#i want to say more without sounding like a weird little shit but. too late now

[outlying-hyppocrate]

fuck you i'm going to exclusively post about lobster twinkovic now

[enhaheeseung]

SLEEP 🕒 - L. Heeseung

🕒Pairing: Heeseung X fem reader!

🕒Warnings: smut, mutual masturbation, cursing.

🕒Synopsis: it’s late, and you can’t sleep, but luckily, your best friend knows just the trick to help you out.

🕒Wc: 1,5k (Drabble)

-

Sighing to yourself, you set your phone down on the lamp stand after you noticed it was literally three in the morning.

You and your best friend had been watching movies talking and hanging out since ten and you hadn’t even noticed the time till now.

“You sleepy?” He turned to you just in time to catch you rubbing your strained eyes.

“Yes, it’s like three am, hee,” you groggily reply, turning on your left side facing away from him.

“Oh shit, you’re right. I’m sorry,” he chuckled. You could tell he was just as tired by how deep his voice had gotten.

“It's alright.” He set his phone aside as well and leaned up against the headboard.

“I guess I better get going.” On cue, he lets out a yawn.

“Are you crazy? It’s so late out you might as well just spend the night” you mumble out.

He rubbed his chin in thought; he was really tired, and driving probably wasn’t the best idea right now. “I didn’t bring anything for a sleepover.”

“Just wear whatever,” you respond, on the verge of passing out.

You feel a dip in the bed and hear him shuffling around. He takes off his pants and his flannel before he slips under the covers with you.

For most, it’d probably seem weird, a guy and a girl sleeping in the same bed, but the number of times you both knocked out together while studying during your high school and college days made this one of the most normal things between you two. “Goodnight, y/n. I might be gone before you wake up.”

“Just make sure to lock the door in the morning night, hee,” you whispered, turning off your lamp while he did the same after you.

You readjusted to get comfortable and pressed your cheek against your pillow, waiting for sleep to come over you.

Ten minutes passed, and sleep never came. You were tired, but for some reason, you just couldn’t fall asleep.

“Ugh,” you groaned and quickly cupped your mouth so you wouldn’t wake heeseung up with the racket.

Little did you know he was still wide awake.

“Y/n?” He asks, followed by a beat of silence. “You’re still up too?” He says with a hint of amusement in his tone. At least he wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping.

“Yes,” you laid flat on your back, copying his resting position. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m tired, but I just can’t seem to sleep,” you respond in the pitch-black bedroom.

“Same,” he sighs, folding his arms over his chest.

You both lay there in silence for a few minutes until he says something that completely catches you off guard.

“I read that having an orgasm can help you fall asleep,” he says casually.

You giggle and push his shoulder, or at least you think it was his shoulder. It was so dark you really couldn’t see. “And where did you read that?”

“The internet, of course, says it has something to do with the release of oxytocin or some shit” he lets out an airy laugh putting his hands behind his head.

“Interesting,” you hum.

“It is, works like a charm for me,” he says through a yawn.

“TMI”

“Oh please, we’ve talked about so much shit that this is PG,” he scoffs.

“Yeah, but not you touching yourself.” You cringe as the words leave your mouth.

“I didn’t say anything like that. All I said was it works,” he shrugs even though you can’t see him.

“Whatever,” you say, too tired to argue with him.

It’s silent again, and the idea he mentioned sounds a lot more appealing than laying here all night without getting any sleep.

But you can’t necessarily try out this little theory of his with him in your room, so that idea was out the window.

“You still up?” He checks on you a minute later, and you hum in response. “I mean, I could give you one if you want,” he holds in his laugh, knowing that you’re about to chastise him.

“Lee heeseung, stop it this instant,” you tell him sternly.

“Okay, okay, just thought I’d ask. I’m your bestie, and besties look out for each other, right?” He continues to push your little buttons.

“Yeah, by giving a shoulder to cry on, not giving each other orgasms,” you huff out a breath.

A thought popped into your head: you weren’t getting any sleep anytime soon, and since he wanted to mess with you, two could play that game. “I mean, you could,” the words leave your mouth in a nonchalant manner.

He gasped, not expecting you to match his humor. Most times, you didn’t when it came to something sexual. “Knock it off. It’s weird when you joke about it,” he laughs.

“Who said I’m joking?” You taunt.

“Cause the y/n I know would never,” he says confidently, thinking he knows you like the back of his hand, and normally he does, but just not when you’re sleep-deprived.

“What about the y/n who’s in desperate need of sleep and will do anything just to catch a few hours before work in the morning?”

His ears are perked up now, the soft, sultry tone of your voice alerting him instantly. “You’re really not joking, are you?”

“Do I sound like I’m joking?” You shift closer to him, and he feels your body heat right away, making his heart beat faster in his chest.

“I-I y/n, if you’re joking, just tell me.” his voice shakes a little, the slightest hint of a whimper traveling close behind his words.

Calling it quits with talking, you find his hand in the dark and grip his wrist, guiding him right between your legs. “Hee, I’d never joke about this,” you gasped as his warm hand cups over your mound.

“Fuck” he whispers and props himself on his side, slowly gliding his hand between your legs. “You really are serious, huh?” His voice sounds even huskier than it did before as he confidently presses your clit over your sleep shorts.

“Yes, hee,” you whine, desperation dripping from your voice as you clench your thighs around his hand, keeping it firmly nestled against you.

“Shit, okay, turn over for me” You get back in your original position, your back now pressed against his chest, his crotch a few inches away from your backside. “Now close your eyes.” his hot breath tickles your ear.

You do as he says, too tired to even think twice about what you’re getting ready to engage in with your best friend.

His two middle fingers rub circles on your clit, working you up quicker than you could have ever imagined. You’re already leaking a bit of precum.

“Mmm,” you moan softly. His fingers felt so good, especially when he slipped them further down, teasing your entrance while his palm rubbed your clit.

Your hand caressed the one that was between your legs, tracing the veins along the back of his hand. “Does that feel good?” He swallowed thickly, his lower body pressing against you unintentionally.

“Yes, hee, so good” he humps your backside, his swollen cock being stimulated by the softness of your plush bottom.

“Yeah, so good,” he whispers in your ear. You feel so good you don’t even notice the way he ruts against you, the movement of his hips forcing your waist to roll against his palm more, bringing you even more satisfaction.

“I’m so close, hee, I’m gonna cum” you cry out, body shuddering as the warmth and pleasure builds in your lower region.

“Shhh, I know, I know,” he breathes out heavily, placing a soft kiss on your cheek and a few more rolls of his hips. You’re both coming undone together, panting exhaustedly.

He rubs you through it, whispering encouraging words in your ear like. “Yeah, feels so good, doesn’t it?” “Let it all out,” “Keep cumming” “That’s it.”

The pleasure goes on for so long that another orgasm follows after giving you the most intense pleasure you’ve ever experienced. “Hee,” you whimper his name, your body trembling against his as you shudder in the aftermath of cumming back to back.

He nuzzles against you, cuddling you and helping you ground yourself until you catch your breath.

He’s still struggling to calm himself with how hard he just came. He hasn’t cum that fast and that much in a while. “Was that good?” He asked timidly into your hair, releasing a deep breath.

“Mmm,” you moan in response, your eyelids finally feeling so heavy that you can barely open them.

But you couldn’t forget about heeseung, so you flipped over on your side, your forehead touching his. “What about you?” You slowly reach into his boxers, gripping the base of his length, feeling a good amount of wetness covering his shaft.

“Ahh, s-sensitive,” he moans shakily.

You retract your hand right away. “Did you-“ he cuts you off, nodding against your forehead, and you slowly pull your hand out of his underwear.

“I’m good,” he assures you. “Let’s sleep now yeah? We’ll clean up in the morning” his words sound slurred and you can barely even understand what he’s saying cause you’re so tired.

Apparently, whatever he read about orgasms was true cause you’ve never fallen asleep faster.

-

Thanks for reading likes comments and reblogs are always appreciated sorry for any typos or errors I hope you all have a good day/night♥️

[byooregard]

iwtv universe dashboard simulator

girlmand reblogged

😶‍🌫️gaysexinthecity Follow

not saying vampires are real but i think Daniel Molloy gets way too much shit . like if i was a pulitzer prize winning journalist in my seventies and some guy called me and was like im a vampire want an interview i wouldn't hesitate either. fuck man sure tell me about being a vampire. i'll believe you

🎆 magical-swiftie

reading Interview with the Vampire rn and Claudia and Madeline are sooo Long Face core

#now that i think of it a lot of tvl's songs fit this book really well #like #'she gave me life I gave her death'??? # that's so them!!!

🏞️ girlblogg1ng

btw if you're still listening to the vampire lestat, unfollow me now. and like, seriously consider why you're giving plays to a guy who appropriates ancient egyptian history for his vampire schtick, it's honestly sickening

#the vampire lestat #tvl #maintagging because people need to see this honestly #.txt

🌄sampire

keep seeing ppl try to cancel tvl for things hes said to his fans or how he talks about ancient egyptian mythology and not that song where he talks about fucking his mother. like im not crazy right he wrote a whole song about how he fucked his mother

💟 stingorarr

"we are your children/but what do you give us/is your silence/a better gift than the truth?" sounds like it should be some ancient Greek poetry but it's literally in a song by the vampire lestat!!!

it just hits so hard... like your parents gave you nothing but maybe the truth would be more unbearable than silence...

#tvl #the vampire lestat #twmbk #those who must be kept

sampire reblogged danielmxllxy

🌫️ beatlesrpf Follow

please tell me you guys arent serious about the vampire lestat. please tell me youre not stanning a man who wrote "im an actor in my makeup, i get fatter when we break up"

#guys please #this is worse than the tortured poets department

🤖 carrieblogging Follow

Based on your likes!

Hey, Tumblr, I need a little help here?

So, my best friend has been acting a little weird lately. Like, his sleep schedule has gotten really strange (stranger than normal 😅), and I haven't seen him without sunglasses on in a week?

His diet has changed, too, like he used to always be snacking whenever I'd call him, but now he doesn't eat anything that I can see.

He even cancelled our tickets to ComicCon!! I've been waiting to meet up with him for years, and now he's just bailed on me?!? I'm mad, but honestly more worried than anything....

#carrie speaks

🌌 marbellina124

guys I think I've found the vampire Armand at the MET 😏😂

#it doesn't match the dates from the book so like #yeah #but imagine.... #parisian mutuals you have a power that can be used

interview-with-the-glampire reblogged wormyworms

🪱 wormyworms Follow

mmm tbh the only reason i *don't* believe vampires are real is because if *i* was interviewing two vampires to write a book about their life? i would not be leaving that house without their fangs in my neck and eternal life. just saying

🌇 interview-with-the-glampire

understandable but have you considered. if I went to interview two vampires and got immortality and vampire sex out of that deal I wouldn't go around letting everyone know :/

danielmxllxy reblogged sampire

🌌 marbellina124

so were all in agreement he fucked that vampire right

#oh I think he fucked AT LEAST two of those vampires #iwtv #rb

[r0tting-rat]

DCA PROMPTOBER 2024

Attention! This slasher!au belong to the lovely @wyervan, who gave me the okay to write a little drabble about their murderous guys bc I'm simply obsessed with them. I hope I did them justice :>

Day 27 - Stalker

Pairing: Slasher!Sun and Moon x/& GN reader Warning: Blood, violence and gore, choking, drug mention Words: 3800+ Summary: It's Halloween and someone stops by to pay you a visit <3

Whoever said that serial killers are the real monsters of this world has probably never worked a minimum wage job at a diner during Halloween. Teenagers were a fucking pain, there was nothing to say about it. Between stupid pranks and annoying messes, they seemed to try and find every possible way to make your living life hell, like you were some kind of lifeless mannequin and not a waiter.

You often had the closing shift during the weekends, along with a coworker of yours, who was as insufferable and as bothersome as some of the teenagers who’d come in during the day. Jake was a douche, there wasn’t much to say; he was immature and lazy, multiple times he had found ways to shove his workload on you and other people, his cigarette breaks lasted longer than your lunch and he would flirt with every woman under 20 that would cross the threshold of the diner. You and he often worked the closing shift together, which meant you cleaned the kitchen and the tables as Jake called his girlfriend on his flip phone while mindlessly sweeping the floor, only managing to move dust bunnies and used napkins from one place to the other.

You heard his voice loud and clear from the kitchen, complaining about some guy who owed him money, when your ears suddenly picked up something you regretted hearing.

-Stop worrying about it, there’s no risk of him telling the cops, he’d get into a lot more trouble than me,- he laughed, -He’s addicted to that shit, he wouldn’t survive a week without me.-

You had heard from a coworker that Jake sold drugs to highschoolers, but you weren’t the type to believe rumors without any proof, so you had never cared much about it. Your eyes glanced up from the grill you were cleaning to see if Jake had noticed you listening in on his private conversation, but the man was too engrossed into pretending to do his job to notice you. You didn’t want to have anything to do with Jake’s deals, you wanted to keep out of his life as much as you didn’t want him to become a part of yours.

Suddenly, someone began knocking on the glass door of the bar, making it rattle loudly and echo through the small diner. You stopped and waited, until a second, louder knock startled you. Jake wasn’t going to open, was he?

You peeked out of the kitchen, looking for your coworker, but he must have disappeared somewhere in the back because you couldn’t see him anywhere in the dining area. He had left the broom behind, of course. 

Looking outside the diner and into the dark parking lot, you saw a tall man standing right in front of the door with a weird jester costume, waiting for someone to open the door for him. He was wearing red and yellow puffy striped pants, a yellow top with red ruffles, and a weird Halloween mask over his face—a white and golden smiling sun, with a crown of golden rays all around.

As soon as the man saw you he stopped slowly swaying on the spot, freezing, and his head tilted to the side in confusion. You had expected teenagers to come and bother you so late, considering it was the 31st, but a grown ass man wearing such a stupid costume? That was simply ridiculous. You tapped the sign on your side of the glass which read “CLOSED” in bold and red letters, but that seemed to not be enough for the clown.

-We don’t do trick or treating here,- you said, speaking loud enough so he could hear you from outside, -If you want candies how about knocking at the door of a house or something?-

The man’s shoulders shook with laughter, but you didn’t hear any sound coming from him, so you simply sighed and turned back towards the kitchen. You wanted to go home, drink something warm, and do a rewatch of the Scream trilogy, nothing else. Why couldn’t that asshole do the same?

The masked man slammed his hand on the glass, making you jump and turn back around, then he pointed towards the broom laying on the floor a few feet away from you. Something clicked in your head, and you stared at him with your mouth agape.

-Wait, are you here for Jake? Are you one of his friends or something?- you asked, and after a moment of hesitation, the man nodded eagerly. You gave him a better look, noticing exactly how much taller than you he was and his lean build—he didn’t fit the depiction of Jake’s clients. Most of them were highschoolers, as far as you were aware.

-Listen, I can’t let you in, but we’re almost closed, so you just wait a couple of minutes and he’s all yours,- you told the man, who gave you a grateful nod followed by a step back into the parking lot. Despite that, that guy unnerved you deeply, he was weird and creepy, and you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

You decided you could tell Jake to go home and leave you the rest of the work—which you would have ended up doing even if he stayed there—just so you could get rid of the masked loser outside, but when you called his name, you didn’t hear any answer. You walked in the back of the diner, checking even the kitchen to make sure he wasn’t eating any of the leftover fries, but your coworker had disappeared into thin air. 

During your search you found the staff door wide open, letting in the cold night breeze, and when you tried to close it you found that the handle wasn’t working properly anymore. Every time you pushed it closed, the door would creak open once more.

-What the fuck…?-

A sudden sound made you jump out of your skin and turn around in search of the cause, finding only the silence of the dark diner answering back. You were getting uneasy, on edge, and you couldn’t stop thinking about the weirdo right outside the door. Right as you had begun to wonder if he had found a way to get in, a hand grabbed your shoulder and you screamed.

-Jesus, fuck!- yelled Jake as you flinched away from him, -What the hell is wrong with you?!-

Your heart was beating so loud you could hear it in your chest, hammering against your sternum like a drum, but when you saw your coworker standing right behind you, you sighed and relaxed.

-You scared me!- You shoved the man away, annoyed, and he reacted by looking at you like you had gotten crazy. -Go tell your stupid friend to leave, he’s creeping me out.-

-Who are you talking about?- he asked, and you rolled your eyes.

-Sun dude, with the mask and clown outfit? Doesn’t that ring a bell? He’s waiting for you outside.-

Jake’s brown furrowed in confusion, then he pushed you away to enter back into the dining area, where you had seen the masked guy. He looked outside, walking towards the glass windows that gave a clear view of the parking lot, which revealed to be completely empty. Jake turned around to glare at you like you had set your pants on fire. 

-Did you take something? Some shrooms?- he asked, and you sighed.

-No, he probably just left. That’s his van, I’m sure, it wasn’t there an hour ago.- You pointed at a white van parked not too far from the door in the parking lot. -Do you recognize it?-

Jake shook his head, still visibly confused by your behavior, and from his stance you could tell that he was also growing tense. His hands were fidgeting and his eyes were scanning the parking lot like a police car was about to pull up and arrest him any minute, but in the end he scoffed. 

-Nah. Whatever, I’m going home,- he said, walking away from the window, -I’m not in the mood for this stuff.-

-I’m serious, there was a guy there!- you replied, but the man didn’t listen, -Also, next time close the door behind you after you go out for a smoke.-

-I haven’t smoked in 3 hours,- Jake retorted, -What are you talking about now?-

-So you didn’t open the back door?- you asked after a pause, feeling a sense of chill spread in your guts, creeping up into your lungs and blocking your airway, -But it’s…?-

The door had been broken. From the outside. Someone had gotten in, and you didn’t even hear it, neither of you did. You and Jake seemed to realize the same thing at the same time, but just as you bolted towards your bag and grabbed your phone, which you had left behind the counter, Jake ran for the main door, slamming it open in a rush. 

-Wait, don’t!- you screamed, but the man didn’t listen to you and headed to his car, which was parked in a far corner of the parking lot. Before he could take more than two steps, the white van rumbled to life, pointing its headlights at him and blinding him in the process. 

-Come back inside!- you screamed, and luckily this time Jake seemed to be willing to listen to you, because as soon as he realized he was about to get run over, he threw himself back into the diner. You grabbed him by one of his wrists and dragged him with you in the kitchen, your only safe space for now. 

The kitchen wasn’t that big; the diner you worked at was just a small local business that had just enough seats for the small population of your town, therefore, there weren’t many places to hide. 

-What the fuck is happening?!- screamed Jake in a panic, but you shushed him, beginning to type the police’s number until a humming sound made you freeze on the spot, -Why did you stop?! We need to…-

-Down!- you hissed, ducking behind one of the grills and bringing Jake down with you, right as light steps echoed in the dining area which you had just left. You listened carefully, kneeling on the cold floor of the kitchen with Jake shaking beside you, one of your hands coming up to cover his mouth. 

Your ears picked on a masculine voice singing something reminding you of a lullaby, slow and gentle, melodic and raspy at the same time. The intruder was singing without a care in the world, entering the kitchen just to stop right on the threshold, lingering on the spot. You peeked your head out from the side of the fryer, trying to get a look at the man but only managing to see a pair of black boots and blue puffy pants covered in stars before your eye was caught by the hatchet he was holding in his gloved hand. Old, rusty, and clipped in many places around the edge, the weapon looked decades old, if not more. You saw the man swinging it mindlessly around, like he was playing with it, still humming that low tune with his deep voice. 

-Someone’s hiding,- he sang, mocking, -Someone’s scared!-

Struggling to keep yourself from making a sound, you hid back behind the fryer, hoping to the heavens that Jake wasn’t about to panic and rat you both out. You sent him a warning glare, but the man was too worried about stopping his hands from trembling to even look in your direction. 

-Which little mouse will have its tail chopped off today, mh?- asked the intruder, beginning to walk slowly around the kitchen, -I heard someone has been behaving badly recently. The Sun told me someone was being naughty…-

Pots and pans were knocked down from the counters, making you flinch and cover your own mouth in fear of letting a sound slip out, and with the corner of your eye, you saw Jake begin crying. 

-Isn’t that right, Jake?- the psycho laughed, beginning to move once more, -Did the Sun lie, or are you actually misbehaving?-

You grabbed one of your coworker’s hands and began to crawl away, forcing him to come along, attempting to get on the other side before you could be seen. 

-Come out, come out, Jake, we just wanna play a game with you.- The man faked disappointment, opening any cabinet big enough to contain a human and making a mess of the kitchen around him as an attempt to drive you out of hiding. A metal lid rolled all the way in front of you, stopping right in your tracks, but being too focused on trying to understand how far the intruder was, you didn’t see it, and you hit it with one of your hands, sending it against the wall with a clang.

-Shit!- you said, standing back up, -Run!-

-There you are!- screamed the intruder, immediately running after you and Jake as you scrambled up on your feet and did everything you could to get away. 

You went back into the dining area, attempting an escape through the broken back door, but just as you turned the corner you found the sun-masked man standing in your way with a metal bat in his hands. While trying to step away from him and avoid his first swing directly aimed at your head, you tripped onto Jake, falling on him and causing both of you to ruin on the ground, hitting your head against the wall in the process. Breathing heavily, you managed to back yourself into a corner, unable to see through the heavy cloud of pain blossoming in your skull as warm liquid dripped down your neck, soaking your work uniform and making you dizzy. Your every breath was painful, your throat and mouth burned dry and your heart was beating out of your chest, deafening you entirely to the screams of your coworker being slammed against the wall beside you by the man with the hatchet. You were barely conscious, enough to distinguish the sun mask kneeling in front of you to observe you better as a crunch echoed through the diner, final in the way it made Jake’s protests and cries come to an abrupt stop.

Blood began to pool on the floor next to you, dripping down the wall where the killer’s hatchet had split open his skull, and the metallic scent hit your senses like a punch in the guts. You suddenly awakened, gasping for air like a starving man, and immediately you flinched when the sun mask leaned closer to your face. You couldn’t suppress the tears pushing out of your ducts, streaming down your face in rivers, and you hiccupped when, during your struggle to push yourself back up, you slipped on the blood with your palms and found yourself face-first in it. 

The murderer with the hatchet, who was wearing a moon-themed mask and a costume matching the other maniac, let go of Jake’s body and let it slide down the wall into a sitting position right beside you, making you scream and stumble back into your corner. 

-Please don’t kill me!- you begged, out of your mind with fear, -P-Please, please, I beg you, please d-don’t kill me, I didn’t do anything w-wrong, I didn’t…-

-Oh, we know, sweetie,- cooed the sun mask, his amused voice so sickly sweet it made you want to gag, -We believe you!- 

You couldn’t understand what was happening anymore. Were you in danger? Were they going to kill you as well? Why did they kill Jake in the first place? You were going mad and couldn’t even bring yourself to think, all you wanted to do was go home and huddle yourself into a warm nest of blankets. You wanted to wake up and find that the horrifying reality you were living in was actually nothing more than a horror film-induced nightmare. 

-We believe you, really,- the sun’s voice came down to a docile whisper as one of his gloved hands brushed against your cheek, making you whine and attempt to curl away from his touch. The gloved fingers were cold—so cold. You wanted to puke. -But I’m afraid we can’t let you go away so easily after seeing what happened here.-

His thumb brushed over your parted lips, spreading a drop of blood like it was a gloss, tinting your lips of a deep crimson color, until his finger pressed on the other side of your jaw. You looked up at the man, wide-eyed, as his other huge hand also wrapped around your throat and slowly began to crush your windpipe with his strength. 

-Too bad,- commented the moon-masked man as he began to lean closer. His entire “face”, chest and arms were covered by blood and brain matter, dark and gooey, drenching his white and black top with it, -Would have loved to play a little game with you, just to pass the time, you know? Unfortunately, we still have morals.-

-Yeah,- laughed the sun, -We don’t go for innocent people usually—not unless they give us a reason to dispose of them, of course. Nothing personal, ‘kay? No hard feelings between us?-

You were choking, flailing your hands around while trying to pry his fingers off and scratching yourself in the process, and as your face began to turn red and your vision began to get spotty, your eyes ran from a masked man to the other, hoping at least one of them would have mercy on you.

-Unless,- whispered the moon to his companion, admiring the beautiful way your unconscious body lost all its strength and fell unresponsive on the ground—still far from death, as shown by the slow rise of your chest, -Unless we let this one leave to tell the tale.-

-There’s no tale, Moon,- replied Sun, sending his friend a glare while also parting his hands from your throat. In a few seconds you were probably going to regain consciousness, so he stood up and aimed his bat at your head, -We already talked about this, leaving witnesses is out of the picture. Also, do you mind doing this for me? I already got blood on my gloves, and you know how much I hate finishing them off.-

-But think better about it!- spoke Moon, leaning against the wall, knowing that Sun was not going to give you the final blow himself, -Everyone is town is already aware there’s a pair of fuckers going around killing people, but don’t you think it would make our job much easier if people really started to fear us?-

Sun let go of the bat just to stare at his companion, speechless, like he couldn’t believe the words the other man had said. 

-No, I actually think that would make our job much more difficult,- he said, and Moon scoffed, -People will begin to think we are merciful, which could not be more far from the truth.- 

-I think it would actually show everyone in this city how things work.- Moon put down his hatchet and crossed his arms over his chest, showing Sun that he was actually completely serious. -Innocents will be allowed mercy, while rulebreakers will receive the chop-chop treatment.-

Sun sighed, running one of his gloved hands through his blonde hair in exasperation. 

-First of all, don’t call murdering people “the chop-chop treatment”, that’s weird. Second, you already killed innocents before, so what’s so different now? Third, do you actually believe people will understand?- It was clear, he still didn’t trust Moon’s plan, but Sun never listened to any plan that wasn’t his own, so that didn’t count. 

-They will, if you allow them to live and warn them,- Moon nodded towards your limp body, -Also, the other times it was an accident, okay? Not everything can always go according to plan!-

You were beginning to regain consciousness, groaning on the floor and gasping for air.

-Shit, they’re awake!- Sun said, -Kill them!-

-No, we’re leaving them behind,- insisted Moon, grabbing his friend’s wrist and pulling him away from you, -Trust me just this once, it’ll work out in our favor.- 

Sun was hesitating, looking at you, slowly waking up, then at his companion. He couldn’t figure out the best course of action, so he just groaned and let himself be dragged away. 

-Alright, just this once!- he allowed, -Consider this a treat, Moon, because it won’t happen ever again!-

The duo left through the broken back door, walking into the dark parking lot and looking around for any car or passerby in sight, while you blinked your eyes open on the bloodied floor of the diner where you were mindlessly taking orders and serving customers just a few hours prior. Your whole body was in pain, your arms felt heavy and sore, while your throat felt like it had been rubbed with sandpaper both on the inside and on the outside. You finally managed to completely open your eyes and stare at the ceiling, still not believing that you were still alive. What had convinced the two killers to spare you? Which one had mellowed the other into showing mercy? You couldn’t say, there were too many things you couldn’t explain to yourself, but as you turned your head around to look at Jake’s lifeless body next to you, your eyes came to an halt on his chest, where the moon—his killer—had left a plastic bag containing a bunch of colorful pills. For a second you felt dazed, until you understood that the two clowns were leaving a clear message. They didn’t like the idea of people selling drugs to highschoolers, and that was probably the same reason why you were left alive, unscathed except for the blossoming bruises the sun’s hands had left on your neck, red and angry against your skin. They had spared you because you hadn’t hurt anyone;  that explained the words the moon guy had told Jake in the kitchen and why you were still allowed to breathe, but it didn’t excuse the viciousness behind the duo’s actions.

The blood around you was expanding, soaking your hair and work shirt as well, and for some reason your first thought was that it felt incredibly warm, like there was some possibility that Jake was still breathing beside you, like his heart could still be pumping blood in his veins, like you could turn around and see him alive and well. Of course, that wasn’t the case.

You had been graced with life, and that night, on the unswept and bloody floor of a diner, you decided you were going to do everything in your power to keep things that way, in case the astral duo ever changed their minds and came back for you. They had spared you once, and you weren’t going to give them a reason to take that gift back.

[billyloomiswhore4]

Crazy for you - Chapter Three

Billy Loomis and Stu Macher x Reader (Billy Centric for now.)

A/N: my writing skills are progressing the more and more i write this story, and the more we get into the story the more and more it gets into Billy and Stu’s fucked up ness, just a fair warning it will get pretty intense in later chapters because this is a kinda fucked story (it is scream after all) but still comment what you like about it and send me any questions or things you want to see in the story in my requests

Warnings: invasion of privacy, reader is fucked up, slight billy x stu (it’s implied that they jerk off together lol.), mention of masturbation, violence, in depth talk of my version of Billy’s past, talk of gutting things, 

-

Tatum drove you home rather quickly, taking notice of your nervousness. She pulls up at your house, but when you reach for the door handle, she presses the lock button. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened with Billy?” She questions, staring at you. 

“Nothing, he was just acting weird.” You sigh quietly, “He was really drunk.” 

“Did he do something to make you uncomfortable?” She’s asking too many questions, and you don’t want her to tell Sydney so you just smile at her softly.

“Thanks for worrying about me but I’m fine, goodnight.” You unlock the door and get out of the car before she can even question you. 

She stares after you, watching as you enter your house before pulling out of your driveway and going home. 

You spend the rest of the night sitting on your couch watching random reruns. You stand from the couch around twelve-thirty, and walk towards the stairs. You’re halfway up the stairs when the landline starts ringing. You huff, walking back down the stairs and to the kitchen. 

“What’s up?” It wasn’t unusual for Stu to call you late at night so you just assumed it was him. 

“Hello.” A voice you don’t recognize sounds through the phone. 

“Who is this?” 

“You tell me your name, I’ll tell you mine.” The voice teases, assuming you’ll just hang up. 

“My name’s Y/n. Now you have to tell me yours.” You smile.

Outside your house, Billy practically facepalms.Why the hell would you tell him your name? What he didn’t know was that you were ecstatic, hoping that this modulated voice was the man who’d been killing people all over woodsborough. You weren’t as dumb as you seemed, just curious and kind of obsessed. 

“Hello?” You say, hoping you didn’t scare whoever it was off by being too strange. 

“Yeah princess?” Your insides flutter at the nickname. What is wrong with me? You think.

“What are you doing?”

“Watching you.” He was hoping to see the usual fear strike across your face, but it didn’t come. 

“Oh…okay.” You were suddenly quiet. 

“What’s the matter, baby?” He doesn’t miss the way you try to subtly rub your thighs together. 

“Nothing!” You abruptly hang up the phone and run up the stairs to your room. He lets out a frustrated sigh, that wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for. He wanted you to scream, maybe even cry. 

He was hoping to play with you a little, just enough to satiate his violent urges, but not enough to fuck up the plan.

“What are you doing out here?” A voice says behind him. He jumps, turning around. He’s met with Stu, standing there in his usual attire. 

“Nothing.” Billy attempts to move past him, brushing shoulders with him. But Stu grabs his arm, pulling Billy to face him. 

“So why are you dressed in the costume, and standing outside her house?” 

“I was just messing with her, Stu. That’s all.” he says and then mumbles, “It didn’t work very well.” 

“Yeah probably because she’s got the hots for ghostface.”

Billy looks up from the ground, “What?”

“Look man, I was gonna tell you sooner but I was worried it would drive your psycho ass over the edge.” Billy looks at him, seemingly offended. “I’m not on edge.” 

“You can’t even be alone with her for five minutes without losing your shit.” Stu crosses his arms across his chest. “Let's get out of her yard and we’ll talk about this back at my place, Okay?” 

“Fine.” 

— 

“What did you mean?” Stu and Billy are sitting on Stu’s bed, leaning against the headboard.

“When I missed school last wednesday, I wasn’t really sick. I snuck into her room to do the usual snooping and jacking off but instead I found her diary.”

Billy jerks up at this, turning towards Stu. “what’d it say? Did it say anything about me?”

“Why don’t you read it for yourself?” Stu holds up the pink book, and Billy snatches it out of his hands. 

“When’d you snag it?” 

“While you were on the phone with her, so there better be some fresh stuff in there.” 

Billy opens it the day after he and Stu killed Casey Becker, and starts reading. 

‘Dear Diary, right now it’s 11pm and I can’t sleep. After what happened to Casey that’s to be expected but honestly it’s not because I'm scared. It’s because I can’t stop thinking about how they found her. She was strung up in a tree, with her insides hanging out. Alex Marrier somehow got his hands on a picture of her, he didn’t go into detail about how he got it but I didn’t care. He showed it to me and immediately, my fucked u brain thought, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ I don’t know what’s wrong with me but when I think about how someone could have done that to her, all I can think about is how they would treat me. Would they fuck me up like they did her? It makes me all warm inside and I’m not sure why.’ 

He finishes reading that page and then turns to the most recent one. 

‘Dear diary, I’m thinking about it again. The news said the killer was seen wearing a costume, something like a ghost screaming as a mask, and black robes. It’s stuck in my head, I want the killer, whoever he is, to come into my room and take me away while I’m sleeping. I want him to have his way with me, whether that means torture me or fuck me, i don’t care. His work is borderline artistic and a straight up masterpiece. I’m sure of what I want, but I’m not sure how to get it.’ 

He stops reading at that, and he’s half hard already.  

“Fuck.” Billy mutters, raising his knee to hide his hard on from Stu. 

“Literally, she’s totally fucked up.” Stu laughs, “And dude you don’t have to hide that you're hard.”

Billy makes a sound, almost like a groan, and leans back putting his hands over his face. “Don’t say that. Don’t talk about it.” 

Stu laughs again and they sit in silence for a moment before Stu says, “Hey, do you wanna watch Blood Feast and jack off,”

“You just wanna watch me jack off to gore.” 

Stu laughs again.

—

You spent that night with your fingers buried in your cunt, cumming over and over again until you were satiated.  

The next morning you wake up sore, and exhausted. You take a shower, and get dressed. When you go outside, Sidney and Tatum are waiting for you in her bright red car. You step into the backseat and are immediately bombarded with questions from Sidney. 

“Have you heard from Billy? What happened last night? Did he do something?” Of course Tatum told her, she's her best friend. You sigh.

“No I haven’t heard from him, and nothing happened, he just got really drunk.” You clarify, and Sidney huffs. It seems like recently she’s been looking for any reason to break up with him. 

She talks about him a lot, mostly about how distant he’s getting. She says that they used to hang out everyday but now she’s only with him once or twice a week. She complains about it a lot, and it makes you kind of angry. Billy and Stu are your friends, well you aren’t very close with Billy but you and Stu are basically joint at the hip. 

By the time you get to the school, you’ve had all the Tatum and Sidney you can handle for the morning. It’s not that you don’t like them. No, you love them. It’s just that, together they can be a bit much. 

When you get out of the car, Stu, Randy and a very nervous looking Billy are standing on the sidewalk waiting for you, Tatum and Sidney. There are news vans everywhere, the death of Casey and Steve still fresh on everyone's minds. 

To be fair, Billy thought you would have immediately gone to Sidney about what happened and she would dumb his ass. Which he wouldn’t hate but it would ruin the entire plan. But when Sidney gets out of the car and goes straight to give him a hug, he realizes you didn’t

Although, she definitely would if she knew about the fact that your panties are tucked away in a box underneath his bed, and if she knew the amount of times he’d jerked off with them. But it doesn’t matter because she doesn’t know and she won’t live long enough to find out. 

While he was nervous, he’s now excited because tonight he and Stu are going to call and attack Sidney. The itch underneath his skin, the one he’s had since he was a preteen and he and Stu went on their first hunting trip together, would soon be scratched. He had killed his first animal that day, but it definitely wasn’t the first time he’d hurt someone. When he was younger he’d made it a habit of ‘accidentally’ pushing kids off the playground just to see the fear in their eyes as they fell and listen to the way they’d cry.  The first animal he’d killed was a rabbit, it was small and Stu’s dad was there so he couldn’t gut it like he’d wanted. 

Stu would always go on and on about how amazing it was to gut animals. Billy believed him, and after that first kill he was itching to gut something, but he couldn’t. So when he got back to Stu’s house, they’d snuck up to his room with some rated R movie to watch it and see people get torn apart. 

But when he killed Maureen, it really set him off. He couldn’t get enough. He and Stu had to go on more and more hunting trips, and watch more and more gory movies to satiate himself. 

Sydney says something he doesn’t quite catch, and by now they’ve made it to the doors of the school and He watches as Randy holds the door with a big stupid grin on his face, and you have the audacity to laugh and smile back at him. 

His grip on Sid tightens unintentionally. The group split up to go to their perspective classes and he thinks doesn’t have to see you again until third period. 

But he does. 

—-

taglists: @tzkyo @buzzybee-26 @brazilianneighbour @sammanna @wickedsandwich08 @bdhwiqbwo @roygbivvie @dixxhotgirl2

[piss-pumpkin]

✈️Doppelgängers and distance🌱

Older!Dipper pines x reader, Chapter 24 of Douce amere, ~4.7k words masterlist Prev

At mid morning in late August, the heat was blistering. So when you got to the shack, you were relieved. Even with sunscreen, your shoulders were looking redder than normal. The shack may not have had working air conditioning, but it was at the very least, shady. 

As the shack came in sight, you saw Mabel and Pacifica sitting on the rocking chairs out on the side porch. You grinned. They’d hung out a little more since the mall. You’d been a little busy with… Bill stuff, but they seemed to be doing fine without a wingman. And there was still a little bit of summer left, maybe you could go on a double date, or something.

You started towards them, and their conversation came into focus before their faces. 

“-I just don’t think…” Pacifica said. She paused, and Mabel didn’t fill the silence. “I guess I just don’t see that… working?” She admitted hesitantly.

Okay, well now you were locked in. You slowed down, quieting your footsteps as you got to the corner of the wall to listen. This probably wasn’t your conversation to hear. But whatever. 

Mabel was silent a moment, but you could hear her breathing. “But…” she managed, a sadness weaving into her tone you’d rarely heard. Mabel sighed, “I guess I get it.”

Pacifica sighed, too. Neither of them sounded happy. “You know it’s not that I don’t like you,” she said.

Oh shit. Yeah, you totally should not be listening to this. 

“Yeah, I know,” Mabel said, voice shaking. Oh god. She sniffled. “And I get it, it’s fine.” 

It didn’t sound fine. 

They sat in silence for a moment, and you were glad you were behind the wall if it meant not seeing their faces right now. 

Mabel coughed, clearing her throat, “Maybe next summer?”

Pacifica spoke with a lighter and soft tone, clearly trying to make things better. But she seemed disappointed, her attempt wasn’t working well. “Yeah, maybe,” she sighed. 

You might’ve heard enough. On careful feet, you crept away and back to the main door. Shit was heavy out here. Your first instinct was to go report to somebody… maybe Dipper… what you’d heard. Or maybe to back and pretend not to have heard anything, and ask what’s wrong. But that was definitely not your gossip to tell, and Pacifica and Mabel probably didn’t want to be bothered. Might be why they’re outside away from the family in the first place. 

 You breezed through the door, saying a passing “Hola,” to Soos and Stan as you headed up to the twins room, still thinking about how your friends were sad. Was there anything you could do? You’d have to ask as soon as you saw either of them again. Hard to fix a breakup, though.

Well, it was an idea. You sighed, shaking your arms out as you went up the stairs. Shake out the tension. 

The door to the bedroom was already open, and Dipper was inside, rooting through the drawer of his nightstand, and you smiled. He wore weird clothes you hadn’t seen before; his shirt was green today. In truth, you didn’t know he had more than his usual four shirts, and his sweater. Grinning, you stopped at the top of the stairs, and carefully made the rest of your steps quietly. Maybe he was distracted enough to sneak up on. 

It was lucky the floor didn’t creak under you. Only a few feet away from him, you lunched forward, wrapping your arms around his torso as your face buried in his back. 

He flinched, tensing for a moment before slowly turning around. “Uh,” he started, arms up hesitantly for a moment before carefully hugging you. “Hello.”

You looked up at him grinning.

His eyes were wide, and jaw hung open. In the way the corners of his eyes folded and his lips twisted to fight a confused smile, you worry. His stare was fixed on you, glancing between your eyes, and his arms.

”Uh,” you started, letting go of him and raising your brow. “Do I have something on my face?” 

His face was sweaty. Unusually so, even. Up close it was easy to see. Dipper scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “N-no, you’re fine,” he said. 

You snickered, “heh, I know that.” You shot him a wink, and made a little heart with your fingers to punctuate yourself. 

Dipper blushed, and he stepped one pace away, bumping into the nightstand drawer and knocking a lamp. He whipped around to steady it before shyly looking at you again, brow raised and eyes wide in complete confusion. “Uh,” he said, “Yeah…”

You pursed your lips. He was being weirder than normal. “So, what are you doing?” You asked, being extra casual and nonchalant to balance out the fact that he looked like he might explode. 

He quickly cleared his throat, “Just looking for my wallet.”

”Um, is it not just in your backpack?” You said, sitting on the edge of the bed. That was the last place you saw it, when he brought it with him to Greasy’s diner. You glanced around the floor, scanning for it. “Where is it, anyway? Have you checked in it?”

Dipper lit up, snapping a finger gun at you, “that’s a good idea, but I don’t know where it is. Help me find it?”

Weird that it wasn’t in here, usually he just tossed it by the bed. “Sure, I guess so,” you said, standing up. “Any idea where you put it down?”

He shook his head, and looked around at the floor. “Not… in here?”

What in gods name was he doing? If his bag was in here, he would have seen it forever ago, considering he’d resorted to looking in drawers. His forehead was still sweaty, but at least he was calmer. Though, a nervous look crept onto his face the longer you stared at him without speaking. You shook your head, sighing, and gesturing at the door. “No, not in here, Dipshit,” you sighed.

He swallowed, and started for the door with a nod. 

When he opened it, his backpack was on the other side. Oddly enough, the backpack happened to be hanging on Dippers shoulders, who was glancing between you and… Dipper, with a hand still outstretched reaching for the doorknob.

You looked between the Dippers. So did the Dippers. The three of you stood in stunned silence. 

The Dipper with the backpack was the first to speak. He looked down at you, brow knit with confusion. “Uh, Y/n, what did you do?” He asked. 

Your jaw hung open, and hands flew into the air. “Jack shit, what the fuck did you do?” You gestured between the two of them, “Either of you!”

The Dipper next to you was growing ever sweatier. He raised a hand, and pointed at the Dipper across from him. “Me?” He asked. “I didn’t do anything. It was obviously this guy. He has to be a fake, Y/n.”

“What? I’m not,” Other Dipper said, shaking his head.

Your brow furrowed. This was stupid. How there was two, you weren’t sure, but this conversation didn’t seem like a productive way to find out. “Why do you both suck?” You asked, shaking your head in bafflement. You turned to the sweaty Dipper, “But you’ve been a little weird, Dip.”

The other, less sweaty Dipper nodded. “Probably because he’s the imposter Dipper,” he said, pointing. His eyes snapped to you in a blink, though. “Wait, was he weird to you? What happened, are you alright?”

You opened your mouth to speak, but cut yourself off when you saw it. Ascending the stairway, was… yet another Dipper. You caught the tip of his head as his eyes fell upon the scene, and he tried to turn around, but winced when you called him out; “Hey you, get the fuck back here!”

The newest Dipper sheepishly came back up the stairs, and stood next to the second one. Sighing, you stepped out from the doorway to get a better look at all three. The third one was in more familiar clothes, but still no hat. And he was pretty sweaty, but far less than the first. 

“So,” you started. “What did you do?” You asked the crowd, glancing between the three of them. “Why are there… more of you than normal?”

The third and first shared eye contact, while the second one looked at you, “Yeah, this wasn’t me, I don’t know,” he said, looking at the other Dippers. “But uh, I’m the real one, I think.”

The others chimed in with a, “No, I am.”

This was dumb. The first Dipper was really suspicious, that much was sure. The third was… well, new. But also suspect. But who knew how many more were hiding around, burrowed into the shack like mice. Had they been here the whole time? Have you been with the same Dipper all summer, or do they switch? You shook your head. This was dumb. One might think having multiples of your boyfriend would be a good thing, but these guys were very sweaty, and somewhat weird.

Hopefully there was a real one. “Oh, I have an idea,” you said, a smile curling up your lips. “How about… like, a test. To see who’s for real.”

The second Dipper nodded, the the first and third looked at each other anxiously. There might not actually be need for a quiz. Number two was probably legit, but what would you do about that? Would the others turn on him? They seemed to know each other. 

You should probably think of a plan. “What’s my favourite colour?” you asked, stalling for time.

All three hesitated to think, all looking at each other for answers. The first one spoke first, when the others didn’t. “Um, turquoise?” He asked hesitantly.

You shook your head, crossing your arms. The third Dipper also guessed a wrong answer, adding some evidence to your theory. All Dipper number two had to do was get it right. 

The second Dipper spent a good amount of time in thought, staring at the floor. “Okay, so,” he said finally, “I don’t actually know.”

“Seriously?” You asked. The other Dippers started throwing accusations at him, pointing and saying he was an imposter. Supposedly, they were closer because at least they guessed a colour, and didn’t just give up.

The second Dipper shrugged, shaking his head. “Y/n, we’re not in kindergarten. What’s your favourite colour doesn’t come up a lot in conversation,” he sighed. “Ask a better question, man.”

Before you could, you heard Mabel. You didn’t have to see her to pick up on the sniffles as she trudged up the stairs. Oh god. She did not need this shit right now. 

When she came up, with a slightly red face and teary eyes, all of the Dippers stopped arguing, and faced her. In unison, it seemed like they finally all agreed as they spoke, “Mabel, what’s wrong?”

She looked up, and her sadness melted away to be replaced with confusion. She glanced between the four of you, and zeroed in on Dipper number two. “Dip, did you make more clones, or are they back from last time?”

What? More clones. Had you been told about this? You strained your mind to think if this had ever come up, Dipper having clones. If you’d been told, you must have forgotten. 

All Dippers stayed silent, until the second ones eyes went wide with a gasp, “the clones!” He exclaimed, snapping a finger. His head whipped back around to face them, “what- how are you guys even alive, it’s been years?”

They shifted around uncomfortably. The first one cleared his throat, “bold words coming from a clone,” he said. 

“Quattro, shut up,” the third Dipper sighed, shaking his head. The Dippers devolved into arguing again, but you were more focused on Mabel. 

She held her hand to her mouth as she stared at the floors, eyes focused as any trace of sadness faded from them. “A clone…” she muttered, a smile creeping onto her lips. She looked up all the copies of her brother with a devious smirk. 

“Mabel, what?” The second, and quite probably real Dipper asked. You all watched as Mabel wished Dipper luck in his clone troubles, and started happily back down the stairs. 

In the moment Dipper was distracted, a pained look crossing his face as he almost stepped after, his clones must have seen an opening. Real Dipper almost spoke, but in a blink another Dipper lunged. You barely saw. He was a blur as grabbed for Dippers shoulders. 

“Go, go, go!” One clone shouted, pointing for the door. 

Real Dipper tried to grab him back, but the other guy was too fast. He must have slipped Dippers backpack off, because he was running off with it and crashing down the stairs. By the sounds of it, he might have fallen straight to the bottom.

Well shit. The one early was snooping around looking for Dippers wallet. That wasn’t a good sign. You pursed your lips, sharing a brief glance with Dipper before you started rushing for the stairs.

”Wait,” he said, catching up with you and following you down. The front door was ajar. Dipper hurried past you  to scan outside for the thieves. “Can you stop Mabel? If she clones herself, it’s gonna die and she’ll get sad,” he asked hanging in the doorframe. 

“What?”

He winced as he paused. “I’ll explain later, but I can get these guys,” he said. “She’ll be by the copier.” And with that, once you nodded, he was sprinting away. 

You blinked a few times, and chose not to think about the ominous death threat. Her clones would die. You really needed to get caught up on this shit. Shaking your head, you hurried away. Mabel was at the copier; that’s all you needed to know for now. 

You sped walk over there, and found her kneeling a few feet away, plugging it in. “Uh, can you stop doing that?” You tried hesitantly. “I don’t think you should clone yourself… if that’s what your doing.” A cloning copy machine, sure, why not? 

Mabel pointed aggressively at the printer as she edged towards it. “But think about it,” she started excitedly, “like, are you thinking about it?”

You pursed your lips as your face scrunched. You weren’t sure what you were supposed to be thinking about. “Uhhh,” you managed. “Isn’t that copier haunted?” You asked hesitantly. 

“If I clone myself, I can be in two places at once,” she said, tone lifting with each word. “Like, we could trade places, take shifts, somebody could go home, somebody could stay here!”

You grimaced. That did not sound like a good idea. Or… it did in a weird and twisted way. Like Mabel could take shifts in a weird double life. And never have to leave. 

”I could trade off living in Gravity Falls! I could date Pacifica, I wouldn’t have to leave her!” Mabel said, sloping a hand on the old copier. It clanked and sputtered with her touch, and the hit sent dust into the air. 

Ah. So that was it. So she wouldn’t have to leave her. You sighed, carefully approaching the haunted copier. “Mabel, I don’t think that would work,” you sighed. Had Mabel never been dumped? Guess usually it was her leaving people. 

She flipped the lid open, and stared at the buttons and screen underneath. She idly started pressing a few. Their clicks were like an old typewriter. “Well, I think it would. And I think it’s worth a try.”

”Mabel, do you really want to be in a weird, clock in timesheet, polycule with… yourself?” You asked, drifting over to the wall by the copier where it was plugged in. The idea of having another, possibly evil clone, Mabel around was terrifying. One Mabel was sometimes scary enough. You hooked the cord around your ankle, and subtly pulled it from the outlet. 

She paused, pursing her lips as she scanned the buttons. “Well, we could figure it out,” she said sullenly, pressing one more down. “Or… maybe one of us stays here full time, so we don’t trade.”

You sighed, “let me guess, you’d be the one to stay?”

She stopped, and sighed, fingers idly tapping buttons. “Well, I’d like to… but…” she said. She leaned on the copier, and glanced at your face. “The clone could, that could work. I could just-“

”-Steal her life when summer came along?”

Mabel frowned, opening her mouth, then closing it. 

“Plus, if she dated Pacifica, then Pacifica couldn’t date you,” you said, leaning down with her. “Like, all those Dippers are different people. The other two didn’t even know me, like, a relationship doesn’t just copy over once you let the clone do it’s thing.”

Mabel winced, and bit the inside of her cheek. She tapped the copier again, lethargically pressing a few buttons, and smiling slightly when they clicked. She sighed, “you… have a point,” and turned around. Mabel ran her fingers through her hair, and slumped down with her back against the machine to the floor. 

You were quick to join her on the ground. “So… did you guys break up, or something?” You asked tentatively. 

Mabel sighed, resting her head down onto her knees. “It wasn’t a breakup, we never even dated,” she huffed. “It’s just… too late to start.”

Oh. You winced, “yeah, that’s…” sucked was the right word. Things had gotten so busy towards the end that they never even got the chance to try. 

“And like, I could’ve tried long distance, I really like her, but she didn’t want to,” Mabel said. She lifted her head back up, and tapped it against the wall behind her as she swirled her hair around a finger. She sighed, “and I get it. It just…”

”Sucks?” You asked. 

She nodded. “We didn’t even get to try and date,” she sighed wistfully. 

“Maybe next time?”

She groaned, sinking further down the wall until she was laying on the floor. You tried not to think about the years of dirt that must have stained it. Mabel sighed, putting her arm over her eyes. “I guess,” she lamented. 

You slumped down beside her, folding your hands behind your head as you laid on the ground like you were stargazing. 

“Like, what are you and Dipper gonna do after summer?” She asked, holding one hand in the air to block the light while the folds of her sweater fell around her elbow. “At least you guys are actually together,” she murmured at the end. 

You paused. Had you talked about it before? Did you know what you were gonna do? You pursed your lips. “Uh, I don’t think we’ve talked about it,” you said, tapping your foot against the floor. 

Maybe I could take one of the clones with me, you joked to yourself. And then all at once a wave of hypocrisy hit you as Mabel’s plan started to make a bit more sense. 

She hummed in response, one arm still over her eyes. 

You sat in silence for a moment, the copier haunting the corner of your vision and the back of your head. You were right when you told Mabel not too, so you may as well follow your own advice. But the copier didn’t back down, it’s plug still laid resting on the floor only a few feet away.

“Did you seriously not know which Dipper was the real one earlier?” Mabel asked, pointing blindly to the ceiling.

You sighed, kicking your legs in the air. You smiled slightly, “I still don’t know how you could.”

”They have like, a grey tint.”

                                          …

You hated to admit it, but Mabel’s idea was still stuck in your head. A clone, a doppelgänger, somebody that could stay. You feet rubbed anxiously against the wood paneling of the roof hideout. It was right here under the light of fireworks that you’d first kissed Dipper. You heaved a sigh, and looked down at the ground below, darkened and silhouetted. 

“Dip,” you started. He sat beside you, legs crossed like yours, with one against your thigh in the closeness. You half wanted to pull and scoot away, make a little barrier between you and his answer. “What are we gonna do after summer?”

He paused, and you watched as his lips cycled through reactions, first open to speak, then pursed shut, then a smile, and then shut again. “What do you mean?” He finally landed on. 

“Like, you and I,” you said, looking at a tree. You leg seemed to move on it’s own, retracting into you and away from him. “We won’t be able to hangout, so are we…”

You paused, glancing back at him. His face didn’t give much away, besides his wide eyes. But he had to have considered this before, right? He was a planner. 

What were the options? You weighed them back in forth in your mind, tilting your head side to side like a scale. “Are we long distance? Are we still dating?” Your voice cracked a bit, “are we just a summer thing? Are we done? Done until next year, like Mabel and Pacifica?”

Dipper pursed his lips, eyes wide as he chewed the inside of his cheek. A warm breeze rolled through your hair. Weirdly warm for a late night. “Well,” Dipper started, tapping his hands on the roof by his feet. “I was hoping we’d still be… you know,” he murmured.

You fought a smile brought on by his awkwardness. It faded, though. “Do you think that’ll work?” you asked.

That was the question, wasn’t it? If it would work. You’d may have faced death, destruction, whatever else this summer, but could you survive distance? In Gravity falls you practically lived together. How things would change when you were hundreds of miles apart, you didn’t know. But they would change. They’d have too, there was no way around it.

”Well,” Dipper started, and paused. “I-I want to try long distance, I know that.”

He scooted closer, just a few inches, but enough to tap his knee against your leg again, and draw your eyes back up to his face and away from the ground. He awkwardly looked away when you met his gaze, and you half laughed. Maybe just one of you could look at the other at a time. 

He sighed. “I mean, it’ll probably be hard,” he said, “but probably only a little harder then like, all the other years we haven’t been able to see each other.” 

His eyes flickered back to you for a moment before retreating again, and even in the dark you could see the faint blush in his cheeks. So, he had thought of it before. 

“Y/n, I’ve told you before,” he laughed awkwardly, “Nothing about the way I feel for you has ever faded when we leave Gravity falls. None of the times we have.” He took his hat off, and began to play with the strap part at the back. Your best guess was that it was long worn from his fidget habits. “Like, I stay completely in love with you every year.”

You covered your mouth to hide the smile. But you did lean your leg further into his knee, shirking any recoil you had before. It was harder to worry when you knew that much was true and reciprocated. But you still found a way. 

“Do you- do you think that’ll be enough?” You asked, staring up at the stars. You had to ask to be sure, but in truth, the despair was leaving you. Completely in love with you every year, might’ve been enough to kill you. 

“It’s always been enough before,” Dipper said. It must have been your turn to awkwardly avoid eye contact, because your head was tilted up as you felt his eyes burning into you.

You sighed. That much was true, too. Summer had always been enough for you. “Well, we’ve never been dating before,” you muttered, with half a laugh. “But… you might be right.”

It was time to make eye contact. He must have known it too, because when you looked he didn’t look away. Your hand edged towards his, where it was rested on the roof to lean on. When your fingers brushed, he made it easy to lace them together. 

You scooted to by closer by Dippers side. “It’s gonna suck, you know,” you said. Now a solid half of your leg was against his. And the thought of recoiling away seemed crazy. This was one of the last nights, anyway. One of the last nights in a long time, you winced thinking. 

“Always does,” he laughed, thumbing over your knuckles, “I’d say I’m pretty used to it.”

”it’ll be worse, though,” you said. “For me, at least. I think it’ll be harder to be away,” you admitted. 

You felt a tremor in Dippers hand as he let out a small nose laugh. He fastened his hat back on his head, and you were consciously aware that it was one of the last times he’d wear it for a while. When he got in the bus home, it’d be in Wendy’s hat. “I think it’ll be easier for me,” he said lightly. “Because I know- or hope at least, that next time I see you, we’ll still be dating, and I won’t have to agonize over confessing to you.” He smiled, covering his mouth with his free hand to laugh, “or worry about you dating somebody else during the year.”

”Was that a big worry of yours?” You snickered.

He smiled into his hand, “I mean, kinda.”

A few clouds moved to cover the stars, which was a shame. They were bright in a clear sky, and enough light to see accurately Dippers face. The night darkened when the moon was covered, and some of the further odd silhouettes of mountains or trees blended into the night sky. 

You leaned your head on his shoulder, like in a cheesy movie. He must not have minded the cliche, though, because you heard another bit of air escape his nose, and he leaned his head on yours. “We’ll still hangout all the time,” you said, maybe more to yourself. 

Dipper nodded, “yeah.”

”I could get you to play my favourite games with me,” you mused, trying to differentiate the trees from the dark clouds. “We could start a Stardew valley farm together.”

”Yeah?” Dipper smiled, “Sounds fun.” 

Next

My shackles are nearly free. I’m so nearly there. Also this took me so long because I’m like so employed. Job pilled, one may say. It sucks so bad. Even now I’m still not super happy with this chapter.

Taglist: @cipheress-to-k-pop @phobo-ss @dead-esque

[writerscall]

Enemies to lovers with spider hazel

author's note/s: 3.6k words. spider!hazel and fellow superhero/vigilante!reader, more of a one-sided annoyances to lovers, really. think kind of supergirl-esque for reader's powers (at least in the flying and strength aspect) and to help visualize reader's mask, click here for reference.

“So that’s, what, five bad guys down for me this week now and three for you? Maybe I’ll sit back and relax tomorrow so you can catch up.”

You can’t see the face behind that mask but you’re sure there’s a shit-eating grin on it. You roll your eyes at the quip. “Oh, fuck off. It’s not a competition.”

Not that that ever changed how annoyed you got whenever the tally was higher in her favor, though. But the webslinger’s count wasn’t what really got you riled up; wasn’t even how smug she could get about it. It was the way she executed the crime fighting skills that you assumed she was learning and making up as she went. Spiderwoman was messy and, ironically, uncoordinated half the time, but the worst part was that she drew too much attention.

You knew attracting the attention of the police and the papers was inevitable, but at least you had the good sense to not make a whole show of being a vigilante. Spiderwoman, on the other hand, just loved to stay and chat.

“Hey, come on, don’t be like that. You know I’m just messing around.” There’s a drop in her tone, clearly making an attempt to ease the tension. “You’re a lot faster than I am with rounding up criminals, so you get extra points for that.”

At that, you allow yourself to smile the tiniest bit. She can’t see it behind your own mask but if she was as observant as she claimed to be, she might see however little of it reached your eyes.

She clears her throat, bringing a hand to scratch at the back of her neck as she says, “So uh, I know it’s getting late and all, but I’ve got my backpack stashed somewhere not far from here and my lunch sandwich is still intact. It’s a pretty big one so you know, if you wanted a post-crime fighting snack…” 

It’s a harmless, friendly gesture so you hold back a scoff and snide comment. You get it — the business you were in was best done alone but it could get lonely after doing it for some time. Besides, masked heroes like the two of you wore masks for a reason: nobody could know who they were, and even fellow vigilantes weren’t an exception to the rule. But you supposed it would be nice to have a friend with the shared experiences.

Just… maybe not her. Or just maybe not yet. This wasn’t like making friends in school, after all.

“Not hungry,” you tell her shortly before lifting yourself off the ground, signaling that your conversation was over and you were leaving.

You hear her say something as you take off, but you can’t be bothered to look back.

Despite it being the last day of the week, you found Fridays particularly hard to get through. Mostly because you were itching for the weekend to come but because the bad guys in the city always seemed to act up during that day. The feeling in your stomach about what your evening patrol might turn out like was a mixture of both fear and excitement, but you tried your best to push it down for the time being. It was only the second period.

“You and Miss Callahan, partners,” your teacher says with a tap to your table as she strides by, listing off other pairs. You look over to Hazel who apparently is already looking at you, her eyes wide with… shock? A hint of nervousness in them too.

Weird. You were sort-of friends through the cheerleaders she was surprisingly close with, Isabel and Brittany, but you’ve never really spoken much to each other. Maybe she was worried you guys wouldn’t click without the other girls around.

You cast her a smile as she gets nearer, sliding the worksheet to the midpoint of the table. “The total number of questions is an even number, 12, so we can each get a half. But we can help each other too, of course.”

Hazel mutters something that sounds like an ‘okay,’ but she mumbles something else under her breath that you can’t quite make out.

Overall, the class goes fine. The osmosis experiment wasn’t too hard to do and the questions were manageable. It was just how Hazel acted throughout the whole hour that threw you off a little. You knew she could be as awkward as she could get excited, and sometimes she talked too much and didn’t pick up on social cues easily, but the whole time she just seemed… uncomfortable, if that was the right word. Like she really wanted to say something or do something but she couldn’t for whatever reason.

Once you’re both done cleaning up, she wastes no time in removing her laboratory coat and shoving it into her bag, but you don’t want to let her get away that easily. Gently, you place a hand on her forearm to stop her. “Hey, Hazel?”

She pauses, eyeing your hand for a second too long before looking at you. Properly looking at you. She could barely do it throughout the experiment.

“I just wanted to ask if everything’s okay?” You bring your hand back and begin to slip off your own coat. “It could be none of my business, so feel free to tell me off if you want, but you just seem a bit out of it.”

Hazel opens her mouth to speak, but her gaze quickly moves from your face to something beside you. Rather, on you; your shirt was pulled to the side while taking off the coat and it exposed the bruise at the juncture of your shoulder and collarbone. Shit.

“Oh, that’s— don’t worry about that. I just tripped and fell hard in P.E. the other day,” you say with a dismissive wave of your hand, pulling your shirt back in place. God, you hoped nothing in your voice or face was giving you away. You doubt her first assumption would be that you were one of the masked vigilantes featured on the news, but she couldn’t be thinking of anything good either if she didn’t buy your excuse.

And she didn’t. “That doesn’t look too good,” Hazel says with a frown.

“It’s fine—”

“Come with me to the locker room? I’ve got something that can probably help with that. I mean, it’s not in the locker room, it’s in my actual locker and I’ll have to go get it from there first before going to the benches, but uh… um, yeah. I-I’ve got something.”

Her ramble ends with a sigh and you can’t help but smile at how she stumbled out all those words. Funny how you were the one all concerned about her just a minute ago and now the tables were turned. You didn’t want anybody seeing your cuts and bruises, or at least didn’t want anybody asking about them, but you didn’t get to ice the one she saw just yet. You’d take whatever ointment or cream she might have stashed away in her locker if it would help.

So you nod your head and walk with her towards the door. “Alright, yeah. I’m sure you know a thing or two about treating bruises, what with all that fighting you do.”

You almost bump into her when she stops and whips her head at you sharply, that wide-eyed look back on her face. What was with her today?

“Your fight club? With Isabel and Brittany and all those other girls?”

Hazel visibly deflates and lets out a half nervous, half relieved-sounding noise at that. “Yeah, yeah! Always gotta be prepared.”

You say nothing in return and follow along to her locker, deciding not to overthink it. Hazel could just be a little odd and there was nothing wrong with that.

“Ah—”

“Sorry, sorry,” she says, being even more careful than earlier with moving your shirt and bra strap to the side to expose the bruise more.

“It’s okay, just… I think it would be easier if I took my top off for this?”

Hazel actually makes a sound when she gulps. You’re quick to add, “Only if you’re comfortable with that, no pressure at all. It’s just that the bruise kinda trails off to the back too, so…”

“Yeah, no, it’s fine. Whatever you’re more comfortable with. I’ll just…” she trails off, turning away so you can take your shirt off.

“Haze, you don’t have to do that,” you say with a chuckle. But it was instinct as it was for everyone when somebody was changing in their presence, and you knew there was an extra kick to it now for her.

Brittany and Isabel were always just poking fun, but you knew they teased Hazel about you sometimes. Both girls even asked you about your possible interest in her more than once. Hazel was cute and you did want to get to know her more, especially see how she was in that fight club because they always said she was different in that element. But considering your own after-school activities, dating was just out of the question.

Silently, Hazel turns back, cap off the tub of gel in her waiting hands. It was obvious that she was trying very hard to look nowhere else but your face and the area of the bruise, so you reach out and smile at her reassuringly. “Nothing to worry about. I know you’ve seen boobs before.”

“Well, not your boobs.”

She says it so casually that you’re both taken aback, but you just laugh. Thankfully, Hazel laughs along with you too.

You lean against the sink and she comes closer, stopping once her knees knock against yours. “Tell me if I’m pressing hard, okay?”

You smile at her again, softer this time. “Okay.”

It’s comfortably silent as she applies the gel on your bruise. High in vitamin C, she tells you at some point, cause it apparently helps bruises heal faster. Hopefully you didn’t get hit there again tonight so you could actually see if the science behind the gel worked or not.

When you turn around so she can work on the bruise’s extension on your back, you say, “That gel looks like it’s barely used. Do you have a stock of those at your fight club or do you guys just tough it out when someone gets a hit in?”

“This is my personal one, but most of us prefer to use the traditional ice packs. And unlike the rest of them, I heal pretty quickly.” Hazel smiles at your reflection in the mirror and you immediately smile back. You didn’t think it was possible for her to ever have a hint of cockiness in her tone. You kind of liked it.

“Like a regular superhero then, huh?”

She looks away, her smile dropping slightly. “Nothing like that. Um, you’re all good now.”

Hazel reaches for your shirt before you can even ask her to. You thank her with another smile and she moves away so you can put it back on.

As you walk alongside her to the exit, you stop her for a moment before pushing the doors open. “Thank you again. I’m pretty sure the gel is working already.”

Her gaze falls to the ground and once again she’s all fidgety and bashful. You hesitate for a second, but before you can talk yourself out of it, you lean forward to kiss her on the cheek. Just a light, friendly peck, even though ‘friendly’ might’ve been teetering over the edge at that point. Something shifted and you weren’t so sure you’d just laugh it off the next time Brittany or Isabel asked you about Hazel again.

You walk out of the locker room together, shyly glancing and smiling at one another until you have to part ways for your next classes.

Christ on a cross, you were really fucking tired. The city had been quiet since you started surveying it at around five o’clock and you were highly considering calling it a day at around half past seven, leave whatever happened in the later hours to the other crime fighters your city had one too many of. Hell, even to whatever cops who might be able to do their job properly for a change.

But a trio of snatchers caught your eye as soon as the thought occurred to you. So much for an earlier end to the week.

And you had them subdued with ease. Two of them were clearly new to the life of crime or just greatly inexperienced, and the other one was yelling at them half the time. Despite your skill and inhuman qualities, however, they were all relatively bigger than you so knocking them all out still took some time. You were two down with one to go when you heard a thwipping sound by your ear, and in the next split second, the snatcher was webbed to the wall.

Then you heard that voice. “Looked like you needed a hand.”

You look over your shoulder, groaning. “I didn’t, actually.”

“Well, I wanted to help you anyway. You’re welcome!”

“I’m not thanking you!”

The blare of police sirens comes not long after and you and Spiderwoman flee the scene before any of the cars come to a stop. Flying got you ahead of her since she relied on buildings to swing off from, but she caught up to you in no time. In just a few minutes, you were both back on the rooftop you left her at earlier in the week.

“You know, you’re right for making sure to never have to talk to the cops after putting the bad guys down. I should do that more. Those people really don’t like us.”

“I think you just talk a little too much for their liking.”

It’s not meant to be funny, but she laughs at you anyway. You might’ve put your guard down and decided to not be so irritated if it weren’t for the throbbing pain near your shoulder. You were sure the bruise there got bigger and worse after one of the snatchers got a good punch in that area.

“Yeah, well, I’m calling it a night. The city’s been quiet enough except for that one incident today, so I’m going home.” You sigh, moving to walk past her. “You should, too.”

“Hold on, I…”

You stop, waiting like she asked. If she was gonna ask you to hang out and share a sandwich again, she still wasn’t getting the answer she wanted.

She’s in a silent debate with herself for too long and you really, really wanted to go, so you say goodbye and start walking again. But just as you come shoulder to shoulder with her, she reaches out to touch yours and you wince back in pain. It just had to be the bruised one.

“Oh god, sorry.” She says as she takes her hand away. “Are you okay?”

“Obviously not, but I’ll be fine the next time we unfortunately cross paths again.”

“Wait, I just—”

“Look, Spidey, I really don’t have time—”

“Just take the tub of gel home then, if you don’t want me to take a look at it.”

What the hell was she talking about?

Then it hits you, and you freeze in place even before she says your name. Your actual name, written on your birth certificate and school records, written on that worksheet you shared just a couple of hours before.

Slowly, she begins to take off her mask. You almost want to tell her to stop but that wouldn’t change anything. Even if she didn’t show you her face now, you’d see it in two days time on Monday. Maybe even earlier if you happened to bump into her on the weekend.

Your greatest annoyance was the same person you thought you might’ve been developing a bit of a crush on earlier. You could not deal with any of that right now.

So you don’t.

“I know you’re probably freaked out by now, but I promise I haven’t—”

“I need to go.”

A crease forms between her brows. She starts to say something again but you’re quick to cut her off. “I need to go, okay? Just leave me alone.”

Hazel lets out a resigned sigh, looking to the floor as she nods. You fly faster than you ever have to get back home.

Your luck doesn’t get any better over the weekend when you get a fever on Sunday evening, making you miss class for the next three days. A paracetamol usually did the trick after a day, but the fatigue and exhaustion of your secret life was probably getting to you, too. But even with the ugly feeling of a fever, it was actually really nice to just stay in bed and drink soup for a change. It feels like you haven’t properly rested in weeks.

Your mind, however, was still restless. You tried not to look at the news too much in case there was some criminal that got away and it would just make you feel awful for not being able to catch them. But you tried even harder not to message Hazel to talk.

“Hey kiddo, your friend from school is here. Says she has the notes and homework you’ve missed since Monday.” Your dad pops his head in as he speaks. You can’t see who’s behind him, but it was probably Isabel. She’s been checking in on you constantly.

“Yeah, just let Isabel in, dad.”

“Not Isabel,” says a different voice as the door shuts behind her. Speak of the devil. “But I do have Isabel’s notes because they’re way neater than mine,” Hazel adds, a sheepish look on her face.

You don’t say anything as you watch her cross the room, shrugging off her backpack and gently placing it on the seat by your study table. Then she turns to you, and you’re surprised to see the tears welling up in her eyes. “Hazel, what—”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just…” She shakes her head, angrily rubbing at her eyes. “I thought something really bad happened to you.”

“It was just a fever,” you tell her as you sit up straighter against your headboard.

“You know what I mean.”

You did. You reach out and pat the space beside you on the bed. “Come on, come here.”

Hazel does as she’s asked. Her gaze was focused on your carpet but you could see that her eyes weren’t glistening with unshed tears anymore, although they were rimmed red. “I’m fine, I promise. The fever’s gone now and I’ve been cleared to go back to school tomorrow.”

She nods but she’s still not looking at you, so you take one of her hands in between both of yours in an attempt to make her. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted on Friday night. I just didn’t know what to say and it was… it was a lot to take in at the moment. I was so sure that nobody knew who I was. I panicked.”

“I haven’t told anyone, I swear.” Hazel looks at you then, holding your gaze like her life depended on it. “I know I talk too much but I would never do that to you. Never.”

You can’t tell if she’s quoting you from your last conversation or not on that last part, but you believe her. “I know. I’d never tell anyone about you either, Hazel.”

She looks down at your hands when you rub your thumb across the side of hers and, after a moment, she laces her fingers with yours. There was a burst of warmth in your chest and you could tell there was one in Hazel’s too. So much for your one rule of not dating anyone because of the dangerous part of your life.

Not that you thought the two of you were dating, though.

“So… now what?”

“Well, life goes on as it did before, I guess.” You scoot closer to her, smiling as you add, “But I guess we can hold hands every now and then, if you like.”

“Oh, I like. I very much like,” Hazel replies enthusiastically, a matching smile on her face. She holds on to your hand tighter. “Can I kiss you every now and then too?”

“You haven’t kissed me yet.”

But that’s changed in a heartbeat, both of you leaning forward at the same time. You tug her closer, unlacing your hands so you can bury one in her hair as the other holds on to the side of her face. Hazel kisses you slowly, but there was an urgency to it as well; like something could happen the next day that would ensure she would never be able to do it again — but all things considered, that was an unfortunate thing that very well could happen. You kiss her back just the same, savoring the moment and praying to every god out there that your mom or dad wouldn’t come barging in any time soon.

She pushes you down onto the bed and pulls away with a grin, planting kisses across your cheek and down to your neck. You hold back from verbally reacting to that and the feeling of her hands on your hips, her thumbs gently caressing the skin there. It takes too much energy for you to manage to say, “Hazel, Haze… my parents are home.”

Hazel brings her face back up to yours. Instead of looking disappointed, she just looks pleased. “I know, sorry. Got carried away — I have been fantasizing about this for a while now, though, so cut me a little slack.”

You giggle out an ‘okay’, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Also, if there’s any of that fever bacteria still in me, I apologize in advance if you get sick in a day or two.”

“Don’t even worry about me,” Hazel says with a shake of her head, leaning down to kiss you soundly once more. “I heal fast.”

[lucajayms]

i sincerely apologize for the rant

pre bullets gerard plsplsplspls!!!! they have an office crush at cartoon network then she moves away without telling anyone and they replace her (CUBICLES BEST SONG EVER) so then he just keeps wondering what may have happened, until mcr are playing like in another city during revenge era then mikey sees her in the crowd before a show and he goes to gerard right before going onstage and its like hey gerard remember that girl you talked about 24/7 in 2001, shes here tonight. and gee just freaks out while trying to play down the whole performance becase hes scared she wont like the whole fake blood/gay/screaming thing. then they finish the performance and he goes to find her and shes like all happy bc she knew he was gonna do much better things than to work at a shitty office. and shes a big comic book artist and does really weid like blood and vampire stuff so shes so happy that gerard also does weird blood vampire stuff. and then theyre happy and then the umbrella academy happens and yea

yea youre free to ignore this, i just have too much free time to imagine shit like this 👍

HELP I LOVE THIS SO SO MUCH!

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CUBICLES

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gerard way x reader she/her used use of y/n

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masterlist

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warnings: swearing!

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"Maybe you could draw her more like this to bring out the background more so she's not just stiff," I instructed him. Gerard is a very talented artist, he just has a little bit of trouble deciding what to put where.

"But I feel like if she was a little different, due to her design, she'd go flat," Gerard argues, putting his pencil where he was describing.

I sigh as I place my hand delicately to my chin, trying to see what he's talking about. The deadline is soon and he's not done pitching these characters. "Honestly, Gerard? Whatever feels right. You'll get her."

"You sure?" He asks, seeking confirmation in my words.

I smile, nodding my head, "Yeah. Deadline is tomorrow, just do whatever feels right!" I say before I'm off to my cubicle to continue my project.

I knew he was looking at me. For weeks now, it had become a pattern—one I could almost draw if I could figure out how to capture that lingering gaze in ink. He thought he was subtle, keeping his distance and asking me barely relevant questions about some “project” or “character design” he’d been working on. Gerard was charming, though; there was no denying that. Quiet, a little too good at staring at his desk, and adorably oblivious to how easy it was to read him.

“Hey, uh, (Y/N)?” I looked up from my sketchbook, where I’d been mindlessly drawing a graveyard scene—something I had an odd fascination with lately. Gerard was standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing that awkward half-smile that looked better on him than it should.

“Gerard,” I said, glancing up with a smirk. “To what do I owe the honor?”

He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “I…uh…just wanted to see what you were working on.”

I flipped my sketchbook shut, even though I knew he was dying to see what I’d been drawing. “Just some stuff. You’d probably think it’s too creepy.”

“Try me.”

Maybe it was because I wanted to test him, see how he’d react to what was under the surface, but I opened the book back up and turned it to face him. His eyes widened as he took in the vampires, blood, and dark cemeteries I’d sprawled across the pages.

“You…actually drew all of this?”

I shrugged, trying to keep my cool. “It’s not much. Just whatever’s in my head.”

He laughed, this soft, surprised sound. “Whatever’s in your head is amazing.” He paused, his eyes lingering a second too long.

I grinned, leaning back in my chair. “Well maybe not everything, Way.” I tossed my pen onto my desk, feigning nonchalance. “Can’t have too many weirdos like me around. Bad for the office’s reputation.”

And that's why I left.

Maybe I should’ve told him I was leaving. I hated the idea of going without a goodbye, but part of me figured I’d see him again. He’d get over it. Life had a way of carrying people in different directions, and honestly? I couldn’t stand the thought of another month behind that desk. I needed to be somewhere I could let these ideas out, somewhere that didn’t expect me to keep my weirdness behind a closed sketchbook.

The day I left, I watched the office fade from my rearview mirror, fingers tapping the steering wheel as a familiar guilt crept in. I didn’t leave him my number or my address or even a hint of where I’d gone. Some part of me hoped he’d figure it out. But after that, there was just silence.

Gerard

She left without a word. Just…gone. I tried to keep going like I didn’t notice, told myself it wasn’t a big deal. But the absence gnawed at me, creeping into every sketch and unfinished character. (Y/N) was gone, and I had no clue where she’d gone or why. I stopped asking questions after a while, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The thought became like an echo in my mind, constant and inescapable, pushing me to drown it out with anything I could find.

And I did.

One show after another, one drink, one line, whatever I could find to keep the silence at bay. The stage helped a little—at least there, I had the lights in my eyes and the noise blocking out the mess in my head. I’d stand in front of the crowd, hands dripping with fake blood, trying to exorcise whatever pieces of myself felt missing. But then the high would fade, and I’d be left in a dark room, trying to ignore the question that refused to die.

Where did she go?

I kept the band going, kept pretending it didn’t matter, kept letting the weight build. It wasn’t like I had any choice. The shows were packed, and the screams of the crowd felt like both a relief and a punishment. They had no idea. No idea that some days, it felt like I’d never get off this damn ride, that maybe I’d crash and burn right here. But something shifted in 2004. I couldn’t explain it—maybe it was seeing my friends’ faces or feeling the burn of another empty night. But I knew that if I kept going like this, I’d lose everything. I’d lose myself.

I finally made the decision to clean up, and in August 2004, I was clean. Free. My body hated me for it, and my brain wasn’t much friendlier, but I had to get clean. I couldn’t keep living on the edge of destruction. Every day after that, it felt like I was shedding pieces of the person I’d become just to survive. By the time I left, I was…well, I was alive. And that had to be enough.

It had been nearly a year since I’d gotten clean, and for the first time, it felt like I could really breathe on stage again. I could look out at the faces in the crowd and see them. Really see them, not just the blur of movement and lights I’d been numbing myself to. This was what I’d always wanted. This was where I wanted to be.

"MANHATTAN!" I scream into the mic and the crowd before more goes wild. "We are going to FUCK SOME SHIT UP TONIGH!"

And as I say that, Mikey plays the beginning of Give Em' Hell Kid. The set goes without hiccups, the crowd is perfect, and the most I've seen in a few weeks. Right as we leave the stage before the encore, Frank grabs me by my collar.

"Holy shit, Gee," He starts, and concern bubbles in my stomach. Did I do something wrong?

"What? What is it?"

He shakes his head vigorously, "I don't know if I'm tripping, but I swear to God I saw the girl you keep drawing in the crowd."

Fuck.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Thirty seconds to encore!" One of the stagehands yells.

"Frank, where did you see her?" I ask, frantic. There's no possible way she could be here tonight. Why would she be here tonight.

"Our left, by the barricade. I think?" He explains, looking up to recount exactly where he saw her. My heart thuds against my ribcage as Frank’s words sink in, and I feel my throat tighten. (Y/N)? Here? After all these years?

"Ten seconds!" the stagehand yells, clapping his hands. Mikey shoots me a quick look, and Frank gives me a small, reassuring nod. There’s no time to think or even process—I’m barely holding onto the last traces of composure as we rush back on stage. I grab the mic, trying to get my focus back on the crowd, but every nerve in me is lit up, wondering if (Y/N) is really here tonight.

“MANHATTAN!” I shout again, forcing energy into my voice, hoping it’s enough to cover the wild surge of emotions that’s slamming through me. “YOU READY FOR ONE LAST ROUND?”

The crowd screams, and the band jumps into Helena, the encore I should be ready to pour my soul into. But all I can think about is her—her face, the way she used to sketch, her laugh. The lights are blinding, and I try to keep my focus on the crowd, but my eyes keep searching, desperate to find a glimpse of her. I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but by the end of the song, I swear I see her—a flash of her hair, bright eyes, her face half-turned away in the crush of people, but unmistakably her.

The song ends, and we give a final shout before exiting the stage. As soon as we’re out of sight of the crowd, I turn to Frank, breathless.

“You’re absolutely sure it was her?” I ask, gripping his shoulder.

“Fuck, I don't know how accurate your drawings are,” he says, his voice serious. “Bit it was her, Gee. I’m sure of it.”

“Holy shit,” I breathe, running a hand through my hair as the adrenaline surges through me again. "Where do I even start looking?"

Frank raises an eyebrow. “I’d start by getting your ass back out there before she disappears again. You just finished the show. You’ve got maybe five minutes before the crowd starts spilling out.”

I don’t waste another second. I dart down the steps, half-running, half-pushing past crew members as I head toward the audience exit. It feels like the longest, most insane few minutes of my life, weaving through the backstage area until finally, I’m in the thick of the crowd, scanning every face I can. And then—I see her.

She’s lingering by the side of the barricade, glancing around, half-smiling to herself like she might leave at any moment. She’s a little older, a little different, but I’d know her anywhere. I take a deep breath, feeling my hands start to shake, and then I call out, loud enough to cut through the noise.

“(Y/N)!”

She turns, her eyes finding mine, and for a moment, it’s like everything around us goes still. Her face lights up, and I swear I feel that same electricity that ran between us in the office all those years ago.

"Oh my god, you guys did so good!" She laughed, too, shaking her head. “Gee, look at you! Rockstar Gerard. I always knew you’d end up doing something wild, but I never expected…” She gestured at my blood-stained shirt and smeared makeup. “This.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, heat creeping up my face. “Yeah, well, it’s, uh, a little different from Cartoon Network, that’s for sure. But I never thought I’d see you at a show.”

“Oh, please,” she grinned, giving me a playful nudge. “I knew you’d be doing something big. You were always too talented to be stuck behind a desk, remember?”

I laughed, surprised by the surge of relief that came with her words. “Guess it’s been a while since anyone told me that.”

She softened, and something flickered across her face. “I'm sorry I disappeared. I had to move, and things got in the way, and…” Her voice trailed off, and she shrugged, a little awkwardly. “I never thought we’d run into each other again.”

“Same here,” I admitted, looking down. “But I’m glad we did. Even if it’s, uh…” I glanced at my blood-streaked hands, shaking my head. “Like this.”

She laughed, a bright, genuine sound, and I felt my nerves ease a little. “Honestly, I kind of love it. I’m doing comics, Gee. Lots of, you know…gory, bloody, vampire stuff. Seems like we’re both into weird stuff now.”

“Every time I go into a comicbook store, I look for your name.” I say, feeling a familiar spark of admiration light up in my chest.

“Yeah, well,” she shrugged, but her smile told me she was proud. “I kept drawing, kept pushing for it, and here we are. I got some stuff out that's been somewhat successful, but you—you’re the one really living the dream.”

It felt surreal, standing there with her, years and miles from where we’d left off. She was still (Y/N)—the girl who got me, who somehow saw through everything. But she was different, too. Confident, sharp, like she’d grown in ways I never got to see. And she was right here.

We fell into silence, the crowd thinning around us. Finally, I took a deep breath. “You know, after you left…I wasn’t great, to be honest.”

Her brow furrowed, and she gave me a sympathetic look. “I figured,” she said quietly. “It was a pretty messed-up time for both of us.”

I nodded, knowing she got it. “Yeah, I got pretty lost for a while. It took me…a lot to get back on track, but I’m good now. Clean, you know? And I’m just trying to keep my head on straight, one show at a time.”

She smiled, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “Good,” she said, her voice full of warmth. “That’s what you deserve, Gerard. You don’t need anything dragging you down.”

I felt something click into place then—a kind of peace I hadn’t felt in years. “Thanks, (Y/N). Really.”

She grinned, glancing around like she was taking in the whole scene again. “Hey, I think we’re due for a major coffee catch-up. I want to hear everything.”

I chuckled, feeling that old sense of ease wash over me. “Deal,” I said, grinning back. “But only if you show me your sketchbooks. I wanna see all the vampire blood and gore.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “You got it. Only fair, since I’ve got a feeling you’ve been drawing me for years anyway.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and together, we walked out into the night, talking like no time had passed at all. And this time, I knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

(Y/N)

What a fucking life. Leaving Gerard like that in 2001 did something to me, you know? Fucked me up. I felt really fucking bad.

But it's okay. We're good. And by good? I mean my boyfriend is the fucking lead singer of My Chemical Romance. Like, who gets to say that?!

After their final tour ended, Gerard was bugging me more and more about his comic that he was writing and that he desperately wanted me to illustrate for it. Apparently, he had been working on it for around three years, and he wasn't getting anywhere by himself.

"I don't know, baby. I got deadlines," I always say, but God, who could say know to that pretty face of his.

And so I finally agreed to illustrate The Umbrella Academy.

And boy, did that change my life.

[i-am-baechu]

♡ Summary: New Year's Eve and being invited to a party isn’t the craziest thing to hear. What's crazy to hear is getting invited to a party and meeting Idols at that same party. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

♡ Pairing: Fan girl! Reader x ot7! 

♡ Rating: Pg - 14 

♡ Genre: Fluff, little romance, kind of crack lol and just pure happiness! 

♡ Authors Note: HAPPY NEW YEARS! I can’t believe it's the new year, it feels weird saying 2024. Have a safe New Year! 

Working as a supervisor didn’t fulfill life like how L/N Y/N thought it would as a child. She still gets yelled at by her manager about things she didn’t do and she still has to deal with annoying customers. It was the normal life of a person in their late twenties. It also sucked that she lived with her parents because rent was ridiculously high. New Year's Eve was the start of something different.

Every New Year’s Eve, she would spend it with her family drinking apple cider as they watched the ball drop. This year, her friends wanted to do it differently. One of her friends, Allison, was invited to a party. She didn’t ask how she got the invite but she was grateful that she was going. At first, Y/N didn’t want to go but her mother told her that a twenty-five-year-old should be out with friends having fun. 

“All you do is work, Y/N. You deserve to have fun.” 

Looking for a dress was harder than she thought. To be more specific, a party dress. As sad as it sounds, Y/N has never been to a club. The one time she was going to go something came up and she had to change her plans. She picked out a simple beige dress that went off her shoulders. It was simple but she had cute retro flower earrings that had smiling faces on them. It was perfect for her. 

Allison was an introvert but she could be extroverted when she wanted to be, Alica was an introvert and hated everyone, and Y/N was the type of person to introduce herself to someone new because she would feel guilty if she didn’t. The perfect friend group on New Year's Eve. 

Y/N was sitting outside away from the music with her vodka in her hand. She was dancing with her friends but the music was too loud and it was starting to bother her. She had to take a quick breather outside. The beats from the music were loud enough to make the floor vibrant, it was giving her a headache. The night sky was cold enough to make bumps appear on her skin but the alcohol in her system was keeping her warm. 

“It’s cold isn’t it?” 

She turned her head at the unknown voice and her mouth dropped. Why the fuck was Park Jimin talking to her? She blinked her eyes and shook her head gently because there was no way this was happening. When she opened them back up she saw Jimin looking at them with his signature smile that made millions melt, she was one of them. 

“Ye-Yeah, it’s cold. Like it's really cold...you can get goosebumps with how cold it is. Which makes sense because it's the natural human response but that's beside the point.” Jimin let out a small laugh and nodded his head. He pulled a chair to sit next to her and she looked around to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. She looked at him with squinted eyes and leaned forward a bit. He watched her with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything. She put her hand out and touched his chest, “Holy shit...you're real.” 

“Yes?”

She pulled her hand back and bowed her head at him, “Sorry...I didn’t mean to say that out loud or touch you without asking...That’s bad of me. I’m sorry.”

Jimin let out a laugh and leaned back in his chair, “It's fine...I thought it was funny.” 

She took a sip of her vodka and nodded her head, “So why are you here?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Like, you're an idol. You know, famous and rich...very rich. Why are you at this simple party?” 

“Because I made him come here.”

She turned her head and again her mouth dropped. Kim Taehyung was staring at her with a smirk on his face, “Ho-Holy shit.” 

“Well, he invented all of us here.” 

She looked past Taehyung and saw the rest of Bts looking at her with smiles on their faces. She nodded her head and stood up from her chair slowly. She walked towards the edge and leaned against the edge, “What the fuck is happening?” 

She heard a laugh and she turned around to see Jimin giving her a comforting smile, “We just wanted a break from the loudness in there.” 

She nodded her head and sat back in her chair but she turned her body towards everyone, “Well...welcome to the party. I mean the party has been going on for a while now but hi my name is Y/N...I didn’t see you but if I did I would’ve introduced myself...I think I would?” 

“I’m glad I can finally put a name on your pretty face, Y/N.”

She tilted her head at Jimin and squinted her eyes at him, “Huh?” 

Jungkook let out a loud laugh and took a sip of his beer, “I like her, she's funny.” 

Namjoon rolled his eyes and looked at Y/N with a welcoming smile, “Hello Y/N. I’m glad we can have someone new this evening for New Year’s Eve.” 

Jin took his phone out and the light from his phone lit his face up. Y/N just stared at him in awe, “It’s about midnight. We should go to the edge.” 

She pushed some hair behind her ear because she needed to touch reality somehow. Hoseok leaned forward and pointed at her earrings, “I like your earrings. It looks like this sweater I have.”

“They were three dollars. I was so excited to buy them.” 

Yoongi glanced inside and looked back at her, “We should go do the countdown.” 

“It's going to be loud...”

Jimin watched her cringed and nodded his head, “We should stay out here. There’s that big screen that has the countdown. We can do it together with our  new friend.”

“Fr-Friend!?” 

Jin nodded his head and pointed at the screen, “It’s starting! Let’s go before we miss it!” 

They all made their way towards the edge except for Jimin. He smiled at her and put his hand out for her, causing her to look up with confusion, “Let’s go see the countdown together.” 

She glanced at his hand and then at his face, “Su-Sure...” 

She placed her hand into his and he pulled her up causing her to hit his chest. Her eyes widened at the action and he smirked at her, “I would love to welcome the new year with someone as pretty as you.” 

“Likewise...?” 

He let out a laugh and they walked towards the edge with the others. Jungkook wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a bunny smile, “10!”

“9”

“8”

She looked at the screen and she couldn’t believe that the new year was happening. It didn’t feel like this year she accomplished much but her friends and family would disagree. Usually, for the New Years, she would feel depressed. This year it was different. She was hoping for something new. 

“3”

“2”

“1”

“HAPPY NEW YEARS!!” 

Jimin turned towards and placed a quick kiss on her cheek, “Does that prove I’m real?”

[ebonysplendor]

Symptoms of Deceit (Demo) Review 🐙

TL;DR: We've all encountered fake people. You know, those people who pretend to be something or someone they aren't. But what makes Thaumo's situation so different...? Why can't he just be himself? Oh, because he's psycho. Right. Okay, fair point.

Game Link: https://strawberrysquid0.itch.io/symptoms-of-deceit

Notable Features: Two Yandere LIs, Self-Insert, Custom Pronouns, (slight) UI Customization, (minor) Backstory choice, Multiple Endings Spiciness: 2.5/5 -- Gets a little suggestive at one point...but not enough, and you're damn right I'm anticipating that in the future LI Red Flags: 3/5 -- Gaslighting, murder, stalking, nonconsensual stuff (two pretty light instances), your typical yandere stuff, ya know?

Wanna know more? Well, let's get into it!

You know when you've been out of the flow of doing something for so long, and you lowkey forget how to do the thing...? Not gonna lie, kind've going through that right now lmao. Like, when I tell y'all that, when I went off of memory, I could not for the life of me figure out why that little intro before the actual intro part did not flow right, and I totally skipped over the features, spiciness, and red flags. Lmaoooo I need to get back on my shit. Not to mention, I really like doing these and want to get back in the swing of things

ANYWAYS. This isn't about that; this is about this. This game that is. That's what I meant by "this", in case that wasn't clear...my bad...okay, anyways, getting back on track lmao

I honestly don't have much for the intro because, as typical, it's more suited for the review portion, but let me just say...it's pretty damned promising, and I have a temporary spiked interest in mimic octopuses...octopi?....octopuses; it'll make sense later, I swear, but let me just say this.

MIMIC OCTOPI...octopuses?...ARE SO DAMNED COOL? Like, it's quite literally what it sounds like. It mimics the behaviors of other marine animals, and damn do they mimic a lot of those things! They can mimic jellyfish, sea snakes, crabs, flatfish, shrimp, sealions, gah damned seaweed, fucking sea sponges-- like apparently it is a lot, and they are damned cool, man. I love these things. We stan the thaumoctopus mimicus -- lmao just remember that long, scientifically correct word; that was literally intentional, not just a random name drop.

But enough of that, because you know what has my interest more? This game, and I am excited to tell you about it. So, as per the usual, I will tell you as much about the game as possible without ruining the game itself, and trust me, you're gonna wanna play...but this also may be a bit hard to make spoiler friendly. We're gonna thug it out, and make it work, though!

So, enough yappin'. Let's get into it.

So boom.

It's the end of the day, and we're trying to kill the last bit of time that we have left before we go home. If you work yourself, then you know that I'm talking about that weird ass "It's too late to start working on something (nor do I want to) but I still have like a smooth 8 minutes before I clock out". That being said, we do the only logical thing and scroll on social media for a bit. We're in the middle of reading a post/news article, when this pops up:

I'll explain the article somewhat later, but just stick with me for a second and focus on the notif. We look up and--

Well hello, handsome! Ain't no way we're just working with someone this fine. His name is Nalis, by the by, and I'm gonna get back on track now lol.

So, we exchange a little bit of small talk before one of our other co-workers come up and pretty much yanks him away for some more work. Now, the thing about this is, the co-worker was acting pretty out of character. Like, she was just in a pretty ill mood...but then her personality totally flipped when she was talking to us, and Nalis just shoots us this look like "...the hell is going on with her?". But it's like whatever, because Nalis and her are part of the epidemiology team at our work, and we just figured that the stress was just starting to get to her due to the building cases.

Anyways, with our interaction with Nalis cut short, we clock out and head on home. While walking into the building, though, we run into this adorable, blushing mess of a man

Remember that long ass scientifically correct word I gave you? Thaumoctopus mimicus? Everyone, this is Thaumo. Thaumo, this is everyone. See? Told you it'd matter later lol.

Anyways, as expected, we get locked into some small talk, and Thaumo takes the plunge and asks for our number under the guise of "neighbors looking out for each other". ...Yeah, no, naur, that's all right.

We make it quick, shut him down, text the bae friendo, and go in for the night. The next day rolls around, we mess with Nalis for a bit, and...something quite curious happens.

Remember our co-worker that was acting weird yesterday? Well, she comes in, and we check in with her about yesterday, and she just--

Wha--? The fuck you mean, you didn't see him...?

Now, this wouldn't be an issue if she was scatterbrained or something, but she isn't in the slightest. Even when she's tired, she has a damned solid memory and would've definitely remembered something like that, so her simply forgetting is not likely or even probable. Something is very clearly off, but we're not entirely sure of why yet and before we can question it more, she leaves to go to her sector of the building.

Some hours of doing work later, it's around lunch time. We didn't bring our lunch today, so we sit for a moment to figure out what we're gonna do, but Nalis comes around the corner just in time. We make eye contact, but he doesn't really say much, and he looks...different somehow. We brush it off though and ask what he's doing about lunch and if it's cool if we can join him and...

Oof...okay, maybe not.

Despite this though, he fixes his face and tells us it's cool and invites us to go to the vending machine with him. Even still though, he's acting really weird. Like, he's being kind've withdrawn, he's being lowkey insulting, he's spewing all this weird shit about ethics and death, and his whole vibe is just extremely off. It's so bad that we don't even feel comfortable let alone safe with him being around us. I think he lowkey picks up on it though because then he's all "Just pretend that this conversation didn't happen", and it's just, lol what?

But bump it, we bail. We leave him in there, and thankfully, he gave us an exit to do so.

More time goes by, and the phone starts blowing up about some new hire. Well, let me rephrase that. Not a new hire, but someone that's pretty much going to be making sure that we're using the money that their company is giving us to good use and, wouldn't you know it--

That very individual is Thaumo, and he's going to be hanging out with us throughout this whole ordeal. Granted, this isn't entirely bad because the things that Nalis and his team do are extremely confidential, and we're quite literally left out of everything, so it's lowkey nice knowing someone else isn't going to have the full picture about what's going on either. Speaking of Nalis...

The asshole popped up at our desk a few hours later. Of course, we're not as happy to be around him, and he's trying to pry about why. This lowkey pisses us off because he's taking that whole "This conversation didn't happen" shit too literal, and it's like, bro, be fucking for real right now; this shit is not cool. Like, don't gaslight me and act like you weren't acting like a complete donkey during lunch.

"Didn't see us at lunch"? "No time for a full..."? Ayo, what the fuck man? First our coworker, now Nalis? What the fuck is going on with this???

Nalis helps us come to the conclusion that we had likely fell asleep and just had a super vivid dream. We don't fully believe this, but we literally don't have any other form of proof that would suggest otherwise. Either way, we calm down, Nalis reassures us, and we part ways with us going home and him back down to the lab.

That day ends and the next one begins in which Nalis makes a new group chat with Thaumo in it and without the boss, and Nalis is like "Arcade?". We decline, though, and so does Thaumo. We spend our lunch break with Nalis more comfortably this time, and the rest of the day proceeds like normal: uneventful. Well, that is until we're about to head home and receive this text:

Now, for some context, SWSS is Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Remember that article that I mentioned in the beginning? The one with the body? That's what we were reading about, and it's pretty deadly. As I promised, I'll explain a bit more.

The world that we live in, people (can?) have animal associations, and those associations can be either strong or weak -- most people's are weak. That being said, naturally, the people who are suffering from SWSS have associations with sea stars, which is why Nalis was like "even though you aren't susceptible" because that's not our animal association. This also explains the animal contact photos/pfps, if you were wondering about that at one point, as well.

Anyways, we just think about how much SWSS sucks, and we proceed to clock out and take an alternative route home. Well, that kind've goes left because on this route home we still run into trouble. Admittedly, it was by our own nosiness, but it was trouble nonetheless.

To make a long story short...nah, I'm just fuckin' with ya lol. I ain't gonna tell ya.

To be real with you? I literally can't tell you because it'll be, what I feel, is a major spoiler, and there's no way for me to finesse it and tell you what happened without it completely spoiling it...even though I'm pretty certain you can read between the lines and see what's going on.

Just in case you didn't catch on and want a little more insight, I'll tell you this much: Remember that we live in a world where people have animal associations, meaning certain qualities, appearances, and abilities can be adopted; Thaumo has a strong association with his animal...

Again, I'm pretty sure you can read between the lines, but even still, you think you might know what's going on just off that, but you honestly have no clue, because also remember...

There's two yanderes this time, and I didn't even tell you Nalis' animal association.

I'm telling you -- it's not as clear of a picture as you may be thinking.

Okay, so admitedly, this review is LONG over due, because I played this months ago and just never finished the review for it, but I am so excited for this game to be completed!

The story itself is so interesting, and the fact that-- ah, I can't tell you but damn it, just, if you could still figure it out without me saying it or you could read between the lines, I'm just really geeked about this, and I want to see how everything pans out.

Like, I know that the content warning included gaslighting, but I didn't know that it meant like IRL! Like, I was -- oh my fu -- I can't really tell you that either! This is actually frustrating, not gonna lie lol.

Like I've mentioned, I am fairly confident that you can tell what's going on based on what I gave you despite me not explicitly saying it and doing my damndest to tip toe around it...but just know that that whole "gaslighting" content warning is applying IRL for me right now. Like, I have so many questions, and I demand that this game be finished so that I can get them answered!

The other wild part about this game, though, is that, if you actually go back and read it after getting some more information, there's actually allusions as to what's going on in certain scenarios! It literally made me go "Ohhhh now that part makes more sense! ... Yo, that's crazy". Like, it's honestly pretty well done as far being just discreetly enough to have you kind've gloss over it, but you can definitely pick up on it if you pay attention to it, especially if you go to replay it for the other endings.

Now, let's talk about the pacing. Pretty solid and well done, in my opinion! There were definitely some parts that were definitely more "storytelling based", but it didn't drag on for long, and the storytelling bits made sense and were necessary. Admittedly, it had somewhat rushed transitions to certain parts, but I still thought it flowed pretty damned well in all honesty. Then again, that's what happens when you have an interesting storyline, and people are more interested in the story itself versus the "You wake up the next day, and head to work after getting ready" transition.

Then again, I honestly prefer it to be that versus "You wake up. You go to the bathroom to brush your teeth. You look at your teeth. Ick. You get over the ick. You walk out. You go to the kitchen. You open the fridge. You reach it. You grab the mi--" Like oh my Gods, bro, I get it. Please get on with it. It's like, I get it because it's necessary, but like get to the point. That just kills the momentum to me, or if there wasn't any momentum to start with, it just makes the story/transition drag for longer than it needs to. Speaking of making things longer than needed and getting on with it...

If it's not obvious at this point, I definitely recommend this game. I recommend it so much that I will be providing you the link right here, right now, multiple times in a row. So just...ya know...click on any of those and download it to your computer, brah. All jokes and silliness aside, you'd be seriously missing out if you don't, because the story is there, and I find it super interesting. Also! If you'd like to, give the dev that ever encouraging and desperate "DROP ANOTHER UPDATE, AND MY LIFE IS YOURS~! Also, really love your game! You're doing really well! BUT PLEASE LET ME BANG NALIS AND THAUMO!". Also, also! I didn't see anything that indicated that they were open to monetary support, but if you find it, I'm sure they'd really appreciate the donation.

That all being said, that is finally all from me, and I will let you go about your day now! Big preesh for getting this far. Huge reminder! Please drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around~!

Symptoms of Deceit

[raineandsky]

#84

There’s been a new series of attacks on the city. Nothing that anyone can blame on current villains, no—this is the work of someone new. Someone crueller than the rest.

The hero can’t catch them. No one knows why. The hero always shrugs and promises to try harder when people ask. No one knows. No one can know.

A building blows up, the hero gets called in, she’s always too late. The superhero is slowly losing patience, but appearances matter—the hero always throws them her best winning smile with a pledge to bring the fist of justice down on the vigilante, and her word on it seems to calm them down a little.

Easy. Keep up appearances. Stay alert. Don’t get caught.

This is the hero’s mantra that she always repeats to herself, minutes before she gets her inevitable call to the crime scene. 

Keep up appearances. With a flick of her wrist a match lights, pushing the gloom back slightly. Stay alert. She carefully holds it to a long fuse at her feet. Don’t get caught. The light sparks, and the hero starts to make her getaway before the bomb sets off and the building collapses on her. She sets her stopwatch—three minutes. Okay.

Across the hall. Downstairs. To the main door and out—

“Fancy seeing you here.”

The hero whips back, with barely contained horror, to face the villain, leaning against a doorframe and smirking at the hero like he knows something. The hero’s insides twist nervously at the expression. “Didn’t take you for a derelict building kind of gal,” he continues casually.

“All the city is under my watch,” she snaps a little too quickly. “Derelict buildings are in my care, too, just as much as the populated ones are.”

The hero can hear the hissing of the fuse upstairs, even from here. The villain can too, from the way he tilts his head thoughtfully. Or maybe she’s imagining things and he can’t hear a thing.

She moves to get past the villain. He leans across the doorway as if that can truly stop her. It wouldn’t, but catching the villain in an about-to-be-blown-up building was not part of the plan. She fixes him with a hard glare instead. “I suggest you move,” she spits, but the villain only laughs.

“What, no time for a dance with your favourite criminal?”

He holds his hands out to her like he’s serious but she bats him away. “Leave, [Villain],” she demands, praying it sounds more like a command than a warning. “You shouldn’t be here.”

She shoves past him and he thankfully moves this time, stumbling back into the doorframe as she skirts around him. He follows her as she lets herself out the main door, and she’s distantly thankful that he’s so persistent. 

“And you should?” the villain snaps harshly. “The agency sends its finest out to wander about buildings five seconds from collapsing?”

The hero would laugh at the irony if she wasn’t so worried about how close they are to the door and how short that fuse surely is by now. She turns to him and hopes her usual heroic smugness is sitting in its place.

“If you want to dance,” she says, quicker than can be played off as smooth, “we can do it where everyone can watch.”

She turns to run but the villain catches her arm, uncharacteristic concern etched into this expression. “What’s going on with you?” he asks softly. “You’re acting weird.”

Fuck, he knows. He’s going to carefully pry a confession out of her like he’s the good guy. Okay, I’m the big scary villain everyone’s looking for! I’m the one bringing the city to its knees! Then the villain will arrest her or some shit. He’s an undercover hero. He’s– he’s going to tell the superhero, her life is over. He knows, he knows he knows he knows—

The hero’s stopwatch beeps cheerfully from her pocket, and before she can think what she’s doing she tackles the villain to the floor.

Whatever noise of surprise the villain made at the contact is lost to the deafening boom of the bomb erupting, gutting the building without a care. She can’t see it—doesn’t want to, not really—but the debris scatters across the street like a taste of the carnage behind her. She can see some of the disaster in the reflection of the villain’s widened, startled eyes—fire, smoke, and merciless, cold-hearted destruction.

The villain finally manages to tear his gaze from the mutilated remains of the building and back to the hero. She can’t meet his eye. He knows. There’s no doubt he does. She stares at where concrete is jabbing into her palms instead.

“Did you just save my life?“ His question almost sounds offended. The hero almost laughs at the unexpectedness of it.

“You’re welcome.”

His gaze flits back to the building crumbling over the hero’s shoulder. “You—” His voice catches on nerves. She’s never seen him actually scared of her before. “You did that. You’ve done all of them.”

No point in lying anymore. “I have to do a lot to get the agency’s attention nowadays.”

Something pulls at the corner of the villain’s lips, and it takes her a moment to realise that it’s a smile. Unabashed, delighted, like he’s just stumbled across a pile of gold.

“You’re on the wrong team,” he says. “There’s a place for someone like you with us.”

And, to be honest, the hero knows he’s right.

[deanoheartspie]

SOMETHING RED 4

Pairings: Reader x Soldier Boy (Ben)

Warnings: fluff, angst.

Summary: you knew soldier boy since you were young until the man had gotten tested he had become a whole different person. So when he comes back after Crimson and other supes send him away, it makes him angry

A/n: Sorry for the late update!

“Why do I have to wear a suit?” you ask with a frown, picking at the tight gold and white super suit and tugging it off your ass when you hear a low won't whistle. You didn't understand why you had to pretend to be starlight.

“Well look what we have here, is it my birthday or something,” Ben says with a shit-eating grin on his face as he grabs your waist spinning you around.

You huff with a cute pout on your face, which always seemed to make Ben fold no matter how mad or upset he was.

“Don't look at me with that face sweetheart” He bites down on his lip, looking at you like you were the most gorgeous woman in the whole world. If only he had said it more in the past maybe you'd believe it.

Glancing away, you walk towards Butcher with your arms crossed. “They know who I am, they aren't stupid,” you grumbled out, pissed off that you were going to be used as bait.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Once Ben had found out the reason you were wearing the super suit, he didn't like the sound of it. As much of a dick he was, he did have his overprotective moments which you had to admit... You kinda loved it showed he cared.

“Y/n... Y/n. I don't want you doing this.” Soldier boy grabbed your arm, tugging you back. The audacity of this man to think he gets to tell you what you can and cannot do.

So why you might continue this you might be asking? Petty. Ben hated pettiness and stubbornness, especially from you.

“Quit it. I'll be fine, Soldier boy~” You sang out, as you walked through the allys, not understanding why the man even bothered following he didn't care before so why now?

“You look like a hooker in a costume, am I supposed to just leave you here to be murdered by this cheap blonde knock-off me?” Without another word, the next thing you knew you were being tossed over a shoulder.

“We are getting you food and we'll figure out another plan.” He stated not allowing you to protest, oh boy... Butcher is gonna be pissed

“Can we at least get some normal clothes then? Wait! We can get you new clothes too, we both know how much you love to shop” you smirk, as you tease him skipping off to a store. Honestly, you were excited to see him in a nice outfit rather than the super suit or a baseball jersey even though he looked hot in both.

With racks and Racks of clothing, Ben looked stressed as ever rubbing his temple insulting shirts that men nowadays we're and how they were such pussys and blah blah.

Luckily enough, you were able to find something that suited dinner. A nice brown jacket with a white button-up, even though there were a few complaints Ben had to admit he cleaned up nice.

“Your turn sweet cheeks. Unless you want to wear that all night, I can't complain I get a nice view of your a-” You immediately cut him off, as the store owner was judging you and him from the moment the both of you stepped in.

Ben looked over seeing the old greyish-hard woman, sure he liked older women since he'd be around the same age as them. Oddly enough though, he didn't understand why you didn't age...yet his attraction for you never left.

He found a lacy black long skirt with long sleeved shirt so you wouldn't get cold. “You look beautiful...”

°•••••••••••••••••°

Dinner. Laughing. Olds times.

It was weird, the way Ben tossed his head back while he laughed and mentioned old memories and how great life was when they were young with no worries... It was like the old part of him was still there and you wanted to cling to it just for a little while longer.

Holding hands, while walking through the streets the nice cold breeze hitting your face thankfully hiding your blush.

Stupidly enough you mention Crimson... His breath hitches and he pulls away from you.

“Ben... I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring it up”

Before you knew it you were being tossed onto a wall, hitting your head on the brick wall. You see what you can muster out Ben being surrounded by cars, and Butcher's voice...

Trying your best to keep your eyes open... You just couldn't anymore.

“Y/n! Y/n!!”

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Tag list: @kat-nee @globetrotter28 @hobby27

[thecluelessdoctor]

spins in a swivel chair

Guys it's fucking time.

HELLUVA BOSS SEASON 2 EPISODE ... 8?? 9?? Idk I forgot lmao

BUT THE NEW ONE

Boy do I have some things to say

Alright let's get into it.

I'ma start with what I think the episode did right.

Animation, as usual, is awesome, props to all the animators y'all did WONDERFULLY, esp in that beginning duet.

I like that they did a full on stolitz episode with no major sub plots. Yeah there were the cherubs but they were still pretty closely tied to the main plot so.. yeah lmao.

CLAPS INTENSELY

FUCK YOU BLITZ FOR BEING RELATABLE I HATE YOU FOR THAT/POS

Blitz is a character I've always related too and damnit this episode made it worse lmao.

If there's one thing I will always give helluva boss props for it's blitz's character consistency while still adding more layers to him. I also really liked how in this episode we see a more.. soft side?? To blitz?? Not soft but like - a more caring side ig lmao.

Also in this episode we get a real taste of found family like the show wanted us to see before and not just a desperate man trying to force himself into the lives of people who do not want him.

Also blitz in a different outfit always makes me feral because damn this man slays more than I ever could. Also back to the character consistency part, blitz's love for horses still being a little detail about him makes me happy like yes I love it when shows give characters interests without shoving it in your face.

The rest of IMP being wingmen (in their own, weird way) also is fun lol.

Also the cherubs and the DORKS working together is so fun i love the returning villains and I hope we get more of them lol. Also the cherubs being traumatized by the lust ring was ... Kinda funny. Honestly this episode was... kinda funny-?? It's still sex humor as usual but yk.

Also fizzy in rainbow pants let's fucking go.

And I'm glad the eyes on blitzø's gloves are being used and not just pointless clutter in his design. Because now they have the asmoduan crystal like let's go.

Also having a stolitz episode WITHOUT via or Stella even being brought up is SO refreshing. I liked how it was just about stolas' raw emotion, and care for blitz.

And HOLY SHIt. Ok. The end scene of blitz yelling at stolas' for "throwing him away", and once blitz REALIZES stolas' actually CARED about him, he tries to run after him, but it's too late. He's fucked up.

Ok I've sung my praises, let's go into my criticisms.

...

Honestly? I don't have TOO many. I still have some, I always do, but this episode.. was honestly really enjoyable.

Sure the sex stuff is.. pretty annoying and gets old fast but it's helluva boss what can ya do, really?

I feel like, now this is a whole show critique, not just the episode, but I feel like we are going to fast. We are told it's been a ton of time from the last time stolas and blitz did their monthly activities so ueah.

I feel like the emotional convo was a LITTLE stiff in the beginning, but yall? Brandon rogers make blitz sound so genuinely angry and sad, so I feel like it brought us back.

Anyway.

I'm Dotty, and I shouldn't be genuinely invested in this telenovela ass show

[04mxfutbol]

Reality (Pt. 2) (Christen Press x Reader)

A/N: I listened to My Tears Ricochet by Taylor Swift on repeat while writing this. Safe to say my tears have been lost somewhere in the fic. Okay enjoy (:

What hurts more than a relationship breakup? A friendship breakup. Gosh do they hurt. It’s a different type of pain.

You don’t know how it got to this point but here you were. Surrounded by so many people yet not even close to the one person you so badly wanted but couldn’t have.

“You look good today.” Megan says sarcastically.

“I feel like shit, god I do this to myself. Over and over.” You say as you set your phone down. “It’s just hard not to.”

“You’re just torturing yourself Y/N.” Alex says as she sits next to you. “You’re just opening that wound even more. Let it heal.”

“I just want to see her without her knowing I’m looking.”

“So a stalker.” Megan says.

“Well.. no? I just don’t want her to know I’m lurking through her page or even her boyfriends page. That would be weird.”

“But she knows who you are.” Alex says.

“That’s still a stalker.” Megan says. “And it is weird.”

“Meg.” Alex says.

“What? It is weird.”

“Shut up already.” Alex says slapping Megan on the arm.

“We aren’t even friends anymore, not like before.” You say as you pull the hoodie over yourself. “I just wish I could go back in time and fix things. But it’s too late now.”

“It gets better with time.” Alex says as she wraps her arm around you.

“Trust me I’ve been waiting but it’s been years Al. It’s been literal years.”

“Give it time Y/N.”

“I hope you’re right Al. I hope you’re right. I can’t move on. I don’t want this to be my life.”

You pull the strings on your hoodie, covering your face as you lean against Alex.

“She’s here.” Alex whispers and you quickly let your head fall onto her lap.

“Hey girls.” You hear Christen say, you don’t look anywhere, you close your eyes pretending to be asleep. “Alex.”

“Christen.” Alex says.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Pinoe asks and you discretely kick her shin.

“Couldn’t make it today.” Christen says and Alex puts her arm on top of your body.

“Bummer.” Alex says trying not to sound sarcastic. “Would’ve loved to finally meet him. You know, you’ve been dating for two years now.”

“Maybe another time.” Christen says. “I’m sure he’d love to meet you guys, he said he’d try and be here tomorrow.”

“Well that’s great.” Alex says.

“Is she sleeping?” Christen asks as she looks down to you.

“Knocked out.” Alex says as she places her hand on your head. “Long flight you know?”

“If I still remember correctly she probably stayed up all night to make sure she wouldn’t miss her flight.” Christen says, for some reason her remembering that made your heart flutter but also break a little.

She remembers. 

“I hate flights they stress me out.”

“Just sleep I’ll make sure I’ll wake you up if you don't wake up on time.” Christen says and you sigh.

“No because you sleep through your alarms.”

“Oh shush you. Look on the bright side, our families are going on a trip together.”

“True, it was a surprise they said yes.”

“That’s exactly what happened.” Alex says as she remembers last nights events.

“Same old Y/N/N.” Christen says with a chuckle.

“That’s Y/N for you.” Alex says patting your head.

“Well I’ll see you guys later right?” Christen asks.

“Definitely.”

You hear the wheels of a suitcase further away from you, finally lifting your head back up.

“Deep down I trick myself into thinking she loved me too at one point but never told me.” You say with a shrug.

“Come on let’s go back to our room.” Alex whispers as she stands up, extending her hand to you.

The three of you walk up to the hotel room, head rested against Alex’s arm.

As soon as you walked inside you laid down on the bed and curled up into a ball.

“Becky is on her way to grab something from here but don’t mind her.” Alex whispers and you nod.

You soon hear a knock on the door and hear the door open.

“Cap Becky!” Pinoe shouts.

“I’m just here to grab the folder.” Becky says walking into the room.

“Alex.” Becky says and then looks at the body on the bed, that body being you. “Hey Y/N what’s going on?”

“I hate feelings and love.” You say as you stare at the wall.

“Is Christen still being a total loser?” Becky asks.

“She’s not a loser.” You say.

“So it’s Christen.”

“When hasn’t it been.” You hear Pinoe say, you lift your head up and stick your tongue out at her.

“Can I state an opinion?” Alex asks, Becky looks at Alex and she tilts her head.

“Sure.” You say. “What is it?”

“I think there’s more to what happened the night it all went down, from my perspective at least. I mean there’s no reason to end a friendship over two people hanging out right?” Alex says. “I was there that night. I was that person hanging out with you.”

“I was very persistent on her calming down about you and me hanging out often. It didn’t seem like a big deal to me.”

“Then there’s more to it.” Alex says. “Just my opinion.”

“I guess, thanks.” You say as you grab a blanket, covering your head.

The sound machine beside the bed that Alex had turned on to help you fall asleep did it’s magic. Of course with a hint of Taylor Swift playing in the background, Alex knowing all too well it would knock you out, she had a playlist all made for you to sleep to.

“You know we can’t tell her.” Becky says whispering to Alex.

“Y/N needs the closure she deserves.” Alex whispers. “We’ve been lying to her the whole time.”

“We don’t even know the entire story! Christen said something just took over her that night.” Becky says. “You think I know the whole story? I don’t! Christen has been lying to us, we’re not lying to Y/N. We’ve told her all WE know.”

“All we know? Sure, but we sure as heck weren’t blind that night. You and I both know what we saw.” Alex says. “I was there Becky. It happened again that night when we all went together as a team to watch a basketball game.”

“And if we’re wrong? Then what? We give her false hope?” Becky says. “If we’re wrong we destroy her.”

“Well I wasn’t fucking blind that night that’s for sure and you know damn well what you saw that night.”

“I actually kind of agree with Becky here.” Pinoe says. “Are we certain of what we saw that night? Not necessarily but we also can’t kill her hope. We’re not even the ones to be saying what we saw because we all know Christen is the one who truly knows.”

“The same thing happened when we were in college. It was that same look of she wanted me dead.”

“Alex.”

“No I’m serious. But it happened again and this time it looked like she wanted me to know. You were there.”

“We were all there this time but the first time? You said it yourself you guys were in college. We don’t know everything.”

“Christen has been on thin fucking ice since that night.” Alex says. “It’s been years.”

“Until she wants to say something about it then we can say something.” Becky says. “Okay? Okay. We’ve agreed”

Throughout all that whisper yelling you somehow slept through it, the sound machine doing its work as it should and the power of the playlist Alex had made you did wonders.

“You know this is the first time she’s actually getting some sleep. You guys haven’t been there.” Alex says. “I was! I was there! I’ve been there! She barely gets sleep and she needs help. It’s been years!”

“Clearly her first love.”

“You don’t get it, it’s been like this since college. Christen ruined this wonderful human being over what? Stupidity. Ignorance? JEALOUSY?”

“Okay now don’t say things like that.” Becky says. “We don't know that.”

“Y/N needs help I’m talking therapist help to heal and be able to move on.” Alex whispers. "You know I'm right. Christen only ever tries to find Y/N whenever things go wrong in her love life and Y/N being Y/N she lets her back in her life. Then when Christen is better she leaves."

"Okay so Christen is a jerk." Megan says. "What do you expect us to do then?"

"If I knew I would have been doing it already." Alex says as she gets into the bed with you. “She’s been through enough, she’s put up with Christen’s stupid games. Christen gives her false hope.”

“We don't say anything about it yet.” Becky says as she leaves the room.

“My poor Y/N has tried to face reality but can’t because she’s afraid.” Alex whispers as she runs her fingers through your hair.

“At least she has you.” Megan says with a shrug.

“She’ll always have me. That will never change.”

- - - -

“Good morning sunshine.” Alex whispers as she moves the hair out of your face. “Let’s go grab breakfast we’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“Isn’t today a whole day of team bonding?” You grog out. “If so then I think I’ll take an extra hour of sleep.”

“Funny. Come on get up. Even if it’s team bonding, the time doesn’t change. It’s 7am. Get up.” Alex says as she pulls the first blanket off of you.

“Ugh sometimes this whole being a professional soccer player has its cons. This being one of them.” You say stretching. “A pro of being a professional soccer player is being friends with you.”

“Aww how sweet, nice try. Get up already.”

“You’re so bossy I hope you know that.” You say as you get up from the bed.

“I know.”

After dressing up you both head down to grab breakfast, naturally you sat next to Alex, always feeling protected by her.

“Feed me.” You tell Alex.

“Feed yourself I’m not going to feed you, your hands are working just fine.” Alex says.

“Alex please, I’m sad.” You say, you’re quick to give her the best puppy eyes you could.

“Ugh. Fine. Just this once.” Alex says grabbing your fork and grabbing a piece of fruit. “Open.”

“Thank you.”

Alex continues feeding you some food while also eating her own breakfast. Your head rested on your hand as you look at Alex. You’re interrupted when someone sits in front of you.

“Hi Alex.” Christen says. “Hey Y/N.”

“Hey.” You say quickly then try to scoot closer to Alex

“Christen.” Alex says.

“Al more.” You say opening your mouth.

“That’s the last of it. Now let me eat before we have to go.” Alex says and you nod.

“You two still hang out a lot huh?” Christen says and you turn to face her.

“We do, we actually live together because roommates!” Alex says making you laugh.

“Plus rent is cheap when this superstar gets paid big money with all her sponsors.” You say with a chuckle. “Gotta love living with Alex.”

“Who wouldn’t love having you around all the time. We get to stay in and watch movies and we end up falling asleep on the couch until one gets up and wakes the other up to go to bed. So fun.” Alex says.

“Sounds fun.” Christen says. “Sounds like you two really did solidify that good friendship.”

“Oh yeah, long ago. Ever since college right?” Alex says turning to look at you.

“Um? Yes?” You say.

“Awesome.”

“Very.” Alex says sternly, glaring at the green eyed woman in front of her.

“Alright everyone we’ve brought a team specified in team bonding to come and help this team become better and you know trust each other. We’ll be having activities all afternoon. So after breakfast we head to the conference room.” Vlatko announces. “Also we have Naomi Girma and Taylor Kornieck joining us for the first time. So let’s welcome them both with a good attitude. Dismissed.”

“Great, team exercises. Fun.” Pinoe says. “As if I don’t spend time enough with all of you.”

“You love us though, right?” Rose asks Pinoe.

“You my dear Rose are who I love the most.” Pinoe says patting Rose’s head.

“Ouch.” You say.

“How’s it feel to be a veteran?” Alex asks and you chuckle.

“I feel rather-.”

“Old? Yeah get used to it.” Pinoe says and you shove her.

“I was going to say I feel weird.” You say. “You on the other hand, you are old so time is ticking.”

“You little shit.” Pinoe snarls and you laugh, but soon enough she has you in a headlock.

“Y/N? You still love me even though Pinoe hates you right now right?” Rose asks and you smile.

“I’ll always love you Rose. You’re too precious.”

“Newbies in the house.” Kelley shouts, you turn around and see the two woman walking towards your table.

“Rookies.” You say looking at them.

“They’ll do great.” Alex says and you nod. "Megan let go of Y/N."

"Thanks."

"You're lucky I love you."

“I definitely see Naomi being captain in the future. She has the spirit and looks like could give good speeches.” You say. “But I’m getting ahead of myself.”

“Good thing we all play together in club.” Alex says and you chuckle.

“That’s true.”

You all head to the conference room, sitting down at one of the many tables set up in the conference room.

“I’m ready to get this over with.” You say as you clap.

“Okay everyone, with the people in your table, let’s start with your name and something like a hobby.” One of the woman says.

“So I’m Y/N and I like to sleep? That can be a hobby right?” You ask.

“I think so.” Mal says and you nod your head.

“Then that’s my hobby.”

You looked up from your table, your eyes meeting the green eyes you so hopelessly fell in love with long ago. Christen smiled at you and gave you a little wave. Waving back, you immediately leaned against Alex. Christen’s smile fading away.

“You okay?” Alex whispers and you nod. “Hey. It’s me and you. Me and you always.”

You hoped this camp would finally be the time you both would reconnect after many years of not being friends.

You hoped.

Hoping. Like you always did.

But that hope was running out. You didn’t like that.

“Okay now that you’ve all clearly shared the same hobby. Let’s see if you know each other’s birthday.”

“Birthday’s? BIRTHDAYS? As in the day people were born? I barely even remember mine.” Rose says.

“Yet you remember Wilma’s.” Mal says.

Everyone at your table attempts getting each other’s birthday right when it’s finally your turn you groan. Not wanting to have everyone guessing once again for another birthday that not anyone can barely remember you decide to just make it go quicker.

“My birthday is-.” You’re cutoff by Alex who stops you.

“Oh I know this, easy.” Alex says with a smile. “It’s-.”

“I know your birthday.” Christen says pulling a chair to your table and sitting across from you. Interrupting Alex. “Super easy, Y/N’s birthday is Y/B/D. I know that.” Christen smiles as she looks at you.

You turn to look at Alex who’s just as confused as you are. She shrugs her shoulders as she tries to understand what just happened.

“When’s mine Y/N/N?” Christen asks you as she looks at you, ignoring the others at the table. “Do you even remember mine?”

You reach for Alex’s hand under the table, trying to gain some sort of reality in what seemed fantasy. Alex squeezed your hand three times and you took a deep breath.

"Happy Birthday Chris, what do we have planned for today?" You ask Christen.

"Me and you movies and maybe go to the beach?" Christen asks and you smile.

"Sure, whatever you want. It's your birthday."

“I remember yours, it’s December 29.” You say and you feel your cheeks start to heat up, but also your heart racing.

“I can’t believe you actually remember.”

“I could never forget.”

The rest of the time you were out of it, not focused in team bonding anymore after what had occurred. Your mind still groggy, trying to understand what the hell had just happened.

It wasn’t like Christen to do what she did, plus you had initially thought she didn’t want to talk to you. Yet here she was acting the way she was. It confused you in every single way.

Everything just made you remember the night Christen saw you and Alex holding hands at a game. Which you thought wasn’t a big deal until Alex told you that Christen was practically looking at her like she wanted her dead.

You just never understood why she reacted that way when she sat behind you at the game with her boyfriend. Christen knew you and Alex had always been close you just never thought it’d be a problem.

“Alright everyone you’re dismissed for whatever shenanigans you all will be up to. Be careful.” Vlatko says. “But be careful.”

You immediately get up pulling Alex and Rose.

“I’ve been chosen. Yes.” Rose says.

“I’m terrified of what just happened in there.” You whisper to the two women in front of you.

“Maybe Chris is trying to reconnect?” Rose says shrugging her shoulders. “But it was kind of unexpected if that’s what you’re implying.”

Alex looks at you with worried eyes, wanting so badly to tell you what she had thought of that night, the night everything crumbled for you. But she held back, remembering what Becky had told her.

While you racked your brain trying to find a perfectly good explanation to what had happened, Christen was walking right behind a group of youngsters.

“Did you see Alex’s private story? They went surfing and then to a concert just the other day. How can I trade spots with Y/N? I want to go to concerts too.”

“Y/N has just been going through it, Alex just tries to distract Y/N from practically everything.” Naomi says. “She’s a great friend. They’re both great people.”

“They’re attached to the hip, wherever Alex is, Y/N is right behind. And wherever Y/N is, Alex is right behind.” Taylor says. “I think it’s kind of cute.”

“Oh definitely.” Naomi says with a chuckle. “I do love their weekend cookouts that they invite us to, it relaxes me.”

“Oh my god you’re so right.” Taylor says. 

“What are we talking about?” Ashley asks as she catches up to the two Wave players.

“Alex and Y/N.” Taylor says. 

“Oh my god, they are the cutest. Did you guys see the picture of them both spending the holidays together with their families? When I have a friendship like that I’ll be happy.” Ashley says.

“They’re the best.” Naomi says.

“Cute.” Christen says bitterly as she walks past the girls.

“What was that?” Ashley asks, the two Wave players shrugging in confusion not knowing what may have caused such a reaction from who they thought was the calmest person.

- - - -

After a long two weeks of camp, you were a bit thrilled to return to San Diego. To be in your own bed and be away from all the chaos that occurred. To be as far away from what Alex is saying to be reality you didn't want to face.

Were you not facing reality already? You sure thought you were looking at reality.

“She leaving?” Alex asks and you nod. “If it’s meant to be then it’ll happen Y/N/N.”

“Thanks for that Al but she’s gone now. She always said she didn’t feel the same, others say differently but I do always wonder if at some point she did feel the same for me, for just a little bit.”

“Only she knows I suppose. I can’t read minds or else I’d read minds.” Alex says making you laugh a little bit. “Trust me Y/N. If it’s meant to be then your paths will cross and meet again. Don’t force it.”

“I am a big sucker for hope.” You say softly. “I feel like just waving a white flag you know? I surrender, it’s been years.”

“Don’t wave it.” You hear someone behind you say. “You’re the biggest sucker when it comes to hope and I love that about you. You always have hope. I have no idea what you’re talking about but don’t wave the flag, keep hoping.” Christen says as she flashes you a big wide smile as she walks past you.

“Y-yeah thanks.” You say as you lean into Alex, trying to feel some sort of protection. Alex is quick to react as she wraps her arm around you.

Alex didn't miss the glare Christen was sending her, the same glare she had received from the green eyed woman years ago. Alex tilted her head, she knew that glare, she knew that reaction. Christen was jealous, Alex knew it, it had to be that.

“I have to go but whatever it is don’t wave it. There’s always hope.” Christen says as she opens the door to the car that had just arrived. She opens the passenger door and you see her boyfriend.

“Hi babe you ready to go home?” Christen’s boyfriend says.

“Yeah. Ready.” Christen says as she gets inside. “Y/N don’t lose hope.”

You nod your head as the car drives off.

As soon as the car is far from your sight you pulled out a napkin you had in your napkin from lunch earlier that day.

“Y/N?” Alex asks as she looks at you.

You turn to look at her as you wave the napkin in the air.

“I give up.” You say as you begin to sob.

“Oh Y/N/N.” Alex says as she pulls you in for a hug. You sobbed into her chest as you grabbed the sides of her sweater.

“I just want to talk to her, but at the same time scream.” You say in between sobs.

“Then scream, scream at the sky and scream all you wish you could tell her. Heal Y/N. You deserve to heal from the pain she has put you through.”

You clung onto Alex’s hoodie, a sobbing mess in Alex’s arms.

Some of the older girls walk out of the lobby and they’re met with the sight of you clinging onto Alex, sobbing. They stop as Alex signals them to stop where they are.

“Here I have an idea.” Alex says. “Come on everyone. Follow me.”

Alex took you to a nearby beach, a secluded area where there weren't many people.

“What are we doing here?” You ask Alex.

“Scream. Scream at the sky, scream all you wish you could tell her, scream. Talk to her by screaming at the sky.” Alex says as she holds onto your hand. “Let yourself heal.”

You look at Alex and sniffle. She gives you a supportive smile and nods. You look around and no one was around. You took in a deep breath as you looked up at the sky.

“Scream. Scream all you want.”

You sniffle and wipe your tears. Closing your eyes you replayed every memory, they just all reminded you of what she was to you. She was home. 

“Apparently home doesn't have to be a place.” Christen says as she walks into your bedroom.

“Really? So then what else can it be?” You ask.

“A person.” Christen says as she lays next to you.

“Wow that's deep.” You say as you look up at the ceiling.

“You’re my home.” Christen says making you smile.

“You’re my home too.”

You begin to scream as you open your eyes, looking up at the sky. 

“YOU BROKE ME.” You yell at the sky. “YOU WERE MY HOME. I WAS YOURS.”

“There we go let it go.”

“Me and you forever.” Christen says as she plays with your hair, your head resting on her chest.

“Me and you forever.” You repeat.

“I HATE YOU.” You scream and sob. “I love you.”

“We’re going to live together one day trust me.” Christen says and you laugh. “What? Do you think I’m kidding?”

“Come on Chris maybe for a little but then you’ll get married or something.” You say looking at her.

“Married? Pass. It’ll be me and you living together forever. Nothing can separate us.”

“It was me and you forever.” You sob out.

“You have a boyfriend?” Christen asks and you furrow your eyebrows as you grab your backpack.

“No? Who said that?” You ask as you look at Christen weirdly. “Plus if anything I think I'd have a relationship with a girl first rather than a guy.”

“Oh I just heard something around.”

“Well I don’t so can you calm down?”

“I’m calm.” Christen says making you laugh.

“Why were you losing your mind over that? I don't react that way when you have a boyfriend.”

“I gotta make sure whoever dates you is good for you just like you do for me.” Christen says and you snort.

“Yes because when have you listened to me about your boyfriends, they’ve been terrible and I tell you before. I can sense it way before you do.”

“Yeah but your love life matters to me, I want you to be with someone who loves you and treats you right. I could care less about mine.”

“Clearly. Trust me I know.”

You continue to scream at the sky as you stomp your feet on the sand.

“You ever look at stars and think just how beautiful they are?” Christen asks you as you both lay outside on the lawn.

“Actually, yes.” You say. Christen turns to look at you, a smile plastered on her face.

“Why are you smiling like that and looking at me like that?” You say with a nervous chuckle.

“I’m going to be honest.” Christen says grabbing you hand. “What if we just never get married? What if it’s just me and you forever? Wouldn’t that be nice? Just us and laughter and adventures.”

“I suppose?”

“I’m just really grateful for you and I’m really lucky to have you in my life, you've stayed friends with me for so many years and I know I don't tell you often but I do love you and I appreciate it and all you do for me. I'm sorry I’m not the best of friend, or that I push you away sometimes, I don't mean it. I just don't ever want to lose you.”

“You won't. I don't want to ever lose you either Chris, I don't want to face the world by myself, I want to have you around forever.”

“Us two facing the world together. Facing reality.” Christen says booping your nose. “I love you.”

“Us versus the world.” You say making Christen laugh.

“It's me and you forever.” Christen says as she looks back up at the sky.

As you both laid on the grass Christen reached over to grab your hand, you turned your head and saw Christen looking at you, a very interesting look on her face that you couldn't quite figure out. The soft gaze and her smile.

Christen’s mind was everywhere, but when she would look at you and you smiled, she knew she loved you so much. Everything around you both seemed to not matter, she knew you were her home.

“I’m sorry I don't show it often but I really do appreciate you and I’m sorry I push you away, I don't mean it.” Christen says as she fidgets with your fingers. “I just-.”

“It’s okay you don't have to explain. I’ll always be around.”

“But you're the one who's constantly putting so much into our friendship and I know we've talked about this before, I need to do more.”

“Christen.”

“I don't want to lose you, ever.”

“You won't. Come on Christen we both know we've gone through enough and we’re still here.”

“Yes because you're the one who's always trying to save this friendship.”

“Christen. Hey. It’s me and you. Me and you.”

“Me and you.”

You fall onto your knees as you hide your face in your hands. Trying so hard not to absolutely lose your composure, but you're pretty sure you had already lost it.

"I don't even understand why you're acting like this Chris, you're not like this." You say as you walk closer to her.

"I always say I'm gonna change the way I am to you but never do. I'm a bad person. I'm not a good person." Christen says and you look baffled.

"Don't say that, hey you're not a bad person. You are a wonderful and kind person." You say as you walk up to Christen, cupping her face in your hands.

"I don't know how you're still my friend. You are so fucking amazing Y/N. You don't even know how much you truly are worth, I'm fucking lucky to have you in my life and I should be cherishing you and appreciating you before it's too late."

"I'm right here Chris. I'm right here."

While you sobbed, letting it all out, Christen was with her boyfriend driving home.

“That was the famous Y/N?” Christen’s boyfriend asks.

“That was her with Alex yes.” Christen says.

“Are they together?”

“Who? Alex and Y/N?” Christen asks with a chuckle. “Probably, I wouldn't know.”

“I thought they were together.”

“Yeah well they might as well be.”

“Angry much?”

“No. I just want to go home.” Christen sighs, Christen’s boyfriend sighs and shakes his head as he looks at the road. ”What?”

“You get like this every single time you either hear, see or literally just know she's around. You get so- so..”

“So what?”

“Jealous! Christen you get jealous!”

“I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I be jealous? We haven't been friends since our first year of college.”

"What are you doing?" You ask Christen as you walk into her room.

"Getting ready?" Christen says, you raise your eyebrow as you see what's in her hand.

"What the hell are you going to do with a hammer?"

"Aren't you going to meet someone?" Christen asks and you snort.

"Yes but I can assure you I'll be fine."

"I just gotta make sure they're good for you."

"So you have hammer for that? Christen it's just a date."

"Okay and?" Christen asks as she looks at you, you raise your hands in defeat as you turn around and walk away.

"You're being extra weird."

“I feel like I always come second Christen. Even if she isn't in your life anymore, it seems like she's all you think about.”

“That’s not true.”

“But it is. Christen I’m tired of being second choice to your ex girlfriend.”

“Ex girlfriend? Where the hell did you come out with that conclusion? We were best friends, nothing more. Sure she liked me but I never liked her back.”

"Hey." Christen says as she looks at her neighbor opening the door to her house.

"Christen? Everything okay?" Christen's neighbor asks.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure come in." She says, Christen walks in as she sits on the couch. "No Y/N today?"

"Haha no, she's home."

"Very odd to see you both apart. You guys are always together. She cares about you a lot."

"I care about her too, a lot. She's become someone so important to me and makes me very happy."

"Oh I know." She says with a smirk, a smirk Christen doesn't see.

"Wait what do you mean by that?" Christen asks.

"Nothing. But I'm sure you know."

“She liked you? Oh wow, that explains a lot.” He says.

“Come on you can't be serious.” Christen says with a laugh. 

“I mean it all makes sense, so many times that we went to the carnival on the Fourth of July. Our anniversary. I don't know why I didn't catch that earlier. All those stories you would tell me, I just thought you missed being friends with her.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Are you that blind to your own feelings? You loved her or love her I don't even know anymore.” 

"Thank you for being in my life even though I don't deserve someone as great as you."

"Chris, come on. We both know you deserve a better friend than me."

"No, if I didn't have you I'm pretty sure I'd look for you. In every universe I think I'd look for you, because without you I feel like something is missing."

“No I didn't and I don't.”

“Our anniversary is something else to you, it’s a reminder of the times when you'd go with her to the carnival. You said it was a tradition. July fourth is our anniversary, but every time it comes around you seem so down, like if you have something else in mind. You have her in mind.”

“Oh my god you can't be serious.”

“I should've seen it sooner.” He says shaking his head.

"You're unbelievable, none of it is true."

"Face reality Christen, fuck."

Alex looked behind you to see the girls looking at you then Alex, a soft smile on their faces. They could see it and feel it. They all walked over to you and Alex, all sitting down on the sand as they hugged you.

"I hope you never forget how much I love you." Christen says as she fixes the blanket over you, running her fingers through your hair. "You don't even understand and you won't ever see how much I truly do love you."

“It was supposed to be me and her forever.” You sob out.

You were healing. Finally healing and they weren’t going to leave you alone to face the world, the reality, all by yourself.

“We got you.” Becky whispers. “We got you.”

It was a reality you had not wanted to face for so long, but you had to accept it sooner than later. This was reality. A reality you had to face without Christen was something you never thought you had to do, but unfortunately it had come to that.

As much as you wanted closure, as much as you wanted to know why Christen had reacted the way she did those nights. You knew you probably wouldn’t ever know, but it was time to start to do what you never wanted. It was time do so, to face reality.

[glennjaminhow]

My newest hyperfixation ship finally manifests as a sick fic because of course it does.

~

You Know Me Best

Tim wakes up disoriented.

While that’s not unusual for most, it is unusual for him. He’s alert before he’s even aware of his surroundings. That was drilled into him by the time he was four.

He rubs his eyes and groans as he pulls himself up, out of breath from the simplest task. He blinks through the darkness of his bedroom and sags against the headboard, careful not to get too comfortable. Dizziness brews in his skull, thick and foggy. He feels like he’s on a raft in the middle of the ocean, the waves relentless, violent, treacherous. It’s ridiculous. He’s in his bed, at home in Los Angeles. The idea that he’d be anywhere else is as absurd as it is impossible.

Okay. No big deal. He’s a little out of it, and that’s fine.

Kojo whines at his feet.

Tim runs a hand through his hair as he peels himself off the mattress. A wet cough rattles through his chest, but he ignores it in favor of letting Kojo out. The wooden floor is icy beneath his thermal socks. He usually goes outside with Kojo – sometimes even plays fetch with him depending on how late he got in – but not today. He feels strange… distant. Kind of like he isn’t really here. Instead, he stands at the door and stares out the frosted window, eyes heavy.

He jumps when Kojo barks.

“Sorry, pal,” Tim says as he lets him back inside.

The dog huffs and scampers away. His automatic feeder goes off, and then Kojo’s gone.

Tim should be eating too. He isn’t a big breakfast guy, so he typically just has overnight oats or a smoothie, but the idea of eating right not makes his stomach squirm. He has about half an hour before he has to shower. He could lie down on the couch – or better yet in his bed – and bundle himself in blankets, but the here-but-not-here feeling is so strong he’s afraid he won’t be able to get back up. He resorts to sitting at the kitchen table, too exhausted to make coffee even though maybe it’d help fix whatever is wrong with him.

Time passes in a glazed blur, too fast and too slow all at once. He autopilots his way through his morning routine. He brushes his teeth, combs his hair, puts in his contacts, throws on jeans and a hoodie, and is out of the house five minutes ahead of schedule. It doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes, he wakes up wrong, guilty or angry or upset or exhausted, but it never lasts this long. He’s great at snapping out of any funk before he enters the station.

“You okay?” is the first thing he hears when he opens the side door. Chen. Great.

He rolls his eyes. He just wants to get into uniform and on the road. Maybe focusing on the job will help.

“Fine,” he says. He heads to the locker room without looking back, even though the urge to read her facial expression is strong. Lucy always wants to know everything, even if it’s irrelevant things like his favorite ice cream flavor or that he’s allergic to strawberries. She’s like this way with other people too, but it’s more annoying because she was his boot and now she’s his gopher. It’s like he just can’t get away from her.

Tim changes. Grabs his thick police-issued coat. Coughs into his elbow a few times. Stands in front of the mirror to make sure his sure is tucked in properly and his hair is up to standards. Heads to morning roll call.

Lucy stops him before he can head inside. She places her hand on his chest; Tim shrinks back from the touch.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Tim nods. “I’m good.”

“You’re wearing your coat,” she points out. “You never wear your coat.”

“It’s December.” His voice is hushed and scratchy. Shit. He clears his throat, but it sounds weird.

Fantastic.

Lucy’s eyebrows furrow. “And?”

“Aaand I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Tim says as he pushes past her. “It’s just a coat.”

“It’s never ‘just’ anything with you,” Lucy mutters as she trails behind him.

Tim ignores her.

Somehow, by the grace of whatever, Tim doesn’t have to say a word during the briefing. Grey does all the talking, even down to announcing their jurisdictions and duties for the day. Tim stands off to the side, arms crossed over his chest and giving his best thousand-yard stare. He doesn’t focus on anything because focusing means feeling, and feeling means acknowledging that he’s shivering. Hard. So hard he swears his teeth are chattering.

No one seems to notice. Good.

Grey releases them. They disperse.

By the time he makes it to the shop, Lucy’s in the driver’s seat.

The urge to be in control is strong, but not as strong as the urge to sit down.

He’s thankful the shop is already warm, heat cranked to the max.

Lucy immediately passes him a thermos.

“Tea with honey,” she says.

Tim buckles his seatbelt and nods once. “Thanks.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I’m fine,” he tells her again.

Is it really that obvious?

He has to get better at hiding these things.

“Do you want an applesauce pouch? It could help your throat.”

Tim frowns. “Like the things that little kids eat?”

“Adults can eat them too,” Lucy says adamantly. He doesn’t know why he believes her. “I have apple, cinnamon, and peach mango.”

“Pass,” Tim says. “And my throat is fine.”

Lucy rolls her eyes. She hands Tim his sunglasses, which were tucked away in her breast pocket for some reason, and puts the shop in drive.

Tim puts them on without a second thought, pulls the sleeves of his coat over his hands, and crosses his arms. He stares out the window as they drive through the busy streets of LA. The morning is drizzling and overcast, but that doesn’t stop the Christmas festivities. He should be BOLOing and patrolling even from the shop, but the road ahead of him is fuzzy. There’s a tightness in his chest that builds with each passing second. He gulps and shifts in his seat, biting his bottom lip. He should be able to handle this. Whatever it is, whatever is going on with him, isn’t bad enough to cause all this drama.

He can handle it. He can handle it.

And he tries to breathe through it. He really does. But now he’s nauseous, and his mouth is salivating, and each blink hurts. His dad would kill him. His military brothers and leaders would laugh in his face and tell him to suck it up. Because that’s what he should do. That’s what he has to do. He needs to suck it up. He doesn’t know why he can’t. But the fact that he can’t means that he’s out of control and being out of control means chaos and chaos means –

“Tim?”

He swallows thickly.

“Pull over.”

She does, and Tim is barely able to open the door before he spills out onto the concrete below, coughing up nothing but bile. His stomach heaves. Everything is raw and exposed and open, and he doesn’t like this. He shouldn’t behave like this. He should be able to hold it in like he always does. But he doesn’t hold it in. Of course he doesn’t. That would take a level of discipline that he clearly doesn’t possess.

“It’s okay,” he hears. The voice is soft, kind.

Lucy’s hand is on his lower back, rubbing it in soothing circles.

He shakes his head. “’s not okay,” he mumbles, swiping at his messy chin with his hand. He hiccups, and more bile splatters on the ground below.

None of this is okay.

Tim screws his eyes shut when Lucy’s hand leaves his back.

He coughs and hunches in on himself. Maybe if he curls into the smallest, tightest ball imaginable, he can disappear. His heart hammers in his chest, skipping beats and double-timing. The rest of his body feels like it’s been stored away in a deep freezer for months on end. He tries to hide his face in his knees, but moving is a herculean effort. His limbs don’t feel like they belong to him anyway, so it’s pointless.

“Tim, hey,” he hears. The hand on his back returns and then moves to his shoulder and then to palm his forehead.

His instinct is to flinch away, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t.

“I’m gonna clean you up a little, and then we’re gonna get you home.”

Tim shakes his head. He doesn’t know why there are tears streaming down his cheeks. He can’t remember the last time he cried, but he’s sure it wasn’t because of something as dumb or idiotic as not feeling in control.

Lucy unclenches his hands for him. Cleans them with something cold and wet. Does the same thing to his chin and the front of his coat. Tim shivers. Coughs again. Blinks rapidly. He doesn’t – maybe can’t – fully understand all of what’s happening. Delirium settles in, nestling and burrowing. He just knows one second he’s on the ground and the next he’s sagging against Lucy’s side as she helps him into the shop. She wipes his cheeks with her thumb and buckles him in, safe and sound. Tim leans on the door, pressing his cheek to the cool window, hoping that it’s enough to ground him, to help him stay in reality, to let him get back to himself in one piece.

He closes his eyes and tries to breathe through it, but things – everything – just feels wrong.

Tim isn’t sure how or when it happens, but somehow he’s in his bed. His gray comforter is soft against his skin, pulled up over his chin. He tries to roll onto his back, but he can’t seem to muster the strength. Instead, he coughs wetly and attempts to place how he got here. He’s home, so it isn’t anything sinister, and he knows Lucy was with him the whole time. His former boot wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. It’s weird to acknowledge that, to understand that someone has his back, but he knows it’s the truth.

Something wet drips from his forehead and down his cheek.

Tim blinks. His arms feel like they’re glued to his side.

“Any better?” he hears.

Lucy comes into his line of vision, kneeling down in front of him. She replaces the wet thing on his forehead – a washcloth apparently – with an icepack. Tim bites his bottom lip and winces.

“Sorry,” she whispers. “But you’re gonna hate this even more.”

Lucy invades his cocoon, exposing him to the air outside. Tim lets out a groan that’s dangerously close to a cry and shrivels in on himself. Lucy places an icepack under each armpit, and this time tears swell in his eyes. The cold is immediate and fucking hurts. Like needles. He hates needles, but she’s right: he hates this even more.

“It’s just for a few minutes. Your fever is through the roof, and you need to cool down before you fry your brain,” Lucy says.

She pulls the comforter back over him. Tim wraps his arms around himself and coughs, body shaking harshly. He chews the inside of his cheek with chattering teeth. His dad would absolutely annihilate him for this… this…

“Tim,” Lucy whispers. She’s still kneeling down in front of him. “You’re okay. This is only temporary.

He gulps. “You sure?” His voice is weak.

Everything about him is weak.

“I’m sure. Just breathe. You’ll get through this.”

Tim nods. He looks at Lucy, whose brown eyes are shining with tears, yet also full of reassurance. She’s trying to make him feel better. He ignores the desperate ache for her to hold him close, to run her fingers through his hair, for her to whisper comforts in his ear.

He breathes. Closes his eyes. Lets sleep tug him under.

[pascaloverx]

DANGEROUS

CHAPTER TWO

Summary: You are a retired spy trying to live a normal life. Some time ago, a hired assassin named Tangerine tried to kill you. In response, you sought the help of an old acquaintance who could fake any death, August Walker. However, now your false identity is in jeopardy, along with your life.

Warnings: For now, the fanfic will not contain explicit content, but it will be flagged if it does in the future. However, there will be the use of strong language and moderate violence. Readers are advised. The characters August Walker and Tangerine do not belong to me but to their respective creators. Some other characters that belong to both Mission: Impossible (2018) and Bullet Train (2022) may appear in this fanfic. Other characters who are not part of these movies will be of my own creation. I hope you enjoy the reading

chapter one chapter three

Tangerine is holding onto your arm tightly, causing some discomfort. He's making you lead him to your house. You just want to get rid of him as soon as possible, but it seems almost impossible. That's because he has a gun, almost too visibly strapped to his waist. And he took the gun you stole from Walker. Son of a bitch.

"You should know that my neighbor is a bit nosy, but she's nothing more than that. So if you try to shoot her or any other shit like that, I'll kill you. She'll probably ask who you are. Please don't say anything that makes you sound like a murderer." You tell Tangerine, who seems to be bothered by something. But after hearing you speak, he lets out a weird little laugh. Okay, not so weird; maybe even sexy.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I don't intend to cause any extra harm. But rest assured, if you try to play smart, I won't spare any efforts to..." He speaks as he walks alongside you, but you abruptly turn to face him. He seems intrigued but not surprised.

"Why cling to threats? If you want to settle this, settle it with me. Without involving innocent people. Understood?" You speak, a little enraged, looking Tangerine straight in the eyes. The eye contact between you almost feels like a competition of staring each other down. You want to show that you're not afraid because, in truth, you're not. What scares you is that this seems to excite Tangerine.

"You look extremely sexy trying to act brave. I can see why you and Walker built a relationship." Tangerine says, moving even closer to you, as if he's provoking you. You bite your lower lip lightly, thinking that sleeping with the enemy might not be a bad idea and then escaping death. But before you can think of something to reply, your neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, appears on her balcony. She asks who's there, looking in your direction, and Tangerine doesn't seem pleased by this.

"Good evening, Mrs. Johnson. It's me, your neighbor. I brought my late husband's brother for a visit. I hope I didn't disturb you." You say, positioning yourself in front of Tangerine in case Mrs. Johnson sees his weapon. Unfortunately, his body is so close to yours that you can feel his penis lightly pressing against your buttocks. Oops.

"My dear, it's good to see you're taking care of your late husband's family. Just come inside." Mrs. Johnson says kindly. You relax a bit when you notice Mrs. Johnson quickly retreating into her house. What's even more interesting is that Tangerine hasn't moved an inch away from you. He's simply clinging too close to your body.

"Does your neighbor usually meddle, or is it because you never have any company in this fake life you've created?" Tangerine speaks near your ear, his mustache lightly brushing against the corner of your neck.

"She cares about me. And for your information, this life is more real than any other I've had. I grew into espionage. I wasn't a person; I was a product. Now I have a neighbor who cares about me." You reply, knowing deep down he must understand you. Whether he likes it or not, your jobs are alike.

"Oh, my dear, I apologize if I gave the impression that I care about your personal life, my bad. But if you want to tell me your sad story while we're both in the horizontal position, I promise to pretend to care." Tangerine says as he rests his chin on your neck. You turn to face him, wanting so much to slap him in the face.

"Are you suggesting that sleeping with me might make you care about me on a personal level? If so, we can make a deal. You're decent enough." You say, objectifying him. The proposition itself is just an exchange of unnecessary comments, but if he agrees, maybe you'll consider it.

"You know what's the funniest thing about all this? I actually think I would accept your proposition." He says, moving closer to you as if challenging you. But you meet his gaze without flinching.

"Too bad, but now you're going to try to end me. And I'll find a way out of this and kill Walker. Maybe in another life, you'll have better luck." You say, getting very close to Tangerine. His lips look pink up close. In moments, you notice his approach, and even though you fear what he might do, you don't back away. Then Tangerine tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear and lightly holds your face, pulling you towards him. His lips are quickly on yours. Your tongues are once again finding each other. While you run your hands through Tangerine's hair, he firmly grips your waist, almost reaching your butt.

"I don't like to leave anything for later. Which reminds me..." Tangerine grabs your two hands and restrains you with handcuffs. You're surprised but not shocked. But in the end, he even helped you. You hold on to your handcuffed hands and throw everything in his face. Without thinking much you run to your house which is not far away. You barely saw if your blow had any real effect on Tangerine. You just locked yourself in the house. Unfortunately you are not alone.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" You ask, almost shouting. Obviously seeing Walker inside your house didn't make you happy. This damn hot traitor.

"I'm the one who should react like that, you left me in a bad way on that fucking train." Walker says, sitting on your couch. As if he were a damn husband waiting for his wife.

"So, let me get this straight. You hand me over to Tangerine, set a trap for me, and you're just upset because I decided, I don't know, to create a distraction to escape?" You would like to show more anger, but you're too busy figuring out how to escape this situation. Walker seems to have noticed that you're nervous, standing up from the couch and effortlessly throwing the couch against the front door.

"What did you do?" He asks as he grabs other heavy items and piles them against the door to make it difficult for Tangerine to enter.

"He kissed me and handcuffed me, so I used the handcuffs to hit him in the face. Just a reminder, I'm only in this mess because of you." You say, heading to a compartment in your living room that contains some weapons. Walker follows you, making sure to block the back door as well.

"So now it's my fault that you use your lips and then hit the people you were kissing?" Obviously, he would use that against you. You roll your eyes at him as you reach for one of your guns and hand it to him. With the time spent in espionage came the experience of doing things while handcuffed. But Walker grabbed some tool from the kitchen and broke the handcuffs. You didn't even know that was possible.

"You two are starting to look like a boring married couple. Now that you've stopped, let's have an adult conversation." Tangerine says, appearing as someone who must have invaded your house through one of the damn windows. You and Walker automatically look at each other, knowing that this conversation is going to be interesting.