#im so sorry everyone she's.. *gestures vaguely* ya know!

[ask-the-icetrancer]

".....I.... Sorry. I'd... rather spend time with dad."

("Noticeably upset" huh? What made it obvious.)

"...No. I said I'm fine."

"WELL, IT WOULDN'T MAKE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE SHE WAS NEVER REALLY THERE FOR ME WHEN SHE WAS ALIVE!!!"

"I SAID I'M NOT GOING TO SEE HER! CAN'T YOU IDIOTS UNDERSTAND THAT!?! DON'T THINK SAYING SOMETHING LIKE THAT WILL COAX ME TO GO, STOP THINKING YOU CAN CONTROL ME!!!"

....................

..................

"Honey, what was that noise?? Are you okay?"

............

"Noelle?"

"Ah– S-Sorry dad, I just uh... saw a bug and stood up too fast... I spilled my ice cream too! Faha! Silly me....."

"I'll..... go get changed."

[astrochemstry]

@erwinsmithsworld asked:

reki invited his girlfriend to sleepover at his house and his mother and sisters embraced him because they talk about reki when his younger 🤣 make it oneshot please cuddle and fluff 🥺🙏🏻

I think im terrible with oneshots but i hope this is good for ya!! Kinda short tho since im doing this with piled up math homework mJKAHSJDHF

POV: 3rd pov?? 2nd pov?? iDKK

I also made it G/N reader since I wanted everyone to feel included and tried my best to make the reader as vague as possible

You’re walking to Reiki’s house since he invited you to have a sleep over, crossing the street and walking up a steep road.

As you walk upwards, you can hear whooping and laughs. You turn to your left and see Reiki with Langa skating towards you-- actually, it looks like they'll crash into you.

They did.

"(Name)!" Reiki launched up and goes to your side, helping you up. You groan and rub your hip, "Hi, Reiki. Having fun?"

He nods, "Are you okay?"

You nod and get up, you wave at Langa who dusts off some dirt on his clothes. "Hey (Name), what are you doing here?" He asks.

"Oh! Im going to Reiki's house, we'll be having a sleep over!"

Langa's eyes sparkled, "A sleep over? Its been a while since I've had one. Reiki, can we have one?"

Reiki chuckles, "Sure! But this time I wanna spend time with my lover. We can invite Miya when we have ours!" Langa smiles, nodding and picking up his board.

"Ah- Langa, where are you going?"

"Home. You're gonna spend time with your lover, right? We can hang out tomorrow. Bye."

Langa jumps on his board, skating away and out of sight as Reiki and you wave.

"You're both close, aren't you?" You giggle. Reiki grins and hugs you, "C'mon, lets go home. Its getting dark." You both walk to his home with his arm wrapped around your hip.

He suggested playing 'I spy' and you're both having a competitive game of a classic childrens game.

"I spy something Red."

"Your hair."

"I cant see my hair, (Name)."

"I spy.. something blue."

"Langa isn't here, Reiki."

"Hey!- Its not Langa- okay, at first it was-" He rubs the back of his neck as you laugh, "Its that car over there!- C'mon stop laughing!" he pouts.

The game was that exciting that you both didnt realise you've made it to his home. Where, his family, was peeking through a half opened door.

"Thats Reiki's lover?" His sister, Koyomi, asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahh!! my son has someone to call his own!" His mom, Masae,  gushes.

"Yeah, Finally." Koyomi scoffs with a tiny smirk.

Meanwhile, Reiki's tickling you with a goofy grin on his face.

"L-let me go!" unable to form a sentence, you cackle with laughter. "Never!!" Reiki stops and holds you tight, you can feel his smile when he nuzzles his head into the crook of your neck.

"Hey! The Dinner's getting cold, why don't you hug it instead to make it warmer?" Koyomi teases with a hand on her hip.

"Hey-  we're you watching this whole time?"  Reiki pouts, grabbing your hand and walking to his sister.

"Mm.. Maybe. Mama, Nanaka and Chihiro saw and they're waiting with food at the table!"

"Haha, very funny Koyomi." Koyomi shrugs with a cheeky smile, walking away.

"Reiki, I don't think she's kidding-" "Well, at least they know I love you lots!"

Afterwards, you eat dinner with them. Masae next to You and Reiki, Koyomi, Nanaka, Chihiro at the opposite end. Well, not just eat.. Talk about each other which led to the topic of Reiki in the past.

"Oooh! has Reiki shown you pictures of him in the past?"

"Mama-" "I haven't. Can you show me?" Reiki nudges you and you can see a light blush on his cheeks, you grin in response.

Masae who's clapping her hands and rushing to another room to find the photo books. She comes back with starry eyes and a smile similar with Reiki when he's excited.

She flips through the pages and presents a couple of photos of a tiny Reiki, one with him smiling beside a tree. He's wearing a shirt of a super-hero you don't know, a couple of bandages on his knees and arms and he's holding a stick. Its cute.

She sits beside you as Koyomi squeezes herself between you and Reiki. Reiki narrows his eyes with a raised eyebrow but Koyomi sticks out her tongue at him with a smirk. He rolls his eyes and ruffles her hair, "Hey, I just combed it!"

You watch with a smile forming on your lips. Its such a nice sight to see their family loving and supporting each other.

"And here, this is when he joined his first school play!"

Reiki yelps, "Mama! don't show them!!"

"Show what, Reiki?" you and Koyomi ask in unison, with grins-- mischievous grins.

He smiles slowly, "nothing. We can check the- uh, time I became a boy scout!" he responds with a shaky voice.

You didnt get to see the photo, sadly. The rest of the night was looking through the rest of the pictures and playing a couple of board games. Now its time to go to bed.

You're laying on the bed and waiting for Reiki to finish brushing his teeth. You're humming a song you heard on the way to his home, He finishes and comes out the bathroom with a sweat shirt on. Usually, he wears these when he's gonna make a board.

"Oh, are you going to make some boards?"

Reiki raises his eyebrows with widened eyes, "Huh? no? we're having a sleep over. Why would I do that?"

You shrug and make a gesture to forget about it. Reiki stares at you for a while and then he snaps his fingers as it clicks, he looks at his sweat shirt and back at you.

"Ah! right. Im sorry, I just love this shirt and I wanted you to see it." you shake your head.  "Oh don't be sorry Reiki, Im sorry as well, its just you always wear shirts like that when you're gonna work."

He lays next to you, looking at the ceiling with you.

"You know?"

"Once I visited you and your mom said you're making boards. So I went and saw you sleeping on an unfinished board, wearing a sweatshirt. You looked pretty cute."

Even if it's pretty dark, you can tell he's blushing through the silence. He is. with a huge grin.

"Thanks. You look awesome."

"Flattery doesn't work on me, Kyan." You joke. He chuckles and brings you closer to cuddle. "By the way, you should wear that costume during your school play again. You look awesome."

"You and Koyomi found it, huh?"

"Your work shed isn't a good place to hide things like that, Reiki."

[shitty-tf2-headcanons]

Mercs with a girlfriend whos autistic and has body stims, and is insecure about it? Specifically rocking and chewing? Maybe include them catching her rocking while she was alone or seeing maybe one two many chewed up bottle caps or plastics in the trash? As you can tell im self indulgent and I like comfort

Ayy there ain’t nothing wrong with being self indulgent, self indulgence is why I created this blog. And hey, who doesn’t like comfort? Being comforted is like the 2nd best feeling in the world.

Scout- He doesn’t know why he looked. Something in his gut told him...but that doesn’t make any sense to him. Why would a gut feeling tell you to look in a trash bin and pick up a green bottle cap. It looked chewed to all hell. Teeth marks littered the small piece of plastic. Another one was pulled out at random. A yellow cap with the same marks. Rooting the trash revealed more and more chewed up caps. He wasn’t confused or upset. He was more...curious than anything. He decided that the best way to sate this curiosity was to talk to her directly. He tells her that he found the bottle caps and he of course panics when she looks just as panicked as him. 

“No no i-it’s okay! I chew on my pencils sometimes! And-And I chew on my fingernails! Look look, see? You don’t have to feel b-bad...”

The bandages are peeled off his hands to reveal red nail bitten fingers. He tries to joke that at least chewing on caps doesn’t lead to an infection...he hopes anyway. He doesn’t want you to feel ashamed about the way she is. If he mocked her for chewing on plastic, he might as well wear a sign that says “BIG FREAKING HYPOCRITE”. He always makes sure to remind her she has nothing to hide from him.     

Soldier- He’s caught her a couple of times. He’s seen her rocking in their bedroom and sometimes the rec room. She always seemed to do it alone though. Soldier was never known for his wits or intelligence. No, this man is famous in the team for jumping to conclusions. Once he saw you rock again, he thought back to his time with Merasmus. The wizard sometimes rocked in a similar manner...was his girlfriend a wizard too? Was this some sort of summoning ritual? But what would she be summoning? Aha! A warm blooded American like her (he thinks this even if she’s not American) must be summoning the spirit of George Washington! The next time he catches sight of her rocking, he busts right in and take a seat next to her. Not noticing the panicked look on your face, he copies your rocking movement. She asks him what he’s doing. He, of course, tells her that he’s helping her summon the ghost of George Washington. She then has to explain to him what stimming is.

“Oh. This is...stimming. Can we still try to summon George Washington?” 

She tells him that they can try and he is beyond excited to see George again. Her rocking doesn’t bother him, it never bothered him to begin with. To him, it’s just something she does. Nothing to feel bad about. Though he promises to beat the crap out of this “Insecurity” she keeps talking about. She has nothing to worry about when around her Soldier (though she still worries he somehow summoned Washington without her knowing).    

Pyro- At first, they didn’t think much of it. So she liked to chew on bottle caps, that wasn’t a big deal at all. They remember all sorts of weird things they used to chew on as a kid. Rubber, hair, plastic, nails, etc. You name it, they chewed on it. They’re about to move past it when they realize something else. All that chewing eventually lead them to chewing on more meaty parts of their body, like their arms and hands. What if...what if she was doing that too? The thought of their girlfriend harming herself brought tears to their eyes. His girlfriend was in for quite a shock when Pyro burst through their door, sobbing loudly behind their mask. They gesture for her to hold her arms out and she obliges. They check her arms and let out an audible sigh of relief when her arms looked to be bite free. His girlfriend asks him what all this was about. Pyro pulled out one of her chewed up caps, though they quickly put it away when they saw the look of shame and embarrassment. They explained (or mumbled rather) that they used to do the same thing, so they understand why she would feel embarrassed and insecure. Pyro reassures her as long as she’s not hurting herself, she’s perfectly fine. They even collect clean bottle caps and give it to her as a little gift.

Demo- He sees her doing it. It’s stimming, right? He sure hope it is, he remembers some of the kids from his orphanage were autistic too. He was even friends with a few of them. They used to do the same thing, rocking and such. He used to laugh about it, it was a little funny to watch honestly, but he quickly realized his mistake when they made an even bigger effort to hide from him. He admits he could be a shitty little kid sometimes. So it’s not surprising that he feels like that guilty little kid again. Why does she feel insecure about it? Did somebody say something? He just sighs and takes a sip of scrumpy. He can’t have his fav lass feeling so down around him or anyone. So he walks into the room, right when she was in the middle of rocking, and takes a seat next to her. He sighs and slowly grabs her hand, squeezing gently

“Aye lass...ya know I love ya, right? Nothing ya do is ever gonna change that.”

He’s not going to make her stop. It helps her with her emotions, right? So why make her stop doing something that’s beneficial to her? Plus, just like when he was a kid, it’s going to make him chuckle sometimes. He’s obviously not going to say it aloud but it’s funny to watch. But also calming in a way. Just watching you rock puts him in a state of tranquility. 

Heavy- He keeps finding soda caps in the trash. They always appear to be chewed on? He’s confused to say the least. Is somebody so hungry that they resort to eating plastic? Why though...there’s plenty of food on the base. He considers leaving out sandviches for this mysterious chewing person. He’ll do that later. Maybe his girlfriend might know something. He presents her with a few chewed up caps and asks her if she knows something. The look on her face  simultaneously breaks his heart and strikes fear in it. Oh no he made a mistake, here here, just take $7000, go shopping, please don’t be sad. He’s gonna go to Medic and ask him about it. He’s gonna feel like a big insensitive idiot when the doctor explains to him that she’s simply stimming. Oh, that makes sense. He’s gonna bashfully approach her and apologize for making her feel a certain way.

“Am sorry for embarrassing you. Heavy did not understand. This...stimming...is fine. You are fine.”

He wish he could say more but his English is still in need of work. He just wants you to be comfortable and happy. If that means chewing on bottle caps, go right ahead. Heavy does not judge. He may even give her some bottle caps if she wants some. Anything for his beloved. 

Engineer- Dad mode activated. Is she okay? Is something wrong? Seeing her rocking alone is immediately gonna worry him. He has a vague idea of stimming and autism since a few of his classmates and cousins were autistic. Though he only really saw them do it when they were overwhelmed and that worried him. She’s overwhelmed, isn’t she? Well that won’t do at all. Cue the montage. This man is gonna do everything in his power to make you comfortable. Dim the lights, quietly berate the team for making too much noise, make the team dinners into something you like all the time. Engie is nice and all but everyone (gf) can see something is bothering him. His gf is probably gonna have to confront him. He’s gonna look embarrassed and try to make it seem like something isn’t wrong. But, being the honest good boi he is, he’s gonna crack and admit the truth.

“I see you rocking sometimes. I know you’re different and all but are you okay? I just want you to feel at home in the base here, honey bee. 

That’s when she’s gonna have to explain to him how stimming works. Yes, she does it do because she’s overwhelmed, but she also does it when she’s feeling a strong emotion. It’s calming for her. Engie is gonna be both relieved and happy when he hears that it’s a calming mechanism for her. But he’s gonna be worried again when she admits that she’s insecure about it. Insecure? Why should she feel bad about something that makes her feel better? Either way, he doesn’t want his love to feel bad anyway. So she’s gonna have to deal with his constant reminders that he loves her and his constant feats to make her comfortable in the presences of the public and himself. 

Medic- Oh, she’s stimming. He isn’t surprised considering she’s autistic. He already kinda knew she was autistic after the first few days of knowing her. He is a doctor, after all. A crazed one but not a dumb one. So he’s okay with her chewing. But he’s really not okay with her chewing on bottle caps of all things! Gott, doesn’t she know how dirty these cheap factory made caps are?! Think of all the germs!! Their wearing down her precious teeth!!! Ahem, as a semi professional doctor, he doesn’t scream these complaints at her. Rather, he tells her out of nowhere while he’s working that he knows about her cap chewing. 

“Those caps of yours carry so many germs, mäuschen, you don’t vant a dirty mouth, do you? Not to mention that they wear down you’re lovely teeth.”

He says it so calmly and offhandedly that it’s easy to assume that he doesn’t care that much or he’s insulting you. Quite the contrary, he cares very much about matters that concern your health. He doesn’t mean to sound mean. Plus, he does show he cares when he gets you a couple of chewy toys or items, ones that won’t wear down your teeth. Wait you’re insecure about your stimming? Now you’re just being irrational. It’s completely natural for someone like her. How can he shame you for stimming, he would have to admit he has failed as a doctor and boyfriend if he did such a thing. He encourages you to stim with the items he bought you.

Sniper- Growing up in the middle of nowhere with two parents and spending most of his life in near isolation, he’s not gonna know much about autism. Least of all what stimming is. So he’s not gonna judge her for her behavior or mannerisms. That’s just how some people are, can’t really do much when it comes to how people’s minds work. He’s caught her rocking sometimes. Though he only sees her doing when she thought he was asleep or in the other room. Ah, he figures that it’s something she likes to do in her private time. Perfectly understandable. So he just pretends he doesn’t see anything and just moves on with life. Though there comes the day when he accidentally walks in on her rocking. They both freeze and just stare at each other. The look on her face reminds her of his own face when’s been caught pissing in jars or baby talking a cute stray. Shame and embarrassment. He closes the door and just isolates himself. He embarrassed her. He loathes embarrassment and he just hates himself for just making her feel that way. After returning from his self banishment, he’s gonna immediately apologize.

“Mmm sorry...didn’t mean to barge in on your personal space, roo. Wasn’t thinking straight...” 

Whether or not she tell him what stimming is, he’s gonna respect her privacy. He’ll leave the room if she starts stimming or stay out if she is stimming. It’ll always be “her” private activity so he’s not gonna invade her privacy. He’ll gladly stay if she says it’s okay for him to stay with her. He knows that she’s insecure about it and he understands completely, he’s one of the most insecure people on the team. To combat her insecurity, he’ll chase everyone out of the room if she needs to stim or remind her that you just do you. 

Spy- He’s not gonna actively root through some trash Scout  but he does notice some chewed up caps. He’ll raise an eyebrow. Well, sees like someone on the team has a bit of a chewing problem. He’s willing to bet that it’s either Scout or Pyro.  Being the nosy bitch he is, he’s gonna pay extra close attention to his team. His girlfriend isn’t safe from his snooping either.  He quickly learns it’s her when he’s cloaked and he catches her chewing on some bottle caps in the (supposed) privacy of her room. He watches her for a bit before slinking out the room. He doesn’t tell. Of course he doesn’t. But he does want to talk to her. He’s just not sure what to say. He’s not bothered by her chewing, it’s just another special little quirk of hers. He’s mostly worried that confronting her about it will lead to her getting emotional and he’s just not ready to handle that. But he sometimes say things that hints that he knows about her stimming.“Mon amour, do you want me to buy you something from the grocery store? Some water bottles, perhaps? Or some sweets, maybe?”She shouldn’t be too surprised when she sees that some brand new chewy items have been left in her room. If she doesn’t use the items as left, then she’s gonna find a stack of bottle caps. The caps look and smell cleaned? It’s obvious who's leaving these gifts around. To help with her insecurity, she’s gonna be receiving a lot more soft kisses that seem to last longer than usual. Still insecure? He must buy more of what she wants and needs.

Miss Pauling- She’s rarely home long enough to catch her stimming. She usually comes in, gives her a quick kiss, drinks some coffee, and is out to work again. So her girlfriend can stim all she wants in the safety and privacy of her home. Pauling is well aware of stimming so she already knows her girlfriend stims. But she does find it a little odd that she never sees her stimming in front of her. But she doesn’t dwell on that thought too long since she needs to focus on the work at hand. She only catches her gf in the act when she finally gets her yearly day off. She stumbles into the house in the dead of night, ready to crash and enjoy the day sleeping and cuddling her girl. She walks into the room and sees her rocking. At any other time, she would sit and talk with her. But now? She was already half asleep and didn’t fully comprehend the gravity of the situation or how embarrassed her girlfriend looked. She just sleepily mumbled.“Sorry babe, did I interrupt...I’m so tired. Come lay with me please...I wanna lay in those soft arms forever...”She’s gonna hit the bed and pass right out, whether or not she was in her girlfriend’s arms. She only realizes everything in the morning. She’s kinda embarrassed about how she acted. But at least she got to see you stim! But she looked embarrassed...was that why she did it alone. Then she feels shitty for interrupting. She doesn’t feel the need to talk with her about it. She just lays with her on the couch all day and watches whatever she likes. She’s a lot more affectionate with her that, but only if her girlfriend is okay with it. When she’s busy at work, she’ll make sure to leave little cheesy love notes everywhere. And her short breaks are spent in her girlfriend’s arms. She loves her for who she is.

[mistressarafax]

Maybe more specific than you wanted but it'd love your take on Anzu's surprise visit to Jou's in 'Letting Go'. You said that it happened but not much more, and it was a super funny concept it'd love to know more about.

Thanks for the request! This one was super fun, and I made it a little longer than I’d actually meant to. Oh well! Hope you enjoy!

~~~

Anzu hadn’t expected any free time during her trip to San Francisco. The schedule had been packed full for the entire week. The local dance troupe she was instructing for the week had brought her in and were paying for her whole trip. Yet, somehow, despite the busy schedule, she ended up with free time on her last night there.

Because she hadn’t expected any time off, she hadn’t bothered telling Jounouchi that she was going to be around. Which meant she now had the opportunity to surprise him. She’d sent him a vague message, hoping to figure out if he was home or not before making the trip to his house. Getting there wasn’t exactly going to be cheap, and there was no reason to waste the money if he was out for the night.

It didn’t take a lot. A simple message in the group chat.

Anzu: I’m so bored. I hope everyone else has some exciting plans for the weekend.

Because of the time difference, she didn’t expect anyone besides Jounouchi to reply. After a few minutes, he lived up to her expectations.

Jounouchi: I’m just hanging out at home. Best place to be after a busy week working.

Perfect.

She got dressed, applied a light coat of make-up, and arranged herself a ride to Jounouchi’s.

Fifty minutes later, she stood on the stoop in front of his house. It took him awhile to answer the door, but she couldn’t blame him considering how unexpected her visit was. The porch light flicked on and the door swung open, revealing a very startled Jounouchi.

“Surprise!” she exclaimed, grin on her face

“Uhhh…hey,” Jounouchi returned, less enthusiastically.

“Aww,” she pouted. “You aren’t excited to see me?”

“I am happy to see ya. I just…uhh… I got company,” he said.

“Company?” she asked, voice raising suggestively.

Jounouchi flushed. “Ah, yeah. Well, come in, I guess.” He stepped out of the way, and Anzu walked through the doorway, curiosity piqued. Who was Jounouchi so embarrassed about having over?

She rounded the corner into the living room and stopped short as she noted Kaiba sitting on Jounouchi’s couch, whatever they’d been watching on TV casting a soft glow on his face. She smiled to herself. So she hadn’t been imagining things six months ago. Kaiba and Jounouchi were into each other.

“Hey, Kaiba, we got a surprise visitor.”

Kaiba turned, met her eyes, and then, after a fraction of a second, heaved a loud, irritated sigh. With a dramatic huff, he stood up and moodily left the room, loudly tromping his way to the kitchen. She fought back a giggle. With as much as Kaiba had pitched a fit about her presence, she knew she’d definitely interrupted something.

Jounouchi sighed, and then started explaining before she could ask. “So uh, yeah. I’m seein’ Kaiba. It’s only been a few months, so I ain’t told no one yet.”

“I’m only surprised because I didn’t know you’d broken up with Alexa.”

“I broke up wit’ Alexa,” Jounouchi deadpanned.

“Kaiba has already rubbed off on you, it seems,” Anzu noted teasingly. “Being all sarcastic.”

He cracked a smile, fiddling with his fingers as he sat down. “She actually broke up wit’ me. Told me to give things wit’ Kaiba a shot. I owe her a lot, honestly.”

Anzu hummed thoughtfully, taking a seat on the adjacent recliner. “I kind of figured there might have been something going on between you and Kaiba when I visited last. You just seemed…so close to each other.”

“Yeah. And then ya went and told Yugi about it. Ya know he tracked down Kaiba to give ‘im a lecture about not hurtin’ me?”

“He did?” Anzu asked incredulously.

Jounouchi nodded. “He sure did.”

“I only told him that I’d gotten the impression that Kaiba liked you. I didn’t mean for him to do anything about it. It was an observation.”

“It’s fine,” Jounouchi assured. “Kaiba and I are datin’ now, so it ain’t like it matters. It’s been since my birthday, actually. So like three months.”

“That’s cute, Jou. You seem happy with him, too, and honestly, that’s the only thing that matters.”

“I am. We actually get along great.”

Anzu smiled. “That’s almost astounding to hear, all things considered. But really, Jou-kun, I’m happy for you.” She reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. He returned a grateful smile.

“Thanks. I ain’t told nobody else yet. Yugi knows, but he’s promised not to say anythin’. Just don’t tell anyone else about it. I’m not like…ready to come out yet.”

“I understand. I won’t say a word,” she promised.

She looked up when Kaiba’s shadow loomed over her, offering her a drink with a scowl on his face. She took it from him.

Jounouchi spoke up before she could thank Kaiba. “Hey, thanks Seto! S'real thoughtful of ya.”

“Hn.” Noncommittal, but he handed Jounouchi the other drink he carried in his opposite hand.

“Ya gettin’ one for yourself?” Jounouchi asked.

“Mmm,” Kaiba hummed as he wandered back into the kitchen, and Anzu watched the interaction in awe.

“Is he always so quiet? That’s not exactly how I remember him being.”

“Nah. He’s just bein’ antisocial 'cause you’re here.”

“I interrupted something, didn’t I?” she asked.

“Well, um… yeah. The movie wasn’t really gonna be about watchin’ the movie, ya know?”

Anzu giggled at the way Jounouchi’s face turned crimson. “I’m sorry. Really.”

Kaiba wandered back in, carrying his own glass of what appeared to be water and eyeing Anzu suspiciously as she laughed. He settled down on the couch beside Jounouchi, though he kept space between them by pressing himself against the armrest, legs crossed. He radiated discomfort until Jounouchi reached out and took his hand, scooting closer to him until their thighs touched. Anzu didn’t miss how Kaiba’s tension unwound at the contact.

“So what are ya here for, Anzu-chan?” Jounouchi asked.

“Instructing a dance troupe. They’re paying for my hotel for the week, and since I wasn’t supposed to have any free time, I never mentioned I’d be in the area. But then we finished up early today, and I figured I’d drop by and surprise you.”

“I’m definitely surprised.”

“I really am sorry for interrupting your evening,” Anzu apologized. “Next time, I’ll give you a heads up first.”

Jounouchi grinned sheepishly. “It would be appreciated.”

Very quietly, she heard Kaiba mutter, “She better.”

She bit back the laugh that threatened to escape. Kaiba was clearly more irritated about the interruption than Jounouchi, which was kind of cute, honestly. It humanized the impulsive CEO just as much as the way he sat in sweatpants and a t-shirt, holding Jounouchi’s hand. It made him look content, and Anzu didn’t think Kaiba had felt much contentment in his life.

She stayed and chatted for a while longer, though she knew she should get going. She could feel Kaiba’s eyes on her, silently telling her to leave. But Jounouchi was doing most of the talking, filling her in on his life and dropping casual details about his and Kaiba’s relationship throughout.

As she listened to him, she pulled her phone out to arrange herself a ride back into the city. When the GPS indicated that her driver had pulled into Jounouchi’s neighborhood, she stood up from her seat and announced, “Hey, I’m going to get going and let you two get back to your 'movie’.” She made air quotes as she said it. They weren’t going to watch the movie. Jounouchi had said as much. Kaiba made a displeased noise in the back of his throat, but Jounouchi rested his cheek on Kaiba’s shoulder, shooting Anzu a lecherous grin and his hand trailing up Kaiba’s thigh.

“Oh. We definitely will.”

Kaiba groaned and removed himself from Jounouchi. “You’re incorrigible,” Kaiba grumbled, slinking off to the kitchen again.

Jounouchi just shrugged and stood up. “It was good seein’ you again, Anzu-chan.” He wrapped her in a tight hug.

“You too, Jou-kun. I’ll see you next time. And I’ll call in advance.”

“You better,” he teased, releasing her and stepping away. Kaiba came back into the living room, and Jounouchi pressed against his side, arm loosely wrapping around Kaiba’s waist.

“See you later, Kaiba-san,” she said, giving the tall brunet a small wave.

He nodded in return. “Goodnight, Mazaki-san.”

With farewells exchanged, she bounded out of Jounouchi’s house. She relished the jubilant feeling that accompanied being right about something. And they were actually really cute together. They had a subtle chemistry, speaking volumes through only slight movements and gestures. That’s exactly what she’d noticed in their interactions six months ago that had made her curious about what was going on. Now, those interactions were even more obvious, and it left little room for doubt. It was sweet and touching and put a smile on her face as she hopped into the Uber taking her back to her hotel.

[poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow]

Since It Began, part 3

Read Part 1 here!

Read Part 2 here!

---

Jack sat on the rusty fire escape, staring out at the darkened streets as though they would give him answers to the questions everyone had been asking since the beginning. But the streets remained frustratingly quiet save for the faint growling of an Undead wandering a few blocks away; it was so far off that Jack wasn’t worried. Besides, if it got dangerously close and caused trouble, Albert and Elmer would come down from their posts on the roof and sound the alarm.

Albert and Elmer. The reason Jack was sitting on the fire escape instead of the rooftop (not his penthouse anymore, no longer a place of solace, just a lookout point) and mentally chiding himself for being such a coward. He wanted to tell them what had happened (he had to), but he was still trying to gather up the courage to climb the ladder and face his friends. All the newsies were close (that was another reason Jack was on the fire escape instead of inside, because he couldn’t bear to see any of his friends cry any longer), but Albert and Elmer and Finch had been practically inseparable, especially after Smalls had gone out alone one night to scout and hadn’t come back and Finch had nearly lost it and it looked like he might do the same and not come on purpose before Albert and Elmer had calmed him down and kept him company in his bunk for days after as he cried at the loss of one of his best friends.

Finch had been the one to convince Albert and Elmer to stay at the lodging house before he and Jack left on their excursion (Jack had hoped it would be a rescue mission and not one of recovery, and he was oddly disappointed when it turned out to be neither). They had wanted to join, to stay together.

“The more of us that go out there, the easier targets we become,” Finch had said, then smiled. “It’ll just take a couple’a hours, and then we’ll be back.”

So Albert and Elmer had reluctantly stayed behind but both insisted on taking lookout until Jack and Finch returned.

And then a couple of hours turned into many more, and Jack and Finch took a wrong turn and found themselves surrounded, and then-

Jack was glad for the spare shirt Specs had found for him to wear while his soaked in the browning water in the tub in the washroom. This one was a little too big and very ragged, but at least it wasn’t covered in Finch’s blood.

He sighed and stood up before he could change his mind for the tenth time, planting his right foot on the bottom rung of the ladder and beginning the climb to the roof. Moments later, he was at the top, and no sooner had he pulled himself up than a hand grabbed his shirt and dragged him forward. Albert was suddenly in his face, cheeks and eyes red and puffy.

“Where the fuck have you been?” He asked, voice quiet and hard with fury, one hand still holding the front of Jack’s shirt and the other vaguely gesturing at Elmer, who stood a few feet away, looking hesitant. “We’ve been up here for hours, waitin’ for some kind’a word.”

“We saw you come back,” Elmer said, stepping forward. His lower lip was trembling, and his eyes were just as red as Albert’s. “Finch wasn’t with ya.”

“Yeah, uh,” Jack gently untangled Albert’s fingers from his shirt, a little surprised that Albert actually let him, “that’s why I’m up here. I wanted to come up sooner, I just...I was so fuckin’ scared.” He hated the tears that suddenly pricked at his eyes unbidden, and he wiped them away stubbornly.

“Jack...” Albert’s voice had softened just a little. “Fuck, what happened? Why didn’t Finch come back?”

Jack found he couldn’t look either of his friends in the eye, not wanting to see their pain. “We...we was about to head back. We had already taken too long, ya know? Didn’t find nothin’ worth findin’. Then we turned a corner and the street was just full of ‘em. Teemin’ with Undeads. We tried to run, to get away, but one of ‘em grabbed Finch. The batons didn’t do shit, not against ten of ‘em.” He took a shaky breath, determined to get the rest out. “They tore him apart. By the time I managed to drag Finch away, there...wasn’t much left.”

“Please stop.” Elmer’s voice was little more than a whisper, and though he sounded pleading, Jack found that the words just kept spilling out without conscious volition.

“I tried to save ‘im, but they was too fast. And when they got ‘im, I just...I didn’t do nothin’ at first. I was frozen. And then he screamed-”

“Stop!” Elmer’s eyes were squeezed shut, and his fingers were balled into tight fists. “Fuckin’ stop, Jack! He’s gone, and he’s not comin’ back, and there’s nothin’ we can do about it now, and...” he trailed off, his words dissolving into sobs, and Albert grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him close.

Jack didn’t know what to do. Tears streamed down his face, and this time he made no effort to wipe them away.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and he didn’t know if he was saying it to Albert and Elmer, or if somehow, he was hoping Finch would hear it. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”

---

Taglist under the cut:

@westcoastbroadway

@insane-tomato

@hufflepuffpride210

@marcusisaprettygay

@spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn

@ridin-in-style

@our-beat-is-divine

@graceful-popcorn

@galaxytrees13

@shinyminbari

@queerfeminstdemigirl

@roses-are-red713

@shes-the-king

@stopthe-presses

@hey-thats-my-leg-of-lamb

@marvels-ninja

@dancingpenss

[felix-loves-albert-and-ralb-blog]

Losing My Mind Part 8: Kid Blink

all previous chapters are tagged under “losing my mind” pairings: crack (jackcrutchie for all you nonbelievers), ralbert, spromeo, blush, newsbians, davey/happiness friendships: crutchie and albert, specs and albert and crutchie, albert and les, specs and crutchie, kid blink and davey, jack and albert, jack and mush, les and jojo, finch and jack warnings: all previous warnings, there’s a gun in this chapter, violence, blood, self-hatred, burns, abuse, swearing, homophobia, panic attacks, choking, a bunch of other horrible shit, uh albert low-key hates himself, ableism, lots of characters have depression, and quite a few have anxiety editing: for once, yes

pov: kid blink

authors note: davey has been awake for like an hour or two, its late afternoon

I still feel like I can’t breathe.

It was days ago when it happened, but I still can’t breathe. Two guys pinned me to the wall, and I had only been expecting hits.

Hits I can handle.

And then suddenly there was a big guy in front of me, one that looked vaguely familiar, one that pointed a gun right at my face. I screamed, and then suddenly I couldn’t. Cold metal in my mouth, pressing down on my tongue, crawling its way to my throat.

“I’m gonna shoot your goddamned guts out.”

I couldn’t breathe, I was sure I was going to die right then.

I was choking and gagging, I could feel hot sticky bile rising up to fight against the gun.

“You deserve it, Louis.” The man growled, and that was when I recognized him.

I tried to force out a word, something, anything that could save me, but the pistol was still held firmly in place.

I thought I was going to die.

I was sure of it.

And then suddenly the metal receded, and the holder of the gun was pulled away roughly by a cop. I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air, retching on the nice plush carpet Medda always told us not to track mud on, but suddenly I was pulled away too. Another cop was holding me tightly by my upper arm, dragging me away, out of the theatre and into the cold chill of the night. I was shoved into a carriage already filled with half a dozen of my brothers. I was still coughing like mad, I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

And him.

I never thought I’d have to see him again.

I left for good, escaped to Manhattan.

My head is spinning, and I feel nauseous again.

I need to talk to someone, I have to, but I don’t know who. I’ve told Mush my story a million times, and I think everyone knows it at least secondhand. I need someone with a cool head and who’s good at listening.

Davey.

I open my eyes and get up from my bunk. I don’t know why I laid down in the first place, I’m never able to nap in the middle of the day.

“Davey?” I ask tentatively, wandering over to his bunk. He’s just sitting on the thin mattress, staring at the wall. “Can I talk ta ya? If ya don’t mind?”

“Sure, Blink.” Davey says after a moment of pause.

Is this a good idea? Does he really want to talk? He’s probably just being nice. He only just woke up an hour or two ago, why would he want to talk to me?

I sit down next to him on the bed.

“I saw my brother.” I say.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, at the rally. He tried to shove a gun down my throat.”

“Blink...”

“I ain’t seen ‘im since who knows how long. I used ta live down in Brooklyn with my Pa an’ my two older brothers, but I left when I got this.” I gesture to my eyepatch. “Got a bottle straight ta the face. Messed up my eye real bad, but I was already across the bridge by the time I realized I was half blind. Jack found me bleedin’ in an alley an’ carried me ta Medda’s. She helped me, I got my patch, an’ then I became a newsie.”

“Wow.”

“Kinda a lot ta take in, I guess. I’se real talkative, I’se sorry.”

“I-”

“I dunno why I talk so much. It really only gets me into trouble. ‘Sides, none of the other fellas talk as much as I do. About serious stuff, I mean. Race talks a bunch, but not much ‘bout his past. I told nearly everyone ‘bout myself, I just can’t seem ta keep it in. I gotta talk, I dunno why. An’ now I jus’ keep blabbin’ on. You jus’ went through hell an’ here I am complainin’. I-”

“Blink, it’s okay.” Davey says.

“Are ya sure? ‘Cause-”

“I could use something else to focus on right now. I don’t really want to think about anything going on in my life right now.”

“Don’t we all.” I agree.

We sit there for a moment, just two friends sitting on a bench in Central Park, and it’s nice. I smile at Davey, and Davey smiles at me.

“Did I ever tell ya the story ‘bout how Race an’ Albert got themselves stuck in a tree?” I ask.

Davey beams at me, and I start talking.

alright so... this was a whirlwind of a chapter! fun fact, the real kid blink actually got a gun shoved down his throat during the strike.

this chapter was really cool for me to write because most of the newsies i write as keeping in emotions and not letting anyone know anything about their past but i thought blink would just be super talkative and it was really interesting to write in a pov of someone who copes with things by talking and sharing instead of staying silent if that makes sense

let me know if you wanna be added to my tag list!

TAG LIST @broadwaybooksandbagels @somekindaspacecadet @tea-and-theater @be-more-chill-evan-hansen @auspicioustarantula @dancingpenss @suddenly-im-respectable @have-we-got-news-for-you @spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn @funnyihope @snakesarenonexistent @pansalexual @sunshine-e-cigarettes

[conspiraships]

been replaying The Outer Worlds a bit and got inspired to write about my s/i again! this takes place before the other tow fic i wrote actually... but i like that! i think it fits nicely in as a precursor to the other one!! aaa im rly happy w/ how this came out!!

uh some content warnings: talks about being sex repulsed, vagues about past traumas (by literally saying Past Traumas), i think that’s it? yeah

Marin hesitates outside of the door for a few seconds. Her hand is poised to knock, but she can't bring herself to do it quite yet. A little ways down the hall, she can hear Felix and Maximillian arguing about something or other while Ellie eggs them on and for a moment she contemplates backing away from the door she's stood in front of and going to join the conversation.

But then she hears SAM say something and the Captain's loud laugh rings up from the lower floors. Marin swallows and steels her resolve. Cap had come to her a few days ago with some concerns and had asked her, her!, to help. And Law knew Marin owed Cap so much. It was always hard for her to say no to them. And with something like this...

Marin takes a deep breath and knocks on the door in front of her.

Parvati's voice is immediate. "Oh! Come on in!"

She can't back out now, but Marin does take a couple extra seconds to breathe before she slides open the doors to Parvati's little quarters. Marin steps in and presses the button to shut the doors behind her. She's been in Parvati's room before, and she's walked by it a few times, but she busies herself with looking around anyway as if she's never seen anything in there before. It's a stall tactic that Cap would surely call her on, but Cap isn't here and Parvati is just beaming at her.

"Hey, Mar!" Parvati greets, standing from her desk. She carefully sets her project down and Marin looks up at her, smiling hesitantly in return. "What's up?"

"Hey, Parvati," Marin greets in return. She exhales sharply and her fingers latch onto the bottom of her jacket, fidgeting with the zipper there. "Um... Well, to be honest, Cap asked me to come talk to you."

It's painfully cute the way Parvati's brows furrow in confusion and her mouth dips into a frown. Marin can see why Junlei would be taken with Parvati. Truth be told, Marin had been quite taken with her when she'd first joined the crew. But hearing Parvati pine so intensely for Junlei and Junlei pining in return nipped that little crush in the bud right away. Not to mention that Marin's attention got snatched up elsewhere. But she's getting off topic here, and she knows it's another stall tactic her brain brings up.

"About what now? Is everythin' alright?" Parvati starts fidgeting too, and Marin can almost hear Cap's affectionate laugh when the two of them start fidgeting around them. She feels reassured by the thought and it gives her the courage to pursue the conversation further.

"Everything's fine," she says. "Nothing is really... Wrong, per se? Uh. Cap is just. Worried about you?" Marin clears her throat after fumbling through that statement and runs a hand through her hair when Parvati continues to look confused. "So, like. You mentioned to Cap about... Not liking physical affection when you're dating."

She watches the understanding cross Parvati's face at those words, and Marin's shoulders slump when the other steps back slightly and crosses her arms across her chest. Parvati's gaze is suddenly closed off and she tilts her head to stare at Marin.

"Uh huh... I," Parvati wets her lips, "I did... Mention somethin' like that."

Marin nods. "And they said you were kinda, like. Self deprecating about it?" At Parvati's jerky nod, Marin sighs. "So, yeah, Cap knows a bit about me because of, like, reasons, and figured..." She takes a deep breath to gather her thoughts and shoves her hands in her pockets to still their shaking. She's shared this part of her with Cap but she thought she'd never really have to tell anyone again. But at Cap's request, Marin agreed. She can't say no to Captain Hawthorne, and she knows she probably won't ever be able to.

Parvati, to her credit, hasn't kicked Marin out. She looks less hostile as Marin fumbles her way through her explanations and instead seems more just... Curious, and a little sad. Marin hopes the sadness isn't directed at her and is more like internal sadness or something. But at least she hasn't told Marin to leave. (Marin knows Parvati is too polite for that, but it's still a fear she had coming into this conversation.)

"So um," Marin tries. "Like, I can't relate completely but... I get... Moments when I'm just completely sex repulsed and can't stand to be touched." Her hands are still shaking in her pockets, but at least Parvati can't see that talking about this makes her into such a mess. She'll probably lock herself in her quarters until Cap drags her out after this because not even Felix's smile could soothe the fears wracking Marin's body. She remembers why she's this way every time she talks about it, and it doesn't stop hurting despite the time that's passed. "To be honest," Marin laughs a little desperately, "I still struggle with it. And I've had people in the past not understand and call me horrible things for it and treat me differently because sometimes I experience this."

"Marin..." Parvati unfolds her arms and steps forward with her arm outstretched. She only drops it when Marin shakes her head quickly.

"No, it's- it's fine, Parvati, I promise." The shaking hands in her pockets say otherwise, but Marin can't show the weakness she's feeling to anyone but Cap. Everyone will treat her differently. They always do treat her differently when she shows weakness. "But, yeah. I just wanted to let you know that I can't relate all the time, but there's nothing wrong with you and if you need to talk about it I can listen because I know how it feels to be treated differently for something like this that you can't control and just. Yeah."

Marin lets out the rest of her breath in one heavy gust and is looking anywhere but Parvati to prevent herself from going into full meltdown mode. The last thing she needs is anyone else on the Unreliable seeing her like the way she's feeling. She doesn't want to be weak to them. She already struggles so much to keep up in fire fights because she's better up close with her knife, and she doesn't have a lot of skills to offer the team. But she can be strong, so the last thing she wants is for that to change in the rest of the crew's eyes.

When she does glance at Parvati, the engineer's expression is unreadable. But when they make eye contact, Parvati smiles. "Thank ya, Mar," she says. "I really do appreciate it. Thank ya for opening up to me. If you need to talk, I can listen to."

Marin smiles tightly. "Thank you, Parvati," she says in return. "I'm... Gonna go now."

"Are you sure?" Parvati questions immediately. Marin nods and presses the button to open the door. "Well. Thank you again."

"Yep," Marin says just as tightly as her smile. She closes the door and takes a deep, trembling breath.

One hand comes up and covers her mouth so whatever sounds get muffled as she struggles to gain control over herself again. She can hear Felix loudly and hopes the others are distracted enough to not notice her. It takes her about a minute to pull herself together enough to stumble to her room but she's not entirely herself because she misses the fact that the door doesn't swoosh closed all the way. She's too focused on collapsing onto the bed with her head in her hands as the tears start.

She hopes Cap knows what they asked of her. The trauma memories always linger after moments like what just happened. She knows if Parvati comes to her later, it'll be bearable. It's just the initial opening up that makes her ache and makes her relive her horrors. Marin hopes Cap knows what they've asked of her.

"Marin?"

She flinches immediately and jerks back onto her bed, looking up at the speaker. Maximillian is standing in front of her, an unusual expression on his face as he looks down at her. Fuck. She's quick to shove her glasses up so she can scrub her arm across her face in an attempt at mopping up the tears. It's fruitless, though, because the tears keep coming.

"Maximillian," Marin says, her voice trembling with the tears falling from her eyes. "Wh... I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

Maximillian tips his head to the side. "I'm afraid I... Snuck in. I saw you leaving Ms. Holcomb's room in a state of distress. I..." He pauses and she watches his fingers twitch before he continues. "I was concerned. May I?" He gestures to the spot on her bed beside her and she moves over a bit and nods. Maximillian takes a seat gingerly and looks over at her. "As you know, I am a vicar of the church. I am quite adept at listening." Here, he cracks a smirk. "Although usually I just listen to confessions of petty sins."

That gets a surprised, wet laugh out of Marin and she wipes at her eyes again. "Petty sins, huh?" She laughs as she adjusts her glasses back in place. "Th... Thank you, Maximillian. I'm sure you don't want to hear about my past ... Issues." She's reluctant to use the word 'trauma' out loud, because she doesn't want to put him off. Issues, perhaps, isn't much better but the word trauma always comes off so strongly. At least, the past people she'd mentioned to Parvati had told her so.

Beside her, Maximillian rolls his eyes. "Marin," he says firmly. "I would not have offered if I did not mean it, nor would I have offered if I was unprepared for what 'listening' might entail."

She blinks in surprise at the intensity of his words and he sighs in return and pushes himself to his feet. He doesn't quite smile at her, but the expression he gives her isn't his normal displeased scowl either.

"I will be available if you need an ear, Marin," he tells her once more. "You are not alone."

She blinks again and watches him slip out quietly. Her doors woosh closed softly after him and she sniffles quietly, turning his words over in her head as she sits there.

It takes her a few minutes to realize that the tears have stopped and that she feels better than she's ever felt after an episode like that before.

[jamespottervevo]

who ya gonna call (when you’re drunk off your ass) pt. 1

im jumping on the social media/group chat AU. this should be about 5 chapters and includes character perspective switches when there’s an actual scene opposed to a purely chat format the entire time. The emojis are able to be seen best on a web browser opposed to on a phone, and even better on ao3 but I’ve tried to get them readable here.

the primary ship of this fic is Sirius x Gasolina by Daddy Yankee who are we really kidding here

2k | ao3 

Remus Lupin to Lily Evans

Remus: room 347 right?

Remus: because I am at 347 right now

Remus: and the sign on the door says “paranormal studies”

Remus: but it’s written in eyeliner. maybe crayon. wtf.

Remus: and it looks like no one’s here.

Remus: Lily what the fuck is this?

Lily: no, you’re at the right place. Don’t know what’s up with the sign though…

Remus: so this isn’t the room for paranormal studies

Lily: no, like, there was a real sign the other day, not sure what happened to it       

Remus: Okay. But that still doesn’t explain why you told me to meet you here. You said this was a club for people like us.

Remus: was more under the impression you meant queer, not crazy.

Lily: just go inside you utter goblin

Lily: be there soon xoxoxo

What the hell had Lily gotten them into? Remus Lupin grimaced as he glanced down at Lily’s last text, the time blinking 11:56 pm. He slid his phone into his back pocket, rocked on his heels, bit at his lip. It was almost midnight and he’d broken into the Cooper Science building for some godforsaken reason, dragged his ass down the stairs- the elevator perpetually out of commission- wandered around the basement labyrinth, only to find out room 347 was for Paranormal Studies.

What the fuck did that even mean?

Lily couldn’t be that far off, but did he really want to stand in the hallway waiting for her, very much risking a security guard catching him? Remus sighed before pushing his way into the room, the door hardly even latched. Great. This wasn’t even in a decent room then.

“Uh. Hello?” Remus called out, letting the door fall shut behind him as he stepped inside a...well, he wasn’t entirely sure what if he was being honest. It looked as if someone had attempted to convert a storage closet into a laboratory, but had gotten bored half of the way through.

Paint was chipping off the walls, a few dusty tables were pushed into the far corners of the rooms, the ones nearer the center covered in some type of equipment. A half dozen chairs were in a haphazard circle away from most of the chaos next to a sputtering coffee pot and package of Chips Ahoy with a brown hand stuck inside.

“Yes, hi, hello. Wow, didn’t think anyone else was going to show up to his-“ the body attached to the hand paused as he managed to shake the package back onto the rickety table, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one hand, thrusting the other toward Remus with a grin. “James, Potter. James Potter. Founder and member of campus’s first and only paranormal studies group.” He said it as if he’d said it a thousand times before, no less proud each time. Remus shook his hand as he looked around, brows furrowed.

“Right. I’m honestly not even sure why I’m here, my friend told me about this and-“ Remus paused and exhaled, hard. What the fuck was he doing? Why had he stepped into the shitty 80s Ghostbusters?

But James lit up. “Really? So someone else is coming tonight? I know having the meeting this late was a risk but it felt much more in the spirit of things, you know?” Remus nodded, despite very much not knowing.

James moved back toward one of the cluttered tables as a small machine began beeping. “Shit, Sirius is gonna kill me if I blow this up,” he muttered, pushing a hand through his hair, only furthering the mess.

He hesitated for a moment before lowering himself into one of the chairs. Where the fuck was Lily? While James continued to fiddle with whatever screaming device he was tinkering with, Remus slid his phone out of his back pocket, glancing down to check his messages. She hadn’t texted, which either meant she was nearly there or she’d died. Considering she’d led him to a crazy person meeting in the middle of the night, he didn’t feel nearly as much sympathy as he should. He’d get lilies for her funeral. She’d hate that.

“Hey, mate, you okay? You’re looking a bit,” James started, breaking Remus form his funeral planning, “white.” He paused and ruffled his hair. “I mean, everyone here looks pretty white, but like, worse?” He was still fiddling with the now-silent machine.

Remus frowned. “Low blood sugar,” he explained as he reached over blindly to grope for a couple of cookies from the crumpled package. If Lily were there, she’d have already scolded him for letting it drop so low. But she wasn’t. She’d sent him to possibly get murdered in the basement of Cooper after the buses had stopped running. He could be as irresponsible as he wanted, thank you.

James bobbed his head in understanding and made a vague sort of gesture, seeming to tell him to take as many cookies as he wanted. And he did, shoving one in his mouth, chewing slowly as James wandered back over, hands shoved in the front pocket of his hoodie.

“So, you’re interested in the paranormal?” He swung himself into one of the chairs, leaning forward, eyes bright behind his glasses. Remus almost choked. He pounded on his chest before clearing his throat.

“Uh, no. Not really, wouldn’t say that I am.” James arched a brow. “My friend didn’t tell me what this club…” Was it a club? “Well, she gave me fuck all information.” Remus ate another cookie in an attempt to avoid the kicked puppy look that had settled onto James’ face.

Before he could manage to put his foot in his mouth any further, the door swung open once more and Lily-the-traitor slipped inside, hair plastered too her forehead, looking properly soaked. Great. Now it was raining too.

“Rem! Sorry I’m late, got stuck in the rain and my umbrella fucking gave out on me and- hi?” She paused, mid wringing out of her hair, eyes finally landing on James, who seemed to have gone rigid in his seat, mouth half open. “I’m Lily,” she said, seeming rather unsure of what to do as James stumbled up from his seat, shoving his hand out toward her.

“James. I’m James. Do you need a towel? Coffee? Dry clothes? I’m sure we’ve got something around here, Sirius’s always leaving his shit around.” Well, at least Remus wasn’t the only one with the inability to keep his foot from his mouth. Lily laughed, a bit awkward, as she moved to sit in the open seat next to Remus.

“No, I’m fine. I think. Thanks,” she said with a wave of her hand. “So, is this it then?” She glanced around the room, the very uncrowded room, her lips drawing into a bit of a line.

James seemed unbothered as he managed to somewhat compose himself, flinging himself down into an empty chair after grabbing a small cup of coffee for himself. “Well, not quite. Pete’s got work early tomorrow and Sirius just told me he wasn’t going to come, but other than that…yeah.”

Lily nodded, Remus ate another cookie, not quite sure what to say to that. What had Lily gotten them into?

“So, what about you then. Do you believe in the paranormal?” James asked, this time the question directed at Lily. He looked as though he was trying very hard not to stare, which only made it that much more awkward.

But Lily grinned, tossing her damp hair over her shoulder as Remus rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Got a bit of a gift, really. Mum says it runs in the family, being able to talk to ghosts.” Remus snorted, managing to very poorly hide the fact with his hand.

Without looking, Lily slapped his knee. James, on the other hand, looked positively delighted. “Wait, like, without equipment and shit?” If he leaned in farther forward in his chair, he would be face first on the ground. Lily nodded and swiped a cookie from the small stack on Remus’ thigh, ignoring his sound of protest.

“I’m dying, you know, and you steal my fucking food?” He muttered under his breath, sinking down further in the chair, frowning. He was tired and still shaky and was around to absolute nutters. Exactly what he wanted on a Thursday night, really, truly it was.

He loved Lily, he did. She was his closest friend and really the reason he’d ended up at the university. But ghosts. Honestly. He’d heard about her “gift” within the first hour of meeting her back when they were eight. He’d laughed at her then, and he’d laugh at her now, but James seemed intrigued as she went on explaining about the woman in her first-floor bathroom back home.

Remus pulled out his phone, planning on playing a round of some trivia game when Lily smacked his knee again, looking at him expectantly. “Well, tell him then.”

“Tell him about what, exactly? My astounding wit? 3.7 GPA? Criminal record?” Lily rolled her eyes and looked back over at an enthralled James.

“Don’t mind him. He’s always an ass if he’s up past his bedtime.” Remus glowered. “When he was a kid, his blood sugar shot up crazy high while he was asleep and sent him into ketoacidosis. Shit started flying around in his room and it woke him and his parents up. When he gets real drunk, he’ll admit he heard someone talking to him,” she said. Remus huffed.

“Lily, I was halfway to being dead. One foot in a coma. Of course I heard voices, it doesn’t mean a ghost saved my life,” he muttered, ducking his head down. It’s why they’d become friends, really. As a kid, yeah, he’d been much more willing to believe in all that shit. Not that the kids on the playground were too kind about it. Except for Lily.

Only where he’d grown out of that type of shit, she’d grown into it more, though, in her defense, she’d gotten a bit more discrete about it.

James looked downright delighted. “Holy shit, this is incredible. The guys are going to be amped over this. Here, uh, can I get your numbers to add you to our group chat? We don’t really meet up like this often.”

“At midnight?” Remus asked, plainly. James nodded, grinning.

“Like I said, I thought it would be fitting. Spooky shit and all that,” he said, as if that made it make perfect sense.

“Right. Spooky shit,” Remus repeated as Lily took James’ outstretched phone from his hand.

“There, added both our numbers in,” she said, seeming pleased with herself as Remus groaned.

“Really, Lil? You know I don’t believe in this shit- no offense,” he added, directed toward a slightly offended looking James.

“Well, I do, so suck it up, Buttercup.” And with that, everything seemed final and James seemed positively glowing.

“Cool. Great. Yeah, we can keep you guys updated about everything in the chat, meeting times and shit like that. It’ll be great. This is going to be great.”

 -

Remus Lupin and Lily Evans were added to Zak Baggins Is Gonna Fist Fight a Ghost

Sirius: yo who the fuk

James: these are the two who showed up to the meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Pete: wait people actually showed up

James: you have no faith in our organization wormy fucking none

Remus: I hate you @Lily

Lily: idk about you all but I’m ready to bust some ghosts

James: well, that’s not quite what we do but 

Lily: Bust. Some. Ghosts.

Sirius: I like her she can stay.

Pete: wait @James how did you get that emoji????????? is that a ghost parrot??? where are you finding these????

Remus: Can we go to sleep, it’s like 3 am and my phone won’t stop lighting up.

Sirius: git gud scrub

 -

Remus Lupin @notromulus: So I think I was just inducted into a cult????

Lily Evans @evansly: it’ll be fun!!!!! @notromulus

Remus Lupin @notromulus: not the reassurance I was looking for @evansly

Lily Evans @evansly: @notromulus ;) ;) ;)

[verdigrisprowl]

June 19 Dancitron Movie Night - How It’s Made

Frenzy and Ravage picked How It’s Made segments for everyone but didn’t warn them what the videos were going to be.

There were hysterics over How It’s Made: Giant Valves.

Prowl discovered fossils are really cool, and Soundwave wants Prowl to help make a kaleidoscope for him.

Today ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm *Soundwave's in a not-quite-but-very-close-to-a sprawl on his usual seat, feelers massaging his arms. He tremble-laughs to himself. Tonight should be amusing.* Ratchet 7:51 pm *pops in* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:53 pm *Bobs his helm in welcome.* Bevel 7:53 pm *looks around to see which of SW's crew are here tonight* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:53 pm *Just him and Rumble.* Ratchet 7:53 pm *is there a bug* Ratchet 7:53 pm *aww, no bug :c* Bevel 7:54 pm *will sit wherever Rumble's at then* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:54 pm *Rumble's stretched across the back of a relocated booth seat. Unfortunately, Zori is busy helping melt some rubble over in one of the settlements tonight.* Ratchet 7:56 pm *sits butt down on an empty couch* Bevel 7:57 pm *then she will take the actual booth seat, he can have the back* Bevel 7:59 pm *waves to the Ratchet* Hi! Ratchet 8:01 pm Heya. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:01 pm [[We will be doing something... different, tonight. Consider yourselves warned.]] *Not quite time to start, but very soon.* Bevel 8:02 pm *different sounds interesting* boomtank 8:02 pm -peers in- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm *Nods hello.* boomtank 8:03 pm -and then in he goes, waves at Soundwave before sitting- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm ((ok soon as puff is back with food we get goin)) boomtank 8:07 pm ((kaaay Me 8:10 pm ((am here and fooded!)) Me 8:11 pm *arrives just slightly late* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:11 pm //Weapons?// Sits up. *Immediate ping hello from the noodle and his miniature nerd.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:13 pm //Jus' so ya know, Frenzy 'n Ravage picked alla these. Boss said "find scrap for every mech what comes here Mondays," 'n they said they done it, but we dunno what they got.// Bevel 8:13 pm *is super into this movie even if she knows all this already* Me 8:14 pm *pings back. is soundwave still sprawled?* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm *He is. Would Prowl like to join him?* Me 8:14 pm *well, he's not going to sprawl. But he'll sit with Soundwave. *he IS somewhat slouched, though.* boomtank 8:17 pm -perks at instrument- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:17 pm *Soundwave tests whether or not he can place an arm behind Prowl. He's not surprised by the slouch. Can't expect an instant mood fix.* [[You're familiar with this, Blaster?]] Me 8:18 pm *no complaints about the arm* boomtank 8:18 pm Huh? Oh, no, not making them I would like to try though...if I ever get time ItsyBitsySpyers 8:19 pm [[Just this or any?]] boomtank 8:20 pm Any really Christine 8:20 pm *plops into a seat with snacks from home* hi guys! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:20 pm //Yo, Impact!// Rumble waves from the back of a seat. Christine 8:21 pm *Return waves!* Bevel 8:21 pm Making instruments is really hard. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm [[You've tried?]] Bevel 8:22 pm *waves to Impact, actually sees her this time* Christine 8:22 pm *Even more exuberant waving! Is a Bevel!* Bevel 8:22 pm *is indeed!* boomtank 8:23 pm -oh, instruments gone now- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm *Don't worry, there will be more later. Ravage knows the audience.* Ratchet 8:23 pm [[ there was some kingwood in there too!! ]] Christine 8:23 pm Ooooh, purple heart! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm //I thought that was a metal.// boomtank 8:24 pm -awesome- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:24 pm [[Visually appealing.]] Bevel 8:24 pm Purple wood 😄 Me 8:26 pm ... That's so inefficient. Christine 8:26 pm But it's pretty! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:26 pm [[...It is? How would you do it?]] Bevel 8:27 pm [[My boss does this as a hobby/side-job boomtank 8:27 pm ...they are pretty Christine 8:27 pm Trains!! 3:D Me 8:28 pm Create a single tool that cuts out the designs for the barrel of the pen in one go. Like a... a mold, except it's for a lathe. Bevel 8:28 pm *oh yeah trains, sits forward a little* Me 8:28 pm That way the creator doesn't have to individually carve each one with multiple tools, and they wouldn't be so inconsistent. There's no way that he can get any sort of consistency if he's making them one at a time. boomtank 8:29 pm That might be the point? Ratchet 8:29 pm It's art, Prowl. Humans like that they're not all the same. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:29 pm *Rumble snickers and makes scissor fingers near Bevel's audials.* //Snip snip, big bit.// [[But he would be able to produce more of them.]] Bevel 8:29 pm Ow. No snipping. Me 8:29 pm The sword was art too, but they used molds and a cutting program to make them all consistent. Christine 8:30 pm I APPROVE OF THIS COLOR CHOICE ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm //How ya feel about bein' a train?// boomtank 8:30 pm I think it might have to do with material used? Bevel 8:31 pm Some swords are made without molds and stuff. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:31 pm //Yeah, sometimes a big fragger jus' whacks crystals until they're all pointy.// Snicker snicker. Me 8:31 pm Yes, the narrator mentioned that blacksmiths used to make them slowly and inefficiently by hand. Bevel 8:32 pm I make them like that. Christine 8:33 pm *smol gasp* You do?! Bevel 8:33 pm Uh-huh ItsyBitsySpyers 8:33 pm //An' you ain't given me none?// Me 8:33 pm *... Prowl is going to shut up now.* Christine 8:33 pm Can I watch you do it sometime?! 3:D Bevel 8:33 pm *it's ok Prowl she ain't mad* I can make you one, Rumble. *nods to Impact* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm [[Is this how you began your Dinobots, Ratchet?]] Ratchet 8:35 pm Heh. I guess, but the humans did all the fossil digging. We found the bones in a museum. Bevel 8:35 pm Not using molds means I can do custom work and make really cool designs that never look the same. Sometimes consistency is good because if you know a design really works well and need to make a bunch. Like outfitting a whole army or something. Me 8:35 pm *watching in fascination* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm //Ya stole the bones?// Me 8:36 pm *he's learned more about fossils in the last two minutes than he learned during all his years on Earth.* Ratchet 8:36 pm Of course not. They just gave us the idea, when we saw them. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:37 pm [[What is this? It's beautiful.]] Christine 8:37 pm I think it's a ray! Ratchet 8:37 pm [[ that ind of tedious work is what i live for tbh, i would love doing that.... ]] boomtank 8:37 pm Oh wow Christine 8:37 pm i win! ItsyBitsySpyers 8:37 pm //Oh, pfff. Stealin' woulda been more fun.// ...And Prowl's in the room. //But, uh, illegal. 'Course.// Bevel 8:37 pm Pretty. boomtank 8:37 pm Yeah ItsyBitsySpyers 8:37 pm *Soundwave nods at Impact. So she did.* Me 8:38 pm I don't understand how they don't rot. Ratchet 8:38 pm Can't do much with fossils, though. They're good for looking at, not building off of. Christine 8:38 pm *Has gained the acknowledgement as is delighted.* Bevel 8:38 pm *helicopter and Whirl's not here aw8 Christine 8:39 pm awww Me 8:39 pm ... The helicopter segment is clearly for Whirl's benefit. He's not here. We could skip this segment and watch something else about fossils. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:39 pm [[Perhaps whatever causes disgusting organic rot does not get through layers of rock.]] Bevel 8:39 pm *laughs* Me 8:39 pm *just a suggestion* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:39 pm *Soundwave taps his chin in thought.* Bevel 8:40 pm I was a helicopter once. Me 8:40 pm ((... did it crash?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm [[When we have worked through the list, he will find more videos on fossils for y--]] Me 8:40 pm ((i mean. it DID crash for me. did it crash for others.)) Bevel 8:40 pm [[yes it did Christine 8:40 pm ((did for me)) Ratchet 8:40 pm [[ yes ]] boomtank 8:40 pm ((yup Me 8:40 pm ((okay cool im not alone)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm *Soundwave sighs and stretches his feelers out to poke at the wires.* Christine 8:41 pm *takes the opportunity to sit closer to bevel* 3:D boomtank 8:41 pm Um...? Need help? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:41 pm [[No, he doesn't need help.]] Instant Blaster reaction. But... if he wants to butter Blaster up into eventually telling him about That Thing. [[But he would not mind it.]] ((i'm sorry y'all ;; give it a sec, it's obvs bein slow tonight)) Me 8:42 pm ... Whatever's wrong, it's not the projectors. Bevel 8:42 pm :3 Christine 8:43 pm *bounce bounce bounce bounce* Me 8:43 pm Otherwise I would have disappeared. boomtank 8:43 pm -will get up to help then- Christine 8:44 pm *cheers* Me 8:44 pm *there it goes* boomtank 8:44 pm -and there we go- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:44 pm [[Thank you.]] *Pings Prowl a thank you as well for that bit of info.* Me 8:45 pm *return ping* boomtank 8:45 pm Welcome! -and sitting back down- ItsyBitsySpyers 8:45 pm [[Let us try that again.]] Me 8:46 pm *are they skipping the helicopters to see more fossils?* *oh, apparently not* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm *When the main run is done, Prowl. He won't forget.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:47 pm //It's a helicopter 'n it got an airplane on a dial.// Me 8:48 pm *watching a bunch of organics assembling what's basically an insentient mech is... bizarre.* Bevel 8:48 pm This is a really small helicopter. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:48 pm *This was probably Frenzy's pick, to be honest.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm //Eugh. Imaginin' all them little hands all everywhere - poor Breakdown. Musta been horrible.// Christine 8:49 pm *stiffens* *:(* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm //...Oh scrap. I'm real sorry, Impact.// Me 8:49 pm You get used to it. Christine 8:50 pm *mumble* s'ok Me 8:50 pm ... The hands, I mean. Not the... *vague gesture that may or may not allude to Breakdown* Bevel 8:50 pm *pats Impact gently* Christine 8:50 pm *leans on Bevel* Ratchet 8:51 pm Hmm. *slides off couch onto feet* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:51 pm *Soundwave looks at Prowl. When did he have human hands all over him?* //You goin', doc?// Ratchet 8:51 pm Time for me to head out, folks. Seeya next time. Bevel 8:51 pm *looks over at Ratchet* Aw, ok. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm //Aw. Hey, I'll tell Bug you was here, yeah?// boomtank 8:52 pm G'night Ratchet Bevel 8:52 pm Night! Ratchet 8:52 pm Tell him be here next week. Christine 8:52 pm *small wave* Me 8:52 pm Evening. *... that's it that's the only word he's said to Ratchet all night* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm //Sure! Watch yourself, 'n all.// Ratchet 8:53 pm *it sure is, Prowl* Me 8:53 pm *he's watching how glass lab equipment is made, no time to talk* Bevel 8:54 pm *makes a promise to self that she'll talk to Ratchet the next time she sees them* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:54 pm *Soundwave is learning so, so much. Whatever humans made these shows have his approval.* Christine 8:55 pm Oh! I know about human oil! It's made of old dead stuff! Me 8:56 pm *crude oil! is this more fossil stuff?* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:56 pm //Gross.// Bevel 8:57 pm Messy. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm //Hey, Boss. Ain't this one of them places ya went to? That whole fossil fight thing.// boomtank 8:57 pm Ew ItsyBitsySpyers 8:57 pm [[Yes. ... It made him slightly hungry.]] Me 8:58 pm Wouldn't this whole drilling process destroy a lot of fossils? Christine 8:58 pm ((bless u prowl)) Bevel 8:58 pm Bet it does. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:58 pm [[Most likely. The humans have an obsession with this product, though. He overhears many, many... MANY political arguments about it.]] Christine 8:59 pm ((sister: prowl is a gift. become soundwave if you agree)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm [[It is strange. They do not even consume or inject it.]] Me 8:59 pm I'm well aware. It's a shame. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm ((*soundwaves stronger*)) Me 9:01 pm ... I'm sorry, what did they say they make with it? Crayons, perfumes, what...? boomtank 9:01 pm What the.... Christine 9:01 pm gross! Bevel 9:01 pm Ugh human food. boomtank 9:02 pm .......... ItsyBitsySpyers 9:02 pm [[Crayons, perfumes, plastic, lubricant, fuel...]] *Soundwave is so not looking at the screen. He'll just listen to this one.* boomtank 9:02 pm -hide face behind data-pad- EW Me 9:02 pm *completely unbothered by the meat slurry* Christine 9:02 pm *just gonna focus on her own snacks, yes* *offers bevel some* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm *Rumble is both grossed out but totally fascinated, judging by his mixed up expression* Bevel 9:03 pm *forgot to bring anything to distract herself with tonight nooooo-oooo snacks yes plz* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:03 pm //Meatsacks eatin' meatsacks. That's fraggin' great.// Bevel 9:03 pm *...expression? is there an emoji on the visor?* [[never mind reading comp fail XD Me 9:05 pm They can't eat gasoline, even though it used to be meat and plants. And yet WE can eat it—again, despite its origins. Even though it's basically liquid fossils. *yes he's still on about the fossils.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[It makes sense for our timeline. Given who Earth is.]] Me 9:06 pm *oh! facial reconstruction!* I've seen this done. Christine 9:06 pm ((oooh, true)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[On humans? Or mechs?]] Me 9:06 pm Humans. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[Can you do this?]] Me 9:06 pm Well—I haven't seen it BEING done. But I've watched videos. No, I don't know enough about human anatomy. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:07 pm *Thinks and nods.* Me 9:07 pm Besides, I'm given to understand that there's as much art to it as science. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:08 pm *Soundwave saves this one for Buzzsaw, just in case that's so.* Me 9:08 pm The videos I've seen didn't explain it in this much depth. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:09 pm [[It is most fascinating. Is it -possible- to do... something like this, with mechs?]] Bevel 9:10 pm This looks cool Christine 9:10 pm mmhmm! Me 9:11 pm Something sort of like this, yes. Although the process is very different. No clay. Christine 9:11 pm EEEEEGS i have eggs! boomtank 9:11 pm ...egg? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:11 pm //The menagerie goin' again?// Christine 9:11 pm Always! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:11 pm *Soundwave takes notes on this.* Christine 9:11 pm My chickens are way happier than these chickens, though ItsyBitsySpyers 9:12 pm //How can ya tell?// Christine 9:12 pm Their noises! And Papa gave me a translating thingy on my birthday so I know they say they're happy Me 9:12 pm Mass-produced faces like mine are very easy to identify by frametype, but once it's identified you can't tell which mech of that frametype the face belongs to. boomtank 9:13 pm Those cages look kinda...tiny Me 9:13 pm Forged mechs are harder to identify, but once they ARE identified the face typically allows you to identify an individual person, rather than a batch of hundreds of people. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:14 pm [[How else were they identified, then? Paint?]] [[The mass-produced victims, he means.]] Christine 9:15 pm D:< Me 9:15 pm Paint, after-assembly kibble, treads. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm *Soundwave glances at the list and sits up a bit.* Christine 9:15 pm I DISAPPROVE ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm [[Ah. Bevel, would you mind going upstairs and asking Laserbeak where he left his datapad?]] Christine 9:16 pm MY CHICKENS GET TO RETIRE ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm ((*Impact sorry not Bevel)) Christine 9:16 pm Okay! *scoots* Bevel 9:17 pm *sees what you did there SW* Christine 9:17 pm ((CACKLES)) boomtank 9:17 pm -confused noises- ItsyBitsySpyers 9:17 pm *SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT INSIDE THE--Rumble squawks and falls off the couch* Me 9:17 pm *... poker face* Bevel 9:17 pm *covers her mouth and tries really hard to not laugh* Me 9:17 pm *his poker face gets even more neutral every time they say the word "valve"* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:17 pm *Soundwave leans forward.* boomtank 9:17 pm -he doesn't get it- Bevel 9:17 pm *snorts* Valve body. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:18 pm //Make sure the holes're-- fraaaaaag// Christine 9:18 pm ((penetrating)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:18 pm //Hard fachhghghdjdhaahaha// *He's not even gonna try to stand up right now* Bevel 9:19 pm *stay there it's for the best* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:19 pm [[Primus, there's a human in that one.]] Me 9:19 pm *mumbles* MINE didn't get smoothed... boomtank 9:19 pm -STILL confused- ItsyBitsySpyers 9:19 pm *Soundwave's vents stutter just a smidge at that mumble* Bevel 9:20 pm *giggles* Me 9:20 pm *poker faces even harder* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:21 pm //I'm dyin'. Somebody tell Frenzy he's an aft 'n Bevel can have my games.// Bevel 9:21 pm I do not think this is anatomically correct at all. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:21 pm [[...He was not informed that was a function they performed.]] Bevel 9:22 pm The world is safe. Yay. Christine 9:22 pm *returns with a datapad* What'd I miss? Me 9:22 pm *he pokerfaced all the way through "giant valves"* Bevel 9:22 pm Boring stuff. Christine 9:22 pm *sees Rumble on the floor* You okay? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:22 pm //Ah, jus' some pipe stuff.// Me 9:22 pm *but he sees "retractile cords" and barks out a laugh* Bevel 9:22 pm *cackles* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:23 pm *Soundwave just. Fwooshes. Bright indigo.* Bevel 9:23 pm *SW gets such an amused ping* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:23 pm *He doesn't know which of the two picked this one but they're both in so much trouble.* boomtank 9:23 pm Soundwave? Are you okay? Christine 9:23 pm Soundwave? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:24 pm [[Yes, he's fine. Incoming messages about the latest dinobot riot. Many of them.]] Christine 9:24 pm Uh oh. Well, here's the datapad! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm [[Thank you.]] *Reaches for it and pretends to read.* @Prowl: (txt): Prowl also flame-resistant? Impact 9:25 pm *Goes to plop by Bevel again.* Me 9:25 pm *affirmative ping* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:26 pm *Small nod. Good to know.* Me 9:26 pm @Soundwave «I don't have that extra layer for electrical shielding, though. Less sensitive.» *points at the drill reversing the coils' directions* For the record, that's VERY uncomfortable. Impact 9:27 pm *found that one kind of boring* boomtank 9:27 pm .... Impact 9:27 pm *if the tubes one was like that she's glad she missed it* Bevel 9:27 pm Cop stuff. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:27 pm *And another small nod.* [[He would imagine so. Ah! Human police work.]] Me 9:28 pm *ooh, handcuffs* Bevel 9:28 pm *the most boring, Impact* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:28 pm *Rumble crawls over the couch again and nudges Bevel and Impact. Scoot over, you two.* Impact 9:28 pm *obliging scoot* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:28 pm //Ratchet's teeth don't look nothin' like that.// Bevel 9:29 pm *laughs* Impact 9:29 pm *giggles* boomtank 9:30 pm -reading now, bored of all this- ItsyBitsySpyers 9:30 pm //Huh, humans must be nicer. Ain't no swivels on any I been clapped in.// //Least I don't got doors or wings or nothin'. I hear Starscream got a super nasty cramp that time he tried goin' Autobot.// Bevel 9:31 pm Not stasis cuffs either. Just cuffs. Impact 9:31 pm He tried going Autobot? 3:o Bevel 9:32 pm [[Naughty children get put in the handcuff wiggler ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm ((LOL)) Impact 9:32 pm ((XD)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:32 pm //Yeah, once. Didn't work.// Impact 9:32 pm Huh. Bevel 9:33 pm Lord Starscream makes a good Decepticon. Even when he's a really nice one. Me 9:33 pm *... slouches a bit further* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:33 pm *Soundwave glances over again, confused.* @Prowl: (txt): ...Clocks: bothersome? Me 9:34 pm *negative ping* Bevel 9:34 pm *oooo pretty clocks* Impact 9:34 pm Oh! Oh! Bevel, you and Whirl talked about clocks! Tiny geeeears ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm *Tilts his helm. Well, he's learned that particular lesson. If Prowl wants to tell him what it really is, he will.* //Cuckoos don't got wings, or what?// Me 9:35 pm *it was the handcuffs, actually. And the reminder of his old job.* Bevel 9:36 pm The tiniest. I want to see a video about automatons. Do they have one? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:37 pm *Soundwave's started skimming the list to make sure there's no more Surprises. He checks again.* [[Not this time. Perhaps another.]] Me 9:38 pm *... although the clock also makes him think about Whirl's job, and the conversation he had about it with Whirl, which... admittedly doesn't help things* Bevel 9:38 pm Aw. Ok. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:40 pm [[This is strangely discomfiting to watch. More than the assembly of a helicopter.]] boomtank 9:41 pm ............ Impact 9:41 pm brain bits! Me 9:42 pm *little bit, yeah* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:42 pm [[Still. They do make decent audio equipment.]] Impact 9:43 pm 3:D Bevel 9:43 pm Armor! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:44 pm //Heh, that looked like that purple guy. Uh. Tornadus?// Bevel 9:44 pm Chain mail looks really cool when you wear it. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:45 pm //Ratbat useta have a cape like that.// //Wouldn't never shut up about it.// Bevel 9:46 pm Ha. Me 9:46 pm Really? Metal capes were considered... gauche, in my universe. A senator wouldn't be caught dead in one. Bevel 9:48 pm *this makes her miss her old suit of armor look* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:48 pm [[It -was-, if you ask him. But we no longer had access to fabric by then.]] Me 9:48 pm *so this is when humans first decided they wanted to be robots. with suits of armor. disconcerting to watch.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:49 pm ((i'd meant this one for windchill cuz of their grub, but sadly they are not here today ;; )) Impact 9:49 pm COloooooors ItsyBitsySpyers 9:50 pm [[Hm. Crayons, perfumes, plastics, lubricants, fuels... bricks.]] [[They are creative. He will give them that.]] Me 9:50 pm All that with ancient slurried flesh. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:51 pm *Tiny huff.* [[You have a way with words.]] [[And 'deli meat' with the fresher form. We must not forget that.]] Me 9:51 pm ... So I've been accused. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:52 pm [[Complimented.]] Me 9:53 pm ... That's less frequent. Me 9:54 pm ((who was the lipstick for?)) ItsyBitsySpyers 9:54 pm ((we are on the last few, do not worry y'all)) [[The loss of whoever didn't see.]] ((nobody in particular, i just thought it was interesting)) //...Paint?// Impact 9:55 pm paint to make faces fancy! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:56 pm //Oh! For scarin' opponents. Gotcha.// Me 9:56 pm Wouldn't it be easier to just tattoo their lips? Bevel 9:56 pm Human blood is red. boomtank 9:56 pm Looks interesting Bevel 9:56 pm I think the paint is less painful. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:56 pm [[Perhaps they do not know how to do that.]] Impact 9:56 pm And you can change up your colors! Me 9:57 pm I've seen humans putting on lipstick. They have to continuously reapply it. They know how to tattoo everything else. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:57 pm *He points to Impact.* [[Then it may be what she said - color changing. Wanting more than one choice.]] //What's the pointa colors though? Ain't like they got... I dunno, blue 'n purple blood.// Bevel 9:58 pm Looks cool. Impact 9:58 pm Exactly! Me 9:59 pm Maybe it helps them tell each other apart. *all humans look the same.* Impact 9:59 pm and also tasty! ItsyBitsySpyers 9:59 pm [[Hm. That does make sense.]] And he's snapped forward. *Great. He's hungry again.* boomtank 9:59 pm Oh! Showing food again? Bevel 9:59 pm Yay food Impact 10:00 pm Foooooood~ ItsyBitsySpyers 10:00 pm //Next time, I wanna see gold.// Impact 10:00 pm Yeah! Me 10:00 pm *... mental note, Soundwave likes silver.* *if that snap forward is anything to go by* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:01 pm *Prowl has no. idea.* Bevel 10:01 pm Mythril. Impact 10:01 pm Mithril!!!! ItsyBitsySpyers 10:01 pm [[....Hm?]] Bevel 10:02 pm Silver looks kind of like mythril. Impact 10:03 pm *nodding* Me 10:03 pm What's mythril? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:03 pm [[Tastes better, he'd think.]] Impact 10:03 pm It's a metal from middle earth! Me 10:03 pm *okay, well that answers whether soundwave likes silver aesthetically or culinarily.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:04 pm *It's both, actually, but shh...* Me 10:04 pm ... The equator? Bevel 10:04 pm Middle Earth is a place. Impact 10:04 pm With mithril! Bevel 10:05 pm It is a really light and strong metal that is really valuable and great for armor and swords and stuff. Impact 10:05 pm I like to lick it. Bevel 10:05 pm It tastes good too. *nods* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:06 pm ((plot twist: mithril is ununtrium)) Me 10:06 pm ((LOL)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:06 pm //It's so... squishy.// Bevel 10:06 pm [[pft ItsyBitsySpyers 10:06 pm //...I kinda wanna stick my hands in it.// Impact 10:06 pm ((only destroyed by hungry child robos)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:08 pm //I mean, not really, cuz it'd get all in everythin', but it looks kinda fun.// Bevel 10:08 pm Take forever to get clean. Impact 10:08 pm Mmmhmm ItsyBitsySpyers 10:08 pm //Seriously.// Impact 10:09 pm Bedtime for meeee! G'night everybody! Bevel 10:09 pm Night, Impact ItsyBitsySpyers 10:09 pm //Seeya, Impact!// Impact 10:09 pm You can have my extra snacks, Bevel. Bevel 10:09 pm Thanks! Impact 10:09 pm *Waves on the way out the door* Bevel 10:10 pm *appreciates gift from tiny child friend* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:10 pm *Another kind of insect thread? He settles back to watch.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm @Prowl: (txt): Tarantulas' method seems simpler. Me 10:13 pm «I'm sure he made it that way.» *Prowl wonders if Tarantulas's could be used for fabric too* Bevel 10:14 pm How do they keep it from getting tangled if it is so thin and they just pile it on that plate at the beginning? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:14 pm //Wait. So humans wear worm goo?// [[...He does not know why it doesn't tangle.]] Bevel 10:15 pm *ah well* Me 10:15 pm No, they wash the worm goo off of the worm threads. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:16 pm //Still weird.// Me 10:17 pm *points* See. That. Computer-guided milling. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:17 pm *Wonders if Cybertron ever had a version of this.* Me 10:17 pm That's what they should have done with the pens. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[He did wonder what would happen if the human making the pens carved them for too long. They shrank very quickly.]] [[Your solution would ensure that did not happen.]] Me 10:18 pm *nods* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:20 pm @Prowl: (txt): Last file next. Prowl wants fossil information afterward? Me 10:20 pm ... If you still have time. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:20 pm *Nods. He does.* *Ohhhhh that's pretty.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[...Fascinating.]] Bevel 10:22 pm Cool! Me 10:22 pm *math!!* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm *Things to look into more often for his work: mirrors.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:25 pm *Tap tap taptaptap.* Bevel 10:25 pm That was awesome. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:25 pm [[It was. As were most of those. He would like to see more, eventually.]] Me 10:26 pm *fossils!* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm ((wait do we want this or the bill nye one)) Bevel 10:27 pm *has videos about cool swords if SW is ever interested* Me 10:27 pm ((bill nye is great but also 25 minutes)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm ((this one it is)) *Soundwave is still lightly tapping Prowl. Hey. Hey.* Me 10:28 pm *what huh that's him?* Yes? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:28 pm @Prowl: (txt): Kaleidoscope. Math art. Prowl could make? Me 10:29 pm ... I could do the math part. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:29 pm *Soundwave is sorta stunned that these weird print fossil things have survived longer than he's been alive.* *Nods. Okay. Okay, if Prowl can do the math part... nod.* Me 10:29 pm I probably wouldn't have the finesse to... assemble it... or, uh... do the aesthetic bits. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:30 pm [[It -is- insulation.]] Me 10:30 pm *sorry he's also being distracted by the age of these fossils. They're ten—thirty times older than him* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:31 pm [[...Dead statues?]] Me 10:31 pm So it's not the creature at all. Bevel 10:31 pm It turns into a rock. Cool. Me 10:31 pm The creature DOES rot away. It leaves behind a mold that's filled with stone. Bevel 10:31 pm Earth made a copy! ItsyBitsySpyers 10:31 pm [[Fascinating...]] Bevel 10:32 pm Frog. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:32 pm //Praise!// boomtank 10:32 pm Awesome Me 10:32 pm ((praise)) Bevel 10:33 pm These are really old. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm [[...That fish is 240 million years old?]] Me 10:33 pm *that rock is almost fifty times older than Prowl* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:33 pm *He. He needs a minute, here.* boomtank 10:33 pm Holy.... HOW Me 10:34 pm *almost EIGHTY times older* Bevel 10:34 pm *these things are like 100x older than her or more* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:35 pm *Beeps quietly. He didn't know this cephalopod was that old a creature...* Me 10:35 pm *... did that noise just come out of soundwave* Bevel 10:35 pm Some stuff looks the same. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:35 pm *...It might've.* boomtank 10:35 pm -all of these fossils are older than him- ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm [[The plants can be fossilized as well? But they are not meat.]] Me 10:36 pm *............... cute* Bevel 10:36 pm I think they are made out of the same stuff that turns into rocks in the fishes and stuff. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm *Shakes his helm. That was - he's - that's gonna take some processing.* [[Does anyone else have anything they wanted expanded on?]] Me 10:37 pm *restrains self from asking for more fossils* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:37 pm *Well, I mean, Prowl -could- ask again.* Bevel 10:37 pm I think everything on Earth is, um, cardon-based so maybe everything can turn into a rock. I want to see more swords. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *While we figure out swords and whatnot* Me 10:39 pm *he got more fossils anyway* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:40 pm //Oh, hey, I remember this scrap. That's the Jurassic Park stuff. The bug rocks.// Me 10:41 pm ((I like the "penis -->" label)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:41 pm ((i'm so sorry oh my god i didn't know)) Me 10:41 pm ((IT'S OKA Y IT'S JUST A BUG DONG)) Bevel 10:41 pm Whoa. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:42 pm [[One last video on Bevel's request, and then he will return us to music for the night.]] Me 10:42 pm *one looks like tarantulas. tarantulas is emulating a species that's at least twenty times older than tarantulas himself* Bevel 10:43 pm ...Gimli is cooler than Aragorn anyway. *accepts this* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:46 pm [[...Unpleasant.]] Bevel 10:48 pm Awesome. Thanks, Soundwave! ItsyBitsySpyers 10:48 pm *Nods.* *Soundwave stretches.* Bevel 10:49 pm *well she has a favorite yt channel now* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:49 pm [[A pleasant break from fiction. He appreciates the indulgence.]] boomtank 10:51 pm That was fun ItsyBitsySpyers 10:51 pm [[It pleases him to know you thought so.]] Me 10:52 pm *it's soothing to watch something designed to plainly and clearly help you understand something new, rather than something designed to confuse you for 75 minutes and then try to make sense of it all in 15 minutes.* *... or maybe his tolerance for recreational confusion has just been shot* *probably by the jet pack umbrellas* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:54 pm *Everyone needed a Sensibility Break after THAT one.* boomtank 10:54 pm -stands and stretches- Bevel 10:54 pm *it's fun being educated about stuff* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:54 pm [[Departing, Blaster?]] boomtank 10:55 pm Yeah. I got a few things left to do before tomorrow I may have kinda put them off... Bevel 10:55 pm I should go too. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:56 pm *Nods.* [[He will not keep you from them. The assistance earlier was]] technically unnecessary no no don't say that [[appreciated.]] [[And farewell to you too, Bevel.]] boomtank 10:57 pm Thanks for the videos, and you're welcome. G'night. -waves and then off to home- Bevel 10:58 pm Night! *waves to SW, Rumble, and Prowl before leaving* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:59 pm *Rumble looks around and... uh. He'll just. Follow Bevel outside, maybe go play poker with some of the minis out back.* Me 11:00 pm *... wait, that wave was in his direction. vaguely nods back after Bevel's already gone and can't see it* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:00 pm *Soundwave pings Bevel with a shot of the nod.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:01 pm (txt): Question postponed earlier: If Buzzsaw assisted, Prowl would perform precise mirror adjustment? Me 11:03 pm ... If you want? But the math can be done just by eyeballing it, he could probably adjust the mirrors as well himself. Perhaps better, since he's got the fine motor skills for it. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:06 pm (txt): ...Would like, when Prowl: able. If willing. *It might be nice to have something visually pleasing come out of this alliance, just in case it ever falls apart. A tangible memory of a good time. Has to be stolen instead of just erased or lost.* Me 11:07 pm ... Sure. All right. *doesn't see WHY, but okay* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:08 pm *Dips helm.* (txt): Appreciated. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:10 pm (txt): Prowl time: limited? Returns home? Me 11:13 pm It doesn't really matter. *work isn't for a while.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:20 pm (txt): Understood. Stay welcome if wanted, not unwanted. Presence: soothing. *He's gonna get comfortable curled up on his 2/3rds of the seat and just watch Prowl contently. If all he's got is the avatar, he's gonna work on memorizing more about it than he already has.* Me 11:23 pm ... *slouches more* *leans against soundwave* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:24 pm *Tug tug.* Me 11:25 pm *is tugged?* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:29 pm (txt): Thought: Soundwave given Prowl assistance permission. What best skill, surveillance? Me 11:29 pm ... Delegating to other mechs who actually know how to perform surveillance. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:30 pm *Trembles* (txt): Soundwave accepted delegated work long before. Second best? Me 11:31 pm *... thinks.* *gets tired thinking. gives up.* It's not really one of my skillsets. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm *Small nod.* (txt): ...Prowl can read monitors, multiple? Me 11:33 pm ... I suppose. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm *Soundwave taps a nothing pattern, thinking.* Me 11:34 pm ... You don't have to find me more work, you know. Or—different work. Whatever you're doing. You don't have to. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:37 pm *He flicks a hand.* (txt): Starscream gave new opportunity. New opportunity: interesting. Idea forming. (txt): ...Prowl would see station setup? Game information, when played. Personal curiosity. Potential replication reserve. Me 11:39 pm *"opportunity"? was that what it looked like to soundwave? as far as prowl was concerned, all work was the same now.* ... I... No. Not this time, I don't think. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:40 pm *That's - surprising. He would have expected Prowl to jump at the chance to see where he does his work, even in this state. But, all right.* Me 11:41 pm *the thought of preparing for a game left him feeling prematurely exhausted. That wasn't the state of mind he should see it in.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:41 pm (txt): Understood. Perhaps later. *Bunts shoulder with helm.* Me 11:41 pm *and he felt just a little bit worse, knowing that he couldn't appreciate an offered gift. a small nod.* ... I should head back. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:42 pm (txt): Acknowledged. Acquire passable rest level. Me 11:43 pm *another nod.* *flickers and disappears*

[ylla]

Friday Night Gurus - Chapter 4

Series: JJBA Ships: josuyasu, koichi/yukako (others will eventually happen too, but im tagging as i go) Tags: celebrity au, modern au, pining, recreational drug use (smoking that wacky tabaccy), lots of talking and cuddles in this one, lads Rating: E

AO3 link

HAHA, SO MY COMPUTER ATE THIS CHAPTER AND WHAT I HAD FOR TMBTP, SO, I HAD TO RESTART FROM SCRATCH. i rewrote this garbage dump from memory, and here we are. TMBTP is forthcoming once i stop weeping. may the powers that be take pity on this elderly woman (ed. note – author is only 24).

shoutout to TheSmuttiestPrincess and their fic Talk To Me That Way I Like for introducing me to praise kink!okuyasu, which is something i never knew i needed until i read it.

as always, comment the fic, kudos the fic, and bookmark the fic to see more of the same fic content.

Josuke woke up the next morning feeling like someone had cracked him across the face with a baseball bat. Fucking storms causing pressure headaches; he’d meet Mother Nature in the pit if she was a real person. He would have gotten up to get medicine if he hadn’t been trapped in the arms of a particularly buff octopus. Okuyasu was spooning him, legs and arms firmly wrapped around Josuke to prevent him from escaping (not that Okuyasu had to worry about that to begin with). Josuke could feel Oku’s slow, even breathing on his neck and it was giving him goosebumps. It felt like it was too early to exist. “What fuckin’ time is it,” he muttered to himself. Blindly, Josuke groped for his phone, but couldn’t seem to find it.  “S'about 8:30.” Josuke didn’t hear Okuyasu speak so much as he felt him. “You awake?” Josuke whispered. “Mmh.” Josuke made to turn over, but Okuyasu held him in place. “Lemme roll over.” “I got morning breath,” Oku’s voice was slurred with sleep, voice rougher than usual. “I don’t care, dude. I do too.” Josuke tried rolling over again, but Okuyasu steadfastly held him in place. A power struggle ensued; Josuke valiantly did his best to break free, but Okuyasu had both the upper hand and strength to keep him in place. He felt Oku’s chest shaking with laughter, quiet chuckles in his ear. “I swear to God,” he huffed after a few fruitless minutes of wrestling, resigning himself to Little Spoon status, “I’m firing Polnareff.” That just made Okuyasu chuckle even harder, “No you won’t, that’d break his croissant-lovin’ heart.” He shifted closer to Josuke, and put his face into the junction where his neck met his shoulder. “Hey, uh, is it okay if I…?” Okuyasu faltered, nervous.

“You can kiss me, goofball. We’re dating, remember?”

Josuke could feel Okuyasu face flush before he zealously trailed kisses from Josuke’s shoulder, up his neck, to his corner of his jaw, settling on his earlobe which he nibbled on slightly. It sent shockwaves through his body, and Josuke couldn’t help but hiss.

Okuyasu backed off, “Oh shit, sorry—“

“No no don’t be,” Josuke rubbed the arm that held onto him, “It’s just been like, a long time since I’ve done anything like this. And, uh,” Josuke cleared his throat, “that felt really good, s-so, you know.” It was his turn to flush, and his face was scarlet.

“I just don’t wanna fuck this up. I really like you,” Okuyasu’s voice was small.

“You ain’t gonna fuck this up, I promise. Unless you wanna like, put something fucked up in my ass, like a centipede—“

“EW!” Okuyasu sounded horrified, “That’s disgusting. You just killed my boner, Higashikata.”

He had killed his own one man salute too, but that had been the plan. “Is that why you didn’t want me to roll over?” Josuke asked slyly.

“Uhm. Maybe?” Josuke went to turn towards him, but Okuyasu was obstinate. “I also don’t wanna smell ya mornin’ breath! It’s hot like thunder.”

“Oh my god, you stubborn mule,” Josuke tried to kick him, but Oku just wrapped his legs around Josuke’s tighter. “If we get up and brush our teeth, can we like, face each other?”

“Hm. Hm. I guess.” Okuyasu finally relinquished his iron-clad grip. Josuke sprang up, free to piss and scrub his nasty breath away.

Josuke was rinsing his mouth out when Okuyasu trudged in after him. “About time, lazy ass—“ He raised his head to get a good look at his boyfriend and would have spewed water everywhere if he hadn’t spit it out moments before, “God almighty, Oku, you look terrible.”

Okuyasu looked like he had been rode hard and put up wet. Cheek still bruised from Keicho’s left hook, eyes bloodshot, saddled with bags underneath them, skin looking a little colorless, “I feel terrible. This always happens if I’m out in the rain for too long.”

Josuke moved to let him brush his teeth before questioning him further. When Okuyasu finished, Josuke passed him a towel to wipe his mouth off, “How long were you out there?”

“Dunno. An hour? Two hours?”

“What the fuck, why didn’t you just call me??”

Okuyasu threw his hands up, “I did! I called like, at least 30 times! Your phone was dead or somethin’.”

“Oh shit,” Josuke completely forgot, “I turned it off before passing out on the couch.” He cringed, “Sorry.”

“S’fine,” Okuyasu rubbed one of his eyes, “I was close to just bustin’ a window and comin’ in that way.”

Josuke snorted, “Yeah that would’ve been great. Pissing myself when I wake up to a big ass, sopping wet burglar looming over me. Real romantic.”

“Fuck you dude, I was worried.”

“Worried?” Josuke arched an eyebrow, “Why were you worried?”

Okuyasu shifted from one foot to the other, “You weren’t answerin’, and I knew you were probably upset. I just—You know—“ he gestured vaguely, “jus’ wanted to make sure you were okay.”

That made Josuke’s heart turn over, “Aww, you big sweetie.”

Being called a sweetie made Okuyasu roll his eyes, unable to belie the blush on his face, “Shut up.” He threw the towel back down on the sink and rubbed the back of his neck, “So uh, can I kiss you?”

“You don’t gotta keep asking me that.”

Okuyasu fidgeted, “Sorry. I’m nervous that I’m gonna accidentally make ya uncomfortable, so I feel better when I ask.”

Josuke stepped close to him, placing a hand on his cheek, “You won’t make me uncomfortable. If ya ever did, I’d tell ya.” He stroked his thumb over Oku’s poor, bruised face, “But if it’ll make you feel better, then ask away.”

“Okay.” With that, Okuyasu gave him a kiss on the lips. It was sweet and soft, and it made Josuke’s chest soar. Oku hesitantly wrapped his arms around Josuke’s neck, hands in his hair; Josuke took that as a sign to pull his hips flush against his own and slide his tongue into Okuyasu’s mouth. His actions elicited a deep groan from his boyfriend, who awarded him by gently backing Josuke against the wall. It went from chaste and slow to messy and urgent in almost an instant.

“Fuck,” Josuke breathed as Oku pulled away to put teeth against his neck. When Okuyasu stopped momentarily, Josuke wove his fingers through his hair, “Leave marks.” Oku did as instructed; Josuke couldn’t help but grind his rising erection against Oku. “You’re too good at this,” he moaned, arching his back. That seemed to trigger something in his boyfriend. Okuyasu growled, tugging Josuke’s shirt off of him so he could get better access to his chest. There was a twitching cock pressed up against Josuke where there wasn’t a moment before. He was doing something right.

“God, keep talking,” Okuyasu rasped against Josuke’s collarbone, raking his teeth against it.

“You’re so fucking hot,” he panted. Okuyasu broke off momentarily to rip his own shirt off, before going back to leaving bruises on Josuke’s chest. Josuke ghosted fingers up Okuyasu’s sides; he really was sexy.

This was quickly turning into something a lot more than just a hot and heavy makeout session. Not that Josuke minded, considering how the only thing he had on his mind were how badly he wanted Okuyasu’s mouth on his dick at that very moment. Okuyasu seemed to read his mind, and looked Josuke in the eye with a single-minded ferocity that sent chills down his spine.

Which was ruined when both of their stomachs rumbled audibly.

They stared at each other for a moment before they busted out laughing; Josuke had to hold Okuyasu up to keep him from tumbling into the floor. It took a few minutes, but once their hooting died down, Josuke still held onto him, resting his cheek against the side of his head. “We should probably get food,” he said.

“Yeah…raincheck on this?”

“Raincheck.”

Okuyasu straightened up, pecking Josuke on the cheek, “You got pancake mix?”

There was no pankcake mix, but Okuyasu did a bang up job on eggs and bacon, so breakfast wasn’t a lost cause. Really though, anyone who remotely knows their way around the kitchen is a great cook in Josuke’s eyes. It was still pouring the rain, so no weed smoking for them, which was fine since they needed to be sober for the conversation that needed to take place.

“So,” Josuke started, “Does anyone know you’re gay?” They were back in his room, laying on the bed under one of his cotton blankets. Okuyasu laid on his stomach with a pillow propping his head up; Josuke laid on his side facing him.

“Yeah,” Oku shifted to look at him better, “Everyone in the band knows, plus Tonio and Hazamada. Akira too.”

“Really?”

“Unfortunately. I didn’t, uh, come out in the best way…”

Josuke frowned, “You don’t gotta tell me—“

Okuyasu waved a hand, “Nah, s’fine.” He rolled over onto his back, “See, like, I dated this girl when I was 19. Which, she was the only person I ever dated before you, so you’re my first real relationship. You should feel special,“ Oku looked at Josuke through his lashes, grin on his face. Josuke blushed furiously and punched his arm, because he did. Chuckling, Okuyasu continued, “She ended up cheating on me after like a year of being together, which was a relief because I finally had a good excuse to break up with her—“

“Damn. That’s awful,” Josuke scrunched his face up, “How’d you survive pretending to be straight for that long?”

“We were actually good friends before we dated, and she told Keicho that she was madly in love with me. So he, being my big bro who didn’t know I was gay, but did know I’d never had sex, hooked us up,” Okuyasu gave a wry smile, “Didn’t even fuck her. Ended up losing my v-card to some guy in a dirty bathroom after a show.” He rubbed his face at the memory, “Anyways, so like, I was relieved, but kinda upset because you know, she was still someone I cared about and the breakup was really messy. She was cryin’ and apologizin’, all that bullshit. So they, Keicho, Yuuya, and Akira, all decided to get me shitfaced at this huge party some guy Akira knew was throwin’,”

His eyes grew distant as he recounted the story. “So I get pretty hammered. I dunno if ya noticed, but I tend to uh, get nervous when flirting or kissing—“

“Really? Didn’t have a clue,” Josuke said dryly.

“Shut the hell up. Anyways,” he absentmindedly rubbed the hickies on his neck that Josuke gave him as a thank you for breakfast, “when I’m drunk, I ain’t like that. So there was this cute dude, and I thought everyone else had fucked off to do their own thing. I decided, in my dumbass drunken haze, that kissing him was a good idea—“

Josuke gasped, “Oh no—“

Okuyasu held up his hands, “That’s not the bad part. He was into it. We ended up making out and then he like, dragged me off to some room. What I didn’t notice was that Yuuya witnessed all of this, and went off to get Keicho to come save me, I guess. Long story short, the dude sucked me off, and then after I started goin’ down on him, Keicho and Yuuya busted into the room and pulled me off of him—“

“No!” Josuke covered his mouth with his hand, “They didn’t hurt ya, did they?”

“It wasn’t me they hurt,” Okuyasu chuckled without a trace of humor, “Both of them started whooping this dude’s ass. Me, a damn moron, starts bawlin’ like a stupid baby. I was buggin’ the fuck out.”

“So they thought—“

“That he forced me to? Yeah. It was bad.”

Josuke sucked air through his teeth, “So, what happened next?”

“I actually don’t really remember anything after that. Good ol’ Yuuya filled me in the next mornin’ when I had the worst hangover of my life, the bastard,” Okuyasu scowled. “I ended up crying so hard, I upchucked all over my clothes, so they stripped me down to my pants and hauled my drunk ass out of there. The next mornin’, they had a lot of questions, and I had to answer ‘em.”

“What did you say?”

“That I liked dudes, and everything that had happened last night was because I wanted it to,” Okuyasu sighed, “It wasn’t a… fun conversation. I was cryin’ again, like a fuckin’ idiot, and that made my head hurt worse. Keicho was pissed, and Yuuya wasn’t happy either.”

“Not over you likin’ guys, right?” Josuke clarified.

“No, not over me likin’ dudes. It was over me putting myself in that situation in the first place, like a fool. ‘Bad things coulda happened to you, what if we hadn’t had been there, blah blah blah’. Keicho really reamed my ass over it.”

“They had a point,” Josuke said, “so what happened after that?”

“Nothing really. Keicho said he didn’t hate me for being gay, he just hated me for being stupid. Yuuya said that he didn’t care, as long as I’m happy, it’s whatever to him. Akira was a dick, but Akira is always a dick.”

“Your brother is such an asshole.”

Okuyasu shrugged, “Yeah, but he’s always been like that.”

“What about everyone else?”

“As for Hazamada, Yukako, and Tonio knowin’, Hazamada was home when it all went down, so he heard. Tonio knows because I told him, same with Yukako.”

Josuke nodded, then scooted close to Okuyasu and planted a smooch on his cheek, “Thanks for tellin’ me that.”

“You’re welcome,” Oku turned onto his side to look Josuke in the face, “now your turn. Who knows you’re gay?”

“Basically everyone in my personal life. Like, friends and family.” Josuke brushed a stray hair out of his face, “It’s kind of an open secret, I guess? Most people in the industry assume I am.” Josuke grimaced, “It doesn’t stop me getting hit on by women, or rubbed up on, unfortunately.”

Okuyasu chortled, “Yikes. I’m lucky I’m ugly.”

Josuke jabbed him in the ribs with his fingers, “You’re not ugly, stop talking about yourself like that. Anyways,” Josuke huffed, “I came out to my mom and grandpa when I was like 14. They were trying to set me up with the daughter of one of my mom’s friends. I panicked and blurted it out in car on the way to dinner one night.”

Oku cringed, “Ouch. What happened?”

“They were like, oh okay. And then mom started plotting to get me set up with the son of one of her friend’s,” Josuke shook his head, “They were both cool about it, told me they loved me and supported me. The Joestar side of my family was also chill about it. That didn’t surprise me, since Jotaro, my nephew, has a husband, Polnareff has a boyfriend, and my cousin Johnny is seeing some Italian guy.”

“That’s good though. I’m happy for ya,” Okuyasu propped his head up with his arm, “So, you’ve dated guys before right?”

“Yep. I’ve had a few boyfriends, last one was about…” Josuke looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember, “It’s been two years…? Yeah,” he nodded, “Two years ago. That didn’t end well, so I kinda swore off relationships until I met you.”

“Really?? Why me?”

Josuke shrugged, “Dunno, you’re just special.” He wasn’t too surprised to see tears flood Okuyasu’s eyes, given how emotional he could get.

“Jooosukeeeeee,” he whined, tears rolling down his face.

“Don’t cry, you marshmallow fuck,” Josuke wiped the tears away.

It took a minute, as it always did, to get Okuyasu to calm down. Oku pulled Josuke into his arms, big giddy smile on his face, “That last guy must’ve been awful if you think I’m better than he is.”

“First of all, you’re amazing so never say never say that about yourself again, asshole. Second, yeah, he was massive penis.”

“What happened? You don’t gotta tell me if it’s bad,” Okuyasu quickly amended.

“I was just partying waaay too hard when we were together and he was like, an enabler? I think that’s what Koichi called him. We were together a little over 10 months, and during that time I stayed super high or really drunk. It wasn’t good. And he was a huge asshole, and treated me like shit, so,” Josuke shrugged again.

“I’ll kick his ass if I ever see him.”

Josuke snorted at Okuyasu’s threat, “You don’t even know who he is.”

“Do I care? I’ll drop that motherfucker in a heartbeat.”

“You fuckin’ dork,” Josuke kissed Oku on the jaw, “It’s fine, I moved onto bigger and better things. I got you now.”

He felt tears; Okuyasu was crying again. “Damn right you do,” he sniffed.

“Don’t cry again. Come on, let’s watch something.”

“Josuke, wake up.”

“Mmh.”

“Josuke!”

“Mmmmmmh.”

“Wake up, you’re drooling on me again!”

Josuke’s eyes snapped open, “Goddamnit, sorry. I’m so gross when I sleep,” he sat up to wipe drool off of his face and Okuyasu. His headache had eventually gotten the best of him, and he’d fallen asleep with his head resting on Okuyasu’s chest. It wasn’t completely his fault, Oku start playing with his hair while they watched some bad show about vampires, and it relaxed Josuke so much, he passed out. And when he’s that relaxed, Josuke can’t control the flow of spit coming out of his mouth.

“It’s fine dude, I still think you’re cute. How’s your head?”

“Better,” he settled back down into Oku’s arms, “How’s your everything?”

“Eh, I’ll live.”

“Do you wanna switch places? You can sleep on me.”

“Nah, my glasses dig into my face if I try to cuddle like that while watchin’ somethin’. I’m good like this,” he resumed running his fingers through Josuke’s hair.

“You’re gonna put my ass back to sleep doing that. Turn it on something I’ll pay attention to.”

Okuyasu grabbed the PS4 controller, “Whaddya in the mood for?”

“A tacky reality show,” Josuke yawned, “Let’s binge Rock of Love.”

Josuke picked up his phone off of his nightstand as Okuyasu loaded the show, having rescued it from the corner he threw it into earlier. After listening to Okuyasu’s panicked voicemails and reading the avalanche of worried texts he got from him, Josuke made sure to give his boyfriend extra kisses. He felt guilty for causing that much distress.

“Hey, Oku.”

“Yeah?”

“How open do you wanna be about…us?”

“I dunno man, I ain’t got much experience in this,” Okuyasu scratched his chin with his free hand, “What do you wanna do?”

Josuke thought for a moment, “Well, I’m not ready to be out in like, the public eye. But I wanna tell our friends and family.”

“Sounds good,” Okuyasu kissed the top of his head, “I uh, already may have told people?”

Josuke froze up, “Who?”

“Everyone who already knows about me….Y-you ain’t mad about that, right??” Okuyasu’s fingers stopped moving.

He relaxed, “No, it’s okay. I figured you’d want them to know anyways”

Josuke heard a sigh of relief, “Okay, cool. Also I took a video of you sleepin’ on me earlier, that’s what I sent to them.”

“Oh god,” Josuke groaned, “Don’t tell me you could see the drool in it.”

Okuyasu grabbed his phone and pulled up Snapchat, “I’m an asshole, not cruel.” He had posted the video to his story; it was just of him playing with Josuke’s hair as he slept, with a little heart sticker in the corner. It was adorable.

“Shit, that’s cute. What was everyone’s reaction?”

“Uhh, got congratulations from Tonio, Hazamada sent me a snap of him miming throwing up, Yuuya asked if we banged yet, Yukako told me to not tonguefuck you in front of her, and Keicho only sent me that straight-faced emoji, which is better than I expected. Since you know, after last night—“

“That fistfight was over me, wasn’t it?”

“Ehhh, kinda?” Oku sounded like he didn’t want to talk about it, “Mostly about how I was with you all the time and he didn’t trust you, it was fuckin’ stupid. I don’t think it was really about you? I think it was about like, me not wanting to be up his ass all the time anymore. I dunno, it was typical Keicho bullshit.”

Josuke grumbled under his breath about kicking Keicho’s ass, but Okuyasu flicked his forehead, “I got it handled, don’t worry ya pretty head over it.”

Too late, Josuke groused to himself. Instead of bitching about it, Josuke opened up Snapchat on his phone. He started recording, “Hey Oku, kiss me.”

The video of them kissing was worth the shitstorm of replies, texts, and phone calls Josuke had to deal with for the rest of the day.

It was late, and the rain still hadn’t petered out. “You’re staying tonight, right?” Josuke asked, speaking softly into Oku’s ear. This time, he had won out on being Big Spoon.

“Do you want me to?” came the sleepy reply.

“Uh, duh. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want ya to.”

“Don’t be a dick, Higashikata. I’ll roll my fatass out of here too quick to talk about.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“Me too. ‘Sides, we all know you got the fat ass in this relationship.” Okuyasu cackled despite Josuke jabbing him in the ribs, “What?? It’s a compliment.”

Josuke pouted, “You’re lucky I like you, Nijimura, or I’d push your ass out of bed.”

“Don’t do that, I don’t got the cushion like you do, it’d hurt—“

He launched Okuyasu off the bed as hard as he could. Oku landed in a heap on the floor, snorting and rolling around like a pig in a sty. He peered down at his porcine boyfriend, “You’re a mess, you farm animal.”

Josuke miscalculated; Okuyasu grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him down on top of him, knocking their heads together. Another power struggle took place, with Okuyasu winning yet again by tangling himself firmly around Josuke. With some effort, Oku pulled down a pillow and blanket, and wrapped it around them snuggly. “Bedtime, Jojo,” he kissed the top of Josuke’s head.

The floor wasn’t very comfortable, but when Okuyasu started snoring, Josuke followed him to dreamland.

The next morning, Tamami accidentally nailed Josuke in the dick when he stepped on what he assumed was a pile of blankets on the floor. Tamami was kicked in the cock and balls by an enraged Josuke, then booted downstairs. Okuyasu bypassed laughing and went straight to crying, tears of mirth leaked from his eyes. He promptly shut up when Josuke told him to kiss it and make it feel better.

Maybe next time.