#inverted!jackie

[huffle-dork]

ITS TIME ONCE AGAIN FRIENDS!!! Next part of me and @crystalninjaphoenix ‘s rp collabs goes up tomorrow!! This time- it’s MY universes and cry’s boys are being dragged into them!! >:D joining the adventure this time is Schneep from Cry’s Stitched AU, Jackie from Inverted and Jameson from Switch!! I’m so excited for y’all to read this one!!

Check out my Pinned Post to catch up with the adventures before this! And see you tomorrow!! :)

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase - Season 2 Episode 4 "True Colors" - One of the best

Hello, all. I want to talk about a particular episode of Cyberchase today. This is Season 2 Episode 4 "True Colors". I consider it one of the very best episodes that the show ever made. And now, I'm going to tell you why.

Part of the reason why I enjoy this episode so much is that it was an example of Cyberchase trying something new and getting it right. This story falls into the Mystery genre. It is specifically an Inverted Detective Story, also known as a "howcatchem". This is the opposite of a Classic Detective Story, which is known as a "whodunnit".

The basic idea of a "whodunnit" is that a crime happens, the detective gathers clues, and the audience watches the clues being gathered. The detective gathers the suspects, and the audience observes the suspects. In a well-written "whodunnit", the audience is able to draw conclusions on who did it, and possibly come up with the answer before the detective tells them. The old Sherlock Holmes stories are great examples of this. The basic idea of a "howcatchem" is that the audience knows who the villain is from the very start. Normally, they witness the crime being committed at the very beginning. The detective still gathers the clues, and the audience watches the clues being gathered. The detective still looks for suspects, but the audience already knows who did it. The focus is on how the detective will use the clues to prove the villain did it, and what the villain will do to try to avoid getting caught. The TV show Columbo, which had its original run in the 1970s, is a great example of this. I know its probably older than most people on this site, but I recommend looking into it anyway. I really enjoy "howcatchems". It's great to watch a villain who thinks they are too clever to be caught, get caught up in their lies, or leave some crucial evidence behind. It's also great when you can pick up on the lie or crucial evidence before the detective explains it.

So, let's walk through the episode so that I can show why this fits the "howcatchem" framework, and how it works so well here. We start the episode with the news that The Hacker is claiming to be a good guy now. Furthermore, he has called an election for Potentate of Cyberspace, and he is running against Motherboard. All of this is legal. Motherboard explains that anyone can call an election at any time, and The Hacker is somehow eligible to run.

A "howcatchem" usually begins with the audience seeing the villain perform the crime. And we saw the crime before The Hacker even opened his mouth. To be clear, running for election against Motherboard isn't the crime. As the audience, we are on Season 2 of the show now. We know that Hacker is trying to take over Cyberspace and turn it to chaos, just like every other episode. The plot is not going to allow the CyberSquad to permanently cure Motherboard, because then, the show ends. The plot is not going to allow The Hacker to be permanently stopped from being able to try to take over Cyberspace again, because then, the show ends. The plot is not going to allow The Hacker to be truly reformed, because then, the show ends. Now it's up to the Cybersquad to prove that The Hacker is the same villain he's always been.

Hacker presents himself as a changed Cyborg. He promises to always tell the truth from here on out. He also states that he has already done five good deeds on different Cybersites to prove himself.

Two things happen here. First, The Hacker has promised that he will always speak the truth and do good. People can do good and speak truthfully, but claiming that you will never falter in that is an impossible standard. All it takes is one mistake on his part, and he's sunk. Second, he claims to have done five good deeds. He is giving people a chance to judge him for what he has done. If he hasn't done all five of those good deeds, or if there is any ulterior motive to them, then he is sunk.

So, now, we get the Cybersquad in the studio to make the case for Motherboard.

It starts off shaky, as Jackie and Inez don't have anything prepared. They can talk about Motherboard being kind, being wise, and having the best interests of Cyberspace at heart.

Sam Vanderom brushes it aside. Sam is not a secret ally of The Hacker here. He's just a reporter who cares about the truth. The Hacker assured him that he had five concrete good deeds and invited him to fact check them. The kids just gave him weak answers about Motherboard being a good Cyberbrain.

However, this is really the best that Motherboard could have hoped for when she sent them out there, for a few reasons.

These are just three kids (age 9-11) who are good at the math that is taught at their grade level. They have no idea how to run a re-election campaign

These kids have visited a few Cybersites and stopped The Hacker, but they have no idea about the different political issues in Cyberspace beyond that. They have no idea about how the budget is allocated. They have no idea if there are any groups fighting for civil rights. They have no idea of the issues discussed at the last election or what Motherboard's prior opponent(s) ran on.

These kids don't actually know Motherboard very well. They come in, Motherboard tells them a riddle related to the episode before glitching out, they go clean up The Hacker's latest mess, and then they leave. They never sit down and talk to Motherboard about where she stands on the political issues, or what she promises to Cyberspace. Plus, these kids only met Motherboard after the virus injured her. They have no idea how she used to run the place before she needed their help.

Still, at least they didn't attack The Hacker. Can you imagine what would have happened if they accused The Hacker of lying about his good deeds without any proof?

Yeah, they'd be taking Matt's job. Whatever weak foundation Inez and Jackie were able to put down gets nuked the moment Matt claims that The Hacker lied about his good deeds without evidence. He is an impulsive kid, of course, but he's also representing Motherboard here. Any time these kids screw up, it reflects badly on Motherboard.

The best that Matt is able to do here is to play footage from previous episodes to show that The Hacker has done plenty of evil in the past.

Again, Sam Vanderom is not a sleeper agent for The Hacker. When he points out that Matt has no proof, he is speaking objectively.

I can't cover every part of this episode, so let's move ahead.

Once the kids start thinking things through, Inez reminds the audience that The Hacker promised that he would always tell the truth. If they can catch him lying even once, then they have real proof that he hasn't changed.

So, they go to check out the five good deeds that The Hacker promised he did.

Now, the show could have presented ulterior motives to these good deeds. For example, his first good deed shows him digging trenches in the Eureeka Cybersite. The Hacker's stated intention was to irrigate the desert area and allow trees and flowers to grow. They could have made it so the tree and flowers were secret listening devices to spy on the site in case Archimedes tries to make a new Encryptor Chip. That discovery would have been excellent piece of evidence for the Cybersquad to use. The show didn't do that. From the point-of-view of the audience, we know something is wrong. However, from the point-of-view of the Cybersquad, all five of these good deeds were perfect. Their search for proof continues.

Of course, The Hacker can't help himself. He already made the ridiculous promise that he would always tell the truth. Now he layers on the promise that he will always do good, he will only do good, and he will always do all the good that he can do. That is even more absurd. Not only is he promising to never make a mistake, but he's opening himself up to people claiming that while he was doing a good deed, he missed out on an opportunity to an even better deed.

The kids go to Pompadoria, and The Hacker actually slips up, but manages to correct himself. He donated free wig gel to the people, and then accepted money from the Pompadorian leader. However, The Hacker notices that the kids saw that and gives back the money. He manages to play it off as an honest mistake. This is the first time that the kids catch him slipping up, but because he corrects his mistake before it is too late, they still have no proof of anything.

We then get a scene of Digit falling out of the sky onto the Grim Wreaker. He happens to overhear The Hacker revealing his true plan.

If he can win this one election, he will have the power to revise the Cyber Constitution. He will use this to make this to be Permanent Potentate and cease all elections.

So, now the kids have their proof, right? No.

The show could have had the kids use this to prove that The Hacker is lying, but it didn't go that route. Instead, Motherboard points out that it is Digit's word against Hacker's word, and that they still lack any hard evidence. It probably doesn't help that Matt blew up everyone's reputation with his earlier baseless accusations.

So, now we get to the debate. Given that Matt has plenty to make up for here, it is good that he gets to ask the most important question.

Matt rightly pokes at the foolish promise that The Hacker made in Olympus. He promised to do all of the good that he could do. So, Matt proposes he cure the virus. The virus was The Hacker's greatest work. We, as the audience, know damn well he isn't going to cure it for real, as that will end the show.

But how can The Hacker navigate this question? If he states that he will not cure the virus, then he will be caught breaking his promise. Everything he has built over the course of the episode crumbles.

If he states that he will cure the virus, then that invites questions for him to explain how that will work. If he presents a real way to cure the virus, then the show ends. If he presents a fake cure, then he stays in the game for now. However, if anyone can prove that his cure is fake, then he will be caught breaking his promise.

With no other options, The Hacker vows to cure the virus, and explains how this cure would work.

The Hacker: Motherboard's virus code is protected by a triangle lock...Simply make a triangle with these three rods, slip the triangle into the Digitizing Activator, and voila, her virus will be deleted.

We know isn't talking complete bullshit here. He names a specific part of Motherboard, the Digitizing Activator, and Motherboard doesn't cut in to say that he is lying. She also doesn't cut in when he described the process of making a triangle with the rods, placing them into the Digitizing Activator, and that somehow fixing a virus. So, this cure at least sounds plausible.

Sam Vanderom then asks the next important question.

Sam Vanderom: Excuse me, but is it true that a triangle can always be made from any three rods?

He just wants to know whether a triangle can always be made from any three rods. This is important because The Hacker has provided the three rods, but he hasn't provided proof that they will form the triangle necessary to cure Motherboard. And we get The Hacker's response.

The Hacker: Absolutely! After all, every triangle has three sides, doesn't it? ... And in the interest of telling it like it is, the sides of a triangle can be any length, whatsoever.

It took nearly the whole episode, but The Hacker has been forced to tell a lie that can be directly proven to be a lie. And then, if this is proven to be a lie, it breaks his promises and collapses everything.

This is a critical moment in a "howcatchem" story. If the audience works faster than the detectives, then they can see that The Hacker lied here. You cannot make a triangle out of just any three rods, as the three rods need to be of a certain length to allow them to connect together at the three angles. So, the kids just need to get ahold of these rods and test them. Then they'll know for sure whether the rods that The Hacker provided are able to form a triangle. Not so fast.

The Hacker comes up with some bullshit about how curing Motherboard right now would give him an unfair advantage in the election. He puts the rods into a locked box and hands them off to Sam Vanderom for safe keeping. The idea is that Sam Vanderom will cure Motherboard after the election has concluded. The implication is that The Hacker will allow her to be cured regardless of the outcome. The kids cannot test against the real rods. If they break open that box, then The Hacker can bullshit his way out of it, and they make Motherboard look even worse. They need another plan to prove that The Hacker lied.

Matt provides the counter-example. We see two sides that are roughly the same length, and then we see one side that is about four times as long as one of the other two sides. There is no way for these rods to connect together.

By presenting this counter-example, they prove that The Hacker lied about being able to make a triangle out of any three sides. This casts doubt on the nature of the three rods that The Hacker promised would be able to cure Motherboard.

Jackie does make a tactical error here, as she claims that the rods in the box will not be able to cure Motherboard. She has no proof for this statement, as she has not seen the rods, and she has not tested them. However, the counter-example that they presented is enough to get Sam Vanderom to open the box and allow the rods to be tested.

At this point, the episode is basically over. The Hacker has no way out. If he refuses to allow the rods to be tested, then he is revealing that he knows that they will fail the test. If he allows the rods to be tested, then the rods will fail the test.

We, as the audience, already knew the rods would fail the test.

The kids have dismantled at least four of The Hacker's statements

That any three rods of any length will make a triangle

That the rods that he provided will make a triangle and cure Motherboard

That he will always tell the truth

That he will always do all the good that he can do

And the crowd finally turns against Hacker.

He is not elected Potentate, and it seems very doubtful that he will ever be able to win a fair election. What, is he going to pull this same act again and expect people to believe it after what just happened?

Now, what do I think of this episode? I consider it to be one of the very best episodes of the show. It's a great example of the "howcatchem" format. The kids are not given any easy outs, and they are criticized when they mess up. They learn from this criticism, and they eventually find that thread that unravels Hacker's web of lies. However, there are things that I believe should have been done differently.

The weakest part is probably Jackie claiming, without evidence, that the rods in the locked box won't work the way The Hacker claimed they would. All she really needed to say was something like: "And now that we've proven that there are some lengths of rods that cannot make a triangle, how can we be sure that the rods in that locked box can make a triangle without testing them?" That would have been enough to get the rods tested.

I'm also not sure I would have added the part where Digit overhears The Hacker revealing his plans for the Cyber Constitution. It doesn't accomplish much. The kids already suspect that The Hacker has an evil plan here. While Digit's words confirm this, it doesn't provide the solid proof that they need to be able to stop him. The audience should also have already known that The Hacker has an evil plan before he said a word, because this is what he does, and truly reforming him would end the show.

Perhaps the time saved by removing that one scene could have been used for expanding the scene where they confront The Hacker over the triangles. I imagine a scene where Matt approaches The Hacker during the closing statements and apologizes for having accused him of things without evidence. The Hacker would grudgingly accept the apology, since he needs to keep up his image. The kids' reputations would be somewhat healed in the eyes of the crowd. The Hacker would get nice and relaxed, as he would believe that the kids still have no proof of anything. And then...

Cybersquad: Just one more thing... Can we show you something about triangles real quick?

And then, he's doomed, just like everyone Columbo ever asked that question of. Watch Columbo. It's good.

[ariwilder]

Lesbian sex, tho? I'm pretty sure lesbian sex would've fixed jackieshauna.

gay sex won’t fix this. it’ll probably make this worse. that being said don’t you want to see how much worse it can get?

[lottiembae]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔; shauna shipman x fem!reader

Summary: shauna shipman sees y/n differently after that night.

Warnings: fluff, smut, slow burn.

Note: English is not my first language.

"Why are you ginger?!" Some of them exclaimed at the unison.

Shauna rolls her eyes, blushing a little. "I lost a bet." She just said, letting her suitcase on the floor.

Jackie bit her smile, knowing the reason, after all it was a bet between them. The blonde crossed her arms and sat down, the salt on her hair wavering her locks. Shauna glares at her, giving her a sarcastic look.

"Okay. You can change upstairs, you staying with Y/N. Right corner, second door." Lottie informed her, eyeing the pair of friends discreetly.

They all have an entire week in Charlotte's beach house in Lake Key, a big house for all of them. A paradise they can enjoy.

Shauna hummed, scanning the living room and not seeing the mentioned one there, assuming she is upstairs or out in the pool with the rest. She is grateful to have Y/N like a roomie, she is the most tidy of all their friends. The -now- ginger girl changed into a bikini, grabbing her sunscreen, book and going downstairs.

The heat hit her body when she walked in the back garden, her friends having fun in the pool or laying on the grass chatting. Shauna laid a towel next to Taissa in the grass, depositing her things there and throwing herself in the pool, purposely doing it and smirking when they gasp and call her name.

"Shauna!" Y/N exclaimed happily, swimming towards her. "You look beautiful." She innocently said.

If this compliment came from one of her other friends, she would probably show her middle finger. But it's Y/N, the unique innocence of the group, Laura Lee left behind that adjective a long time ago.

"Thanks." Shauna muttered, clearing her throat and reciprocating the hug.

Y/N giggles, separating from the embrace but remaining close. "How's college?"

"Good! Stressing but really good. How about you? I heard you struggled at first." Shauna asks, rubbing the drops from her eyes.

"Yeah... Van went there a few days. I know, I'm like a child. But I spent years seeing your faces and then I didn't." Y/N explained, shrugging.

Shauna gives her a lipped smile. She struggled the first weeks too, used to see them, hang out and play soccer. "I don't think so. I understand what you mean." She shrugs too.

A splash interrupted their conversation, moving their faces to the side avoiding the water hit their faces. Another trail of curses from the ones sunbathing were heard, Natalie and Van ignored them with big smirks on their faces.

"Y/N, Jackie wanted you to go with her." Van commented.

Shauna saw how Y/N bit her lip but nod nonetheless, waving at them and walking out from the pool.

"Poor Y/N. Jackie is trying to corrupt her." Natalie hummed at Shauna, her eyes focused on the mentioned.

"Why?" Shauna asks, following her gaze. Jackie held Y/N's hand and went into the house, Lottie following behind.

"She said 'Y/N needs to wake up and have fun'." Van replied, imitating Jackie's voice. "Usually Lottie keeps an eye on Jackie, just in case." The redhead explains.

Shauna rolls her eyes, so typical of Jackie. However she could understand why, the blonde doesn't want people to mess with Y/N and maybe she has in mind this summer to make her less innocent.

The rest of the day Shauna inverted to catch time with her friends and finish the book she was reading this past day. When Jackie and Y/N returned, the first one had a mischievous smirk on her lips, a pallid Y/N travelled behind with Lottie wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Where were you guys?" Taissa is the first to ask.

"Discovering the world." Jackie mysteriously said, sitting in a chair and quitting her big black t-shirt, showing her soft orange bikini.

They all frowned by her answer. "I'm afraid to ask... But what did you do to her?" Natalie asks, throwing the uno cards on the towel, piercing her blue eyes on Jackie Taylor.

"Show them." Jackie says at Y/N, smiling reassuringly at her. "It was part of the bet." She shrugs her shoulders.

Lottie put herself in front of Y/N, clearly seeing the struggles on her face and deciding to put a stop. "Enough Jackie. She did it, let her be comfortable."

Shauna squinted her eyes when heard Jackie said bet. Internally she rolled her eyes, what have Jackie with bets? And why does her opponent always lose?

Y/N gave Lottie a grateful look and went to sit down away from Jackie, it needed to be something big when Y/N did it. Van muttered something and stepped towards Y/N, bringing a chair with themselves and sitting next to her. Shauna kept an eye on them while Natalie and Taissa tried to worm out what she did to her.

"It's sexy." Jackie was the only thing she said before walking in again, muttering something about starting to fix up to party up.

Taissa ran after her, the group dissolving slowly to follow Jackie's steps. Shauna waited for Y/N and Van to join her when she stood up and they walked towards her direction.

The three walked in and Van disappeared to the left once they were upstairs, making Y/N and Shauna snort when they commented something about waiting an hour for Taissa to be ready.

"It's a good thing that we have our own bathroom in our bedrooms." Shauna commented, opening the door to their shared bedroom. Y/N hummed behind her, her brown eyes catches her red eyes and the dry cheeks. "Do you want to go shower first?" She offers, letting her things on her bed next to the window.

"No, you can go first. I'm going to see what I can wear." Y/N gave her a smile, going to the closet and opening it.

Shauna muttered okay and grabbed some comfortable clothes, disappearing in the fancy bathroom. She doesn't get too late there, putting her clothes on quickly and brushing her hair while coming back to the bedroom.

"All yours." She said at Y/N, seeing her sitting on her bed and watching outside hugging her knees.

"Those jeans stand out your ass." Y/N giggling said when Shauna gave her back at her. Shauna blushed, letting her brush on her bed. "Shit, it made you feel uncomfortable? I don't say it it's like a bad thing." Y/N rants out, standing up and explaining with her hands.

The compliment deepens her blush, the burn on cheeks worsen it. "It's okay, Y/N. You should shower up, I don't want to hear Natalie bark out later." She avoided it, chuckling nervously by her own comment.

Y/N nods, grabbing her clothes and going in. While Shauna waits for Y/N, she decides to put her clothes in her part of the closet. She was the last to approach there, the others coming two days earlier. She finished and Y/N didn't come out, she is really taking so long.

"I'm ready! Sorry to take so long." Y/N opened the door and came out with a summer yellow and white dress, her burn cheeks framing her beauty. She let out a giggle while putting her earrings when saw Shauna looking at her with her jaw dropped, her brown eyes looking her up and down. "I'm that bad?" She briefly pouts, looking at her dress.

Shauna shakes her head, clearing her throat. "N-No!" She stammered, closing her eyes momentarily. "You look beautiful, Y/N! I just..." Shauna thinks hard for something else to say, her blush intensifying. "You look great." She said poorly, biting her lower lip cursing herself in her mind.

Y/N let out a grin, happily to hear her friend compliment her. "I'm grabbing my purse and we can go down." She let her brush on her bed, just like Shauna and do what she said.

When they approached the living room, some whistling from their friends were heard. "Damn, Y/N! You look hot." Natalie says lowly, eyeing Y/N.

Laura Lee let out a chuckle and pinched Y/N's cheeks. "Stop, Nat! She is blushing." The blonde kindly says, rubbing her hand up and down on her back. "But she is right." She whispered in her ear, however Shauna heard her, making her jaw clenched.

"Thank you girls." Y/N shyly said, side hugging Laura Lee and later Natalie, intertwining her arm with hers.

"Woah! You worked on that ass." Van shocked said, stepping next to her and their jaw dropped when her blue eyes met Y/N's figure. "I died and I went to heaven?"

Shauna shakes her head with a small smile while the others laugh. Their laughter intensified when someone else cleared her throat behind them, a smug Taissa was there with her arms crossed about her chest, raising an eyebrow.

"And you come back to actually die." Natalie smugly said. Van rolled their eyes, glaring at her. The dyed blonde put her hands in the air, but her smirk remains.

"Look at her." Van leaned on Taissa and whispered, signaling with their head towards Y/N.

Taissa rolled her eyes and stepped down, going to the kitchen winking at Y/N when passed by her side, Y/N gave her a sheepish smile and Van trailed behind her.

"Damn, girl!" A raspy voice said behind Shauna, smacking her ass.

"Jackie!" Shauna hissed. However Jackie chuckles to stop abruptly when step next to her, her doe eyes focusing on Y/N.

Lottie passed them and winked at Y/N, making a gesture with her hands at her. "We are going out now!" She hummed, going to the front door.

Natalie made a signal with her hands, stopping them. "We need to check on her all night. I'm not letting any dude rub her up."

"Who?" Y/N asks, confused.

They all looked at each other.

•••

"My head hurts..." Jackie muttered when she got downstairs, sitting in the bar stool next to Shauna and leaning her head on her shoulder, a brief pout on her face.

Shauna snorted, but that simple sound made her flinch, Jackie too. Last night all of them had fun, well, not all of them, they made a bet (yes, other) and Laura Lee lost, meaning that she needed to take care of them (Y/N).

"Be quiet, Shauna." Jackie groaned.

Taissa sat down with a water bottle next to the pair, Van offering to make the lunch that day, since surprisingly they barely drank last night. Lottie offered to help the redhead, but Van pushed her next to Taissa and declined her offer with a gentle smile, making the three people sitting there release a relief breath.

"Where are the others?" Jackie raised her head on Shauna's shoulder, her eyes half open looking at Lottie and Taissa.

Taissa shrugged. "I just came down."

"Nat is asleep. Laura Lee and Y/N are in the pool." Lottie informed them in a low voice, leaning her head in her hand tiredly.

Jackie hummed just in time when Y/N came inside giggling with Laura Lee flying behind her with a grin.

"That smells good, Van. Do you need some help?" Y/N kindly asks, giving a smile to her friends there. Jackie called her with her hands, once Y/N approached Jackie and sat her down on her lap.

"Actually, yes please. Can you cut the vegetables?" The redhead requested her.

Y/N agreed, fighting with Jackie to release her. "Jackie! I need help Van." She said giggling.

"A kiss and I leave you." The blonde demanded, making Shauna roll her eyes.

Y/N didn't think about it too much, kissing her cheek a few times. Jackie unwrapped both arms from her body content when Y/N did what she asked.

Laura Lee sat down next to Lottie, massaging her shoulders with a smile. Shauna gazes at them, curious. Lately, she noticed how those two spent more time together, maybe the fact that they are going to the same college has something to do with it. It's not like Lottie and Laura didn't get along in the past, the brunette spent an amount of time defending Laura Lee from bullies.

Shauna decided to help too, letting a whining Jackie sit alone. She put on the cutlery and offered to wake up Natalie when the food was ready. The lunch passed without too much energy from half of them, the only conversation heard was between Laura Lee, Van and Y/N. Once they are done, Lottie shoves them out and cleans the dirty dishes, but a stubborn Natalie stays and helps her.

"You two put sunscreen on!" Jackie threw at Shauna and Y/N two bottles of it. "I don't want you two to get serious damage for not taking care of your skin." The blonde sternly said.

Shauna opened an eye and saw her stern look on her. She doesn't bother Y/N doing it, because she knows that Y/N is putting sunscreen. She rolled her eyes and opened the top, putting some cream on her burned cheeks.

"Don't forget the rest of your body." Jackie sarcastically said with a smile before she lay down on her towel, next to Shauna.

Y/N gave her a funny look, holding her laugh. Shauna pokes her tongue out, throwing the sunscreen at her when she finishes.

"Jackie! Shauna threw the sunscreen at me." Y/N childish said, laughing when Shauna gave her an offended look.

Jackie gazed at Shauna with a suspicious look, but holding a laugh for Y/N's behaviour.

"I thought she wanted it." Shauna made an excuse, biting her lip. She shrugs her shoulders, waiting for Jackie to look away and give Y/N a warning look, standing up and running after her. She caught her quickly, Y/N was still laughing between her arms. "You regret it." She muttered, throwing Y/N into the pool with a smirk.

A scream fell from her mouth but she was cut when Shauna threw her in the pool. "Shauna!" She exclaimed, wiping her eyes. Shauna has an amused smirk painted on her lips.

"What happened?" Van came, a hawaiian shirt on.

"Van! she threw me here because she can't be an adult." Y/N pointed with a finger at Shauna.

The brunette gasped. "Me!? What about you? You can't be an adult." Shauna exclaimed indignantly, looking at Van, who has an amused smirk on their face, annoying Shauna more.

Van bit their lip and wink to Y/N. Shauna saw it and gasped offended. The redhead pushes her once she stays looking at Y/N. "Sorry, Shauna. I tripped." They feigned regret, but their blue eyes lit with mischief.

"Van." Shauna hissed, scowling next to Y/N, who is laughing by her side.

Y/N wrapped her arms around her shoulder and hugged her. However Shauna nudged her rib, but she missed and nudged her boob, making Y/N let out a pain sound.

"Are you okay?" Shauna gazes at her with worry, seeing the pain on her face. "I don't want to hit that zone..."

"I'm fine." Y/N breath out, putting a hand on her chest.

Shauna notices something when her eyes fall to her chest unconsciously. "Do you have a piercing?" She asks incredulously. All of the people who can wear it, Y/N is not one of them.

Y/N blushed and looked briefly at Van. This one wears a worried expression, not hearing Shauna question. "Yes... I did yesterday."

The ginger opened her eyes and mouth. An idea popping in her mind. "Wait... That's why you all disappeared?" Y/N nodded, still with a hand on her chest.

"I'm going inside." Y/N whispered, going out of the pool and after wrapping a towel around her, she got inside. Shauna felt a little bad, even if she didn't want to give that hit intentionally.

Van patted her back and muttered a reassuring word. When minutes passed and Y/N didn't come out, Shauna decided to check on her. She walked towards their shared bedroom, finding it empty but the bathroom's door closed. She knocked a few times and called her name.

"You can come in." Y/N said.

Shauna opened the door and stopped on her tracks when saw Y/N topless, a red shadow covering her cheeks. "Is it okay?" She asks in a low voice, avoiding her naked chest.

"I think so. It has a red mark but nothing serious." Y/N explained.

Her brown eyes fell to her chest, a metal piercing on her left boob. It seems a little inflamed around the nipple, but that's all. She saw how Y/N put on some cream there.

"It hurt you?" Shauna whispered.

Y/N raised her head and saw a sad expression on her face, her half wet ginger hair covering part of her cheeks, her brown eyes showing more of the colour.

"Don't worry, Shawn. I'm fine." Y/N reassuringly said, giving a smile.

Shauna rolled her eyes. "Don't call me that." She said in a hushed tone. She hates that they call her with that name. She removed her hair from her vision and walked out, sitting on her bed and waited for Y/N to finish.

Y/N came out and sat down on her bed, now with her purple bikini on. Shauna gazes at her, every gesture silently. She wanted to ask some questions, but she doesn't want to overstep. The other raised her eyes to her and watched her expression, standing up and stepping towards her.

"Don't think about it. Let's go out." She grabs her hand and pulls her up. Shauna gave her a lipped smile, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"It's kinda hot." She murmurs, suppressing a laugh when Y/N turns to look at her with raised eyebrows. "I'm surprised you did it. You can use it against Nat when she tells you you need to loosen up." She said joking.

"I will keep it in mind." Y/N said with a thinking face.

•••

That evening they decided to go sightseeing in the small town. Shauna and Jackie split up from their friends and went by their count, sharing the last news on their lives since they are going to different colleges.

Shauna licks her chocolate ice cream, walking by the promenade. Jackie ranting by her side eating her vanilla ice cream.

"That's Y/N?" Jackie interrupted, her eyes focusing in the distance. Shauna followed her eyes and saw not far away Y/N sitting in a bench with Taissa braiding her hair.

They walked towards the pair, waving to an enthusiastic Y/N waving at them. Jackie grabbed her chin and pecked her cheek, offering her ice cream at her.

"No, thank you."

Shauna sat down next to her, Jackie sat down on her lap. She is not bothered by it, actually she is used to this gesture. She remembers when Y/N told her about the bet before and leaned on her ear, muttering something about the piercing. Jackie looks at her with that innocent doe eyes, shrugging.

Y/N has a few strands of hair braided, thanks to Taissa. Shauna's glued on Y/N's profile while the other three started a conversation, she decided to listen to them. This time, Y/N had her cheeks burned from the other day, thanks to Jackie it kept at bay. Her grin warming her chest with every reply Y/N made, always with illusion or loving explaining something at them that they don't know. It doesn't matter how dumb the question is, Y/N never would reply with a bad word.

"Nat and Van went to that pub." Taissa informed them once she finished braid Y/N's hair.

"I want to go to Marco's library." Y/N says, standing up and walking towards the place without receiving a reply from them.

Shauna muttered at them that she goes with Y/N, wanting some new books too. Jackie nodded more relaxed this time. It's funny, the only one challenging Y/N to wake up and she is the first worried about her going alone. The ginger steps quickly to Y/N side, throwing the napkin in the trash.

They walked in, Y/N walking mindlessly through the shelves of books until she reached her destination, romantic novels. Shauna bit the inside of her cheek and wandered to the horror one, the smell of lavender mixed with cinnamon relaxing her.

When Shauna grabbed a book to read the inside cover, to the other side was Y/N with a few books on her hands, a brief frown on her eyebrows. She didn't know why that simple sight made Shauna's heartbeat accelerate. It's the contrast of the white dress with her sun kissed skin, eyes' colour accentuating, plump lips, long eyelashes, or her cute braids on her salt hair? She can't put a finger on it, but feeling attracted to Y/N, it definitely wasn't on her plans for that summer.

"Do you see something interesting?" Lottie startled her, giving a little jump on her spot.

"You scared me." Shauna muttered, glaring at her.

Lottie apologizes, a smirk on her lips. The tall brunette wandered between the shelves, a few books in a hand. Shauna grabbed the book she wanted to read from the past month and followed Lottie, who now is with Y/N.

"I don't know, Lot. I want this, but maybe I could buy it next time." Y/N said, letting saying book again on their place.

She walked to the cash register, Shauna bit her lip and quit off from Lottie's hands the book Y/N left behind a few moments.

"Are you sure?" Lottie asked behind her. However Shauna ignored her and positioned herself behind Y/N to pay.

Once their visit to Lake Key was over, they decided to make dinner and stay there to party, gathering in the living room in a circle. Natalie prepared them their drinks, slowly sipping on it while they chatted.

Until Jackie cleared her throat. "Guys! I want to play a game. What about a simple one, truth or dare?" She proposed, giving a big sip from her ron with coke.

After bickering for a while, they agreed.

"Okay. You go first." Natalie points with her finger at Jackie.

The blonde shrugs, agreeing with it. She chose dare, and Natalie made her swim naked in the pool. Jackie accepted and quit off her clothes while walking outside, their friends laughing with her.

"Alright! I did it, it's my turn to choose." Jackie says with a towel around her body and sitting on the floor. A smirk on her face. "I chose Y/N."

And it made sense for all of them, -less Y/N- why Jackie wanted to play it.

"It's simple. Go to my bedroom and on top of my bed you find what you need to do." Jackie indicated when Y/N chose dare.

Shauna gave her a questioning look, but Jackie ignored her with the same smirk plastered the whole time. They waited a few minutes there waiting for Y/N to come back, chatting animatedly.

Y/N came back, however she changed her clothes. Now she is wearing a red bikini, but a short cover of the full piece. Her demeanor turned shy, chewing her lip nervously.

"Show us!" Jackie exclaimed, clapping with her hands excited.

The silence made in the room once Y/N took off her shorts, turning on heels to them to appreciate the small piece of clothes. Shauna opened her mouth, her pupils dilating from the sight in front of her. She gave a big sip from her drink when felt her mouth dry, the first to speak was Jackie.

"Nice ass, girl!" She cheered her.

Natalie licked her lips, still processing how hot her friend looks. She looked around her, their faces one by one and less Jackie, all of them seemed affected by it.

"That's a dare?" Natalie muttered, trying to play cool.

Jackie glares at her, crossing her arms. "Yes. For Y/N is a good dare, shut up."

"I agree." Van lowly said, their blue eyes dilated and their freckles hiding by a shadow of pink on their cheeks.

"Wait... Is that a piercing?" Taissa frowned, noticing it when her eyes landed on Y/N's chest.

Shauna moves a little uncomfortable, their reactions were immediate, well from the three ones who don't know. Inevitably her eyes fell on Y/N's ass, the heat sprayed inside her body. She made a messy bun, hearing their friends reactions.

"Van knew it." Taissa spoke again, noticing the lack of participation on this.

The redhead guilty shrugged. "I did. She told me the other day."

Y/N put on her shorts again and sat down where she was before, between Lottie and Laura Lee.

The game ended quickly, moving to dance on the improvised dance floor in the living room or the back garden. Usually Shauna hates something related to parties, but these moments, where are her and her friends, she treasures them. Lottie and Laura Lee were talking on the couch, next to a Natalie affected by Y/N revelation, who was happily dancing with her. Shauna drinks in a bar stool while Jackie is making some snacks for them. Van and Taissa chat quietly in a corner with silly smiles on their faces.

Two hours later, Shauna flies behind a giggling Y/N to their shared room. They are the first ones to call it a night, Shauna feels a little relaxed but with her senses intact, while Y/N looks more intoxicated than her.

Once in their respective bed, Shauna hears how her friend can't stop moving. "What's the problem?" She rasped out, her eyes looking in her direction in vain, the darkness didn't let her see properly.

"It sting a little..." Y/N slurred out.

Shauna frowned, but soon understood what she meant. "Then, quit it off." She suggested.

A few seconds later she heard something dropping on the floor followed by a relief sigh. Shauna turned her head, and even if she couldn't see her, she could appreciate her silhouette and it made her jaw clench. Why? Why can't she see her properly why is it turning her on? Maybe it is because she knew about the piercing and it excited her? Shauna groans, now her turn to move on her bed, finding the room very hot right now.

She didn't know when she left herself asleep, but when Shauna opened her eyes, the sun hit directly on her face, the dizziness on her head didn't help at all. She grunts, with her eyes half opened and walks towards the bathroom, noticing the empty bed on her way there.

Shauna takes a short shower, even if she probably would throw herself in the pool, however she didn't want to smell sweaty. She put on her black bikini and put on an old grey sporty shorts and went downstairs, no one was there.

She checked the back garden and there was Y/N, having some breakfast. The girl noticed her and waved, calling with her hand to go there.

"I made breakfast for all, but I'm guessing they would wake up after lunch. That is soon..." Y/N poured coffee in a cup and offered it at Shauna.

"Thanks..." She kindly says, taking it and sitting next to her. She notices the book she bought for her last day, remembering with a smile how Y/N kissed her face and muttering how much she loves her. "You like it?"

"I love it! Amanda is so brave. I wish I could be like her." Y/N commented, biting her toast and continued to read.

"You are brave." Shauna lowly said, sipping from the cup and looking at her.

Y/N gifted her with a warm smile, putting a hand on her forearm. "You are nice. But I'm not. You are brave or Van. But not me."

Shauna frowned, not liking how Y/N talked about herself. "I wish I could see people like you. Or believe everyone is good." She states, grabbing the hand on her forearm between her hands. "You are not afraid of telling them how you feel. I remember when you fought with Jackie in the last year of high school because she mocked Arnold Phillips and you defended him. I was thrilled and she did too." She saw how her cheeks darkened. Shauna appreciates the little messy braids, it even looks better now, she mindlessly puts away a strand of hair, a fond smile when Y/N shrinks because it feels ticklish when her fingertips brushed her neck.

Shauna can't stop looking at her, her hand placing now on her back and caressing it carefully. She leaned on the table, getting closer to her. Y/N brought a hand to her cheek and brushed her thumb there, actually she wiped something there.

"Better." Y/N murmurs, her eyes meeting her brown ones. Shauna swallowed and slowly leaned on her, stopping when their noses brushed with each other. It surprises her when Y/N grabs her face between her hands and kisses her.

It's short but gentle. Shauna chases her a second later, not containing herself and introducing her tongue on Y/N's mouth, exploring and dominating. Her hands were placed on her hips in a firm grip, leaning her head aside to kiss her better. Their lungs burned, making them separate to catch air.

Shauna trailed kisses on her jaw, sneaking a hand under the yellowjackets' shirt she is wearing, caressing her skin. She stopped when Y/N let out a moan, her gaze finding her face.

"Stop looking at me like that... Your stare is deep." Y/N murmurs, looking somewhere else, avoiding her gaze.

The ginger bit her lip, kissing her cheek and separating from her. Bringing her hand out of her shirt and deciding to finish her breakfast.

"You are beautiful, it's not my fault." Shauna replied confidently.

"Shauna!" Y/N whined, making her laugh.

A grunt from behind made them look that direction, seeing a zombie Natalie stepping slowly towards them. She greeted them quietly, pouring an orange juice in a cup and grabbing a croissant.

"You look horrible." Y/N commented, Shauna held her laugh when Natalie glared at her.

"Sorry, miss perfect. Next time I guard you, then I can avoid being the next day like this." She ironically said, signaling herself.

Shauna closed her eyes, the sun kissing her exposed skin and luring her. Natalie commented on them what happened after they left, laughing when Jackie fell or Van hit their face with the glass window.

"Sunscreen." Someone said, something fell on Shauna's lap. The ginger opened her eyes and looked at it and the person who threw it, Charlotte Matthews. "You are matching your hair by now."

Y/N snorted, hiding her mouth with a hand. Lottie wink at her, grabbing some fruit. Shauna poked her finger on her neck and saw how she shrank, giggling and putting away her hand.

They all agreed to spend the day at the beach, to Y/N and Nat's idea. They swim, sunbathing while they relax and play volleyball. Shauna's mind was a spiral, thinking about the kiss she shared with her friend, a friend she thought never saw like something else. The best part? Shauna wants to kiss her again, and wrap her arms around her waist to be nearer her, maybe her hands sneaking to her ass and squeezing it, her lips trailing wet kisses on her neck while Y/N let out moans, like before, then-... Who's that guy? And why is he smirking at her in a flirty manner?

Shauna clenched her fist and stood up, stepping fast towards them and pushing that guy away from Y/N.

"Stay away from her." Shauna scowled with a fierce gaze, putting herself in front of Y/N.

"Shauna! He is a nice boy, stop." Y/N threw the volleyball's ball and helped the blonde guy up.

It infuriated Shauna. "He wants to get on your pants, Y/N!" She gritted, her brown eyes throwing daggers at the innocent blonde boy.

Of course when they went to the beach and Y/N decided to wear what Jackie gifted her last night, some stupid guy should approach.

Fuck Jackie and fuck that guy.

Shauna saw how Y/N removed her gaze from her, her cheeks turning a soft shadow of pink. She felt bad to speak to her like that, usually she would use other words.

"I'm talking with her. That's all, relax." He said in a gentle tone, raising both hands in the air. However Shauna knew better, years being Jackie's best friend teach her experience with the opposite gender. And that guy, wants something else than talking with Y/N.

Shauna gave a sarcastic smile, but before she could give a sardonic comment, Natalie showed up, Lottie behind her with Jackie.

"What happened?" Natalie asks looking at her friends, then her blue eyes notice the blonde guy, making her frown. "Who are you?"

Jackie puts herself next to Shauna, crossing her arms on her chest, while Lottie grabs Y/N's hand, bringing her with hers.

"I'm Neil, nice to meet you." He said, waving with a nervous smile. Shauna snorted mentally, he didn't look like that before.

"Hi, Neil." Natalie said in a fake nice voice, walking towards the tall guy, with every step letting a mark of humid footprint on the sand. "Stay away from her." She patted his shoulder with a low laugh, signaling towards Y/N. "I know the guys like you. Out."

Neil bit his lip, his eyes falling on Y/N. Then, he gave a quiet laugh, his demeanor changing completely. "You all can't be protecting her forever." He muttered, a smug smirk playing on his lips before he turned on his heels and walked out.

Jackie held Natalie's wrist, the same with Shauna. "Stop! That stupid is gone." She murmurs, pushing them both to where they are.

Shauna's eyes fell on Y/N, who is with Lottie. She left behind the bickering that Jackie and Natalie started and grabbed her wrist kindly, stopping their friends.

"Can I talk to you?" Shauna timid asks. Y/N nods slowly, Lottie let them some privacy walking back to her place on the towel. The ginger took her to the seashore, this time her hand intertwined with Y/N's one, playing with her fingers. "I'm sorry to say that." She started, looking at her surroundings. "I don't like the way he was looking at you and... I should let you choose if you want to talk with him or not." She finishes, knowing very well that she will interfere if some dude tries something with her.

Y/N caressed the palm of her hand with her thumb. "Are you jealous?" She hummed, stepping closer.

Shauna frowned, her gaze now on her smug eyes. "No. I'm not. I only... I want the best for you. That's all." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Why does Y/N think she is jealous? I mean, Natalie acted like her too, is she jealous too? Shauna let out a scoff for this thought.

"I'm jealous." Y/N admitted in a calm tone.

This confession made her feel more confused. "Why?" She can't hide her stupor.

"I saw a few boys looking at you. Your ass. They eat you with his eyes. I don't like it." Y/N explained, her turn to shrug her shoulders.

Shauna relaxed. She didn't notice their eyes on her, thankfully. But she notices the only one on Y/N, and maybe, just maybe, Shauna felt the same.

"You don't need to worry. I'm not interested in them." Shauna whispers, letting her hand out but embracing her waist with an arm and hiding her head on her neck. She feels how Y/N relaxed on her arms and wrapped hers on her neck, playing with her hair.

"I want to kiss you..." Y/N shyly said, a lipped smile on her face when Shauna fixed her chocolate eyes on her.

"I can make an excuse and go home and kiss." Shauna offered, hearing how Y/N let out a melodic laugh, inevitably painting an involuntary smile on her face.

•••

It's been three days since Shauna and Y/N kissed for the first time. Three days that they can't stop kissing. They shared this affection where they are alone in their room, away from their friends or when they are around them, when they aren't looking Y/N stole a kiss from her lips, letting Shauna speechless.

A sigh hit Shauna's face when she separated from her bruised and red lips. Her fingers caressed her cheek and removed a strand of hair from her face, giggling softly while memorizing her features for later fantasizing with her or rant on her journal about how Y/N makes her feel.

They are laying on Shauna's bed, the rays of the full moon hitting Y/N's face, it's time like this Shauna doesn't hate that window. Y/N's hand is playing with her ginger hair, pulling at it every time Shauna bit her lip or sucked her tongue.

"Are you fine there?" Shauna hummed with a hoarse voice, brushing her nose with hers. She can avoid hiding her smugness.

They don't trespass to the other step. It's not like Shauna didn't think about it, it's mainly for Y/N, she didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, so she happily accepts it.

"Here is hot..." She whispered, with a hand fan herself.

"The window is open." Shauna commented, looking briefly at the window.

"Shauna." Y/N calls her in a soft voice, the mentioned turned to look at her. "Do you feel attracted to me?" Shauna could appreciate how shy Y/N asked this.

"Y/N, I can't stop thinking about you. It's weird to say it loudly, but you are in my mind a lot." Shauna admitted, the burn on cheeks got a bay thanks to Jackie or Lottie to put sunscreen on. But she can feel the warmth on her cheeks just like if that same afternoon she burned all over again.

"You are in my mind too, Shippy. It's funny to think now how intimidated I felt about you in high school." Shauna frowned. Y/N saw her and immediately clarified. "You are hard to let people in, always attached to Jackie and I told you about it before, your gaze is so deep that I feared you could know what I'm thinking."

"That's why you nodded or gave me a short answer?" Shauna asks quietly, now understanding a few things. Y/N hummed an affirmative. "You are right, I don't let people know me easily. But I never would treat you or let anyone talk to you badly. I... We fought with some asshole to defend you. Don't ask and think about them, they are stupid." Shauna says quickly after her confession. "Why do you ask about me that...?" She tried to change the subject, also mostly for curiosity.

"I want to have sex with you." Shauna sometimes forgets how direct she is. Her blush deepens, gladly the dark hides her cheeks.

But it surprises her how natural she said it, and it made her think about it. "Have you had sex before?" She asks, it's the first time she actually thinks Y/N had sex before, she wondered about it but soon dismissed it.

Y/N nods, moving her head to a side. "Why you ask?" Shauna stares at her shocked, her mouth half open and holding her breath. Y/N roll her eyes, it didn't surprise her Shauna having that reaction, it's the same Van had when she told them. "I know that you all think I'm innocent, something I will not discuss... But I'm curious too."

"Sorry..." She apologised, breathing normally again. She blinked a few times, questions popping on her head. "Who? I mean, I know him?" She asks in a low voice.

"No, he is a college friend."

Shauna nods, laying fully by her side. She huffed, rubbing her eyes. "I need to ask it." She said, putting her hands down and fixing her eyes on her, seeing her curious eyes on her. "Did you do it because you wanted?"

"Yeah... I never would do something I don't want." This answer calmed Shauna, thankful Y/N didn't feel social pressure and did it for that.

"Can we go to sleep?" Shauna murmurs, feeling tired. Y/N hummed with a small smile, she kissed Shauna's cheek and proceeded to stand up, but the ginger stopped her, wrapping an arm now on her waist. "Stay here."

They fell asleep with Shauna hugging Y/N, many thoughts in her mind, dissipate when the other started to play with her hair, something Y/N likes and she didn't complain.

The next morning when they woke up and got downstairs, too quiet and finding a note in the fridge.

"We are at the beach, see you there. Jackie xx." Y/N read out loud. "And why didn't they wake up us? I would do it. You know what? I don't feel like going to the beach, if you want to go, have fun." She said in an adorable piss voice, in Shauna's opinion. She walked around and started to make breakfast.

"I like your idea. What do you want to do?" Shauna hummed, going to hug her from behind and kissing her shoulder.

Y/N looks up, thinking. "I want to go eat ice cream in Lake Key. Tomorrow we will get stuck here doing our suitcases and cleaning the house."

On Friday, they all would go to Wiskayok and finish the summer there before coming back to their respective colleges.

Shauna removed her hair aside, peppering kisses on her neck. "I like that." She just wants to spend some time alone with her before they come back.

So that's what they did. After finishing breakfast they changed their clothes and adventure to the small town. It's weird how freely they felt with every shared kiss without worry if someone saw them and judged. It helps that the only way is a solitary dirt road, nobody lives for that area, only the Matthews' family.

They let out their intertwined hands once they entered the town, exploring some places that they never went to before or just walking while laughing for anything. They agreed to eat the ice cream after lunch, for Shauna's luck because she made a little picnic, surprising Y/N.

It's the soft laugh that Y/N let out when Shauna awakened from her mind, too entrance on studying every feature, line and simple detail on Y/N's face that she zoned out. Shauna left the throwable plate on the grass, clearing her throat.

"Have a date with me." Shauna blurted out, mostly because she was rephrasing it in her mind and it slipped out. She blushes the moment she realizes how she asked this. Exchange Y/N raised her head and slowly formed a smile. "What I want to say is that... I thought about us, and I want to go on a proper date with you, if you want of course."

Y/N put her hand on top of hers. "I love to."

"Really?" Shauna asked, a little speechless. Y/N giggles by her reaction, nodding with her head. "You don't would regret it, I promise." She reassured her, carefully intertwining their fingers.

After they finished, Shauna stubbornly paid for their ice cream. They eat it while they walk towards the house, holding hands the moment they step out of the town. Laughs filled the way, ice cream kisses and rosy cheeks.

Shauna let her hand once they approached the fence, opening the doors and letting Y/N pass first. They come back and the house is still empty.

"I want to lay on the sofa, my feet hurt." Y/N commented, letting her bag on the coat stand and laying down in the black couch.

"Come here, I'll take you upstairs." Shauna offered, opening her arms for her to jump.

Y/N let out a delighted sound and jumped on her arms, wrapping her legs on her waist and both arms around her shoulders, leaning her head there too. Shauna held her and walked towards their bedroom, laying Y/N on her bed carefully and getting on top of her when Y/N grabbed her t-shirt and pulled Shauna towards hers.

With only a look, Shauna knew what Y/N wanted. She wants it too, if she is being honest, but what happens if their friends come and surprise them by doing it?

"Are you sure?" Shauna asks in a gentle whisper, her hair coming to her eyes and private to her to keep gazing Y/N, until this one removes with her fingers the strand of hair out. Her hands are too busy supporting her weight on the mattress.

"Very sure." Y/N whispered back, closing the distance and smashing her lips on hers.

Shauna let out a low moan, reciprocating it and soon turning in a hungry kiss. A hand sneaks under her baby blue shirt, slowly tracing her abdomen until reach her chest, squeezing with the bra on, feeling the piercing there. She grunted on the kiss when she felt it, breaking the kiss and taking off her shirt, delighted by the views.

Y/N pulls Shauna's shirt, making the ginger to raise her arms up, letting Y/N take it out. Her brown eyes admired how Y/N held her breath when her gaze met her abdomen, a smirk creeping on her face. A finger traced her stomach, gently scratching her abs.

"I think we have some weaknesses..." Shauna rasped out, chuckling.

"You kept playing soccer?"

Shauna nods. "Yeah. Casually my first friends played soccer and they created a team, like a hobby. I don't mind play there sometime." She explains.

Y/N's fingers get lost on her hair, pressing her head towards hers and starting another kiss. They slowly took out their clothes, Shauna's mouth went immediately on Y/N's chest, no resistance anymore and took her left nipple on her mouth, biting there and tasting the metal too, gaining a whimper by Y/N and her nails digging on her shoulders.

Shauna spent a long time there, when she got satisfied, admiring the new red marks and saliva covered on Y/N's chest, with her red lips peppered wet kisses until reach her mouth, giving her a languid kiss.

After they need to breathe again, Shauna takes advantage when Y/N still has her eyes closed and slowly sneaks her right hand between her thighs, soon meeting how wet Y/N is between her fingers. The ginger let out a groan, her dilated brown eyes catching sight of -now half open- Y/N's eyes and reddened cheeks. While they keep gazing at each other, her hand meets Y/N's entrance and without warning introducing a finger, grunting when she notices how tight she is.

Her nails digged on her shoulders once again, making Shauna let out a hiss of pain. A soft sound escaped from Y/N's mouth, once she felt comfortable with her finger inside of her, Shauna started to move it slowly while her thumb rubbed circles, creating more sounds slipping from her mouth, making Shauna drunk hearing them.

Another finger was introduced, her movements becoming faster and the first moans echoing in the room. Shauna involuntarily starts to move her hips in search of some friction, the wetness on her center increasing. The sweat on their bodies is more present, their hair stinging on their faces, framing their faces in a sexy form. With three fingers inside Y/N, her orgasm is near.

Shauna gave her a wet kiss, unable to control. Y/N came on her fingers, muffling her orgasm in her mouth. Their chest moved in sync, their lungs asking for air. The ginger took her hand out of her, the free one on top of Y/N's knee while slowly, her right one approaches her vision, the smell hitting her nose. After a few seconds where her eyes stuck looking at her hand, she took it to her mouth, a porn sound slipped from her mouth the moment her fingers met her tongue, testing Y/N. Her eyes rolled behind her head, her tongue wrapping her fingers and sucking slowly, testing every fluid.

When she opened them again, was met by hypnotised eyes gazing at her, biting her lip. Shauna let out a small smirk, putting down her now clean hand. Before she could make a comment, Y/N changed their positions, now Shauna is laying her back on the mattress and Y/N is straddling her. Shauna put both hands on her knees, caressing them, gazing at Y/N from a new angle. Her eyes fell from her marked chest to her half hidden shaved pussy, meeting her stomach side.

"Promise me something." Y/N said in a scratchy voice, calling her attention.

Shauna nods, captivated by her beauty. "Anything."

Y/N gave her a small grin, leaning her head to the same level as her, lowering it a few centimeters. "Don't dye your hair. I love how this colour looks on you... It matches your eyes, making them have a deeper look, if that is possible..." She ranted, admiring her ginger hair sprayed out on the pillow in soft waves. "You look good too with your natural colour hair, but this one... I really like it." She finishes in a low voice.

"I promise you that I will have it for a long time from now on." Shauna said with a cheeky smile, knowing very well that she would be stuck with that hair colour only for her. Then, she put a hand on her back neck and pushed her face towards hers, sealing the promise with a passionate kiss.

When Y/N moved her hips involuntarily, Shauna felt a patch of wetness on her abdomen, and groaning by this, she took both hands on her waist in a firm grip, probably letting some bruises there, and slowly pushed her a little, making friction on her sensitive spot.

"Can I...?" Y/N whispered, timid.

Shauna removed her hair from her face and nodded, after all she incite to do it. "You can ride my abs." She said in a deep voice, hearing the strong breathing falling from her lover's lips.

And she did it, up and down, at first with slow movements. It will become faster soon, Shauna is delighted by the sight in front of her. She clenched her abs when noticed Y/N was coming, with her head back and both hands on Shauna's sides. Y/N gave a final thrust, screaming for pleasure and falling on top of her, exhausted.

Shauna caressed her back tenderly, feeling a warm liquid fell on her stomach. She swallowed hard, she felt a little frustrated sexually talking. Shauna thought that watching Y/N had her pleasure, she didn't need it now, but... She is wrong. She let Y/N recover her breath, playing with her hair without the necessity to use words.

Y/N hummed contents, peppering kisses on her naked shoulder until her neck, biting gently there, gaining a low moan from Shauna. Her nails scratched Y/N's thigh, a loud hiss slipped from their mouths. Shauna observed when Y/N slowly started to go down, she paid attention to her chest, but not staying too much time there, preferring to bite her stomach a few times.

"I'm not shave..." Shauna said panting, a little embarrassed. Y/N raised her head frowning, seeing how Shauna closed her eyes, her cheeks turning more red.

"I don't care, Shippy." Y/N snorted innocent. It made Shauna open her eyes, seeing a brief frown on Y/N's eyebrows. "And I think if you shave now, you would cut yourself." She said looking down, the face she put on made Shauna relax and chuckle.

Y/N bit her lip and looked at Shauna, asking with her eyes. The ginger nods, her breathing stuck on her throat, but not keeping her eyes away from her. Y/N give her some wet mouthed kisses on her thigh, getting closer. Shauna opened her legs more to let Y/N put herself between knees, and her mouth immediately met her center, giving a long lick. Shauna let out a moan, biting her lip and scratching the pillow next to her. She can feel Y/N's nails on her thighs, her tongue getting deep inside her and recollecting the wetness she had from seeing Y/N cum two times.

A hand squeezed her chest, hard. If the moment doesn't require her to think, she would ask how in hell Y/N is doing it so well. Shauna is close, she is worked up and her orgasm is approaching, with hand on Y/N's head, pressing her face on the exact part where she wants and with the room filling her moans, Shauna released on her mouth with a guttural moan, her legs shaking.

With half open eyes and an irregular breathing, Shauna saw Y/N's chin covered by her cum, her hair mess and sweat covering her body. She raised half of her body and grabbed her face between her hands, kissing hard.

"SHAUNA, Y/N! ARE YOU TWO HERE?" Jackie interrupted them. They shared a panicked look and soon they started to put on their clothes. For their luck Jackie was downstairs, at least they could be dissimulate, only if the blonde didn't get upstairs and entered there, then they screwed up.

"Go to the bathroom!" Shauna said in a low voice, putting on her big shirt. "I'm going to distract her. Get down for around 5 minutes." She explains, putting her hair in a messy bun.

Y/N nods, disappearing on say place.

Shauna stepped down and saw her friends there, embarrassed she waved them with a hand. "Hey, Y/N is in the bathroom." She cleared her throat, avoiding Jackie's hazel eyes and going to the kitchen for water, because she really needed it.

Jackie hummed, following her. "We were worried. I thought you two would come."

"Y/N didn't like you don't wake us up and we went to the town." She explains, shrugging and giving her an apologetic lipped smile.

"I told you..." Van walked next to Jackie and sang, letting some things on top of the countertop.

"Y/N! ARE YOU MAD AT ME?" Another person would wait to ask this face to face, but it's Jackie and she went to the top of the staircase, looking up to an empty hall.

"NOT ANYMORE!" Another scream was heard, Shauna shaking her head with a smirk while sip from the cup.

"DO YOU WANT TO COME TO THE MOVIES WITH ME AND I COMPENSATE YOU?" Jackie asked hopefully, even if her told her that she wasn't mad at her.

Y/N approaches her vision, she took a shower and now has a lilac top belonging to Shauna with a black shorts, a small smile resting on her lips. "Okay. I missed our dates." She can't resist and hugs Jackie.

"She is so weak. We need to make her stronger." Van commented with a frown, looking at them.

Shauna snorted. "Which one?"

•••

Summer passed faster, and Shauna knew it.

With dreamy eyes and a silly smile, she recounted every date she had with Y/N these past two months, her favourite one was when she asked Y/N to be her girlfriend and she said no because Y/N wanted to ask her to be her girlfriend. After discussing it for a few minutes, Shauna gave up the moment Y/N gave her puppy eyes.

She sneaked every night to Y/N's house, going to sleep together and fearing she couldn't do it the moment they couldn't hold each other when they came back to their respective colleges. Many hidden kisses, desire to do what they did that week in her friend's house, but they gave up every time they tried, and something or someone interrupted them, so they happily did other things.

Like talk. They can talk for hours. It's something that Shauna adored about their night laying on the bed, talking about anything in particular or knowing Y/N unknown's side. She comprehends her better, and mentally grateful for choosing her to share her secrets, her dream passion or just to not run away from her with her weird persona.

About their friends, well... They agreed to not tell them anything. Y/N commented at Shauna about telling them their relationship at the end of the summer, only if she wants too. Shauna nodded, unsure. She wishes that she was more like Y/N in that aspect, not fearing what people could say, and less with her friends, the ginger knew that they can't say anything bad. But they are in 1997, and until this date, Shauna saw hate about it.

"What are you thinking about?" Y/N interrupted her thoughts, balancing their hands while they walked to Shauna's car. They went to the woods to walk, enjoying some time alone. The night arrived and the hour to the meeting with their friends was approaching. Because they would tell them about their relationship.

"About... How beautiful you are." Shauna commented, holding her laugh when Y/N shoved her playful.

The nights in Wiskayok by this time of the year usually are breezy, and Shauna wears one of her famous flannel on, Y/N was wearing one of hers too because she was stubborn to not grab any jackets and luckily Shauna had one in her car.

The car approached their vision, Shauna wrapped an arm around Y/N's shoulders and gently opened the copilot door, gaining a kiss on her cheek the moment she sat down on her seat.

"We need to pick up Jackie." Y/N commented, searching for some songs she likes on the radio.

"Believe me, I know." Shauna rolled her eyes, used to her friend's princess side.

The ride to Jackie's home was filled with Y/N humming the song playing on the radio, Shauna tapped the wheel to the beat of the song, humming quietly too. She honked a few times when they arrived, praying that Jackie doesn't take too long.

Shauna put a hand on Y/N's knee, caressing the exposed skin with her thumb. Her brown eyes softened seeing her profile, her mind calming down the spiral that usually she is in.

"You sure about this?" The ginger, less now, but still glowing, asked. Y/N put a hand on hers and nod with a smile.

"Yeah. I want to kiss you in front of my friends. Our friends." Y/N whispered, playing with her fingers.

Shauna can't hold the smile anymore. "And I want to kiss you every hour... Is this sane?" She joked, leaning to kiss her cheek.

Y/N shakes her head, giggling.

Shauna removed her hand when she heard a door opening. She looked behind and saw Jackie Taylor get in, shivering a little and she had a jacket on.

"Put on the calefaction, Shauna." Jackie said, closing the door.

"Hello to you too, and not. I'm not going to put it. It's not that cold." Shauna said, starting the car. She heard how Jackie let out a gasp.

"Open the right seat, there is a blanket." Y/N commented before they could get entangled by another silly discussion.

Jackie says loudly how much she loves her, making Y/N laugh and Shauna rolled her eyes. They are approaching Lottie's house, the last reunion until Thanksgiving. They decided to spend their time together in a quiet place, and since Lottie's parents are out the major part of the time, she offered to hold the little party.

"The last ones!" Van opened the front door, putting them to a side to let them pass in. Y/N is the first one to hug the redhead, from the whole gang, Van and Y/N had a special bond.

Y/N let Shauna, Jackie and Van behind and she adventure into the big living room, usually quiet and empty, now filled with laughter and life.

"There you are!" Lottie saw her and stood up with a happy smile, engulfing Y/N in a hug. "I'm gonna miss you a lot." She whispered when they separated.

"I hope you miss us a lot too..." Natalie commented behind her, a teasing smirk on her plump lips. Then, she envelopes Y/N in a hug.

Lottie rolled her eyes. "Don't get jealous, Scatorccio. I will miss you too, less than the rest but still I'm going to miss you." Her dark eyes lit with mischief, taking her red cup to her mouth.

Before Nat could reply back, Taissa interrupted them by pushing the blue eyed girl to a side and taking her turn to hug Y/N. Shauna and Jackie approached there and greeted them with hugs too.

They sit down next to each other, recounting old anecdotes or telling the new ones. Shauna was quiet, hearing them and sipping from her red cup while her eyes travelled to the storyteller. Y/N nudges her side, giving her a silly face when she turns to look at her.

"You are an idiot." Shauna leaned on her ear and whispered with a loving smile.

Y/N makes an offended face, putting a hand on her chest. Shauna rolls her eyes, but her smile remains.

"I will remind you later when you want to kiss me..." She whispered in her ear, licking her lips when she separated.

Her brown eyes opened, big and deep. Without noticing she gave her puppy eyes, not liking the idea of not kissing her. Y/N couldn't resist her eyes and without thinking too much, she grabbed her chin and pecked her lips.

Shauna froze on her seat, the place getting quiet and feeling all eyes on them. She cleared her throat, her surprise eyes going to normal but refusing to look at them. Y/N frowned when she paid attention to them, at first confused but soon realising what she did.

"Oh my god! Shit, I'm sorry Shippy." Y/N apologised with her girlfriend.

"Shippy? She hates that. This is serious." Van was the first to comment.

Shauna looks at her redhead friend, frowning. "She is the only one who can call like that." She warned them.

Y/N saw their unreadable expressions and decided to clarify. "We are in a relationship." She told them.

"Are you corrupting her!?" Jackie exclaimed, a shock expression plastered on her face.

"She's not! And you started corrupting me." Y/N said. "We like each other and decided to date. We wanted to tell you tonight, in a different manner... I hope it's okay with you guys." She said softly, playing with her fingers.

"Me and Taissa are in a relationship." Van said casually, Taissa nodded next to them.

"We are too..." Lottie comments, giving a soft look to the blonde.

Shauna opened her mouth, surprised and Y/N painted a small smile. "So, all of us like women? We are cool then." Jackie says, all looks on her now. "What? I appreciate women too." She said shrugging, taking her red cup to her lips.

"We knew that. We thought in high school that you and Shauna were dating. When we found that you didn't then we assumed during college maybe you get together." Natalie explained in an obvious tone.

"I agree." Y/N says, receiving an incredulous look from her girlfriend. "You look cute together if that helps."

"She corrupted me." Shauna said, looking at all of them. Y/N calls her name in a whine, while their friends laugh.

The rest of the night they enjoyed their time together, explaining the new unknown sides and all of them gave a talk to Shauna.

[stronghours]

Once is Luck, Twice is Talent

Previous

Previous

It took about a half hour of teasing, natural conversation and another fifteen minutes of gradual roughhousing to tow Jules away from Clay and Roscoe’s supervision on the sandy blankets. By the time they were up to their ankles in the lake, Martin was clear on two things – one, Jules had never roughhoused in his life; two, that he himself was horny enough to start chewing rocks.

Jules punched Martin, almost certainly by accident, square in the liver in response to some harmless two-handed shoving.

“Oh shit,” he said, when Martin automatically doubled over. No apology; attaboy.

“Listen,” Martin said, using this as an excuse to grab Jules’ shoulder. “Fighting is a social act. It’s contextual. Your response should mirror your opponent’s initial delivery.”

“Sure,” Jules said, unimpressed. “Losers who play fair would say that.”

“I play fair.”

“No, you don’t.” Jules fell back and lifted one foot behind his calf to wobble, flamingo-like in the surf. He wore a baggy T-shirt over shorts that were probably not swim trunks. He looked windblown and vulnerable as he gazed, distracted, by the unseen center of the lake. Martin had spent enough time around him by this point to know his explosions of energy could abruptly jackknife into insufferable, melancholy fits.

Jules’ glum line of sight changed course toward the beach. He was eyeing Roscoe and Co., of whom they were still within eyesight. Jackie had joined the group, wearing a resplendent, premature tan beneath his fur and, presumably, enough of something else to avoid getting arrested. Martin couldn’t see any evidence of it from this distance.

“Every time I see him,” Jules said, in a confiding tone, “I get like, this huge urge to rip out a handful of his chest hair.”

“He’d shove a big chain up your ass.”

“What’s he’s talking to Roscoe about?”

“Oh, the usual.” Roscoe’s ear was pointed toward Jackie, but his face appeared to be trained steadily on Martin. Piqued, Martin looked back and casually pressed his hand against the heated fabric between Jules’ shoulder blades. Then, a little ashamed, he looked away. “Recipes. Crochet.” He bumped Jules with his forearm. “Hey,” he asked, “would you?”

“Would I what?” He followed Martin’s nod. “Are you crazy? No!”

“Come on, Jackie’s a specimen. He just came along too late in the game.”

“It hasn’t given him any problems,” Jules noted. “I saw him have this guy on this steel inverted table once, yeah? So his feet were up and his head was down? And he was doing the whole chain-in-ass bit? But he had the other end wrapped around the guy’s neck, so when he shoved the chain in deeper the guy would get choked? And then –”

“And then?”

“Oh, you know. He weighted the guy’s balls.”

“Would have been really gauche if he’d forgotten.”

“But, but then –” Jules lurched through a giddy two-step for balance against a high wave and let himself rock into Martin’s waiting palm. “– He like, he rigged the weights to the chain so the guy would get choked even more.”

The ballet term, Martin recalled from Claudia’s extracurricular years, was épaulement. “Were you in the line of fire?”

“Nah, he was caged up.”

“Why wasn’t I invited to Jackie’s birthday party?”

“It was the guy on the table’s birthday,” Jules said. “It was before you got here.”

In the second it took for Martin to double-check that Roscoe was still keeping an eye on him, Jules, apropos to nothing, hauled back and smacked him hard over the nipple; He bolted, parallel of the shore, tripped up by the surf, but out of reach of Martin’s initial lunge. In the spirit of things, he called out a hapless and theatrical aaaa nooo! Then u-turned into the wet sand, unsuccessfully dodging outraged, promenading twinks who Martin avoided with more dexterity and with what, he hoped, came across as an apologetic and boyish grin.

Jules paused long enough to confirm he was being followed. He turned tail and bolted down the beach with such serious speed Martin was shocked into thinking he’d misread the entire situation. Then, as sometimes happened in pivotal moments, mutual understanding flowed from one to the other and Martin pursued.

These matters weren’t, he knew (had known for years) about playing fair, or about winning or losing, a life lesson Jules was too young to have learned. Right now, the point of the game was staying close enough to absorb the breakneck visual of the kid in motion, clipping blanket edges and darting through frisbee games and swerving, with becoming panic, from the odd illegal dog-off-leash. Martin hopscotched over the hard divots the balls and heels of Jules’ feet gauged out of the sand. An errant wave had soaked one side of his t-shirt and clung greyish to a sketched waist which Martin had, occasionally, recently (sneakily) grasped like an envelope in passing.

Both the pleasure and frustration of plotting the inevitable capture was interrupted by a foreboding creak in Martin’s bad knee – out of an abundance of caution more than pain, he slowed to a crawl and flopped down hard on the opposite thigh. In a minute, Jules flopped down beside him.

“Sorry,” he said, this time.

“Give me a sec, it’s fine.”

“I keep forgetting you’re like, sixty years old.”

“My PT said I’m going to need to swap this one out before I’m sixty.” Martin patted his knee. “Stay out of the trades, pal. Stick to the art.”

“You have, like, a union.” Jules settled lightly behind his back and curved himself, almost imperceptibly, where Martin’s ribs met his spine. He batted sand that didn’t exist from Martin’s bare shoulders, his knuckles gradually descending to the small of his back. Martin, who had been cooled off by the punching and the smacking and the running, sank deeper into the sand and lit up. He understood he would have to stay completely still so the kid could, in his own time, understand what his hands were doing and why they were doing it. “Does it hurt?” Jules asked.

“Nah, I’m tough. And brave.” Jules had a callous on his left forefinger; he deliberately rubbed it over Martin’s vertebrae. “You know,” he struggled, melting a little. “Manly.”

“My bar for manly is like, Jackie’s whole deal,” Jules said, shifting closer. “Just so you’re aware.”

“You want to take a spin on that table, I think.”

“I do not.” His denial lacked the vigor of his previous one, but Martin could believe this tone more. “It’s nice to watch a grown-up guy get tortured for once. All the stuff I was looking up when I was a teenager had girls in it.” With one hand he absently scratched Martin’s ribs and, with a kneading gesture, dug his knuckles into the skin. The other had crept around to lay flat on Martin’s stomach, the little finger searching out the limits of Martin’s waistband. “It was easier to find stuff of girls in latex, in like, the fashion of it. And what it had to, you know, bear up with. Physically. Because sometimes they were wearing it, but they’d also, you know. They were wearing the machines, too. That was interesting to me.”

The image of Jules’ brisk professional relationship with hard heterosexual S&M was one Martin had played with before, stymied only by the fact that Jules only rarely talked past it. He couldn’t imagine his pornographic education beginning any other way.

“So, what,” Martin encouraged, with deceptive lightness. “Insex? Or something like it?”

“Oh, def. I was thirteen. I was way too young.”

Martin had started sodomizing his friends at the mature age of twelve. He considered the wisdom of bringing Jules into this confidence, who now fully rested against Martin’s back with his cheek pressed sidelong of his shoulder. Besides the usual and boisterous arm-over-shoulder crap, Martin had otherwise failed to achieve such sustained and sincere physical closeness. He was saved from panic and premature judgements by some standard social calculation – if they were still safe enough within the gayer parameters of the beach – or somehow worse, if Roscoe was going to come along mother-henning.

“Hey,” Jules said, after some esoteric calculations of his own. “Did you ever see stuff on Rotten? Military executions? Fatal car accidents?”

“On what? Christ, no."

“Did you ever,” he continued, “did you like, catch Claudia on sites like that?”

“Listen –”

“Or was she like, a normal and healthy teenager and shit.”

“I wouldn’t –”

“Due to having such a great and emotionally present dad and all.”

It would have been an easier conversation with their standard two feet of distance in play. Martin turned his head and failed to connect eyes. “Listen,” he repeated, with hard-earned calm and patience. “Let’s not talk about my kid right now, alright?”

“Yeah?” Jules propped himself up on one knee and spoke mildly but firmly. “Is it too weird?”

He was capable of uncanny chameleonic imitations of maturity and self-control, in some conversations; of bigger, taller, stronger, older outlines that Martin, in a hunch, assumed possessed no faces. It was a dissonance of Jules that had long stopped disturbing him but made him feel sad and tender. He broke their closeness enough to match gazes.

“Is it weird for you?” Martin asked.

Unfortunately, Jules had never been afraid of eye contact. Martin had learned he could go a long time without blinking, though now he was forced to squint against blowing sand as he mulled things over.

“If I was a girl,” he concluded, “this would be fucked up and creepy.”

He stood up, burred from the knees-down in grit. Martin was still frequently caught off guard by the fact that he was tall.

“But I’m not,” Jules continued. “So I guess I’m not allowed to think about it like that.”

“If I’ve been making you uncomfortable this whole time, I’d want you to tell me.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Jules said. “Get up.”

No more doting concern about his knee, Martin noted, but his wariness subsided when Jules wrapped their hands together and began leading him along the beach. He wouldn’t have been up to another chase. Jules curved away from the bright, sunshine-y hilarity and far enough toward the cement bordering the park that they passed under the shadows of trees and the unwelcome presence of very small children, whom Jules stonily ignored as they toddled and tripped by the diametrically opposed wayside of preening men who weren’t Jules’ age or Martin’s age but at secret and acceptable times of life simply due to the reality that would never be further considered.

“I like you,” Martin said.

Nothing about Jules altered, neither his pace nor the pressure he used to hold Martin’s hand.

“I’ve liked you for months. But that doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have good feelings about it.”

Jules pulled up beside a set of brick restrooms. Unseasonably warm in mid-May, nothing was open proper despite the tropical bustle. An enterpriser had come along with a bolt-cutter and propped open the doors with cinderblocks.

“I like you too,” Jules said, and yanked Martin into the gents.

Martin, in less than an hour, had weathered about a dozen emotional and erotic dips and jerks. He was rendered suddenly naive and could truly admit he thought Jules was trying to find a place to talk with more privacy; A theory he thought proven when Jules did a cursory sweep of the undersides of the stalls.

“We could just go to –”

Jules lodged his fingertips into Martin’s bicep. “Show it to me,” he interrupted.

“Excuse me,” Martin apologized.

“Take it out. Take it out.” Jules punished his other bicep. His voice threaded upward in reedy demand. “Take it out and show it to me.”

In the half second it took for Martin to get his head together, snatch Jules to his side, and check for the one stall out of three that had a working lock (a chivalrous impulse he’d once been too young and too crude to enact) Jules boiled over with his standard response to any temporary frustration – seething fury. “Do I have to do fucking everything around here?” He bitched as Martin pushed him face first into the stall. “Why does nobody ever fucking listen to me? Is it so fucking hard –”

Martin spun him between the toilet, putting his own back to the stall door. “You’re really lucky you’re as cute as you are. Ever think about that?”

“No.” Jules stroked the divots he’d left on Martin’s arms before letting them roam over his chest. One thumb crooked across the lingering red mark above his nipple. “I didn’t actually mean to hit you hard.”

“It didn’t hurt,” Martin lied. He dipped his head for an impulsive kiss and got the mealy interior of Jules’ ear instead.

“No – just.” Jules rolled the back of his head against Martin’s corrective hand but kept his nails to himself this time. “I asked for the other thing –” he scolded, but let Martin lean in and scrub his face against his dark rumpled hair, something he’d wanted to do for ages. Despite the romping, Jules smelled extremely clean.

“What was that?”

Jules was a lithe, fighting little body. He held no room for leeway or interpretation and Martin, with glee, realized he was finally in the fortunate position to literally feel him get pissed off. “I said it tons! I’m not saying it again! You heard me!”

It occurred to Martin halfway through this lecture that maybe he was nervous about getting his cock out, a notion his hands would not allow. Jules staggered a little when Martin released him to yank his waistband down and haul himself into the open air. Jules yelling at him, he saw, had already done half the hard work of getting him towards fighting weight. An ambiguous sign, he figured.

“Oh,” Jules said. “Okay.” He melted, instantly docile, in the crook of Martin’s arm and smoothed his hot tongue over his jaw while his long, hard hands worked over Martin’s torso and stomach. “That’s nice.”

Martin tried not to arch into it too whorishly. “Let me kiss you,” he said – barely checked it down from a demand, a near miss.

Jules quieted in body; his thumb cruelly poised at the root of Martin’s dick. “Later,” he said.

“Pal…”

“I don’t want our first kiss to be in a toilet,” Jules explained, a little stricken. “I want it to be nice. Don’t try it here, please. I want to so bad, I won’t be able to stop you if you do – please don’t.”

Martin hadn’t been the only one dreaming; he was kind of touched. “You’re really sweet,” he said, feeling Jules up under his shirt with one hand, while the other gently disengaged Jules’ thumb so he could stroke himself. “What do you want with it?”

Jules’ eyes were huge and intent as he watched Martin at work. “Uh, wow,” he whispered, inanely.

“You like it?”

“You look really good.” Clear questions got clear answers. Martin was uncertain whether his brain was absorbing these important lessons as he got himself as hard as he could possibly stand without doing something profoundly stupid and cruel to the suddenly gentle little crush resting on his chest. “I like you so much, you’re so nice to me, you’re so nice to me, can I touch it?”

Martin held him with both arms as Jules granted his balls an obligatory grasp, a courtesy gesture before he moved along to other matters.

His actions, unlike his communication, hadn’t been affected by nerves or horniness – Jules explored him with near-sterile perfunctory skill that had Martin jerking and grunting. He imagined the kid lounging alone in front of his shitty laptop, taking in with slitted, businesslike meanness some bound, rubberized doll pumped and dripping around silicone rods stuffed in every hole, and when Jules’ warm palm slid accidentally over the head of his cock, he was exhilaratingly freed from every social nicety and moral doubt that kept him from indulging his suit – his promise to Roscoe, that Jules was young enough to be his son, that he’d said I won’t be able to stop you, that he was an alone and unprotected anonymous little cocksucker, a spontaneous animal slut who yanked his shirt up in the toilet stall to offer up the skin of his belly and still yipped with shock when Martin shoved him against the dispenser to fuck against his guts – all these incidentals twined into a single cord whose bite only enhanced the glamor of the trap.

Jules clawed open Martin’s bare back, chanting the stimulating but unfulfilled demands sluts always said to work themselves up into a frenzy – fuck me! I wanna suck you so bad! – interspersed with tender requests that Jules could, apparently, say in times like these.

“Be nice to me, be nice to me, be nice to me –”

Martin seized his ass and rammed his near-hairless stomach. He would have punched a new hole through it, if he could, a nasty companion for his cute little navel.

“Ple-eaaaaaase be nice to me, I’ll be good, I’ll be good, I’ll be good all the time –”

“I am fucking nice –” Martin bit out, with huge effort. “I’m a nice fucking man to you.”

Jules bounced energetically in his grip and uttered little ah! ah! ah!s in cooperative tandem, as if he really were being fucked, or imagining being fucked. “I wanna be good forever,” he moaned, then sighed and relaxed, a subtle cue Martin’s body recognized through the heat, and swiftly honored.

Martin grabbed his cock to more accurately pump his orgasm up and across Jules’ stomach – his enthusiasm, fueled by a few months of erotic repression, overshot the mark and he ended up nailing Jules’ chest and collarbone. He’d twisted Jules’ shirt up and away in a grip so tight his knuckles whitened, creating a slightly more violent image than he cared for the first afterglow, with Jules’ arms pressed and trapped against the stall, eyes clamped shut, the rest of him shivering. Martin pressed their heads together – he stroked his waist and hair, touched his face, checked over his front and found him compellingly flat in the groin.

“Pal,” he said. He rubbed them cheek to cheek. “Sweetheart.”

“Oh god,” Jules said. He opened one eye. “What did I say?”

“Nothing I didn’t want to hear.”

“Oh. Okay.” He laid his head down on Martin’s shoulder and sniffled. Reality and its exposure made Martin tug him closer – he could feel the dents the boxed edges of the toilet paper dispenser made low against Jules’ skin. “Do you still like me?”

He’d wised up to something unconsciously within the last five minutes and didn’t dare challenge Jules on why he’d ask such a question.

“I like you,” Martin said. “I like you so much.”

“Okay. That’s good. Okay.” But Jules stayed where he was and didn’t stop shaking until tepid streams of salty tears were well established down Martin’s raked shoulder.

They’d made a mess; One sink was wrapped in yellow caution tape. The second spat out lukewarm dribbles. The third gushed ice-cold torrents one had to attempt to catch in his cupped hands while the other pounded the press-tap and got his chest slapped with wet hands. Jules perked up at the chance to swat Martin around some more, who considered revising his standing theory that Jules was merely emotionally sadistic.

A harried father strolled through the entryway at an emergency trot, towing a kindergartener fast by the wrist – Jules and Martin scurried away snappish.

“Goddammit, I ripped you up.” Jules touched his back, which was beginning to burn a little.

“Oh, sure.” Martin threw his arm around Jules’ struggling shoulder. His body hummed like a transmission tower – he doubted he would ever worry about anything ever again. “Who cares?”

“They’re gonna notice –”

“I’ll put my shirt on.”

“– Jackie’ll probably smell it –”

“He probably can.” Jules grunted with dismay. “Pal, what would happen if you relaxed for more than two seconds at a time? Jackie’s the last person who could judge you.”

“It matters what Roscoe thinks of me,” Jules answered duly.

Roscoe had once been a sixteen-year-old twerp who’d been terrified of Martin. And now the hot little punk de jour under his arm was anxious about his opinion. Martin would have been happier for Roscoe’s turnaround of maturity and status, but, bound up as he was in his own worries, Martin doubted he had the slightest clue how Jules felt.

“We’re going to have to talk about this,” Martin said, when the walk turned solemn.

“I know.”

“Soon. I’m talking hours, not days.” He was determined not to give up any ground.

“I have to work tonight,” Jules said. He gazed blindly across the sand then seemed stricken with inspiration. “But I – Maybe. Hey. You want to come see a movie with me, tomorrow?”

“A what? Yeah.” He tried to recall the last time he’d been spontaneously asked on a date. He came up embarrassingly short. “Yes, absolutely. Of course.”

“We can talk after,” Jules said. He sounded very somber about it. Clay, Roscoe and Jackie were increasingly large smudges in the distance. Martin gave Jules a couple inches of personal space and the kid reached out and touched his ribs gently, with some finality. His hand fell away.

“You know,” Martin joked, trying to lighten the melancholy, “if you let me give you a piggyback ride, we could cover up my back that way.”

Clay’s crooked white umbrella, a hundred yards off, flashed ultra-visible. Jules sought it out and appeared briefly mesmerized by the sight. He looked backward at Martin with an expression he couldn’t even begin to interpret. “Just because I’m smaller than you” Jules said, “doesn’t mean I’m actually small.”

Martin’s knee radiated, a protesting throb. He waited in vain for the mutual understanding to flow. The valve had burst open once before that day, it could happen again. They stood there uselessly in the lack. But Jules didn’t wait on intangible things – he waited on Martin.

He jerked his head. “I’m not going back there alone.”

Martin grew up. “No,” he said. “You’re not.” And stepped forward.

[fankayart]

Do you have any favorite non-romantic/gen ego fics? It's been such a long time and I want to get back into ones with a good plot.

Hmmm… I do have a few! Here are some by different authors with different vibes, depending on what you enjoy you might like these or might not :)

Aura: Beyond Imagination by Kiranagi, Kitsunekitto

This is a good overall fic, it’s about the egos slowly coming to life around Jack. It’s a very nice story! I have yet to read the third part, but you might enjoy it. Little bit of tension, lots of “trying to make it work”, and misunderstood Anti, if you’re interested in that kind of thing.

Fantasy Masks AU by CrystalNinjaPhoenix

BIG jump. This AU has nothing to do with them looking alike, this is all a fantasy AU where they meet and go on a quest to take down a tyrannical king. They prepare to lead a rebellion, Chase gets weird ass dreams, I think this fic is very neat and gives off a DnD campaign vibe. They also have had a lair made of dragon bones and I think that’s so fucking cool.

Memory by beerecordings

Absolutely fucked Anti torture fic where Henrik trades pieces of his life and memories for things in return. Manipulative Anti, and kinda horrifying, so have fun!

Also Consider Checking Out —

These Hands of Mine by Sapphire_Ruby (Jackie loses his powers and has to come to terms with it. I just can’t find it anywhere, it might be gone :()

The Prince of Puppets: A Jacksepticeye + Egos Fantasy AU by RogueOfBrokenTime (Oh boy, can you tell what my favorite trope is? This one is about a curse put over the land by a certain someone. I think the concepts are neat, very old school Disney kind of fic (lovingly) but it IS discontinued)

The Inverted AU by CrystalNinjaPhoenix (Personal favorite, Anti is trying to save Jack from a hoard of violent and twisted people that are after him. Basically, the bad guy is your ONE good guy. Also enjoying their Septic Heroes fic too)

All of these are on AO3!!! There’s a lot of fics I could put here but a lot of them are fairly old, I have yet to get back into reading new ones,,, but hopefully these will get you started! I tried to stick to long reads, so all of these will have fairly long chapters :)

[transmutationisms]

Very interested to hear your thoughts on Yellowjackets in light of your cannibalism post

i honestly feel like i was like, themes-baited into watching yellowjackets. i did make it through the first season because i was led to believe there would be certain payoffs and they just never arrived lol.

like, obviously the present-day storyline with taissa is implicitly built off the idea that cannibalism is a threat to her political career specifically because it's coded as an uncivilised act, and her being black (and gay) plays in here. basically her career is threatened by the implication that she's feral, her appetite is out of control, etc. but the show never does anything with this, never interrogates this discourse, and seems (in season 1 at least) to actually be operating fully within this white/colonial paradigm insofar as taissa killing the dog and eating dirt are meant to signal her instability and 'wildness.' (as a side-note, dirt-eating specifically was historically configured as a 'slave disease' in the atlantic world, and the writers seem wholly unaware of this or at least unwilling to engage with it; you can read more about it in rana hogarth's 2017 book "medicalizing blackness".)

i can understand conceptually why people care about shauna/jackie but i simply don't lol. based on where the first season left them i assume shauna is about to eat jackie or something. they are not an interesting pair to me, cannibalism-wise, largely because i think they basically function as a shock-value use of cannibalism as a symbol. like, it really comes across as "holy shit, look at these respectable white girls who are engaging in acts of uncivilised savagery." i find this a problem for the entire show actually, and it is certainly true to its "lord of the flies" inspiration in that sense. but whereas william golding was explicitly engaging with ideas of what it means to be 'civilised' and inverting ballantyne's "the coral island" by portraying the boys themselves as the source of evil, yellowjackets seems largely unaware of such intellectual and cultural context, and seems to want to interrogate cannibalism as an expression of Girlhood without admitting that this invocation of cannibalism is very much a discourse of whiteness and how racialisation works.

besides all that, i simply did not think it was a very good tv show dfgdgfdgf as in, the dialogue is limp, the pacing is whack, the cult/evangelism shit is annoying and unnecessary, and the different storylines are poorly integrated. there are economic reasons tv tends to be bad and i would be willing to overlook mechanical problems if the show was About Something, but it's really not, imo, because it gets stuck on a voyeuristic interest in Girls Debasing Themselves and doesn't even go anywhere with that theme.

[ask-the-becile-boys]

Story. Get Down

Previous | Next

[ID: Splash image reading "Content Warning: Major Character Death Aftermath Details at end of tags to avoid spoilers" End ID]

[ID: Fourteen digitally sketched panels in greyscale and green.]

[Panel 1: Locksmith's foot, taking a step against the grey gradient background cast by the burning Manor. SFX: step (ellipses) step (ellipses)]

[Panel 2: Locksmith's headless body staggers (SFX: stagger).]

[Panel 3: Locksmith's body falls forward with SFX: thump, revealing The Jack standing behind it, holding Locksmith's head and looking devastated.]

[Panel 4: The Jack turns Locksmith's head around in his hands. The viewer can see Locksmith's eyes are dark and his mouth is slack; it is lifeless. The Jack wheezes, "(ellipses) hhHah (ellipses)"]

[Panel 5: The Jack, with a stained, disturbed smile and a desperate look in his eyes, begins to laugh uncontrollably.]

[Panel 6: The Jack's laughter continues as he turns and chucks Locksmith's head away, past where The Skull is kneeling and the bullet hole in the ground. In the background, fire is still pouring out of the windows of Becile Manor.]

[Panel 7: The Jack, oily tears streaming down his face, throws his head back, laughing.]

[Panel 8: The Jack lurches forward, dropping his face into his hands, as the laughter changes to sobbing with a hiccup. Hare's hands reach toward The Jack as he falls forward.]

[Panel 9: The Jack, head bent forward and on his knees, clings to Hare, who kneels beside him and hugs/steadies him. The Jacks says, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry (em-dash)" Hare comforts him, saying, "I know, Jacky. I know."]

[Panel 10: The Jack, still curled up on himself, says, "H-he was g-gonna (italics) kill (plain text) Skull (em-dash)" Hare rests a hand on The Jack's back, starting to cry himself, and says, "Skully's fine. You saved him." In the background, The Skull blinks, coming back to reality, and says "What (ellipses) Where did (ellipses)" There is a green glow coming from the left distance behind The Skull.]

[Panel 11: The Skull turns his head, brows lowering in concern as he notices the green glow. It grows in intensity, casting green highlights onto The Skull. No text.]

[Panel 12: Locksmith's body, on its knees, jerks. It gives off green lightning and a violently green glow from its chest and neck. In the background, The Skull starts to get to his feet, watching this. No text.]

[Panel 13: Backlit by the green glow, the inverter on his chest glowing, and looking terrified, The Skull whips back around and yells, "(all caps) Get down!"]

[Panel 14: A green explosion goes off, cored with white. The Skull lunges forward, trying to shield Hare and The Jack from it as they huddle together, everyone gritting their teeth and squeezing their eyes closed. The linework is faded and motion blurred under the green light. End ID]

[fictionaldogcompetition]

Round 1

[image ID: the first image is the cover for the Misthole Museum podcast. it depicts the title in white text, and an empty glass display box for a museum artifact. the logo on the base of the display box is a logo with an upright black m, an inverted white m, and a black crescent. the second image is black, with the silhouettes of the heads of 2 german shepherds, Heidi and Jackie, outlined in white. on the left is Heidi. her eyes and nose are outlined, but there is no mouth. on the right is Jackie, whose eyes are red, and all of her teeth are visible. text below them, also in white, reads, "2・Dogs". end ID]

[huffle-dork]

Here’s all the designs for the GITHV boys in Septnautical!!

And then a scene from the latest chapter!!

[ohandcounting]

Early 3D Sonic Games and The G.A.S. Scale.

I'm sure you've seen this image going around, about how Sonic had a rough transition to 3D. Which is arguably true, here's a fantastic video about it from a guy who loves Sonic Adventure. I've watched many videos in his series "Sonic was always good" and I realized that there's a pretty good scale for rating the 3D Sonic games that's very similar to the W.A.S. scale for anime.

Good (up to 10)

Abuseable Jank (up to 10)

So-Bad-Its-Good (Percentage)

Good is obvious, it is how good the Sonic game in question actually is. If you like fish, you could replace this with Bad and invert the scale. HOWEVER: You need to acknowledge that nobody actually rates anything they like outside of 7-9, and ignore that pressure. You need to leave behind you Jackie Chan/10's and A Little Bit Of Something For Everyone and give an actual real rating out of 10, unweighted from societal usage. How much of the game you genuinely believe isn't a mistake.

Abuseable Jank is a separate scale. This can be a good or bad thing depending on who you are, and how much knowledge of the game you have. Like yeah you can just spam spindash the entire time you play a speed mission in Sonic Adventure 2 to go incredibly fast, not everyone is going to enjoy spamming a button the entire mission. Or if you don't know something, it could make it harder to enjoy the game if the best part is breaking it. Like all of the gems Sonic gets in Sonic 06 that let him jump infinite times and shoot himself into the sky. This would be added or subtracted (or completely ignored) to the Good rating depending on the person, bringing a games potential to all the way down to -10 or up to 20.

So-Bad-Its-Good is a percentage, it's in the name but to be more clear it's about how much you can enjoy making fun of the problems the game has while playing it. Shadow the Hedgehog would have an incredibly high percentage. Yeah, the cut scenes make no sense and the story is confusing with how it's laid out. It also has the 2 most iconic lines in the Adventure Era of "that DAMN 4th chaos emerald" and "Like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me" which are only elevated by how out-of-nowhere they feel. The mostly-skippable vehicles that are almost entirely useless are hilariously bad, but largely unobtrusive. Missing a single collectable and having to run through the entire level again uh, isn't fun ever though. So it wouldn't count towards this percentage.

The reason why it's a percentage is to denote how much of the missing Good rating can still be fun to play with the right mindset. Sonic 06 has a pretty solid 1-3* in the Good rating, but it's in such a truly awful state that you can do so much dumb stuff in it that it has a So-Bad-Its-Good rating of like 90% for some people. That alongside an Abuseable Jank of score 8-10 can legitimately make Sonic 06 peoples favorite Sonic game from the Adventure Era with a score close to the maximum of 20.

I'm not going to give any of my actual opinions on the Adventure Era games myself because I haven't played them in like 10+ years, you'll just have to form your own opinions on a reblog to this post if you want to see a full rating. (Shadow the Hedgehog is my favorite though)

*Some people think it's worth giving points for the good level design & story in Sonic 06, despite the fact the rest of the game's problems makes it entirely unenjoyable.

[allzelemonz]

Finding and Feeling (2.2): A Plea

Pairing Type: M/M Rating: T/Language, violence Warnings: Internalized homophobia, drinking, pining, murder, mention of prostitution Summary: Bill struggles with his thoughts now that Kieran is readily in plain sight. Other Chapters

As much as Bill would like to deny it, he can’t keep his mind straight. He just went out with Lenny, intending to teach the kid a few tricks but he ended up letting him take the lead. Bill just can’t quite get his head right. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the O’Driscoll. Of course not. Over the past few days he certainly hasn’t gone soft over the fact that the kid practically whined his name when he begged for food. No, of course not.

Bill feels fine. Perfectly fine, normal, and non-inverted.

And yet, when he sits down by the fire, he angles himself so he can see the O’Driscoll through the moving bodies and poles and ropes. He’s slumped forward. That’s how he spends most of his day, probably trying to relieve the weight from his feet and legs. He straightens up and Bill catches just a glimpse of blonde hair. Miss Adler stops in front of the boy. While Bill can’t hear what exactly she says, the message is very clear when she upturns a bowl of food on the ground in front of the boy’s face.

Bill’s heart stings at the sight. He clenches his fist unconsciously, giving Miss Adler a hard stare as she walks away. If there were no consequences, if it wasn’t wrong, Bill would untie the boy himself and feed him something filling and warm, protecting him from everything. But there are consequences and it is wrong. There is no reason Bill should feel so protective, so bothered by the hazing, but he does. He watches the boy slump forward again and Bill can imagine the soft groaning and whining even though he can’t hear it. His heart beats quickly and he decides to attempt silencing it with a long swallow of beer.

In the next few days, Bill tries to keep himself from Kieran for his own sake. The last time he gave in to some inverted attraction, nothing ended well for Bill. Of course, he has a bit more agency now, but he doesn’t know things well enough to be certain of his safety. Besides, this is a fluke. He’s not actually attracted to the little weasel. That would be crazy.

So Bill busies himself. He takes what jobs he can to make his heart beat for something other than the shrill sounds the O’Driscoll makes or the sweat that covers his partly exposed chest. When he is in camp, he drinks enough to numb his mind. Arthur sometimes catches Bill falling from his seat from the drunken state, Javier certainly uses it to beat him at poker several times over. All the while, Bill still catches himself staring at the O’Driscoll some nights when no one is around. How easy it would be to do something.

One night, when Bill has to slap himself out of his thoughts, he forces himself onto Brown Jack and rides aimlessly. He thinks about going into Valentine and trying to make his mind right with a working girl, but the last time he tried that he practically scurried away when she merely touched his chest. Instead, he stops Brown Jack where he can see smoke lofting into the sky. When he gets closer he finds a little camp of O’Driscolls and smirks to himself. Naturally, he shoots all the men he sees and loots the camp. It gives him a small reprieve from the intrusive thoughts and he happens upon a bottle of whiskey that he downs without question.

With only stumbling left in his repertoire of mobility, Bill leans against his horse and looks up at the stars. “I dunno, Jackie.” He mutters. “‘m sick, ain’t I?”

Brown Jack tosses his head in protest, huffing a storm.

Bill cracks a smile, walking around to pat his horse’s nose. “Yer a good boy, Jackie.”

The norse nuzzles into Bill’s hand and Bill produces a treat as if automatic.

“Shit.” He groans, leaning his head onto the horse. “Only thing that makes sense.”

Brown Jack nudges his nose over Bill’s shoulder and the man doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the big horse’s neck. Tears well in his eyes but he doesn’t dare let them fall, he won’t let the sissy feelings make him go so far. Instead he clings to his horse, idly running his fingers through the unbrushed mane and trying to make his mind be quiet.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Not-Magic

A JSE Fanfic

Septics Inverted AU

First IRIS Chapter | Previous

(Heyyyy, what's upppp, it's meeee. Back with another chapter after so long. Seriously. So long. This has been the longest gap between IRIS Inverted chapters yet, I think. Tbh that's because I started writing Many Roads Diverge. A CYOA-style fic takes a LOT of work. But here we are now! Jackie and Frederick continue their investigation into IRIS by visiting other magicians. Meanwhile, Jack is having some trouble. Then Jackie makes a phone call. Enjoy!)

- - - - - - - - - -

Jackie couldn’t sit still for the rest of the car ride. He wanted to jump out and run until he found Chase. One of his best friends had just been basically kidnapped by a shady semi-magical organization, and he was just supposed to stay in the car after that? What the fuck? But Frederick was right, they had a limited window of time to meet up with the rest of the magicians. And Jackie needed more information about this IRIS, information that they could help him with.

The safe house was in Mirygale, which naturally made Jackie nervous. He was still technically a wanted criminal in this city. But he told himself that nobody would see him, as they were just going straight to the house. Not like they were walking around where a crowd of people could see his face. And even if they did, most people probably wouldn’t recognize Jackie, anyway. He’d changed a lot since his arrest and escape.

“Is this it?” Jackie asked as Frederick parked on the side of the road in a residential neighborhood. “Doesn’t look like much.”

“Good, that’s the point.” Frederick turned the car off. “We’re going in that one.” He pointed at a brown brick townhouse, identical to the rest of the brown brick townhouses around it.

“Alright, let’s go then.” The sooner they could talk to the magicians about IRIS, the sooner they could track them down, and the sooner Jackie could beat the shit out of them for taking Chase.

The two of them left the car behind and walked up the steps to the front door. Jackie hung back a bit, allowing Frederick to take the lead. Which he did, knocking on the door. And the door opened almost instantly. “Ah, I was wondering where you two were.”

“Hey, Eve.” Frederick grinned. “Sorry, we got, uh... delayed a bit.”

Jackie leaned around him. “Hi, Yvonne.”

“Hey, Jackie.” Yvonne gave him a nod. She was wearing a casual brown suit—dressed for work, clearly, as that wasn’t her usual style. But her hair was as vibrant as ever, cut short and dyed in blues and purples. “Come on in, Briony’s beside herself.”

Frederick sighed. “I know. Let’s go.”

The interior of the house was pretty normal. The front door led to a short hallway with a staircase for second-floor access. “That’s where we’re keeping all the magical stuff,” Yvonne said to Jackie, gesturing up the staircase. “But Briony and Nick are just in the living room here.”

“And it’s just them? I thought you guys had a whole team?” Jackie asked.

“Not everyone could make it right now,” Yvonne explained. “But the other four will be here later today if you want to hang around.”

“No, that’s fine.” Jackie shook his head.

“We do have a bit of a drive back,” Frederick added. “Let’s just... hurry along.”

Yvonne nodded. “Over here, then.” She walked over to an arch leading into a wide living room. “Hey guys, they’re here.”

Two others were in the living room. A dark-skinned man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a woman with blonde frizzy hair and glasses. He was sitting in the room’s singular armchair while she was pacing back and forth in front of the window. They both wore similar casual suits to Yvonne—the ABIM must’ve had a dress code. That certainly made Jackie feel self-conscious in his favorite hoodie (black with red patches, he’d had it for ages now.) Frederick wasn’t wearing this suit uniform either, but his usual way of dressing was nice enough that he didn’t look too out of place.

“There you are!” The pacing woman whirled around to see them. “I swear, Frederick, you’re never—oh my god!” Her eyes had locked onto Jackie. Specifically, Jackie’s face.

“Briony,” the man said in a warning tone.

Frederick casually took a step closer to Jackie. “Sorry about that,” he said quickly. “We got delayed for a bit, but we did find out something that... well, I don’t know if it will help with the investigation, but it is some new information. Briony, Nick, this is Jackie, I’ve told you about. Jackie, Briony and Nick.”

“Hi.” Jackie forced himself to smile.

“Lovely to meet you,” Nick said, standing up. “So sorry about Briony, she has no social tact.”

“Wh—hey!” Briony said, glaring at him. She turned back to Jackie with a guilty expression. “I’m so sorry about that, I just didn’t expect—I-I didn’t mean any offense. I’ve never seen—I’m so sorry. Truly.”

“It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but Jackie could get over it. His scars and eye-patch usually got stares. He looked at Frederick. “So, I’m guessing you didn’t tell them everything about me.”

“I told them everything important,” Frederick said. “And everything I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

“Hah.” Jackie gave him a small smile. “That’s, uh... yeah. Good.” He leaned a bit closer to him.

“Let’s not waste any time, shall we?” Yvonne said, hurriedly jumping in. “The camera we got is still in the detection box.”

“Right. Time to go take it out.” Nick checked a watch on his wrist. “Head on upstairs, everyone.”

The group left the living room and went up the stairs. And it’s here that the resemblance to a normal house faded away. There were symbols painted on the walls. Runes, drawn in lines, squares, and circles. Jackie vaguely recognized some of them. They were geared towards protection and containment. As they walked past, Briony tapped some of the runes, little zaps of mauve magic leaving her hands and causing the runes to glow the same color. Were these the wards?

“So, Jackie, Frederick said you met while on a case?” Nick asked, trying for some casual conversation.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. There was this guy I knew, he was a magician. A fucking evil one. H-he went all crazy one day and attacked me and my friends. Frederick and Yvonne were on that case, so they showed up to help us.”

“Then you guys stole my car,” Frederick added.

“You got it back eventually,” Jackie said defensively, making Frederick laugh.

“That’s the same guy who burned Frederick’s hand off, right?” Briony asked.

“Well that’s a light way of putting it,” Frederick said. “But yes.”

“That’s... where all this came from.” Jackie gestured at his face. “The magic lingered for a while until Frederick found me and healed me.” He shook his head. “So glad that guy’s in jail now. Hope he rots.”

The group walked into the last room down the hall, a medium-sized room that could’ve been a bedroom in an actual house, but was instead filled with tables that held all sorts of strange objects. Crystal spheres of many colors, mirrors and painting with abstract designs, feathers and bottles and thin wands of wood and metal. In the center of the room was a table with a box the size of a printer. The box was made of a silvery metal. Its surface shifted with faint designs, like sunlight passing through ocean waves.

Briony tapped the side of the silver box. The designs stopped, shifting to form a phrase: OBJECT READY. REMOVE OBJECT. “Right,” she said. “Nick?” Nick nodded and walked over to join her. Each of them put their hands on two corners of the box. They whispered something in unison, their eyes glowing together—Briony’s that same mauve color, Nick’s a brighter yellow-green—and then lifted the top of the box off. They set the lid on the table next to it and Nick reached inside, pulling out... another box. This one was made of a coppery metal instead of silver.

“So, I’m guessing that’s the detection box,” Jackie said, pointing at the big silver box. “What’s that, then? Doesn’t look like a camera.”

Briony smiled a little. “We keep unknown magical items in these. They muffle all magical waves and signals.”

“Here, come look,” Nick said, sitting the box on the table. Jackie hesitated, but when Frederick and Yvonne walked over he did as well.

The top of the box was transparent, like glass. Inside was what looked like an old-fashioned security camera made of white plastic and metal. On the side of the camera was a symbol in black. Like an eye with three pupils. “Hmm. Looks pretty normal,” Jackie said, aware of how unhelpful that was.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Yvonne agreed. “That’s what the detection box is for. Picking up stuff that is abnormal. Now where’re the results?”

“Briony puts the paper actually in the box, remember?” Frederick said.

“I don’t want to lose it!” Briony said defensively, already reaching back into the detection box. After a couple seconds, she pulled out an ordinary piece of printer paper and slapped it down on the table next to the camera. “Here we are.”

On the paper was silvery writing, like someone had used a metallic glitter pen to record the results. Magic signature detected, it said. Combat: none. Divination: none. Soul: none. Necromancy: none. Health: none. Transformation: none. Conjuration: none. Illusory: none. Mental: none. And it kept going like that. Jackie skimmed the list to the bottom, where something was finally different. Light magic object. Black magic object.

“That’s... weird,” Yvonne said.

“There are several things wrong with this,” Frederick agreed. Nick and Briony just looked concerned.

“And what are those several things?” Jackie asked.

“Well, it’s not supposed to list out every branch of magic like this,” Frederick explained. “It’s just supposed to tell you if the object is light magic or black magic, and what branch of magic it is, not all the ones it isn’t. And, of course, it’s supposed to tell you what the object can do.”

“So... the camera short-circuited your magical detection device,” Jackie summed up.

“Pretty much,” Nick agreed.

“Frederick, you didn’t mention this.” Briony pointed at the two phrases at the end. “It’s impossible for a single object to use both light and black magic.”

“What?” Jackie blinked, confused. “But... magicians can use light and black magic, can’t they? I mean, I’m told black magic has side effects, but using it doesn’t somehow close you off from using light magic. It’s like a spectrum, right?”

Frederick gave him a small, proud smile. “It is. But it’s different with objects. Objects can’t choose to use magic, they can only do what the person intended them to. And once you imbue an object with a purpose that leans more to the light or the dark, then any attempts to put the opposite end of the spectrum into the enchantment don’t work. They fizzle out if you’re lucky and literally blow up if you’re not.”

Jackie nodded slowly. “Alright. So that’s super weird for the camera, right?”

“So weird,” Nick muttered.

“What if you put something that’s not magic in the detection box?” Jackie asked. “Like... a regular pen or something.”

Briony shrugs. “Then the detection won’t work. The cycle will cut short if there’s no magical signature. And before you ask, the containment box is built to work with the detection, the detection will go right through it.”

Jackie went quiet for a moment. “What if it emits a different type of signature?”

Frederick tilted his head. “Like what?”

“I dunno. Radiation, or something.”

Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “Why and how would we have something radioactive to put in the detection box?”

“I don’t know! I’m just asking!” Jackie said defensively. “People are stupid and curious, surely someone in the history of magicians has tried to put fucking... plutonium or whatever into the magic box.”

Frederick leaned back against a nearby table. “Are you saying the camera is radioactive?”

“No, I’m just...” Jackie shook his head.

“No, keep going,” Frederick said. “I think I know where you’re going. It’s about the weird magical signature IRIS locations give off, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Jackie nodded, relieved. “What if that’s not really magic? But something else? Not radiation, obviously, otherwise people would know, but... something like it?”

Briony’s eyes lit up. “Something similar to magic that isn’t actually magic? That... that would make sense, actually. It’d be close enough that we can pick it up, but different enough that we couldn’t actually identify it.”

“If we’re opening up the possibility, what if IRIS has just invented a new branch of magic?” Nick asked.

“Well, we’d have to think about what IRIS could do with a new branch of magic,” Yvonne said. “This camera—it’s called a WTCHR camera, remember? And we’ve all read the description and instructions that came in the box.” As she said this, she walked over to a table by the door and picked up a manual, looking just like any other instruction booklet that came with any other electronic product. “Most of it is just a really good camera, but it claims it can identify emotions and whether or not someone’s telling the truth. That’s the odd part, and that could be accomplished with scrying magic or mental magic. IRIS wouldn’t need to invent something new.”

“But what if it’s not magic?” Frederick pointed out. 

“It would definitely explain why your fucking... magic box got error’ed out,” Jackie said.

Nick frowned, doubtful. “We can keep it in mind. Talk about it with the others. In the meantime, what do we do with the camera?”

In unison, they all looked at it. “I guess we just keep it,” Briony said. “Run it through a couple tests, maybe? I’m wondering if there are any other unusual properties it has.”

“What sort of tests?” Jackie asked, intrigued.

“Oh, you know. See how durable it is, see if it retains its weird magic signature after taking parts off, see if we can make it do stuff that it’s not supposed to.” Briony looked excited listing off these ideas.

“But, uh, we don’t need to be here for that,” Yvonne said. “Just the wizards. That’s... sort of their specialty. Learning about magic stuff.”

“Should we leave, then?” Frederick asked.

“Seems a waste to ask you guys to drive all the way out here and then send you right back,” Nick said. “Besides, didn’t you say something about new information, Rick?”

Frederick winced, irritated. “Frederick. Or Fengge.”

“Sorry.”

Frederick gave Jackie a long-suffering look that said this wasn’t the first time Nick had pulled something like that, then looked back at the others. “Yeah. We, uh... do you want to talk about it, Jackie?”

Jackie nodded. He and Frederick had discussed it in the car, and Jackie had agreed the others needed to know. He took a deep breath, preparing himself. “We’re, uh... We were... Part of the reason we were a bit late was because I wanted to go visit a friend of mine while I was already out. But when I got there, I was told that he was... moved somewhere else. Somewhere IRIS has control of.”

The others all instantly sharpened their attention. “You... you mean Chase, right?” Yvonne asked.

“Yeah.” Jackie asked.

“IRIS is kidnapping people?” Nick asked, shocked.

“Well, no, not—I mean, it is basically kidnapping, but...” Jackie paused, conjuring up his pre-prepared vague explanation. “Chase was living in a, uh, facility, of sorts. I-I don’t want to give out too many details if I don’t have to, it’s his business, but basically, it’s a place where it’s not weird to get transferred somewhere else. And they transferred him to IRIS.”

“A government-run facility?” Briony asked.

“...Basically.”

“Those are not good implications,” Nick said darkly.

“We know,” Frederick said. “It means that IRIS is able to freely contact the government and make demands of them. And it means that they want people for something.”

“Your friend... Chase, was it?” Nick asked. Jackie nodded to confirm his name. “Has he had any exposure to magic? Like you have?”

“Yeah, we both knew the same magician,” Jackie said. “Marvin Moore.”

“Moore hurt Chase, but his wounds were tended to immediately,” Frederick added. “There was no time for the magic to fester. But he spent a long time in contact with Moore. It’s possible that some magic traces linger. Very faint traces.”

Yvonne frowned. “I doubt that. It’s been, what, a year since those two had contact? I think the traces would’ve faded by now. Maybe... maybe IRIS grabbed Chase randomly.”

“If they were grabbing random people, they would’ve grabbed someone with no connections,” Jackie said. “Chase has connections. I visit him, his kids sometimes visit him, and people—people know who he is. They’d notice if he vanished. Case in point, I noticed when it happened! No, i-it has to be something else.”

“I suppose IRIS could’ve somehow... heard about Marvin Moore and realized Chase was connected,” Briony said reluctantly. “But that means that they were aware of us before we were aware of them.”

“It would also mean you could be in danger,” Nick said, looking at Jackie.

Frederick straightened. “They wouldn’t go for him. We live together. It’s too dangerous to try and grab him.” There was a hard edge to his voice that Jackie rarely heard but which made his face redden a little.

“Is there something special about Chase?” Yvonne asked. “Besides his location being easier to reach? Because I would argue that it would be quite difficult to get him out of there. Did Chase go through something you didn’t? Magically-related?”

Jackie thought about it. “Um... it’s not magic, but... he was in a coma for a while. About two months.”

Frederick’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait, if I’m remembering right, wasn’t that coma caused by Anti?”

Jackie gritted his teeth. “Yeah. It was.” Fucking bitch... you don’t just put people in comas no matter how much you hate them.

“You know... Anti isn’t magic,” Frederick said slowly. “But he can do things that seem like it.”

Jackie stared at him. “Are you saying... IRIS is like Anti?”

“Um...” Briony raised her hand. “Who’s Anti?”

Jackie sighed, already feeling exhausted at the idea of explaining all this. “Anti is Anti. He’s not human. He’s not a demon. He’s not a spirit. He’s something else. One of a kind.” He paused. “He’s also an asshole, but he’s not like... evil. He doesn’t hurt people.” Or at least, people who don’t deserve it.

“Didn’t you just say he caused your friend’s coma?” Briony asked.

“Long story. The point is Frederick thinks that IRIS’s not-magic could be like what Anti does.”

“Maybe not exactly, but it’s a good starting point,” Frederick said.

“Can you guys contact this... Anti?” Nick asked.

Jackie frowned. “I don’t know... It’s kind of hard to reach something like him. We could try to track down Jack—that’s a friend of his, he’s human. But, uh... don’t know if it would look that good coming from me. Jack and I... have a rough history.”

“Then we’ll do it,” Yvonne said, gesturing at herself and the other magicians. “We have ways of tracking down people.”

“You make it sound menacing when you say it like that, Eve,” Frederick said, a faint smile on his face.

“I... guess you guys can try,” Jackie said slowly. “Even just getting close to Jack will probably cause Anti to react. Jack is... sensitive.” That was a mild way of saying ‘traumatized by being kidnapped multiple times.’ “But I can’t be involved in this. Not until you explain the situation to Anti. We don’t exactly like each other.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be careful,” Yvonne assured him. 

“Please do be.” Jackie didn’t like the idea of Anti getting involved, but if he could help... Maybe he would recognize the greater evil of IRIS. An organization that secretly takes people couldn’t have good intentions, regardless of what those people had done.

- - - - - - - - - -

Jack pulled the blinds on the window back a little bit, looking down at the street below. It was empty. But he didn’t trust that.

Static fizzled next to his ear. “Are they gone?” Anti asked.

“I don’t see them anymore,” Jack said slowly. “But I don’t think they would’ve just left.” All morning, there’d been a white car parked on the street below. Not unusual in and of itself. But who would park in this tiny side street in between apartment buildings? Combined with IRIS’s repeated phone calls, it made Jack nervous.

Anti’s form fizzled a little bit. “They didn’t,” he reported. “I just checked the building’s security cameras. The car moved to the front. I don’t know if we’re still in range of their equipment, but they’re definitely not going anywhere.” When Jack had pointed out the car to Anti, he confirmed that—as normal as it looked from the outside—it belonged to IRIS. He could sense some of their equipment inside.

Jack shut the blinds. Sam flew over and nuzzled against his face, telling him not to worry. “No, I’m going to worry,” Jack said. “How the fuck am I supposed to not worry about this? People have never shown up at my house! Even the crazier fans haven’t gone that far yet. And even if they had, they’re just one or two people, not a whole fucking organization!”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Anti said firmly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Jack sighed, pressing his head against the window. “Do we have to move? I don’t want to move. I don’t want to go on the fucking run again.”

Anti hesitated. “I’m sorry. But... we might... have to.”

“It just... everything was finally working out,” Jack mumbled.

“I’m sorry,” Anti said quietly.

“No, don’t be, it’s not your fault.”

“It really is,” Anti admitted. “IRIS is after me. They’re only going after you to get to me. Maybe... maybe if I leave for a while—”

“No don’t!” Jack said hurriedly. Sam jumped up into the air, bobbing up and down in agreement with him. “I-I don’t—If something happens—B-besides, that’d just mean they win, wouldn’t it?”

Anti blinked. Then grinned. “I guess it would.”

“Y-yeah.” Jack gave him a weak smile. “Uh... I’m going to... try and keep my mind off this. Try and do something to relax. Maybe I have a game that I can... Uh, I-I’ll be in the other room. Tell me if anything happens with them.”

“I will,” Anti promised.

“Great.” Jack smiled again and turned around, heading deeper into the apartment.

Sam stayed where they were, watching him go. {Anti.}

Anti jumped a little. Even though Sam could talk to him, they usually didn’t, so it always surprised him when they decided to. “What is it?”

{You stay here.} Sam flew closer, pressing against his chest and looking up at him, pupil dilated wide. {Bad things might happen.}

Anti looked down at them. “Anything... specific?”

{No. But there’s a bad feeling. You should stay here. Don’t leave.}

“A bad feeling, huh?” Anti nodded slowly. He’d known Sam long enough to trust their feelings. They had an uncanny ability to know what people should and shouldn’t do. “Alright. I won’t leave. And I’ll... be prepared.” His hand glitched, turning into pixels, and he showed Sam the knife he’d conjured. “If you know what I mean.”

{Uh-huh.} Sam backed away, bobbing up and down in a nodding gesture. {Jack be safe.}

“He’ll be safe. I’m ready for anything.”

{Yay!} And with that, Sam bopped against his shoulder, then flew down the hallway after Jack.

Anti watched them go with a faint smile. Then he thought about IRIS again, and the smile faded. If he was stuck in Jack’s apartment, he wouldn’t be able to hack IRIS’s servers, backdoor or not. They were very secure, and he needed to be close by to access them. But... it was a small price to pay to keep Jack safe. And if disaster was averted, he might be able to return to the servers later.

He put the knife away, letting it vanish into pixels, and jumped back into the building’s outside security cameras. The car was still there.

And it would stay there for another hour before finally driving off.

- - - - - - - - - -

Dadalada-dadalada— “Hello?”

“Wait, you’re actually awake?! Isn’t it like five in the morning over there?!”

Schneep glanced out the bedroom window at the early morning sky. “The ringtone woke me up,” he lied.

“Mm-hmm.” Jackie hummed. “So if I FaceTime you, you’ll be in bed.”

“Absolutely.” Schneep hurriedly got up from the desk chair in the corner of his room and sat down on the bed instead.

“Okay, I’ll do it, then.”

“Fine, do it.”

Jackie hung up the call, but a few seconds later Schneep’s phone began ringing again—Dadalada-dadalada—with the Caller ID screen now identifying a video call. Schneep accepted it. Jackie was clearly in a car, as evident by the headrest and seat belt. There was afternoon light coming from the windows. “There you are,” Jackie said. He narrowed his eyes. “If I woke you up, why are you wearing your glasses?”

Shit. “I put them on when you said you would video call,” Schneep said.

“Oh, okay. And you combed your hair, too?”

Schneep hesitated. Then groaned. “God damn it, Jackie, how do you fucking know what my bed hair looks like?”

“We lived together for, like, four years! What do you mean ‘how do I know’? The question is how I wouldn’t. And why are you up at five in the morning?”

“Why are you calling me at five in the morning?”

“I didn’t think you would answer! I was going to leave a message!”

“Text me instead, you dunkoff.”

“Uh, can you two get back on track?” A voice called from off screen on Jackie’s end. “Don’t you have important stuff to talk about?”

“Hello Frederick,” Schneep said, giving a little wave as Jackie turned the phone to show Frederick in the driver’s seat of the car.

“Hi.” Frederick smiled at the screen, not taking his hands off the wheel as he drove.

“What sort of ‘important stuff’ are you two calling about?” Schneep asked.

“Uh, well...” Jackie hesitated, the worry clear on his face. “I went to see Chase today... You know what, I’ll work up to that. Start at the beginning. There’s a sort of investigation going on...”

As Jackie talked, Schneep sat there, eyes growing wider with every sentence. But he stayed quiet until the end. At which point, he immediately started shouting. “What the fuck do they want with Chase?! Chase has not done anything in his l—well, no, he has done quite a lot, but he was already where he should be! And where he wanted to be, I will add. What the fuck! They cannot just—just grab people! Especially not him!”

“Right? Right?!” Jackie cried. “What the fuck are they doing?!”

“Clearly nothing good!” Schneep growled, then took a moment to breathe, calming down. This was not the time to get carried away in anger. He punched the pillow a couple times and then was fine. “Jackie. I believe I have something relevant.”

“Oh?” Jackie asked, already intrigued.

“Anti was here yesterday,” Schneep said. 

“Last night, I was going to bed—”

“At what time?”

“A perfectly reasonable one, please not now.” It was 2 am. “But while I was heading there, the House did its twisty thing and I ended up somewhere else. Anti was speaking with Dark. I was curious why he was here, so I listened in. Your suspicion about Anti and IRIS is right; he has some sort of history with them. And now this organization is going after Jack. Possibly to get to Anti.”

Jackie’s expression hardened. “So they probably did take Chase because of Anti. What, does he still have traces of Anti’s power in his system after the coma?”

“It’s possible,” Frederick added. “I’m not sure how Anti’s power works in comparison to magic.”

“If you and your magicians are looking for Jack, you should keep that in mind,” Schneep continued. “You may have to beat IRIS to him.”

Jackie sighed. “This would’ve been good to know before we left the house.”

“You’re the one who didn’t want to call your friend while we were there,” Frederick said calmly.

“I am, I just—ugh.”

“It’s okay, I’ll call Yvonne about it when we get home.”

“That’ll work. In the meantime,” Jackie turned his attention back to the call. “Schneep, seriously, why are you up at five am?”

Schneep sighed. “Because I still have fucking insomnia.”

“I thought you were going to ask about sleep aids.”

“I am, but it is hard to find ones that work with my other medications.” Schneep glanced at the collection of pill bottles on the nightstand. 

“Oh.” Jackie’s voice was soft. “Well... that sucks. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, I am sure Peter can find something,” Schneep said, referring to his psychiatrist. “He is very good at what he does. I just have to wait until then. Is fine. I do not mind being up so late. I am not the only one awake in the House at night.”

“That sounds a bit ominous,” Jackie muttered.

“No, I find it comforting. Though if any of them tried to actually talk to me during this time, I am sure I would be annoyed the second it happens.”

Jackie laughed. “God, you would, wouldn’t you? Well... do you want me to stay and chat, or do you think that wouldn’t help?”

“In all honesty, it would not help,” Schneep said. “I have to be very awake to keep up with your energy, and this is not the time for that.”

“Alright, I’ll head off, then. Maybe I’ll call you later, when it’s evening here?”

“If you want. Or you could wait until tomorrow, that would be fine, too.”

“I’ll wait, then. See you, Schneep. Frederick, say goodbye to Schneep.”

“Bye, Henrik!” Frederick added.

“Goodbye, you two,” Schneep said, laughing a little.

“Bye!” Jackie waved for the camera. “Sleep well.” And with that, he ended the call. 

Schneep closed out of the video call app on his phone and instead returned to what he’d been doing before Jackie called. He re-opened the phone’s browser. It had a couple different tabs open... all relating to this IRIS organization. Their website, their social medias, any page or article he could find about them.

He’d been curious about them ever since he overheard Anti’s conversation. No, more than curious. If they were really looking for Jack, he wanted to at least know as much as he could. Even if Jack probably wouldn’t appreciate his help. But now it was different. Now IRIS had Chase. He couldn’t just sit by while Jackie and those magicians handled this! God damn it, Chase was his friend, too! Though, there wasn’t much he could do while he was halfway across the world...

Wasn’t IRIS an American company first?

Schneep went back to their website, scrolling around for information. Yes, this lists their “hometown”—the place they were founded—as somewhere called Kronolle, California. Yes, Anti mentioned that, too. With that established, Schneep closed the browser and opened the GPS, searching up the town. Yes, it was there. North of Los Angeles, with the driving time listed as 2-3 hours depending on traffic. That was a long way to go. Especially for someone who couldn’t drive.

...It was late. This wasn’t the time. Schneep sighed and turned off his phone. When it was this late, it was probably better to lie down and close your eyes. That was more restful than sitting up and doing stuff. He got up, closed the window’s blinds, and got ready to change for bed. He’d think more on this in the morning.

Maybe there was something he could do to help Chase even all the way out here.

[myplasticadversary]

I am very interested in your thoughts on yuri Kenstewy if you have any

Oh I definitely do! To the point where this is gonna get kinda convoluted lol

So the thing about cis girl Kendall universe (CGKU) is that she is very much not the Kendall we know, as she's treated very differently and develops a different set of issues in being bumped from the top of the sibling hierarchy to the bottom (maybe even below Connor but depends on the context). At the same time though, she does still have a core of Kendallness to her that expresses itself in a way that's almost like an inverted echo of her canon self.

For example, instead of being Logan's number one boy, that role is split up between Shiv as the favorite and Roman as the heir while Kendall is more pushed onto Caroline, and since she's the oldest that also helps in them having a relationship that more resembles bitchy toxic girl friends rather than a mother and daughter. Though Caroline doesn't have the same power to groom her the way canon Logan does, Kendall does still grow up feeling intrinsically attached to her and despairing about not having her approval no matter how she tries to be the daughter she wants.

Anyway, all that is to say that girl Kenstewy would be similarly flipped, with Caroline feeling hostile and competitive toward Stewy and Logan having a kind of creepy admiration of her, which also makes Kendall feel very insecure and jealous and threatened by her friend. Basically think Shauna/Jackie meets Anthy/Utena. Stewy on the other hand still hates Logan but is kinda trying to use his interest to her advantage so she can get ahead and someday rip his guts out.

[bookwormscififan]

Science and Strength Have One Weakness: Flirtation

Read on AO3!

The alternate version

A/N: @iamvegorott's prompt today was to take the "Jackie and Mad meeting the chaos twins" idea and invert it. I had some fun writing this.

--

“Tell me I’m not the only one who’s getting just the slightest bit tired of Host’s incessantly vague visions,” Mare rolled his eyes as he spoke into his phone, groaning at the answer from the other end of the line. “Like you have any say in anything, Phan. You can barely spend two days away from Night’s house.”

He strolled down the street, pausing when he spotted someone looking exceptionally lost just ahead of him, soft brown hair shining copper in the sunlight. Whatever comeback Phantom was yelling through the phone seemed to fade into the distance as Mare watched the man move, catching sight of freckles dusting across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

“I’m… I think I found the guy Host was talking about,” Mare whispered, throat suddenly dry as he hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. He took a few moments to just observe, noting how the man seemed wary around other people, avoiding collisions as he tried to be as invisible as possible. What did Host say his name was again?

“Mad…” Mare breathed, eyes trained on Mad as he smoothly moved through the crowds, twirling his fingers around a purple wisp he’d summoned as he shaped it into something that Mad might like.

Mad turned a corner, seeming to disappear, and Mare sped up to follow him, moving down an alley and pausing when he couldn’t see Mad. Looking around the alley, Mare froze when something suddenly shot out in front of his face.

“Why are you following me?” Despite the fierce façade, Mare could hear the slight tremble in Mad’s voice, the way the item in his hands shook slightly from his own nerves, and Mare stepped back slightly so he could get Mad back in focus.

And the first thing he noticed was that Mad seemed to be pointing some sort of mallet at his face, glaring at him through fearful eyes. In the dim lighting of the alley, Mare’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the golden amber of Mad’s eyes, flecked with pale brown to look like sunlight through a glass of whiskey.

“I can see why Host wanted me to come and get you,” he breathed, catching the slight widening of Mad’s eyes as he spoke. “It’s too dangerous to leave someone as cute as you out here to fend for yourself.” His lips quirked up into a smirk as he lifted a finger to gently lower the mallet, tilting his head to see Mad properly.

“I—” Mad shook his head with a huff of a laugh, shaking his mallet to retract it and put it into his pocket. “I-I was trying to be intimidating, and you were… flirting with me?” His cheeks flushed red as he blinked several times, stepping back in confusion.

“Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are like twin pools of amber?” Mare asked, stepping forward once Mad had put his mallet away. “Or that your hair shines bronze in the sunlight? I’d love to sit with you and count the constellations in your freckles, find shapes in the way they dust your face like an angel sprinkled them onto your cheeks.” Lifting a hand, he placed it against the wall beside Mad’s head, almost trapping him in the alleyway as he lifted his other to face palm up toward him.

“Wha…?” Mad’s question trailed off as he registered what Mare was showing him: a shimmering music note, hovering above his palm, slowly shifting between the treble clef and a star, slightly tinted purple. “How did you do that?”

“I can make more,” Mare replied, waving his hand to disperse the image before gently reaching up to cup Mad’s jaw. “I’ll make you an entire sky of stars and planets, and I’ll play you any type of music you could ever want. I just need you to say yes and come with me.”

“I-I…” Mad found himself at a loss for words when Mare’s breaths ghosted over his lips, making him aware of how close they were. Shaking hands moved to Mare’s shoulders, not pushing him away, but not pulling him closer either. “Where would we go?”

“I live with some people,” Mare began, shifting his other hand from the wall to Mad’s shoulder. “They’re very good at what they do, and they’ll be able to explain to you how you got here. A new place is frightening, and I needed help, too. I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

Mad hesitated, considering his options as his heartbeat echoed in his ears. An incredibly handsome man was standing in his personal space, face close enough to kiss, asking him to trust him. Despite his reservations about anyone else, Mad found he could… trust him. “What’s your name?”

“Natemare. Everyone just calls me Mare.”

“Well, Mare, I don’t know why, but I trust you. Take me to your place.” He gasped when Mare pulled him into a kiss, holding him close and humming when Mad relaxed into the contact. As he closed his eyes to embrace the feelings, Mare sent them both out of the alley and to the House.

----

“I am literally trying to eat my sandwich here,” Phantom grumbled, tossing a bottle cap at Mare’s head from his place on the park bench. “I thought you two wanted to come with me for support, not to make out.”

“I never said anything about supporting you,” Mare retorted, crouching down to let Mad check his head for injuries when the scientist quietly tugged on his sleeve. “I said I’d come with you, yes, but never anything about support.”

Phantom groaned as he rolled his eyes, setting his sandwich aside as he leaned back. “It’s like you’re a completely different person since you met Mad. I’ve barely seen you this past month.”

“Is that him?” Mad’s quiet voice stopped the twins’ argument, looking in the direction he was pointing to see a man in a red hoodie struggling to get out of a tree. “Red hoodie, green hair, that’s what Host said, right?”

“Right, dear heart,” Mare answered with a smile, giving Mad a quick peck on the cheek as he entwined their fingers. “Alright, Phan, we’ll leave you to it.” With a wink, he picked up their basket of food and disappeared, leaving Phantom without any lunch.

“Jerk!” He called into the air, dusting the crumbs off his pants before standing and heading over to the man in the tree. “Do you need some help?” He asked, looking up at the man hanging off the branch by his legs.

“Oh! Hello!” Phantom would be lying if he said that cheerful yet boisterous voice made his heart leap. “I actually do need a little help! I was trying to do this sick flip off a roof, but then there was this flash and I ended up in a tree. I think it’s an apple tree, but also I can’t get my legs unstuck!”

“Why were you trying to do a flip off a building?” Phantom asked slowly, trying to hide his confusion. His eyes widened when he noticed that the man’s hoodie had ridden up in his inverted position, showing off well-defined muscle that had Phantom’s mouth going dry.

“I’m a hero! My name’s Jackieboy Man, but most people just call me Jackie! I’d shake your hand, but I’m still… very stuck.” He gave an awkward chuckle, face going redder than before when he realised that Phantom was very close to him.

“I guessed you were a hero,” Phantom smiled, tilting his head so that he was almost at the perfect position to kiss Jackie. “Either that, or some sort of weightlifter. Look at those muscles… I’d love for you to show me how strong you are.”

Before Jackie could reply, Phantom snapped his fingers, and he fell to the ground. He blinked when he noticed he’d somehow managed to land on his ass despite being upside down in the tree. Rubbing his hip slightly, he looked up to see Phantom standing over him with dark eyes.

“I-I’ve had some problems with my strength,” he admitted quietly, pulling his hoodie down over his stomach. “I’ve hurt people I never meant to. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you, sir.”

“I don’t bruise that easily, honey,” Phantom managed to get out despite the sudden rush he’d gotten from Jackie’s attempts to be polite. “I wouldn’t complain if you do bruise me, though. And you can call me Phantom.”

Jackie’s face was as red as his hoodie as he stumbled to stand up, dusting off his clothes before looking into Phantom’s face, and Phantom really wished Mare had left behind at least a bottle of water. Jackie’s eyes were twin pools of crystal blue, full of enthusiasm and awkwardness, shining brighter from beneath the mask he wore to cover his face.

Jackie spluttered as Phantom stepped closer, lifting his hands to trail along Jackie’s arms, squeezing at the muscles there before stepping even closer, almost flush against Jackie as his eyes darted from his eyes to his lips and back again. Jackie’s hands snapped up to hold Phantom’s upper arms, pausing when Phantom hummed in approval.

“If you manage to bruise me,” he whispered against the shell of Jackie’s ear. “I’ll happily show them off. I’m sure you’d love to see me in just some loose sweatpants, showing off the bruises on my hips and waist that you made.”

“W-Why would I be bruising those—” Jackie’s question was cut off by Phantom kissing him deeply, his own hands sliding down to grasp Phantom’s waist as if it were natural for them to be there. “You have really soft lips.”

“You are such a dork,” Phantom laughed, leaning his forehead against Jackie’s shoulder to catch his breath, sighing at the scent in the crook of his neck that was distinctly Jackie. “Host found the perfect match for me.”

“Host? Who’s—” Jackie was cut off again by Phantom’s lips, moulding to his own and clouding his mind of any questions.

“Come with me,” Phantom said against Jackie’s lips, slipping one hand under his hoodie to slide up his back. “Come home with me, show me the hero you are.” When Jackie whimpered in response, Phantom kissed him again, sending them to his bedroom as he deepened the kiss.

----

“Hey, we got the guys Host told us to,” Mare stated, holding Mad closely as he glared at Dark. “Why are you acting like we’ve committed some crime?”

“Between you twins and Marvin,” Dark sighed, moving around his desk to face Mare directly. “I doubt we’ll ever get peace and quiet again. Why is your tactic to just flirt?”

“Like you didn’t flirt with Anti when you went to get him,” Mare scoffed, turning away with Mad and starting to leave the room. “Tell Host he needs to find his own match next time.”

“Contrary to your beliefs,” Dark began quietly, watching Mare pause at the door. “It was Anti who sought me out.” He listened to Mare’s baffled snort, closing his eyes as the door opened and closed, leaving him alone with piles of paperwork.

“I must admit,” he stated to himself, lifting the first sheaf of paper from his pile. “At least they managed to get those two to the house without causing any trouble.”

-----------------------------

@brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons @rattyboyisemo

[chasingfictions]

ok @juniperhillpatient's yj livewatch has me in my travis feelings but literally he's haunting the narrative. travis yellowjackets said we are doing the dead girlfriend trope but this time it's the dead boyfriend. literally the flashbacks we get of travis in bed with nat are just the vibes of this video but gender inverted. literally they fridged travis for natalie's pain arc. iconic show. cupping him in my hands like a dead bird. travis and jackie went to haunting the narrative school together but they came out with different theses and majors