#left is called the seagull of la

[pinkhibiscustea]

Dear Hibiscus,

When is the Roundloss and Seagull AA au coming out?/ih/j/t

-Teleporter going up, Jinx

new ace attorney au just dropped everyone!!!/j

context: my friends and I came up with these stupid bizarro versions of miles and phoenix. they're just splendid abominations and I love them. these are satire I promise

♡

bonus doodles!!

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

the summer moon was born from the waves to be loved (gojo x reader) pt 2

or, you got pregnant and the ghost of university days past finds out five years later.

tags: 18+, afab!reader (she/her), baby daddy gojou au pt 2: electric boogaloo

AO3 || pt 1

TAGLIST: (bold couldn't be tagged) @cafedanslanuit @ainescribe @chiyoso @wishing--butterfly @hash-slinging-slasher-trash @sweet-evie @korrynn-nadine @strawberrycrash @juzestellium @theabbies @evalynanne @mghostsworld @syynnaaah @cupidezlyia @princessrow12 @lindascosmos @hydraafk @moosey

o. buoy

If Satoru was forced to use some sort of ocean-related terminology to describe you, he’d say you’re a buoy.

You were the marine biology major. (What was the difference between that and oceanography? Satoru had no idea. You explained it to him at least twice though). Because of that, Satoru heard his fair share of marine terminology from you.

Buoys were those floating things at sea, the ones from Finding Nemo that had all the seagulls on it. You said they were guiding posts, gave heads up for reefs or they could be warnings for hazardous zones.

To Satoru, you were like an anchorless buoy that ー no matter how far he sailed ー he could never reach.

i. halocline

You’ve never felt permanent; not to Satoru.

You sooner felt like one of those quickly formed friendships you thought would last forever only for it to dwindle out as fast as it started. Then that person was just a forgotten name in your contacts list until you’re scrolling down and going ‘Who the hell is this? Delete’ without a second thought.

It was strange.

An oxymoron of the highest degree.

How did someone who was such a constant in his life from the moment you set foot in it simultaneously feel as impermanent as foam on the waves? One minute you were there, the next you weren’t. Satoru wasn’t sure when the fear of you disappearing entirely crept in.

When those looks started appearing on your face.

All he knew was that it started long before he started sleeping with you and it started long before you left.

One moment you’re hanging out ー undoubtedly doing something stupid. Singing the wrong lyrics to a song on the radio, putting Suguru’s hair in pigtails, watching María la del Barrio with Utahime who took one Spanish class and made telenovelas her entire personality for a month ー then you’d grow quiet and this far away look would be in your eyes. Satoru never knew where you went in those moments, but it wasn’t there.

So he’d do something to anchor you back to land. It didn’t have to be much.

A poke to the cheek,

a tickle to your side, 

calling out to you,

sometimes he’d even play with your fingers.

It didn’t matter what he did as long as you’d blink and grin and go “what’s up?” and everything would feel right in the world.

It never would feel right long enough though; the look always came back and the feeling would persist.

When you sang songs in the car.

(“I can do it fast or slow, it really doesn't matter, though. 'Cause I'm a pro, what you say? You wanna take me toe to toe? Uh no, dude, I think so,” you’d rap Kel’s verse flawlessly like you’d rehearsed it for hours. “My style is phat and Immature’s got my back on this funky trackー” you pointed at Satoru enthusiastically.

“You want fries with that?” Satoru would point back with way too much passion for a line that went way too hard for what he was actually saying. “Coo coo ca-choo whatcha gonna do?”

Shoko would roll her eyes but she’d still be smiling when Suguru softly brought in the chorus with rhythmic bumps of his head, “watch me do my thing, I like to do my thing, watch me do my thing, everybody sayー”

Your head continued to bump along but you stopped singing along and looked out the window. Satoru remembered he threw his arm around your shoulders loudly belting the rest of the lyrics until you laughed and joined back in.)

When you indulged Utahime’s telenovela personality change.

(“[First], quit zoning out. I’m bored.”

“Hey, unlike you, I’m actually paying attention.”

“Oh yeah, then what’s been going on?”

“Soraya Montenegro is gasping in Spanish right now.”

“Can you both shut u- OH MY GODー”

“IS NO ONE GONNA STOP THIS BITCH?”)

And at parties.

(Satoru always knew you were about to leave when you made that face. Things could start perfectly at the beginning of the night. You’d finally skulk out of your cave like you were Gollum from Lord of the Rings and wave him over. The next moment? You were in deep thought while your friends made joke after joke, rip after rip.

“Sorry gang, but my lips don’t touch anything but Don Equis and Asahi,” you’d say with an air of regality not suited for a party of college students. “Maybe Corona if there’s nothing else. I’m not drinking... whatever this is. So I’m gonna head out, there’s a 24 hour liquor store around here somewhere.”

“You coming back?” Satoru didn’t know why he asked, he already knew what your answer would be.

“Nah, I think I’m done for the night. I’ll catch you guys later though.”

“I’ll walk you back to your place then.”)

He doesn’t know why he looked at your lips that night at the park. 

You were friends, he liked being your friend. That’s all there was to it. It had always annoyed him up until that point when Suguru and Shoko joked the two of you were more like a couple than anything else. That he chased after you like a lovesick puppy, the pathetic but funny kind. He wasn’t sure why it annoyed him so much.

Maybe it was because it felt like it reduced everything about his friendship with you into that shit take that the opposite sex couldn’t just be friends.

Maybe it was something else entirely. He doesn't know.

You weren’t permanent.

Not while you sat beside him in a park at who knows when in the morning and not even when you reassured him his life would work out the way he wanted and you touched him like he was something precious to you.

“Be careful I don’t disappear for months, spirited away by the sea folk on my Children of the Sea shit. I’ll come back to shore occasionally, mysterious as the sea itself.” You already were as mysterious as the sea itself.

“Even if you got spirited away, I’d just go and bring you right back.” Satoru meant it. Even if, more than anything, it felt more like he was making that promise to reassure himself. It didn’t matter how far off to the sea you went as long as Satoru could bring you back to the shore. “You’ve doomed yourself.” More specifically you said that to him. Maybe he should have taken it more of a warning than a light-hearted nudge.

“You said it first, remember?” You did. He remembered it as clear as day. He’d stumbled onto an unstable boat and you were a buoy far off in the distance.

“There’s no ditching me now, not even at sea.” So stay. That’s all Satoru needed you to do.

The sprinklers that decided to join in on the moment must have been a sign that he was in the middle of a prophecy that was going to be fulfilled whether he wanted it to or not. That’s why he kissed you first in the doorway of your bathroom when you just came to ask if he wanted tea.

Buoys are supposed to have anchors, right? 

Maybe he could be yours.

When Satoru woke up the day after the first time you slept together, he woke up alone.

It wasn't until he reached out an arm lazily to your side of the bed and he patted the mattress several times that he realized no one was there. The bed had long since gone cold so you had to have been gone for a while. Yes, you called five minutes later from McDonald’s cheerily going “Yooo, Satoru, I’m at Mickey D’s, what do you want?” Still it cemented your impermanence and that was only the first of many times he woke up by himself.

You could be out the house or in; Satoru preferred when you were in. Sometimes you’d be in the kitchen humming some unknown tune, other times you’d be watching TV on the couch. Either way, he could drape himself over you with a tired ‘morning’ and hold you close.

(“What are you wa- is that the new episode of Love is Blind?”

“Um… I only just started it two minutes ago?”

“[First], what the hell!? While I was asleep?!”)

From then on when Satoru saw those far away looks, he’d kiss you since it was on the table now. Satoru put everything into those kisses and you’d kiss him back just as hard.

Don’t go anywhere. He’d thread one hand into your hair and the other would pull your waist closer to his. Satoru didn’t want or need anything else. Stay.

You kissed him like you would.

It’s crazy how easily you could just slip away from everything like a ghost that hadn’t been there at all. It was shockingly apparent that impromptu trip you took to the beach in the middle of the semester.

Everyone had been together in awe of the bioluminescent dots in the sea and it donned on him you hadn’t said anything in a while. You were gone.

He’d painted his panic in his usual bravadoー nonchalant and grinning, claiming he was gonna go bother you for a bit.

It was a relief when he found you.

It was dreadful when he found you.

Satoru couldn’t see your face clearly but he could tell your look was intent on the sea and how it shined with the glow of a billion bright lights. If there was a ghost ship calling you out to the depths, Satoru knew you’d leave in a heartbeat.

You slowly became more noticeably distant from your group of mutual friends after that trip. It didn’t start immediately, you’d acted the same as usual at first. You still sang songs in the car, Utahime had grown out of her novela phase in favor of all of you losing your shit at the editing of Indian serial dramas and in between those moments Satoru found himself in your bed again.

It was around that time you started kissing his forehead; when the kisses started, that’s when you started drifting away from his orbit. You said it was homework, your profs telepathically communicating to increase your workload.

You alright?

What kind of sadists are your professors if you’re this busy?

Just let me know if you need me to come over some kind of distraction. Sorry for coming over earlier unannounced, I shouldn’t have assumed. Just wanted to make sure you were okay.

“Do you think she thinks I’m being clingy?” Satoru mumbled as he stared at your text that you were fine just dying from homework. You definitely thought he’s being clingy. He’d always been a bit clingy with his friends. He was probably more overbearing than usual though.

“Yes,” Kenjaku replied without missing a beat. “You’re gonna get dumped if you keep this up.”

God what does Suguru see in this guy? He’s like a fucking parasite. “I wasn’t asking you,” Satoru glared. “And she isn’t my girlfriend.”

Suguru snorted, running his hands through his boyfriend’s hair, “play nice both of you,” he said lightly and Satoru rolled his eyes. “But if [First] is saying she’s fine, then just trust that she’s fine. She’ll come back around when her workload decreases.”

Satoru glared with a pout, “you’re worried too, don’t act like it’s just me.”

“I never said it was, it’s just that between the two of us I’m handling it better. I sent her a surprise uber eats delivery yesterday.” Asshole, that was a brilliant idea. Satoru wished he thought of it first. Instead he asked Shoko to check on you; maybe you’d be more receptive if it wasn’t him bothering you for the tenth text in a row.

Shoko went to check on you. Apparently you were fine and Satoru was worrying for nothing. She even said that you would come and hang out with them soon. Some people might say it’s a bit petty to celebrate the failures of others. In another universe, Satoru might even agree with them. But in this universe, Satoru was a hater first and foremost. So if he and his friends wanted to go out to eat to celebrate the fact Zenin Naoya was bitching about a failing grade on an essay, he and his friends were going to go out and eat to celebrate Zenin Naoya failing his essay.

Apparently, you were all haters.

It was also just nice seeing you again. If Satoru was more poetic, he’d probably add a bunch of other things to that statement. It was just nice to have you back.

“Karma is probably gonna come back to clap us in the ass for celebrating someone getting a bad grade,” you snickered.

“Sounds like a problem for future us,” Suguru grinned with a twinkle in his eyes.

“We go to school with the Japanese version of Ben Shapiro,” Satoru choked on his strawberry smoothie when Shoko said that. “I think we’re covered on karma.”

“Y’all are terrible people,” Satoru clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disbelief and shame.

“Hey, good neighbor, this dinner was your idea,” you nudged him with a dry tone and a smile.

Satoru nudged back with a grin of his own.

Dinner was fun, lots of drinks and jokes. It was a non-alcoholic beverage sort of night. Shoko said it was because they’d clearly been drinking too much if Satoru of all people had gotten better with holding his liquor. Her point was fair but rude nonetheless yet when Satoru turned to whine for you to come to his defense, the distant glaze was over your eyes and your smile was smaller than it had been the last time he looked at it.

“[First],” your motion to close your apartment door stopped and you hummed with a raised eyebrow. Satoru felt more dread than usual that night. Something about the air had been different. The face you made felt different than it normally did. It was always distant, you were always far away, but tonight was the worst it had ever been. “We’re good, right?”

You look at him like he grew an extra four eyes. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Satoru couldn’t meet your eyes as he shrugged wordlessly. You’d probably say he was being ridiculous and clingy if he mentioned anything but he couldn’t find anything else to say to make himself seem unbothered either.

You rolled your eyes with a grin before stretching your arms out wide. “You’re being overdramatic, you big baby. Come here, big guy,” Satoru pulled you in close, burying his nose in the corner of his neck. Despite welcoming your embrace, it did nothing to soothe Satoru’s anxieties.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Satoru asked without pulling away from you completely.

The way you smiled at him was warm but it still somehow felt unreadable. Satoru knew all of your smiles. Your happy ones,

the sad ones, 

the one you made when Sora finally got into Smash. 

The ones you made when you were mad that he was successfully charming his way out of you being mad at him. 

Satoru didn’t know this one.

Despite that fact, Satoru let you cup his face in your hands and he let you stand on the tip of your toes to place a kiss on his forehead. “See you, Satoru."

ii. undertow

Sleep didn’t come to Satoru after he laid in bed.

His head was too full as he kept running back through what you told him after he took you home.

You didn’t say you’d see him later.

You’re just being overdramatic, Satoru forced his eyes to close. You’re always overdramatic. It’s my best trait 30% of the time.

No one else said anything that night, it was just him who felt like this, right? It was always just him. If everyone else felt like something was off all night, someone would have mentioned it by now. With that, Satoru forced his eyes closed for all of five minutes before he decided to send, at the very least, a dumb meme. Something that’d make you laugh when you saw it and would make you reply “I’m wheezing” or “that’s so us!”

A quick stroll through his photos was all it took to find something suitable. He can’t remember exactly what it was, only that it was stupid.

It was stupid and didn’t go through to your phone.

A disconnect and reconnect dance to his wifi later and it still didn’t go through.

Satoru’s feet was on the pavement before not even a heartbeat after he calmly made sure his apartment was locked.

He just had to be sure you were okay. It was just him being an overdramatic, big baby. Your phone died or something and that’s why nothing was going through. Or maybe this was like the time you put your phone in airplane mode to narrowly avoid sending Shoko the wrong meme and then forgot to switch it back off.

You don’t answer the door when he knocks and he goes back and forth between knocking and trying to reach you on your other socials.

Twitter? Blocked.

He can’t find you anywhere else.

Instagram.

LINE.

Discord.

It’s like you were never there, gone from all the group chats and servers you once shared.

Satoru stayed outside of your apartment for the better part of an hour before one of your neighbors opened her door tired and annoyed.

“Dude, do you know what time it is?” Your neighbor asked groggily. She’s a nice girl, the reason rent was low enough in the area you could afford an apartment on your own. Apparently she wrecked shit in the neighborhood on the low to keep the rent down. Even better was the fact she was the landlord’s daughter. Not all heroes wore capes. 

“Sorry,” Satoru knew he must look like a maniac with his messy hair and wide eyes. “have you seen [First]? I’m having a hard time reaching her.”

The neighbor gave him a funny look, “she moved out tonight,” she told him like that was the fifth time she told him that her favorite color was orange. “I thought it was weird you didn’t help with moving her stuff out a few days ago. She gave me the key to give it to my dad tomorrow. Didn’t she tell you she was leaving?”

iii. la niña

Satoru didn’t know which was worse sometimesー the fact Shoko kept the fact he had a daughter a secret for five years or how he found out.

It wasn’t like Shoko approached him one gloomy night when memories of the most prominent ghost in his life began bubbling to the surface. She didn’t grimly say that she needed to tell him something and he should sit down for it. She didn’t start off with apologies, saying she felt she had no choice or that if things had gone different she would have told him.

None of that happened.

Satoru found out by accident.

Accident.

All because Shoko didn’t hear him approach her when she was on her phone scrolling through instagram. She was so focused on whatever she was looking at, she didn’t even notice how Satoru quietly snickered to himself and snuck behind her to give her spook. He was just about to say something, ready for swears and ‘you’re so annoying, what are you 12?!’s when he took an instinctual glance at her phone and he saw you.

Thoughts of scaring Shoko went out the window in a matter of milliseconds. He didn’t even feel his body move when he snatched her phone out of her hand.

“Heyー” Shoko started with an offended hiss but when she looked over her shoulder, she looked like she saw an impending storm and her jaw clamped shut.

Satoru took in the photo like it was the last thing he’d ever see. You were dressed in a blue t-shirt and cream colored shorts, some aquarium’s logo stitched into your clothes. You were holding a kid, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek while the girl was caught mid-giggle. And when Satoru looked at the little girl in your arms, it was his eyes that looked back.

“I- she told me not to say anything,” Shoko murmured, brown eyes looking anywhere but at him. Then the secrets came rolling out one after the other.

“If I didn’t see this picture,” Satoru’s grip tightened on Shoko’s phone to ground himself to the present. “Were you still going to keep this a secret from me?”

Her answer was silence.

iv. el niño

“I have to be honest,” from the corner of your eye, you see Satoru chasing after Itsuki, Nanako and Mimiko. Suguru is watching next to you on the bench, your respective care bags for accidents and playground injuries at the ready between you. “I thought I’d be more surprised you’re a dad now. But it kinda just makes sense. You always had ‘single mom’ energy in school.”

Brown eyes flash with recognition, “you had a dream about me adopting kids once, right?”

“No, I had a dream where you were off a perk and calling people without powers ‘monkeys’,” you correct your old friend petulantly. As if he should have remembered after all these years without contact. “You just happened to adopt children in the process of all that.”

Suguru snorts, “my apologies for getting the details wrong. So you had a dream that I adopted kids once and that I was off a perk."

"Exactly, thank you."

A silence somewhere between comfortable and awkward settles over the two of you, save for the squeals of little girls and Satoru’s manic laughter as the evil sorcerer king.

Suguru looks nice. 

He’s still rocking the man bun but he’s opted to let some of his hair hang loose and he’s a couple hundred pounds down a shitty, parasitic boyfriend. Suguru and Kenjaku broke up halfway through the semester after you transferred. “Before you ask, yes, we had dinner to celebrate,” Suguru told you when you saw him for the first time in years a few days ago.

You’ve had your fair share of private updates on the lives of your old friends you didn’t keep in contact with. Shoko kept you up to date on everything. A surprising number of your old friends had gone into the field of educationー Utahime, Suguru and Satoru. You wonder how Satoru’s parents reacted to that information. You have yet to ask; it seemed like too much of a mood killer when Satoru happily recounted stories about his students a few weeks ago.

When Itsuki almost trips you make to stand but Satoru catches her before you can blink. 

“He’s pretty good with her,” Suguru says like he’s a mind reader. “There was this kid we used to babysit, Riko, when we were younger. He said he hated it but he’s always been pretty good with kids.”

You can believe it. There’s plenty of things you remember Satoru complaining about despite his inherent talents in them. It makes you want to cry sometimes seeing how good he is with Itsuki. Your daughter is smart enough to play neutral when he asks but you’re pretty sure your daughter has a favorite parent. Adorable little traitor, you laugh softly to yourself. You’d think five years would give someone an edge.

Five years.

“Are you… mad?” You look at your old friend from the corner of your eye.

Suguru takes his time answering, mulling over unknown thoughts in his head. Playful as you remember Suguru being, he’s always been introspective. He thinks before he acts, lets things slowly come to a boil before turning off the stovetop. “I was more worried than mad to start,” he finally speaks. “It’s not everyday an entire group of people gets ghosted. I’m a little mad you didn’t open up though.”

Your smile is small and your eyebrows knit apologetically. 

“But at the end of the day, this is nothing compared to what went down between Satoru and me in high school. So I guess I can forgive you.” You never did get the story about Satoru and Suguru’s mysterious high school turning point. The itch to know all the details is minor compared to the way your shoulders relax when Suguru shoots you a familiar smile. I missed you too. “Just don’t do anymore disappearing acts.” Smooth as they come, Suguru raises a closed fist just above your care bags. 

Smile a bit more grand, you bump the side of your fist to his. “I can happily vouch that it won’t be happening again.”

“Good. It’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s nice being back.”

v. sea state

“Did you get an undercut?”

“Yeah, a while ago,” Satoru grins. “I look nice, right?”

“Please accept the compliment normally so your arrogance doesn’t rub off on our daughter,” you shake your head but a good-natured grin is plastered on your face. “Itsuki, make sure Daddy behaves. You’re in charge as the honorary aquarist.”

Itsuki’s eyes fill with delight at the duty bestowed upon her. “I will,” she promises, chest puffed with as much pride as a five year old can produce. It’s a rare day off in the middle of the week for Satoru. Normally he’s confined to his school during these hours, but thanks to some school holiday you scheduled in advance for him to take Itsuki around your aquarium. It isn’t the first time Itsuki’s been, you’d taken her there before she could even walk. It might as well be her first visit though from how she’s beaming. “Daddy, you have to be good so Mommy doesn't get mad.”

“As you command, general,” Satoru salutes playfully, picking Itsuki up in his arms. “Now then, if you excuse us, this father-daughter duo is gonna enjoy the aquarium while you work.” 

“Bup bup bup,” you tut before the man can take off. “At least let me get my goodbye kiss before you run off to have fun without me,” you peck Itsuki’s cheek once, twice before blowing a raspberry and she squeals. “Alright,” you place your hands on your hips. “You two go have fun. Tell Daddy all the names you gave the whale sharks, okay?”

You think that’s that until Itsuki innocently asks, “where’s Daddy’s kiss, Mommy?” You blink once. Maybe you misheard- “You’re supposed to give both of us goodbye kisses, aren’t you?” Apparently you haven’t.

“I think Daddy’s too old for goodbye kisses, Itsuki.”

Itsuki squints, unsatisfied with your answer, “but Grandma always kisses Granny and they’re ancient.”

Why do your parents have to have a long lasting and fulfilling love life?

You and Satoru share an awkward smile as you both wonder what either of you can do to get out of this situation. Kissing Satoru used to be as easy as breathing. He’s always been the more affectionate of the two of you and it rubbed off on you some time during your university days. But you’re not in university anymore and your relationship has most definitely changed since then.

Still with bated breath, you gesture for Satoru to bring his head low enough for you to kiss his forehead, “there. Now both of you go have fun.”

If you think you see Satoru’s expression dim, he’s all smiles the moment you blink. “Try not to be jealous when you see us feeding the stingrays, [First].” He’s gone before you can tease you’re the one of the employees that help with that.

Once a maelstrom, always a maelstrom.

You love your place of work, it always has a familiar noisy sort of peaceful bathed in the light of blue decorated in corals, pinks and purples. Aquariums have a special magic to them. You fell in love with the sea when you were young and never fell out. The magic somehow is renewed every time you clock in, even on the most trying days.

How can you not when you see the dozens of people that stop by with the same love?

How can you not when you see dozens of people that stop by and fall in love with it for the first time?

“Hi, Mommy!” You hear Itsuki call from a distance. You wonder how she can even see you when you look up and see she’s on Satoru’s shoulders. It’s so natural, the two of them together. She’s wearing his sunglasses, if you can really say that. They keep sliding off her face but she holds onto them resolutely and Satoru is smiling widely in front of the tank full of black tip reef sharks, whale sharks and dozens of other fish in between.

You don’t know how your heart can fill with even more affection than you thought possible but it does. “Hi, baby,” you wave back. “I love you!”

“I love you too!” I have to enjoy that before she gets old enough to start thinking she’s too cool to tell her mom I love you. You know Satoru should too when you see her lean over to plant her father an awkward kiss on his head. You can’t hear what she tells him but you can guess she must be saying she loves him. Even from his profile, you can tell Satoru is saying he loves her back from how adoringly he looks up at her.

You see Itsuki giggling and saying something else you can’t hear, looking down at her father in earnest.

Whatever it is she says, Satoru looks over at you with eyes that are wide and somehow reflect all of the blue from tank lights. Despite how it makes your heart twist, you give him another small wave. When he doesn’t wave back, you wonder what it is your daughter could have said that had him in such a stupor.

Whatever he says to Itsuki, his eyes stay on you while he says it.

vi. nearshore

“Do you still like the same brand of honey or no?” You call over your shoulder from the kitchen.

It’s unusually quiet in your apartment since Itsuki is at your parents’ house for the weekend. You only realized you’d forgotten to tell your co-parent when he showed up at your house with sweets in hand. “What Itsuki doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” you told him with a snicker when you invited him inside to eat them. 

“Satoru?” You call out again.

No response.

You turn off the eye your kettle is on and look out into the living room. He’s right where you left him. “Hey,” you sit on the ottoman in front of him. He blinks in surprise when he sees your hand waving in front of face. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Satoru smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Let me rephrase that question,” you start anew. “What’s wrong? Come on now,” you grin crookedly. “You’ve always sucked at pretending to be okay in front of me.”

Satoru’s smile falters for a heartbeat, “yeah?”

“Yes, Mr. Bravado,” Satoru might have been an expert at fooling others, but you know him. He was the guy who never took notes but passed every test because he worked his ass off in the background. The type who’d act oblivious but you realize halfway through a meal that the reason he took you is because he noticed you’d been feeling down lately. It’s one of the things you love about him. “So come out with it, fess up.”

One, two, three seconds pass before Satoru finally cracks.

“I’m mad. More at myself than anything.” Before you can reply, Satoru opens his mouth again but it feels more like he's talking to himself. “I shouldn’t be upset anymore, right? We made up.” Satoru runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. “We made up,” he says again. “I shouldn’t still be mad about anything. Things have been going great.”

Satoru finally falls silent and he looks tired. You hate you’re the reason for it. “It’s okay to still be mad about Itsuki. I’m sorry,” you whisper. “I… I’d take it back if I could. I know that doesn’t mean anything after five years but I mean it. Even if I was scared I should have told you. I just- I don’t know, it had gotten into me. I was thinking how you couldn’t commitー”

“You thought I was non-committal?” Satoru raises an eyebrow and he looks hurt by your revelation.

“Satoru, you have never been in a relationship with anyone throughout the time I’ve known you,” you rub your finger and thumb together nervously. Five years later is as good as any time to have a conversation you should have had long ago. “You were scared when I asked what our relationship was, remember?”

“I didn’t know what the right answer was,” Satoru argues with his hands raised. “I thought you were tired of our friends always talking about us being a couple.”

“You were relieved when I said that-” you stammer over your words thoughts going much faster than your mouth could. You remember the tormented days of unrequited affection quite clearly. If there was someone who avoided romantic relationships like the plague, it was Satoru. He was a flirt, relished in the attention he received for his well-known good looks. Regardless, he’d never committed to anyone. “You said fucking someone else was a non-issue! For all I knew you were sleeping with someone else, it wasn’t like we were-”

“It was a non-issue if it meant you weren’t going to take off and start avoiding me!” Satoru snaps like you’ve grown a second head. Maybe you did judging by how he looks at you incredulously. Your mouth closes, unsure what to say next and Satoru looks away with a scoff. “It’s the other way around,” he mutters so soft you almost didn’t catch it. “you were the non-committal one.”

“Excuse me?” It’s your turn to look at Satoru like his body has magically sprung additional body parts. When he doesn’t immediately say anything, you double down. “Satoru, you don’t get to say that and then turn around and not elaborate on it.”

“You know, the first day we met, Suguru told me that I acted like the sun shined out of your ass,” Satoru says much to your confusion. But he went on, lost in his memories, “it might as well have, I thought you were so cool. I wanted you in my life so bad from pretty much the moment you said I doomed myself. I didn’t care what happened next in my life as long as you were there for it.

“But you left me,” Satoru croaks with a smile, crystal blue eyes dark and empty. “You left me.” The way he says it breaks your heart. “I’m so gone for you. I’ve always been gone for you. I just didn’t want to see it. Somehow I always knew you’d leave.” He laughs, cold and humorless and completely lost. “And you did.

“You could be right there with me and then suddenly be so far away. It always felt like you would just up and leave one day. You and Utahime always talked about intuition and trusting it. I guess mine was saying from early on ‘this girl is gonna break your heart one day, don’t fall in love with her.’”

“I knew it when you got those far away looks in your eyes. I knew it when I woke up that first morning alone. I knew it when you didn’t say you’d see me later. And just like that you were gone on that ghost ship. You left and didn’t even tell me you were going. Do you know how much that fucking hurt? I wait outside for hours and your neighbor’s the one who tells me you’re gone. I may have purposely lied to myself about how I felt but I never slept with anyone else. I didn’t want anyone else. I was the one who kept reaching out, you never reached back.

Itsuki’s the second tier on the cake and the rest of the frosting. You’ve been gone on that ghost ship for five years and when I finally catch up, I still feel like I’m drowning.”

“... I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I didn’t know.”

“I know. That’s almost the worst part. Guess I didn't wear my heart on my sleeve as much as you thought.”

.

.

.

“It was the week after our second year midterms,” you recall when you were six years younger and the biggest problem you had in life was a professor was out to get you. Midterms had finally passed and you were on a victorious emotional high after finishing your last exam. At least until some asshole who should have covered their mouth coughed and you were coughing by the end of the day. “I got a cold and just so I could breathe better when I slept, you let me lay on you on the couch the whole time even though you ended up getting sick afterwards.” 

You’d felt so bad, coughing all the while but Satoru hadn’t let you budge an inch, proudly claiming ‘I don’t get sick, I’m built different so cough away.’ When he got sick days later, he said over coughs, ‘This has nothing to do with when you were sick. This is from Suguru.’ “That was when I realized that I’d been stupidly in love with you ever since I met you.”

Gojou Satoru has been called many things throughout your years of knowing him. But for you, the fall child has always been easy to love. He was made for it. “You were a pain in the ass but you were my pain in the ass. I never wanted it any other way.”

“Stop being mean to me,” Satoru leans forward to rest his head on your shoulder just as you wrap your arms around his back. “Don’t you know who you’re being mean to when you’re being an ass?”

You laugh weakly, “the guy I’m still gone for?” When you hear a sniffle in the corner of your neck, you tighten your grip.

"Don't go away this time," Satoru hugs back.

vii. ocean deep, seafoam soft

Satoru finds himself in your bed again for the first time in years.

“I confess my love to you and you try to kill me, I'm hurt.”

“Oh don’t be such a baby, I didn’t even know it was there,” you chuckle fondly after the two of you stumble into your bed after nearly tripping on a stray toy on your floor. Satoru loves that laugh. He loves how you look up at him with all the adoration in the world. “Remember that time we forgot that textbook was on your bed?”

“Please don’t remind me, my back hurts just remembering it,” Satoru whines but laughter escapes him despite his apparent trauma. It wasn’t one of your best moments during your shared years of sexual escapades in college. You pull him down kiss his lips tenderly and he practically moans, relishing the feeling. No more forehead kisses, he wants to tell you. You did that a lot before you left. 

"I love you," Satoru whispers in awe at the words falling out of his own mouth. In awe at the fact you’re even there with him at that moment. “I love you.”

Your hands cup his face like he's something precious and you thumbs away the tears pooling in his eyes despite the ones in your own, "I love you too.”

Satoru’s had sex with you more times than he can count. 

He memorized everything, refused to forget a single detail. It feels like the first time all over again.

The way one set of your fingernails dig into his back while he envelopes your other hand with one of his own. How your fingers intertwined tightly. How amazing you feel squeezing around him tightly. The speed of your pulse as he peppers your throat with kisses and soft nips. The ache between his legs as he rolls his hips into you gently yet persistently, chasing his high but wanting it to last long beyond the confines of this singular moment. 

It’s not just this one moment anymore though. “[First],” Satoru squeezes your hand tighter. “[First].”

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Don’t leave me this time, Satoru gasps like a man starved for air before kissing you again desperately. Stay.

(When Satoru wakes up the next morning to you in his arms and playing with his hair at the base of his neck, he feels like could cry. He nestles into your chest with a tired grin, “morning.”)

viii. anchor

Gojou Itsuki, that’s the name staring back at him.

Satoru loves when it’s his birthday. Until Itsuki was born it was arguably the best day in the universe. The importance of birthdays tends to titter on the rope of priorities, but it’s the one day of the year when the people important to him would pop up to say ‘hi’. Even people from the past. An old teacher he used to drive crazy but always said he thought Satoru had a lot of potential.

His mom still sent him a birthday text even if most of their exchanges are dry the rest of the year.

Even his students will tip in to get him a card and some sort of celebratory gift on December 7th.

December 7th lost a bit of its shine when you exited from his life. With you and Itsuki both in it, it shines tenfold.

It’s just the light is too blinding when Satoru takes out his last present of a plain envelope and he sees Gojou Itsuki written in bold and clear text.

Gojou Itsuki

Father: Gojou Satoru

v. sea state private ver.

"Daddy, do you love Mommy too?"

"Yeah. Daddy loves Mommy."

[usedtobeguest123]

Encantober Day 1 - Sunset

Bruno stepped his bare feet down onto the wood of his bedroom floor. He stood from his bed and padded to the center of the room. The air was thick with salt and brine, filling his nose with the sharp, wet scent. He could taste the saltiness on his tongue. The tide pushed in across the floorboards, the chilling foam washing over his bare feet, thinning as it went until it was just a film across the wood behind him. As the water pulled back, it carried grains of wood with it like sand, and Bruno's heels sank slowly into the floor, leaving him standing just a little deeper than he'd begun.  He'd never been to the beach. He'd read about it, but being here was different. The saltiness tasted different than salt tossed into the air, than the rush of dry sand. It all felt thicker, heavier. He used to daydream as a child of visiting the beach, and here he was. How funny that all he had to do this whole time was step out of bed.  Ahead of him Mirabel and Antonio splashed and played in the wake, seagulls dipping down to greet them with harsh calls. Deeper in, Luisa and Camilo swam amidst the waves. Antonio was almost as tall as Mirabel. When had he gotten so tall? ... It was a sunset. Or was it a sunrise? Wait--hadn't it just been night, hadn't he just been in bed? As the last of the orange sun slipped below the line of water, a flash of green raced out like a gunshot, pulsing toward him faster than the tide. WOOSH. He squeezed his eyes shut as it pushed past. Everything tasted green, salt and brine.

For @encantober-official Day 1, I took inspiration from a vision-dream that Bruno has in chapter 13 of my fic La Traes. His reimagined bedroom is from my other fic Bruno from Before; you can find its description below the cut!

There were no more treacherous stairs to trek up, nor ghastly images of a haunted prophet to pass to get to Tío Bruno's cave. Now it was just the ornate round door settled deep into the back wall of his room, shadowed slightly by an hourglass shaped entryway that no longer poured out sand. His main room was cozy and warm now, despite the impossibly high ceiling of the tower that rose above it. Natural light filtered in from the round window at the top of the tower like a cathedral, illuminating minute particles of dust and sand that floated lazily through the air. The left side of his room held a small bed tucked against the wall, a desk littered with papers and pencils, and a dresser situated next to the main door. The entire right side of the room was a sitting area, red and green cushioned chairs angled at each other just enough to encourage conversation but not enough to force it, a low table sitting between them. The backs of the chairs were to the center of the room, the chairs positioned to face a wall of bookshelves loaded with not only books but also doo-dads and collected odds and ends that Tío treasured for some reason or another. Two or three of the plants gifted by Isabela climbed precariously from their potted places on the shelves. One entire shelf seemed to be some sort of rat maze. Framed pictures of each and every Madrigal, some current and some yellowed with age, spread across all the walls like butterflies drifting in clustered groupings.  And there, straight across from the main doorway, stood the hourglass cutout and the large round door through that, looking for all the world like nothing more than a particularly interesting closet and not a room where the future sifted into the present. 

--Bruno from Before

[vad-hander]

LET’S KEEP IT SECRET Pt.7

pairing: Jaehyun x reader x Yuta

others: SM Rookies, multiple SM and JYP idols

genre: series | idol!au | smut | angst | fluff | slow burn | unrequited love | friends to lovers (oops) | mutual pining | idol!nct | idol!reader | teenage to adults (trainee days until today)

words: 5k

side note: as usual, I'll appreciate all your feedback and thoughts! Things happen in this chapter😉

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

It was hard to describe what 6 of you were doing, but it was just like what you imagined having a night on LA beach would be like with a group of your friends.

It’s what every teenage drama showed you and made you wish for, you felt a little drunk even though you were completely sober, you didn’t know if it was the happiness that this carelessness brought you, the warmth of Jaehyun’s shoulder that every now and then brushed against your shoulder or his fingers on yours. The weather was a lot colder than you wanted it to be, it was October and the wind from the ocean made you shiver and you were sure it was getting even colder the longer all of you were out, Jaehyun being the only ray of warmth for your body, you unavoidably scooted closer to him for warmth every time you felt shivers run down your bare legs. You were so glad your & Jaehyun’s friends immediately befriended each other and  what felt important to you - girls were able to hold back their hitched breaths and gasps at the real life interaction with real life idols. You could really see the effort of not asking about idol life in their eyes. Johnny and Haechan were actually the best company to bring along, you had to take your metaphorical hat before Jaehyun - they were like a set of comedians, making everyone laugh while you were taking a walk along the beach, you watched them haunt seagulls, and right after all of you were having a competition of best seagull impersonation at Johnny’s suggestion, and you laughed so hard you maybe haven’t had a good time like that since the day you left SM aka your birthday at Jaehyun’s house. Speaking of whom.

You turned around to see his face, because his shoulder was bumping into yours while he was shaking from laughter, velvety deep sound of his laugh making you feel weird. With how rarely you saw him you weren’t used to that sound. It almost like you were feeling every beat of his laugh in your stomach. His eyes were the usual crescent moons and he leaned back with every laugh that came deep out of his throat and you smiled even wider. You cherished every bit of him so much. When Yuta was sick Jaehyun made sure to be right there to save you from misery taking care of your heart - like he always did. Even when you distanced yourself from him, even when you tried your best to hurt him with silence, he was squeezing your hand at first call - even when the first call wasn’t even from you. 

You still felt pangs of hurt in your heart every time you tried to imagine how Yuta purposefully found Jaehyun and told him to entertain you while he’s sleeping, probably out of this world tired from the headache. You wanted to be mad and really couldn’t. He cared for you even when he was dying from a migrane. 

“Does anyone mind sitting down for a little while?“ Johnny suggested after another attempt of all five of you to drag him somewhere near water, it was obvious as a day that he wouldn’t move an inch but you still gave in to Haechan’s suggestion, clearly all of you now drunk on the fun you were having. 

“Yes, please.“ Ryujin nodded and the very next moment Johnny dropped his body on the sand, stretching his legs out with a sigh like he ran a mile. You scooted around him like little kids, close to each other so the wind wouldn’t make all of you too cold too soon. 

“How’s JYP been treating you?“ Johnny wondered, his face first focused on you and then moved behind you to Jaehyun, who despite it being more logical to sit next to Johnny and Haechan sat right behind you, in a proximity that barely held you back from sitting on his lap. You tried to scoot closer to Yeji, but as you tried to make the move Jaehyun got even closer and you stopped, he wouldn’t let you move away from him at all. 

“It’s fun, a lot of work has been done and I hope you’ll be able to see my progress very soon on stage too…“ you trailed of shyly, shrugging as your right ear was blessed with a proud sound from Jaehyun’s throat. “I wasn’t able to make as many friends though. It’s been only Yeji and I and not that long ago we became closer with Ryujin.“

“I bet Jaehyun sighed relieved at that.“

“Why would he?“ Ryujin wondered, totally invested in the comment from Haechan.

“Because we’ve been teasing him a lot since y/n left.“

“I wonder why you never mentioned you were so close with NCT!“ Yeji exclaimed once again and hit your thigh. 

“It’s not that big of a thing-“

“So she didn’t tell you she was best friends with Seulgi and was meant to be part of Red Velvets-“

“Oh, stop. With Red Ve-“ You cried at Haechan mentioning the past.

“That’s fine, everyone’s got things like that. I was meant to be in EXO and had to wait another three years to be here now. It’s part of the way.“ You pursed your lips at Johnny’s encouragement, it was the first time ever he tried to make you feel better about your failures and you could see why Jaehyun appreciated his friend so much.

“I didn’t know!“ Yeji exclaimed once again.

“Well, it’s been an eternity since I last spoke with Seulgi, what’s the point of bragging about the past.“ 

“But still! Jinyoung from GOT7 took me for coffee a few times to thank me for being his fan and I think I told like the whole agency at least twice.“

“Doyoung-ie used to host a show with him.“ 

“Right.“ Yeji nodded.

“And now it’s Jaehyunie’s friend that hosts this show.“ You turned around quickly to look at Jaehyun. You didn’t need to be a Sherlock to work out they were referring to Mingyu which basically meant he did take the opportunity to befriend those boys. You smirked at him, feeling relieved that it all worked out at the end of the day, you were overthinking sometimes the fact he said you were overstepping your boundaries and felt guilty. 

“I’m happy you made more friends.“ Jaehyun pressed a palm facing up on your thigh and you quickly layered you fingers on top of his. Everyone paused their conversation and trained their eyes on your connected hands. “What?“

“You better be secretly dating all this time.“ Johnny smiled fatherly, gaining scandalised gasps from your girl friends.

“We are not!“

“JYP would literally flip out-“ Yeji repeated what she told you once already in literal horror and you forced yourself toilet go of Jaehyun. 

“It’s just a habit back from when we were babies. We exchange energy through our fingertips if that makes sense. We wouldn’t even talk sometimes - just reconnecting like that. 

“And then you say you’re not even that close?“ Yeji had to make fun of what you said and both Haechan and Ryujin smirked.

“Anyway! Can we not focus on our friendship? I really wasn’t planning on going through analysis of this relationship.“ You had to clap in front of their noses so they’d stop.

“So-“

“Do you mind if we’ll ask questions about idol life?“ Ryujin finally broke down the topic that actually bothered you three.

“No, go off.“ Johnny nodded.

“Is it what you imagined it to be like? Like what the say it is?“ You perked your ears up to hear the answer when you felt five digits against the side of your waist, squeezing you lightly for attention.

“Yeah?“ You turned around to face Jaehyun.

“Want to talk to just… me?“ 

“Yeah.“ You exhaled in a heartbeat. What else would you even tell him when you could see stars in those eyes. Why was he so soft spoken, and sweet, and perfect and loveable? It never bothered you up to this day that Jaehyun was all that and nothing less. 

Jaehyun stood up immediately, brushing off sand from his bum, and extending a hand to you that you ignored. Even you started to feel like he was hitting on you and to people that rarely or never saw you together before it probably felt like full on flirting. You needed to keep yourself within the bounds of decency. You patted the sand off yourself too and gave the girls a quick a glance, mouthing ‘will come back quickly’.

You could still feel burning gazes of your friends on your back for a few moments, before you could hear the chatter once again. You trailed behind Jaehyun quietly, he very obviously made it his goal to walk as far as possible from the eye of your friends. There was quite a few people at the beach so it made it easier for you two to blend in with the mass. 

He reached back for your fingers when you were pretty far away and you can’t be sure whether he slowed down or pulled you to walk faster, but now you walked in line and and his fingers teased Yuta’s gift on your finger unknowingly. 

“I can’t believe you and me are strolling like that along the Santa Monica beach.“

“Me too.“ You couldn’t agree more.

“Even though it’s not what you wanted, I’m so happy for this chance to see you even for this brief moment. It makes me a horrible friends, but I’m glad Yuta got a migraine tonight.“ With the way he said it and with the way he sounded you couldn’t be mad he was happy at your misery, you giggled and just gave him a nod.

“Maybe it’s not what I wanted initially, but you’re still my favourite person no matter what. You’re always on top of the list of options.“

“A-,sh-. It’s going to get in my head.“ He just beamed. You didn’t know stating simple facts would make him out of this world pleased. 

“I bet you’ve had that in your head for a little while.“ You teased, tugging on his hand.

“No-.“

“Aren’t they lining up to get your phone number?“ You smirked.

“Well, they do.“ Jaehyun admitted shyly and you couldn’t see in the darkness but you really hoped his ears still turned red at those things. You hoped it didn’t actually get in his head, at least yet. What surprised you more is not him admitting to obvious - a sudden pang of jealousy struck you like a lightning, a mere perspective of Jaehyun finding someone closer than you made you sick in your stomach. You had a boyfriend that so happened to be Jaehyun’s friend and it was always pretty lowkey and harmless to your friendship but whatever was gonna happen to Jaehyun made you scared and uncomfortable and painfully jealous. You snatched your palm out of Jaehyun’s grip because it became too sweaty suddenly.

“Lucky someone.“ You tried to say calmly, but for sure what came out of your mouth was more of a bite than sweet commentary. 

“No one’s lucky.“  It made your heart relax just a little, because it was only a question of time how much longer would it be this way.

“I would’ve never taken you as someone that settles for whoever, it’s good you’re picky.“ What were you doing and saying, you really wanted to drawn in the water and even had a perfect chance to do so.

“I am n-.“

“I have a gift for you, actually.“ You didn’t want to hear a single word more on Jaehyun’s love life, you needed to move on immediately. You had a great opportunity - those damned photos in your passport cover - you brought them along because it was better to get rid of them like that than throwing them in the trash.

“Yeah?“ Jaehyun asked happily. You reached out for the inner pocket of your jean jacket - finding the printed out photos. You didn’t want to even glance at those - pressing them against Jaehyun’s chest whiteness facing you. “Is that a letter?“ He chuckled before reaching for photos and somehow managing to brush his fingers against all of yours. As soon as his crescent moon eyes focused on what it actually was he swallowed and you looked away. You were scared he’d ask why the heck did you want him to have those and you wouldn’t have an answer whiting decency bounds. “It’s you and me.“

“Mmmh.“

“Boo, what are you doing to me?“ Jaehyun murmured so sweetly. You absolutely hated the tone of his voice being so low and god forbid even saying this outloud - sexy and seducing.

“What do you mean?“ You were flushed, you needed to enter the water to cool yourself off.

“No one does what you do to me.“ You were pretty sure you were burning alive. 

“Whatever you meant with that.“ You chuckled in pure awkwardness and walked away from him into the literal unnkown.

“Want to keep one for yourself?“ He caught up, allowing for you to catch a glance of him carefully hiding the photo in a pocket in his jacket next to his heart -  not like it was intentional nor meant something. Oh god, why were you thinking and feeling those things? You were sober and probably just insane. 

“I don’t know.“ You shrugged carelessly like you didn’t plan on printing one of those photos onto your forehead. 

“I can keep the one of you staring at me and you can keep the other one. Like we’d always  be looking at each other.“ He reached the photo back to you and you hid it quickly in the same pocket.

“Okay.“ You shrugged once again, when your body was making backflips inside. He understood you so perfectly, he suggested and wanted exactly the things you wanted, you forgot it was October and cold and the water was probably freezing because you personally were sweating in your summer dress and jean jacket. You squatted next to the water and reached out a hand to meet the next wave, it barely touched your fingers and you reached further, in what felt like a comedical accident being met with a very strong wave and having to pace away in a hurry to not get your sneakers completely wet. Jaehyun stood right beside you and watched you with a fond smile. “Have you touched the water?“

“No.“ Jaehyun shook his head a no and you quickly invited him to get closer to you. He squatted next to you and reached  out his right hand next to your left one.

“If we were American teenagers we’d go skinny dipping or something like what they do in movies.“ You could see Jaehyun’s face get red even in the darkness. You laughed at his reaction, knowing for a fact that’s a level neither of you would ever reach. New wave hit the shore and both of you had to crawl backwards, laughing and grabbing each others’ hands in the process. Whenever you’d move back a little to not get wet, and once you scoot back closer - the waves were too strong and you had to sprint back holding each other’s hands. You fished your phone out to film the shore and the beach and the coming waves, but somehow all you’ve got in that short clip is a second of your palm above water before Jaehyun’s fingers grab onto yours and push you behind and all you could hear is your screaming and his laughter and the two of you already rewatched that video at least 2 times laughing in unison every time.

Jaehyun’s pointing finger ran over the ring on your ring finger. It was Yuta’s gift for your birthday and just as you promised, you haven’t taken the thing off once. “Where’s this ring from?“ You immediately jerked your hand behind your back like you were electrified. “I don’t see you that often but I feel like you always have it on.“

“I do.“

“Can I see?“ Jaehyun asked with a dimpled smile, very much impossible to deny, but not in a case like that.

“Why?“

“Just curious.“ You panicked a little when Jaehyun reached a hand out palm up for you to let him see, while he very clearly didn’t have a second thought about it. Well it wasn’t a crime to have a ring with a heart on your finger, so you lowered your palm on his. It’s not like he’s going to take it off your finger and see what’s inside-.

Why did Jaehyun do exactly that and reached his other hand to twist the ring off your finger? You immediately took your hand back behind your body.

“What are you hiding?“ He chuckled and reached behind you playfully, forcing for you to jump back and run, a very dumb decision made. Jaehyun very obviously took off right behind you and it wasn’t like he needed to use much physical strength to catch up and wrap one of his hands over your body from the back to stop you. You sneaked out from under his arm and with your back to the water, you couldn’t care now if you’d stepped in water, you wanted for Jaehyun to not know that the ring was dedicated to Yuta, no matter what. “Come on, it’s not like I’m planning to steal it. It’s cute, I’m just checking it out.“ 

“No, I don’t want you to.“ You smiled because Jaehyun was smiling all the way, he was playing and you didn’t have a reason to take this seriously. You walked backwards, taking the ring off your finger to put in your pocket while Jaehyun couldn’t see, instead, feeling both his hands grab yours. You tried to fight back a little before it hit you in a few seconds. The moment Jaehyun reached for you and you tried to ditch the grip you let go of the ring.

“Jaehyun-.“ Your throat was suddenly dry with panic “I dropped it in the ocean.“

“Yeah sure, I get it, you don’t want me to-“

“No, I’m serious, I dropped it into the ocean. Fuck!“ You turned around and squatted trying to see what obviously wasn’t there anymore.

“Fuck.“ Jaehyun mirrored your exclamation. “Boo, I’m so sorry.“ You couldn’t give him a reaction, you were running your fingers through wet sand like it’d suddenly be somewhere in there. It won’t, clearly. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.“ Jaehyun cursed repeatedly and only did you notice that he took his converse off, walking deeper into the ocean and running his fingers over the sand underwater. “Y/n, I’m so sorry.“ with the way he sounded, you were’t sure who was more upset with the loss. His fingers ran through the area around you in such a hitched and fast pace, not paying any attention to the water that very obviously made his ankles and jeans wet, and the rolled up sleeves of his jacket almost being hit with water as he trailed off slowly deeper. You followed behind him, taking your shoes off too and immediately regretting the idea - the water was freezing, you couldn’t understand how he’d paid no attention to that. 

You walked behind him and didn’t do anything anymore, just followed the movement of his hands with your eyes. Jaehyun looked desperate like it was his ring  that dropped into the ocean, like it meant much more to him than it did to you.

You had to admit that there’s no way you’d find it and quickly get out of water before either of you get sick.

“Jaehyun, it’s pointless, let’s go.“ You tried to grip onto his arm.

“No.“ He waved you off.

“It’s the ocean.“

“It doesn't matter, the ring clearly meant a lot to you. I have to at least try.“ He didn’t even lift his head up, just his voice letting you know he listened while his hands continued the search.

“Jaehyun, it’s freezing, I won’t forgive myself if you’ll get sick before the award tomorrow.“

“I won’t forgive myself if you’ll lose your ring because of me, boo!“ Jaehyun argued back at you in clear panic.

“Jaehyun.“ You tugged onto his elbow and forced him to finally unbend and look at you. “It’s fine, I promise, it’s my fault anyway, I let go of it.“ 

 “Because of me.“ He genuinely seemed utterly devastated at the idea. You walked around him and pressed him by the chest towards the shore. “I’m so sorry.“

“I swear it’s fine, stop with those eyes.“ You begged him, he almost looked teary eyed, while you already accepted and almost moved on. “Jaehyun, you’re making it hard, stop.“ You mumbled under your breath. Why was he this worried about a ring he didn’t even know the origin of, maybe it was just metal accessory, nothing more than that. 

“I’m just sorry.“ He whispered once again and covered your palm on his chest with an absolutely freezing one of his. You didn’t quite yet walk out onto the shore, but the water barely touched your feet and you caught up with backwards walking Jaehyun and closed your lips on top of his, because it was the first thought that crossed your brain when he came in your sight tonight and somehow it crossed your brain at least a million times throughout the evening. With the way he cared for your ring, it really was the last straw of your sanity. Jaehyun stopped and you stopped too cause you were met with the wall that was his body. You closed your eyes to not see his reaction and tried to move your mouth against his - Jaehyun didn’t make a single move, or take a breath that you could feel, its like he froze completely and only then you realised what the fuck you did. All the balloons of excitement in your brain popped, butterflies in your stomach died and your heart, well, it froze in fear. Fear of not recovering your friendship from this point, ever. 

You let go of Jaehyun, forcing your hand from under his. This was so much worse than losing a ring. This deserved a million repetitive fucks  from both of you.

All of those feelings vanished as quickly as they hit you when you could very clearly feel Jaehyun’s hand grip onto your neck, forcing your mouth against his. His other hand wrapped around your waist and firmly against his body. Not having a better idea, both your arms wrapped around Jaehyun’s neck as his lips moved over yours in an over-satisfying kiss. Somehow, you never thought of how Jaehyuns lips would feel like or taste like, but somehow, they perfectly fit with what you were craving your entire life. Jaehyun kissed your cupids bow with so much feeling and  tenderness that you felt your legs turn into jelly and the cold water on your feet wasn’t helping to bring you back to your senses and stop. You opened your mouth because Jaehyun’s grip on your waist got tighter, and it was difficult for you to breathe now, you felt just like that time Yuta kissed you for the first time-.

Though you didn’t mind deepening the kiss at all, his tongue dancing in unison with yours made you realise one horrible thing - you were cheating on Yuta. Your hands let go of Jaehyun’s nape, where they’ve been playing with his hair and onto his chest - pushing him off you. Jaehyun didn’t understand what and why you were doing, still chasing your mouth even as you tried to move back until you actually hit his chest with force and he let go of you, not catching up with the way you sprinted away from him.

“Fuck, fuck. Fuck!“ You exclaimed and wiped your mouth even though you really didn’t want to, grabbing your shoes and heading back to your friends.

“Wait.“ Jaehyun tried to follow. “Y/n, please.“ Jaehyun caught up with you and turned you around with force by your shoulder, it wasn’t really the time to be careful, and stupidly, foolishly and very seductively, he leaned in and tried to kiss you once again, your arms to your chest with your shoes were the only reason he didn’t flush you against his body once again. You let him kiss you for a second and probably would’ve allowed it for another 2, 3, 4 and even 5, if it weren’t for the fact you were about to not so metaphorically throw up because you were a cheater. 

“No! No, stop!“ You pushed him away and ran once again. “This is so bad, just stop.“ Your lungs were grasping for air that didn’t seem to get in them. “Why didn’t you stop me!“ You cried out loud, feeling tears prickle your eyes in panic. Your brain constantly jumped around Yuta. What would he feel like if you’d told him, with the way he cared for minor things this would be fatal. A type of thing to not recover from. 

“It’s okay, I promise.“ Jaehyun caught up with your panic, his eyes even more worried when he saw you fold in a squat, head hid in your arms. “Don’t worry, boo. Everything’s okay, I promise you. You and me are fine, I won’t tell anyone, if you’re worried about that, I promise you. It’s really nothing.“ Jaehyun repeated the same things multiple times again and again to calm you down. “Lift your head up, I need to make sure you’re not crying.“ Jaehyun’s voice became clearly closer, him probably sitting down next to you.“ “Hey?“ You raised your head because you feared he’d touch you. "You better not be crying because the kiss was so bad. It can't be, right?" Jaehyun poked your side to get a reaction out of you. No, the kiss wasn't bad, it felt so good you didn't know kissing someone could feel like hundreds of electric shocks hit your body. You thought what you felt when kissing Yuta was a lot, but somehow, in comparison to this, it felt little. "Come on boo, tell me I'm not a bad kisser, I'm going to start crying now too." You would rather not tell him a thing, and you would really like for him to shut his mouth too. 

"It's-, ah-." you tried to speak, moving your body with additional physical force further from Jaehyun. "I'm going back there." you were so deep in remorse you couldn't spare a glance at Jaehyun's face, even though you would very gladly spend the rest of the night in comfort of Jaehyun's aura. 

How would you even look Yuta in the eyes after YOU kissed his friend. You stood up, carelessly putting on your shoes and socks with a ton of sand inside. 

“I really want to pee, so I think I’m heading back.“ You announced as you were not more than a meter away from the group of people you left. You could hear Jaehyun trail behind you.

“With Jaehyun?“ They asked with big smirks over their faces, not reading the room at all.

“No, Jaehyun stays here. If you’re feeling like calling it a night, we could go back together.“ You looked at both Yeji and Ryujin. 

“You’re not coming back after bathroom?“ Johnny asked confused.

“No.“

“Yeah, just need a bathroom.“

“Did something happen?“ Johnny finally looked at Jaehyun, whose jeans were still obviously wet up to his knees. “Is everything good?“

“Okay.“

“It was nice seeing you all, I hope we can see each other again soon. Bye-bye.“ You waved everyone off and as you walked a little away, both girls caught up with you. 

“You won’t even say goodbye to Jaehyun?“ Yeji half-whispered confused.

“I’ve already.“

“What happened with you two?“

“Nothing, I just need to pee.“

“You sure?“

“Yes.“

When the taxi arrived and you squeezed yourselves in the backseat, neither of you wishing to sit in the front row, you scooted your body closer to the window, dialling Yuta’s number in fear, panic and desperation. No matter how fast your heart was beating inside of you, the outcome was always the same -  the number you are calling is unavailable right now.

[vorish-wonderland]

Rook decides to gather all of his targets (including you) in one room and have some fun. He shrinks everyone, and... it's time for the hunt to begin.

Includes: soft/safe vore, unwilling prey, fearplay

★✦A Predatory Medley✦★

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠⁠･⁠｡ﾟ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

Everyone is in one place.

Leona, Ruggie, Azul, Jade, Floyd........... and you, for some reason.

"Ah... what a shame Monsieur Fier-a-Bras could not attend. I would have quite enjoyed having him here... I would have also enjoyed having the Roi du Dragons here, but, ah, c'est la vie." Rook sighed.

"So why'd you bring us all here, Seagull?" Floyd asked, making sure he kept his arms around you. He's been real clingy all day...

"Ah! I simply wish to share with you an interesting potion I've created! It's a shrinking potion which can usually only be crafted underwater, as it turns into a gas the second it makes contact with oxygen, however, I have created it on land! How impressive, non?"

"Uh... yeah. Real impressive, I guess..." Ruggie awkwardly said. "......so can we go now?"

"Ah, not yet... I do have something more to show you."

"No, I'm leaving." Leona said.

"Me too, I don't trust this one bit." Azul added.

"Oh dear! No no! You can't leave yet!" Rook insisted, running to the door. "I still have to do something!"

"And that would be...?" Jade trailed off, hoping Rook would finish his sentence.

"This."

Rook let go of the potion, letting it fall to the ground. The glass shattered in every direction as Rook quickly left the room and held the door shut.

"THE HELL?!" Leona screamed, pounding on the door. "THAT BASTARD TRAPPED US IN HERE!"

Your eyes darted to the liquid on the ground. You noticed it start popping and fizzing, almost looking like it was somehow bringing itself to a boil...

"Ah! L-look! The potion, it's-!"

And then, the entire room became filled with a magic gas.

"DON'T BREATHE IN!!" Ruggie yelled, placing a hand over his mouth. "QUICK, FIND A WINDOW!"

"There aren't any in here, genius!" Leona sarcastically said. "Octotwerp! Get your damn goons to help me break the door down!"

"I've said it multiple times, they don't answer to me!" Azul yelled.

"I would help you, however, it seems the potion is already taking it's effects on us..." Jade mentioned.

That's when you and everyone else realized that... the room seemed to be slowly getting bigger.

After everything stopped, Rook entered the room once more.

"Ah! It worked!" Rook excitedly said, grabbing Ruggie first. "And now, for what I've been waiting on so patiently for~"

Rook dropped Ruggie into his mouth, and then...

Gulp.

You were completely horrified.

Floyd suddenly picked you up and started running away... somewhere. It looks like everyone else had a similar idea.

You and Floyd hid behind some stones and artifacts just as you saw Azul get grabbed.

"I think we'll be safe here... I am not letting Seagull eat me." Floyd scowled. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, but... w-why would Rook do this...?" You asked, very nearly on the verge of tears. You've always been a bit of a scaredy cat, but this... this was too much.

"Well... y'know... I'll be sure to, um, keep you safe." Floyd blushed, looking away from you.

"You... you would really do that for me?"

"Of course I would..." He sighed. "But I can't believe he was right! Seabream read my palm earlier and told me somethin' was definitely gonna go wrong today, and I don't think it could go any more 'wrong' than this..."

"Haha, yeah, I guess you're right!" You said, trying to deal with the situation.

You then notice Floyd's expression change to pure terror as he grabbed you by the shoulders. Before you could ask what was going on, he shoved you to the side, and then...

"Shrimpy, you have to run."

He was grabbed by Rook.

You immediately started running as fast as you possibly could.

You heard the sound of something being swallowed, and it wasn't long before you were grabbed as well.

"Bonjour, (Y/N), mon petit crevette, as Monseuir Malfeasant would call you~" Rook smiled widely.

"P-please, I... I don't..."

"Oh? Whatever is the matter, petit crevette?" Rook asked. "Are you perhaps missing your dearest mur��ne? Ohhh... how sad that is... but don't worry! You and he will be reunited in due time... ah! How beautiful this is! You're willing to be eaten just to be reunited with your dearest murène!"

"W-WHY ME?! WHAT'D I DO?!" You screamed and cried.

My my, what are with these tears? I'm simply trying to reunite you and Monseuir Malfeasant!" Rook said, dragging his finger gently across your face to wipe your tears. Rook placed a hand to his mouth as he let out a small burp. "Ah... excuse-moi... they're being quite rude in there. You can calm them down, I hope."

You couldn't stop yourself from crying.

"I'm sure you see right through me. And I needn't explain myself to you." Rook glared. "Now, en vous allez."

Rook then placed you in his mouth.

Then, he swallowed you whole as if you were nothing at all.

You were hyperventilating and screaming and kicking and hitting, just trying to do anything.

"That's quite rude of you, (Y/N)." You heard Rook say. "If you're smart, you'll knock that off."

That terrified you into stopping.

You ended up falling directly into the arms of someone.

"Huh. Well that's a coincidence." It's... Floyd. He caught you. "You didn't do a great job at running away, didja-?" You immediately grabbed onto him and started sobbing once more. "Wha- Hey! Hey, hey, calm down! Calm down, Shrimpy! We're gonna be fine, ok? The teacher's would definitely notice if a group of students suddenly went missing, then they'd eventually pin the crime on Seagull, so he can't hurt us."

"A-are you sure.....?"

"...mostly."

And then, Jade arrived.

"Rook is not planning on letting us go and is going to let us die in here." Jade said as he fell down onto the squishy flesh.

Knowing Jade, he was messing with you, but the stress was too much and you burst out crying yet again.

"Great, now they're crying again." Leona rolled his eyes. "Can this day get any worse?"

"Oh yes. I heard them panicking and thought that would be fun." Jade smiled. "My apologies, (Y/N)."

"Ahh!! How wonderful!" Rook squealed. "Oh if only I had the Roi du Dragons to top this all off, but alas... I suppose this is good enough, for now... I'll have to get him some other time."

Rook contently rubbed his stomach, he adored this feeling.

"Though, how ironic it is that NRC's predators found themselves eaten, swallowed whole by a simple human." Roook laughed to himself. "It seems the hunters have become the hunted, hmhm~"

Rook laughed to himself as he began to clean up the glass on the floor.

You didn't like how noisy it was. You didn't like how the walls were contorting and constricting around you. You didn't like how moist and humid it was.

Floyd made sure to keep you in a tight hug the whole time, calming you down enough to not pass out from fear.

Leona had accepted this for now and somehow fallen asleep despite the situation.

Ruggie was still kicking at the walls, trying to get Rook to spit everyone out, sighing every now and again as if he knew it wouldn't do anything.

Azul and Jade were discussing... something, probably businesss.

You lay back, resting your head on Floyd's chest, letting yourself close your eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Good to see everybody's calmed down." Rook said. "I'll let you all out in due time."

[nathisisdead]

THE NYMPHS!

(Cause I replayed one of the games and cried)

Betilla; Oldest Nymph, has fairy genetics, legit one of the rulers of the council or has a lot of power. Also most mom…will take care of everything and everyone. Very protective, Polokus/bubble dreamers favourite Forest Nymph.

Also the eggplants mom so she’s there for him all the time.

Helena Handbasket; cool aunt…no like really cold to the touch. Knows hunting skills and gathering. Knitted Ray a lot of sweaters for winter & always gets them as christmas presents. Very sweet & soft spoken. Always a rosy nose of the cold. Loves warm hugs & smores

Edith Up; Fun Party Nymph, makes great buffet and deserts. Most relaxed one of all, smells good like fruit n makes a smashing sangria (bc of the ice level with the fruits)! Strong as heck but very sweet sensitive soul. Has a cookbook when Ray moves out & loves when his pal Globox comes to visit with him.

Holly Luya; ….one of the prettiest nymphs, can harmonise everything. Music is not only noise but spiritual, as it moves the Glade of Dreams in the right path of wealth & growth. Most intelligent in healing & rehabilitation, and is gifted with a golden warm voice. Everyone who visits desert of the digiridoos leaves with a smile and she is just fun to hang around. Gave Ray his first guitar….a broken one sadly.

Anetta Fish; great fun nymph, super strength and fast swimmer. Mermaidy coral, flashy colors and pears from the most beautiful oysters. Hates seagulls just like the rest. Iridescent skin in sunlight and dark eyes to see well in the sea. Also just fun to hang around & will take you to secret lagoons to relax. Gives rayman some nice pearls & rocks from the beach as gifts when he visits.

Fee De La Mort; I am biased…best nymph. (Super alternative but in that cool way tho? ), knows vodoo (obv cause the name implies). Will turn you in to a frog if you are rude, will turn into her monster form if you are Really mean. Lives in a dark house underground and will throw great parties, expect the loudest rock music you’ll ever hear. A bit sassy but in a good way, and also loves art. If you want tattoos go to her studio it’s the best. Will offer Rayman for piercings & tattoos but Betilla won’t allow it. Gave him an “eye”-phone in a gift, left him uncomfortable. Still uses it tho… also introduced Rayman to Metal. He thinks she’s the cool aunt but won’t tell anyone in fear of hurting them.

Also raymesis has a crush on her.

BONUS ROUND!:

Ly:…Rayman’s first crush and one of the most powerful fairies ever, everyone miss her and she never calls back. She just disappears if she doesn’t like things. Very cat like, but honest and sweet, will chit chat with Rayman for a while about his growth. Also give him a silver lum as a present….like every year.

Uglette; If you are sad? Visit uglette, the glades uncertified therapist and big momma. She will take good care of you and your friends, will call you “baby, darling” etc. you feel right at home. Good soup at globs house. Always cheerful. Rayman loves going to her house and eat dinner and just have a good time, especially if the feelings in him are a bit down. Will give him socks and scarfs for christmas. Homemade pie too

[sciatu]

Dicono che c’è una spiaggia dove il mare porta le anime di coloro a cui ha preso la vita. È una spiaggia lunga, dalla sabbia dorata dove le onde leggere e costanti restituiscono al sole chi negli abissi gelati, non potrà più vederlo. Sono marinai e viaggiatori, migranti soli e disperati o famiglie che fuggivano alla morte ma a cui sul mare la morte ha dato l’ultimo passaporto per viaggiare nel mondo,  terribilmente liberi dai bisogni, tristemente salvi dalle ingiustizie e dai silenzi in cui altri uomini, li avevano obbligati. Dicono che se chiudi gli occhi e ascolti il vento, su quella spiaggia senti le voci dei bambini giocare, senti le madri chiamarli ed i padri sorridere per le loro corse sulla sabbia intoccata e i tuffi tra le onde ormai loro sorelle. Le nuvole diventano rose quando i loro sogni e desideri li toccano ed i gabbiani scivolano tra le loro speranze ormai orfane. La sabbia piange lacrime silenziose e da loro nascono fiori solari che non muoiono mai. Dove sia questa spiaggia nessuno lo sa, ma se su una spiaggia solitaria chiudi gli occhi e senti la voce di bambini felici, allora è quella la spiaggia di chi è partito e non è mai approdato.

They say there is a beach where the sea carries the souls of those whose lives it has taken. It is a long beach, with golden sand where the  constant and light waves return to the sun those who, in the frozen abyss, will no longer be able to see it. They are sailors and travellers, lonely and desperate migrants or families fleeing death but to whom death on the sea gave the last passport to travel the world, finally terribly free from needs, sadly saved from injustices and silences in which other men, they had been forced to. They say that if you close your eyes and listen to the wind, on that beach you hear the voices of the children playing, you hear the mothers call them and the fathers smile as they run on the untouched sand and dive into the waves, now their sisters. The clouds become roses when their dreams and desires touch them and the seagulls glide among their now orphaned hopes. The sand weeps silent tears and from them are born sunny flowers that never die. Where this beach is nobody knows, but if on a lonely beach you close your eyes and hear the voices of happy children, then that is the beach of those who left and never landed.

[dadjokestop]

Get ready for some fun with these Spanish jokes memes! Humor transcends borders, and there’s no denying the joy that comes from sharing jokes that play with language and culture. Whether you're fluent in Spanish or just love the sound of it, these jokes are sure to tickle your funny bone! 1. Why was the computer cold? Because it left its Windows open! (¡Porque dejó abiertas sus ventanas!) 2. What did the tomato say to the other tomato during a race? “Ketchup!” (¡Alcanza!) 3. Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one! (¡Por si se hace un hoyo en uno!) 4. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! (¡Una impasta!) 5. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired! (¡Porque estaba cansada de dos!) 6. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! (¡Un oso de gomita!) 7. Why was the math book sad? Because it had too many problems! (¡Porque tenía demasiados problemas!) 8. What do you call a snowman with a six-pack? An abdominal snowman! (¡Un hombre de nieve abdominal!) 9. Why can’t you give Elsa a balloon? Because she will let it go! (¡Porque lo dejará ir!) 10. What did the fish say when it hit the wall? “Dam!” (¡Muro!) 11. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! (¡Porque era excepcional en su campo!) 12. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together! (¡Lo une!) 13. What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese! (¡Queso que no es tuyo!) 14. What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator! (¡Un investigador!) 15. Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! (¡Porque lo inventan todo!) 16. What did one wall say to the other wall? “I’ll meet you at the corner!” (¡Nos encontramos en la esquina!) 17. Why did the cookie go to the hospital? Because it felt crummy! (¡Porque se sentía desmoronada!) 18. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frostbite! (¡Mordedura de frío!) 19. How do you organize a space party? You planet! (¡Lo planeas!) 20. What did the grape do when it got stepped on? Nothing, it just let out a little wine! (¡Nada, solo dejó salir un poco de vino!) 21. What do you call a factory that makes good products? A satisfactory! (¡Una satisfactoria!) 22. Why did the golfer bring an extra pair of socks? In case he got a hole in one! (¡Por si se hace un hoyo en uno!) 23. Why do we never tell secrets on a farm? Because the potatoes have eyes! (¡Porque las papas tienen ojos!) 24. Why did the music teacher go to jail? Because she got caught with too many notes! (¡Porque la atraparon con demasiadas notas!) 25. What do you call a snowman with a sunburn? A puddle! (¡Un charco!) 26. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot? A carrot! (¡Una zanahoria!) 27. Why did the stadium get hot after the game? Because all the fans left! (¡Porque todos los aficionados se fueron!) 28. Why are ghosts such bad liars? Because you can see right through them! (¡Porque puedes ver a través de ellos!) 29. What do you call an elephant that doesn’t matter? An irrelephant! (¡Un irrelevante!) 30. Why do seagulls fly over the ocean? Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be bagels! (¡Porque si volaran sobre la bahía, serían bagels!) Conclusion These Spanish jokes memes provide a lighthearted way to enjoy humor while celebrating language and culture. They’re perfect for sharing with friends or adding some laughs to social media.

[bamboomusiclist]

1/18 おはようございます。Alvin Curran Andrea Centazzo Evan Parker / Real Time ICTUS0006 等更新しました。

Charlie Parker / On Dial Volume1 101 Charlie Parker / On Dial Volume2 102 Charlie Parker / On Dial Volume2 102 Charlie Parker / On Dial Volume4 104 Shorty Rogers And His Giants / Modern Sounds h-294 Mary Ann McCall / Sings dl-3011 VA / Songs Of Rodgers & Hart Songs of Johnny Green DL3014 Anita O'Day / What Is This Thing Called Love - Boot Whip 15162 Gene Norman's Just Jazz / Perdido 20-660 Barney Wilen / la Note Bleue ida010 David Forman / David Forman Al4084 Allman Brothers Band / Win Lose or Draw cp0156 Scotty Moore / What's Left gns36038 Moby Grape / Truly Fine Citizen 63698 Paul Butterfield / Better Days br2119 Azymuth / Flame M-9128 Emilio Santiago / Comigo e Assim 6349348 日野皓正 Terumasa Hino / Hip Seagull VIJ-6010 Alvin Curran Andrea Centazzo Evan Parker / Real Time ICTUS0006 Steve Lacy Alvin Curran Frederic Rzewski / Threads hz05

~bamboo music~

info@bamboo-music.net  

530-0028 大阪市北区万歳町3-41 シロノビル104号

06-6363-2700

[frombeyondtheblackhole]

Hermit DSMP Swap AU: Part 9

Foolish flinched. Qackity’s shouting stopped abruptly. It was warmer (Las Nevadas was surprisingly cold). Foolish slowly opened his eyes. An open grave stood at his feet. His heart jumped into his throat and he stumbled backwards, falling on his back. He stared dumbfounded as a bee flew out from the grave and landed on his knee for a moment before flying away. Quackity was nowhere to be seen. 

His breathing slowed and he looked around. He was in a graveyard next to a church. Was he dead? Was this limbo? What had happened? He wasn’t supposed to die… but he had died before. But if he had died just now he still should have had his third life, he should have respawned… maybe he had. Maybe he was still alive… That made more sense. No, wait, he still had all of his stuff, if he had died his inventory should have been empty… Foolish held his head in his hands and stared at the ground.

“You ok there, friend?” 

Foolish’s head snapped up. A man with neon green hair stood on the other side of the stone wall surrounding the graveyard. Foolish quickly picked himself up and brushed himself off. “Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine… um- this may seem like an odd question, but, am I dead?”

The man laughed, “I don’t know, are you? I mean, I assume you're not dead, cause I’m not dead, unless you’re un-dead, if you know what I mean.” 

Foolish let out a deep breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Alright, I’m alive, i'm not dead,” He muttered, staring at the sky.

“You sure you’re fine?” The man asked again, putting air quotes around the ‘fine’. “Cause, you don’t seem fine…” 

Foolish shook his head “No, really, don’t worry about me, I was just a bit disoriented, that’s all.”

The man pursed his lips and raised a brow “You asked me if you were dead… not if you had died. Which means you knew there was a chance you might get stuck in a respawn glitch. Have you been messing with server magic?” 

“You make that sound like a bad thing.” Foolish scowled and crossed his arms looking down at the man. He wasn’t in his twenty-three foot form but even in this form he stood almost a foot taller than the other man.  

The man shook his head “It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just dangerous. I mean, I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I condemned people for messing with server magic.”

Foolish didn’t look impressed. “It’s only dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.” 

“I mean, I guess.” The man said rubbing the back of his neck as he contemplated Foolish’s words “But no one is stupid enough to mess around long enough to get the practice...” He trailed off as he looked up to see Foolish looking at him with an incredulous look, “Oh.” 

Foolish finally relented and his expression softened, “Maybe you're right, I mean, my name is Foolish after all,”

The man chuckled, “Maybe we're both a bit crazy. I’m Joe, Joe Hills. Nice to meet you,” He said, climbing over the low stone wall and reaching out his hand. Foolish smiled and shook it. Joe had a firm grip.

“So you said you have experience with server magic, what can you do?” Foolish asked as the two of them walked out of the graveyard and over to the church. This church was much nicer than church prime. As a builder Foolish could appreciate the detail put into the architecture.   

Joe shrugged as he sat down on the steps and leaned back on his elbows looking up at the sky, “I can see better in the dark If I want to. Honestly, I don’t really mess with it much anymore.” 

“Why not?” Foolish asked, leaning against the wall. 

Joe shrugged but Foolish noticed his grip tighten into a ball. “It wasn’t worth it. A friend of mine got hurt and almost didn’t respawn. Actually, she should be around here somewhere, I wonder where she went?” 

---

Cleo stood on a concrete road getting yelled at by an angry man with a scar through his left eye and a blue beanie.

 “Who the fuck are you? What the fuck did you do to Foolish? Where is Foolish.” 

“Aaa, Foolish is a Zombie!” another man wearing glasses and green suspenders yelled. 

Cleo staggered backwards and summoned a sword from her inventory, “Who am I, what about who are you?”   

“You better tell me, right fucking now, what the hell you did to Foolish or I’ll-”

“You’ll do what? Don’t try me, I’ll put this sword through your skull I will,” Cleo bluffed. 

The man with the scar summoned an axe.  “Charlie, go get Purpled, tell him we have an intruder in Las Nevadas.” 

The man in green, presumably Charlie, looked at him perplexed “But, Quackity from Las Nevadas, why are we attacking Zombie Foolish?” 

“Damn it Charlie, Just get Purpl-” 

Cleo didn’t let him finish. A yell ripped from her lungs as she charged him, sword swinging. Quackity startled and blocked with the shaft of his axe. He shoved her off and she staggered back. Cleo dug her heels in swinging the sword like a club. There was a burst of pain, or more like cold (Pain felt different ever since the undeath) as his axe cut into her shoulder. But he was bleeding too. His axe returned to his inventory as he clutched his arm and staggered back. Cleo gripped her sword tighter, breathing hard, her eyes locked on him. 

She felt the impact and another burst of cold as an arrow hit her in the chest. Her head snapped up, there was a kid in purple firing arrows from a crossbow as he ran towards them. He was wearing full netheriet.

Cleo turned and ran.

“Stop her, she fucking did something to Foolish!” Quackity shouted. She didn’t stop running as arrows landed about her feet. Down the road through a tunnel and past a stone fortress. Cleo scrambled off the road, over a hill. She could hear them still behind her. Dodging through the hills she was able to shake them by looping back around behind them as they continued on. 

Once they were gone she slowed down. She touched a hand to her shoulder. It was throbbing with a dull ache and it felt cold, a deep cold like ice in her veins. She looked down. The arrow was still in her chest. She needed to do something about that. 

She was back at the fortress. Cleo slid down the hill, climbing behind the wall and slumped against the stone. She gritted her teeth and pulled the arrow from her chest with a grunt, dropping it in the grass. A golden apple appeared in her hand and she took a bite, the juice tingling in her mouth as the regen and absorption began to take effect. 

The throbbing eased a little and the wounds began to close. She looked up and froze. An enderman stared back at her with mismatched eyes. No wait, not an enderman, at least not quite. Half of his face was white. 

“Hey Tubbo, I think I found out what Quackity was shouting about.” The half-enderman kid called over his shoulder. 

Cleo staggered to her feet, her sword out. “I won't hesitate to-” 

The half-enderman backed up and raised his empty hands “Oh no, we're not with Quackity,” He explained. 

Cleo scowled but lowered her sword. “Well isn’t that lovely, someone who doesn’t want to stab me.”  

He looked alarmed, “Oh, I wouldn’t do that- I mean, I definitely don’t want to do that.” Now that she got a better look at him he looked kind of young, he was tall but in the lanky teenager kind of way. He looked to be 18 or 19, maybe 17. His suit probably made him look older.  

“Oh hey, so what was Big Q so mad about?” Another kid said as he came around the building. He stopped short when he saw Cleo. “Oh…” He was much shorter than the ender-kid. Two horns curled up out of his brown hair and almost every inch of exposed skin was covered in burn scars. Cleo let her sword return to her inventory. 

“Big man, why is there a funny looking zombie in our base?” the goat kid said 

Cleo bristled, “I’m still a person, thank you.”

The goat kid looked back at Cleo  “Ooooh- oops.”

“Now look what you’ve done, you’ve gone and insulted her.”

“I didn’t meeean to, how was I supposed to know?” The goat kid wined. 

The two bickered like a married couple. Cleo coughed “Um- would either of you two be able to explain what is going on,”

“Haven’t got a fucking clue,” The goat kid chirped, a little to cheerfully. 

Cleo pursed her lips, “Well, could you at least tell me where I am?” 

“Um… The road between Las Nevadas and Spawn. Or do you mean here-here. This is our cookie shop.”  The ender-kid explained.

Cleo blinked.

“I think she means the server big man,” The goat kid said, “This is the Dream SMP.”

Cleo blinked again. So not Hermitcraft. Shit. 

---

The goat kid introduced himself as Tubbo and the ender-kid as Ranboo. Cleo explained what had happened, which made Tubbo laugh. It turned out that the cookie outpost and Las Nevadas were in conflict and Tubbo liked the idea of doing something that would, in his words “Piss off Big Q.” 

Cleo tried to return to Hermitcraft but was met with an error message. Tubbo and Ranboo offered to let her stay in Snowchester till she figured things out. They had no idea how she got there but they didn’t seem too concerned about it.

Snowchester was surprisingly far away from what the kids were calling a cookie shop. To Cleo it looked suspiciously like a military outpost but who was she to judge? 

Snowchester was a quaint little walled in town, overlooked by a massive mansion worthy of any Hermitcraft base. There was a tower, docs, and a little wheat field mixed in with little log and stone houses.  The air was crisp and cold, light snow fell around them landing on her hair and bare arms. Untouched snow coated the steps to most of the houses and closely shuttered windows looked back at her. The ocean lapped against the shore and the sound of a boat bumping against the pier carried up through the town. A single seagull landed on a stone wall. It looked at Cleo and cawed.  

Ranboo and Tubbo lead Cleo around a strangely industrial building on a hill in the middle of the town with “Danger, keep out” signs on the doors. 

“So what’s in there,” Cleo asked, nodding towards the industrial building. 

Ranboo raised his brows and looked at Tubbo. Tubbo pursed his lips “Oh nothing much, that’s just where we do equipment testing. You’re not allowed in there,” he added. There was finality to his tone. Cleo wondered what he was hiding and if it was worth snooping around to find out, but there was a dark conviction in the way that the kid with too many scars said it. The way the ender-kid hovered at his side anxiously watching everything. Maybe she should be careful not to make more enemies.  

They lead her to a little house behind the industrial building. “This used to be Foolish’s but he moved out so you can stay here for now,” Tubbo explained opening the door and letting them inside. 

“Foolish… the guy who Quackity thinks I kidnaped? You’re giving me his house?” Cleo scoffed looking around. A square table and chairs stood off to one side, a counter with a furnace and cabinets lined the back wall and a cactus in a pot sat by the front door.    

“Well, it’s not really his house anymore, he hasn’t lived here for months,” Tubbo shrugged. 

Cleo sighed, “So long as he won’t mind. Goodness this whole situation is a mess.” 

Ranboo gave her a sympathetic smile.  

“Welp,” Tubbo clapped his hands. “We’ll let you get settled in. Just don’t go snooping around in people’s homes, we are pretty private people here.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Cleo said absently, still looking around the room.

Tubbo and Ranboo left, closing the door behind them. 

There was a silence and then Cleo jumped at the sound of someone drinking milk. She spun around summoning her sword, freezing as the invisibility melted away to reveal Etho standing in the corner. 

“Finally, I thought they were never going to leave,” Etho muttered.

“Etho! What are you doing here?” Cleo bristled. 

Etho looked sheepishly off to the side as he rubbed the back of his head. “We’ll, I might have been following you. If you mean here on this server, we don’t really know. Oh yeah, TFC’s here too. We’ve been stuck on this server for about two weeks now. Least, I’ve been, TFC showed up about a week ago.”

“So wait, You're telling me you have been stuck on this server for two weeks?”

Etho nodded “Yup. Come on let's get out of here before they come back. We can talk at my secret base.” 

Cleo pulled away “Wait, wait. Why? Why were you sneaking around? Why are we avoiding those kids? I would like a good reason before I turn down their hospitality.”

“This server isn’t what it seems to be. It’s seriously glitched out. Haven’t you noticed how many scars everyone has here, how many hybrids there are.” 

Now that Cleo thought about it, even the ender-kid, Ranboo, had scars that looked like tears running down his face. Scars only happened when there was a glitch during respawn so they were pretty rare, the fact that three of the five people she had seen so far had obvious scars was concerning, especially with how bad the scars on that Tubbo kid were. On top of that, Quackity looked like he might be some kind of bird hybrid, with small golden wings, while Tubbo was a goat and Cleo had no idea what Ranboo really was. Hybrids were the result of pretty strong server glitches, and from what Etho was saying those guys weren’t the only ones. 

“So the server is glitchy, that doesn't make them bad people,”  

“There are places on this server that have been blown up all the way down to bedrock. Those kids who seemed so nice, they have nukes in that building right outside. There is a prison that everyone here is terrified of, seemingly for good reason. The Warden that guards it almost killed me while chasing me and TFC away, and said something about hunting us down and killing us till we were completely dead.”  

Cleo blanched “Completely dead… like, they have a way of reliably preventing respawning here.” She remembered what it felt like being stuck in the void unable to respawn. For Joe it had only been a couple of minutes, for her it had felt like hours.

“I don’t know,” Etho shrugged. “I just think it would be best if we all kept a low profile till we can find a way out of here.” 

“I… I trust you, Etho. But I don’t want to leave without letting those kids know that I won’t be staying here. They seem like nice kids, I’d rather not just disappear on them.” 

Etho hesitated, then nodded “Alright, Just be careful, and take this,” He said handing her two invis pots. “You can find me in the sewers under their shopping district, there is a community center in the middle of a lake, the entrance to the tunnels is underneath it.”

Cleo took the potions and smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, I got this. I’ll be fiiine.”

“Ok,” Etho nodded and pulled his facemask down. He drank an invis potion before leaving the building.

Cleo sighed. Perma-death hum, would that even work on her? Seeing as she already kinda died before. She didn’t want to have to find out.

[fanmoose12]

I love it when you call me señorita I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya

Levi hated this song with burning passion. Just a few notes were enough to put him in a foul mood. The song was ridiculously catchy, and, worse than that, whenever he listened to it, it constantly got stuck in his head. And he listened to it – unwillingly, of course – a lot.

On the radio, inside the malls and coffee shops, this song seemed to follow him everywhere he went.

And, of course, because apparently the universe liked that song that much and hated Levi even more, that same damn song was playing when he met her for the first time.

Before I even knew her name, la la la It felt like ooh la la la

Levi was having a good time. The weather was nice, the sea was beautiful and the beer he was drinking was cold and bitter.

His dog was running around the beach, having a little too much fun chasing after seagulls. Levi lazily watched him, relaxed and content for the first time in weeks.

And then— that damn song started playing.

There was a minivan standing a fair distance away from him, and a group of friends seemed to have a beach party next to it. They were playing volleyball just moments ago, and Levi didn’t pay much attention to them. But now the time for volleyball was seemingly over, as a couple friends started dancing.

And really, Levi wouldn’t have minded, wouldn’t have even glanced in their direction, if it wasn’t for the awful song.

But as fate would have it, he did glance, his face sharpening into a scowl the second he heard the first notes, recognizing the song immediately.

The angry expression lost some of its intensity, however, as he took in the scene in front of him.

A group of friends dancing together - a drink in their hands, a smile on their lips. And, amidst all of them, Levi saw her.

Her hands were up in the air, as she rocked her hips to languid beat of the music. Her hair flew around, her eyes closed and her lips curved into a bright, happy smile.

Levi stared at her, carving every inch of her into his memory – the denim shorts, the too bright bikini, the big glasses that slowly slip down her curved nose.

He looked at her and thought – she must be beauty incarnate.

His staring hadn’t gone unnoticed, of course. One of her friends saw his intent look, whispered about it to the other, and soon the whole bunch of them were whistling and hollering.

He could have left in that moment, could have called out for his dog and disappear, before his face caught on fire from all that embarrassment. But something kept him in place – you’ll only look like a bigger weirdo, if you run away, an insidious voice in his head whispered.

So he stayed, and she— she approached him.

“Hi,” she waved her hand, smiling shyly.

She had dimples, Levi realized. His heart picked up its speed at that discovery.

“Hi,” he echoed.

“Do you wish to join me and my friends? We have more beer and Mike is making burgers.”

“I came here with my dog,” he gestured to the pet, who was now buried nose deep in the sand, searching for god knows what.

“I like dogs!” she exclaimed happily. “I’m sure my friends won’t mind him too. Nanaba adores pets like crazy…”

He was out of excuses. Perhaps he didn’t wish to find another one.

“Fine,” he stood up, dusting sand from his shorts. “I’ll join your stupid party, four-eyes. On one condition.”

Her eyes lighted up, as she stared at him hopefully. “What condition?”

“You’ll turn off that goddamn song.”

Her body fit right in my hands, la la la It felt like ooh la la la, yeah

The bar was stuffed with people. It was hot and stuffy in there, and Levi felt sweat dripping down his forehead and down his back, his forearms, his everything.

He wanted nothing more than to get out of here, to get a bit of fresh air into his lungs and get inside a nice, cold shower. Preferably before he melted into the leather couch he was sitting on.

He wanted nothing more than to leave, but when Hange, sweaty, but laughing Hange took him by the hand and led him on a dance floor, the words of complaint died on his tongue.

She wrapped her hands around him, pressing him closer and closer, until they almost became one. Her fingers were carding through his hair, and Levi forgot about the heat and sweat and his discomfort.

The only thing that mattered was Hange’s body in his hands and her scent in his nostrils.

She put her lips on his, and Levi’s world came to a halt. It was their first kiss, but they fitted together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces. Beauty incarnate, Levi remembered. as he lost himself in that kiss.

His hand wondered to her waist, and Hange pressed a palm against his cheek.

That single moment— was one of the best moments in his life.

Until that damn song started playing.

Hange pulled away and threw her head back, laughing happily. “It’s our song, Levi!” she screamed into his ear, a wide smile on her lips.

And with Hange so close to him, looking so bright and dazzling, Levi could almost ignore the irritation this song always caused him.  

All along I've been coming for ya And I hope it meant something to ya

Hange looked just like she did when they first met, all those years ago.

Her skin glistering with sweat, her hair a mess with some of it plastered to her skin, her eyes shining brightly and her smile the prettiest thing Levi had ever seen. And, of course, she was dancing.

Beauty incarnate, he thought for the thousandth times, as his eyes saw only her and ignored everything else.

“I love it when you call me señorita,” she sang into his ear, her soft voice mixing with delighted laughter. “C’mon, Levi, sing with me. It’s our song!”

“It’s not our song,” he grunted. “I hate it.”

“Sing with me, Levi!” she insisted, a pout finding its way onto her face. “If you won’t, I’ll file for a divorce.”

“Really?” he arched an eyebrow. “You won’t even wait until we consummate our marriage, four-eyes?”

“Fuck, I can’t exactly say no to that…” she mumbled, frowning slightly. “Fine, I will consummate our marriage. But I’ll be very grumpy throughout the whole process.”

“Not if I do my job right,” he lowered his voice to a whisper, gifting Hange with one of his rare, but sexy smirk.

“Asshole,” she huffed, smacking his shoulder. “Levi, please,” she whined. “It’s our wedding night, just please, sing for me.”

“So bossy,” Levi muttered, rolling his eyes.

He looked around the room, it was their fifth or sixth dance, he wasn’t exactly keeping count, it was hard to concentrate on anything else with Hange in his arms, but everyone was still staring at them.

Mike was clapping along to the song, and when their eyes met, he gave Levi thumb-ups, Nanaba was smiling widely, slightly swaying to the beat, and Erwin wore the biggest, goofiest grin Levi had ever seen on his face. His eyes were shining, and Levi quickly looked away, when he realized that there were tears in his eyes.

The whole room was staring at him. And sp everyone would become witnesses to his mortification.

Goddamn you, four-eyes, he thought and turned back to her.

“I love it when you call me señorita,” he began, the flush of embarrassment spreading on his neck and moving onto his face. He kept his gaze focused only on Hange, and the love inside her eyes made his knees feel weak. “I wish it wasn't so damn hard to leave ya.”

“Our song,” Hange murmured, placing her chin onto his head.

Levi hated that song with burning passion. But if Hange continued smiling at him like that, he was ready to listen to this song for the rest of his life.

[sweetwatersong]

After two days of unpacking boxes and making the rounds to find a grocery store, gas station, and decent ice cream shop, both Eddie and Christopher are ready for a break from their move. The last thing Eddie wants to do is add another item to the "find a handyman" list or hassle another utility company, and Christopher - Christopher wants to see the ocean.

The drive there is hell - any driving in LA might be hell, Eddie is starting to suspect - but they manage to get there in one piece. Unloading the car means wrangling a makeshift beach bag, a blanket, multiple pairs of shoes, and a very antsy boy with crutches. He manages it with less finesse than he might want but it's fine. His parents aren't here. No one's going to comment on the awkward juggling act. Besides, it's worth it when Christopher finally gets his toes in the sand and laughs, loud and clear and delighted.

"Come on, Dad!"

Eddie swallows past the tightness in his throat and hitches the duffel higher on his shoulder. "I'm coming. Pick out a spot for our stuff," he says as normally as he can, and remembers to breathe.

This entire new life is all going to be worth it if he gets more moments like this; more time like this.

The afternoon passes in a blur: cool water, blue skies, sandwiches that are only a little extra crunchy from the sand blown into the open duffel bag. ("Guess we're eating real sandwiches, huh." "Dad.") He forgot to pack napkins and the water doesn't stay cold for nearly long enough but they have sunscreen on most of the time and fend off the pretzel-stealing seagulls, so Eddie calls it a win.

As the sun sinks slowly towards the horizon, Christopher's boundless energy winds down as well. They eventually end up the little island of their blanket hunting for the best of the baby carrots in the bag. It's the first time in days that Eddie's been exhausted and been proud about it; somehow the feeling is clean and hard-earned in a way that arranging furniture or wrangling change of address forms just can't match. Christopher is hardly better off, having done most of the supervising for the lumpy, beautiful mess of a sandcastle just beyond Eddie's toes. Looking at the hand prints they've left on the sides makes Eddie blink too hard.

They're building something here, lopsided and unremarkable though it may be to everyone else's eye. They're making it themselves with their bare hands and imagination, creating something out of nothing. Looking at the unevenly spaced towers, the shallow moat, Eddie can almost allow himself to believe that he can do this. He could be the father Christopher deserves.

Instead of having to explain to his son why he's glassy-eyed, Eddie leans back on an arm to take in the orange-hued sky. That's when he sees it: something thin and high, moving westward and shimmering like a cloud. He tracks the way it moves automatically. Not a plane or helicopter, way too high for a kite, so -

Another shape soars overhead, this one low enough that he can see the sinuous way it swims through the air. Behind them someone gasps.

"The dragons are here!"

As if it's a cue more come into view, flying from the city out over the ocean to delighted noises from the beach goers. The golden light turns every dragon into a living jewel: this one turquoise, that one bronze, this one a swirl of green and gray. It's only when Eddie's chest complains that he realizes he's momentarily forgotten to breathe.

"Hey Christopher," he manages, looking down at his son. "Did you hear that?"

"There are dragons?" Christopher's head is angled up, the sun glinting on his glasses.

Eddie's heart pangs. "Yeah, there are."

Christopher grins in surprised delight. "What do they look like?"

Eddie begins to describe them: the colors and movements, how none of them have wings - markers of seaborn dragons, an old documentary narrator reminds Eddie, who in turns reminds Christopher. They must be going back out to sea to their families; a shoal - crest - crush? He'll have to look it up - of dragons. Most snake their way across the sky with fluid movements; two or three seem to bound, as if the air turns solid just under their paws, just for them. One dragon, marbled like the colors of the deep ocean, swims down and does a series of loop de loops just over the beach that bring out cheers from the onlookers. Eddie swears to Christopher that the dragon seems to be grinning when they fly away.

Christopher tilts his head to one side, attention focusing somewhere else. "It sounds like they're singing," he says after a long moment. All Eddie can catch is the wash of waves and excited remarks from the people around them. He can't hear anything that might be song, but they're dragons. Who's to say what's possible?

"Maybe they are," he replies, looking at his amazing son; at the hint of sunburn on the tip of his nose and the sand in the curls of his hair. At how he's excited and vibrant and so very alive in this new place, this new city Eddie's chosen for them. Something very much like hope is rising up underneath his lungs.

The dragons are going home, and so are they.

"Maybe they are."

[myrandomfandomramblings]

The Beach - a The Rookie/Chenford Fanfic

“7-Adam-11, show us responding,” Jackson said over the radio as Lucy leaned back against her headrest defeatedly.

“I didn’t think I’d ever say this but I really don’t want to go to the beach.” “Like ever again,” she added even as she took the first turn towards their destination. 

LA was 4 days into a record heat wave and over that time Lucy had learnt a few important things 1) Unsurprisingly, extreme heat causes everyone to flock to the ocean. 2) It also makes people extremely irritable. 3) Lots of irritable people packed together in large groups leads to chaos and 4) wool uniforms are not ideal attire for patrolling beaches in temperatures around 100. 

So after 4 days she was over it. She had spent Monday with Jackson getting sworn at, honked at and nearly run over as they directed traffic at the busiest beaches in the city. She spent Tuesday with Tim breaking up beach brawls, confiscating contributing alcohol and watching bikini clad woman flirt with Tim. At least 8 different woman had asked him to rub sunscreen on them or suggested he take off his shirt to cool down. She had rolled her eyes so much she had given herself a headache. Although it may have been the sun. Yesterday, her and Nolan and responded to a report of a missing child who was feared drowned or kidnapped but turned out had followed the music of an ice cream truck four blocks and was found, about 30 minutes after the officers arrived, happily eating a fudgiscle. However, they were kept at the beach for the remainder of their shift by various citizens with complaints ranging from seagulls, wasps and possible sharks to thieves, streakers and possible melanoma. 

Now her and Jackson were headed back to a beach where the adjacent shrubbery was currently being consumed by a blazing bush fire, which was in all likelihood human caused and spreading fast. Therefore all hands were on deck as the LAPD worked with the LAFD to keep civilians safe, extinguish the fire and investigate its cause.

The rest of her shift passed in a blur as they interviewed witnesses, cordoned off the area, issued evacuation orders, ensured those who needed it got medical attention, joined a production line passing large buckets of water from the ocean to where the fire was burning and debriefed with their team which included Nolan and Tim, and Lopez and Harper. Luckily in the end, the fire was successfully extinguished, those living nearby were safe and happily back in their homes and the perpetrator, a cigarette butt flicker, was caught. But not until nearly 11pm by which time the entire team was exhausted, scorching and covered in soot and ash. With their job done the team of 6 headed away from the scene back along the beach to where they had parked their shops. They were right on the sand where they left them to create a barrier preventing people from wandering toward the fire and the beach around them was abandoned. Likely due to a combination of the late hour, the fire itself and the fact that the stretch of beach they were on was only accessible by walking about a mile from one of the main beaches on either side or by scrambling down the steep cliff behind them.

“Anybody want a cold one,” Nolan asked when they reached the vehicles, “well a hot one I guess” he amended as he pulled out a six pack he had confiscated earlier in the day from the trunk of his shop. Everybody made a face at the offer of hot beer but since the only light around came from the shops headlights shining in the opposite direction Nolan didn’t see them.

“Screw it, I’ll take one,” Angela said.

“Wesley and Patrice took the baby to meet the extended Evers clan so I have nowhere to be and now that I’m no longer breastfeeding I can have whatever I want. Even if that’s gross beer that’s been sitting in a hot car all day,” she explained.

“If we dig a hole near the water line it will fill with cold seawater and we can make a makeshift beer fridge,” Jackson suggested but Angela had already opened her can and was sipping away.

“I’ll help dig the hole,” Nyla offered. “I’d rather hangout here then go back to the station to do paperwork and Lila’s with her dad so I also have no where I have to be.”

“I’ll call Grey and tell him we’re clocking out and will do the paperwork in the morning,” Tim offered.

“Your staying?” Lucy asked a little too excitedly, “what about Kojo?” she quickly added.

“Tamara called several hours ago and offered to give him dinner, take him for a walk and put him to bed.”“She saw the fire on the news and rightly assumed we’d have our hands full,” he finished.

30 minutes later they all sat in the sand around their makeshift beer fridge. Shoes, socks and button up shirts discarded and pants pulled up to their knees. 3 flashlights were in the middle of the group, pointing skyward, their handles buried in the sand. They laughed as they went around and told stories.

“How is it still this hot?” Lucy asked a while later.  It was after midnight and the temperature had yet to even consider dropping below 90. 

She pulled her white t-shirt away from her skin fanning, herself. 

“I’m going swimming,” she declared ready to stand up.

“Your going swimming? Right Now? In that?” Tim asked gesturing to her cotton tee and woolen pants.

Lucy shook her head. “I was just going to go in my underwear but now that I think about it I don’t really want to have to drive back to the station in soaking wet underwear.”

Tim nodded as if this is what he expected but Lucy didn’t see him and continued.

“I guess I’ll just skinny dip,” she concluded.

Tim managed to both spit out and choke on the sip of beer he had just taken.

Everybody else’s faces were turned towards Tim and wearing amused expressions but they were saved his annoyance due to the limited light and the fact that his attention was still fully on Lucy.

“What?” She asked Tim, “It’s not a big deal. It’s dark. Plus everybody here has already seen me naked.” 

“Well except you,” she added, which earned another spit take from Tim.

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. She loved seeing Tim flustered, especially when it was her doing.

“What?” He finally managed to ask in a strained voice after a few harsh coughs to clear his throat.

“Everybody here’s seen Lucy naked but you,” Lopez offered, “although that was bound to change sometime soon,” she added.

Lucy and Tim both turned to look at her wide eyed. Nolan and Nyla were both hiding smirks and Jackson wore an expression of mainly panic as he spoke.

“She’s drunk. She has no idea what she’s saying,” Jackson offered before turning to look daggers at Angela and whisper something in her ear.

Lucy thought she heard the words bet, interference and disqualified but she couldn’t be sure.

When he finished Angela addressed them again. “Sorry, apparently my tolerance took a nose dive since pre-pregnancy. I didn’t mean anything by that I got you mixed up with Smitty and what’s her face,” she finished waving her hand disparagingly.

“Hmm,” Lucy said clearly not buying her lame excuse but Tim still had his mind on other things.

“Why has everybody else here seen you naked?” he asked, his tone almost suspicious.

Lucy laughed. “Are you jealous?”

He fixed her with his best TO look. “No.”

Lucy suppressed the urge to roll her eyes yet again and answered.

“Communal showers at work,” she began gesturing to Nyla and Angela. “Best friends and roommates” she added pointing to Jackson. “Life gets crazy. Sometimes closing doors or throwing on clothes just isn’t a priority,” she explained seeing Tim’s confused expression. “Also we had to help each other into and out of the bath after we were injured.” She didn’t have to specify her kidnapping or the beating Jackson took to take down Doug Stanton. This group knew. “It’s kind of ironic that when everything hurts all you want is a warm bath but when everything hurts it’s nearly impossible to get yourself into and out of a bathtub,” she finishes. “Oh and Nolan and I used to date.” She says it as almost an afterthought, super casual. But all the former TOs still look at her with shock.

“You and Nolan?” Nyla asks with a laugh. “Really?” “No offense,” she adds addressing Nolan.

“Ah, none taken?” Nolan replies, clearly confused by her reaction.

“When?” Lopez asks looking between the two P2s.

“For a couple months while we were in the academy. We called it off shortly after we started at Mid-Wilshire,” Nolan supplied.

“Wow, I just can’t picture it,” Angela continued shaking her head.

“Why would you want to picture it?” Tim spat. Then seemed to catch himself and schooled his scowl back into a blank expression.

“Why’d you call it off, anyway?” Angela asked. Half actually curious. Half just trying to do her friend a solid and take the attention off him.

“Bishop warned me that dating a fellow cop would brand me and could ruin my career,” Lucy answered and thought she saw Tim flinch. It was impossible to tell for sure with just the flashlights, nevertheless she added, “Somethings matter more-“ she was staring right at Tim now “-are worth the gossip, the assumptions, the risk.” As she said it she saw his expression change but she couldn’t read it. “But our relationship wasn’t one of those things. We’re better as friends, anyway,” she finished addressing the whole group but looking at Nolan specifically for confirmation.

“Agreed,” Nolan nodded holding up his beer.

“To friends,” Jackson said clicking his to Nolan’s.

“To friends,” everybody joined in clinking their cans together.

“So who’s coming skinny dipping with me?” Lucy asked as she started to make her way back to the vehicles where she could leave her clothes in a place where they’d stay sand free.

“I will,” said Angela, “pregnancy and caring for a baby really makes modesty go out the window. The two beers I’ve had don’t hurt either.” She began to follow Lucy to the cars.

“I’m in,” Jackson offered, “with you two practically glowing in the dark nobody will even notice me.” He teased as he got up to join them, earning a playful shove from Lucy.

“Nobody’s here to see anything anyway.” She retorted.

“Go ahead. I might join you later.” Nolan said and Nyla and Tim nodded in agreement.

10 minutes later. Lucy, Angela and Jackson’s clothes were inside Jackson and Lucy’s shop and they were out in the ocean. It dropped off quickly so they weren’t that far away from the beach even though the water came to just below Lucy’s shoulders. After four days of blazing heat and the fire on top today, the cool water felt like heaven to her. She dipped and dove through the water, relishing the cool and wiped at her face and hands to remove the soot that had coated them earlier. Beside her Angela was trying to show Jackson what her son does when they put him in the water. This led to reminiscing about childhood summers spent at the beach or in backyard and community pools. And before they knew it they were playing old games from those days. John and Nyla had joined them by this time. Claiming some combination of escaping the heat, joining the fun and more beer as the motivation. They were currently having breath holding contests.

“I win!” Jackson exclaimed as he came up for air to find everyone else already up.

“You cheated,” Lucy argued, “I saw you come up while I was still under. I had my eyes open.”

“I did not. Plus it’s pitch black under there you couldn’t possibly have seen anything.”

“Did Jackson come up?” Lucy yelled at Tim who was still sitting on the shore.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t watching,” he replied casually with a slight shrug.

“Yes you were,” Angela argued, “you haven’t taken your eyes off Lucy since she got in here,” then realizing what she said she quickly ducked back under the water. 

Everybody still above the surface froze.

Then after a beat. “So did he come up or not. I need to know if I won,” Nyla asked, all business.

“He floated to the surface but didn’t lift his head up. He won,” Tim offered defeatedly.

“Told you!” Jackson bragged.

“Rematch. 3,2,1 go,” shouted Nyla as everybody ducked back under the water. Lucy a split second behind everybody else as her attention was still on Tim. 

She came up about 30 seconds later just as a wave was passing by her and managed to swallow a good serving of water. She coughed and sputtered but before she knew it Jackson and Nolan were beside her and she was assuring them she was Ok just needed a bit of time to catch her breath. As she swam towards the shore to rest in the shallows she noticed Tim was just sitting back down and his pants were wet to just above the knee. But she didn’t let herself focus on it.

She swam to just in front of where he sat laying on her stomach on the ocean floor, head just above the water.

“You OK?” He asked shifting his eyes to her for the first time since she swam up.

“Ya fine, just swallowed a little water,” she assured him.

“Looks like you guys are having fun out there,” he nodded indicating the group still farther out.

“Ya the water feels amazing. You can’t honestly tell me that you aren’t hot.” She had meant it literally. He was sitting in above 90 degree weather with wool pants on. But then she realized he had taken off his white shirt and his muscled chest and stomach were currently on full display and the word took on an entirely different meaning. She was thankful for the darkness as it hid her blush but even that couldn’t hide the fact that she was definitely staring. 

“The ladies on the beach the other day will be so disappointed they’re missing this,” she teased gesturing to his bare upper half, hoping to give a probable explanation for the staring.

He gave a short laugh. “Not as disappointed as the meat bags who were wolf whistling at you will be that they’re missing that.” As he gestured at her he finally let himself actually take her in. Her hair was still up in its low work bun leaving her entire back exposed. The upper half of which was completely taken up by a tattoo, he had never seen before, although the light was too limited for him to make out the design. The rest of her body was hidden in shadows except her face which was now free of soot and make-up making her look young and vulnerable. Freckles brought out by the last few days of blazing sun were speckled across the bridge of her nose. Her mouth was twisted in thought and her eyes sparkled in the light of the flashlights. She really was beautiful.

While those thoughts flew through Tim’s mind Lucy was thinking about his comment about the wolf whistlers. That had happened at the very start of their shift and lasted no more than two seconds. Lucy wasn’t even sure they had been whistling at her and she had completely forgotten about it until Tim brought it up just now. Funny that he would remember. 

 They were both pulled out of their thoughts by a sudden commotion further out in the water:

“DID YOU NOT THERE IS NO PIE!”

“DO NOT THERE IS NO DIE!”

“DO OR DO NOT THERE IS NO TRY!”

Were being yelled over each other.

“What are they doing?” Tim asked looking at the group out in the water.

They were in a circle. Jackson had just given Nolan a high five then they were under again.

“I think they are playing the guess what I said under the water game,” Lucy chuckled.

Tim was about to reply but he was cut off by “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood” being shouted in unison followed by bickering about who said it first.

“I’m going back out to join them. You going to come?” Lucy asked turning her attention from the group back to Tim.

“I don’t need to be a part of that.”

“Come on Tim. You’re hot and dirty.” She still meant it literally. Really. He was covered in soot. Stupid double entendres.

He raised is eyebrows.

“Just get in the water,” Lucy said splashing water at him to vent her frustration with how flustered she was getting.

He wiped the water from his face and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Fine.”

Lucy beamed back at him as he stood up and walked back to the shop to discard his remaining clothes then turned her attention back to her friends.

“It’s not Angeles Direct, you’ve already guessed that three times,” Nyla was saying to Jackson

“That’s what it sounds like,” he argued “and it’s definitely closer to that than ‘embroidery period.’”

“That was my first guess. I heard wrong,” Nyla shot back.

“Oh ya cuz ‘and was dressed’ and ‘indoors divest’ were so much closer.”

Any further argument was cut-off by Nolan. “I’ve got it: Angela’s the best,” he said confidently.

“Yes and yes,” Angela confirmed.

“Your turn Nyla.” 

There was a brief silence as they all went back under the water followed by a flurry of screamed “this is stupid.”

“Happy now?” Came a quieter voice beside her and Lucy nearly jumped out of the water. She had been so wrapped up watching her friends she hadn’t even noticed that Tim had made his way back down the beach and was now sitting beside her in the water.

She smiled and nodded. “Aren’t you?”

He gave a non-committal shrug. “We’ll see after I get roped into whatever’s going on out there,” he offered but there was no bite to it. He was even smiling, although mostly with his eyes, as he looked at their friends.

“Well let’s go find out,” Lucy replied as she led the way into the deeper water.

As they approached the group they watched them go up and down and listened to their guesses.

“And further than game”

“Comforters at game”

“Temperatures endgame”

“Stanford is endgame”

“Checkers is a game.” “At least that’s a real sentence”

“Bradford has game?” “That can’t be right he most definitely doesn’t”

Then just as Tim and Lucy joined the group “Chenford is endgame!” Shouted by Angela who upon realizing Tim and Lucy had joined them turned to Jackson.

“This ones not on me it was your sentence.”

Jackson stood stunned for a second looking desperately between Tim, Lucy and Angela then swiftly closed his eyes and yelled “MARCO.”

There was a brief silence then Nolan yelled “POLO” and everyone was swimming away from Jackson at top speed. Everyone except Tim who was giving Lucy a look that said. “See what you got me into? I told you so.” 

But she was busy swimming off with the others, grateful for the distraction. So he rolled his eyes and joined the game. The water did feel amazing although he wasn’t about to admit that to her.

Calls of MARCO POLO and laughter filled the air as everybody took their turn being it: Jackson tagged Nolan who tagged Lucy who tagged Nyla who tagged Jackson who tagged Tim who tagged Nolan who tagged Angela who tagged Jackson who tagged Tim who tagged Lucy. Well he meant to tag Lucy. He reached his arm out and jumped towards her “POLO” but she was closer than he thought and instead of the tips of his finger tagging her shoulder he jumped right into her. He hit her hard and she responded to being knocked off her feet and down into the water instinctively by reaching for the nearest thing to prevent drowning, which happened to be him. So when he opened his eyes her arms were around his neck and her legs around his hips and her face was only about an inch from his own as she coughed up water for the second time that day.

“Are you ok?” He asked moving a piece of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear.

She nodded but continued to cough as he absentmindedly stroked her back.

 “You caught me by surprise,” she breathed “I didn’t know we were playing full contact Marco Polo.”

He let out a relieved laugh, “I’m sorry.”

“A real Tim Bradford apology I never thought I’d see it in person,” Lucy teased earning an eye roll from Tim. This close Lucy could see all the different shades of blue in his eyes even in the dark. 

“It was an accident.”

“So it wasn’t some sort of Tim Test to see how I would handle a fight in the water?”

“No. You got your last Tim test a year ago when you stopped being my rookie.”

“I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” she said. “Then again we’ve been through enough for an entire career,” she added as her hand reflexively moved from his neck where it was playing with his hair to the tattoo on her her ribs.

That’s when it dawned on her just how close her and Tim were, pressed together without a shred of clothing between them. She had felt so comfortable and content she hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation and what it could lead to. She was about to put some space between them when his hand covered hers over the tattoo marking her supposed day of death. The day he saved her from being buried alive. Although he would say it marked the first day of the rest of her life. The day she saved herself. 

And the desire to move away died in an instant. 

“I kept it,” she said quietly, “because of what you said.” “Because it’s a reminder that I’m a survivor. And that my team will always have my back.”

Tim was looking at her with an expression more open than she’d ever seen. “I have one of those,” he replied softly lifting her hand up and moving it to rest on his lower left abdomen. She was confused at first but as she felt the skin beneath her finger tips she realized it was scarred. The scar from when he was shot on her second day and she pulled him out of the line of gunfire.

She smiled and looked directly into his eyes. 

“It’s a good thing we have each other in our lives,”

“Sure is,”

She was just about to lean in and close the distance between them when a voice interrupted.

“Hey you two. Keep it PG or get a room. This is a family outing.” It was Nyla.

Lucy laughed as she untangled her self from Tim and in that moment she realized two things. 1) this was most definitely her family and 2) she would very happily come back to the beach. Maybe next time she’d just bring Tim, maybe even as her boyfriend.

[a-is-for-abel]

"“I’m moving.” He froze, glancing up at his friend. The other boy’s eyes were gleaming with suppressed sobs, breath hitching and jaw clenched. “Mom got a job in another state and we’re moving in a month.”

Inspired by this prompt by @givethispromptatry

Sand and shells crunched under the belly of the kayak as it ran aground. With a wobble and a curse he tumbled into the water, paddle floating away from him and kayak shooting off in the opposite direction.

"Fuck."

He scrambled to collect both, tossing the paddle up onto the beach and grabbing the handle at the bow of the kayak to tow it onto shore.

"You're late."

He rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder to see Warren in all his cut-offs and sandals glory. "And you're early."

Warren crossed his arms. "I'm literally the most on time, dude."

"Whatever, just-- Help me grab the stuff."

He popped open the watertight chamber in front of the seat and reached into the belly of the kayak, all while Warren struggled to pull the backpack out from under the cage of bungee cords at the front.

"Just unhook them, dude," he said, his cellphone and two unopened cream sodas finally in hand.

"Don't tell me how to do it."

"It's not going to--"

"Shit!" Warren yelped, recoiling and clutching his hand.

"Told you."

Warren flicked him off, but turned to do what he said anyway.

"Come on, suns gonna start setting soon." He grabbed his backpack from Warren and stuffed the drinks and his phone inside.

"What? Afraid of some gators?"

"No," he said. "Rather a gator than my dad."

Warren grimaced. "He still got you on that curfew?"

"Yup."

He picked his way through the mangrove thicket that cut the beach off from the rest of the spoil island. The roots of the black mangroves jutted up like fingers through the sand and the stilts of the red mangroves tried their best to snag his feet as he ducked under the sprawling web of an orb weaver hidden in their midst. Thankfully, it cleared out past the initial wall of foliage, becoming more barren with only the occasional thicket.

He remembered when his dad had led them through here the first time and explained that the mangroves kept the spoil islands standing. That when hurricanes and storms threatened to wash them away, their roots would act like a little army, keeping off any barrage and harboring whatever took up shelter under them.

He frowned. His dad and him hadn't come out here since--

"Fuck, fuck, fu--" Warren sputtered behind him, high-pitched.

"Web?" he asked, glancing back to see Warren flinching away from a tree.

"Yeah, fuck--" Warren brushed his arms off frantically and patted at his hair. "Fucking spiders all over the fucking place, man. They call it Mosquito Lagoon, but it really should be spider god damn la-- Fuck!"

"Nice one, ‘spider god damn la-fuck’ really has a special sort of ring to it."

Warren shot him a glare and dusted off his shoulders and the front of his shirt with quick flicks. "You owe me for psychological damages..."

"Come on, we used to come out here all the time."

"When I was like ten! And with your dad!" Warren cowered away from another web that sprawled from a lone tree. "And I didn't have as much free real estate for a spider to like, you know-- Crawl all over me or whatever."

"Free real estate?"

"Yeah, you know the whole--" Warren gestured vaguely. "The meme."

"God, please stop," he groaned. "That shits like, what, twenty-seventeen? That's like ancient history, man."

"It's a classic."

"Sure," he muttered. "A classic."

"Whatever, man, you're just not cultured."

He scoffed. "That's definitely it."

The other end of the island unfolded into a drop-off, all coquina and shells packed tightly together and built up into a mound that cut off abruptly into nothing. It was the highest point of the island-- of most of the spoils out here honestly-- even though it's small cliff had been eaten away and eroded over time, shrinking and shifting as the island shrank with the waves.

Dropping his backpack, he sat and dangled his legs over the edge, shoes knocking back against the coquina with a scratchy rasp. Warren plopped down beside him, keeping his legs folded and away from the plunge. Not that it was much of a sheer cliff. Only about eight feet down at the most, but enough that it felt like a lot. Compared to the average of three feet below sea level for the rest of the mainland; eight feet felt pretty fucking huge.

The tide lapped at the base of the island, the water hissing and coiling, writhing and alive where it squirmed through the holes bored through the coquina face and back out with a soft crackle. Crabs, tiny and mottled, darted in and around the rocks and he could see finger mullet, their scales flashing as they turned and twisted with the waves.

"You tied up your kayak, right?" Warren asked.

"Naw, but it should be fine. I pulled it up pretty far."

"I'm not sharing if you get stuck out here."

He frowned, shooting Warren his best puppy dog eyes. "You'd leave me out here?"

"Yes."

He chuckled. "Fair."

Seagulls drifted in lazy circles far overhead, the occasional cry working its way down to them as the birds banked with the wind, following the gusts up to where they could catch a glimpse of a meal beneath the water. One wheeled down in a sudden arc, wings folded close to its side as it plummeted, beak first, into the water with a snap and then back out with a spray.

"Man, tough luck..." Warren said. "Hate whenever they miss. Makes me feel kinda bad."

"They're just gonna go do what the rest do and steal some fries at the jetty once they realize it's easier than doing this."

"Yeah, but it's like-- I don't know, man. Just wish he'd get a win."

"You don't even know him!"

"I feel like we have a connection." Warren pointed at where the seagull had gone back to patrolling the waters. "Me and seagull number one thousand and three, we're like this--" He crossed his fingers.

"Shut up," he snorted.

They watched the seagull try again and fail.

Warren started up a running commentary after the third attempt, cupping a hand over his mouth to imitate the slight grain of a sports announcer's microphone as he dramatized the whole thing. When the seagull finally managed to snag a fish Warren cheered, arms thrown up in a touchdown motion that he copied with a grin.

"Hell yeah, dude!" Warren high-fived him.

"Where's all that enthusiasm for when you're at my games?" he asked.

"Come on, dude, you know I always cheer the loudest. You're just too far out on the field to hear me."

"I'm sure that's what it is."

"Whatever, man-- What'd you bring anyway?" Warren grabbed his backpack and began rummaging through it. "Oh shit! Gummy bears, dude! And the good kind, hell yeah!"

"Yeah, grabbed them before I came here. That's why I was late, idiot."

Warren tore open the package. "Crimes forgiven, man. This is worth it."

"Give me that--" He pulled his backpack out of Warren's lap. "I also got some soda, but I guess all you care about is your precious little bears."

"Naw, naw-- Hand that over."

"Rude much?"

"What? You want me to kiss you on the lips for it first, bro?"

He laughed. "Now, that would be the polite thing to do."

Warren puckered his lips at him and then snatched the soda. "Fuck off."

"Not even a little kiss?" he teased.

"You dragged me out to spider-fuck-nowhere, while it's ass fucking hot out and where it smells like rotting fish taint-- Just to watch the fucking sunset, when we could have sat on my roof and done the exact same thing-- You expect a kiss for that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Bro code."

Warren snorted. "Hand me a bottle opener, dip shit."

He popped open his own bottle and passed it over to Warren, who struggled for a moment before finally getting it with a triumphant 'whoop'. The mixture of saccharine flavored soda and the slight rotting stench of algae, and whatever else the lagoon had to offer, wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't terrible. It was familiar.

It was homely in it's off kilter sort of way.

"So, why'd you bring me out here anyways?" Warren asked.

He sighed and kicked his heel back against the coquina. "I’m moving.”

Warren sucked in sharply and he glanced over at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the water below his feet. "Dad got a job in another state and we’re moving in a month.”

"Dude…"

"I didn't know how to tell you. I just--"

"Is that why you decided it'd be a good idea to sneak out and go to that dumb party with me?" Warren asked, frowning.

"I figured it would be one of the last chances I had to do something fun, you know. Here. Before I just-- Leave all this shit forever. I mean, we're moving to fucking Ohio, man. Where the fuck am I gonna find a party on an island out there?"

"Right��"

"And look, fuck my dad--"

"Jake--"

"No, fuck him-- He didn't even--" he huffed. "Things were looking up, man. Varsity lacrosse in sophomore year, that's huge, dude. And I wasn't just the fucking loser kid in the back of class anymore and he just--"

"Works rough here, dude..." Warren cut him off, sighing. "Space programs taking a shit. Whole island's taking a shit, really. Plenty of people left the first time NASA tanked, remember? It's just… it happens, man."

"So, you're just fine with it then?" he asked, brows furrowing. "We're never going-- I'm never going to see you again and you're just okay with that?"

"It's not forever!" Warren said, throwing out his hands. "There's planes, man! It's the twenty first fucking century. We got phones, dude. We'll stay in touch."

He grit his teeth and looked down.

"Jake, bro. C'mon-- Look at me."

He met Warren's eyes.

"It's gonna be okay, dude." Warren said, smile wide, and he could see the little falter at the edges, but he didn't call him on it. "Look--" Warren held up his bottle. "We'll cheers on it."

"Cheers on what?"

"To staying in touch, to meeting up in the future. To staying friends and all that, I don't know."

"To you finally getting a boyfriend?"

"Actually, you know what, I'm not going to miss you at all."

"Come on--" he grinned, nudging Warren with his shoulder. "You'll miss me."

"Yeah," Warren chuckled, looking down with a small smile. "I will..."

His fingers tightened around the glass bottle in his hand, bottom lip threatening to worry between his teeth. "Look, let's do your dumb cheers thing before it gets too sentimental or whatever."

Warren sighed, seeming to shake himself off before raising his soda bottle above his head and towards the slowly setting sun. "To us."

"To us?" He wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that kinda cheesy?"

"Just shut up and do it."

"Fine..." he grumbled with a grin, raising his bottle to clink against Warren's. "To us."

--

//photo credit// me and my phone c. 2020 //

[fruitcoops]

Please do more truth or drink I am OBSESSED

Your wish is my command! Thanks for the amazing response to Truth or Drink, everyone! These are so much fun to write and the Sirius/ Regulus dynamic is unparalleled <3 

Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

There is more cursing in this one, just fyi

“Bonjour!” Sirius and Regulus said in unison as they waved at the camera.

“Welcome back to Lion Pride Truth or Drink! I’m your captain, Sirius Black, and I’m here today with my brother Regulus.” Sirius reached for the unmarked bottle on the table. “Since he’s un bébé—”

“I’m nineteen, you fucker.”

“We’ll be drinking apple juice today instead of alcohol.”

“I can legally drink back in Quebec,” Regulus scowled as he took a sip of juice.

“First question, petit enfant! Have any of your friends thought I was good-looking?” Sirius tapped his card on the tabletop and grinned as Regulus grimaced.

“Not that I know of. They have taste.”

“Rude.”

A slow smile spread across Regulus’ face as he read his own card. “Who’s the smarter sibling?”

“Me, obviously.”

“Liar.” He turned to the camera. “It’s me. The younger sibling is always smarter.”

“That’s such bullshit.” Sirius flicked his first question at Regulus and took a new one. “How many sexual partners have you had?”

Regulus pulled a face. “None. That’s really not my thing. What’s the worst fight we’ve ever had?”

“That’s a tough one.” Sirius thought for a moment, biting his lip. “We don’t usually have big blowout fights. If I had to guess, I’d say you were most pissed at me when I left for Gryff.”

“Yeah, but you were really upset after the interview.”

“True. C’est la vie, I suppose.“ He read the next card and snorted. “Is there something about our childhood that we don’t like to talk about as adults? If so, should we talk about it now?”

Regulus laughed at that, short and sharp compared to Sirius’ low chuckle. “Uh, everything? And no, that’s what therapy is for.”

“Santé,” Sirius said with a grin, clinking their glasses together. “Alright, your turn.”

“Oh, I’d love to hear the answer to this one. Which one of us is the most successful and which one of us is the fuckup?”

“In whose opinion?” They sipped their juice at the same time. “I think we’re both pretty successful, but I know several people who would say we’re fuckups.”

“Like who?” Marlene asked off screen.

“Our parents,” Sirius said with a snort. “Alright, next question. What’s your biggest complaint about my current partner?”

“He’s quiet,” Regulus said without hesitating.

“You’re literally the quietest person I have ever met in my life.”

“Remus sneaks up on people, even when he isn’t trying!” he protested. “You need to put a bell on him. I came downstairs for water the other night and nearly had a heart attack when I turned on the kitchen light and he was already at the table.”

“Have you tried this amazing thing called a normal sleep schedule?”

“Shut the fuck up.” A balled-up wad of paper hit Sirius smack-dab in the forehead and he laughed. “What’s my biggest flaw?”

“Hmmm. You’re kind of bitchy sometimes.”

“Aw, thanks.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

“It is coming from you. I thought you were going to say something much worse.”

“Do you want me to? I can. You leave your laundry all over, you don’t know how to cook, you never text me back—”

“D’accord, I get it, I get it.” Regulus rolled his eyes.

“Have you—” Sirius sighed and covered his face with his hands. “Come on, Marlene, I can’t ask him this.”

Regulus kicked him lightly under the table. “Ask it, coward.”

“Have you ever heard me having sex? Please drink.”

“I lived with you for almost three months, of course I have,” Regulus scoffed as he took a sip of juice. “Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as the sappy flirting. That was gross.”

“It’s called ‘being in love’.”

“It’s called ‘being gross’, and I stand by that. Donne-moi les cartes. Who is stronger?”

“Noodle arms.”

“Fuck off, I’m stronger than you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Sirius set his elbow on the table and Regulus immediately grabbed his hand. “On three. One, two—”

He started pushing before he reached one and Regulus clenched his jaw; determination that usually only came out on the ice was etched on both their faces, though Sirius looked significantly steadier as he pressed down more and more. Finally, the back of Regulus’ hand hit the table with a low thud and Sirius whooped. “I’m still smarter,” Regulus grumbled as he flexed his fingers to get blood flow back into them.

“Sure you are, petit bébé. Well, I guess you can get your vengeance here: what’s your most mortifying memory of me?”

Regulus steepled his fingers under his chin and narrowed his eyes. “This is difficult, I can think of so many. Probably the time a seagull flew at you on the beach and you startled so bad you shoved your ice cream into your face. That was a beautiful moment.” Sirius cringed and Regulus looked back at the camera. “He was fourteen, if anyone was thinking this was a cute little kid moment.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up—”

“Ooh, this one’s morbid.” Regulus raised his eyebrows at the final question. “If you had to choose one of us to die right now, who would it be?”

Sirius was visibly taken aback; he started to answer, then stopped and pressed his lips together. “Uh, me.”

“Really?” Regulus was clearly surprised.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“That…was not the answer I was expecting.” A more somber tone took over as he fiddled with the edges of the card.

“No?”

“No. You know, you’re—” He made a vague gesture. “Happy. Getting married. We didn’t talk for six years, and we weren’t exactly close before that.”

“Hey.” Sirius’ voice was soft as he squeezed Regulus’ hand. “Reg, you’re my little brother. I don’t want to even think about being in a world without you now that I’ve got you back.”

Regulus’ nose twitched and he took a long drink of apple juice. They sat quietly for a couple seconds until he cleared his throat and squeezed back. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“Can we—are there more embarrassing questions?” he asked the camera crew, blinking rapidly. Sirius quickly wiped the edge of his eyes on his shirtsleeve. “Please tell me I can be nosy and invasive again or the car ride home is going to be so uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, we’ve got a few,” Marlene laughed, though her voice sounded a little tight. “This is a speed round, so I’m going to ask a question and you’re both going to answer on the count of three.”

“Sounds good,” Sirius said, shifting slightly in his seat.

“First one: who is your favorite cousin? One, two, three.”

“Andromeda,” they said in unison.

“Name your favorite parent. One, two, three.”

“Neither.” The two men high-fived.

“What’s your favorite drug? One, two, three.”

There was an awkward pause. “Uh, Claritin?” Regulus said at last, making Sirius laugh.

“Last one. You two are notorious for looking similar and being mistaken for twins. Have you ever slept with the same person?”

“Merde, I hope not,” Sirius blurted before she counted down. “I’m gay and he’s ace so there’s really no crossover.” Regulus’ shoulders shook with silent laughter, and his eyes widened. “What? What did you do?”

“I thought he told you,” Regulus practically cackled as the color drained from Sirius’ face.

“Who told me what?”

“You had gone out to walk the dog and didn’t tell Remus, and I was—I was in the kitchen getting lunch out of the freezer,” he snickered. “He thought I was you and smacked me right on the ass.”

“No.” Pure delight overtook Sirius’ horror as Regulus nodded.

“The look on his face when I turned around was priceless. Went sheet-white, like he’d seen a ghost.”

Sirius dropped his forehead onto his forearms, wheezing with silent laughter. “Regulus, can you sign us off?” Marlene giggled behind the camera.

“Yeah, sorry.” Regulus took a few deep breaths, but almost lost it when Sirius looked up again. “I’m Regulus Black and this is my brother, Sirius. Thanks for watching!”

[refinedbuffoonery]

Broken Like Me (1)

masterlist.

THIS FIC IS NOT INTENDED FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18. Please see the masterlist for content warnings. 

Here it is, the long-awaited dark!MacRiley AU! First, I want to thank my lovely beta readers and my life-saving brainstorming/workshop buddy. You all know who you are. ❤

This fic adheres to canon through 5x05 and then goes off the fucking rails. Backstory and other important tidbits of information revealed in the latter half of season 5 may be used, but timeline-wise anything after 5x05 does not exist in this fic. Also, Jack is dead and is staying dead, so don’t get your hopes up for a happy ending. 

I will do my best to update this regularly, but hanging out in and writing such dark headspaces is HARD. I will definitely be taking breaks to write fluffier fic, because a big chunk of this story is all hurt and no comfort. 

Without further adieu, let’s get this party started. (It’s not a party. In fact, it’s like...the opposite of a party.) 

*****

They say he was a good man. 

A good soldier. 

A good father. 

A good friend. 

They say they are sorry for her loss, sorry he was taken from this world too soon. 

They say Jack would be proud of the legacy he left behind, would be proud to have gone out in a blaze of glory. 

Riley is sick of it. 

It’s like she’s a teenager, and Jack is leaving her all over again. Only this time it’s worse. This time there’s no coming back. 

The guests at the wake gaze at the folded up American flag on the fireplace mantle with deep respect, but Riley only feels anger every time she glimpses the piece of fabric the government sent back in his place. A flag and a life insurance claim feel like a mockery of the kind of man Jack Dalton was. 

Was. Past tense. 

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

*****

Mac has never been afraid of Riley before. 

He’s seen her angry and upset, but the rage-filled woman he stopped from killing Anya Vitez with her bare hands back in Croatia is someone he does not know. 

The frightening part is that Riley isn’t a hot-headed person. In work mode, she is cold and calculating, so for her to go after Vitez like that...something inside her snapped. 

Three weeks have passed since then, and every time he looks at Riley, Mac remembers holding her back, fingers digging sharply into her waist until she stopped fighting him. He sees the fury radiating off Riley’s body like heat waves off asphalt—sees the way she clings to it, finds purpose in it, letting it consume her so there’s no room for guilt or grief. Mac knows the feeling all too well. And he also knows there will be a very loud thud when she finally comes crashing back down. 

But he also knows that the woman is like a loaded gun, safety off and desperate to fire at something. 

Which is why he worries when Matty calls them in for an op and Riley isn’t there. She’s at Vitez’s trial, Matty informs them, but that doesn’t make Mac feel any better. Whenever there’s downtime during the mission, and Mac’s mind is free to wander, he can't stop thinking about her. This new Riley is becoming obsessively vengeful, and if someone doesn’t reel her back in soon, she might do something she can’t come back from.

The thought plagues Mac every second there aren’t bullets whizzing toward his head. 

After the op, Mac drives to Riley’s apartment. Upon arrival, his ears are assaulted by Riley’s upstairs neighbor blasting Macklemore’s greatest hits. Mac hears the lyrics clear as day, even though both his truck windows and the apartment windows are closed. 

Riley really shouldn’t have moved out of Mac’s house, not if this is her best option. He still doesn’t understand why she did. 

It doesn’t take long to notice the GTO is missing. Riley should be back from the trial by now, but Mac has a sneaking suspicion where she is. 

The drive to Jack’s apartment seems to take forever. The brick building is in an older neighborhood, one of few affordable ones with trees planted along the sidewalks—a luxury in LA. Sure enough, the GTO is parked on the curb, not far from the fire escape that connects to Jack’s living room.

Looking up, Mac spies a familiar body perched on the stairs. 

Riley sits on the fire escape, soaking in the last rays of sunlight. Her eyes are closed, head resting against the brick wall. Mac doesn’t say anything as he sits beside her on the narrow metal stairs, their hips and thighs just touching. 

He doesn’t know what to do with his hands. Should he hug her? Hold her hand? Leave her alone? Riley isn’t a super touchy person. Mac decides on the latter, picking at his fingernails while his gaze drifts west to study the sunset. 

Several minutes pass before Riley says, “Hey.” Her voice is low and scratchy, like she’s been crying. 

“Hey,” Mac repeats. “How long have you been here?” 

Riley shifts beside him, sitting up. “I don’t know. A while.” 

“This isn’t the first time you’ve come here, is it?” 

A sigh. “No, it’s not.” Mac figures as much. Aside from the constant clamor of the city, Jack’s apartment is relatively quiet. It’s not in the greatest neighborhood, but it’s safe enough for Riley to sit alone and think. Or not think. Whatever she feels like doing. 

Riley rests her head on Mac’s shoulder, and a wave of protectiveness floods his system. It’s new, this need to watch her back more than the others’. It came on so gradually that Mac doesn’t know when it started or what triggered it, only that he feels it all the time now. Especially after Jack’s…

He avoids examining the feeling too closely. 

Without warning, Riley says, “If you hadn’t held me back, I would’ve killed her.” 

Knowing exactly who she was talking about, Mac glances down at Riley in surprise. He knows it’s true—thinks so himself—but hearing it come out of her mouth makes his stomach turn. The last, and only, time Riley killed someone...it took her months to piece herself back together afterward. And that death was in self-defense. 

This one would’ve been murder. Intentional and vindictive. 

Mac isn’t sure Riley could come back from that, at least not as herself. The woman who would emerge from that would be a total stranger inside his best friend’s body. Mac suppresses a shiver. “I know,” he says.

“Thank you for stopping me.” Riley’s voice is quiet. So, so quiet. 

“You would’ve done the same for me.” Gingerly, Mac wraps his arm around Riley’s shoulders, ready to let go at the first sign of her discomfort. When she doesn’t react, he relaxes and holds her more surely. 

The sky is painted in vibrant oranges and reds, fading into deep blue overhead. Subtle strokes of pink outline the scattered clouds hanging above the horizon. Out of all the sunsets Mac has seen, all over the world, nothing quite compares to the ones here at home. He wishes Jack was here to see it. 

Mac spends far too long debating whether to bring it up before asking, “Why did you go to the trial?” Agents, especially secret ones, don’t go to trials, mostly to keep their identities safe. Publicly tying oneself to a case is never a good idea, for more reasons that Mac can begin to name. 

“I swore I’d be there every step of the way. I meant it.” Mac tries not to bristle at the snarling, defensive edge to Riley’s tone. “Eventually, she’ll make a mistake, and I will be there when she does. And then I’m going to rip out her entire organization from the roots up.” 

Fear wraps its ugly hand around Mac’s heart. Until every single person associated with Tiberius Kovac is behind bars, there will be a target on Riley’s back, and Riley will have put it there herself. Losing one person to Kovac is more than enough; Mac refuses to lose Riley too. 

“How can I help you?” 

Riley looks up, eyes wide like she’s expecting him to try to talk her out of it, not offer to help. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“And miss out on all the fun?” Mac almost smiles as he quotes her. Almost. 

She sits up. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m going to hack Interpol first, to see which of her colleagues might also be dirty. So unless you secretly picked up hacking…” 

Mac huffs. “Sorry, I only hack hardware.” He expects some insane, crackhead plan, not something so…reasonable. Maybe Riley isn’t as off-the-rails as he thought. 

But only maybe. 

A seagull perches on the railing below them, honking and squawking for seemingly no reason at all. Gulls are just like that. It glares at Mac, pinning him to his spot with a beady yellow eye, challenging Mac to shoo it away. 

Go find some tourists to harass, Mac wants to snark at it. Leave us alone. 

The seagull cocks its head, as if to say, I know something you don’t. 

Mac narrows his eyes. I bet you do. 

He swears the seagull shrugs before taking off, flying low over the GTO before sailing over rooftops on its way back to the ocean. It passes a billboard advertising a new blockbuster spy thriller, the product of millions of dollars and Hollywood plot recycling. Mac saw the trailer. The movie is about a soldier who joined the CIA in a quest for retribution after his best friend came home in a box. Usually Mac likes watching spy movies—mostly to make fun of them—but this one hits a little too close to home. 

It takes a monumental effort to tear his gaze away. 

When his eyes finally meet Riley’s, Mac understands the silent ache in them—the ache that’s surely reflected in his own eyes. He and Riley are drowning, but at least they’re drowning together. 

Mac frowns. That must be the dimmest “on the bright side” thought he’s ever had. 

Riley doesn’t say anything more, so neither does Mac. They sit on the fire escape until long after the sun sets and the temperature drops, and the city's nightlife stretches its limbs as it wakes. Mac shivers, but Riley seems oddly unaffected by the cold. That or she’s too numb to notice. 

He threads his still semi-warm fingers through her icy ones, letting their joined hands rest on his knee. It seems like his last tether to the Riley he knows and loves, one who’s slowly slipping away from him and being replaced by a woman who might very well bring the world to its knees as payback for all that it’s done to her. 

Mac has no interest in ever meeting that woman. Mostly because he refuses to lose his Riley, but also because Mac knows he won’t be able to resist that other Riley. She will slash his restraint beyond repair, and Mac will follow her to the ends of the earth. 

He will find a way to keep them both afloat. He has to. 

Or else the Phoenix may very well be hunting him and Riley again, and this time, they’ll deserve it.

*****

Entering her apartment later that night, Riley realizes too late that it isn’t empty. Bozer is still there, and he’s making dinner. Locking the door behind her, she hears a rushed, “Got to go, Matty. She’s home.” 

Bozer crashed on her couch the night they got the news and never left. I don't want you to be alone, Bozer keeps saying, despite her insistence she doesn’t need a babysitter. Other than that, they don’t speak to each other much. In fact, Riley wouldn't have noticed he said anything at all if not for the way he stares at her, standing at the stove and twirling a wooden spoon between his fingers. 

"What?" she snaps. 

Carefully, Bozer asks, "How was the trial?" 

"Fine." Riley knows he cares, and that he’s hurting too, but nothing he says or does is going to help her. The sooner he figures that out the better. She drops her keys and jacket on a chair before heading for her bedroom. 

“You hungry?” he calls after her. 

Riley yanks off her boots, chucking them into the closet with too much force. “No.” 

“Have you eaten anything today?” 

Her fuse is running short these days, and she’s just about had it with his incessant smothering and questioning. Riley marches into the kitchen, rolling her shoulders back and bracing her hands on the counter. “Last I checked, I still have a mother, so if you’re just going to keep nagging me, then I think it’s time you get the fuck out of my apartment.” 

Bozer’s eyes widen and his mouth opens, but no sound comes out. 

“Get out,” Riley snarls. 

Still struggling to regain his ability to speak, Bozer stammers, “At least let me finish making you dinner first.” 

“Fine.” Cracking her knuckles, Riley retreats to her bedroom once more. “I’m taking a shower. You better be gone when I come out.” She doesn’t wait for a response. 

When Riley emerges, her dinner is cold, and Bozer is long gone. 

She doesn’t eat.

*****

On the second day of Vitez’s trial, Riley sits in the back of the room long after the trial adjourns for the day, thinking. She didn’t recognize the witnesses who testified today, and as the prosecutor called each one forward, Riley wished she had her laptop so she could look them up. Now, as she stares over the rows of empty wooden seats to the section where the jury sat, Riley can only hope that the witnesses’ testimonies are enough. 

Riley knows there’s more than enough evidence to convict Vitez—especially since she recorded the confession herself—but obsessing over the trial is easier than facing the reality waiting outside the courthouse doors. 

Her mom invited her to visit his grave today, after the trial, but Riley declined. Facing that slab of granite will make it real, make it…permanent. 

She knows what it says. Jack Dalton. Beloved. Gone too soon. Someone asked for her approval before it was made. It doesn’t say nearly enough to encapsulate all that he was, but at the time Riley couldn’t think about it—couldn’t look at it—long enough to suggest any changes. She still can’t. 

Chewing her lip, Riley anxiously toys with her rings, spinning them and moving them from finger to finger. 

At the wake, one of his old Delta buddies joked that the gravestone should read “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers,” but Riley didn’t laugh. 

Riley hasn’t laughed since Matty broke the news. It’s like the part of her that knows how to feel joy died in that explosion too. 

Instead, she wants to scream at the universe until her voice gives out, cursing it for taking her dad away too soon. Because that’s what he is. Her dad. Riley doesn’t even know when she started calling him that again, but if she has to guess, it was sometime between the first “I’m proud of you, honey” and him kicking her ass at skee-ball for the millionth time.

Tears leak from Riley’s eyes without her consent. 

It feels like she failed him, in a way. By not being there. By not keeping him alive. 

Now the best she can do is make sure his death means something. 

Vitez will go to prison for the rest of her life, that Riley is sure of. But the rest of her organization is still out there, and Riley intends on putting every single member behind bars. No amount of justice will even begin to heal the Jack-shaped wound in her heart, but at least the world will be better for it. Safer. 

But she’d rather live in a more dangerous world with him still in it than a safer one without. That way they could save the world together, like they always did. 

This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.

Anger rumbles through her body, like a Texas thunderstorm in her veins. It’s the only emotion Riley feels anymore, ever since the sadness gave way to numbness. 

A woman in a security uniform pokes her head in the room. “Excuse me, ma’am. I need to lock up for the night.” When Riley doesn’t respond, the woman adds, “Are you okay?” 

Are you okay? Riley hates that question more than all the others. How are you? Have you eaten today? What can I do to help? 

She feels like she’s dying. She can’t eat. Nothing will help. 

But that isn’t what people want to hear. Even Mac asked that last question, yesterday on the fire escape, although Riley didn’t automatically despise the question like she usually did. It’s different coming from him than anyone else; his offer was genuine, not coming from pity or obligation.

She isn’t surprised Mac recognized her need to do something. After all, he had been the same way after his dad was killed. 

Coldly, Riley finally says,“I will be.” The woman doesn’t deserve her abrupt answer, but Riley can’t quite bring herself to care. She lets the anger the questions bring up fuel her, lets it hold her together. 

The anger is all she has left. 

Riley stands, her heels clicking on the floor as she exits the courthouse. 

She’s coming for all the monsters who hurt him. She’s coming for the ones who rendered him nothing more than ashes on the wind, the ones who turned her life into a nightmare she can’t wake up from. 

Because she doesn’t need to wake up to become theirs.

~

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