#like obviously they couldn't get into everything in the last five minutes of the movie

[beforetimes]

tbh i think after logan resets the past at the end of days of future past and wakes up in this timeline that's better than he could ever imagine it'd be very hard for it to settle in his mind that this is real and he gets to keep it.

like, after decades of living in a dystopian hell he's not going to wake up in seemingly in paradise without having some sort of ptsd or residual nightmares from before where all his friends died horrible deaths that he couldn't stop. i feel like to him, scott and jean would feel more like ghosts than people for a good while because if we're operating under the assumption that days of future past happened in the same timeline that the original trilogy happened in, it would've been about half a century since logan had last seen the two of them alive and well. i feel like to him it would be similar to knowing you're dreaming and waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole way through.

and then after that there's the fact that he has no idea who he is in this timeline now—that's what i feel was implied, anyway, with how he woke up years in the future and couldn't remember anything past 1973. but he still has relationships built up with the people there and he's an entirely different logan than the one who woke up in his place. so i feel there would be some fumbling there as well, to figure out those relationship dynamics again. unless you just want to assume that things went about the same as the og trilogy minus the plot of the last stand.

idk! i feel logan wouldn't bounce back as fast as it seems he would. think he would have nightmares and be overly-wary and always feel like he's on the cusp of losing this too good to be true world he's stepped into. but i also feel he would soften some of his rougher edges—in the og trilogy he seems more like a flight-risk than anything, still bouncing from place to place and coming back to the x-mansion for a few people, but here he would stay for more than just jean and rogue—clings on for all the kids he couldn't save the first time and the allies who became close friends over the course of them living out that first dystopian future only he remembers. just thinking out loud

[sabbathbloodysabbeth]

Bark at the Moon

Chapter 3

Summary: Without much thought for his own safety Eddie finds himself stuck in the middle of the woods while a bad snow storm hits hawkins. Little does he know that his saving grace comes from a wolf that should not be understanding what he is saying right now. Along with the first day of school, strange questions, and a sick Chrissy, Eddie is starting to realize that a lot more action has been taking place and what ever is causing it is tossing him in the middle of it. Also? Did I mention Wayne Munson breaks a guys nose?

Full fic on Ao3

Protector of the Night; December something 2022

Eddies feet were frozen, but he keeps forcing himself forward. He was in dire need of those stupid berries. The tiny red ones that he could mash up and use as paint. A light watered down version but still useful to him. He was still currently in the process of saving up for new paint, even though he's confident Wayne got him a new set for Christmas. Unlike previous years Eddie did promise not to snoop around the trailer, which he had obviously broken and Wayne seemed to have gotten smarter to his antics and his present somewhere else. The holiday was only a few weeks away and if he waited that long to finish this project then he would never finish the damn thing. That and it was due in two days for his class. He had completely forgotten about it up until he randomly decided he wanted to go on a walk in the middle of the woods. (Not a smart decision)

Now if you knew Eddie for just five seconds, barely even that long you would know that everything he did was a last minute decision. Something that he has been scolded for numerous times by his Uncle. Who has walked in on his nephew doing some form of body modification without any rash decision behind it one to many times (At that thought Eddie chuckles to himself, rubbing at the bats that was on his forearm) or the time he nearly cut all of his hair off just because he couldn't find a hair tie in the middle of the summer. The boy was normally logical in a lot of areas but being rational wasn't in his books. Plus a lot of things he did ran off from his emotions.

After a while of walking his eyes finally land on a tiny bush covered in snow. Though still poking out of the white branches were the exact berries he needed. He didn't know the name for them or what they were for, all he knew was they weren't edible. He learned the hard way. He eagerly moves over from the small path he had been walking on, humming to himself he claps his hands excitedly as he pulls out a plastic sandwich bag that still had some crumbs at the bottom of it. Careful not to rip it, he opens the bag and proceeds to dump out the breadcrumbs into the snow. Not wanting them to get mixed up with the berries. He also didn't feel bad for loitering, some animal would most likely come and snack on the very few crumbs that stuck to the top of the snow. After all it was just bread. Then when he decides that it was cleaned out enough he begins to pick berries taking his time to look at each one. Not wanting to accidentally pick one with some creepy bug inside. His paint would not look good if it had squished up bugs in it.

He was used to doing this by now without the worry of anything around him, so when his hair starts to stick up off his arms and the back of his neck he was a bit concerned. Glancing around he follows his bodies instincts, now feeling like he was being watched. After a minute of glancing around the woods, and seeing nothing in the surrounding area he shakes his head and begins to ignore his gut. Feeling like on of those idiots from a horror movie. He then lets a breathe out nearly going cross eyed as he watches his breathe go up into his face. Relaxing a bit when he realizes he was being paranoid, which is how he begins to hum a random Black Sabbath song instead of keeping an ear out for his surroundings. No animal ever got close to you in these woods, most times they would hear you and take off before you could see them.

A few more minutes pass and he finally has half the bag full. Weighing it in the palm of his hand he holds it up to the light and makes a further inspection. It would hopefully be enough to hold him over, or to finish this art project. Then bringing it back down he begins to make sure the bags sealed before putting it in his coat pocket. Patting it a little to make sure it will stay before standing up with a slight shiver. His breathing was a bit labored from the cold and his hands had started to grow pink from touching so much snow. Moving them carefully up to his mouth he begins to revive his fingers, that were hard to move from how cold they were. He should have brought gloves out.He really needed to get warmer clothes in general, but for now he moves and struggles to zip up the leather coat in hopes of regaining some heat from the old thing. How his Uncle wore it twenty years before him was beyond him. Then again it had been newer then and not so difficult to work with like it was now. He had stolen it from his Uncle a couple of years ago and never really returned it. Not like Wayne minded, it had been a while since he properly wore it.

Eddie turns on his heel, leaving his hands near his mouth to breathe into them. Slowly walking the way he came. Quickly looking down at his watch he estimates that it took him fifteen minutes to get out here. If he kept the pace up he would be back to the trailer before his Uncle even realized he was gone. Whistling to himself he starts to walk again, lost in his thoughts. Not paying attention to where he was going. Just sticking to the trail of shoe prints that he had created on his way out here. A part of him appreciating the silent nature around him while the other side of him wanted to get home as fast as possible so he could warm up.

He feels and smells the air change fast as clouds started to form above the sky. As if the weather couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or snow. Maybe a mixture or both. The smell of something misty hit him and he starts to grow concerned about getting to shelter. The worst thing that possibly could happen to him was getting stuck in the middle of the woods in a middle of a snow or hail storm. When snow came down closer into town, you could see barely when going down the roads while snow was being carried all over into the woods. Not the path of what was in front of you being concealed by not only snow but trees due to the area not being open. The second worst thing was the fact that if he even got a teeny bit wet or cold, the clothing he was wearing was not going to stop anything.

I'm reaction, he starts to run a bit awkwardly down the path, careful of the random sticks and rocks that snuck out. Feeling like he was in some dramatic show. Groaning loudly, not caring what heard him he comes to the realization that he was not going to make it home without being soaking wet. Though this doesn't stop him from nearly sprinting even harder, which is immediately regretted as he has to stop after a second to keep his lungs from being coughed up. Beads of sweat going down his forehead and the inside of his shirt, feeling over heated even though he was in the cold. Though standing still, or hovering still for a few minutes the air starts to nip at him again. Causing his body to shake and teeth to shatter as he tries to regain the ability to breathe again.

Hands on his knees and crouched forward is how hes notices the white wolf watching him from the trees off to his right. She was gorgeous. All of the process he had made when trying to breathe normally again goes out the window. All of the air gets stuck in his throat, causing his lungs to burn even more then what they had been. He freezes up literally as his brain finally reboots itself trying to think of the smart way to handle this. This was not his territory, he was currently in hers he reminds himself. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Not move right? Stay as still as possible? He really should have paid more attention to the discovery channel growing up so that he didn't make this gorgeous animal think he was trying to hurt her.

The animal creeps forward, her ears down as if she was just as scared about seeing him as he was to see her. His eyes catch the sight of her tail in between her back legs and his assumption is correct. The closer she moves, the more her snout twitches. As if she smelt him all the way over there. She probably did. His heart is beating fast in his throat, and hes in the same spot he was in before when the clouds open up and start to pour snow on both of them. (He isn't sure if clouds actually open up to pour snow) It only takes two seconds for him to be unable to see what was in front of him or even next to him. It was startling how fast a white curtain was put up between the two of them. He wonders if she can see him through it. Glancing down at himself he wouldn't be to shocked, he was wearing almost all black. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of all white.

He's freezing and shaking as he forces himself to move his limbs, if he didn't he wouldn't only be metaphorically frozen but literally as well. He's unable to see the wolf with the amount of white that was now surrounding him, all he hopes is that he spooked her and she ran the opposite direction he was going now. If not then the snow was going to be the least of his worries. Which was definitely not good for him in anyway.

The longer he walks the more snow he can feel going into the back of his coat, sticking to his curls and covering his hands that were held up close to his eyes. In the process of trying to keep snow from going into his eyes he was now putting his fingers and hands at risk. That were now going a even more bright pink colors His heart is still beating rappidly, the tips of his fingers are beginning to ache from the cold biting at them and his teeth were chattering together even harder to the point he was worried about chipping a tooth. He really doesn't know where he was going. He hoped he was still going straight.

He whines as a gust of wind hits him. He's shaking as he has to stop and plant his feet so he doesn't get knocked over. His hair was being whipped behind him as he scrunched his face up. He can't see himself but he already knows his face was bright red from the cold. If he doesn't die out here, he knows that his Uncle would kill him. He shakes even more as he squints catching movement from the corner of his eye. He doesn't have to search to see what it was for long. Not to be the guy to make movie references in the middle of a life or death situation but Eddie feels like Sully and Mike Wazowski in that one snow scene where they were facing the abominable snowman for the first time.

His body is filled with fear once again as he catches the blur again, causing him to freeze in his tracks before his eyes squint a bit looking forward again. The wolf that has been near him before was now in front of him. Less then a few feet away and he was about to make those yellow snow cones in a second for how freaked out he was. The state off isn't as intense as before but it was still tense as she glares a hole into him. Before she's moving out of his sight again. He takes a hesitant step forward before he's jumping startled as he feels a soft bump against his leg again. He felt like he was in the middle of the ocean and a shark just touched his leg out of nowhere. He's never been in large amounts of water only because of that fear, and this situation was not helping him feel any better.

After a moment of him being a deer in headlights the head bump against his leg was harder, and he's being pushed to the side a bit. Now he maybe dumb but he wasn't that dumb to not catch onto what she was trying to do. Without thinking he starts to stumble in the direction. For a second testing what would happen if he didn't listen, earning a small yip from the back of her throat that convinced him to listen to her. Giving into his emotions, he was too scared to think logically which was how he found himself being herded into a sheltered area he didn't know even existed. Then again, the woods ran for acres and there was no way of him knowing everything that was hidden in the trees.

His brain catches up to him as he realizes that this animal just let him to a small little sheltered off area. That looked like it had been made in a similar fashion as a tent but due to it being a large tarp it wasn't completely closed off to the rest of the world. Once again it wasn't the best, but it was better than sitting outside under the snow. It wasn't the worst place Eddie's been in, he's found himself in rockier places then this and he wasn't going to deny a place to stay. He would be a moron to do so. Though another part of him felt stupid for listening to a literal creature that could tear him apart if it so pleased. Honestly at this point he was more then willing to just allow his brain to shut off as he climbs into the area. Quickly moving his eyes around to make sure he wasn't walking in on a homeless person, for all he knew was super violent. Though once again go his luck that wasn't the case. The area looked empty, but not entirely unused.

Someone had obviously been living here before he got here. Who specifically was unknown. It looked like they hadn't been here for a couple of days, which was a bit of a relief to him. Maybe the wolf had scared them off to go into town. But if they were homeless they would most likely be going to the bridge, which meant that they were most likely picked up by an officer and taken in from the cold. But that were all assumptions. For now, he was very fucking grateful to whoever just upped and left this behind. The more he looks the more he realizes how sloppily the shelter had been made, obvious that the person didn't have much experience. The tarp that was above his head was loosely pinned to a tree, but Eddie wasn't too worried about it flying away. His arms were now across himself trying to save body heat as the very few survival instincts he has kicks in.

His eyes glance back to the wolf after a moment as the reality of the situation hits him. Currently, right in front of him was a huge wolf who had just gotten him out from the snow. This has been the closest he has ever been to an animal like this. It was nerve wracking. Though he was very intrigued as the same animal seemed way smarter then all of the other creatures he's interacted with. The raccoons outside of his trailer he would constantly have to help get out of trash can numerous times a week, and even a stray cat the lived in the area wasn't this smart. Constantly getting stuck under someones trailer and having to be pulled out by the owner.

Now seemed like better then never to take his hero in. Her eyes were a dark brown and if he didn't know what a wolf looked like she would have been easily confused for a bigger husky. He doesn't move his eyes away from her, not sure whether or not she wanted to keep him for a snack. Which seemed unlikely as she moves forward, walking slowly as she joins him under the tented area. Still somehow more afraid of him then he was of her.

The closer she got the more details he could see. Such as the huge cut on the side of her face that slightly wrapped itself onto her nose. Now he wasn't good with human emotions so god only knows how well he could read a wolves, but hes quick to assume that she was relaxed. Which was a good sign, for his sake anyway. The more he stares the more he feels about just calling her 'the wild' he's tempted to give her a name but he doesn't know what to call her. Like one of his hero NPC's he has no idea what name fit her. Though he knew that it did name her he would grow attached, which meant getting his ass chewed out by his Uncle who has scolded him numerous times for naming the stray animals near the trailer. But it didn't feel right not giving her a name after all that's she done for him. Normally he would talk to the animals near his trailer and see their reactions to give a name, but right now he didn't want to use his voice and accidentally spook her. Every gust of win that hit the tarp harder then the last was causing her to nearly jump in the air, he could only imagine what his obnoxious voice would do.

He's to focused on her body to notice that his was shaking pretty bad. Though like him, it seemed as if she had been looking him up and down just as much as he had been with her. He's guessing she comes to a good decision about him when she flops down in the dirt. Laying her head on her paws and staring a hole into him. He lets a sigh of releif go, watching it literally float up into the air. Glad to see that she barely even flinches at the noises he makes. He quickly decides that he was now as safe as he could be before glancing around the area once more. In hopes that he didn't miss anything, which he had. In what could be considered the corner of the area was a small had made bed. With no cushion, only a blanket and a pillow.

The area was barely able to fit him and this wolf, so it was hard to move without nearly kicking her in the face. He wanted to grab the blanket knowing that the cover of it would be better then nothing. He reaches out and gets a good hold of the cloth before he's starting to shake it out a bit wary about something being in it. Such as a needle. The short amount of time that he had been homeless in the city with his father had burnt a hesitancy in his brain about using random blankets without checking them first. Which would be all he needed, to get pricked with a needle and catch some disease.

After a moment of squirming around he pulls the blanket closer to himself. Doing another once over before he's pulling it over his body. Not bothering with the pillow, not wanting to catch lice again and have to buzz his head. Now that he knew that the materials he was working with were safe he comes up with a plan of staying warm. Pausing for a moment to think. Ignoring the animal next to him just for a second before scrunching his eyebrows together. He quickly decides the only way to get himself to warm up is to curl up into a ball. Which he does almost immediately after that thought, making eye contact with the Wolf in the process.

He can't help himself and smiles as friendly as possible towards the other. Already growing a bit attached to her but no matter what he did he will not be giving her a name. No matter how much it killed him to just called her Snow or some basic name like that. Instead of over thinking he tries to let his thoughts wander to anything else in hopes to make the time pass by faster. Which isn't too hard to do as he was worried about his Uncle, who had to drive from the shop to the trailer in the middle of this. And the more he thought the more worried he was.

Of course Eddie hadn't thought too hard about what he was doing before taking a single step into the woods. Steve Harrington was currently missing and he was doing something stupid that could very much end up with him getting lost. God only knows what his Uncle was thinking right now, if he has even made it home. Eddie knew that when Wayne did get home he was going to freak out harder then what he normally would. Between the snow storm and Steve missing that was a double whammy that would lead to Eddie getting his ass chewed out or Wayne having a heart attack. Which was why he was currently more worried about his Uncle then himself. Even though he was the one currently freezing his ass off in the middle of the woods. Not only was Eddie very worried about the idea of Wayne driving on the roads. (He knew he wouldn't get in an accident in the middle of a blizzard but the worry was still there.) He was worried that his Uncle would gather a search party, and if Eddie didn't die from hypothermia he was going to die from embarrassment.

Like earlier he moves his hands back up to his mouth. Blowing warm air out into them in hopes that it would get them to warm up. It was starting to get more difficult to sustain warmth as he gives in and wraps the blanket he had found tighter around him instead of having it loosely draped over his body. He's so cold that he doesn't even care what the animal in front of him was doing. Though he was still watching her, there was nothing else he could really do besides stare at her. His eyes watching her every move before she stands carefully slowly walking over the few inches between them and flopping down on top of him.

Causing him to yelp from the body weight and shock of having what was supposed to be a feral animal on top of him, but shit. She was a lot warmer then him and he was willing to take whatever heat he could possibly take. For a second he hesitates as he moves a little to get a bit more comfortable. Taking a moment before he gives in and wraps his hands around her feeling her damp fur with little clumps of snow in random places. His hands shake with anxiety and from the cold as he digs his fingers in more, chasing the warmth that was thawing them out. His breathing picking up a little as he whimpers a little when she moves off from him. Tempted to pull her close and not let her leave, afraid that she was leaving him. But quickly relaxes as she moves laying down on her side, face looking out of the small shelter.

There was nowhere else that his face could possibly go besides the nape of her neck. Nose scrunching up at the smell as he gags a little, unable to help himself. But willing to get used to the stench to stay warm. He hesitates again before he is wrapping his arm around her middle. Hand gently laying on her stomach. Feeling his body gaining warmth, with the exception of his back being a little cold. He sighs as he speaks without thought, "thank you." He says. Voice raspy and cracking, speaking for the first time. And he swears she makes a noise in response as in a way to say 'your welcome'. Her tail starting to wag against him, hitting him in the leg a few times. The cold was making him lose his mind. That was it. The Wolf was not responding to what he was doing, he was simply making it all up in his head. His imagination getting the better of him.

Eddie was still shaking a bit as he carefully starts to pet her, rubbing her stomach in appreciation. Laughing a little when he scratches in a spot causing her leg to kick back and hit him. She was like a oversized dog. After a few more moments the exhaustion starts to kick in and he slowly starts to fall asleep. With his own personal heater he wasn't shocked that he falls asleep wrapped around her.

When he wakes up its much later, and he's a little surprised by the animal still pressing next to him. That and by the amount of fur that made it down his throat causing him to gag a little. Lifting up his head from where he laid eye observes that there was no light. It was pitch black and he can't help but shiver, not from the cold but at the thought of what could possibly be out there. Though he shouldn't be to afraid. He has his own personal guard dog right with him. Hopefully she was willing to protect him from other animals like she had been with the cold.

He frowns as he moves to sit up more, startled when his pillow starts to move. Yelping out loudly, he nearly pulls the make shift tent down on the both of them. The animal lets a high pitched whine as she gets up, stretching with a a loud yawn. Watching him as if none of this wasn't completely abnormal to her. He doesn't know why he acted so surprised by her moving but it did startle him. She hadn't moved once in his sleep, or else he would have woken up from it.

"How are you so normal about this? Do you have other humans?" Eddie rambles out without thinking. With it being so dark he could barely make out the glint of her eyes. He's being dramatic and when he was scared or uncomfortable he made jokes. Even if they were made at the wrong place, wrong time. "Are you cheating on me?" He says in a higher pitch voice, purposely cracking it. Laughing a bit, he was really losing his mind. Though after a moment he just stays crouched as he takes his hands that were starting to shake again and groan loudly into them.

He really needed to get home and fast.

After a moment he moves crawling out from where he had been laying. Pushing past the animal. If she was going to eat him she would have done that when he was sleeping. His knees and hands were met by the snow and he was groaning some more. Shivering as he feels the cold wind hitting him again. Wiping his snowy hands on his pants he squints his eyes, looking around the dark trying to see if he could figure out what direction he should go in. Though he really had no clue. His phone was left at home, lost on the floor somewhere. A common occurence for him, even when his uncle kept chewing him out for doing that especially with everything that was going on. Though he's sure if he had the electronic on him it would still be dead from the cold, and the lack of service would be no help.

He lets a loud shaky breath out before he begins to ramble out to the wolf, acting as if she could understand him. "You know, if I don't die out here my Uncle is going to kill me. He keeps telling me to not come out here by myself and to always have my phone on me so he can reach me. Those are literally his only rules and somehow I always end up messing it up." He laughs bitterly. Feeling the snowy creature leaning against his side. Sitting and looking up at him. She really was gorgeous. He wondered if he could convince Wayne to allow him to get a dog. Probably not.

"And now, I'm stuck in the middle of the woods with no phone! With Steve Harrington missing my Uncle has been a bit more tense about me going places without telling him and oh god this is definetly going to make things worst." Eddie rambles out. Throwing his hands up in the air as he stressfully tugs on his own curls for a second. Then huffs as he moves starting to walk forward. "Now I need to find my way home which is going to be a lot of fun." He bitterly says as he crosses his arms around himself. Once again he regrets not paying attention to the discovery channel.

After a few minutes of aimlessly walking, he feels teeth brushing up against his shin and hes jumping a bit startled. Pulling away, feeling and hearing his pant leg tearing under the wolves teeth. "Damn it, I just got these!" Eddie complains loudly. Stopping himself from moving, a little nervous that the wolf was going to turn on him. Though she acts like she was just hit with the way he raised his tone. Ears falling back with a soft whine as she back tracks to give him a little space, tail between her legs again. "Oh no, don't do that. I didn't mean to snap, you just startled me is all." He says gently. Putting his hands up in the air as if she was the one holding him at gunpoint. "Just you know... not used to wolves being nice to me and then all of a sudden biting at my pants." He chuckles softly.

He watches as her tail slowly picks back up, ears going back to a relaxed state. He was starting to believe that she really understood him. She then proceeds to move, this time gently putting her teeth against the leather of his jacket and pulls him to another direction. Before dropping the clothing and moving away from him. He checks the jacket, and realizes that she was so careful that there was no teeth marks left behind only saliva. He doesn't move, still confused as to what she was trying to get him to do.

She keeps walking in the direction she had tried pulling him in, and there was no way she was leading him back to his trailer right? After a few more few she stops and turns her head towards him. Not moving, and after a moment he finally catches on and starts to walk forward with a playful huff. Letting out a soft and amused, "so bossy." Before following her. After a few minutes of just walking he sighs and begins to kick the snow around, secretly praying for the first time in years that she was actually leading him home. He was really trusting her with his life right now, and it was very intimidating. As time passed he was starting to grow cold again, and he was having a difficult time seeing in the dark which meant he kept on hitting his foot on everything that stuck out in his path and nearly running into trees like a dumbass. His new friend and savior never leaves his side as they walk.

Soon enough their journey comes to a end as a familiar light is seen from the clearing. He gasps, dumbfounded that she actually took him home. He picks up his pace a little bit, unable to help himself. Excited for the warmth of his cabin and comfort of his bed. Though he gets five feet away from the last of the trees before the opening and he stops. Turning his head, about to thank the animal again to only see that she was now gone. Confusion written on his face he sighs. A little disappointed now as well. Before he's moving and starting to run up the path, seeing his Uncles truck in the drive way. Moving his way up the steps, the door opens faster then what he thinks it's ever been capable of doing before.

"Eddie?" Wayne's voice breaks a little, Eddie was so glad to hear it as he moves throwing himself in the others arms again. Already close to tears as he knows he almost just died. It was crazy to think about. If the wolf hadn't been out there with him he currently wouldn't be standing here right now. Shaking in the others mans arms and from all the emotions that he's been holding back. Everything goes by with a blur, his uncle pulling him in and quickly forcing him to change and be piled under a bunch of blankets. Holding the mug of his famous hot chocolate as both of them finally calm down a bit. Enough for Wayne to start on one of his infamous rants about the woods. Every word sticking with Eddie this time. Eyes never leaving him, agreeing with every single one. Not fighting back like he normally would which was probably why the rant only lasted five minutes.

As Wayne moves to the kitchen to start cooking Eddie something to eat, from the corner of the window barely visible Eddie catches sight of his wolf standing between the trees. Watching, as if she was protecting him still out in those woods. He smiles brightly seeing her, moving his hand and waving at her in hopes she understood what the gesture meant.

Later that night, as he goes into his room. Pulling out the berries that weee very squished now, he starts to get his paints out. Beginning to start his first painting on a canvas that he had gotten over a year ago that had been collecting dust in his corner. Starting the outline of a wolf, staring from the trees of the trailer park.

~~~~~~~~

Were you probed by Aliens? ; September 2023

Eddie stays leaned back in his van seat, feet pressed up on the dashboard of the van as he watches students greeting each other excitedly about the new year. He shouldn't be here. He should be graduated and states away from Hawkins Indiana. Yet here he was, sitting in his beat up van redoing senior year like a dumbass. Though he wasn't the only one who shouldn't be here right now. Across the parking lot, Steve Harrington seemed to be having the same realization as Eddie. His forehead is laying right down on his steering wheel, ignoring all of the eyes that were on him and his mustang, seemingly in existential dread. Or on his way to a existential crisis. Eddie's heart really goes out for the guy. It really does. But if this meant the attention was off from Eddie for once he'll gladly take it.

Pulling the cigeratte from his mouth he puts it out in his ashtray leaving it laying in the ash of past cigarettes. Sniffling a little as he does, trying to wake up for the day. Seven in the morning was way to early for one Eddie Munson to be out of his bed. It definitely went against the Munson Doctrine. Even his Uncle didn't get up this early in the morning to go to work. There should be a law that stated that Eddie shouldn't be up and out of bed before his Uncle.

In a attempt to wake up he turns SlipKnot up. Letting the guitars fill his ear drums and take the attention off Steve for a few seconds. His own personal thank you to the guy. Even if it meant that the bass of the song was moving through him in a way that made him grind his teeth, not enjoying the way the van vibrates with the song. His unplanned plan seems to work as everyones eyes move to the van for maybe ten seconds before they are going back to Steve who was now exiting his car. Pulling up his jeans before he adjusts his shirt, and starts his red carpet walk. Awkwardly smiling people as he walks in. To a few people he would even awkwardly wave to them.

The walk is smooth, and he acts like nothing was out of the ordinary. Steve Harrington was confident in the way he holds himself and it was very strange, compared to the last time Eddie had seen him. Watching the way the other doesn't even hesitate as his eyes meet Billy Hargrove's. Who's sitting in his camaro, lazily leaning his head out of the car with a annoyingly charming smile sent the kings way. From where Eddie was sitting he couldn't see much of the guy, but from what he had seen that morning when the other was yelling at Max to hurry up the guy looked a lot better then he had been for the past couple of weeks. Somehow he looked even scarier and more sturdier in how he carried himself. It was unfair how he came out of being deathly ill looking more attractive. And the asshole knew it.  Flaunting his chest out even more, if that was even possible for the guy to do.

After a moment Eddie pulls his attention away from what was happening ahead of him, quickly captivated by the favorite part of his song. Eddie playfully drums the rythm of the song on his lap, letting the song progress and finish before he's turning the radio off and jumping out of the vehicle. Stumbling on his feet a bit but he didn't mind. Not like anyone was watching. The game plan for today was to show up to every class at least five minutes late instead of twenty. The goal him and Chrissy had come up with the night before. It was a reasonable goal, truly but Eddie really didn't care about the stupid school. The only reason why he was even here was because his Uncle forced him to.

If Steve was confident and smooth with the way he carried himself into the school Eddie was the opposite. He was clumsy, stumbling over himself and his arms were a bit too awkward as he moves under Billy's eyes as well. He's flustered, and not the good kind. He didn't like being on douchbags radars and that was putting it lightly for the male in his obnoxiously gorgeous car. Thankfully he somehow graduated the year before and Hawkins High said good riddance.

"Munson," The way he says his last name makes his stomach twist in a bad way. He rolls his eyes and keeps walking. Simply ignoring him as he makes his way to his first class of the day. Not afraid to do so now as the other didn't really have much say on what happens in the school anymore. His reign of terror ending with flames when Steve returned.

Running a hand through his hair Eddie opens the front door and enters hell.

He did make it to every class on time, for the most part. It was only the first day and Eddie had a study hall and lunch back to back. Which meant he could easily slack off in the back of the large area for over an hour. Humming to himself he has his music blaring in his ears. If anyone were to talk to him he would be unable to hear them. He moves and plops himself in his normal spot. Throwing his feet up on the table, leaning the chair back on two feet as he hums to the song loudly. Fidgeting in one way or another as he scrolls through his phone. Chrissy had lunch next period so he would only have to hold out for forty five minutes, as much as he tried to convince her to skip she would not budge on her decision.

When the bell rings, announcing the end of the period and the warning for the next Eddie's music shuts off randomly. Groaning he gets irrationally agitated as he fights to try and turn his phone on. Realizing that it died after a few more minutes of fighting with it. Huffing he throws himself forward and slams his phone down on the table, pulling his headphones out. He wasn't normally agitated this easily but he really wanted to curl up and listen to Ozzy or Metallica. Maybe a bit of slipknot, korn and Iron Maiden tossed in the mix for a while longer. But no, he had forgotten to plug his phone in the night before which added onto the fact that he drained his battery fast when ever he did use it. Here he was now with no music or phone, though hopefully Chrissy would be coming soon to end his torture. The library was way to silent for his liking he needed something for background noise.

His head is dramaticlly placed on the table when he hears the chair across from him pulling backwards and someone sitting in front of him. "This table is taken." He groans. Not caring to look up already knowing that it wasn't Chrissy. Who always sat next to him, that and she would have been wrapped around him already just from the pathetic sight known as him. He also knew that whoever had the balls to sit next to him would probably lose their nerve at trying to befriend him rather quickly and leave him alone. That's how it normally worked. The success rate of making Eddie Munson your friend was sixty to one. Eddie was the one that had to make you his friend, collecting people like lost sheep and trusting his gut on who to chose. Chrissy was the only exception as she really did have a way with a metal heads heart. What could he say. He was a sucker for the blonde.

"Oh no... " The voice says sarcasticlly. "I can't come by and say hi to my fellow super senior twin." The voice is filled with amusement and Eddie hears the way their fingers start to tap at the table. Sending a thrumming rhythm to his head, not helping with the slight agitated bubble that was living in his chest right now. He was being irrational and a absolute dick but like most times, he doesn't care what other people think about him. It was kind of on brand for him, he was either very nice to the point you liked him or a huge twat who made people run away faster then their legs could carry them. He would like to think he was like Shrek, a man with many layers. But he's already had this conversation with Chrissy and she was convinced he was donkey.

A few seconds of silence pass before Eddie looks up with a bit of a squint. Prepared to chew whoever out before his cheeks go red from embarrassment when he realizes Steve Harrington was currently sitting across from him. Though he quickly acts unbothered as he laughs bitterly, "Oh how the mighty king has fallen, meeting the jester in secret where the kingdom can't see." His smile is sarcastic along with his tone, acting as if he was speaking in rhyme. Moving forward enough to where the table dug into his arms that were currently crossed over his chest in a closed of manner. He was miserable and unfairly taking it out on the other. He knew that, but in the moment he didn't care. He hated highschool with a passion and right in front of him was one of the people who had made high-school so miserable in the first place. Of course the voice in his head was telling him that Steve probably had it worst, but once again he just didn't give a fuck.

This doesn't stop Steve to dramatically gasp back at him with a loud "Oh my god." A tense smile popping up onto his face, his eyes growing dark and a little annoyed but he doesn't let the other effect him to much. Which was probably a rare ability that anyone held.

Steve obviously had much more control then Eddie, who's mouth was like a ticking time bomb. Like Eddie, Steve leans forward as well, their faces only a few inches away from each other now as he speaks lowly "I think the jester needs to find a different title. The crowd doesn't find him all that funny." He sasses back with ease. A challenging look in his eye, daring Eddie to fight back.

Leading into a stare before Eddie finally softens up as he recognizes he was being a douche in this situation. He was definitely being the hugest twat to Steve right now for no reason and if he feels a little guilty about it that was only for him to know.

He huffs a little, trying to still act tough as Steve's eyes land on his phone. "Phone die?" Steve asks amused, which only earns him a nod in response. Steve hums as he moves to stand up, leaving the table without a word. Returning a second later after he went to go talk to the librarian. Who happily let him borrow one of their extra android charges.

"Here, the desk normally has extra chargers." He comments. He runs a hand through his hair as he sits back down across from Eddie. It was growing a bit awkward between the two as Eddie smiles a bit tightly in response.

"So..." Steve says, dragging out the word like he had in the truck. "Are you having fun?" He asks sarcastically. His voice is soft, leaving it in a slight whisper. Eddie doesn't let himself think too much about how hot his voice was as he snorts.

"Not really." He says shaking his head. Moving and tossing his legs up on the table, careful to not hit his phone in the process. He pauses as he decides to toss the word back into the others face. "So... are you enjoying all of the eyes on you?" Eddie teases. The rumors were running rampant and it was honestly concerning with the amount of people currently talking about the boy in front of him. Its been months since the other returned home safe, and everyone was still talking about it like it was yesterday.

Steve laughs as he slouches in his chair a bit as he pauses for a second, a thinking look finding its way on his face as he processes his answer before giving it to Eddie. "No.. not one bit. Which is a bit weird. If you told me last year that I would have almost the entire state's attention I would have been thriving. But no... I hate it. I wish I could go to the grocery store and be able to buy a thing of bananas without someone coming over to 'help' me." He laughs gently, moving his hands up and making quotation marks with his fingers around the word help. "Though, I'm sure even you are probably just as curious as everyone else about the whole disappearing thing." Steve chuckles. His shoulders were now tense as the unspoken thing was finally brought up.

Eddie listens, the other was nothing like he had expected him to be and it was very strange to him. Possibly more strange then the actual disappearance of the guy "Well- i'm sure everyone will stop talking about it.... after a few years." he chuckles, smiling softly at the way Steve's scar stretches against his cheek as he smiles. "And I won't lie. I am a bit intrigued. But I remember how everyone reacted to me coming into town to live with my uncle, and from personal experience I don't want to be one of those people that I hated a lot back then." he hums. Crossing his arms over his chest a bit as he watches Steve carefully. Unsure whether or not he should be getting personal with this guy.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Steve chuckles shaking his head as he smiles, "You had a horrible buzzcut right? And performed something.. I can't remember what at the talent show." He seemed excited and proud that he could remember something that was so significantly smaller to him then Eddie.

"Hey! Don't crap all over my hair, mullet boy." Eddie sasses playfully. He moves a hand up to his hair, fiddling with his curls at the memory of them being gone.

"Not like I had a choice in that hair cut, my Dad thought it would make me look more like a boy." Steve laughs gently.

Eddies nose scrunches up a bit as he shakes his head. "Oh god, that was the exact same reason why mine buzzed my head as well." He huffs out, trying to hide his snort.

The conversation was easy to hold after that for a few minutes before silence falls on them again. Neither of them shared many common interests expect for some of the music they listened to. Eddie looks up at the clock as he groans realizing that they still had twenty minutes before the bell would ring. Though he was frowning a bit, concerned about Chrissy who had told him she would meet him in the library around this time. Though he pushes that worry in the back of his mind, trusting that there was a good reason for her to ditch him.

Tossing his head back dramaticlly he makes a few noises at the idea of staying in the school anymore before he straghtens back up to talk to Steve again. Pretending he didn't just make the strangest noises ever.

Steve had a mischiveous look in his eye as he stares at Eddie. "Lets play a game." Steve says with a grin, one that was charming Eddie into agreeing with whatever he wanted. Ignoring the idea of doing anything for Steve Harrington Eddie raises his eyebrow as Steve continues. "We've both been the middle of the town talk at one point or another, why don't we ask each other the most stupidest questions everyone has come up with surrounding me going AWOL and you moving into town. Or tell each other rumors that we heard about the other." And shit, that sounded like a fun idea.

Eddie pretends to think for a second, before he leans forward onto his arms on the table. "Spill all of your dirty secrets big boy." He jokes. A smile on his face as Steve laughs.

"Well you have to ask me a question first you dork." Steve laughs, moving himself forward, a bit closer to the other. As if there were people surrounding them, when in reality no one was within fifteen feet of their table.

"Oh I suppose." Eddie gasps, dramatically tilting his chair back again and leaning along with it so he could think. Tapping his chin as a grin pops up on his face. "Did you really get abducted by aliens?" He asks.

"Yeah, my prostate still hasn't recovered. God, I don't think I'm going to ever be able to play sports ever again." Steve jokes laughing as he shakes his head amused, only grinning more when he sees he's got the reaction he wanted from the other. Which was amusement.

"Oh... kinky." Eddie teases, moving back onto the table as he waves his hand to gesture for the other to go now. Not allowing much time to talk to much about eat rumor.

"Did you really escape from a cult?" Steve asks.

"Nope, did people really think that?" Eddie asks a bit startled and amused.

"Yeah, I don't know why a lot of people thought that." Steve laughs before gesturing for the other to ask one.

Eddie pauses to think, he squints his eyes as he asks the next question without thinking. "Do you really not remember anything?" He asks curiously. The light energy changes to something dark as Steve stiffens up a bit. Before relaxing as he looks like he's lost in thought or somewhere. Eddie was a little suspicious now, there was no reason to think about something like that. Either you remembered or you didn't, pretty straightforward.

"Kind of? Everything's fuzzy if I'm honest. I remember bits a pieces but not enough." Steve admits, quickly trying to change the the topic as he starts to ask the next question but is interrupted by Chrissy who's pretty much running over.

"Oh my god, Eddie I'm so sorry I got side tracked-" Chrissy freezes when she notices Steve at the table. Though Eddie wasn't worried about him as his eyes land on his friend and she looked like shit. Eye-bags under her eyes, sweat rolling down her face as if she just got done running from somewhere. Hair pulled up but still messy, and she didn't have any make up on. That was a major red flag that something was wrong.

Eddie was so tunnel visioned onto her that he doesn't notice the way Steve reacts to seeing her. His eyes furrowed up a bit as he looks more concerned then Eddie. And he didn't even know her. "Are you okay chris? You don't look to hot?" Eddie asks concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just came from the nurse. I accidentally fell asleep on one of their beds-" she rambles. That was enough for Eddie to stand up, unplugging his phone as he smiles at Steve the best he can.

"Sorry Harrington, but I'm sending her back to the nurse. Don't mean to dip on you like this but-" he gestures at the girl in hopes that he understood what he was trying to say. Steve doesn't waist a second to put a face on as he smiles back at him, moving his hand to gesture for him to go.

"Yeah no worries man, hope you feel better Chrissy." He says with a smile. Already pulling his phone out, Eddie moves and wraps a arm around his friends waist as he starts to lead her back where she came from. Ignoring all of the complaints coming from her. Turning his head to look at Steve, who was now sitting with Robin Buckley who was waving her hands around in the air talking about something. It looked like she was chewing him out. About what, he wasn't sure.

What he was curious about, was how a band geek was friends with a school jock.

~~~~~~~

Old Wounds: September 2023

Tw: mention of a gun shooting and blood (not in great detail)

Eddie sits outside on the porch alongside Wayne. No matter the season they both came out here around the same time just to sit and enjoy the fresh air. During the colder seasons Wayne would make Eddie his famous hot coco, during the hotter seasons it was typically sweet tea or a beer. Tonight they were both drinking sweet tea from their glasses. Lost in their thoughts together. Eddie was worried about Chrissy. She really didn't seem to be acting like herself for the past few days. Something was up and he wasn't sure what. Normally she was energetic and up lifting but lately she looked like she was using all of her energy just to talk. It was alarming and concerning. He was currently trying to figure out a way to cheer her up. Which was why he was currently on the porch with Wayne.

His hair is starting to frizz from the sun. One of the last sunny days they were probably going to be seeing for a while as fall sets in. One of his favorite seasons. He takes a sip of his drink, nearly spitting it out when a loud pop is heard from across the trailer park. Along with a loud pained whine similar to that of a dog. Eddie freezes as he starts to piece what just happened together. Jumping up on his feet along with Wayne who was cursing out whoever shot the gun as it resulted in him dumping his drink all over him. Not showing any concern as to why they shot it. Eddies moving quickly down the steps, trying to see where it came from. Heart stopping as he sees his wolf running in his direction. Though not for his protection as she runs pass him as Wayne's yelling at him to move.

Her fur was whiter then the last time he seen her, though what hits him in the gut with worry is red and matted fur that was on her right side. Where she had been obviously skimmed. He's still frozen there when he hears another loud gun shot, now going past him and hitting a tree on the edge of the woods. The wolf wasn't moving fast, but enough to get away. A blood trail following behind her. Across from them Hargroves trailer door is slamming open. A look in his eye that told Eddie that he was about to go on a rampage. He's already down near Eddie, who was in shock from nearly being shot as well. The shooter; a middle aged man named John, who has been a problem in the trailer park for years stood a couple of feet from Eddie holding a rifle. Everything was happening so fast that he doesn't notice when Wayne came next to him checking him for any wounds as he forces him to look at him. Hands moving all over Eddie's sides, feeling him up in worry.

"Ed's hey hey. Everything's okay, are you okay?" Wayne asks. Worried, along with a hint of rage in his eye. Eddie can't speak, just shakes his head no. Following where the man leads him- setting him down on one of the trailer steps. Letting him know he would be back in a second. Before he's storming to the old man, who was about to face the rath of both Billy and Wayne. Billy was just starting to get in on him.

"What the fucks wrong with you! My sister could have been out here and you could have fucking missed and got her!" Billy yells. Which if Eddie wasn't in shock before he was now. The guy didn't care for his sister. That was obvious. "And-"

Billy's cut off by Wayne soccer punching the man in the face. Eddie could hear crack from where he sat. Eyes going wide as he sees more blood coming now from the man's nose. Wayne moves and takes the rifle from the guys hands. Moving and quickly unloading it with ease. He was silent but he was speaking with his actions and it scared the hell out of Eddie. He's never seen him this mad before. "You nearly fucking shot my nephew John. You're one lucky son of a bitch, if you even grazed my boy you would have a bullet in your skull right now." He snaps. Throwing the now unloaded gun to the side, making sure the safety was on as well. 

There was a growing crowd forming around what was happening. Watching as Wayne turns around going back to Eddie with a look in his eyes that Eddie's only ever seen once. When he had first moved in with him, After he had explained what his dad had been doing. His eyes flicker always from his for a second, meeting Billy's next. Who's eyes held a lot of emotion. Most of it rage. He may not be thinking straight right now but Billy Hargrove was hiding something. And Eddie wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

[canmom]

nier automata anime! nier automata anime!

honestly? this was kinda painful. a mixed bag with some good bits but more miss than hit. but this is the intersection of two special interests so you bet I'm going to be picking this apart.

let's get the obvious out of the way: the CGI suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked. the flight units in particular - sure, the plasticy shading, the shots where they very obviously had a stiff CG doll inside the unit, but more generally, the way they moved, the way they were clearly going for a lot of classic mecha type of shots (Itano circus, Kanada pose in front of an explosion) but just... not selling it at all because of the very stiff way the rig is animated. so the first few minutes were pretty painful, especially since they lose some of the most memorable shots (the five YoRHa units flying together in a delta formation and getting picked off one by one) in favour of '2B doing cool shit' and then flub the '2B doing cool shit'.

that moment in the game is a moment of immediate desperation, like a parachuting scene in a war movie, where there's nothing to do but stay the course and hope you don't get hit. 2B, however, never feels like she's in any danger at this point.

but once they actually got on the ground, it gets so much better! 2B in action was a joy to watch. that's something that they got very right, hitting the feel of Platinum's fighting with the sort of lovely little details that you couldn't get in a game.

sadly that doesn't really last.

the first episode basically covers the tutorial mission of the game, with a kind of checklist approach of key scenes: the fight with Marx, the fight with Engels, 2B and 9S detonating their Black Boxes. there's a couple of bits of extra stuff: we see that the Engels unit you fight was not finished.

the pacing was sadly kinda shot. it's necessarily very compressed, but I think the balance is off. the Engels fight, which takes up about half the episode, doesn't have the sense of relentless escalation and desperation it does in the game. a lot of the episode is dedicated to action, often not very good action, and very little time to appreciating the emptiness of the setting.

in the game - and to be fair, this is a big advantage of games - you get a real sense of place as you make your way through the factory, descending into the dark and back out; the moment before Engels has a weighty sense of anticipation as you set out onto a large, empty road, uncertain of why you haven't found your enemy. here... there's a brief montage of 2B walking through the factory, seeing passive machines, as 9S talks in VO. this is nice, I'd have liked more of it. but it's not long before we charge into the next action scene.

seeing it in anime form with some Okabe's most Kenji Kawai-esque tracks underlines just how much Yoko Taro was cribbing from Mamoru Oshii, and while the pacing of Oshii movies is infamously slow, this really overcorrects. which would be OK if the action felt good and tense, but it doesn't; enemies come out of nowhere (e.g. a swarm of flying enemies abruptly surround 9S) and disappear about as quickly, while the big battle with Engels has a weird moment of downtime and very little sense of progression. Engels is active, then he's down, then he's up again. when 2B attacks with Yoko Taro staple 'would you just.. die already!' (here subbed 'just break down already!' - I can't parse the Japanese by listening unfortunately, but it's brief), it doesn't feel like the desperate yell of someone who's tried absolutely everything, and this fucking robot still won't die. (or 'break down'.)

it's a shame. they've hit all the expected lines and moments from the game, but as an adaptation into a new medium, it doesn't really seem to know how to play to the medium's strengths. and yet where they do make changes, like having 2B fight a flying goliath unit during the descent, it's largely for the worse.

when the lines from the opening (everything that lives is designed to end...) are recited at the end of the episode, they're a little altered - I think possibly a version from one of the concert readings? - so instead of hoping she will find God and kill him, 2B, says she will continue to wish for 9S's happiness. it feels like it's kind of rushing ahead in the relationship between 2B and 9S, but I guess that's a sign that they're going for something different, which is a very Yoko Taro thing to do.

one thing that surprises me is that the Crunchyroll translators have frequently made different translation decisions from the game localisation. that's fine - the original script isn't sacred, and it's not as bad as the localisations of the novels and short stories lmao, at least they get 'Machine Lifeforms' consistent. but, for the most part, I find the CR version worse. here it's "all existence is designed to become extinct", or the above "break down" instead of die. unless the Japanese actually is different? I'll have to investigate further.

it won't ever detract from the game, and obviously Platinum are a tough act to follow in terms of cinematography, but I had cautiously gotten my hopes up and now it doesn't seem like it will be much more than a show to mine for occasional sakuga. I hope to be proven wrong though.

it's frustrating, because there are some good aspects. the backgrounds are generally pretty solid. the 2D animation has some really great moments - the character interactions are clear, the 2D fight scenes are (as mentioned above) really good, and the omake puppet show sequence at the end was cute and playful in the right way. there's some really nice 2D effects animation... and some really bad 3D effects animation. but there's potential here. that's what's frustrating. A-1 wouldn't have been my first pick of studio, but they've clearly got capable people on it and they're leaning on amazing source material. hopefully the balance will get a bit better as they get into the later game, and don't feel the need to rely solely on action.

[the-firebird69]

We've had a lot of offers I mean they're all excited but they're still just trying to kidnap him or something. I'll tell you something a lot of these people need to die. They're ruining my night and they're doing it with Forest and they're ruining us going to head with stuff like this 3D stuff one of the main it is it's right here for us

So we went ahead and we ordered it and we're getting them the hell out of here

And right before the announcement I mean what a baby can't wait 5 minutes to get something to eat you're obviously out of control with a proponent

We filmed four events that are major and about 20 that are somewhat minor and we have the hologramic equipment and 3D equipment to play back you can play at 3D on your 3D machine or you can use holograms.

There's a lot of people watching he's having a little difficulty but he wants to get this out.

Four major events we filmed for hologramic viewing and or 3D viewing and you would prefer the first but the second works just as well but only in 3D format. Is filmed for hologram accuse and it is awesome when you see holograms

1. The king and queen of the United Kingdom coronation the recent one it was last month was filmed in its entirety in hologramic film which can be converted to 3D. Copies are not available. We will produce a private viewings in a public place at movie theaters for those who are interested in the technology and supporting opening theaters and more that utilize it for a place concerts performances and events. King Charles looks dashing and queen Camilla looks authoritative their motions and movements are appropriate and they look pretty decent.

2. The 2023 NBA final game we weren't in time for the semifinals and once again for those interested in hosting the technology for testing for hopefully future use we have private viewings.

3. The 2023 formula 1 final race in Monaco Spain. And yes the winners have been announced it's happened. And you'll be there present in front of the whole crowd sort of watching the race the finale and the racers get congratulated and champagne and the ceremony. And the entire race report before it even the commentators are in some of it physically

4. The 2023 Kentucky Derby race only days ago and just a mental note ladies and gentlemen this is also for prosperity if you missed the race if you couldn't see it in person no matter who you are you'll have an opportunity after time to see it you can rent these rooms and watch it and or give the check for your home but it's much better to rent a room although our son has a good idea of having a small football field rolled up 20x12 carpet with the football lines on it and everything. And you'd still be in the nosebleeds. We have the technology for that and we're selling it. But other games might be seen again in the stadiums for months and we have the NBA final and we did not catch the NFL final this year and if you don't film it with us you can't use it you can have a computer or do it but we don't want to do that this comes out much better.

We are now taking applications for people to view the tech we're looking for stadiums that are defunct to put it in it and we're looking for very large ones and the size of a life cycle track is huge it's too huge but we're looking for sites they are usually three by five miles and with encompass any indie race that there is or light cycle race and the reason to do that is to allow people to watch the life cycle race if they're not there. But any race can be put in there because it's so big. And that's why we think we should build them and the light cycle Tron arena is very high tech and it would look extremely real and the seating level would be intense you can have all sorts of games shown there that nobody would imagine possible to see because it's so big the field and track of the Olympics would fit the whole thing all the games at the same time and we're going ahead with us now

Thor Freya

Zues Hera

Olympus

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

I only have eyes for you

Requested by anon.

Summary; Y/n and eddie have been dating for a while, he starts dealing with Chrissy and at first, everything is fine then Chrissy begins to pop up everywhere.

She soon grows insecure as Chrissy starts taking her place in everything involving Eddie even crashing their precious movie nights and having an obvious crush on Eddie.

When Eddie finds out y/n's fears he tells Chrissy assuming she will find it as crazy as he does because no way does Chrissy have feelings for him.

She does and Eddie is quick to tell Chrissy that y/n is the only girl for him and quick to prove it to y/n that he only has eyes for her.

Warnings; angst, jealousy, insecure reader, fighting, fluff.

Likes, comments and reblogs are much appreciated! ❤💞 I do not give anyone permission to copy my work.

💞💞

At first, everything was fine. Y/n knew that Eddie he'd started doing deals with Chrissy and while the girl was obviously very pretty and Hawkins Queen she trusted Eddie.

When he told her she wasn't really fussed, more shocked than anything that Chrissy was doing drugs in the first place but not nervous or anything about Eddie meeting her.

That feeling lasted for only a week.

Chrissy had been dating Jason for such a long time so when they broke up it was a shock to everyone.

The timing felt funny to y/n, she starts these deals with Eddie and then not long after breaks up with Jason? The implications made y/n's stomach turn.

She trusted Eddie but Chrissy? She wasn't sure if she trusted her so much.

Her suspicions were proven correct when as soon as Chrissy broke up with Jason she had begun to sit with Hellfire.

Well if she was being honest Eddie invited her but only to be a good friend. He was the sweetest guy.

That wasn't so bad. Until she took y/n's spot at Eddie's side at the Hellfire table.

Eddie noticed how tense she looked because of that and would cuddle her on his knee and it soothed the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Still, as much as she trusted Eddie doubt began to creep in. Chrissy was popular, pretty, and a cheerleader. Could she steal Eddie? Turn his head to her and make him fall for those big blue eyes and pretty smile.

Y/n felt sick at the thought and things only got worse from there. She noticed the way Chrissy would flirt subtly with Eddie, bat her eyes at him, touch his arm, his waist.

Eddie even offered to pick Chrissy up from school in the mornings because her car had broke down.

Chrissy sat in front chatting happily to Eddie and she was relegated to the back of the van feeling rejected and out of place.

Tonight was movie night. Their one special night to themselves that no one encroached on yet who turned up?

Chrissy. Who came knocking at Eddie's door with a shy smile and asked to join them. Not wanting to be mean she had agreed but the movie passed and the sick feeling in her stomach began to grow.

Eddie and Chrissy chatted throughout the movie, at this point the girl was so close to Eddie she was practically sitting on his lap. Right in front of her.

Annoyance began to fester inside her slowly from that day.

❤💞

A full week had passed since the movie night debacle. Their sacred movie night. Now it turned out to be movie night that included Chrissy as well.

It felt like she couldn't get five minutes alone with Eddie. The only time they did was late at night when they could talk and make love and just be alone together.

Chrissy was everywhere, Chrissy, Chrissy, Chrissy. Her impatience was growing and she had no clue how Eddie didn't notice that Chrissy wanted him.

His cluelessness coupled with Chrissy's actions was pushing her closer and closer to snapping.

It was just lucky that tonight they finally had a night alone. If she saw Chrissy around one more time then she was going to have serious words with the girl.

She cuddles into Eddie's arms and he strokes her hair, pressing kisses to her forehead.

The phone rings but she doesn't think anything of it and assumes it's maybe her parents calling to check that she's okay or maybe Eddie's uncle Wayne.

It's not either of them. When she hears Eddie say Chrissy's name she stiffens. Eddie takes the phone away from his ear and says to her all sweet and soft.

"Princess, Chrissy is feeling lonely do you mind if she comes to join us for movie night?"

Again?? When was Chrissy going to get the hint that Eddie was taken? When would Eddie realise that this was bothering her and that Chrissy was after him? Didn't he notice the looks she gave him?

Frustrated she feels tears slide down her cheek and Eddie's eyes widen. He mumbles an excuse to Chrissy and puts the phone down.

"Baby, hey baby. Look at me. What's wrong?". She moves away from him wiping her tears away.

"What's wrong? It's fucking Chrissy. She's everywhere just now, she's always around and I'm sick of it. I just want one night with my boyfriend where she isn't in the picture!".

Eddie gapes at her sudden outburst and she finds that now she's started she can't stop.

"She wants you, Eddie, she wants to take you away from me. Don't you see the way she looks at you? And now she's calling because she's lonely?"

"Once again she's interrupting our special night together! It's not fucking right and I'm sick of her disrespecting me and my boundaries, our boundaries".

Eddie sits stunned through the whole conversation then finally speaks.

"Princess, that's crazy Chrissy doesn't like me. We are just friends. Jesus Christ sweetheart I only have eyes for you baby, I think you're mistaken".

Mistaken. She fumes and shakes her head.

"I'm sick of this shit Eddie, it isn't right. Even the Hellfire boys are starting to notice. You're taken and yet she still flirts with you and does all this shit. I'm just fed up with it". She storms away from him slamming the door fo his room and curls up on his bed crying from the frustration and feeling like at any minute she could lose Eddie.

❤💞

Eddie is a wreck. He followed y/n to bed after her outburst but she wouldn't even let him hold her, this morning she barely talked to him and just looked so defeated the minute they went to pick up Chrissy.

His stomach was churning, he was devastated. Shit y/n was the love of his life, his future was with her and she was all he wanted.

Not Chrissy, never, she was just a friend that's all. Speaking of Chrissy he had to meet her to do a deal, he would tell her what y/n said and they would both laugh at how ridiculous it was.

Chrissy joins him just as he settles in the spot in the woods where he does his deals.

"Hey, I noticed you and y/n weren't really talking or she's not speaking to you. What happened?". He's glad she brought this up so he they can both agree how ridiculous her having a crush on him is.

"So uh, had an interesting conversation with y/n last night and she had this totally crazy idea that you have feelings for me? Insane right?".

Chrissy blushes and he suddenly gets a very bad feeling.

"Not so crazy no, I actually I do have feelings for you Eddie, y/n is right, I really love how sweet and kind you are". Eddie stops thinking at that moment, he's pretty sure that he's misheard her but the look on her face is very serious.

Fuck. Did he do this? By inviting her to Hellfire and picking her up from school was he unintentionally egging on her feelings.

He feels like a total jerk and when Chrissy's hand inches toward his he wrenches his away.

No no NO!

"No, look Chrissy you're sweet and I'm truly sorry if I lead you on. That was not my intention. I was just being your friend that's all. I'm not interested in you like that, only as a friend. Y/n is the love of my life and I'm head over heels in love with her. Nothing is ever going to happen that way between us".

Chrissy nods and he sighs shaking his head.

"I'm not even sure if I should continue our friendship, Chrissy, you know I'm with y/n but you still thought something could happen and I don't like that. I am not putting my relationship at risk for you".

Chrissy blushes and begins to apologise.

"I'm so sorry, I thought I was being discreet and I really wasn't. I'm sorry I hurt y/n and put you in this uncomfortable position. You were always just so nice and sweet, the total opposite of Jason and that's what I liked. I truly never wanted to jeopardise your relationship".

He nods.

"I have to go, find my girl and reassure her that she's the only one for me". Chrissy urges him to go and he jogs off to find y/n.

💞

Eddie comes up to her just before lunch break ends, he pants having run fast to catch up with her and she cups his cheek.

"Ed's?"

He wraps his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, should have believed you about Chrissy. I was doing a deal with her and told her what you said, she was wondering why you were giving me the cold shoulder and then I told her and she admitted she had feelings for me".

Y/n freezes finally knowing the truth. She was right but it doesn't make her feel any better, she still feels upset and a little insecure.

Eddie gazes at her, his eyes full of love and devotion.

"I told her that you are the only girl for me, the love of my life and nothing would ever happen. That I didn't know if I should continue our friendship because she constantly made you feel upset and uncomfortable, she apologised and all but I'm still pissed to be honest".

She cuddles into Eddie relaxing a little and he sighs content.

"Missed you in my arms princess". Her lip wobbles and she kisses him.

"M sorry Eddie, I trust you so much it's just Chrissy made me a little insecure and I got worried yeah. She was always around and I just exploded on you, I'd just had enough".

He strokes her hair and looks deep into her eyes.

"Sweetheart I can't imagine ever being with anyone else. You are my soulmate, I only have eyes for you. Shit, I dream about proposing to you, maybe after graduation or maybe a year or two after, settling down, starting a family. Being a better dad than my shithead one ever was".

She cries from pure happiness. The future sounds perfect.

"You'll be an amazing daddy Eddie and whenever you propose just know I'm gonna say yes, I love you so much". He smiles and kisses her forehead.

"I love you to princess".

❤💞

[sebstanseabass]

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 5

Previous chapter links:

Afterglow chapters Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader CHAPTER FIVE

Sometimes, the universe works in different dumb ways. You're one of the few lucky people if you get what you want, and one of those who aren't; the ones who run out of luck every damn time. There's nothing more miserable than finding what you're not looking for, meeting the right person at the wrong time (or vice versa), getting the wrong take out food, or riding the wrong cab.

Unlike your first cab ride, this one was different. There was no loud music, no speeding, no overtaking, and no yelling -- definitely not what you needed right now. See how the universe works in different dumb ways?

If Bucky wasn't hungover right now, you would've ran all the way from White Wolf to the bar. God, how much did he drink last night? After thirty minutes, the cab finally stopped in front of the bar. Bucky paid a generous amount. "Keep the change." He said casually before stepping out of the cab.

Without second thoughts, you walked the steps down that lead to the door of the bar. In front of it were sealed boxes and cases of different kinds of liquor -- beer, champagne, wine, whiskey, vodka; you name it. Luckily, you always had the bar keys in your pockets in case of emergencies. Lucky for Steve, one of his employees just lived right above the bar and had the freedom to come down any time she wanted. Steve lived all the way in Brooklyn. Why he chose to work in the Upper West Side, you might never know. He was a pretty secretive person. No one from the bar staff knew anything about his personal life -- except that his family was from Rhode Island (perhaps).

"That's a lot of boxes." Bucky caught up with you. "Good thing I'm here."

"Please." You scoffed. "You're still hungover." I bet he couldn't even carry one small box, and even if he could, he'd just spill them all over the floor. But you didn't really know Bucky. You just knew him from Peter's stories. So, when he carried two big boxes at the same time right before you opened the door, the shock came over you. You wondered, spending all his time partying and drinking, where he stores all the alcohol he consumes.

"Where do you want me to put this?" Bucky asked.

"Just right behind the counter." You replied. "If you need some help, let me know."

"I got it all, doll, don't you worry." He chuckled, placing the boxes on top of the counter then jumping over it to reach the other side. You rolled your eyes and got more of the boxes that were sitting lonely outside. You put a stopper right between the small gap between the floor and the door. "Nice place you got here!" You heard Bucky yell amidst the city noises. "Different kind of bar."

"You mean not like the kind of bar you go to?"

You heard him chuckle. "Yeah, that. This one's kind of vintage."

"Yeah." You replied, sticking your head out by the door frame. "Like you!"

He gave you a small chuckle. The bar did give off some vintage mood -- that was why it was a bar for everyone. The kids were now discovering and loving all kinds of vintage stuff, people in their fifties come here 'cause it reminded them of their time, and some are just curious.

On the inside of the bar, everyone was completely shut out from the outside. There were no windows, only color-stained glasses on the wooden walls near the ceiling. You can never tell day from night inside unless you look at the wall clock.

You pushed some of the boxes on the floor. You didn't have enough upper body strength to carry them all the way to the counter. By the time you reached Bucky, you carried the boxes one by one and placed them on the counter, then he carried them over to the other side.

"So vintage." He commented once again. "You even got a jukebox. Does that even work?" He motioned towards the jukebox.

You sensed he wanted to try it for himself so you told him he could give it a little push. He smiled and jumped over the counter once more. "You don't always have to jump, Bucky." You showed him the wooden counter pass-through he could easily open but his focus was set on the jukebox. He found the plug and waited for it to light up.

"Cool. Just like they do in the movies."

"Of course. What did you expect when you plugged that in?" You carried one box to the counter and stopped near the jukebox, leaning over it. "Besides, didn't you guys have this during your time?"

"You make it sound like I came from the fifties."

You raised your eyebrows, crossing your arms. "So, what did you guys have?"

"Cassettes." He mumbled.

"We had iPods. But at some point I think we did have cassettes, then the CD, then the iPods. Still doesn't change the fact that you're basically a dinosaur." Then you made a roaring sound which you thought was the sound of dinosaurs.

"That's not how a dinosaur sounds like, Aria."

"Of course, you'd know." You teased before going back to get some more boxes.

Bucky started to push some buttons until a mellow song played. "It's been a long, long time." He mumbled.

"What?" You asked and stopped pushing the boxes.

"The song. It's named 'It's been a long, long time.' A buddy of mine's favorite song. He and his girlfriend used to dance to it. Haven't heard this song for a long time. Quite nice."

"It is nice." You commented. "But it's too dramatic. Put some Beatles on!"

He chuckled and pushed more buttons until a song from The Beatles played.

You resumed moving all the things inside. As the boxes got heavier, assuming they were mostly the new plates and glasses, Bucky removed his polo shirt and dropped it somewhere. He was still wearing the tank top he had yesterday. "Remind me to buy Peter some new clothes."

"You're really gonna buy him new clothes?" You grunted, carrying a heavy box on the counter, passing it to Bucky.

"Yeah." He made a face, clearly struggling with the box. "I kinda destroyed what was half in his closet."

"I heard, yeah." You replied while walking to the front door to get the cases.

"You got some more back there?" Bucky yelled.

"It's the last one. I got it."

For the next hour, you and Bucky spent unpacking and placing everything where they were supposed to be. You had a few phone calls from Peter, most were just him checking up on Bucky. You promised to tell him you'd tell the whole fiasco at the White Wolf when he gets here in the bar.

"I'll be there as fast as I can." Peter replied before hanging up. You told Bucky about the phone call and he mumbled something under his breath you couldn't quite decipher. You decided to leave him be as he unloaded the last box.

Before you could even ask about the mean drink he was supposed to make, he emerged from behind the counter, holding up two bottles in his hand. "You up for some drinks?"

"As long as you pay for it."

On his hands were two expensive unopened bottles. As long as they were still half full and paid by Bucky, you wouldn't get in any kind of trouble with Steve.

"I got you, doll. Don't worry." He popped both of them open and grabbed two cups and a shaker as you sat down one of the stools, shaking off the nickname he'd been giving you ever since you arrived here at the bar.

You barely paid attention to the song still playing on the jukebox as you watched Bucky make his supposedly mean drink. He started to tell a story about how he learned to make his own drinks. Unlike Peter, he didn't bother to beat around the bush. He kept everything short and precise: A bartender friend of his taught him how to make drinks then experimented on his own in his penthouse where he had a mini bar just for himself, which was inside his own office. Odd, you thought. Most people would have them on the corner of the living room, with wine glasses dangling on hanging wine holders and shelves full of liquor. Bucky's mind worked in a different way.

Bucky's very short story made you wonder of all the other classic Bucky stories you've been told -- the long ones Peter would tell you. You wondered if they were only adventurous and wild in Peter's words. Would they have been different if you'd heard them from Bucky?

"I'm gonna name this drink after you." Bucky snapped you out of your train of thought.

"What?"

"This one." He carefully  handed me the drink. "I made it based on your personality."

"Bucky." You chuckled, gazing at the drink before me. Then returned it to him. "You don't even know me."

"And to think we were just engaged a while ago." He pursed his lips and leaned on the bar counter, then licked his lower lip. You tried your hardest not to give a quick glance at it but you obviously failed, so you stared at the drink in front of you once again.

"This drink is basically your judgement about me." You replied.

"It's a good judgement." He retorted. "Trust me."

"You're gonna pay, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." He playfully rolled his eyes. "Go on, try it."

Before you could even take a small sip, someone came in the door and your instinct was to say: "Sorry, we're closed right now" but it turned out to be Steve wearing denim on denim and a cap.

"Steve!" Quickly, you gave Bucky the drink he made you, then he hid it behind the counter where Steve could not take even a small peak. "Hey, I thought you were with your family."

Steve managed to catch his breath, leaning against the wall while keeping his eyes on you. "I have been calling you for the past few minutes. I thought you didn't make it here."

Your eyes widened, taking a quick glance at your phone which was on top of the bar counter. On the bright screen were a bunch of missed calls from Steve. You gave him an apologetic look and he just sighed as he walked towards the counter. Then, he caught a glimpse of Bucky who was right behind you.

"Right, right." You shook my head. "Bucky, this is Steve. He's my boss. And Steve, this is Bucky. He's Peter's stepbrother. He's just helping me out with the boxes."

There was an odd exchange between the two for a second or three. A knowing look. But you shrugged it off when Steve shook Bucky's hand over the counter. "Bucky. Nice to meet you."

Steve nodded. "Aren't you the owner of White Wolf?"

"That's me." Bucky chuckled, withdrawing his hand back after the friendly handshake.

Steve focused his attention back to you. "You could've called me y'know."

"It's okay. Bucky came to help. Besides," you gave Bucky a side glance, "he owes me."

"Zip it, doll."

You laughed, looking at Steve. "Aren't you supposed to be at your family gathering?" you asked, practically shooing Steve away, not wanting him to see Bucky making drinks behind the counter.

"Yeah, well I thought -- "

"Go, Steve. We're basically finished." You stood up and walked Steve out the door. Bucky yelled a simple goodbye as we walked.

"So," Steve whispered once we were at the door, "are you two..."

You gave him a look of disbelief. "What? No, no, no, no, no. We're not. We just met."

"That's what they all say."

"Rogers." You grunted as you opened the door. "Go."

"Wow, so eager to get me out of here. Are you gonna have sex on the floor?"

"Steve!"

"Please, don't have sex on the floor."

"No, we won't. Now go."

Steve laughed as he walked up the steps and hailed for a cab. "You say that now, Aria. Just remember to clean up afterwards."

[limenysnocket]

The Plan

Summary: It's your birthday (hooray!) and you still have to work (not so hooray). Nevertheless, you can still count on your friends to cheer you up, but not as much as your loveable boyfriend who insists you spend your birthday with him and a romantic dinner, rather than at a party your friends set up.

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, Taika (yes, he gets his own warning), some content may be explicit-ish.

Request: @whatwememeintheshadows

A/N: So people are actually planning their fics nowadays???? Did I not get the memo or something??? These come straight from my head????

THIS IS SO LATE I'M SORRY. Happy (very) belated birthday.

Tags: @honorarytenenbaum @olyvoyl

○●□○●□○●□○●□○

Okay, so maybe work was less of a bitch today, you had to admit. People were nicer to you today, you got an extra thirty minutes added on to your lunch break just because, and, of course, you got a couple of dirty birthday cards and some cash, but that really shouldn’t matter, should it? What did matter, is that you would get to have some you-time, all by yourself, with your vibrator, a couple of movies, and some nice, low calorie ice cream (that tasted like total shit). At least... That’s what you thought would happen.

“You should totally come party with us! I’ve got the booze, Jess has the men, and we’ll make a whole night out of it! Alcohol, strippers, and dancing! How does that sound?” your friend, Enid, reiterated everything for you at least one thousand times today.

“If I wanted a stripper, I’d ask Taika to dye his hair, shave himself everywhere, and oil up a little. That’s the only sight I’d be happy to see, thank you,” you huff and smile. You appreciate the effort to get you out and about, possibly be a little frisky, but your heart just wasn’t in it, and that was much to Taika’s luck.

“Oh, come on. Taika can’t have that much of a grip on you! He has a lot of ‘female friends’, so what’s wrong with you having some ‘male friends’ hm?” Jess cooed to you, but you immediately whirled around, insulted that she would even suggest that you would do such a thing. And you were sure Taika had female friends, yes, but they were just friends. Nothing else. Although, his flirtatious behavior scared you sometimes, at parties. Some of the women would just swarm him, and you feared any one of them would catch his fancy more than you did.

“No. I don’t want strippers at whatever the hell you’re planning,” you stated again, firmly this time. Your two friends whined again, Jess lowering her head in defeat.

“Fine, but can we still bring booze? Invite a few more friends to party?” Enid asked, setting a hand on your shoulder and pleading to you with large eyes.

You chew at your cheek and think for quite some time. Your friends want to throw you a genuine party, and God knows how long it’s been since you’ve hung around a group of unfamiliar faces, especially since you started to date a Hollywood writer. Maybe it was just what you needed. Taika was supposed to be busy for the night, anyway.

You succumbed to the pressure, and nodded. “Okay,” you agreed. “But if we get any noise complaints, your talking to the cops for me.”

“Hell yeah! You’re not going to regret this! Just you wait! Go home and clean your place up a little. I’ll be by in an hour or two to get things set up!” Enid clapped her hands together in mischief, and Jess suddenly looked more spry. You gave her a warning glance, and she only grinned back, before skipping away, chatting gayly with Enid at her side.

You can’t believe the shit you just got yourself into, and you still wouldn’t believe it, the moment Enid and Jess arrived with their arms full of cheap liquor, streamers, finger foods, and a bunch of colorful-looking lights that look like they just came from a Wal-Mart Christmas sale. As soon as you gave them the go-ahead, they started tearing shit open. Between setting up, your phone started to ping over and over again, as well as your friends’ phones. Apparently, just a few hours was enough time to notify everyone in LA about a party, who it was for, and where it was going to be at. 

You just sat back and sipped on frozen margaritas (meant for the party, but it's your party so you didn't give two shits), until the party started and there was a heavy flow of people rushing into your home. Invited or uninvited.

When things started getting wild, that's when a pact was made. Enid and Jess would be cleaning up your house after this was over. You were already stepping over beer cans as it was.

You can't even say you were having fun there. You barely knew anyone. Most of the people there were just randoms looking for a good time, and unfortunately you saw some of them getting that good time in a dark corner. You made an excuse to run upstairs and lock all the doors of the bedrooms before anyone could think about getting there. That's what you thought, at least.

The party was getting to be too much, too quickly. In haste, you locked yourself into your bedroom, and took a step back. You could still hear the muffled voices and loud, posh laughter on the other side of the door. Those girls would pay. You rush over to your window, overlooking your backyard and see people divebombing into your pool, creating waves and getting people outside of the pool wet. People were leaving their trash everywhere, and many red, plastic cups floated in the (for now) clear waters. You didn't know how much more you could take. Maybe parties weren't your thing after all. Especially with strangers.

You sit back on your bed and you don't even bother looking out the window anymore. It was best to stay inside your room, if you didn't want to be molested or assaulted by some dumbass who thinks it's okay to anonymously grope women in crowded areas. Your face buries in your hands, griping to yourself how this would be over in a few hours. Right?

There's a subtle knock on your door, and you jump. It's in the regular, stiff-three order, so you are very hesitant about going and getting it. Then, there comes the "shave and a haircut" tune. Not a very good one, and kind of slurred, guessing by the way there was a loud thud at the very end, the person knocking was shoved against the door. Damn you and your pity.

You're quick to move, despite the strong feeling telling you not to. You just knew some poor soul was being smooshed out there. Fuck, you were nervous. This was screaming bad idea, but you were going to pull through anyway. The plan in your head seemed childish, but it should work fine if the person was desperate enough to get in. One quick swipe of the door, and you're golden! Surely...

You flick the doorknob lock and gulp, keeping a tight grip. On the count of three-- and after having to restart because another desperate knock jumbled up your thoughts-- you sent the door flying open. Sure enough, a heavy body came tumbling in with it, tripped, tried to balance, then ended up crash-landing cartoonishly into your bed, bonking their head a tad on the wooden post at the end of the frame. You hissed a little bit, then closed the door again. You rushed to their aid as the person looked up.

"I thought you liked private parties more than this," a soft, kiwi accent cooed at you, obviously through unbridled pain. This bewildered you even more.

Taika was sitting on the floor, legs extended out in front of him, making him look like a giant from your angle, and he was dressed in a blue tux, black dress shirt, and polished black shoes. Well, they seemed a little scuffed now.

"Shit, Taika-- what the fuck are you doing here?" you drop to your knees and cradle his aching head. He winced at the touch, but was too happy to see you again to deny it.

"Well, I came to take you out on a surprise birthday dinner. Maybe pick up a bottle of wine and go dancing with my favorite person, you, under moonbeams and twighlight," his head bobbled from side to side, which didn't help his animated character, "but it seems to me you have company... and a lot of it."

You sigh and brush an unkempt curl back into place while he cheekily grins at you. "This wasn't my idea," you murmur. "Friends set this up. They'll also be the ones to take it down. I didn't really want to spend my birthday with anyone this year. Makes me feel old."

"Well, you seriously should have known someone was about to stop you from taking another bite of that shitty ice cream in your freezer. They dished it out in shot glasses down there. Even a sober chick couldn't handle the taste," Taika snorted playfully and you rolled your eyes. He seemed to be taking this situation surprisingly well. It was weird. "But it was much to my misfortune that your 'friends' got to you before I could. Maybe I should have settled on a birthday lunch, but that didn't sound too appealing to me."

"Would have been much better than the chicken salad and dry-ass piece of cake I had for lunch today," you fired back. He sighed again and stood up with a groan. You followed with him.

"What now?" he mumbled, stroking the stache on his upper lip, then letting the tips of his fingers wander down to his smooth, freshly shaved cheeks.

"Well, we're both stuck here, so I suppose we settle in for the night and wait it out." You plop yourself down on your bed again and just stare up at him. He doesn't move, however. His eyes were focused on the window, more specifically the lock on it, and he was nibbling at his bottom lip. He was thinking. Some people might call it strange to watch him think sometimes. He really was like a cartoon. With one tap of his foot, he spun around on his heel and faced you.

"New plan," he clapped his hands together. "Get dressed."

You were confused for the next fifteen minutes or so. He helped you pick out a deep blue dress that would somewhat match his and black heels. He was escorting you all over the room with his hand on your lower back. He even tried to do your makeup for you, but he was so inexperienced, you had to take over. The last time he had to do someone's makeup was on the set of the original, five-minute What We Do in the Shadows film.

While you finished your makeup, he was practically smooching your window. He was staring at it like a dog asking to go outside. It made you a bit nervous, seeing the cogwheels turn in his head. He took your hand and lead you to the window, unlocking it and pushing it up.

"Want to go first?" he said behind a proud smile. When he only received silence and a pure, "what the fuck," stare back to his face, he shrugged, and stepped out the window himself. Luckily, you knew fully well he wasn't about to fall flat on his face and die on the pavement below. You had a screened back porch, with a roof over it's head as well, since the seasons tend to get very hot and sticky and mosquitoes just love to lay visits. He stepped onto the roof, trying not to bring too much attention to himself. Once he had bounced down, he brushed himself off, then looked up at you, expectantly.

"Come on, then! Don't have all night!" he hollered and waved to you. "Need me to catch you?"

You gulped, not bothering to answer him. You gently scooted your lower half out the window and taking your heels into your hand. You didn't want to break an ankle on the landing. "Lord, give me strength," you muttered, squeezed your eyes shut, then took a leap of faith. You tried not to squeal as the rushing air flew by you like sticky wind, but before you knew it, your feet touched slanted ground. You felt like you were about to tumble, but strong hands met your waist and kept you up.

"Beautiful!" Taika beamed and kissed your flushed cheek.

"I hate you sometimes," you slapped his chest and made him laugh. He took your hand and started leading you to the other side of the porch roof, and came to the end, where your driveway supposedly was. Parked dead center was Enid's big, black SUV. Tall enough to just be a little hop away from the roof.

"One more, leap, dear?" Taika was on the move again, but you grabbed his sleeve before he could actually make the jump.

"Taika, no. That's Enid's car. She already spends so much on gas, think of how pissed she'll be if she has to remove dents from her roof!" you explain, nervous from the outcome of this little plan of yours.

"Sweetheart," Taika said airily, turning his full attention to you and taking your hand again. "If she was a good friend, she would have known a massive party like this would have pissed you off. Plus, I don't think just cleaning the house is going to get even with this God awful day. So, why not put a few dusty footprints on her car, hm?" Taika was back to grinning, and before you could say anymore, he had leapt away and landed on top of the car with a large thud. He motioned to you with a swipe of his hand. You were in way too deep with him to give up on him now.

You followed through, heels swinging in one hand, and he caught you again like the perfect, Maori prince charming he was.

Car hop, after car hop, he lead the way and made sure you were okay with every stop, until you reached a small enough car to hop down, scale the lawn and make it to his jeep.

"That was," you said, breathless. You couldn't find the right words, and Taika just chuckled at you.

"Exciting?" he filled in the blank space on his own, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah," you laugh, fanning your chest and brushing a single strand of hair back. "That's a good word for it."

"Well, excitement doesn't stop here," he opened your door into the jeep for you, bowing respectfully and playing everything up for you, like you were royalty. "I have everything set up for you to have a great night with yours truly. As long as everything goes according to the plan this time..."

[weasleydream]

Ad astra

This one is for @teheharrypotter​‘s two weeks of angst, obviously I had to participate! My trope was dying in their arms. I wanted to add that the last scene is inspired by a very sad scene of the movie Christmas shoes (I made the gif to show the scene). If you haven’t already seen this movie, don’t watch it or you’ll cry. A lot.  Anyway, as usual feel free to like, comment, reblog and enjoy! 

Masterlist

(gif is mine)

There were so many things he loved about her. 

The way she always closed her eyes when he kissed her, the way her sweet lips moved against his. The little groans she let out every morning when he woke her up. The warmth of her breathing in his neck, the way his heart always beat faster whenever he saw her. 

He used to think that no one would ever take a place in his heart as important as the one she had taken. 

That was before they met.

It was a nightmare. The most awful nightmare you could imagine, and it wasn’t even violent. There was no blood, no murderer, no monster chasing after me. I wasn’t locked up in a room, I wasn’t getting drowned or tortured, yet it was like all of this was happening to me at the same time. Everything felt more intense, more painful, and everything seemed to disappear. A fucking nightmare, and I wasn’t even asleep.

A sentence, it’s all it had taken for me to sink. A sentence pronounced by a hurried nurse who had left the room a few seconds later, leaving my world crashing around me. And in this damaged world was Charlie. He had always been my rock, the only one who had never given up on me, the only one who had always been able to look straight into my eyes to tell me “You’re wrong”. And now, he was unable to even look in my direction. All I could see was his back, his hunched posture and the nervous movement of his hands. He was pacing, getting to the window before sitting back on the chair, then getting up again and doing it all over again. And me? I was looking at him, my eyes fixed on his bright hair which colour had always been a synonym of peace and protection and love. I was biting my bottom lip to the blood, barely noticing the metallic taste. I was trembling, I was getting more and more terrified and numb at the same time. I was dying.

“We don’t know what it is. Nobody, muggle or wizard, seems to have heard of this disease. I’m sorry, miss Y/L/N.”

“Charlie…” 

My voice was weaker than I had expected, so small that I knew even Charlie’s trained ear hadn’t heard me. But I didn’t know if I could trust my voice to be louder, my trembling had reached every single fiber of my body and my vocal chords were vibrating with the emotions I was trying to contain, and the rest of my body had already betrayed me. Given up on me, stopped fighting, it was letting me die. 

“Charlie, please, don’t ignore me.”

I knew he had heard me as his pacing had abruptly stopped, but he still wasn’t looking at me. In a way, it was better like this; I didn’t know if I would be able to face him. I didn’t know what was going on his mind, and mine was hard enough to ignore. 

“I’m not- It’s not you that I’m ignoring.” He stopped and I waited for him to continue. “It’s the fact that every time I look at you could be the last.”

“Does it really change anything?” 

I was surprised, because I didn’t think opening my mouth without exploding in sobs was possible. It had been roughly five minutes, yet I was already accustomed to the feeling of pressure on my chest, and I already knew I wouldn’t bear it for long. But I also knew I couldn't let it overwhelm me because Charlie was needing me and I was going to give up on him, and I had to say something. Anything.

“Every day we’ve spent together could have been the last. It’s just- now, we know for sure it’s going to arrive.”

Then came the sobs. They began weak, silent, only betrayed by the shaking of my shoulders. And a first cry echoed in this creepy hospital room, and Charlie’s head turned toward me. I caught the movement, but everything was blurred by the pool of tears in my eyes. The damaged world around me was now nothing more than a dull white cloud in which this bright stain of ginger was getting closer and closer. 

Charlie’s arms wrapped around me, strong and firm like I had always known them. His chest was vibrating against mine and his head was hidden on the crook of my neck. He was silent but I knew he was crying. His tears were soaking my blouse and mine were soaking his shirt. It had never happened before, the both of us crying in the other’s arms. We had always stayed strong when the other needed it the most, whether it was after a long and tiring night and Charlie was missing his family or when I was hurt by my parent’s remarks about my choices of life. But now, what was the point of staying strong? Things wouldn’t get better, the nurse had said it. Now, every day was another danger, a step that maybe would be too high for me and that would make me fall. As Charlie was tightening me against him, as I was tightening him against me, as we were holding each other like the last thing that counted on earth, I remembered how the unknown used to be exciting. All it was now was destructing. 

_ _ _ 

The romanian sun was already high in the sky, and its light was piercing through the closed curtains. If I opened my eyes, I would certainly be able to walk to the door without tripping on Charlie’s mess which, trust me, was an exploit. An arm wrapped around my waist and I smiled to myself, savouring the warmth of my boyfriend’s touch. I wriggled to face him without waking him up and I was met with his freckled nose. I laid a gentle kiss on his lips and he didn’t even move, his snores barely stopping for a second before echoing again with a renewed vigour. 

“Charlie, love, I need to go.” I murmured before trying to move his arm. 

He only tightened his grip around me and mumbled something I didn’t understand. 

“Charlie… Charlie, wake up!”

My voice was becoming more and more urgent as the odd feeling was invading my body. There was a time I didn’t know what was this impression stronger and stronger within the seconds. It was like a veil enveloping me, tightening me so hard that it was making me suffocate without depriving me from oxygen. It also felt like a weight on my lungs, as if someone was pressing my chest constantly to make sure I wasn’t breathing. 

I didn’t know if it was my voice or my agitation, but Charlie woke up. He first opened an eye and muttered a few words before looking at me and opening both his eyes. 

“Y/N, love, are you okay?”

There was a knowing glimpse in his eyes, and he tried his best not to frown. I shook my head and closed my eyes, the movement having caused strong nauseas. 

“You should go back to sleep, you’re quite pale.”

Charlie put his hands on my shoulders and gently yet firmly pushed me back on the mattress. I barely nodded and curled up on a ball, letting him cover me with a blanket after a particularly bad shiver. He placed his hand on my forehead and his eyebrows furrowed. 

“You don’t seem to have a fever. Sleep, you’ll be better.”

He couldn’t know it, of course. None of us could. Maybe it would be better, maybe it would get worse.

He laid a light kiss on my forehead and left the room, closing quietly the door so that I wouldn’t be bothered by the noise. It only took a few seconds for me to close my eyes and fall in an agitated sleep. 

I opened them after what had felt like a minute. The feeling in my chest had disappeared, replaced by a headache particularly strong. Slowly, I sat on the bed and the mattress squeaked. The room was now dark, I couldn’t distinguish Charlie’s belongings on the floor anymore. I grabbed my wand which was on the nightstand. 

“Lumos.”

I crossed the room, picking up a sweater on the floor before joining the kitchen. I glanced through the window - it was night. The sky was dark, for what I could see there were no clouds and the moon was missing. A cold air stream made me shiver. I put on Charlie’s sweater and pushed the front door wide open. Charlie was standing a few meters away. His dark silhouette was barely visible, but he seemed to be staying still in spite of the wind. I walked toward him, and he only moved when I stopped just behind him, extending an arm and wrapping it around my shoulders before pulling me against him. 

“Aren’t you cold?” I whispered. Charlie was only wearing a shirt and I could feel his goosebumps against the skin on my neck. 

“No I’m okay, don’t worry.”

I looked up to see his face turned to the sky, and his eyes resolutely fixed on the stars. 

“It reminds me of the Astronomy tower.” I murmured a few minutes later. “When we would sneak out of the dorm and just go up there.”

“The good old days…” added Charlie. “Of course I remember. It was easier back then, wasn’t it?”

I nodded. Of course it was easier. Back then, we were teenagers in love and our only worries were to be caught by Filch in the corridors during night. Now, we were both afraid that whenever I closed my eyes I wouldn’t open them again. But the worst was that I knew it was easier for me than for Charlie. He would be the one to bury me, he would be the one to keep living with only our memories, and that was what I was the most afraid of, because I knew how much he put his heart in our relationship, I knew how deep was his love for me because it was as deep as mine for him, and I knew that if he had been the one to leave me, I would never have gotten over it. That would have broken me in the very same way as he was going to be broken. 

“Charlie?” He hummed in response, not looking away from the stars. “I’m sorry.”

It was rare to see Charlie’s walls crumbling, and now was one of these moments. His jaw clenched as if to make sure nothing would escape his mouth. He opened and closed his eyes several times to blink the tears away and suddenly, he engulfed me in a strong hug with the vivacity given by years of working with dragons. His hands were on my back, his long fingers clenched against it in an almost painful way that even the sweater couldn’t ease. I didn’t say anything though, and I held him even tighter, because I understood. 

“I love you so much…” he whispered in my hair, his voice shaky. “So much more than just to the moon and back… Y/N, I- please, don’t say you’re sorry. I know- I know you don’t want to leave me. I know it.” 

His hands cupped my cheeks and I rested my forehead against his, breathing deeply because I didn’t want to disturb the bubble around us. It was terribly sad but it was also filled with a love more pure than what we had ever shared before. Slowly, I kissed him. Our lips were trembling, our movements too clumsy and our muscles too tensed, but it brought me and incredible comfort. It brought me peace, because it was one more memory of Charlie to bring with me when the time would come, and because it was one more memory for him to keep for when he would need it. It was just us under the stars, two lovers whose story was bound to turn to the tragedy but whose love was deeper than anything else. 

It seemed like such a strong flame wasn’t meant to last. 

_ _ _ 

It had all begun with a simple headache. Sometimes, after having read for too long or helped Charlie with a dragon, a sharp pain would appear in my head and it would only disappear with a potion and a good night of sleep. Then it began to get more and more regular. Charlie was the first to get worried, and I would always shrug it off, pretending it was because I had read in the dark, or because I was tired.

After a while came the nauseas. Every morning I would wake up because of this pain in my stomach and run to the bathroom. I began to worry too but not for the same reason: I was sure I was pregnant. And if there was one thing we didn’t want with Charlie, it was kids. I told him about it, we freaked out together and I eventually took a few tests. They all happened to be negative, and after the relief had disappeared, another question had popped up in our heads. 

If it’s not a baby, then what is it?

But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Maybe I was too scared, maybe deeply I knew something was wrong, fact is that when Charlie had asked me to go and see a doctor, his blue eyes full of worry, I had refused. Shrugged it off again. I had only accepted when it became harder and harder to breathe, always at random moments and for longer and longer moments. Charlie had brought me to the nearest hospital from the reserve and the diagnosis had come. 

I was sick. I was going to die.

Things had quickly worsened and, a month after my first visit to the hospital, during the first hours of the day, Charlie had brought me back there again, my limp body in his trembling arms. I had lost consciousness. The same nurse as the first time had taken care of me. The results were clear: there was nothing we could do anymore. 

“How are you feeling, love?”

Charlie’s voice was extremely quiet, and I could barely distinguish his silhouette in the darkness of the hospital room. It was late at night and the only light was coming from the streetlamps outside. 

“Now that you ask, the pillow is a bit hard.”

I didn’t need to see it to know Charlie had rolled his eyes. What he thought was nonchalance was always getting a bit more on his nerves and, even though he had never told me so, it was making me feel even guiltier. But it was for the better, or at least that’s what I tried to say to myself. Asking him to be strong for the both of us would be selfish. I knew it was easier for me than for him, and I didn’t have the right to add to his pain. 

“I can’t sleep.” I whispered, and Charlie’s hand immediately found mine.

It was closer to the truth. I was unable to close my eyes but not because I couldn’t… It was because I was terrified. Terrified because it could be the last time I closed them, because I wouldn’t have the time to say goodbye, because Charlie would be left alone and I didn’t want to do that to him. If there was one thing worse than wondering when you’re gonna die while on a hospital bed, it was thinking of the after. 

The after for me, because what would happen when my eyes would definitely close? Was I going to wake up in a fabulous place, surrounded by white clouds and lost persons that were dear to my heart? Or would it be more like nothing, emptiness I wouldn’t even be aware of, an eternity of just not existing, where I would forget and be forgotten? 

But the after for Charlie too, because what was he going to do? Would he cry or try to stay strong? Would he stay in our shared apartment or would he go back to his family? 

“Do you need anything?”

“Is a night or two in this hotel in Alaska too much to ask?”

The corner of Charlie’s mouth moved into a faint smile when he thought of the memorable week we had spent in Juneau. 

“I think I can manage this.”

I sighed and opened my arms, hoping he would understand the silent request. His face, previously quite relaxed, immediately gained back this anxiety that had never left him and he let go of my hand.

“I don’t think that’s reasonable…” he muttered.

“Fighting against three nurses to stay here day and night for a week wasn’t reasonable.” I corrected, a ghost of a smile on my lips. “Hugging me until I sleep is way more reasonable. Please.”

My hands still in the air as if to reach his, I suddenly hoped that, despite the darkness of the room, Charlie could see how desperate I was, how I needed his reassuring touch when the night was the most terrifying. Obviously, he understood, as he had always seemed to be reading my mind. He slowly got up, walked around the bed and slipped under the blanket behind me. His strong arms wrapped around me and he stuck his nose in my hair. 

“I love you.” he whispered, and the sound of his voice reached straight to my heart, making it beat faster and faster. “I love you, and I want you to know that no matter- I chose you Y/N, and if I was given the chance I would do it all over again.”

I was glad we couldn’t see each other. I didn’t know if I would have been able to bear the sight of his blue eyes sparkling not with joy but with tears as I knew they were, and I didn’t want him to see my face getting more and more wet as salty drops were overflowing. 

I wanted to answer him. I love you too. These four little words had always been so easy to say, so natural, but now it felt like a burn in my throat. It felt like a lie. How could these simple words said again and again possibly hold the immensity of my love for Charlie? It was like calling an ocean a drop of water, like calling a desert a grain of sand. What I felt for Charlie was so much more than love that calling it love was a lie. And despite everything I was leaving him, inexorably getting snatched from him and I didn’t even know what we had done to deserve that. 

Instead of saying something that would feel like a lie, it was easier to sound asleep. I steadied my breath as much as I could with the sobs that were blocked in my throat. I didn’t move. And Charlie was doing the same so that I was sure he was sleeping. I don’t know how long we stayed like this, but decades could have passed and I still wouldn’t be able to sleep. My mind was too concerned, my heart too pained. 

“You aren’t sleeping.”

Charlie’s breathing tickled my neck and I shivered. He misinterpreted and tightened his grip around me, pulling me closer to his torso.

“I still can’t.”

“You should get some rest, love. You’d feel better.”

“I know.”

Our voices were faint whispers that I was sure no one could hear even with their ear to the door. 

“I was thinking.” began Charlie, still murmuring in my hair. 

“Congratulations.” I smiled lightly when Charlie chuckled. 

“There’s so much I still want to do with you…” he said with a strangled voice. “You know, we’ve never danced together.”

“I’m sure we’ve already shared a dance or two.”

I closed my eyes, thinking of a night that seemed so far from us. We had spent hours dancing like fools, reproducing shamelessly muggle dances we had only seen once or twice, and it was one of my best memories with Charlie. 

It was in another life.

“Not like this. A slow dance during which I could hold you really close and…” He stopped and sighed, very lightly though, as if he didn’t want me to hear it. “Let’s dance.” he suddenly said. 

It was my turn to sigh. I wanted it so bad, of course I wanted to be held in his arms, but I knew I wouldn’t have the strength. I couldn’t walk on my own anymore for days, now.

“Charlie, I-”

“Don’t think about it. Do you want to dance with me, love?”

“You know the answer.”

Charlie left the bed and my back suddenly felt cold. I didn’t move, still giving him my back; my eyes were closed, I was trying to imagine the next seconds. Charlie whispered a first spell which I didn’t understand as it was muttered underneath his breath. He said something else - a spell I understood but that I had never heard before - and music echoed in the room. Then, extremely precociously, as if I was a fragile porcelain doll, his arms slipped under my body, bringing with them a welcome warmth. He lifted me up effortlessly, giving the impression that I didn’t weigh more than a feather, and immediately pulled me close to him, the closest possible. I snuggled against his torso and wrapped my arms around his neck. 

Suddenly, I wasn’t dying anymore, Charlie wasn’t grieving. I had never felt like this before. My heart was fast, so fast that in any other moment I would have worried. But I knew it wasn’t bad, it was the most fabulous feeling. It wasn’t euphoria that was flooding in my veins, it was something way softer that was soothing everything in me. Charlie’s body was firm against mine but his touch was like a caress, light, gentle. My face was hidden in the crook of his neck, and his head was bowed and resting on mine. 

Charlie had never really known how to dance. He was a clumsy boy, not really the kind who went to girls during balls. However, tonight, he was perfect. Perfectly in rhythm with the music, perfectly steady as he waltzed in this dark hospital room, perfectly him when his lips kissed mine.

It felt like a second or a lifetime before he eventually stopped - more like a lifetime, because feeling so many things during a second was impossible. Charlie delicately lied me back in the bed and covered me tenderly with the blanket. Slowly, his hand found my cheek, cupped it, stroked it. He bent over me and kissed my forehead, and in the darkness the only thing I could see was a blue sparkle moving away from me when Charlie straightened. 

“I love you so much, Y/N, so much…”

“So much more than just to the moon and back…”

When I closed my eyes, I realized it was time. It was my last night, my last seconds with Charlie. I wanted to fight, I wanted to keep my eyes open, but Charlie’s other hand cupped my other cheek. His face approached mine, and in his teary eyes I saw that he had realised too. His lips barely touched mine. 

A tear rolled down his cheek, and I closed my eyes.

[ambivalent-anarchy]

Hurts So Bad... (Part 3)

-

The Week That Flashed By (Part 1/3)

Masterlist

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Summary: For the first time, Peter Parker meets someone he has no idea how to save...

Warning: angst(obviously), mentions of suicide, depression, self-harm, drug use, me just exposing myself

A/N- if you only see Flash as a villain at all times then these chapters ain't for you. Not a lot of Peter this chapter but it's integral to the story so don't skip lol

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

Maybe he was hoping it'd go away.

Maybe he was wishing for the best.

Maybe he was just disregarding and ignoring you completely.

But for whatever reason, it took Peter a week to finally act. A week.

In the grand scheme of life, a week is incredibly short. However, circumstances can always change the way you perceive things.

When you have an essay due, a week seems to fly by. But when you're waiting for the new episode of your favorite tv to come, a week seems to just drag on.

The normal, busy people don't realize is that when you don't have anything to do, and when you're so far gone into the abyss, a week can genuinely seem like forever.

And your week had been nothing short of endless.

You might've finally been done with the physical low, but the mental low was practically just as bad. You could exert energy without feeling like you'd drop if a feather were to touch your shoulder, but your brain was tired.

On the upside, no one bothered you.

On the downside, no one bothered you.

You hated the silence, but strangely that's what followed you everywhere you went. Deafening silence.

You wanted so much for someone to just talk to you. Talk with you. Even if they were lying. Doesn't matter. You just wanted someone to speak. To have some type of change in your life that forced you out of the mundane, redundant, silent cycle you lived in.

Flash Thomspon was your lab partner.

You'd seen him around. He was hard to miss. Always with his jokes and his livestreams. Forever with a smile on his face. Just like Cecilia.

You remember asking her once why they weren't friends. She'd called him obnoxious.

You wouldn't call him obnoxious though, just... loud.

That Monday when lab partners were chosen, you were completely out of it.

Staring at nothing, not making a sound, setting your head down on the table, obviously not wanting to be bothered by anyone.

So when Flash got to your table, he hadn't bothered you. He walked over, simply looked at you for a bit, and once it was clear you weren't moving any time soon, he started on his notes alone.

Which you respected. That meant he was at the very least a bit sensible, if not just lazy.

The next day wasn't much different. You still weren't up for doing anything and Flash still wasn't up to bothering you.

The day after though, Wednesday, that was the day everything changed.

"Hello?," you said into your phone.

"Hey, is this [Y/N]? That quiet chick in a.p chem?"

You chuckled at the beyond simplistic description of yourself. "Uh, yeah this is she. Who's this?"

"Flash Thompson," he responded. "Coolest guy in the class."

You rolled your eyes. "Mhm, and why are you calling my phone?"

"Well-" you heard a bottle open "-we kinda have a project that's due at the end of the week. And, believe me, as much as I love doing duo projects on my own, you need to do something."

His upfrontness took you aback, but not particularly in a bad way.

And besides, you were getting sick of moping. Your curiosity wanted to see where this was going to go.

"Um, okay. So we'll crack down tomorrow then."

"How about now?" You could practically hear the smirk on his face.

"No," you quickly responded. "You mean come to your house right? Hell no."

"Why not?," he snickered. "Strict parents? Or is the pole really just that far up your ass?"

You rolled your eyes once again. You really didn't have the patience for this. "Okay I'm hanging up-"

"Wait! I'll text you my-" Click.

You stared at the wall for a good minute in complete irritation after that phone call. You had to have lost at least a hundred brain cells during that small conversation. The last thing you needed on your plate right now was some guy giving you shit.

A notification on your phone caught your attention.

3069 Oak Street

"Oh so you text me your address and now I'm just supposed to show up at your door?," you scoffed.

-

In retrospect, ringing that doorbell was probably the smartest dumb thing you ever did.

When you told your parents you were going to a friend's house, they just paused and then smiled. Your parents had no problem at all with you going out. They hadn't even asked questions. Heck they encouraged you to go out. That meant you were trying.

But fuck them. You were trying everyday. Trying not to just take the kitchen knife and slit your wrists after every dinner.

When the door to Flash's house opened you immediately noticed three things.

1) The alleged butler he'd been rumored around school to have was nowhere to be found.

2) This was an extremely nice house. Maybe even nicer than Cecilia's.

3) And Flash's eyes were red.

"Yo!," he greeted with an obnoxious grin. "Wassup?"

"We literally just stopped talking like ten mintues ago dude," you responded as you stepped into the house. "And what's with the shirt?"

This idiot actually had a Spider-Man t-shirt on.

"Excuse me? This is drip in the finest form," he defended, hopping onto his couch. "So anyway, the project or whatever. What're we gonna do for it?"

You sighed. "Well, unless I was actually invisible for all the class periods, it's obvious I wasn't paying much attention the last couple of days."

"Yeah I guess," he chuckled. "What was all that about anyway?," he asked, to which you simply shrugged. He squinted at you, but then rolled his eyes and then picked up the remote for the tv. "Oh well, you're better now, right?"

You winced, but you were glad Flash still wasn't looking your way. "Sure."

"Wanna take off your jacket? You're not outside anymore y'know."

And that's where the problem started.

You didn't know why, but you could look over knowing you were depressed. You'd easily come to terms with it. But it was the small things in normal conversations that hit you harder than anything else. Small little suggestions that you couldn't hide it all from everyone. Hell, you couldn't even take off a damn jacket like everyone else.

"I'm fine," you answered. "So... um, about that project?"

"Yeah," he said leaning forward. "You got the instruction papers or whatever?"

You gave him a look, confused. "I never picked them up. I thought you had the papers."

"I don't fucking pay attention in that boring ass class."

"So what was the purpose of me even coming here if we can't even do anything?," you snapped.

He just shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged again.

Your jaw clenched. Cecilia was right. "Obnoxious dumbass..."

You turned to walk back out of the front door before turning back around. "Hey Flash?"

He looked at you and grunted in acknowledgment.

"Were you just crying before I came in or are you just high?"

"High," he said rather quickly. "Why? Are my eyes red?"

You nodded. "Yeah."

"Fuck," he mumbled. "Want some?"

"Nah I'm good-" But he was already gone down the long hallway of his home. "Flash?"

You stood there, waiting for about five minutes before deciding that he wasn't coming back. Great.

So now you could either go get him, leave, or just continue standing there awkwardly.

And due to your lack of better judgment, you did the most classic horror movie move and walked further into a house that you weren't familiar with to go look for a guy you barely knew. If I die, I die, you thought with a shrug.

Walking into the long hallway the first thing you noticed was the abundance of doors. You weren't a stalker, so you didn't bother to look into any, but you could've swore you saw a room full of spiderman pictures and newspapers through the crack of one of them. Fucking weird.

In an attempt not to succumb to your curiosity, you walked faster down the hall. You stopped in your tracks when you heard sniffles. Whimpering? Whatever noises someone makes when they're crying. Someone was crying, that's for sure. And you were also pretty sure Flash was the only one in the house.

'Walk away [Y/N]. This isn't your business.'

But of course you walked closer, and the sniffles got louder. Until you found yourself opening the door and coming face to face with a crying Flash on the floor in the middle of some gaming room.

"Shit!," he yelled, turning away and attempting to cover up his crying with obnoxiously fake coughing.

"Are you okay?," you asked.

"I'm high," he kept repeating in mumbles, desperately reaching for something. "I'm just high, okay? Fuck."

You watched as he continued to search for whatever he was making it seem like he looking for. You wanted to reach out and maybe say something, anything that would make him feel better. But you knew that probably wouldn't help.

After all, it never helped you.

"I'm just... really fucking high right now, alright?"

He seemed incredibly off, even with the squirrelly, rude way he was being earlier. Like he was just trying too hard at something.

You were at a loss for words. You knew it was wrong, but the only thing you could think of was, hm. Rich boy's actually got some issues.

When he finally turned around, his face was dry and he carried a bong in his hands, lighting it and practically shoving it into his mouth in a weak attempt to cover up his unsteady breathing.

"Thought you left," he said, staring at the floor.

Realizing you'd been standing at the doorframe awkwardly, you moved to sit on the floor, opposite to him. "Well, you kinda offered me some weed and then left, I think."

"I thought I heard you say no though."

"I did..." you gulped. "But..I still stayed though."

And now you sat here with Flash and his bong.

He sat back on the side of the chair, his back leaning against it as he blew out the smoke. "Wanna try?," he offered, holding the small object up to you. He didn't wait for you to respond before setting it up again for you and passing it.

Without a word, you took it and breathed the smoke in. You sucked it up and felt it fill your lungs before leaning back and blowing it out, letting out a small cough afterwards. "Thanks."

"Fuck, you're a pro," Flash chuckled.

You shook your head and shrugged. "No. Common sense just tells you how it works, I guess."

"I feel that."

You hummed in amusement.

And then suddenly it was quiet again.

You fucking hated silence.

Luckily, Flash was a talker. Or so you thought.

At school there wasn't a dull moment if he was there. But now, seeing him in his home, he was quiet as a mouse. Contemplative. Searching.

"Say something," you said, earning a confused look from the boy in front of you.

He squinted. "Say what? I don't even know you."

You rolled yours eyes, shrugging. "Look, whatever was going on before I came in here, it's not my business, man. I only said to fucking speak."

Flash groaned. "About what?"

"I dunno," you answered. "I just don't like the quiet. Say anything you want. Just... talk."

"Um.." he looked up at the ceiling. "I got some new shoes the other day." He pointed at the Jordan's on his feet. "My mother got it shipped in from where she's out on business in Bora Bora."

Something about the way he said it made you sure that she wasn't out "on business".

"My butler is out today cuz it's his niece's birthday. She'd be cute enough, if her nose wasn't so big. It's like the wicked witch of the west."

You scrunched up your nose, imagining a younger version of wicked witch minus the green skin.

"Umm, I dunno uh, chocolate chip cookies are better than sugar cookies?"

You snorted at that. Now he was just thinking of anything.

"And uhh, I'm having spaghetti tonight.. and- well I don't know what you really want dude I'm just kinda.. life is just too boring to always have something to say for every second of every day, [Y/N]!," he suddenly snapped.

"Woah dude, chill." You blew out another round of smoke and handed Flash the bong. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was asking for too much."

He held his hand over his forehead. "Nah you're fine," sighed. "It's just- you ask that cuz I talk alot at school right? Yeah that makes sense I guess. I-I'm sorry," he rushed out before going back to the small contraption.

You'd been snapped at alot in your life. Way too many to count. But from those experiences you gathered a small truth; if someone has snapped at you over the smallest thing, they probably have something else going on. Or most likely a couple of things, piled up and ready to blow.

And you could smell that on Flash from a mile away.

"Flash, what's your real name?"

He paused, lifting his mouth from the bong. "Flash is my real name," he lied before passing it back over to you.

"No it's not," you stated, picking up another bag and the lighter up beside you for the bong, no longer satisfied with the loss of flavor. "I don't pay that much attention but I know for a fact that's not your name."

He rolled his eyes, quickly becoming frustrated with the conversation. "Eugene."

"Nice," you said, contemplating your next move. "So.. what does Eugene feel right now? Not Flash, but Eugene."

He reached over each practically snatched the bong away from you.

"Eugene is feeling annoyed, and frankly aggravated because some girl he barely knows is asking too much of him."

"Hey I'm only asking for what you'll give me," you said, throwing your hands in your defense.

"Well what about you?," he accused. "You're always down in the dumps, staring at the wall, looking all depressed 24/7 so how about you start talking? I mean, are you fucking okay?"

"No," you answered blandly. "Not in the slightest. Your turn. What does Eugene feel, Flash? Is Eugene, quote, 'fucking okay'?"

Flash scoffed. "What're you trying to say, that I'm depressed?"

"I never said that."

"Oh fuck that, you implied it!"

"I didn't-"

"You don't fucking know me, [Y/N]," he spat out, throwing the bong on the floor, watching as you picked it up before the water spilt. "You don't fucking know what I'm going through everyday, so please don't be like everyone else and tell me what I am, okay?!"

Were you being rude prying into his life? Totally.

Had you reached the level of nonchalantness with your and practically anybody else's wellbeing that you really couldn't possibly bring yourself to care? Yes.

And was Flash finally cracking? Completely.

"Flash is fake. And obnoxious. And rude," you deadpanned. "I wanna meet Eugene. See how he's doing."

Flash scoffed, looking for a comeback. You could see the expressions on his face flickering like random. Annoyance. Sadness. Want.

You were no psychologist but anyone with a brain could see what he was going through.

The two of you sat in silence again. But you didn't really mind it this time. You were waiting. Even without actually speaking, Flash was telling you everything about him.

Takes one to know one.

"Eugene's aggravated," he finally said, his eyes becoming watery. "Eugene's fucking angry all the time because people only seem to want Flash." He gave you a bitter smirk before averting his eyes to the ground. But you let him. If that's what was easiest for him, then whatever.

"And people assume things about Eugene all the damn time so eventually he decided -what the hell- he'll just give em what they want. And Eugene's fucking pissed because he knows for a fact that if he were to just disappear, no one would fucking care. His old man would just put him in the ground and everyone would be back to normal before fucking dinner." His breath was heavy and you could see mocha skin begin to turn a dark red. "And most of all he's pissed because he's been able to hide for so long and some girl just strolls in and figures him out."

And now here you were just there with Eugene and his bong.

You'd lost count of how much you'd smoked, and you knew he did too. But it didn't matter.

Nothing did anymore.

Not the pressure from your parents. Not the endless cycle of running through all the motions without actually taking anything in. Not even the stupid project that was worth half your grade that'd brought the two of you together in the first place.

Life was full of nothing just in millions of various forms.

Things dressed up and decorated to seem all fancy and important but in the grand scheme of things were just was worthless as you were.

You looked at Flash's home and all you saw was fancy nothing. Wealthy nothing. And you looked at his clothes and all you could possibly see was nothing.

And looking at Flash, you saw a nothing that was attempting to cover up something.

But looking at Eugene, you saw something.

Sadness. Neglect. Pain.

He was completely naked to you.

"You should probably stop," he mumbled, finally opening his eyes and sitting up a bit. "You're looking at me all weird." He reached for the bong, laying it aside once he grabbed it.

"Is that a bad thing?," you asked.

"No," he responded with a small shrug. "...just scares me is all."

You smirked. The only resemblance of a smile you'd been able to make in a long while. "And how do I, of all people, scare you, Eugene?"

You could see his jaw clench. Could see him debating with himself. Even relaxed from the weed, his eyes still darted around the room, and he was shaking his head the tiniest bit. Finally he looked back at you.

"Because -fucking somehow.. you see me-" a tear rolled down his face. "You actually see me. Not Flash... You see Eugene."

His mother's words rang through his ears like a cautionary tale. Real men don't cry. Don't be weak, like your father...

But he wanted to be. So badly he wanted, just for one moment, to be weak and to be able to fall into someone's arms and not act like he was always okay on his own. To not act like he didn't desperately yearn for someone's compassion. Someone's trust.

Flash was fun. Flash was the cool, funny side character in everyone's story. Flash was the picture perfect of everything he wanted to be.

"-And Eugene's a mess," he let out in a small, quiet sob, his expression not moving, though the tears streamed down his face. "I'm just high... that's why I'm saying all this crap. I'm just being dumb and high. Forget all this. I never said anything okay?"

You wouldn't see him break. Not some girl he just met...

Regardless of how he already felt about you.

He slowly looked back up at your face, fully expecting to see pity or disgust. Instead, your face remained neutral like his, and you were crying too.

"I don't think you're a mess Eugene." You sat up straighter, moved a little closer. "Just hurt."

He gave a bitter chuckle. "Isn't basically everybody?"

You shook your head slightly. "No...at least I don't think so. Everyone goes through something- and then there are those people that, in some sick way, want to be hurting.. but with people like us.." You found yourself grabbing his hand, not even thinking for what reason. You just did. "With us.. it's real. And not some temporary problem," you whispered. "It won't ever stop."

Eugene looked back at you again and it was over for him. He felt small. He felt naked. He felt fucking pure.

And then it happened.

You went in for a hug and he went in for a kiss.

But he made it first... and you didn't push him away.

Feeling his lips on yours.. wasn't bad. It surprised you at first, but ultimately it was pleasant.

He sighed against your lips and you could taste the smoke in between the two of you. You hadn't had much experience with guys before. Practically nonexistent if you were being honest, but that didn't matter. Eugene pressed his kiss firmer on yours, and you began to reciprocate his movements.

He held the side of your head lightly as he pulled away, his face growing further apart from yours the slightest bit. He rubbed his nose against yours. You both closing your eyes.

"Stay here with me," he pleaded softly, his breathing slightly erratic. "I-i won't try anything, I swear. I just..." He sniffed and used his shoulder to wipe away at some of the tears on his cheek. "You really see me. A-and I see you, y'know? And we're just-"

You nodded, taking your hand to run through his hair. "Okay," you whispered. "I'll stay."

A small smile started to break through his tears. "Thank you," he mumbled against your cheek before planting a soft kiss onto it.

Your mind was blank. You couldn't think of more than one thing at a time. But you knew one thing; you wanted to be there. That much you were sure of. You still weren't happy. You weren't safe. Just content with this idea of change.

For once, you weren't overly sure of what you were doing. It wasn't routine.

For once, you felt like something was different.

----------Back on the other side of town-----------

You weren't home.

Peter had finished his patrol, swung to your apartment, and you were nowhere to be found.

"No. N-no please don't do this," he pleaded to himself. "Be in the bathroom. Please just be somewhere. Come on, get in here."

He'd already looked through every window available and he could only hope you were in some inside room. Your bed was completely untouched.

"I should've reached out to you. Fuck! I should've done something. Just please be alive..."

He waited anxiously to see if you'd show, even sending a drone to Cecilia's address to see if you were there in the meantime. "I-I'm so sorry I- just please! Be at a friend's house! Something!"

He didn't even realize how much he was shaking. How much your life was in his hands. If you were dead, he'd never forgive himself.

"She's not at the Gulliver residence, Peter. Are there any other places you'd like for me to check?," E.D.I.T.H asked.

"She's somewhere!," he yelled out. "It's one in the morning on a school night. Find her! Please...."

He looked back toward the window. After while he didn't even know how much time had passed. He was just staring. Waiting for you to walk through that door. And when you never came he could only hope that you'd be at school.

"I'll help you," he whimpered. "Just..please. Please just stay alive long enough for me to try."

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

Lmao don't worry y/n won't end up with Flash and this certainly won't end up being a love triangle

Taglist - @eridanuswave, @imahardcase, @jules-and-gemss, @yetchann, @captainamericasdaughter, @starlight-starks, @everydaymj, @rubberducky-jrr, @chiaramrvl, @dreamofaprilsblog, @hello--zuko-here, @spidey-mads, @cuddlefishpeter

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Maze Trials: A Gally Fanfiction

Pairing: Gally x Emi(OC)

Summary: Emi, first girl the Glade has seen. Tougher than she looks and more than ready to prove it. Since day one her and Gally have been at each other's throats. Fighting constantly and not just with their words.

(Gally fanfiction which will include smut. It also has an actual story line. Think of it as an AU to the original Maze Runner. It'll mostly follow the main story line with some changes. Mostly focusing on Emi and Gally and their relationship.)

Chapter Twenty-Five

I sat outside a few feet from the council hall. I was close enough to hear the boys shouting at certain moments. I was too aggravated and hurt to really care. As I sat there picking at the grass I was startled almost out of my skin when the box's alarm rang out. I jumped to my feet instantly running towards it. I could hear the rest of the gladers running out of the council hall towards the box. We just got a greenie three days ago. The box shouldn't be coming back up yet. A fearful feeling fell on me as I stopped in front of the box. I stared at it as I waited for one of the boys to open it.

Gally and Newt were the first two there. They threw the box open and Newt jumped inside. I could tell from where I stood what was below us. I didn't know if I should feel relieved or terrified.

"Newt, what do you see?" One of the boys asked the blonde.

"It's a girl" Newt said in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Thomas made his way threw the boys to stand next to me. We were both staring down at the unconscious girl. I knew her. She was the girl I had spoken to in one of my dreams.

"What's in her hand?" Gally asked Newt.

Newt slowly grabbed what looked like a rolled up piece of paper. He unfolded it to see what it was.

"She's the last one ever." Newt read aloud then looked up to us.

The sudden panic took me over. The last one?

"What the hell does that mean?" Newt questioned aloud.

She suddenly took in a deep breath as she woke up. All of us jumped at the sudden action. My heart was thumping wildly against my chest. She seemed to be looking straight at the greenie standing next to me.

"Thomas" she panted before her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious once more.

We all turned to look at Thomas. He seemed to tense at the sudden eyes on him.

"Still think I'm overreacting?" Gally asks out loud as he crosses his arms over his chest.

I decided to help Clint and Jeff get the girl to their hut. I told them to let me know when she wakes up. I figured it would be better for her to see there is another girl with her instead of being surrounded by boys. I went to find Gally after that. I felt we needed to have a chat. He was outside standing with a few others. His brows furrowed like he was complaining about something which he probably was.

"Gally, we need to talk." I said as soon as I reached him.

"No" He said sternly then tried to turn away from me.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"That wasn't a request Captain." I spat using the nickname the other gladers used for him.

He stared down at me for a moment before grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the other gladers. Once he felt we were far enough away he stopped and let go of my arm.

"What's your problem?" I asked him harshly.

"What's my problem? Are you serious? You of all people know exactly how I felt about Thomas. How much I didn't trust him. You know how much I live by the rules of the Glade because they are rules for a reason! You still decided to go into the maze with them breaking a major rule then tell me you're on Thomas' side. Screw me right? Who cares what Gally thinks right?" He was shouting letting all his anger out.

"You know I don't want to stay here Gally. If Thomas can find a way out I will follow him. Things are changing. We could actually have a chance here. Does that really mean nothing to you?" I asked keeping myself as calm as I could.

"It means nothing to me. The Glade is my home. I thought you were going to share that home with me. Obviously I was wrong. What ever this was is no longer happening. Go ahead and follow Thomas. It's clear you've already made your choice." Gally said as he went to walk past me.

I grabbed his hand trying to keep him close. He pulled his hand away then glanced back at me with a look full of hatred but I could see the tears in his eyes that he was making sure wouldn't spill over.

"Gally please understand" I whispered letting my own tears fall freely.

He just scoffed then walked away. Just like that I lost everything. Gally had been the only thing I had the whole time I was here. I had him to hold onto and keep me sane and now that was over.

The sudden shouts of a terrified girl brought me back to reality as I saw the new girl running away from Clint and Jeff. She saw the other boys surrounding her and screamed again as she elbowed her way threw them. She darted for the look out then climbed up quickly. I saw one of the boys moving to climb up after her. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down.

"No! You'll only make it worse." I told him sternly.

She started throwing things down at the boys below her yelling at them to go away. The gladers ran to get shields to cover their heads.

"Hey! Throw one more of those things and I'm- Ow!" Gally held his hand against his head where she had just hit him.

Thomas and Minho were there a few minutes later. Thomas running under the piece of wood Newt was holding.

"I don't think she likes us very much." Newt joked with a smirk.

"Listen! We just want to talk!" Thomas shouted up at her.

She started to throw more at a lot faster pace.

"Take cover y'all!" Fry pan shouted.

"Hey! Hey! Woah! It's Thomas!" He shouted again.

The items instantly stopped. She slowly peaked her head over the edge of the wood. Thomas waved at her.

"I'm gonna come up okay?" He asked her.

She didn't answer she just moved backwards so we couldn't see her any longer.

"Ok" Thomas whispered as he moved towards the lookout.

Gally moved to follow him but Thomas quickly turned around to face him.

"Alone" he said sternly.

Gally looked at him like he was crazy but didn't try anything else. I stopped Thomas from climbing by blocking his path.

"I'm going up with you. She might feel more comfortable with another girl." I stated simply.

Thomas nodded then I moved to let him climb up first. I followed closely behind him until we were all the way at the top. Thomas opened the hatch then stopped moving.

"Woah, woah, woah. Ok, easy alright?" He said slowly.

He climbed up allowing me to pop up to see the girl holding one of our machetes.

"Where am I? What is this place? Why can't I remember anything?" She asked Thomas.

Before he could answer she had noticed me climbing up and closing the hatch.

"This is all normal. We've all been threw this. Okay? You're name that will come back to you in a few days." Thomas tried to explain.

"Teresa" she said quietly.

"What'd you say?" He asked her.

"My name. Teresa." She repeated.

Thomas and I shared a look. It's weird for someone to remember their name that quickly.

"Teresa, I'm Thomas." He introduced.

Teresa looked to me.

"I'm Emi" I told her.

I slowly leaned forward until I could gently wrap my hand around hers and pull the machete away from her. I sat it down out of the way.

"But you already knew my nae didn't you?" Thomas asked her.

"They said I kept saying your name in my sleep." She stated.

"Who are you?" She asked give him a sideways look.

"I don't know. I can't remember. None of us here can remember anything." He told her.

"We all woke up here just like you." I stated calmly.

Thomas and I spent a few more minutes talking to Teresa to make sure she was calm. Before we went back down to the Glade she pulled two items out of her pocket. She handed them to Thomas.

"These were in my pocket when I woke up." She said quietly.

I looked at one as Thomas looked over the other. The same letters were on this just as they were on our supplies and the metal thing Minho pulled out of the griever.

W.C.K.D.

"W.C.K.D. is good" Thomas mumbled to himself as he looked at the item.

"I heard the same thing. A woman saying W.C.K.D. is good." Teresa said.

I looked the item in my hand over again thinking of the words they both just said. Then I realized it was a syringe. It's medicine.

"Thomas, this is some kind of medicine. Alby." I whispered like it was a secret.

It seemed to snap into place in his head as well. We both hurried down the look out with Teresa right behind us. We ran for the Med-Jack's hut where Alby was. Newt and Gally had seen us running and decided to follow behind us.

There was a small amount of arguing before Thomas could talk Clint into giving it to Alby. We didn't have anything to loose at this point. We all waited hoping for something good to happen. In that time Minho and Thomas decided they needed to look something over before going back into the maze.

I was left in the hut with Clint, Teresa, and Gally. The keeper of the builders seemed to be playing guard like Teresa and I were criminals.

"What's his problem?" She whispered to me.

"It's a long story." I whispered back.

—

[zwiezraczek]

Dear Diary (My Name's Olivia And With My Boyfriend We're Living During The Apocalypse) [Request]

Note: @bird-seed27 wanted me to write a quarantine fic, and I wasn't inspired and then I got an idea and THEN I saw these two lovebirds going out outside, together you fools you fools you fools I hope you're not sick please okay I'm jealous because I can't go out I was like "THIS IS MY QUARANTINE COUPLE" and the rest is small blurb history. Well, enjoy this little Benny boy and Ollie girl fluff during the corona madness! I hope it will be fine and you'll like it @bird-seed27 !!! 💕💕💕

~~

“Quarantine Day 3: The boat

Dear Diary, we spent the afternoon on a boat celebrating my friend's birthday. They all loved Ben, but probably not as much as I do.”

Olivia sat legs crossed on the couch, typing a message. She really wanted to go and celebrate her friend's birthday, but during these times, everything was too complicated. They have been dating for months, and she still remembered their first not-so-public appearance and what it had aroused in his fan's hearts. She wasn't an internet type of girl, but she really wanted to know what his fans thought about her. Ben was disappointed by some but most of them were all lovely and adorable wishing them the very best and, somehow, it had warmed her heart a lot and made it feel lighter somehow. She thought for a moment about sending it, but then she heard footsteps in the hallway.

She looked up and saw Ben in his blue sweater, and his beanie in hand. He truly was a sweetheart, she thought. And at the same time, she thought about how badly she wanted to go celebrate with her friends – and to introduce Ben – and about the situation outside. The self-quarantine which was encouraged by other celebrities.

“You're not ready yet,” he asked, looking at his girlfriend sitting on the couch in her black sweater with a white shirt underneath. She still wore her gray sweatpants.

“Do I look like going out,” she asked as he looked at me with these pearly green eyes of his. Gosh, she thought.

“You always look like going out, Ollie.” His compliment made her roll her eyes.

“We're not going, I'm telling the group that we're not coming.” She was ready to send the message but Ben's hand landed on hers.

“Please, we can never go out together and now it's the perfect time to do so!”

“When we're all about to die from a bloody virus? We should go out and smell the plague?” She sarcastically asked, but deep inside, she wanted to go, probably as much as he wanted to.

“Don't be so dramatic, please,” he said with a smile. “For the moment, there's no government's recommendations or whatsoever, and we'll be eight, that's not that much!” She hesitated, putting her phone next to her. “Please, Ollie...” She looked up at him, and these puppy eyes always got her, and she smiled.

“You won, Jones, but this time only,” she said and he kissed her on her cheek.

“By the way, you look lovely with these two little braids,” he said before going towards the hallway to seek for his shoes.

“You know that doesn't make me soft, Jones,” she almost yelled and she could hear him chuckle. He had made her soft.

~~~

Quarantine Day 7: The stroll

“Dear Diary, today with Ben we went out (again). We went grocery shopping this time, it was necessary.”

“Ollie, we're going outside for a walk,” Ben shouted from the other room as Olivia laid in their bed looking at the ceiling.

“No, we're not,” she replied in a monotonous tone.

She had probably spent five days – or were these five weeks? She couldn't tell – inside, and honestly? She was absolutely drained. And obviously, for no reason. Ben and her had spent the last few days watching movies – and she had insisted on watching some episodes of The Woman in White in which he was playing, just to make him cringe a bit – but that was it. They had done nothing more, nothing less. And she now wanted to sleep, after twelve hours of sleep.

“No, no, no Ollie,” Ben said, coming into their room as she snug under the matters. “Ollie, you need to go out a bit, to have some fresh air sweetheart.”

“Olivia is dead, bring roses and leave some money,” she said, with her head still under the matters.

“We need to go grocery shopping too.”

“You can buy food yourself, you, strong man,” she teased him with her nose sticking up from the plaid. She had smiling eyes.

“We'll buy Cadburry, please Olivia, I don't want to go grocery shopping alone,” he almost whined and she rolled her eyes before sighing.

“Fine, but only because we're buying Cadburry.”

“I'm dating a chocolate addict...”

“You knew what you were about to date, Benjamin.” He smiled, before mouthing an 'I love you' and leaving the room.

She sighed. She had to get up, for chocolate's – but mostly Ben's – sake.

~~~

Quarantine Day 12: The kiss

“Dear Diary, today we went on a stroll with Ben. We got papped and it wasn't nice. But at least, we have cute pictures together, let's see the brighter side of this!”

“Ben, I need to sit down a bit, we're walking for an hour,” she complained as Ben just squeezed her hand a bit. She dragged her feet, as began to sigh loudly until Ben chuckled.

“Fine, we'll have a seat,” she smiled, “and we'll have a coffee too.”

“Love you so much,” she said, regaining some energy in a minute which made Ben smile even wider.

Because of the self-quarantine, they were only able to have a small walk of an hour together – grocery shopping not included – and Ben wanted to walk. A lot. First, Olivia had found it entertaining, but she realized quickly that walking at that pace was a true torture – and apparently only for her! And after a few protests, some remarks and loud sighs, Ben agreed to sit for a minute and even offered to have a cup of coffee – which was still nice.

She sat in front of the coffee show, her small shopping back intertwined between her fingers as she looked at the sun, getting this vitamin D she needed so much – because staying inside was fun, fun until it became not so fun. She closed her eyes, behind the shades, and breathed in and out for a moment enjoying the fact that she was outside for a moment.

Ben's hand took her back to their sweet reality, offering her the cup of coffee and sitting on the other side of the bench. With her coffee in hand now, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I'm so tired of being inside,” she complained before Ben kissed her forehead.

“Me too sweetheart, everything's going to end soon.”

“I hope that not everything's going to end soon,” she teased him and rose her head from his shoulder to take a sip of her coffee.

“Ollie,” he whispered, amused by the cheekiness of his girlfriend.

“Yes, I know, quarantine suits me,” she joked with the most beautiful smile.

“Of course it does,” he replied before delicately putting his lips on hers. She smiled against his lips, delighted by this moment under the sun. But quickly, he pulled away and you could see his jaw tense.

“No, don't tell me that the rustle I heard was another pap, please Ben...”

“I won't tell you, but I think that we should finish drinking our coffees and move,” he said, with a shy smile on his face and she knew.

~~~

Quarantine Day 14: The pictures

“Dear Diary, I just saw our pictures from two days ago with Ben. I printed the one on which we're almost kissing and Ben has hearty eyes behind his shades. It's on our fridge along the other selfies we took during the quarantine and even before.”

[captainkippen]

SEND ME FIC PROMPTS

Cyrus and TJ's relationship can be described as ‘almost-something-not-quite-there-yet” and has been at that stage for a rather frustrating six months. He's not sure why it's taking them so long to do about it, but Cyrus is certain that TJ must have also acknowledged the tension between them because there have been a few near misses so far where he's thought 'this is iT, he's going to tell me how it feels’ only for TJ to break off what he was saying and turn it into some unrelated ramble. Thanks to this, it's becoming more and more common for him to feel like he's about to tear his hair out when the two of them spend time together. He doesn't want to push TJ to do or say anything he's not ready to do or say, but Cyrus figures it's time to take matters into his own hands or they might actually be stuck at this glacial pace of romance for the next fifty years. He doesn't think he can take fifty years of longing looks and heartfelt texts that lead to nothing. He'll go insane.

The opportunity to make a move arises when Bex and Bowie finally settle on the date of their wedding. At first there's a little hesitation, the engagement has been called off and called back on more than once now and they're all starting to wonder if they'll actually ever do it, but when it's only about a month away Cyrus figures they're finally safe from any drama and starts concocting a plan.

“I need to book dance lessons,” he says offhandedly when they're all lazing around Buffy's house one day. He's sprawled dramatically across one of the couches with his feet up on TJ's lap and a bowl of popcorn on his chest. It's a movie day but the horror flick they're watching is so terrible that nobody's been paying attention for the last forty five minutes. “For the wedding. There's going to be waltzing, right? I don't know how to waltz. Andi, do you know where Bowie's getting his?”

Andi eyes him suspiciously. She's well aware that Cyrus knows how to waltz. He had taught her to waltz when they were twelve. His mom had made him have lessons as a kid. Cyrus is fantastic at waltzing, even if he does say so himself. However, TJ doesn't know that. He gives her a look that says 'play along I'm begging you've and she sighs.

“At the dance studio on second street, I think,” she says. He's so blessed to have such good friends. “Bex knows one of the girls that runs it so she's giving him a discount.”

“You don't know how to waltz?” TJ asks curiously, perfectly on cue. “Don't you do dance for your P.E classes?”

Cyrus shrugs. “It's not ballroom.”

The thing is, he's concocted the perfect plan. TJ doesn't know Cyrus knows how to waltz, but Cyrus knows that TJ does. TJ had surprised them all with this knowledge a few weeks ago at a school dance. Jonah wanted to impress a girl he liked, TJ offered to show him how to dance and everyone got their happily ever after. Except Cyrus. TJ had not waltzed with Cyrus. He's still a little bitter about it.

“I could teach you,” he offers. “Save you the money.”

“Really?” Cyrus says, grinning. “Awesome. Yeah, that would be great thanks.”

Cyrus mentally marks phase one of mission ‘get TJ to admit his feelings’ a success.

*

TJ comes over on Saturday. Cyrus’ mom and stepdad have gone out to some barbeque with friends and won't be back until later so he's taking advantage of an empty house as much as he can. He makes sure to run to the store in the morning to grab some of TJ's favourite chips and soda (Baja blast Mountain Dew because what else do you expect from a teenage boy), and does a rush job at tidying up even though TJ has definitely seen the house in a much worse state than it is. He's been over during family events - he knows how wild they get. There's an odd nervous sensation thrumming in Cyrus’ veins. He has no reason to be on edge. It's just TJ. He tells himself this over and over, trying to calm down, but still jumps when he heard the front door opening and TJ yelling a greeting through the house. He's been letting himself in since they were fourteen now. It's a standard.

“I'm down here,” he yells back. They're going to be practicing in the basement so he's moved the ping-pong table out the way and set up the stereo so it's ready to go. TJ's socked feet thud down the stairs and he beams at him when he comes into view. He pulls Cyrus into a sideways hug and quickly releases him, making a beeline for the Mountain Dew. Cyrus rolls his eyes - typical.

“So how do you wanna do this?”

Cyrus shrugs. “You're the teacher.”

“You got music?”

He hands him to remote to the stereo. TJ fiddled with it for a moment before switching it on to a rhythmic rock beat with a grin. He puts it down, shrugs off his hoodie and walks towards Cyrus.

“You ready?” He pulls Cyrus towards him, positioning them both carefully.

“We're really just jumping into it, then?”

“Of course. I'm gonna lead and I'm gonna explain the steps as we go, okay? Try not to step on my feet.”

Cyrus does step on his feet, several times, quite deliberately. Each time it sets them both off in a bout of giggling and they have to pause for a moment. The afternoon continues in much the same vein, Cyrus pretending to be terrible and making TJ laugh and feeling like his whole world is complete everytime he catches TJ smiling softly at him. His heart thumps when their faces get close together and he hopes and prays that his palms aren't too sweaty where they're clasped in TJ's. It feels right, the two of them together like this.

There's a moment, when they're coming to the end of a song and slowing down where Cyrus thinks this might be it. TJ might say something. They're looking into one another's eyes, the world around them faded slightly, and he's holding his breath waiting for him to say anything. Then TJ coughs, ducks his head and pulls away, announcing they should take a break and get some lunch, and Cyrus kind of wants to scream in frustration. This plan is going to take longer than he expected.

*

As it turns out, the plans takes much longer than he expected. TJ gives him three more dance lessons before the wedding and nothing comes of them. It's the most irritated Cyrus has ever been with him, which he realises isn't technically fair because TJ isn't a mind reader and can't possibly know Cyrus is losing his grip on reality as a result of all these pent up emotions between them, but he can't help it.

The evening of the wedding is a beautiful one. It's being held in a large white tent in the park which is lit up with beautiful handmade lamps dotted around artfully, illuminating the flowers and chairs that have been set up for the ceremony. In the dark outside, fireflies flicker in and out of existence. The stars above them are almost unusually bright. It seems like there's a certain amount of magic in the air.

Cyrus may or may not cry during the vows. He and TJ sit together, knees pressed up against one another like always, the edges of their hands touching ever so gently stop them. He thinks he might have heard a sniffle or two from TJ as well, but he doesn't comment. TJ is sensitive about those kinds of things. Bex and Bowie are so obviously in love, they both nearly sob during their vows, and for a moment Cyrus envies them with everything he has. He wants that one day. To love somebody so much it consumes him, but it makes him happier and a better person in the process. He thinks about the boy sat next to him and how it feels like he's pretty close to that already.

In typical Mack fashion, they throw a stellar party for the reception. There's a live swing band and a lot of loud laughter. Champagne flows freely and a disco ball that he suspects was Andi's idea glitters above the makeshift dance floor. Cyrus watches in amusement as the guests get drinker, the dancing gets worse and the jokes get dirtier. Everyone's having such a good time. When the first waltz comes on, he catches TJ's eyes across the room.

It seems like time stops as he walks towards him. TJ meets him in the middle with a wide smile and pulls them both on to the dance floor, taking Cyrus’ hand and placing his own on his waist. Cyrus forgets all about pretending to be terrible but TJ doesn't seem surprised in the slightest.

“I knew you were faking,” he laughs.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Cyrus says, but he can't hold back his own smile. “... How'd you figure it out?”

He rolls his eyes. “I know you better than anyone, Cy. You're my best friend. You think I don't know you can dance? Your mom's shown me the pictures of your ballroom classes before. I'm not totally stupid.”

Cyrus prevents himself from saying 'that's debatable’ but it's a close call. TJ seems to read his mind and laughs anyway.

“I don't get why you needed to pretend, though,” he says. “You don't need to come up with excuses to hang out with me. You could tell me we're going to go sit in a field in silence for four hours and I'd still come because you'd be there.”

Cyrus sighs. “I know… it's just. I don't know. It's stupid, never mind.”

“No, what is it? Tell me.”

“I think…” he takes a deep breath. “You say you're my best friend, and that's true, but I also think you're more than that. And you have been for a really long time.”

TJ just keeps looking at him, saying nothing. Cyrus continues.

“Maybe it's just me that feels that way… but I don't think it is. I was hoping maybe if we got some one on one time doing something romantic maybe… maybe you'd say something?”.

“You pretended you couldn't dance because you wanted me to admit I have feelings for you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, obviously I do. Even Jonah knows that. Why didn't you just ask?”

Cyrus gapes at him. He can't believe it was that easy. TJ hadn't even hesitated to admit it. “... I didn't think of that.”

“You know, for the smartest guy I've ever met, you're kind of dumb,” TJ says with a fond look. “You could've told me how you felt too.”

“Oh… hush,” Cyrus says. “Stop smirking it's not funny.”

“It's pretty funny,” TJ grins. Cyrus pushes himself up on to his tiptoes to reach him, and just to wipe the amused smile from his face he presses a gentle kiss to his lips.

TJ makes him want to tear his hair out sometimes, but it's in the best way possible.

[cherrymoonvol6]

some avengers endgame Thoughts cause i saw the movie yesterday and can't stop thinking about it

of course..... spoilers ahead

nebula and tony playing!!!! i just love how nebula's personality comes through without it being ooc

also... nebula carefully sitting tony up. she Cares so much :(

steve immediately going to tony :( like im a stucky kind of gal but holy shit i love them

which was completely erased in the next scene where tony drags steve up and down and after that passes out, which is a confrontation Mood

i wonder how they made tony look so skinny and sick. if it was cgi then i applaud them cause it looked so good

the way they killed thanos so fucking quickly here... i don't know how to feel lmao. like cutting the gauntlet arm and then slicing his neck... that's what we were all screaming at them during infinity war. it's good to see them learn from their mistakes, i guess ?

(can't remember the order in which things happen from now so forgive me if i make a mistake)

i told my sister "that's one of the russos!!!!!" so it took me ten seconds to realize that the russo was the gay character everyone was talking about (i thought it would be fury for no other reason than it being shocking and fury having very little to do with the plot, but)

and steve being supportive of that :( man out of time said gay rights!

carol's new hair!! holy shit!!!!!

rocket insinuating carol has been experimenting with more hairstyles... i would like to see it

don't think i missed that carol x rhodey nod. i support it.

don't wanna say it now... for now ill just state: i love what they're doing with natasha in the movie. she truly feels like a friend to steve. like that small gesture of her sliding the plate towards steve is just so domestic and beautiful! it really makes her feel so human and complex at the end. i was so worried about her being wasted but i loved her throughout the film

it was a fucking rat who got scott out. i have to laugh.

also is that the guy from that old "gayyyyy" meme????

cassie is all grown up!!!!!! i can't even imagine how hard it had been for her

also what happened to her mom? and the stepdad??? are they fine????? i hope so

i was hoping we would get more tony as a dad in this movie and it delivered!! tony is so fucking good with kids. the bond between him and morgan was so well portrayed

also the place they live in is so cozy and that's what he deserves

when steve stepped down the car in that black outfit with the leather jacket on i gasped... he's fucking gorgeous

i kept wanting him and tony to kiss lmao tf is wrong with me

OKAY my hawkeye rights. i missed him so much

the stylish subtitles on the middle of the screen felt like too much. this isn't a tumblr gifset honey, just write them down!

thinking about the whole clintasha conversation really foreshadows the whole thing. natasha cares so deeply about clint and really puts his needs before hers. it's so beautiful to see

honestly... my clintasha rights!

i think the hulk/bruce scene was kinda endearing but then the ant man banter dragged on for toooo long

the dab i YELLED. these poor kids have to stand this man on 2023 pulling out 2016 trends to appear Hip and Cool

fat thor...... i hate how it was handled. hate it so fucking much.

new asgard! that's so cute. i hope that's on norway

miek and korg are alive!!!!

the thought of thor insulting a possibly 14 year old on fortnight is too much for me. it sounds like bad fanon talk. i still laughed (bc noobmaster69??? that's fucking hilarious)

tonys reaction to i love you 3000 is so beautiful. like the way he looks taken aback and so happy. i love irondad

steve in a white shirt and jeans!!!! i gasped again. he's delivering, the fucking model

i know they were like, barely being decent to each other again, but i still wanted my stony hug:(

when they're discussing their infinity stones memories and natasha and tony are laying down together on a table???? adorable. amazing.

also why tf didn't nebula said the soul stone required a sacrifice??? i thought that's what she got from gamora dying in volmir

as soon as natasha and clint arrived to volmir i began chanting "nonononononononono"

fuckkdjdksndk fucking nebula. cue to more nononono chanting

rhodey knocking out quill with a single hit is the funniest scene in the movie

clintasha calling on bullshit on the sacrifice thing was also quite funny

the forehead touch :((( im so weak! so sad!

clintasha literally fighting each other to be each other's sacrifice!!!! kill me now!!!!

jeez now i can finally say it: scarjo shined so fucking much on this movie!!!! her delivery was amazing, i really felt a connection between her and the avengers, it really showed her growth during the five year time jump. she fucking killed it. she did her best and she's the best black widow we could've ever gotten.

clint mourning her :((((( probably the third time i cried during the movie

thor's panic attack being used for cheap laughs was the most uncomfortable moment for me... or any scene where people only saw thor as Fat and Lazy (basically, two thirds of the movie)

the freya + thor reunion was so sweet though!

okay. okay. hear me out. tony was on a very serious mission to regain an infinity stone. and the first thing he does is check out steve's ass. and aknowledge how glorious it is. i couldn't believe what i was watching!!!!!! like that actually fucking happened. consider me a fully formed stony bitch.

and scott joining in to say it was "america's ass" ???? poetic cinema

so it's canon that everyone checks out steve's ass and appreciates it as a national treasure. that's all i never thought id needed.

steve saying "hail hydra" i YELLED. it was a nice nod to the whole "cap is a nazi" mess

and steve fighting himself... hot

using his bucky trauma to shock himself is :/// but also :((((

i loved that for one moment i knew everyone on the theatre was staring at steve's ass

and steve being appreciative of his own butt!!!! ok that's all i have to say about steve's ass

i loved the reminder that thor was still kinda goofy back in avengers 1, for everyone who says taika completely changed his character. and the little tony + thor moment was adorable

"howard..... potts" i can understand tony being a mess but how did howard not suspect of anything??? elevator lady took one look of steve's face and all of her alarms started ringing

peggy carter... ive missed my wife so much

did peggy marry souza. i hope she did. steve tf are you doing staring at a married woman (jk)

clint kicking the stones away as soon as bruce is done with the snap is the biggest mood

also... the hell was scott looking at that made him think it had worked? just... more birds outside? i was really curious

the irony of the only avenger without superpowers being left with the stones

"i know you" *hands out stones* how can you not love clint, he's so pure

nebula killing his 2014 self is a power move. that would be me if i met my 2014 self

thor with a braided beard!!!!! beautiful

thanos is like, a real threat and i love that

okay. i kinda saw it coming. i saw thor leave mjolnir behind and i thought "oh????". and then the shock of thanos being able to wield stormbreaker. and then fucking mjolnir moving!!!!! i was the only person in the theatre who yelled

but seriously!!!! steve wielding AND fighting with mjolnir!!!!! couldn't stop thinking about it all day!!!!!!!!! STEVE IS WORTHY!!!!!!!

parallels to thor going for the chest. it never works babies!

and just.... this was steve's moment. steve i-can-do-this-all-day rogers really fighting with every ounce of his body and soul against the most powerful being on earth. justice for him getting knocked after touching thanos for one second in iw!

and steve getting up again! all dirty and wounded!! trembling with exhaustuation and resolution!!! with his broken shield on his arm!!!! just him facing the biggest army of the universe!!!!! so powerful

sorry to destroy this epic moment, but like, okay. people had been reintegrated to life like, twenty minutes before. and i understand that they were all confused and out of place. but sam really needed ALL that time to just... try to communicate with steve????? ok

the "avengers..." *brings mjolnir with one hand while bracing his shield with the other* "assemble" moment was... oh my God. chills all over my body.

that One Moment where steve has stormbreaker on his hand... so fucking hot

the tony and peter reunion holy shit. the hug was everything i needed! like please just hug tony stark for ages

and tony and pepper fighting together!!! that's a power couple right there

i felt it when quill looked at gamora and just... stopped. im so sad his moment was played for laughs when it was obviously such an important moment for his character

thanos was so fucking scared of wanda that he put his own troops at risk to stop her for a little while. strongest avenger right there!

and carol coming back!!!! i was like

i felt so relieved at that point. i was like "yeah thanos is fucking over what's next"

no need to talk about all the women coming together to defend peter :')

thanos getting the gauntlet again... the nonono chanting came back

fucking CAROL trying to stop him. looking at him with such a determined face, like "you can't stop me from stopping you". it was so powerful he had to snatch one stone to stop her

and strange giving him the one finger to tony.... i knew what was coming holy shit. i knew it. they knew it.

tony really proved himself there. it was his best scene on the entire mcu, don't argue with me!!!!!! the way he stood there and took all the power of the stones, unmasked, unaffected, powerful and almighty

"i am... iron man" cue to ugly sobbing

tony knew there was no other way. pepper did, too... she knew exactly what she had to tell him. she was right. tony spent all of these years moved by selfishness first, then fear, then guilt. an endless battle since thanos was on his head. but the war was over. what mattered was that he saved everyone, and he sacrificed himself for everyone. a complete 180° from last movie's ending.... wow

gotta said... peter there felt a little bit out of place for me. i think it would've been more powerful if he didn't say anything, though peter is a teenager, i can get it

his arc with steve felt unfinished, too. i would've liked to see steve's reaction as well, since tony had told him he wanted everyone back and also for his family so survive. but whatever

im not against tony killing thanos instead of gamora and nebula but i would've liked if we saw them react to his death, at least:/ like a little parallel between nebula's reaction at the beginning and the end of endgame

the One stucky interaction here was pulled from cap1 and iw. i feel betrayed

bucky Knew what steve was going to do. i wonder if steve told him before or bucky just sensed it

you can't convince me steve would go back and carelessly dance with peggy knowing his friend is being used like a weapon by hydra and bound to kill tonys parents. nah nah. it all felt wrong

my steggy rights!!!

love that the russos foreshadowed cap!bucky on tws just to give the shield to sam at the end

anyways what the fuck bucky was all steve had but he lived the happiest life without it and left him alone on the 21st century? okay fuck y'all

[justagayguysworld-blog]

It was a job and it paid well, very well. The work was easy enough, but the real money was in the tips. That's why I jumped at the chance to sign up for a second summer of sun and fun off the California coast. Far as I know, there were no gay cruises at the time, so I guess that made Tim's little operation ahead of its time with his mostly male clientele. The Wet Dream was a nice boat with three staterooms, a big salon, full kitchen, two baths and a big ass Jacuzzi. I certainly could have lived comfortably on it, which is pretty much what Drake and I did that first summer.

Our longest "excursions" were 24 hours up and down the coast, and many were just day or night trips. Basically, I was a waiter in a swim suit whose only job was to keep Tim's "A" list guests happy. Did a lot of them hit on me? Of course; I wouldn't have been doing my job if they hadn't. If we had a full passenger list of thirty, I could easily make five-hundred bucks in a day. And I'd never spent a single night in one of those staterooms with anyone. That's why when Tim called me to say Drake wasn't coming back, I thought he had to be the dumbest fucker on the planet. Drake was good looking enough, but obviously not real bright.

"Hey, Tim. I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but I wish you'd give me a couple of days to see if I can find his replacement. Obviously I know the ropes, you're hardly ever there, and it would be great to work with somebody I know and trust who won't get all pissy like Drake."

"You were reading my mind, Robbie. Look around and get back with me in couple of days. I don't want to do a repeat of Drake either."

After I hung up, I had an epiphany of sorts. I couldn't remember a time when Brett had ever owed me less than a hundred bucks. His car was a beater and always needing something. He worked at that stupid beach bar when he wasn't playing volleyball and obviously wasn't making jack shit. Plus he had a killer bod and wasn't a complete asshole.

I called. "Hey, dude, what's up? I need to talk to you. Come meet me for a beer."

"Can't, Robbie. Waiting on the old man to get off work and take me to get an alternator."

"Call him back and tell him to blow it off. I'll take you. And fuck that fucking piece of shit car square up the fucking tailpipe. I'll see you in half an hour."

After a run to the parts store, we went for a beer or six. I told him about the job and the pay, the hours, etc; "The only down side for you in this deal, Brett, is you won't be getting much beach time this summer. It's a full-time gig, but on the bright side, if you work that fine ass of yours off, you'll be driving a new car this fall. So do yourself a favor for once, call Jackie and give her two weeks' notice. Good as she's been to you, she at least deserves that.

We start June 1st, and now that you owe me two fifty, I'm taking it out of your first check, asshole."

I called Tim back the next day. "You owe me big-time for this one, boss man. I managed to snag you a Laguna volleyball God. He has wait staff experience, the body of death and he isn't Drake. I'll bring him by the office in a couple of days. He's giving two weeks' notice at his job tomorrow, and he can start with me on the first."

I thought Tim was actually going to cry when I came walking in with Brett. And Tim is straight. After they'd talked and Brett did his paperwork, the boss said, "Let's do a trial run on the 29th. I've got some friends coming in town anyway, so we'll take a full crew and go out for the day."

Brett was a natural. Tim's friends loved him almost as much as Tim, and it looked like smooth sailing ahead. Two days later we went live with a guest list of maybe twenty five. One of the last to board was an actor and his "friend." They'd been with us several times, alone and together. But we had a strict policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and sure as hell, Don't Talk" about anything that happens aboard The Wet Dream.

"Isn't that...?" Brett asked.

"Yes, but like everyone else, he isn't here, and you did not see him."

"Didn't he just come out in that movie...?"

"Yes. Now put your tongue back in your mouth and go ask them what they'd like to drink. No autographs, either."

Then late Thursday night we were driving home. Brett said, "You know the guy who's some kind of a producer, the one with little round glasses and the ponytail? He tried to grab my ass this afternoon. I scooted out of the way and gave him the evil eye. I don't think he was even drunk."

"You're an idiot, Brett. Do you know who that guy is? Lighten up, dude. That little stunt probably cost you a fifty dollar tip. Looking like you look, do you really think Tim hired you for your bartending skills?"

"So, do you let them touch you?"

"Damned straight. Fuck, it's not like it's a big deal. How many times have I grabbed your ass? I know I've seen you grab a fistful of nuts at least a hundred times. If you wanna' make serious bank, you're gonna' have to play ball. And yes, the pun was intended."

He did seem a little more relaxed the next few days. We'd been on a 24 hour excursion until Sunday morning. People got really hammered, but it looked like everyone had a blast even if we were probably going to have to drain and power wash the Jacuzzi. I also made $425 in tips. Not bad for the beginning of summer.

I asked, "How much did you make?"

"$300. I would've made $400 if I'd let some dude blow me. He offered me a hundred bucks. I told him I was too busy. Does that ever happen to you Daddy Warbucks?"

"Sorry, I'm not having this discussion, Brett. You know the rules. What happens on The Wet Dream..."

"Stays on The Wet Dream. I hear you, Captain, loud and clear."

Because we'd been out all night, they needed to clean and restock Sunday. Monday was pretty sedate. It was only four hours and we were back by nine. I asked Brett if he wanted to grab some beer and go to the beach. We'd built a fire and were sitting there relaxing. Out of the blue, he pops off with, "I just don't want to freak out with some guy's dick in my, I mean my dick in his mouth. I need to try this someplace besides work first. If I went ape shit and decked some guy, I know Tim would fire me if you didn't. And I really want that car."

"Seriously dude? I know you must have some gay friends who'd love to suck your dick. I've seen it. They'd probably suck anything and everything you've got. Ask one of them if you'd like to get in a little practice.

Look at it this way. You carry some girl out to a decent dinner and a movie. How much does that set you back? Maybe forty bucks? Does that forty get you a blowjob or a date with your hand when you get home?"

"Sometimes I get lucky."

"Fuck luck. I'll take a guaranteed income anytime. I can't believe with that face and body, you've never even fooled around with another guy."

He started laughing. "Joey Gibbons did hunch my leg once in junior high. I smacked him pretty good."

I had to laugh at the image of that. "Brett, that isn't what I mean. Joey was a little porker who drooled and had asthma. Haven't you ever looked at some of the guys on the volleyball court and thought they were hot?"

"You mean like you?"

"Okay, sure. Like me I guess." Honestly, I really think I was only trying to prove a point. "So what if I put my hand on your leg like this and started rubbing up and down? Do you really feel like you need to smack me?"

"Maybe not if you kissed me first... I'm really serious, Robbie, I want you to kiss me." When he pulled me over on top of him, it didn't seem like he was joking.

"Okay, buddy. You asked for this." It was probably five minutes before either of us came up for air.

My brains were completely scrambled, but honestly I was considering doing it again when he looked at me and said, "More." An hour later, we took one last rinse in the water and headed home. On the way, he put his hand on my leg as we drove in silence. When I pulled up in front of his house, he didn't try to kiss me, but asked, "Next time, can we do this in bed? It's gonna' take me a week to get this sand out the crack of my ass."

I laughed and shook my head. "Next time?"

"Yeah, I think I could use more practice."