making yourself go out to places like this, it’s a step in the right direction.”

When he finished talking, he felt you put your head on his shoulder. It wasn’t exactly what he expected you to do, but he was glad that you were a little more comfortable. Then he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you a little closer. Then he heard you starting to speak.

“Tristan… He was the love of my life. Or so I thought.” He heard you begin.

“I met him when I was in high school. We weren’t high school sweethearts, he had a bit of a roaming eye and I wasn’t his type at the time. But by the time I graduated college I ran into Tristan again. We hit it off pretty well and we got married when I was about 26. Unfortunately the honeymoon phase didn’t last a long time. The first two years were great, then the next few were rocky. Then the last few… It was pretty much like Hell. We couldn’t go a day without fighting. Then I found out he was on some dating websites. That lead into a really big argument and we agreed to try counseling. I thought the counseling was working and the last couple of months were happier.” He felt you get a little tense and he moved his arm along your upper back to try and help you relax.

“The last time I came to something like this was with Tristan. He wasn’t really into riding rides like we did today. I went to one of the rides by myself and when I came back from one of them, I saw him with some other girl. I didn’t know if they knew each other, or if he just picked up some random girl. But I caught them making out and that was when I had enough and wanted a divorce.” He heard you continue and he frowned a little.

“I know making out isn’t going all the way and having sex with another person, but to me it’s still the same thing. It’s the morality of it you know?” You continued and he could understand where you were coming from.

“Is that why you were lost in thought when we were in line for that ride?” He asked and felt you nod against his shoulder.

“Yeah… Just brought back some. Bittersweet memories I guess.” You said before you looked at him, and Beau thought his heart was about to stop on him.

“But I guess old memories can be overpowered with new ones, right?” You smiled and so did he.

“Well, I’ll tell you what.. I know Halloween is comin’ up and I know I’ll be busy that night but if you don’t have any Thanksgiving plans, maybe the two of us can do a little something to get us out of this muck we’ve been in.” He suggested and he watched the way your eyes seemed to light up at the idea.

“Yeah, I’d really like that, Beau. Maybe we can do something like that around Christmas time if you don’t have any other plans.” Now it was Beau’s turn to smile.

“Sounds like you’ve got my holidays booked this year. Sounds good to me.” He said and he pulled you a little closer to his side. When your head when back on his shoulder again, he turned and kissed your crown lightly as the two of you looked back up at the sky once more.

“Not bad for a Montana festival.” Beau said with a teasing tone, “Not quite like Texas, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

“Oh? Well maybe I’ll have to go down and visit just to see how their little fairs are.” You replied and gave him a little nudge.

“Oh, Darlin’, There’s nothin’ little about Texas.”

“Oh really? Does that go for you too?” You asked with a smirk and he looked down at you only to let out a deep chuckle.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

You chuckled at the fact that Beau was playing along but you didn’t think anything would come from this. You couldn’t deny that you would have loved something to develop with the good looking sheriff but you had to stick with what you told Jenny. What you needed was just a friend right now.

You looked up at Beau who was looking up at the stars again. His eyes seemed to sparkle with the moonlight. You leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. When you looked at him, you saw him shift his gaze towards you.

Then, he leaned down and you could feel the warmth of his lips and the tickling from his beard against your mouth. You could taste the coffee on his mouth since he bought himself one before you both left the festival. He smelled like warm cinnamon and some sort of wood like he preferred campfires.

You relaxed against him and began to kiss him back, his hand slowly moved to your hip as you shifted. But when your lips parted, both your foreheads touched.

“And I thought all you needed was a friend.” You breathed out and you could tell he was smirking.

“Well, there’s always Jenny, Cassie and Denise that are the friends. But… is there something wrong with something happening with the both of us?” He asked you.

“Well… On one condition.”

“And what’s that, Darlin?’”

“You can’t make fun of me if I’ve got some pumpkin spice paraphernalia in my fridge.”

“See, that’s half the fun, Sweetheart.” You laughed and rolled your eyes at the remark.

“Okay, only if you try some of the creamer in your coffee, just to say you tried it.”

“Ugh, alright.” You could hear the annoyance in Beau’s voice and you chuckled.

“I’m joking.” You reassured and took one of his hands.

“But I think you’re right. I don’t think it would hurt if something hypothetically happened.” You said and he gave your hands a gentle squeeze.

“I think… this could be a good adventure for us.” He said and you leaned in to kiss him again.

So what if you kind of jumped the gun. Jenny said not to shut the door when it’s barely been opened. But you were pretty sure that this door was opening up more and making a way for new possibilities for you. Beau seemed really sweet and ever since he came to Montana, things have been happier for you.

So… on to a new adventure!

Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed! No matter what stage in life you’re in, there’s always a chance for a new adventure! Life has many doors that can be opened, don’t be afraid to walk through 💕💕💕

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @posiemax @deanwinchestersgirl87 @impala67rollingthroughtown

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

tagged by @mxanigel and @thesingularityseries thank you both <3

tagging @henbased @cloudofbutterflies92 @aceghosts @galaxycunt @ocdemon-747 @unholymilf @wrathfulrook @amalkavian @fourlittleseedlings @harmonyowl @mccarthycormac @madparadoxum @carlosoliveiraa @confidentandgood @trench-rot @nightbloodbix @roofgeese @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @kyber-infinitygems @clicheantagonist @adelaidedrubman @strafethesesinners @statichvm @peppertheferalraccoon @josephslittledeputy @marivenah @simplegenius042 @theelderhazelnut @josephseedismyfather @v0idbuggy @direwombat @florbelles @poetikat @cassieuncaged @shallow-gravy @cassietrn @strangefable @stacispratt (no pressure of course)

Here's to the first WIP Wednesday of 2024! And here's some more of American Beasts chapter 51 with good old Uncle Staci and the kids:

Staci led the two children into the mess hall and straight through into the kitchen, lifting them both to sit up on the large metal counter across from the stove where he could keep an eye on them. He had never spent much time with kids, never had much time for them before, but knowing that Kit had taken on the guardian role for them meant he wouldn’t fail her. She trusted him to look after them in her stead. 

“You guys like grilled cheese?”

Carter’s mouth practically started dripping with saliva at the words. Grilled cheese was like sweet ambrosia after weeks worth of peanut butter. “We do, yeah.”

“Good, ‘cause that’s about all I can really make you in this place. If there wasn’t a war going on –” He looked over at the two kids starving, shaking and cold, if anyone knew the effects of the Reaping it was these two. “...well I’d be able to make ya something else.”

Staci went into the fridges and grabbed the butter and cheese, and a loaf of bread from the pantry. Grabbing a cast iron pan, he dropped it on the stove burner and turned up the heat. He eyed the kids from over his shoulder as the pan warmed, buttering both sides of each slice of bread. “How long were you on your own for?”

“Three weeks.”

His eyes widened and then his brow furrowed, his back turned so the children couldn’t see his reaction. “Jesus,” he whispered under his breath. “I don’t think I would have been able to do that at your age.” He likely couldn’t now. “I’m impressed.”

Carter tugged his lips into a tight grin, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Thanks.”

Placing the slices of bread in the pan, Staci lay cheese down on one side and then covered that with another slice of bread. He could hear the children sniffing the air hungrily as the bread began to toast and the cheese melted. Memories of his own childhood and his mother making grilled cheese for him after a tough day at school came flooding back. Such a simple meal and yet it was a staple of childhood (and of being a bachelor, if he was being honest). 

“Is that why she saved us?”

Staci paused, holding the spatula to the bread, pressing it against the pan. “What do you mean?”

“Because we proved ourselves.”

“I, um, I can’t really speak for Kit.” He scratched at his brow, nervously twitching. “She has her own motivations for doing everything.”

“But that’s part of the cult’s whole thing, right?”

“Part of it…yeah.” Pratt could feel dark eyes boring into his back, expecting a better answer than that. The kid was smart, he didn’t want to lie. Rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand, he flipped the sandwiches on to the other side so they were evenly toasted. “I have a feeling she wanted to save you because she saw people in need,” he said with a shrug. “I know you probably think we’re the enemy, but her and I, we weren’t always on their side either.” Staci glanced over his shoulder once more. “She tries to do things for the right reasons…she’s not completely cold no matter how much she wants people to believe that…no matter how much she tries to make herself believe that.”

“Why would she want to do that?”

He sighed, biting his lip. “Kit’s a bit of a mystery. There’s not a lot I really know about her, she doesn’t really like people knowing her. She prefers to keep us at arm’s length. All I do know for sure is that she was a soldier…and that when she picks you as someone she cares about she would go to the ends of the Earth for you.”

“How does she pick who she cares about?”

“God, I think that might be one of the questions philosopher’s could ponder over forever.” Staci went and grabbed two plates and brought them over to the side of the stove. “I have no idea, kid,” he said with a shake of his head as he slid the sandwiches onto each plate, bringing them over to the counter where the children sat before starting to make more for them – based on experience, he knew one was never enough. 

As the children brought the grilled cheese to their mouths, they seemed to devour them, cramming as much of it into them as quickly as they could. It broke his heart. Already they’d learned to eat the way those in the cages did, not knowing when the next meal would come. A desperate hunger that left a person wondering if it could ever be filled. He had never seen a child in the cages, he hoped it was because they were sent to another bunker…the other prospect twisted him up in knots. 

Watching them feast, strings of cheese falling from their lips and clinging to their chins, a flash of blood pouring from Kit’s mouth as she chewed on a man’s flesh made him freeze and turn back to the pan. 

A mumbled thank you around the food in Carter’s mouth was quickly followed by another question as he swallowed. “Why’d you join the cult?”

His eyes grew wide as he tried to return to the task of cooking. “Uh, well, I mean…I joined at first because it was either that or…well…” Staci’s words trailed off, petering out when all the steam had been kicked out of him by the child’s barrage of questions.

“They were gonna kill you?”

Staci swallowed heavily and then dragged his tongue across his teeth. Not wanting to answer the question. Not with such a young audience. His silence was all the answer the child needed however. 

“So why’d you stay?”

He’d been through his confession with John, had been interrogated by Jacob, and yet this child seemed to ask all the right questions to give him pause. Staci rubbed his hands over his face, scratching at the dark stubble on his cheeks. “Loyalty. To her.”

“You mean Kit?”

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh.

“Why?”

After everything he had been through, Staci was willing to put his faith in the Father, willing to believe his word that the end was coming soon. After everything he had seen and heard Kit do, it was clear to him that she wasn’t just a fluke. There was no way that all of this had just been a coincidence. God had a plan, He had a reason, and unbeknownst to Pratt and everyone else in Hope County – except for Joseph Seed – she was it. A stranger who rode into town like an ill omen of a shifting tide and changing times. Almost otherworldly in how distant she remained as if she wasn’t one of them, above them somehow, not quite human. And yet for some reason, just like these children, he had been chosen as one of the few she would protect, offering up her own life and freedom for him. Kit had done monstrous things, things that left him with nightmares, merciless and remorseless in her actions. So sure of everything she did, every action thrust upon her by something larger than herself. But wasn’t that what the angels of the end times described as? Warriors, avengers who struck down their foes without forgiveness or pity, saving only those who had faith. 

He had faith. 

“She risked her life to save me, fought to free me. It’s only right I do the same for her.”

[lemoncrushh]

Kiss Me Kiss Me

Summary: Samantha and Harry's story of young romance and a first kiss.

Warnings: None (see note below)

Word Count: 2795

A/N: This is a cute, sweet one shot from my 2017 collection. It's written from two points of view. Please note, this is purely innocent, nothing sexual, just kissing. But if reading about teenage Harry gives you the ick, please pass on this one. Title is taken from the 5SOS song.

here's to teenage memories...

Samantha's POV

Harry was my first. No, not that first. And not my first love either. Not even my first boyfriend really, because whatever it was we were doing, I wouldn't constitute as dating. I don't really know what we were. Just...friends? Hanging out? Whatever you'd wanna call it.

Okay, okay so I had a terrible crush on him. But my point is, he was the first boy I'd ever kissed.

And what a kiss it was... To this day I can still remember it, still remember what it felt like. I even remember what I was wearing, as silly as that sounds.

I was chatting on the phone with my friend Carolyn one night and somehow the subject of kissing came up. Truthfully, that was no surprise since most of our conversations ended up circling back to boys. I just always got nervous when this particular topic arose, since I had yet to kiss a boy. Carolyn claimed she'd kissed four, but I always felt like she was lying about at least two. I just never called her on it. That's just not what friends do, and because I knew she was telling the truth about Ron since I'd seen them kiss with my own eyes, I let the little fib slide.

This particular night, I allowed Carolyn to describe what it felt like. She said it really depended on the guy and how he kissed, how soft his lips were, how much he used his tongue...things like that. I only half listened, though I was curious. I just felt left out.

"You should get Harry to kiss you," she finally proclaimed.

"Um..." I nervously chuckled. "Why?"

"So you'll know what it's like," she replied.

Carolyn was the only person who knew I fancied Harry, at least to my knowledge. But like the good friend she was, she never mocked me or embarrassed me when he was around.

"But why Harry?" I asked, picking at the blanket that covered my bed. "He doesn't like me...in that way."

"But you like him. And besides, who says he doesn't like you?"

"Who says he does?"

I heard Carolyn sigh through the phone, an indication that she was annoyed. The truth was, I was dying for Harry to kiss me. But I had a feeling he'd kissed a lot of girls. And I would just pale in comparison.

"Sam," she said, "have you even given him any clue?"

"No," I muttered softly.

"Then how's he gonna know?"

She had a point.

Harry's POV

Samantha and I had become friends. We hung out a lot, so much in fact that if I was to knock on her door at any given time, I could hear her mum calling her up the stairs telling her Harry's here before she even greeted me.

One Friday evening I stopped by unannounced as usual, Mrs. Cooper inviting me into the kitchen to test some scones she'd just finished baking. I was halfway biting through the pastry when I heard Sam descending the stairs.

"Hey," she grinned when she saw me. Then she turned to her mum. "You know, just because he works in a bakery doesn't mean he knows everything about baking."

I shook my head as I swallowed. "'s fine. I still have the ability to taste."

She gave me a look as she reached for a scone. "Well, so do I."

Mrs. Cooper paid Samantha no mind as she set a cup of tea in front of me. I smiled and told her thank you as Sam took a seat across from me. We ate in silence until I took the last sip of tea and wiped my hands on a napkin.

"Wanna go for a walk?" I asked her.

"Sure," she nodded, rising from her chair.

I heard her mum tell her not to be too late, it was getting dark as we walked to the front door and Sam grabbed her jacket. I told Mrs. Cooper thank you once more before shutting the door behind us.

We walked side by side, our hands in our pockets until we came to the end of the street and turned right, heading toward my house. I saw Sam take her phone out of her pocket once and type something on it in haste before shoving it back.

I wanted to say something. Anything. It seemed lately that our conversations had become little more than "what's up" and "do you have to work tomorrow?" I wasn't exactly sure why. It used to be that I could bring up any topic and we could have an hour long discussion about it. Perhaps we had run out of things to talk about. Or maybe...the vibe had shifted.

We came upon the park that acted as the halfway point between her house and mine. We strolled through, stopping at the swings, each of us taking one.

"You okay?" I finally asked her, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

She looked at me, her big eyes wide. "Yeah, why?"

I shrugged, kicking the dirt underneath my feet. "You just seem...different."

"How so?"

"Quiet."

She bit her lip. "Sorry. Don't mean to be."

"Did something happen?" I inquired.

She shook her head. "No." Then she smiled at me. "I'm fine. Really."

I nodded as she began to kick her legs up to swing. I watched her for a minute or two, her hair flying behind her as she swung forward, then blowing in her face as she came back. I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach, though I wasn't sure why.

I'd always thought Samantha was pretty. And if it hadn't been for the fact that we'd become close and I considered her one of my best mates, I probably would have asked her out by now. Hell, I probably would've even kissed her. But I got the feeling the opportunity had passed. We were in the friend zone.

Sam slowed down, her Converse sliding across the ground to stop herself. She ran her fingers through her hair to fix what the wind had messed up, though if I was being honest, it looked perfect.

"So do you have to work tomorrow?" she asked me.

I laughed out loud. I couldn't help it.

"What's so funny?" she glared at me.

"Nothing," I shook my head though I was still laughing.

"Liar." Samantha hopped up out of her swing and started to walk away. I caught up to her at the pavement.

"Sam, I'm sorry," I said. "I'm not laughing at you."

"Then what are you laughing at?" Her expression was serious, her mouth in a straight line.

"Why are you being weird?"

"Why are you?"

"'m not!" I exclaimed.

"Sure, Harry," she shoved her hands in her pockets again. "I'm going home."

I groaned as I began to follow her, unsure whether she actually wanted me to or not. We walked in silence for a while until she stopped and I almost ran into her.

"Why are you following me?" she asked.

"Because I get the feeling you don't want me walking beside you."

She rolled her eyes. "I mean, why are you still here? Your house is that way."

I felt like she'd just punched me in the gut. There were a million things I wanted to say then, and part of me felt like just turning around and walking to my house. Instead I took a step towards her.

"Because it's getting dark," I muttered. "So I'm walking you home."

Her face softened as she took a hand out of her pocket to run through her hair again.

"Okay," she said with a sigh. "Thanks."

I lifted my own hand to brush back the strand of hair that had stuck to her cheek. She flinched slightly, but didn't back away.

"You know, if there's something on your mind," I said softly, "you can tell me. We're friends, yeah?"

She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering against her pink cheeks.

"Yeah," she breathed.

Somehow, I knew...in that moment...that I could have kissed her. I wanted to kiss her. But I didn't.

Samantha's POV

I'd almost thought he was gonna kiss me then. Maybe if I'd stood there a few more seconds, he would have. But I was chicken and turned around and kept walking.

This time, however, Harry didn't walk behind me. In fact, he took my hand which I took as a good sign. We'd never held hands before, and it felt nice.

I was relieved when we fell into an actual conversation. He asked what my weekend plans were, and I confessed that other than a trip to my Gram's for Sunday dinner, I had nothing going on. He said he did have to work the next day, early in fact, which I kind of already knew.

When we reached my house, he walked me up the steps but shook his head when I asked if he was coming in.

"Gotta get up early," he reminded me.

I smiled as he squeezed my hand, then backed away, almost tripping over himself. I giggled as he turned and ran down the steps, giving me one last wave.

"Tell your mum the scones were delicious, but I liked the biscuits the best."

I grinned as I shut the door, but stayed by the window to watch him walk down the street. When he'd disappeared, I ran upstairs and quickly called Carolyn back to tell her what happened. She declared that she wasn't sure which of us what the bigger idiot.

I'd had a dream that night. It felt so real, which didn't make sense given that I'd never kissed a boy before. But in my dream Harry was kissing me. And not only could I feel his soft lips against mine, but I could also feel his breath against my skin, his hands on my waist.

I woke up earlier than I ever had in my life, except for maybe when I was little, and Mum and I were going on holiday and had to catch the train. I took a hot shower and brushed my teeth, carefully choosing a dark red jumper and black jeans. After tying my Converse, I brushed my hair until it shined, the locks flowing across my shoulders. I felt pretty.

Mum wasn't awake yet, so I left her a note, telling her I'd return with breakfast. Then I grabbed my keys and locked the door behind me.

I was only a little more than halfway to the bakery when I could already smell the aroma. I smiled to myself as I came around the corner, the cheerful sign greeting me. As I walked in, the scent of freshly baked bread hit me in the face, and I took in a deep breath.

The woman behind the counter beamed at me, quickly asking if she could help me. I felt my cheeks flush as I wrung my hands.

"Um...is...um...Harry here?" I stammered. Yep, I was an idiot.

"Harry!" she called out in singsong, not bothering to peel her gaze from me.

Just then, the door next to her swung open and out stepped Harry, an apron tied around himself. He immediately smiled when he saw me, his dimples dipping in his cheeks.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

I shrugged. "Getting breakfast."

Harry shifted his eyes back and forth, a smirk on his face. "Alright then. That's a first."

"It's not unusual," I remarked.

"It is for you. It's Saturday. And barely six a.m."

"I woke up hungry."

Harry continued to stare at me incredulously until my mouth broke into a smile. It seemed I had rendered him speechless, and for once I felt proud, and a little brave. He cleared his throat and looked at the older woman whom with a shooing motion told him to take a break.

Wiping his hands on his apron, Harry followed me outside and around the side of the building. When I stopped, I turned around and leant against the wall. It was barely sunrise, the sky still overcast, making it seem even darker. But I could see perfectly clearly.

"Hi," I grinned.

"Hi," he smiled back, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

"How are you?"

"I'm...okay. Sam...what..."

"Sorry," I shook my head nervously. "I'm probably weirding you out."

"No...I just..."

"Do you like me?" I blurted. There. I said it.

Harry's eyes opened wide like saucers. If I wasn't so focused on what I was trying to do, I would have burst out laughing. As it was, I let out a slight giggle when he stumbled over his next words.

"Do...do I...of course...I-"

"I mean..." I stepped closer to him, taking his hand. "I mean like me."

Harry licked his lips and smiled at the ground. "Well...Samantha, you're my friend."

My heart plummeted down by chest. I leant back against the wall again, dropping his hand and picking at my nail polish.

"I see," I muttered. That was it then. He'd answered my question. Not with the answer I was hoping for, but an answer nonetheless.

"But yeah," I heard him say.

"What?" I lifted my head just in time to see his face coming toward mine, his hands at my waist.

It was just like in my dream. His lips brushed mine softly just before I closed my eyes. I was grateful that he knew what he was doing, because I probably would have just been a mess, knocking noses and teeth and whatnot. But he lifted his hand to touch my cheek, his thumb grazing my jaw as his mouth pressed harder, taking first my top lip, then my bottom between his.

I didn't know what to do with my hands so I merely placed them on his chest. With his body against mine, my back against the wall, I knew he had to hear how fast my heart was beating. The air was permeated with the scent of wheat and sugar, and I felt like I was intoxicated. Harry separated the kiss momentarily, his green eyes gazing into mine.

"I do like you," he declared. For a moment my head was spinning until I understood he was finishing his response to my question.

"Oh," I barely breathed.

The corners of his mouth curved up into a tiny grin before he tilted his head and kissed me again.

Harry's POV

She tasted like mint and smelled like strawberries. It was a wonder I noticed through the heavy aroma coming from the bakery, but I reckon I was immune to it by that point. She was all I could concentrate on, and I couldn't get enough.

Though I wasn't a hundred percent certain, I got the feeling Samantha hadn't been kissed before. Not that she was a bad kisser by any means. Or awkward even. Just the way she was stood against the wall, her body tense, her jaw tight. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands either, but when she put them on my chest I was fine with that. It wasn't until I let her take a breath and assured her that I liked her that I felt her relax. I slipped my tongue inside then, and I felt her jolt a bit, but she soon seemed to enjoy the sensation, even letting her tongue poke into my mouth.

I released my hand from her waist then, taking her face in both of my hands. She seemed to like that, even make a cute little sound and allowed her own arms to wrap around my back.

We continued to kiss for several minutes. Alright, maybe not that long, but it seemed like it. When I lifted my head that time, I studied her face, her kiss-swollen lips slightly parted. God, she was pretty.

I actually saw her chest fall then as she let out a deep breath. I took that as a good sign. Trying my best not to be cocky, I smiled at her.

"I gotta get back to work," I said, my voice coming out raspy.

Samantha nodded a few times before whispering, "Okay." Then she blinked, stood up straight and released her arms from me. "Um...I told my mum I'd bring breakfast. So...I better buy something."

She gave a cute little nervous giggle that probably embarrassed her more than she'd have liked it to. I grinned as she cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair, then tugged at the hem of her jumper.

"C'mon," I held out my hand for her. "Our scones aren't as good as hers, but we have some Danishes that are out of this world."

If you enjoyed, please like, comment, reblog or send me a msg!

MASTERLIST | KO-FI | FEEDBACK

[foxglovepng]

Random Headcannons 3 🌼🥀

Requested: naw

Characters: Scarabia + Pomefiore

A/N: I'm getting back into the writing mood yay I'll probably take requests in the future because I am slowly getting over writer's block. I looked up a word in Arabic and if the word is incorrectly translated incorrectly feel free to correct me.

If you liked reblogs and likes are appreciative <3

Kalim

Knock knock who's there? Autism br br br where the hoes at? not here

I love my Autistic headcanon for Kalim. I also saw a headcanon he has ADHD too. (I forgot the word for ADHD and Autism combined help)

When he's unmedicated Jamil is that one meme of Shinji his stress levels are high. He's practically lived with Kalim so he knows he can get hyper although he pushes through it being used to it.

I headcanon Kalim has sensory issues that mainly have to do with touch. (Mine are sound and taste :skull:)

Since he likes parties and is extremely sociable I feel like sometimes he can get overwhelmed he chills in his sensory swing. I also feel like since he plays the drums he does have backup headphones on hand in case it's too loud.

Jamil tends to calm him down with essential oils (Don't ask me what kind he likes I only know Rosemary, and Cherry blossom)

Jamil

Jamil drop the hair routine or I'll break your ankles Sangwoo style so you can't dance anymore. I will even report your music-listening account so you are no longer allowed to play hip hop DROP THE ROUTINE RN JAMIL

This is my no 2 pookie bear I love him sm ANYWAYS

I feel like in his alone time Jamil has his own hobbies he hides from Kalim and will go above and beyond just to have them to himself. One of those I feel like is reading romance books (Not the feral ones booktok gooners read) romance is one of the genres he reads I feel like he also reads fantasy. (He has read Pride and Prejudice)

He'd probably also go to art conventions on his spare time. He has a sketchbook and draws on occasion (I think he draws similar to Hyunjin's style)

Him and Kalim speak Arabic and English although I feel like when Jamil wants to cuss someone out or insult someone he will bring the Arabic out.

*Ace messes up a play*

Ace: so um great play

Jamil: اهبل (Google says this means stupid/idiot)

Ace: HUH?

Vil

*Throws my genderqueer headcannon at you Eminem style*

Gender queer Icon Vil.

If I am correct he is referred to as Queen by Rook?? so I believe Vil doesn't really care for pronouns and just simply exists. So Vil would use any pronouns interchangeably.

Also random headcannon but Vil's father is like..famous right? So I feel like he gets insulted and called a Nepo baby.

Peep Epel and Vil get into a fight and Epel calls him a Nepo baby. Oh all hell is breaking loose.

(I also headcannon he'd make an appearance in Eurovision)

Rook

I need Frenchie to become a slur so I can shout FRENCHIE at Rook 24/7

This man either has a really good memory or a diary in which he keeps info of students. (Their height, weight, UM, etc) its freaky ngl. AND NOT A GOOD FREAKY WAY.

I saw some art of him and Floyd in the bathroom and he was peeking over the urinal. BRO KEEP YA EYES ON YA JUNK.

I can imagine certain NRC students have a group chat dedicated to slandering Rook.

He probably knows about it :Skull:

Epel

Guys this my son <3

I am a firm believer he is an Amish hater.

"I hate the way you talk the way you walk" ahh beat.

From a farmer's perspective I don't think he's 100% vegan, but if you bribe him with bbq he will start foaming at the mouth.

Bro probably listens to Dixon Dallas good looking-

He's also a Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood fan.

I feel like with people he's close with especially the first years he lets his country accent loose and it will get even looser if someone (or Yuu) has a country accent as well. The rest of the first years will be like "They are speaking in tongues"

[spoopydooblr]

My King Will Be Kind Chapter 11 / Kendall Roy x OC

an: oh my god this one is a doozy. i feel like yall deserve the angst here fr, thank you for the love and support! writing this story has been so fucking fun and i can't believe it's almost over. (will i write a part 2 aka season 5 of succession? maybe....) this chapter is a good oneeeeeeee

tw: cursing, mentions of death, angst

Stella woke up on election morning with hundreds of texts bombarding her phone.

"Fuck." She muttered, scrolling through.

Kendall had posted one of the pictures they took the night before. They were sitting on his fancy, all white couch in the penthouse, his arm around her. His gaze was on her as she looked into the camera. Obviously, they looked great, but she was still upset about the night before and how Kendall treated Matsson. Of course he had no idea that Lukas had harassed her all night, but still. He had run off with Ebba earlier in the night and she was definitely not thrilled about that either.

Kendall had texted her too, and though she was mad, the silent treatment wasn't really Stella's thing.

She caved and called him, sitting up in bed. It was definitely past ten, but she didn't have much work as it was Election Day.

"I was getting worried." Ken chuckled on the other side of the phone. "What happened last night?  Did you like my insta post?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did. Sorry. It was just a lot—"

"Understandable." He smiled. "Did you have a good time, though? I thought the party was pretty lit."

Stella cracked a smile. He was always trying to be hip with her but was always a few years behind on the lingo. "It was super lit."

He was quiet for a second. "Uh, I don't wanna be that guy, but Shiv told me she saw you with Matsson."

"Oh."

"Like, I get it. But—"

"You have nothing to worry about, Ken. Seriously." Her voice cracked a little, the memories of the night before flooding her brain. If Shiv didn't separate them, what would have happened? Not that she would have cheated—definitely not. But Matsson had gotten awfully drunk and awfully close to her. "He kind of...um, he kind of harassed me."

"What?"

"It's not a big deal. He just, kind of like, I don't know. He was weird."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

She sighed. "I wish."

"Fuck." Kendall half-yelled. He had never been loud with her before. "I'm gonna fucking kill him."

"It's okay, really. He was drunk and just wanted to fuck with you." She pleaded. "I'm a big girl, I handled it."

He was quiet on the other line, clearly plotting his next moves. "Okay."

"I'm yours, Ken. Please don't worry."

"I know."

She remembered Kendall following Ebba to the balcony. If he got to question her, she was certainly going to question him. "Um, I don't wanna be that girl, but I saw you with Ebba."

Kendall sighed. "Business shit. I was fucking with Lukas."

"Ah."

"Trust me, you were the, uh, hottest girl there last night. Not that it was hard. But still. I'm kinda not surprised Lukas was trying to fuck you."

"Oh God Ken." She rolled her eyes.

"I know you're rolling your eyes, pretty girl."

"Fuck off."

"Speaking of," his voice softened, "Dad's funeral.  Uh, I know it's like, a funeral and shit, but my Mom's going...and Rava and the kids..."

"Oh, um, okay."  Stella could definitely handle his mother, but it was the ex-wife and kids that really made her nervous.  Sure, his daughter was a fan and she'd seen her on FaceTime with Kendall, but that was about it.  They hadn't found a good time for Stella and his kids to meet because of Logan's death.  He didn't see them that much anyway.

"Soph's excited to meet you."

"Okay, good."  Stella felt a little bit better.  "How does um, Rava feel?"

"Honestly, I don't know.  Things have been pretty fucking tense."

"I'm sorry, Ken."

"Sophie got like, fucking, I don't know...pushed or something."

"Pushed?"

"Some Mencken guy on the street.  Rava told me."  

"What the fuck is wrong with people?"  

"I don't know."

"Ken...if you have any say in this tonight..."  she trailed off.  "Do the right fucking thing."

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

He picked up on the first ring.  "Where the fuck have you been?"

"Tell me it's not true."  She breathed, looking at the tv in front of her.

"JERYD MENCKEN WINS ELECTION" blared on the screen, burning into her irises.

"What?"  He said, but they both knew what she was talking about.

Stella paused, tears pricking her eyes.  This could not be happening.  "Kendall."  She was almost pleading with him...hell, she was pleading with him.  "Please."

"He's gonna block the deal for us, I had to—"

"How could you call it?  How could you do this without the ballots in Milwaukee?  And the—"

"It wasn't my decision."

"What about your daughter, Kendall?"  She spat at him through the phone.

"What about my daughter, Stella?"  He fired right back at her.

"You told me she got fucking pushed, Ken!  Not everything is about the fucking deal!  Don't you care about her?"

"You don't know a fucking thing about my kids.  You're a kid.  Fucking suck it up."

"Mencken is a fascist and you know it.  He's a racist homophobe who's going to destroy the country and you let him walk all over you."

"Stella."  He warned.

"My brother and his husband were just starting to feel accepted in their new neighborhood."  She whispered.  "How could you do this?"

"Jimenez wouldn't help us.  We had to make a difficult choice."

Stella audibly gasped.  "A choice?  The fate of the country is a choice?"

"Stella—"

"No, no, I...I can't."  She cried.  "This is all a game to you.  The election, the tailgate party...it's all a fucking game."

"This, this, is fucking politics, Stella."  He scolded her.  "And it's not going to fucking effect you."

"Not going to effect me?  Are you hearing yourself?"  She knew it was in him to be this way, but Kendall had never showed this side of himself to her.  He was callous and cold and cared about himself more than others.  "I didn't grow up like you, Ken.  I have fucking car loans."

He laughed.  He actually laughed.  "I'll pay your fucking loans, Stella girl."

"You...you can't just 'Stella girl' me and expect everything to be okay."  She stuttered.  "You failed your kids tonight.  You failed the fucking United States of America."

"Fuck you."

"No.  Fuck you."  Tears ran down Stella's face.  Was this it?  Was their relationship--their love--going to end over politics?  It just seemed so tacky to her.  She sunk to the ground, sitting on the cold wooden floor.  They sat in silence, neither of them sure how to finish the conversation.  Stella heard Kendall sniffle from the other side of the phone.

"I'm sorry.  You're right.  But I had to do it.  Shiv's working with Matsson and I can't let them win.  I-I'm sorry."

She stifled a sob.  "I know."

"Are you still gonna come to the funeral?"

It pained her to know that Kendall thought she would flake on him.  

"Of course, Ken."

"Are we good then?  Like, are we uh, still good?"

"Um...I don't, I don't know."

"Okay."

"Yeah."

"Well...I'll uh, see you tomorrow, and uh, I...I fucking love you, okay?"

Stella breathed.  Tears were flying.  Never did she think this would be her life.

"I love you too."

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

The next morning, Stella's doorbell rung.  It was barely light out and the funeral wasn't until the afternoon.  

She opened the door to find a man carrying a dress bag.

"Miss Allen?"  

"Oh.  Great."  Stella mumbled sarcastically, taking the bag.  Of course Kendall sent her something to wear.  Even on the day of his father's funeral, he was still sending her signals, telling her that she was his.  

Putting on the dress and looking at herself in the mirror, Stella felt good.  Way too good for a funeral.  The dress was definitely too short and the black Gucci tights were definitely too sexy, but what was she going to do, not wear it? 

As she left the apartment building to get on the subway, a car was already waiting for her outside.  She recognized Fikret right away, rolling her eyes and getting into the black SUV.  

I told you to stop sending me things.

Sorry

It's getting bad out there tho.  Our car got attacked by mob earlier

Can't risk you getting hurt

Stella groaned.  Little did he know she was going to the protest after the funeral.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at a giant cathedral.  Paparazzi were swarming everywhere.  

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."  She muttered, stepping out of the car.  Twitter was going to explode about her outfit.  It truly was a 'Fuck Logan Roy' dress.

Cameras rushed her, but they couldn't get too close because of the heavy security detail.  Stella walked into the Cathedral behind some other, expensive-looking people.  The last funeral she had been to was her father's, where she gave the eulogy.  It was good, obviously, she was an actress, after all.  

Kendall rushed to Stella the second he saw her walk in.  She secretly wished he didn't look so good in his navy suit.  

"How was it out there?"  He leaned in to hug her.  It lasted a little too long.

"Oh, the protest?"

He nodded.  

"I think they left."  She shrugged, knowing he was going to be pissed that she was attending the protest after the funeral.

"Uh, good.  I was worried about you."

"You don't need to worry."  She put her hands on his arms, rubbing down slowly.  It really wasn't appropriate--she was supposed to be mad at him.  

He leaned into her touch.  "Thank you for coming, Stell."

"Of course."

Kendall checked her out as subtle as he could.  "I knew that dress would be perfect on you."

"Little inappropriate for a funeral, though, don't you think?"  She smirked.  Hopefully Logan was grimacing in his coffin at Kendall being with her.

"Exactly."  He said, staring her down.

"O-okay lover boy."  She pushed him away, but before she could get far, an old woman with a pixie cut appeared out of nowhere.  

"Now Kendall, who is this?"  She spoke with a distinguished British accent.  Stella's heart sank.  The woman standing in front of her was definitley Kendall's mother.

"Oh, uh, mom, this is Stella."

Caroline's face curved into a sideways smile as she looked Stella up and down.  "Oh my.  Aren't you something?"

Stella smiled nervously.  She knew Ken's mom was a fake bitch.  "Hi."

"By God, Kenny, you're turning into your father."  Caroline laughed.  "Dear," she looked to Stella, "How old are you?"

She started to speak before Kendall interrupted.  "Thanks, Mom, great job.  Awesome."

"Ah, Kendall I'm just joking.  She's beautiful."  Stella noticed that Caroline didn't even address her.  

"Uh, thanks."  He answered for her.  Stella mentally rolled her eyes.  Everyone treated her like a child at these kinds of things, even Kendall.

"Now I just hope you don't end up like your sister...the poor thing."

Caroline must've noticed the confused look on Stella's face.  Did Shiv finally tell everyone she was pregnant?

"Oh, dear, you don't have to worry about that."  She looked at Stella's stomach.  "Not with Kendall, anyway."

Stella's heart dropped.  "I'm sorry?"

"Mom."  Kendall said sternly.  He looked pissed.  "Stop."

Stella didn't know what to say.  She was prepared for a few weird comments from Caroline, but that...that was not something she was expecting.  She looked to Kendall, but for the first time in their relationship, he couldn't meet her gaze.  Embarrassment reddened across his cheeks.

Before anyone could say anything else, Shiv grabbed Kendall's shoulder.  "Hey, it's time."

He nodded, pushing past Caroline and Stella without saying goodbye.

"Well I guess I should find Kerry."  Caroline smiled, walking away like she hadn't just dropped a bomb on Stella's life.  

On her way to get her seat, Stella made unfortunate eye contact with Lukas, who winked.  Things could not get any worse.  As she sat down in a random pew, Stella's mind raced.  Kendall had always insisted on using condoms.  And he had kids, right?  Sure, Sophie was adopted, but Iverson looked just like his parents.  Stella realized she hadn't even seen the kids at the funeral.  What was going on?

[melancholysway]

Holy nunchuuuuuuucks, I can't believe I'm here again, why do you have to tempt me so?! Anyway! 2007, the turtles' SO bonds with Splinter and for a while everything is incredibly good but then here comes the awkward childhood photo or memory!

Got you! so sorry for the wait, college is overwhelming rn but when is it not tbh

I haven't forgotten about the other requests ya'll have sent me btw! I'm just getting it done at a snail's pace LMAO

TMNT 2007 Imagines: Embarrassing Photos

I’m doing this formatted to where the S/O meets Splinter! There’s a fic at the end with your turtle of choice :)

Key: --- followed by italics = flashback is happening or ending

Leonardo

Leo has an awkward photo of him drooling while sleeping as a kid

Though that habit is long gone, he still shudders at the thought

Cannot believe he used to drool until he saw the photo

Brings it up one day when talking to you about each other’s childhood memories

“I um…I used to drool as a kid.”

He used to sleep in a big pile of pillows and blankets with the rest of his brothers, but he would always wind up being cuddled with Donnie, as he moved the least in his sleep (mikey kicked, HARD.)

He doesn’t tell you about the PHOTO master splinter has of it

This is early on in the friendship turned relationship, and when you get comfortable talking to Master Splinter for long periods of time (it was scary in the beginning, because, well, he was a giant rat who could read literally anyone,) he does his favorite thing: whip out the photo album

While Leo is in the dojo meditating, the others joke around and tell Splinter to show the Leo photos

And he does

And oh, he doesn’t hold back.

Raphael

Raphael had a teddy bear when he was younger

He was emotionally attached to that thing, seriously

Not really an awkward memory, but embarrassing for him

Splinter remembers Teddy all too well, seriously.

He has a photo of Raph and Teddy somewhere, though Raph never told you about it at all

“Teddy!” - 6 year old Raph

Oh, Teddy. 

Attachment issues incoming

Wouldn’t let splinter wash it because he didn’t want Teddy to get hurt

He had to steal it from him while he was sleeping just to wash him

Raph literally could tell the difference right away and got sad

It reflects on him now, Raphael (as much as he may deny it) doesn’t like being lonely. He likes to have someone there (either to bother, talk to, smack, all of the above.) He NEEDS his brothers. 

After getting to know Splinter more, he gives more details of the turtles’ upbringing, and (segue) whips out the photo book to show you all the turtles as tots

Donatello

Donnie has one photo of Raph dunking him in the tub while the others laughed

Its truly menacing, but Donnie kind of just

Represses it

It’s a really embarrassing moment, and luckily splinter caught it right in 4K

Once you begin dating donnie, you go up to splinter one day while he’s cleaning the bookshelf as you watch him pull out the photo album 

He gives you this smile as if he knows you’re wanting to see the baby donnie photos

Don’t tell donnie by the way

Raph and Donnie used to be on and off besties, they would fight one day then be hanging out the next. If Leo was trying to get Mikey to stop crying, Raph and Donnie were being devious together somewhere in the Lair

Raph brings up dunking Donnie often, especially if they’re at the Farmhouse. He’ll just casually bring it up like, “remembah when I used ta dunk your ass when we were kids?” 

Cue Donnie speed swimming out the lake and onto dry land

Michelangelo

Mikey cried, A LOT

He cried for basically anything and everything 

Too cold? Cried. Too hot? Cried. Just right? He’d find a reason to cry anyway

One time Raph smacked Mikey a little too hard, and he cried for a solid hour

Im talking ugly crying drool snot everywhere 

He was not letting that go

Raph apologized (many many times) 

Donnie thinks he was being a drama queen

Leo suggests that it would make a funny childhood memory, and Splinter laughed at that and snapped a photo of Mikey as he was calming down and hiccuping after getting a hug from Raphael

It’s actually a cute photo, but Mikey still gets mad about it for some reason

Thinks about his cry baby days a lot, but honestly, the crying got him what he wanted at times

Especially from Donnie

Leo was Mikey’s favorite brother and vice versa, Leo would always try and help Mikey when he was crying (which was very often)

He tried to be funny or comfort him, either way, it made their bond stronger

“And this,” Splinter points at the photo, “is a memory I find rather amusing from my son.” 

You try to contain your laughter, but the way your boyfriend looks as a child is too cute and too comical to not laugh at. “Do not hold back your emotions, laugh all you want.” The rat says at he notices you trying to contain yourself. 

It’s probably one of the funnier photos you’ve seen of your boyfriend so far. Though, he sort of told Master Splinter to never show anyone. However, you weren’t just anyone. You had legal right to see it.

You would take this witnessing to the grave, but it’s always nice to know more about your turtle’s past. Though him and his brothers had a nice childhood with what Splinter was able to do for them, they had ups and downs as well. 

If anything, Splinter did everything in his power to give them a seemingly normal childhood. They did what normal kids did:

Leo just so happened to drool a lot when sleeping. Splinter points to the photo of Leo on a mountain of blankets, and his closed eyes and unconscious self completely oblivious to the drool coming out at the time. He must've had a good dream. Leo sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and wipes his mouth to see if he drools. He doesn't wanna drool on you if you're sharing a bed together. He doesn't drool anymore, but, he still has to make sure. If you sleep together often, he waits for you to fall asleep first.

Raph had attachment issues to a stuffed animal. It's such a cute photo of Raph hugging onto his teddy bear for dear life on the couch during the early morning. He slept with it all the time. Raphael has shown a few times where he has to cuddle you. He's touchy, all the time. He feeds off of physical touch. Don't tell anyone, but he probably couldn't go a day without kissing you or hugging you in some way.

Donnie was used as collateral by his other siblings. This photo has to be a core memory for Donnie. It's an action shot of Raph dunking him halfway in the tub water, while Leo and Mikey giggle on the opposite side of the tub. It's probably why he never likes to go in the lake while Raph's in it when you all take a trip to Casey's grandma's farmhouse in the summer. Though he knows you can't physically dunk him, Donnie thinks about if you'll just turn around and do it while you're taking a relaxing bath together.

Mikey cried a lot. Though, even human kids probably didn’t cry as much as Mikey did. You see the photo of Mikey crying while Leo tries to comfort him, and Splinter mentions that Mikey would cry for practically any and everything. Mikey doesn't cry now, but he has this puppy-dog look he gives you whenever he wants to do something with you or wants something from you.

As you had only been dating him for a few months now, you were still uncovering pieces to a fun little puzzle that was the sewer life. 

You continue looking at the photo of your boyfriend, seeing how small he was back then, compared to now. He's a...big, muscular turtle. How his tiny shell doesn't compare to the one he has now. But, his facial features are all the same.

“How’d you do it?” You turn to Splinter, “I mean, raise them?” 

Master Splinter smiles, and leads you to the family portrait of all of them together. Though not kids anymore, this was taken recently. Before Leo left for South America a few years back. It was a sort of farewell photo, as per Leo’s request. He was always a family-oriented turtle.

And now, here comes the origin story of said photo. 

---

“Tha flash is too damn bright, Genius!” Raph scolds his younger brother- Donnie- after he complained for the 5th time that Raph’s eyes were closed. 

“I can’t make it any more dim, hothead!” 

“Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty! My face hurts,” Mikey whines, “are we done?”

“Not until Raph beats the try not to blink for 5 seconds challenge.” Donnie snaps.

“Not until Don here stops tryin’ ta give his family a seiz’a from tha damn flash!” 

“Raphael, language.” Splinter interrupts, scolding the second oldest turtle in red. 

“Guys, I want a good photo before I leave. Can we all be civilized for 5 seconds?” Leo huffs. He leaves his spot from the frame and finds a way to shut off the flash. It wasn’t needed, anyway. 

“Now was that so hard, Einstein?” Raphael turns to Donnie once again, only to get a subtle middle finger as a response that Splinter couldn’t see and scold Don for. 

And finally, after all that bickering, they got the photo done. It comes out really good, and Mikey boasts about how he was always the most handsome turtle out of all of them.

“Dude, I’m gonna miss you,” Mikey says, this is the last day they’ll be together before Leo leaves, and it gets a little emotional. Mikey’s back to his old ways, almost crying as he runs to give his older brother a tight hug. 

Donnie’s gonna miss Leo, too. But instead of crying, he just has a sad look on his face. He was never one to cry, really. 

Raph, on the other hand, is stoic. He doesn’t show his emotions. But, he’s gonna miss his older brother. A lot. Probably more than the others. What is he gonna do without him? Could he even function without him?

“I’m gonna miss you too little brother,” Leo hugs a crying Mikey, “I’m gonna miss all of you. Truly.”

---

The family photo holds more meaning than the others, and Splinter cherishes it so much. 

“I did what I could,” Splinter says, “And…though I know not to be arrogant or smug, I believe I did a great job with them.” 

They are strong, loyal, and amazing turtles that protect the city. If anything, Splinter just made the best heroes in the world. If only the world knew about his accomplishment. 

You smile at your boyfriend’s sensei, “I agree with you. I mean, who else could protect New York City as good as your sons?” 

You weren’t wrong, either. You remembered the first time you met the turtles, and your soon-to-be boyfriend. You knew the police took their sweet ass time with responding to crimes, so you sort of had to deal with whatever hardship on your own. But a gang? No. 

So, yes, you were forever in debt with the turtles, but you couldn’t complain. They were four distinct personalities, and were so interesting that you just had to know more. 

And honestly, this “embarrassing photo” did just that. As you and Splinter continued to go through the photo album, he gave background on each photo you saw. It was your first time ever going through the book, as Splinter never really had this much time with you one on one to do this, but you enjoyed it. It appeared that Splinter did, too. The wrinkly smile that was plastered on his fuzzy face truly showed his content. He loved to reminisce and remember about the old times, and how quick time passes. Time is a thief, and he was lucky enough to have captured those moments. 

Especially the one photo of your boyfriend. 

The photo that you wanted a copy of, so you could keep it in your own personal album at home, where it would be safe, and you could pull it out whenever you needed a good cheering up or giggle.

Splinter did an amazing job with his sons, and though he probably skipped on the relationship advice thinking it wasn’t possible, your boyfriend was doing great with you. 

/// Taglist:

@bee-1n-space @ducky-died-inside Masterlist

I might start adding polls to my future posts for yall to vote on if you liked it or not :) just to see what people enjoy/don't enjoy

[minkkumaz]

hello :) I loved your yungyu imagine! i hope it isn’t annoying asking for another one…? maybe the reader is also an idol and she and yungyu do an interview together and flirt with each other ?!

THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT US

dating within the idol industry was strictly forbidden. yet behind the scenes, you and yungyu have something that could only be described as 'a little more than friends.' after he sees you after music bank, he has something to tell you.

PAIRING lee yungyu x fem!reader WC 0.9k TAGS friends to lovers. fluff. mutual pining. OMI NOTE omg anon it is totally not annoying. i am madly in love with yungyu so i feel so happy someone else wants a yungyu request. don't be afraid to send more once my ask box opens up again, i love writing for him. <3 this is a tiny bit different from your ask but i hope you still like it.

when yungyu gave you soft looks from his side of the stage, you tried your best to bite back a smile. music events were your worst enemy, getting to see your cute boy - crush perform with his group and listen to hundreds of fans call out his name. 

but none of them knew anything about the two of you, what happened behind closed doors. he dedicated his ending fairy to you. something sweet that only you guys knew, something sacred that would be forbidden to the public.

it wasn’t a secret that there were strict rules that enforced zero dating in the industry. dating scandals negatively effected the picture perfect image that idols had to maintain. you and yungyu knew that better than anyone, but it couldn’t pry either of you apart.

nobody caught on how close you guys were, not even your companies. yungyu’s group tried tirelessly to help you guys cover up your tracks just to see him happy. their bond was truly unbreakable and you somewhat envied that. it was difficult to hang around the group in public as a whole without problems arising. 

this was the sad part of being a soloist, not having a group to rely on that could help you with your stupid relationship issues. yet he was always there to be your comfort, your home. 

somewhere behind the scenes, when he saw you for the first time he almost fell in love. you’d never forget when seungheon told you how hard he worked to give you a good stage. since then it became history.

hanging out whenever you could, accidentally falling asleep on his shoulder and waking up to a pitch black practice room at four in the morning. 

it was sappy moments like those that you clung onto, memories that rested inside the company building. especially when you had to make a sneaky escape from his personal office room. there wasn’t a label on things, however, so sometimes you felt confused.

so like every other day, not being able to cheer as loudly for your closest friend, you held back. the event ended after everyone finished with their performances and awards were given out. since you were the honorable mc alongside two others, you stepped aside to a room where you were meant to  interview them.

they piled in, and you tried to avoid eye contact with yungyu as not to raise suspicion, bowing a little lower than usual because of this.

“let’s welcome rookie group, 8turn, back from their comeback stage!” your  told the camera whilst your partner clapped lightly, “say hello!”

“whose turn? 8turn! hello we are 8turn!" they introduced happily.

“how do you guys feel finally being able to perform your first comeback?” your partner asked.

“all of us have definitely worked very hard towards this, and we’re glad to show everything to our turnings!” jaeyun told, earning nods from all the other boys.

“well i would love to know who your guys biggest inspiration was during these times!” you looked as jaeyun passed the mic over to yungyu.

“my biggest inspiration recently has been my closest friend outside of all of this. she– they. yes they have always been so kind and um,” he pauses, “i really enjoy being around them, and they’re always making me feel like my best so i really appreciate them for that.”

while the other mc is clapping, you blush profusely. there was the assumption there that he was talking about you, the chances weren’t zero. it was one of the riskiest things he’s done, especially that slip up.

“ahm– i’m glad you find such inspiration in your friends! you guys have worked very hard. 8turn fighting!” you stuttered out.

the cameras dropped and you quickly bowed before turning away from the boys. the day had run long and you needed some fresh air after their interview. 

you walked off into the hall and grabbed a soft drink from the vending machine before sitting yourself on the stairs. cracking open the tap, you took a sip. there were quiet footsteps in the distance that grew louder, you paid it no mind.

“y/n!” a voice said, who you easily were able to recognize as yungyu's.

“yungyu, what are you doing here shouldn’t you be with you group?” you questioned him as he sat down next to you on the stairs.

“yeah but they let me come find you.” he paused, “you know i was talking about you during the interview right?”

“you were?”

“of course i was! how could i not? you really have been my biggest inspiration ever since i met you.” he admit, letting his hand slightly graze over yours. 

“thank you.. but we can’t be this close while we are in public yungyu, we’ll get hell from the company.” you tried to move your hand away but he was quicker to intertwine your fingers.

“y/n this is so stupid. i really really like you and i hate hiding this. you don’t think they’d maybe be a little bit supportive?”

“wait hold on let’s back track for a second, you like me?” the shock on your face made him laugh.

“oh my gosh you seriously didn’t know i liked you?”

“i thought it was one sided this whole time i feel so stupid!” you pout.

“you’re so cute, i can’t believe you didn’t realize.” he smiled at you, turning your head to face him slightly. the touch made you turn red.

“soo.. what now?” you mumbled

“something something, maybe we kiss.” 

your lips parted slightly as your eyes went wide, making him smile even bigger. he leaned into you and left a small tap on your lips.

“you better hope we don’t get caught you idiot.”

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