#louis only finds out when he is pulled off the roof

[gloomy-eye]

Angsty fic idea:

when Armand is first turned, Marius sticks his own arm into the sunlight to show that the sun will hurt vampires. B/c Marius is so old there is only a bit of smoke coming off his arm, but Armand understands it will hurt him far worse. Years later, he first sees what happens when a young vampire like him goes into the sun- the short lived screams and a body collapsing into ash.

Centuries go by, and then comes a day when he loses track of time. the first rays of sunrise hit his arm through an open window and... nothing. Not even a bit of smoke. It doesn't make any sense. he's only 200 odd years old. Why doesnt he burst into burn like the others? He thinks back realising he has never once checked himself to see if the sun would hurt him.

He could have left. He could have up and left Marius or the Parisian coven at any point. Could leave all his duty and responsibilities behind.

But he didnt. And he still wont. He's a coward stuck in a prison made of twigs, afraid of a life outside of this space he's been put in- outside the picture he's been painted into. So he keeps quiet about being a daywalker. Tries not to think too much about it and adds it to his ever growing collection of secrets and carries on with existence.

[trulynamelessworld]

IWTV Film School AU WIP

I had a batshit dream about art school with Armand, Daniel, Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and Madeleine so now you get to see the kind of hilarious dialogue I cooked up about a bunch of queers setting out to make a Freddie Mercury bio pic and (spoilers) actually succeeding?

Overall its gonna be hilarious, horny, and heartfelt in the way only finding yourself in college and making a movie with friends can be. Probably OOC because its really not that serious and well, they're humans.

The excerpt posted below the cut actually catches them at the tail end of the story, enjoying a celebratory party.

Relationships: Original Female Character/Armand, Daniel Molloy/Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac, Claudia/Madeleine

Roles:

Lou (in progress filmmaking degree): Camera

Lestat (in progress music degree): Sound

Armand (in progress filmmaking and directing degree): Directing

Claudia (in progress creative writing degree): Script

Madeleine (in progress fashion degree): Costumes

Vida (original/main character, in progress video editing degree): Management/Props

MC's name is Vida because I like that name and I haven't used it yet for original characters in my fics.

Dialogue:

"You should probably move if you don't want my dad to see you standing in between my legs." Vida jokes, wrapping her arms around Armand's neck. He smiles and plants his hands on her waist, squeezing lightly.

"Would it really be so bad?"

"You would get banned from the house." She says seriously, absentmindedly playing with the curls at the nape of his neck while she watches the congregation of family and friends across the street.

"I don't see you letting me go."

"You're balancing on a ledge on my roof. Not a good look if you fall."

"I made it up just fine love. I can get down just as well." He jumps down and looks up at her with a grin. "Ye of little faith."

"Don't die while you're pretending to be Shakespeare!" She calls when he starts climbing back up to her.

He hoists himself up to sit beside her and plants a triumphant kiss on her lips. She tangles their legs together and squirms onto his lap, mussing up the styled curls as she gets a proper grip on them. Armand's hands move from his sides to securely cradling her backside. Vida smiles against his lips.

"Smooth Romeo." He smiles back and catches her bottom lip with his teeth. "How long do we have?"

He nips at her lip again. "Only a couple minutes, Daniel will be looking for us soon. Lou threatened to take photos and put them in the group chat."

"The film one?"

"Yes."

"No!" Vida laughs, guiding their mouths together again. They enjoy the usual push and pull of their makeout sessions until they hear the telltale sound of dress shoes.

"Times up lovebirds!" Daniel calls.

They look down from their perch on the roof to see Daniel and Lou standing on the front lawn. Vida climbs onto the awning and jumps down to where they're waiting.

"Hows the party?" She asks, smoothing her skirt.

"Well Les is talking someone's ear off about the hidden queer themes in Queen's music, Claudia is with him, and Madeleine is... behaving actually. She's just eating cake."

"Buisness as usual then?" Armand says, hopping down beside Vida.

"Yeah. You done canoodling? Wanna join the party now.

Vida groans. "For the love of god Daniel, stop calling it canoodling."

'Smooth Romeo' is something I say to my partner when she isn't being smooth at all and really being rather obvious so I thought it would be cute to put here

[rainbowcarousels]

Sleeping Arrangements

This is just a quick thing I wrote in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. Happy Valentines! (Lestat/Armand/Louis/Daniel)

It’s an adjustment to add another person into their routine, such as it is. 

They’re not always under the same roof – sometimes one of them is off attending business or at court, sometimes they just need breathing space and a chance to collect their own thoughts. Sometimes they just don’t feel like sharing a bed at all, needing some space to themselves and coming back when they’re ready to. Sometimes two people want to fuck in an involved or vigorous way and the others want to read or watch a movie. 

When it had just been Daniel moving back in, it hadn’t been uncommon for all three to spend most of their days together in the same bed. That became the routine; Armand adjusted his bedtime to earlier so he could lay with both lovers after they fell asleep. Daniel remained sluggish early and sometimes Armand would pick him up to put him into bed to find Louis already in it, reading or listening to something. Then he’d just pull Daniel into his bedtime clothing, brush his hair and tuck him in with them both. If Armand had to go and get Louis to put him to bed as he’d slumped reading at the desk, he happily put him to bed too. 

More than once, it had been mortal sleep and Louis had startled upon being picked up and caused them both to wobble and laugh.

At first, Armand lingered in bed before they awoke as well. There was something reassuring about it, to feel Daniel’s chest rise and fall against him, to feel Louis’ fuzzy consciousness slip back into being from his rest. As time went on, if he had other things to do, he’d get up and come back to find them chatting in bed together or just getting changed. It started to happen at night too, that they’d still curl up together even if Armand hadn’t made it back. A layer of familiarity settled between them. When he’d find them like that, Armand would squeeze himself between them, gathering them too close to him but also not close enough. Sometimes, he’d just like to look at them until sleep came. His little lovers, happy together.

As soon as they’d begun to settle into having Daniel there, Lestat had barged his way into their home and their bed. Sometimes he stayed only for a few hours, other times he’d stay for a few weeks. There was no rhyme or reason to it, as if Lestat had ever had a rhyme or reason for anything. 

“This is a home, is it not?” Lestat had just settled himself in and Armand climbed onto him so he could use him as an oversized pillow, but still pull Daniel or Louis close if he wanted. 

“Don’t you have a home to go to?” Daniel had grumbled, getting a faceful of Lestat’s hair when he decided he wanted to be in the middle.

It wouldn’t be as much of a disturbance if Lestat’s bedtime routine wasn’t so damned involved. There were very specific pyjamas, he liked to brush his hair out and put it up and out of the way, he liked to do his nails so he didn’t have to when he woke up and he used scented sprays on the pillows much to Louis’ eye-rolling. 

“It’s good for insomnia,” Lestat insisted, as if he hadn’t seen the way Louis hoarded Bath & Body Works candles like an obsession.

“You’re a vampire,” Louis replied. “You don’t get insomnia! The sun puts you to sleep.”

“Smells like the lotion we used at that place with the giant tub in the Philippines,” Daniel decided, pulling Armand up until his head was under his chin. Possessive tonight, in his own way.

“There’s a place a giant bath in the Philippines?” Lestat had asked, sinking into the other side with more pillows added. His face changed suddenly, his skin flushing as he shot Armand a sharp look. “I didn’t ask for you to drop that into my mind like a erotic stereoscope! Why is your mind always preoccupied with fleshly pleasures?”

“Why do you go into my mind seeking it out?” Armand had replied, utterly unrepentant. 

It was no different at the court. 

While Armand had dedicated himself to designing his own living space, he rarely seemed to stay in it. It was more common for him to stay in either Daniel’s rooms which remained or in with Louis and Lestat, eventually getting annoyed by the separation and pulling Daniel in with them. It led to Marius giving Lestat the most bizarre look when Daniel slipped out of his rooms for a cigarette in the early hours of the morning with tell tale bites fading on his skin.

“This is going to get confusing if you’re going to start taking multiple consorts,” Marius had whispered to him the following night, once the ‘official’ business had been seen to.

“I only have one consort,” Lestat told him plainly. “Armand isn’t a consort, he’s really more of a mistress.”

“And Daniel?” Marius asked.

“Mistresses’ consort,” Lestat smiled. “Or whatever it is Armand wants to call him. I’m not saying I’m opposed to the idea of trying him, I have often wondered if he’d taste like Armand – or if indeed Louis tastes like me! I should ask Armand, he would know, he’d make a note of something like that.”

Marius had wisely just left it there.

It took about a year for Lestat to settle himself into just climbing into bed. He still didn’t enjoy going to bed early, but when the sun rose, he’d spend an hour with Armand to himself while their fledglings slept on. Sometimes they’d excuse themselves to the bathtub and leave it stained red, scratched to hell and on more than one occasion, with several tiles cracked. Other times, they just talked quietly to one another.

“Do you like it,” Armand had asked him, his eyes cast low with a sweet submission, “Our arrangement?”

“Is that what it is?” Lestat murmured, sliding his fingers down Armand’s face and pushing his chin up so he could look at those eyes. “An arrangement?”

“What would you call it?” Armand’s eyes seemed to dart around unsure of where to look, struck naked by being forced into confronting what he was asking.

There was really only one answer for that. “My darling, I think it might be love.”

[its-all-ineffable]

Mastermind {Loustat series}

An 11 part series, where every fic is inspired by a lyric from the Taylor Swift song 'Mastermind'. All these fics are about Loustat, and take place primarily over the first three episodes of the show, though not always. Plenty of fluff and romance, with a little bit of self-reflection and some much needed conversations.

{Part 1} The stars aligned, You and I ended up in the same room, At the same time Summary: Lestat schemes; Louis will be his. He just has to make it so. But after all, he made the stars align for them once. He can do it again.

{Part 2} The touch of a hand lit the fuse Summary: After the poker game, Lestat enlists Louis’ help in buying himself a new wardrobe. All Louis can think about, however, is how much he yearns to reach out and touch Lestat. When he does it for the first time, his desires for Lestat don’t fade; they grow.

{Part 3}

{Part 4} And the first night that you saw me, I knew I wanted your body Summary: “Every time Louis was around Lestat, the desires flared up and would not leave him alone. They would sit side by side in the car together and Louis would feel the warmth of Lestat’s thigh against his, and be overcome by the desire to pull the other man into his lap. They walked side by side and Louis wanted to reach out and entwine their hands, press a kiss to Lestat’s cheek as they said goodnight. Louis wanted to invite Lestat in, to invite himself into Lestat’s townhouse, curl around him and never let go.”

{Part 5} Assess the equation of you Summary: "Louis had struggled. He always struggled. Grace and Paul were the only two he’d managed to articulate his love too properly, and repeatedly. And then he’d said it too Paul and his baby brother had walked off their roof. And suddenly, the small bit of ease Louis had learned in doling out affection was snuffed out. Like it had followed Paul down onto that flagstone and shattered into a million pieces. A puzzle too complex and too terrifying to be put back together."

{Part 6} Cause we were born to be the pawn, In every lover’s game Summary: Louis misses the closeness he once had to Lestat, when they shared such intimate knowledge with one another. He wants that connection back. But Lestat hates to be vulnerable, and turns away from Louis’ questions. Louis decides that opening up himself about the hardship of finding real love may inspire Lestat to do the same.

{Part 7} I swear, I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care Summary: Louis’ questions about other vampires, about Lestat’s own maker, and even the history of Lestat himself are constantly rebuffed and go unanswered. It all comes to a boiling point.

{Part 8}

{Part 9}

{Part 10} I’ve been scheming like a criminal…To make them love me and make it seem effortless Summary: All Lestat ever wanted was attention. Attention, and love. But not just any love. A pure love, a love that saw him for who he was and continued to love him anyway. And he spent years struggling to find it. When he does, he falls into it effortlessly. But he’s Lestat. And he’s known his whole life what he really is: unlovable.

{Part 11} You knew that I’m a mastermind, And now you’re mine, Yeah all you did was smile, ‘Cause I’m a mastermind Summary: Louis is tasked with being the distraction, the seducer. The mastermind. Making Lestat fall for him and keeping him unaware of Claudia’s plot. What Louis won’t realise, until it’s too late, is that Lestat knew what he was doing all along and let it happen.

This post will be updated as more fics are written and posted!

[stylinsoncity]

okay, here we are! from ‘everything to lose’ chp 12:

“Are you still heading out for groceries?” Harry asks. “Because I can go.”

“No, it’s alright,” Louis says. “Need to check on Zayn while I’m out. And I’ll pick A&E up on my way back.”

“Sounds good,” Harry says, folding his arms across his chest. “Did you know about Zayn and Felix? About whatever was going on with them.”

“Felix told me,” Louis says. “Back when we were all living together. And Zayn always made it obvious to me that they were still at it.”

“I think he was in love with him.”

“I think they were in love with each other. Felix was just a bellend.”

“He was,” Harry says. Not that he had much room to talk himself. Maybe they got along so well because they were both slightly daft, enabling each other in their occasional stupidity. But Harry maintains that if he knew Felix was fucking with Zayn’s emotions, he would have said something. It’s easier to recognise that sort of thing and call it out when he’s not the one doing it.

“Was thinking we could have Sophie and Noah over for dinner,” Harry says.

“That’s a great idea,” Louis says. “Noah seems obsessed with you.”

“I’m obsessed with him,” Harry says, smiling. He studies Louis for a second, building his nerve. He thinks a lot about how nice Louis looks with his glasses on. And also how much he’d like to pull them off and snog him. And then, he says, “Sorry about this morning, by the way. You know I don’t like to sleep with too much on.”

A beat passes. “I do know that, yeah,” Louis says.

“And you know…” Harry begins. “Was my first time in a while really sleeping in a bed that smells like you. I just got a little worked up.”

Louis’ eyes narrow slightly. “Oh, did you?”

“Yeah, if you hadn’t walked in, I might’ve gotten off, to be honest. It’s like I couldn’t help it.”

Louis’ lips twitch. He turns to face him. “We’re not having sex, Harry.”

“Did I ask for sex?” Harry asks, feigning bewilderment.

“Sounds like you might be,” Louis says. “And I don’t think we should.”

Harry shrugs, although inside, he’s wasting away. “You’re the alpha here, Louis. I’m happy to follow your lead.”

Louis just goes on looking at him, his smile growing to match Harry’s. He snorts. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Harry says. “Anyway. Might go take a shower.”

“Okay.”

“You can join me if you’d like.”

Harry pushes away from the worktop, feeling Louis watching him as he leaves the kitchen. He treats himself to a loud sigh when he’s reached the bedroom and then another after he’s undressed and all alone in the shower.

He realises that the priority right now is for him and Louis talk. He sees the value in slowing down and treading carefully. But he’s also happy to be back under this roof with the man he loves and whenever he’s with Louis, he forgets how bad things have been until now or how bad they could be. He forgets for a moment about Felix. In all the hardship and horridness of life, kissing and touching and holding Louis is the only thing that has always felt undeniably right.

But Harry can wait. He can (and will) appease himself for now by sniffing Louis’ shampoo.

He hears the bathroom door open and that’s how Louis finds him, smelling his shampoo. Their eyes meet. Wordlessly, Louis shoves his pants and pyjamas to the floor, and Harry’s heart starts thundering in his chest, so loud it warps the sound of the pipe running.

Harry fumbles to the put the shampoo back. He quickly pushes the shower door open and steps back to make room for Louis. Then another step back and another as Louis corners him against the tile and kisses him.

[soil-just-needs-water-to-be]

Chapter 25

Word count : 2917

This chapter contains , a lot of mention of drugs and drug use , anxiety and being high

This chapter is written in a slightly different style I hope you enjoy but please give me feedback if you prefer it the other way or this way. It's not to much different just more clear demographics of who is typing when it comes to texting I suppose but yeh I'd still love some feedback that would be grandly appreciated ❤️

Matty's POV

It really wasn't George's fault that I got so worked up over a single question he was just trying to help, and I genuinely am so grateful for him and everything he does for me but I'm fragile and my state of mind is so frail , has been for the longest time and certain stuff sets me off, George left the call a few hours ago his Mum came home so he had to go talk to her about what happened at school and then I think he got caught up with studying, we're texting but I still feel like I'm going to explode my anxiety has been through the roof since he's been gone, I meant it earlier when I told him he calms me, he's like the literal embodiment of Pablo Picasso's painting of the Dove of Peace that represents peace and unity, maybe a little pretentious of me but it's true , he's like a lighthouse in a storm if you may.

I'm currently sat with my Mum, Dad and Louis , watching Star Wars , my Mum thought it would be good if we all spend sometime together, When she got home from work she could tell I was hopped up and skittish, she did try to speak to me but I said I was fine but she insisted we all spent some time together. Really all I want to do is go get high or drunk at this point I don't really mind which option is pulling me in most. My mum had poured herself a class of red wine before we started the film and it's all that's been on my mind since I sat down, I doubt I'll be allowed anything, my dad usually offers me a beer but right now I don't think they'll let me and Louis is sat on my knee and I don't want to disturb him, I'm biting my nails now trying to concentrate on the film and not the ticking of the clocks in the room that are surely just going to blow my brain up in a minute.

"Matthew", my Mum brought me out of my haze.

"Mhm", my reply was muffled by my mouth still chewing on my nails.

"Hands", I look at her quizzically for a second as I don't quite know what she means, "stop chewing your nails love", my hands drops from my mouth immediately

"Sorry Mum" , I carefully lift Louis of my knee must to his protest and ruffle his hair, "my eads really cloudy right now I can't concentrate, I'm just going to lay down for a little while, I'm sorry".

"You alright son", I just nod at my dad with a halfhearted smile and make my way upstairs the quiet of my own room and head probably won't be much better but I just need to be alone. I make it to my room and just slump down on my bed the duvet felt to soft but also really scratchy but there's nothing I can do about that right now, I feel like I was just laying there staring at the ceiling, falling into a spiralling vortex with nowhere to go but it was really only a couple of minutes. My hands where twitching like mad and I could just feel a tingling sensation through my whole body and I hated it. I knew what I needed right about now so I instantly pull my phone free from my pocket and scroll through my texts till I find his number

Corey (Bigman) , If I could trust anyone to have anything to quell my anxiety Corey would have it so I fire him a quick text

Matty: yo it's Matty , are you about!

Corey : yeh bro 😎, what you after?

Matty: I don't know just something to calm me the fuck down.

Corey : right no worries man, meet me at the oak in ten yeh don't be late.

Matty: cool.

I sit up a little resting on my elbows to keep me steady taking a second to just breath or at least try to relax my breathing, then scrub my hands down my face and go back downstairs "I'm gunna go for a walk clear my ead, I'll be back in a bit yeh, it's only about 8, I'll get something from the shop if you want", I pull on my old tattered black vans and I wait for a response and shove my wallet into my back pocket , stick my head round the door and notice that Louis has fully zonked out on the couch "do you guys want anything from the shop?"

"No thanks love, please be safe, call me if you need anything and don't be long alright, I know it's summer and it's light out but you still need to careful , come give your mum a hug first first" , I roll my eyes and smile while I make my way over and pull my Mum into a tight hug. "We love you Matthew , be careful alright"

"I love you too Mum" as I pull away I try to sent the most reassuring smile her way. "I'm alright though" , I say goodbye again leaving the room and snag my jacket (Jamie's jacket ), from the coat rack and slip out the door, and start the journey to the Oak Hill, on my way I send a Snapchat to George not really of anything just the scenery and just put a little heart on the screen before sending. The walk is peaceful really besides a few hoodlam kids across the other side of the road making the biggest ruckus for absolutely no reason but I ignore it. After about five minutes I get a reply from George a pretty artsy picture of all his school books on his desk

George: where you off to love❤️?

Again I don't really send a snap because if I'm going to show him around Manchester I want to do it in person not through a screen or pictures , Pictures rarely do anything justice

Matty: just on a walk darlin , tryna clear my head , how's the enforced studying going 😂

George: it's an absolute nightmare honestly I don't know how people do this on purpose , clearing your head are you still upset?

Matty: honestly yeh my heads all over the place still but it's okay I'm trying to calm down darlin , also I can 100% feel your there studying is the worst thing about of school 😂

George: I'll call you once my parents go to bed I'll just need a minute to be sure so I don't get caught, I miss your face already love.

I quickly skim read his message again and slip my phone in my pocket and turn the corner coming face to face with Corey, he's got a joint in between his lips and I can see he's holding another in his hands with a lighter next to him. He looks up at me nodding and hands me the joint

"Have this with me first lad then I can hook you up with gear yeh"

I willingly take the joint and quickly flick the lighter a couple of times before the end lights up sparking an amber glow and I inhale the contents deeply sighing as I release "This is good shit"

"Quite strong so It might calm you down lad" he pats the ground next to him indicating for me to sit with him, I pull him up in the offer and slide myself next to him. Watching as he fiddles with my gear in his pocket and passes it over to me. "You given me good weed recently too lad so I'll give you this for free, but please be careful", I nod along with him as I take the baggie from him and slip it into my pocket. "What's up lad, you haven't come to me in a while, what's troubling ya.?"

"My heads all over the place and I can't shut anything up, I just want everything to be quiet for a bit, be able to breath you know" , I continue to inhale the substance and then go back to texting George as Corey starts trying to help me through something, he's not the smartest button in the box. I take a picture of the joint in my hand the flash causing the smoke to seem grey and float across my screen

Matty: "I fuckin miss you too man Jesus , it's not even been that long and it's scary, and yeh please don't get yourself into anymore trouble, we can call when you can , I don't know if I'll be home straight away but I'll let you know yeh"

With that I slip my phone into my pocket and pull the baggie out again "you wanna share it then Corey, I don't mind" , as I'm saying this I pull out my credit card from my wallet and preparing what I need , the oak is a very secluded area no one will catch us, I don't even know if it's an oak tree to be honest it's just a tree on the outskirts of the park that's been chopped down and just lying there , kids come here all the time to drink and party in summertime. I take a bump from the coke from the corner of my card letting it take through my body, it makes me shiver a little, and I then pass the stuff over to Corey as I feel my blood start to heat up a little. I take a seat leaning against the trunk of the tree and lol my head backwards and stare up to the sky, the starts looking like tiny torchlights leading the way to the heavens and they spin around us slowly , after a while Corey sits next to me

“So man , is it working is your head quieting down yet bro ?”, come to think of it it has a little, there’s still that anxious lump in my throat and my heart is still going a million miles a minute but my brain is a little quieter. A little foggy but quiet.

“It’s a little foggy and everything is still really grey and colourless but yeh it’s quiet”

“What had you so hopped up in the first place lad”, he pulls more papers out his pockets and starts rolling another joint as I close my eyes and let the world go on around me talking as i fall into a peaceful state of bliss

“I don’t wanna talk about right now” , once Corey finished rolling the joint he passes it over to me and I light up again bringing it to my lips inhaling then ask “bro got any drink on ya”

“I’ve got beer in my bag”

“That’ll do , not the best but it’ll do”, he pulls a can of carlins from his bag and passes me a can as well as opening a can for himself. “Bro how do you always just know what I need”, He’s known me a while now and always been able to set me up some good gear when I’ve needed it.

“I just know you bro”, we just spend some time drinking and smoking, we did a few more bumps of coke. It has been about an hour and a half at this point my brain had stopped racing everything was quiet and I was getting really tired. Corey was zoned out next to me and I was nearly half asleep. “I think imma go now lad, are you coming or are you just gunna sit for a bit”

“Nah man I’m good ay, just leave me one last can will ya”, I didn’t feel like what I said was actually how it came out, everything was slurred and just blending together as I said it but I’m sure he understood. “Thanks again Corey, you always have what I need when I need help”

“It’s cool bro don’t worry”, he got up from his place on the ground probably at a normal speed but too me it looked like everything was in slow motion and he dropped his last can next to me. “Be safe yeh”, after we said our goodbyes he walked off back in the direction of the park.

I don’t know how much longer I sat there just nursing the beer that was left for me , but eventually I started to feel like I was sinking into the ground my heart started beating faster, a lot faster than normal which started to freak me out a little. Causing my breathing to come in fast burst. This makes me open my eyes and everything around me spinning , making my head hurt “not again nah I can’t do this right now” , I pull my phone out and start stabbing at my screen trying to find someone’s number, anyone’s number I don’t care who at this point. The more I search the more I start to panic I hate this. Eventually my eyes fall on Ross’ name and I click his name and bring the phone to my ear and hear it ring a few times and it goes to voicemail “no, no, no , please pick up”, I press his name again hearing the ringer go through again “please Ross pick up” , I’m beyond panic at this moment and I can’t concentrate right. Eventually he does pick up

“Yo Matty what is it?”

“Ross , is that you!”

“Uh yeh , you called me so I’d assume you know”

“Ross I’m scared I need you, can you come get me please”

“What do you mean you scared , where are you!?”

“I can’t breath and my brain feels like it’s going to explode”

“Matty mate , where are you?”

“Um …I …I’m at the. Uh the oak”

“Okay lad, I’ll be five minutes, do you want me to stay on the phone”

“Please…Ross please make it stop”, I could hear him on the other side, pulling on his jacket and his keys rattling as he pulled his door shut.

“What did you do mate?”

“I just needed my brain to shut up for a second, nothing was working, I needed it stop…and and…and it did…but now I can’t …can’t breath”

“Matty ….I swear you need to tell me , what did you take” , he’s outside now I can hear the crunching of leaves under his feet , Ross’ house was just around the corner so he shouldn’t be too long.

“How long will you be?”

“Stop swirving lad what did you take?”

“Um I uh. I …the usual” , I could feel water running down my face now, I don’t know when I stared crying but apparently I had.

“Mate , seriously , what’s wrong?, I’m just round the corner”

“I don’t know what’s wrong Ross, I really don’t know” , as I was finishing that senatnce I could hear him trudging through the forested area behind me but I couldn’t lift my head properly for to long “is …is that you ?”

“Yes , I’m going to hang up now”

I heard the dial tone give out and then Ross was running over to me “let’s get you up okay …on three yeh”, he wrapped an arm around me and he tried to pull me up “1, 2 , 3” , I pushed a little as he pulled me up. “Where going back to mine okay?, you can’t go home like this”, I just subtly nodded because even just slightly moving my head hurt so much, he wrapped and my arm around his shoulders and we began to walk back to his in silence which didn’t feel good but I just couldn’t conjure up a sentance.

We stumbled through his front door, I could hear his mum calling from the bedroom asking what was wrong and he just told her that I was out and I’m a bit pissed so I’m staying here rather than going home that made me chuckle not in a good way “bit pissed as if”

“Bro this ain’t funny come one,” we made our was upstairs he dragged me along with him taking one step at a time. It was hard even just walking never mind conquering stairs “where do you need to go , lay down or vomit”

“Nah nah I just need a lie down” , he pulled me into his bedroom and helped me up to then bed and he sat next to me softly pulling my head into his lap and laying against the headboard

“What are we gunna do with you huh?”

[pezboisworld]

The Bridge

August Rush: After Evan finds his parents.

She woke up this morning afraid she may have to go to Chicago. Back where she started. Only partly healed from what her father had done to her as a teen. Alone. Now it was past midnight. She was going into the new day after finally finding everything she didn’t know she’d lose the day she rushed off that roof top at eighteen. Lyla let out a shaky sigh.

A hand was waved in front of her face. “Lyla?” Louis said softly. Snapping Lyla out of her thoughts.

“Where did you fly off to?” Louis laughed.

She replied with a curt ‘nowhere’. Not in the mood to put on a pleasant voice after doing so all night at the party. When she looked up at Louis’ face, she could tell he didn’t look offended by her shortness. Already he had changed into a T-shirt and grey sweat pants. “I think we need to talk about things.” Lyla said as she pulled out her ear plugs. Tucking them back in her bra.

“First we need to get Cinderella out of her ballgown.” Louis said. Pushing a plastic crate into Lyla’s arms. Standing in front of Lyla with his hands fiddling with the flowy fabric of her concert dress. Watching her intently. She picked up a big black shirt from the crate. It read ‘Dragonfly’ with a drawing of a curled up dragon. “Sold a lot of shirts from our show tonight. Thought you could use one, too.”

[mitchbeck]

WOLF PACK FALL 4-3 TO MONSTERS IN SHOOTOUT

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf PackHARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack rallied back from a three-goal deficit on Thursday night at the XL Center to earn a point against the Cleveland Monsters. Despite their best efforts, however, the rally came up just short as Hunter McKown scored the winner in the bottom half of the fifth round to give the Monsters a 4-3 shootout victory.McKown waited out Wolf Pack goaltender Louis Domingue before tucking in the deciding tally. Trey Fix-Wolansky also scored in the shootout, while Brett Berard had Hartford’s lone marker in the skills competition.The Monsters needed only 16 seconds on their second powerplay attempt to open the scoring on this night. Brendan Gaunce tipped a point shot from Marcus Björk past Domingue to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead at 4:37 of the opening frame. The goal was Cleveland’s third powerplay marker against the Wolf Pack this season.The Wolf Pack went on the kill for a third time at 8:10, giving the Monsters a chance to extend their lead. The Monsters’ leading scorer among defensemen, Jake Christiansen, buried a shot from the high slot to make it 2-0 just 33 seconds into the advantage. Christiansen’s initial bid rang off the post before finding its way back to his stick, where he made his second try count at 8:43.The Pack brought good energy following the Christiansen tally, testing Jet Greaves on numerous occasions to try and cut into the deficit heading into the intermission. Greaves, however, made eight saves in the opening frame to keep it 2-0 for the visitors.Monsters forward Jake Gaudet went off for boarding 4:41 into the middle stanza, giving the Wolf Pack their first crack at the man advantage.During a desperation play to keep the puck in the zone, Roman Ahcan snuck behind the Wolf Pack defense and was sprung in on a shorthanded breakaway by Tyler Angle. Ahcan waited out Domingue and tucked the puck by his pad to make it 3-0 Monsters at 5:21.The Wolf Pack responded swiftly, connecting on the powerplay as Jake Leschyshyn fed Tyler Pitlick in the slot. Pitlick roofed his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack to make it 3-1 at 6:05. Berard notched an assist on the powerplay tally as well, which came 44 seconds after Ahcan’s shorthanded marker.Midway through the third period, the Wolf Pack found themselves shorthanded yet again at 8:39. This time around, it was Hartford returning the favor with a shorthanded goal of their own.Berard broke free on a breakaway after the Monsters failed to keep the puck in the zone, busting down the right wall before beating Greaves short-side to make it a 3-2 game. Berard’s tally was his team-leading 17th and his second shorthanded.Samuel Knazko went off for delay of game late in the third period, giving the Wolf Pack a chance at some late-game heroics. With the goalie pulled, Nikolas Brouillard hit an open Ryder Korczak with a cross-ice pass. Korczak ripped home his sixth goal of the season to tie the game 3-3 at 17:48. Pitlick notched his second point of the night (1 g, 1 a) on the play.A back-and-forth overtime saw numerous chances to win it from both ends, but 65 minutes would not be enough. For just the third time this season, the Wolf Pack were pushed to a shootout.Despite Berard opening the shootout with a goal, Fix-Wolansky would tie it in the bottom half of the first round before McKown provided the winner in the bottom half of the fifth round. Greaves denied the final four Wolf Pack shooters to claim his first victory against Hartford.Despite the loss, the Wolf Pack finished the season series with six of a possible eight points against the Monsters (2-0-1-1).The Pack finishes off their six-game-in-eight-day stretch tomorrow night when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, February 28th, at 7:00 p.m. when the Charlotte Checkers come to town.Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client-partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client-partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety and more.ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOWLINGS Read the full article

[erodasfishtacos]

for cheating h: y/n’s reaction when harry introduced anna, all cocky bc she knows he’s going to crawl back to her anyway

Oh she’s so smug.

It’s a movie night at Harry’s house. A group of friends, they did it a couple of nights a month.

-

YN comes in like she owns the place, opening his kitchen cabinet and grabbing her wine glass, and pouring some red.

Anna is so sweet - unfortunately. She’s plain but gentle, skiddish as she clings to Harry’s side with all the unfamiliar faces.

“I’d like y’to meet my best friend, YN,” Harry introduces, his eyes screaming at his secret lover to play nice.

“Hi, I like your dress,” Anna says kindly, waving shyly, arm tucked around Harry’s narrow waist.

“Nice to meet you, maybe you’ll be able to keep H in line,” YN teases, the meaning behind it laying thick in the air for the two.

Anna giggles unknowingly, “I’ll try.”

When she goes on her tiptoes to give Harry a sweet peck, he doesn’t miss the way YN’s eyes darken before she plasters a fake grin on her face.

“Aren’t you two the cutest?” YN quips before turning on her heel and walking away.

—

The movie had fizzled out and they’d agreed to a game of truth or dare like little teenagers.

Anna, of course, picked truth.

“Er, the craziest sex thing I’ve ever done? Uh, my ex and I had sex on his parent’s couch when they went out of town.”

YN wants to roll her eyes but manages to control it, Harry had really picked the most innocent girl he could find.

“YN, truth or dare?” Anna asks, she was sat in Harry’s lap on the floor and curled back into him a how cute.

“I’ll go truth first,” She replies, kissing the back of her teeth - ready for a dumb question.

“Okay, um, how did you lose your virginity and to who?” Harry’s new girlfriend questions, looking embarrassed.

Harry eyes meet YN - telling her to not do anything or say anything stupid. He knows that this isn’t going to end well.

YN grins like the Cheshire Cat, “It was in his bed, he’d done the whole nine yards. Flowers, candles, y’know. He fucked me slow the first time, kissed me through it.”

Anna’s eyes widen as she didn’t expect all the detail of the encounter.

“Then after that, he fucked me on every counter of his parent’s house. Dining room table, living room floor, kitchen counter. Oh and it was Harry.”

The room goes silent. Harry wants to reach across and fucking choke her, then fuck her until she cries but he can’t because she has his girlfriend on his lap.

“O-oh? I didn’t-I didn’t know, er, excuse me for a moment,” Anna squeaks, scrambling off of Harry’s lap to the direction of the bathroom.

“YN!” Harry seethes, face turning red with how fucking infuriating she is, “Really?”

She gives him doe eyes, “I was only being honest. It was the truth.”

—

When Harry calms Anna down in the loo with apologies about how blunt his friend is and how that was a long time ago.

They’re back at the game and they act like none of that just happened for Anna’s sake. There is still tension in the air.

“Zayn, I dare you to kiss YN,” Louis goads, knowing it’s going to piss Harry off.

When they separate from the kiss, Zayn dares Harry to kiss YN. All of his friends were fucking awful and he really should have declined but Anna had already kissed Louis (very platonically).

Harry leans in for a chaste, barely touching kiss, and the group complains, “No! A real kiss! We’re going to time you for a minute like with Louis.”

He leans across again and brings their lips together, it’s so charged with so much sexual tension behind the very casual kiss.

It turns into something else halfway through, his tongue finds his way into her mouth and licks the roof of her mouth.

YN groans, bringing her hand to his hair and tugging just like he likes, sucking on his tongue when it bumps hers, and he’s murmuring, “y’taste so good.”

The buzzer goes off and they slowly pull back.

Their friends chuckling at their antics - they were use to this bullshit.

When they finally separate, Anna is sitting their with a tight expression, displeased and very upset.

Everyone was shocked when he brought Anna to the next one, baffled that she stuck around after that little incident.

Harry had blamed alcohol even though he hadn’t even had one beer that night.’

[fruitcoops]

okay so we all love dad dumo and he's an incredible parent but even dumo isn't perfect. Could we maybe have dumo snapping at logan (or sirius, if it strikes your fancy, but i love dumo+logan dynamics) and then apologizing for it like a parent actually f*cking should

Oof, yes. Combined with asks for Sirius and Logan bonding, as well as some pre-Cap and James. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for parental figure disappointment

The car rumbled. Dumo’s hands squeaked on the wheel as he flexed his fingers. Logan felt like he was going to throw up.

Can we turn around real quick? No, too vague. Can we go home so I can use the bathroom? No, he’ll say I can wait another ten minutes. I forgot my phone at home? No, he saw me put it in my pocket. Logan ran through every possible way of asking to go back to the Dumais house without giving away his dilemma; with each scenario, they grew further from where he needed to be.

“Hey, Dumo?” he began quietly, swallowing around his dry mouth. What was it his father always said? Honesty is the best policy. “We need to go back to your house for a moment.”

“We’re already running late,” Dumo said, not even sparing him a glance in the rearview mirror. The traffic around them was a mess. “If we go back, we’ll miss the first part of warmups.”

“I know, but it’s kind of important.”

“So is the game. If it’s your wallet, you don’t need it right—”

“I left my skates by the front door.”

Dead silence filled the car as Dumo slowed to a stop at the fourth red light. Logan’s heart sank and his stomach crawled into his throat. “What?”

“I left my skates by the front door,” he repeated, staring at his hands. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking—”

“Tabernak, Logan!” Dumo snapped. He felt something inside him wither and die. “First the nap, then forgetting to wash your jersey, and now you left your fucking skates behind? What’s going on in your head? You are an adult now with responsibilities, and it’s your job to keep track of your shit.”

“I know,” Logan said quietly.

Dumo huffed. “Clearly you don’t! Do you just not care? Is that it?”

“I care.”

“This isn’t a college team, Logan.” Dumo’s accent grew harsh around his name. It had been a bad day for him—Adele came down with a nasty cold just after Celeste left to visit her parents for the weekend, and there was always an added pressure with home games. Logan knew that, and he knew he should have been paying better attention.

“I know.”

Dumo muttered a curse under his breath and pulled onto a side road, then swore again when his duffle bag slid in the passenger seat. Logan closed his eyes; there was no way they would make it all the way to the house and back to the rink in time for pre-game rituals. Damn it, Tremblay. What were you thinking?

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Dumo parked the car with a quiet “go”, and Logan hurried inside with a slight nod to the babysitter as he grabbed his skates before slinking back to the car with his head hung low.

“I’m really disappointed in you,” Dumo said when they reached the freeway again.

“I’m sorry.”

He received no response.

They won the game despite skipping all their superstitions, no thanks to Logan. He played like shit; Arthur barely gave him four shifts the whole night. Finn shot him a concerned look as he rinsed off and slipped back into his street clothes, but Logan didn’t have the energy to confront both his best friend and the upsetting feelings connected to the aforementioned best-friend-slash-secret-crush. If he tried, he’d certainly end up doing something stupid.

He packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed Dumo out to the car like a stray dog with his tail between his legs. “I really am—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Dumo interrupted as they pulled out of the parking lot. Logan pressed his lips together. “Are you hungry?”

Starving. “Kinda.”

“I’ll heat up some leftover lasagna when we get back to the house. Will you pay the babysitter and make sure the kids are in bed?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

Logan ground his teeth around the steady ache building in his chest—he hated disappointing people in general, but it was a whole different story with Dumo. He was his second father, the person Logan admired most on the team. He gave him a home and a substitute family to ease the homesickness, and was always there to cheer him on. And Logan let him down.

They went through their nightly routine silently, which was a sharp contrast to their usual banter. Marc and Louis refused to go to bed at first, nearly bringing Logan to tears in his frustration, but he eventually got them settled down and tucked in. By some miracle, both the girls were already asleep.

“I’m going to call Celeste,” Dumo finally said as Logan unloaded the dishwasher. He nodded without a word, not trusting his voice.

As soon as the dishwasher was full and running, Logan took his phone out and dialed the only person he wanted to hear from. It rang twice before connecting. “Hello?”

“Hey.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Hey, Cap, what’s up?”

“Not much.” Sirius sounded confused, and more than a little tired. “Ça va?”

Logan’s eyes burned. “Not bad. Do you have a minute?”

There was a rustling noise from the other end, followed by the clink of keys. “You’re at Dumo’s, right?”

“Oui.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thanks,” he managed around his tight throat. “See you soon.”

Hushed voices came from the living room and Logan padded down the hall, knocking gently on the doorframe. Dumo looked up and furrowed his brow. “Un moment, mon amour. Are you alright?”

“Sirius is coming by in ten. We’re going to hang out for a bit, if that’s okay.”

“Tell him I say hello.” Without another word, Dumo uncovered the base of his phone and returned to his conversation. Logan nodded and headed back out into the hall, swallowing down the tears forming behind his eyes.

Ten minutes turned out to be seven minutes—Logan was simultaneously flattered and concerned—and a soft knock startled him out of his thoughts. Sirius already looked worried when the front door swung open. “What happened? Is everyone okay? Did something happen to Celeste?”

“She’s fine. Dumo says hi.” And he’s horribly disappointed in me. Logan took several deep breaths through his nose to control the tremor in his voice and Sirius gave him a worried once-over. “Can we drive around for a bit?”

“Of course.”

For all of his bluster and general brooding vibe, Sirius continued to be the king of empathy and (in Logan’s opinion) a secret mind-reader. The second his arm draped across Logan’s shoulders and held him close as they walked down the sidewalk, he felt some of the pressure in his chest release. “Sorry about the late call,” he sniffled. It was a cold night—the snot threatening to drip from his nose was frigid already. “I just—I needed to get out for a minute.”

“À tout moment.” Any time. Logan didn’t feel deserving of that kindness after the mess he had been on the ice. The heaters kicked on as soon as Sirius started the car and Logan closed his eyes, leaning back into the warm seat. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“It’s so stupid.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

Logan took a moment to breathe before shaking his head. “I forgot my skates. We were already running late, and I forgot my fucking skates at the house.”

Sirius hummed, but said nothing.

“It’s—Dumo has been having such a horrible day.” Tears clogged his throat again. “And I took a nap earlier because I stayed up late last night like an idiot, and Adele’s sick so he had all the kids and no help while he was trying to get ready, and then I overslept so it was already going to be rushed and forgot to clean my jersey and then—and then I forgot my skates. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“It’s not.” Logan wanted to kick him for being so infuriatingly patient. Sirius glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “That’s not why you’re upset, though.”

“He’s—” Logan broke off and swiped the first tear away with his sweatshirt cuff. “He said he was disappointed in me.”

“Ah.”

“It’s such a stupid thing to be upset about.”

Sirius sighed through his nose and pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour Taco Bell, then turned off the car and faced Logan with one eyebrow raised. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Belittling yourself.”

“Okay, Heather,” Logan snorted. Sirius reached over and flicked him on the forehead. “Hey!”

“You forgot your skates. Big deal. We’ve all been there.”

Logan shot him a glare. “You’ve never forgotten your skates.”

“Yes, I have. My very first game with the Lions, actually. Except I didn’t realize it until we were already at the rink.”

“Did Dumo drive you back?”

“The whole damn way. He was mad as hell, but he did it.” Sirius’ face softened, and he poked Logan gently on the thigh. “Stop kicking yourself for this one. It sounds like it was a bad day for you both.”

“I still feel like shit.”

Sirius shrugged. “I bet. Disappointing Dumo is the worst feeling ever.”

“He wouldn’t even let me apologize.”

“He will.”

They sat in silence for a full minute as Logan tried to find the right words. “How did you deal with it? Letting people down. It feels like I’m drowning, sometimes.”

“Really, really poorly,” Sirius half-laughed, crossing his ankle over his knee. “It wasn’t until I was named captain that I started accepting that people weren’t lying when they forgave me for fucking up.”

“Why?”

“Believe it or not, the people I was around as a kid didn’t make a habit of apologizing to me when they did something wrong.”

Logan looked up from the faded letters on his sweatshirt sleeve and sniffled. “Thanks for bringing me out here.”

“Pas de problem. I figured you could use some company outside the house.”

“You’re the best.”

“I try.”

“You succeed.” You’re like a brother to me, actually. “Is this what James did for you?”

“No,” Sirius laughed. Affection took over his face, bright even in the dim light from the streetlamps. “No, he snuck me onto the roof of the rink with massive amounts of junk food and stayed with me until the imposter syndrome faded. It was fantastic, but we nearly got hypothermia several times in the winter. This is much more comfortable.”

“Thanks for helping me keep all my fingers and toes,” Logan said wryly. He lapsed back into silence and folded his forearms on the dashboard, sighing at the pleasant stretch of his back. “I know I have to go back eventually, but I’m scared.”

“Honestly, Logan, I bet he’s already forgiven you. He knows it was an accident.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” The words came out as little more than a whisper. Sirius’ hand rested hesitantly between his shoulder blades until Logan leaned back into it, then began rubbing gentle circles.

“He does,” Sirius said softly. “And he loves you so much.”

Logan sniffed back more tears. “Really?”

“Ouais. You’ve been living with him for nine months now, and he’s so proud of how far you’ve come.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he told me. Last week, after your hat trick. People fuck up, Logan, but that doesn’t mean they’re unforgivable. You don’t need to flay yourself for one bad day.”

Logan shut his eyes with a slow exhale and buried his face in his forearms. “I think I’m ready to go back now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“D’accord. Buckle your seatbelt.”

He straightened up and stretched, wincing at the crack of his back. Sirius drove out of the parking lot and hummed under his breath to the radio, but Logan didn’t miss the careful glances out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t need to worry about me,” he finally said. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know,” Sirius said casually, though he looked like he was holding something back. Logan didn’t press; Sirius would talk in his own time if he wanted to. He opened his mouth, paused, then sighed. “But I do worry about you.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Thank you, Captain Black, for the most media answer of all time. “You really don’t have to.”

Sirius parked the car and leaned his head back against the seat. “You’re my friend, and I care about you, so I worry.”

Logan blinked at him. “You care about me?”

“Obviously,” Sirius muttered. Even in the darkness of the street, his cheeks were pink. “Now go on, you've got someone waiting for you.”

“I care about you, too.”

“Out of my car, Tremblay.” Despite his words, a smile quirked at the corner of Sirius’ mouth. Logan socked him lightly on the arm and opened the door, shivering in the night air as it bit through his hoodie.

“Drive safe, Cap.”

“I will.”

The walk to the front door felt less like a trip to the gallows and more like coming home; Logan felt his muscles relax, and saw the curtains shift as someone moved away from the window. Dumo opened the door before he could even knock.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison. Logan raised his eyebrows and Dumo opened the door the rest of the way, ushering him inside.

The moment the door closed behind him, Dumo wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so sorry for what I said earlier, Logan. You made a mistake, and I shouldn’t have come down hard on you.”

“I’m sorry I made us late,” Logan said into his soft shirt. “And for not helping earlier. It won’t happen again.”

“All is forgiven.” Dumo patted him on the back of the shoulder and held him at arm’s length with a sad smile. “I should have kept a better handle on my temper. You don’t deserve to be spoken to like that.”

Logan bit back the urge to say it’s okay or I deserved it and instead pulled him in for another hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I didn’t realize how much you’ve helped me until today.”

Dumo made a quiet sound and held him tighter. “It’s a gift to have you here.”

Logan squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of emotion rolled in his heart. “There is nowhere I would rather be,” he whispered. They stayed like that for a long moment, swaying slightly, before Dumo stepped back.

“Get some rest. We have early practice tomorrow.” He mussed Logan’s hair and gave him a nudge toward the stairs. “Bonne nuit, mon fils.”

Mon fils. Logan’s breath caught for a second and he smiled. “Bonne nuit.”

[robthomissed]

Hidden Gems

This is half fic and half love letter to the Art Museum honestly. I adore that place and I got this idea stuck in my head one day. I haven't written anything in a while so I apologize for how rough it might be. Also yes I took the time to link the art I referenced, I am that much of a nerd.

You love going to the Art Museum and have often gone alone because it was just a nice way to relax. Robby is dumbfounded that you go by yourself even after you have taken him there once and shown him all of your favorite pieces. You explain that you love putting your earbuds in, turning on soft music, and just walking around quietly for a few hours. The next time you say you are going to the museum without him he says “No, I’m coming.”

You smile and try to explain “I just kinda want to have some time in my own head for a bit. We can watch a movie when I get home”

Robby thinks it over for a second before perking up like a lightbulb went off in his head. “Well how about I come and we start your museum playlist at the same time and just walk around by ourselves but still together kinda. If that makes sense?”

And honestly yeah it was just what you needed. You were free to move around however you wanted and Robby did the same but you would catch glimpses of him through doorways or just watch him admire one of the artworks when he thought you were in another room. There was something very comforting about knowing he was just around.

You thought back to how excited you had been to show him the Art Museum when you first got together and how you were also slightly disappointed that none of the other guys on the team had really been either. Maybe you could talk to the other girls and set up a group trip. But did you really want to risk subjecting the other visitors to what DP was like when he got bored and was finding ways to entertain himself? I mean he had barely made it through all the speeches at the ring ceremony.

It had been a rainy and grey afternoon when you had first taken Robby to the museum. It was one of his last off days before the season but the weather had put a damper on your original plan of a picnic on Art Hill. But you assured him the day wasn’t wasted and that there was plenty to see inside the massive stone building that held one of St. Louis’ greatest gems.

The look on his face when he saw how big Water Lilies actually is was priceless. He just wanted to stand there and look at it for a while which you were more than happy to oblige since it was one of your favorites anyways.

It took a little more selling on your part to get him interested in the modern and abstract stuff but he enjoyed watching how you got absorbed into the art around you. He took the opportunity to get some pictures of you since you pretty much never let him take them otherwise. You only found out about them a couple weeks later when you happened to see that his lock screen was a picture of you backlit by the led light installation. You honestly couldn’t figure out how he had gotten that angle without you noticing. He did get pretty excited about the burnt and broken violin encased in plastic so that was a small victory.

Your favorite moment might have been when a museum employee had yelled at him for getting too close to the statues because he was absolutely mesmerized by the folds in the fabric. He simply couldn’t understand how the artist had managed to make the stone look like transparent cloth.

The room you let him explore on his own was the section with all the Egyptian artifacts and the mummy. You wanted absolutely nothing to do with that but Robby got right down next to it looking back at you in the doorway saying “Babe can you believe this?! Look, you can see their hair and everything!” It was admittedly cute to see him so excited but also you will never understand how he got that close. You thought nothing would top it until you mentioned the sword room and he just looked at you with wide eyes and made you take him there immediately. He kept taking pictures to send to Rou and Sammy which apparently piqued their interest enough that they invited themselves on your next museum date.

There had been a more sullen moment when he had seen what was admittedly one of your favorite pieces in the whole museum, Despair by Auguste Rodin. Robby just kinda stopped and stared at it with a look on his face that was hard to decipher until he said “Yeah dude, I know how you feel.” He said it so softly, almost like it was just between him and the man collapsed in agony. Then the image of him crumpled on the ice in Boston flashed in your mind and you thought you maybe understood what he meant. You hadn’t known him then but knowing him now you can only imagine how much pain he had been in while recovering from his concussion and how lonely that experience must have been. You grabbed his hand and squeezed gently as you pulled him away and over to another of your favorite paintings.

Robby called you a dork when you got really excited about the collection of mid-century modern furniture stashed away in the basement but there is just something about their design that makes you love them. But he had admitted that the little room tucked away in the corner of the basement with a glass roof and the soft leather couch was the perfect spot to just sit and listen to the rain.

You must have been standing there a long time lost in thought because you let out a yell that was slightly too loud for a museum when someone came up behind you and put a hand on your shoulder. Thankfully, when you turned around to see who it was you saw Robby with his hand covering his mouth trying to keep his laughing to a more acceptable volume. How had he gotten behind you anyway?

“I think you zoned out again babe. That, or that blank wall is a whole new level of abstract art that I don’t understand.”

You laughed and pressed your face into his shoulder to try and hide the blush that was starting to color your face.

Robby just put his arm around you and started pulling you towards the stairs “Come on I heard someone mention the cafe downstairs is open again and I want coffee”

And who were you to deny him when he knew you always wanted coffee and fancy pastries.

A couple hours later you could tell that Robby had reached his limit and was ready to go home so you told him to go out and get the car while you looked at one last thing. When you walked down the front steps of the museum on the way to meet him you stopped in your tracks when you saw Robby standing under the statue of King Louis IX. The sunset behind him was gorgeous. He was gorgeous. You had always loved St. Louis but now sharing it with Robby and watching him exist in places you knew like the back of your hand brought the city to life in ways you had never imagined. You couldn’t wait to show Robby the next hidden gem so that he could fall in love with the city just like you had fallen in love with him.

[sweetsubharry]

do you have any friends to lovers au full of fluffy?

Yes I do!! It is a favourite of mine so be warned there’s 36 fics in this rec!! Isn’t friends to lovers fluff just the best??  💖

Please stay safe and read the tags!!

It's A Start by Magiic_Shop

“This is dangerous, love,” Louis smirked, his lips pressed against Harry’s shoulder blade.

“Why’s that?” Harry asked.

“Because,” Louis’ smirk grew into a smile, “I might never want to let you go.”

Harry shifted against Louis, reaching up to cover Louis’ hand on his stomach with his own, “Then don’t.”

--

Or, the one where Harry can't sleep at night, and because of that, neither can Louis. Louis thinks it could be the start of something.

everything i can arrange, every part of me you change by orphan_account

“Don’t you try that shit with me,” Niall spits the second he reaches Louis, pulling off the hood with force. “What the hell is this?” He plops down next to Louis on the empty bleacher and unceremoniously pushes a sheet of crumpled paper in his face.

Netflix and Chill Buddy Application

It’s like no matter how hard Louis tries, he can’t seem to run away from this stupid fucking flyer. All the girls (and some of the boys) in every one of his classes have been talking about it all week. It’s on every wall of every building on campus. Louis went for a jog last night and he nearly tripped and died over a loose one on the football track.

[Harry needs a big spoon and Louis refuses to let anyone steal his position. Based on this post.]

One Plus One Is Also One (Sometimes) by justgotowisharder

“Dear Mrs. Sissy,” Anne read out loud and Harry only wanted the ground to swallow him up, “you asked me to write about my hero but I don’t have a hero, I have a superhero. Superheroes are better and have superpowers. My superhero is Louis Tomlinson.”

(Or the one where Louis Tomlinson isn’t really a superhero, but he’ll always do everything on his power to protect his baby Harry)

Love You But I Gotta Let Go by FallingLikeThis

Harry’s father is never going to be satisfied with anything that he does. But maybe that’s okay when his best friend is there, always cheering him on anyway.

Prompt 947: The despair of ever living up to his standards.

Pour Your Heart Out by hrrytomlinson

Louis is his soulmate. Or at least Harry thinks he is. Louis feels the same as Louis. But there are a lot of people named Louis in the world and this Louis might not be the Louis. It’s besides the point though, because Harry knows he can’t allow himself to get close to any boys. He just can’t and he’s told himself this multiple times. He has to simply stay away from Louis Tomlinson. But he can’t. Harry Styles can never stay away from Louis Tomlinson. It’s physically impossible for him to. 

Take This Sinking Boat and Point It Home by goodgirlfaith (boomersoonerash)

Five times Louis Proposes to Harry and the one time he doesn't.

Just Ask Me To by TellMeThisIsNotLove

“You’re telling the truth,” Louis whispers.

“Of course I’m telling the truth!” Harry doesn’t even care that he sounds exasperated.

“Oh my god.” Louis grabs the wall behind him as if looking for support. His body slides down against it until he’s sitting crouched on the floor.

He mumbles something but Harry can’t really figure out what it is. He crouches down, and looks desperately at the breaking boy in front of him.

“You’re telling the truth,” Louis whispers. “You were not supposed to–”

“I was not supposed to do what? Tell me please,” Harry urges, taking Louis’ hands gently in his.

Or the X Factor era canon fic where they learn how to be a couple and that not everyone is going to be on their sides especially those with plain white t-shirts and saccharine smiles.

Burning Skies by emeraldharry 

They both watched as ice and fire danced across their palms, hypnotized by the small things they could do with their powers. Snowflakes swirled around each other as the mist twisted about like a small tornado, while the fire in Louis' hands swayed and twirled gracefully—bright and warm and beautiful.Before, Harry couldn't even think of touching him with the fear of turning his skin to ice. Now, he knew that Louis wasn't some ordinary human to shy away from. Louis was bright, fiery flames, a body of powerful waves of heat. Louis was everything he was not, his polar opposite, but it was all the more reason that they fit together just right.or[Mutant au: Harry likes to think he's normal. Except, normal boys don't freeze everything they touch. Louis thinks he's perfect just the way he is and shows him just that. Zayn is a telekinetic, Liam is a rising YouTube star, and Niall is the best human best friend there is.]

I see the love light in your eyes by larrycaring

For as long as Harry can remember, Louis has always been his best friend.

There are a few constant things in Harry’s life: his family, this town he’s grown up in, and Louis.

He had his other friends, of course, but Louis had always been and still was the person that Harry was closest to. Maybe it was due to the fact that they live next to each other, and that, since the first night they’d talked, when he and Louis shared a conversation on their conjoining roofs, they instantly hit off, and a friendship developed. Or maybe it was that Louis was always so cheeky, almost the opposite of Harry, but it complimented Harry’s slow and thoughtful way of life perfectly. Either way, it just kind of happened.

or an AU where Louis and Harry are very much in love. Featuring football & late night rendezvous.

you fit me better than my favourite sweater by brightbluelou

Harry didn't mean to fall in love with his best friend, and he definitely didn't mean to get pregnant. Despite that, it’s probably still the best thing that’s ever happened to him. And after that, well. It just kept getting better.

or; the one where Harry and Louis are friends-with-benefits and Harry unexpectedly gets pregnant. Harry never wants to stop getting pregnant after that, but Louis thinks seven kids is probably enough.

put your head on my shoulder by wayfared

Niall gives Harry until the end of marching season to either a) make a move on Louis Tomlinson or b) get the fuck over him. Either is easier said than done. Basically, your High School AU with a drum beat.

My Only Sunshine by DontLetHimGo

Harry and Louis have known each other since the start of everything.

When Harry is only a few weeks old, and Louis is two, the older boy is immediately intrigued by the little person in the carry cot. Jay knows that it will be difficult to keep her son away from her best friend's little boy.

baby, hold on to my heart by icaarusfalls

Here was the dilemma: Louis and Harry were out with their mates window shopping because there was nothing else to do and Louis brought an antique ring, hoping to pawn it off to get some quick cash. It was a small, old thing, all rusted and gold, but it had its charm. The owner didn't take it because of the minuscule crack down the middle of the jewel, so Louis just shrugged and handed it to Harry without a thought.

—•—

Louis gives Harry a ring as a joke, but Harry starts wearing the ring everywhere he goes.

So Put Your Hands In (The Holes of My Sweater) by Kat_rawr

“Are you gonna kiss me then?” He asks so quiet he isn’t even sure Louis heard him.

“I think it’s bad luck if I don’t.“ Louis’ breath is hot on Harry’s skin in the cold air. They stand in the dark; Louis’ face only lit up by the yellow-ish light from the street light a few metres away. The light over the door of their building hasn’t worked in years.

“Okay,” Harry says, and of course his cheeks heat up. There are definitely butterflies in stomach and his mouth is definitely dry.

or,

Harry and Louis go on a lot of not-dates.

It's the Sun In Your Eyes by Bearandleonardwrite

Harry's not the best with relationships. Then he finds Louis.

(Basically; Harry's insecure and hurt, but Louis loves him anyways and knows how to help.)

Sun-Dappled by QuickedWeen

Louis and his best friend Harry are in their seventh year at Hogwarts, facing down their future together. Louis has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember, and he begins to feel a sense of urgency as the second semester begins. Finally he hatches a plan to tell Harry about his feelings on Harry's birthday.

Stop Making Tired Excuses by midnightskies

Louis hates many things; cold tea, countdown, tuesdays, and university, but most of all he absolutely, categorically despises Eric Davidson, current boyfriend of Harry Styles. 

nonstop earthquake dreams of you by lumineres

And there's heat behind it, blazing, plasmatic, like stars crashing together, like an explosion in space, like a supernova, like a black hole--everything else sucked out of existence. There's no bed and there's no pillow and they're not lying down, just floating somewhere, somehow, and there's no room and there's no X Factor house and there's no Niall snuffling or Liam's deep, even breathing and there's no wind or traffic outside and there's no hum of the heating unit and it's all just Louis. All encompassingly Louis.

or, harry falls hard and finds louis already at the bottom

every december (your star lights the sky) by larrystomlinsons

Louis needs a date for the Christmas dance and Harry is the wingman that has feelings for him.

Counting The Steps Between Us by zarah5

AU. So, yeah. That year abroad helped Harry establish that he is in love with his best friend. Now, if Louis would stop treating him like a little brother, that would be awesome. (Additional ingredients: a collapsing tree house, a lot of pining, the other three boys as Louis' new best mates from university, and a camping trip. Serve hot.)

waiting on the sun by midnights

A third year counselor at Camp Weehawken, Louis just wants to get through the summer without accidentally professing his love to Harry during movie night.

ft. night swimming, lots of cuddles, and even more fluff.

Right From the Start (You Know I Got You) by FallingLikeThis

Louis grows up protecting Harry. Harry loves him for it.

Let Me Give You My Life by midnightskies

Gemma has one rule for Louis while he stays with her family at Christmas; not to hook up with her little brother, so of course that's the one thing Louis does.

deep in my heart i know there's only you by ballsdeepinjesus

"Will you do it?” Harry whispers. Louis has to lean closer just to hear him. He furrows his brows and shakes his head, not knowing what Harry means. “Would you donate for me?”

Louis is dumbfounded. “I’m sorry, I thought you just asked if I’d donate my sperm. Can you repeat yourself?”

[harry and louis are best friends who engage in some platonic baby-making. very platonic.]

You Are The View by larryftnoctrl

Louis is running out on time for his photography assignment and Harry looks lovely in red. It only made sense.

the most beautiful thing by sunflowergolden

“Well, I came prepared of course. I actually have a full on suit with me.”He had to be joking. “Lou, you have to be joking. There’s no way you took a full on suit with you all the way from the States.”“I was raised right, H. You never know when you’re going to need it, so you take it with you. In case a cute boy asks you out.”or, the one where louis and harry have been friends for a while, but they live 5.404 miles away from each other, and louis goes to stay with harry for a week

Take Me As I Am by lovelarry10

“Suppressant? But… why would I need a suppressant? Alphas don’t take suppressants.”

“You’re right, they don’t.”

****

Secrets. Lies. Deception. Betrayal. Self-discovery.

Alpha. Omega. How far will they go to hide the truth?

don't call me baby by 28sunflowers

A short and cliché roommates AU inspired by To Be So Lonely, where they’re both oblivious to each other’s feelings and Harry gets sad and jealous over nothing. It works out in the end.

Spin Me Like A Record by zarah5

Uni AU. Sometimes, Louis poses as Harry’s boyfriend. It doesn’t mean anything. Really.

Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic by larrycaring

Call him hopelessly romantic, but Harry was convinced Louis was the one for him. He had never really believed in love at first sight until his special person had come along and stolen his heart. And really, as soon as he had first met Louis on the train, Harry had felt something. Their love, at first sight, had started when they had met, and it had never ended since they had found each other. Harry hadn’t known it back then, of course, but even during his first encounter with Louis, he had felt that fluttering feeling from deep down inside, when Louis had first smiled at him. It had been like gravity had moved, and nothing had mattered more than him.

or even in a magical world, Louis and Harry's love is the most magical and beautiful thing in the world, Zayn is the smart Ravenclaw who falls for his best friend, Liam's true feelings are revealed and Niall is Niall.

or my first Larry Hogwarts AU that I just had to write.

Close your eyes (and let the word paint a thousand pictures) by larrycaring

They were attached at the hip as soon as they met on the Hogwarts Express. They became good friends within the first week of school, and from that day on, Harry just kind of snuck his way right into Louis’ heart. It’s just his charming side, his genuine and caring personality, his stupid puns (and now pick-up lines) that make Louis laugh his ass off, and his bravery and determination. His endless support and loyalty, his friendship… Everything about him, Louis loves. Merlin’s beard, he’s truly gone for him. And he doesn’t know how to tell Harry.

or another Hogwarts AU where Harry thinks it’s a good idea to use cheesy pick-up lines to reveal his feelings to Louis.

Faking It by TheCellarDoor

A uni AU in which Louis has been Harry’s best friend since he offered him cubed fruit on the playground, and they spend more time cuddling in their dorm beds than they do apart, but it’s not like that. Or is it?

Aka Harry pretends to date his best friend to escape unwanted attention from a too insistent classmate and hopes it won’t blow up in his face. Featuring embarrassing dildo accidents, awkward boners, longing, first times, late night conversations, emotional discoveries and Niall as the exasperated friend with bad advice.

Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by 1Diamondinthesun

Harry spends most of his time in an empty house or a lonely darkroom, dreaming of leaving his small town for art school. He's invisible to most people. And then Louis Tomlinson sees him. Life will never be the same.

Or, the American high school AU loosely inspired by She's All That.

A Real Work of Art by lululawrence

“I don’t understand,” Liam said for probably the fiftieth time in ten minutes. “You have to explain again how this is a bad thing.”

“Leeeeyummm,” Harry whined into the phone as he leaned his head onto his desk. “I felt like this year was my year for getting his attention, you know? That senior year I would finally get Logan Thompson to realize I exist! But he’s in almost every single one of my classes, Li. How am I supposed to survive that?”

“Easily,” Liam answered, with the same matter of fact tone his voice always took when Harry was in one of his fits. “He doesn’t know you exist, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Right?”

Or the one where Harry calls on an old friend, the super popular Louis Tomlinson, to help him change his look to capture the heart of Logan. Things only mostly go as planned.

wanna taste your heart, don't interfere by orphan_account

Harry still remembers how unsure he felt when he first told Louis, how self-conscious he was. Louis had been nothing but understanding and kind, though, reassuring him that nothing’s going to change between them, that they’re still best friends regardless of sex. Harry had been mostly relieved at that, because he really doesn’t want to lose Louis as a friend over this, but another part of him had been a bit sad because… well, because nothing changed between them. Or rather, there is change, but it’s completely one-sided as far as Harry can tell.

This change being him not getting enough of the way Louis smells. He just can’t help it, is the thing, unable to stop himself from trying to subtly press his nose against the fabric of Louis’ shirt by his shoulders. He still smells like faint cologne and sweat, which is enough to make Harry start feeling slightly dizzy.

(harry presents as an omega, louis is his alpha best friend, and there are hidden feelings that just get harder to control.)

Picture Perfect by LittleBubbleStyles

an AU where Louis Tomlinson is a misunderstood football player, and Harry Styles is a misunderstood photographer. Somehow, they're understood together.

this is a wip but it is updated regularly, almost finished, and I highly recommend it!!

[peachnewt]

Midnight Snack - Gingerbread 1

Merry Christmas, ya’ll!  

I wanted to do something for the holidays involving my slow burn boys.  Somehow, this rose to the top.  Here is the first taste of Louis and Will switching places in the pred/prey relationship, while in a fantasy setting.  ^_^

Midnight Snack - Gingerbread

by peachnewt

Part 1

Once upon a time, a mountain in the West grew so tall that it's peaks, covered in icy snow, would reflect the sun's light like a candle, lighting the valley with a golden glow an hour after sunset.  Thus, the mountain was called the Lantern Pillars and the inhabitants of the valley benefitted from the extra hours of light to store away supplies for the harsh winter and pursue artistic endeavors. Buildings and towers stretched like candles ever upwards, bearing banners and stained glass that could be seen in any blizzard.  The valley, called Wax Wake, became the jewel of the Pillars, a destination for many nobles and merchant passing through the mountains with their exotic goods.  

But one area of the Pillars lay in the lee of the various crags and slopes in the mountain range; a rocky, forested area called the Greyfells.  In that dim and cold stretch of land lived a giant name Louis, the Grey.

Louis was an imposing figure, standing almost eighty feet high with wide shoulders, ice gray eyes, and a silvery blond mane of hair.  This wasn't a "fee-fi-fo-fum" giant that barreled around the countryside in rough furs, demanding maidens to keep his cave tidy, or oxen to feed his hunger, or gold to upkeep his lifestyle.  His mother raised him and his two older brothers better.  He kept his cave in semi-chaotic order with baskets and hangers for his possessions, did his own laundry, varied his diet with vegetables and other forage-foods so he didn't need to spend as much money on meat, and he had a yearly stipend for protecting mountain passes from bandits and clearing out rubble for merchant caravans.  

But Louis still wore rough furs.  Why wear fine wool or linens when they would tear on the slopes?  Plus it was cold up there.

And Louis did have a temper. While he didn't boom "fee-fi-fo-fum", he did grumble like a storm when the local coffee house didn't count out enough beans to last until his next monthly grocery run.  It was basic math, take the normal about of coffee a person needed and scale it up by sixteen.  

When one passed through the mountain trails they saw deep pits from fists, slashes of red, and the strike of an axe blade bigger than a wagon. Sometimes, at night when the Lantern Pillars had dimmed the townsfolk could see sparks flying in the Greyfells, an axe hitting stone.  They heard tale of blood-thirst and violence from a surviving bandit that surrendered himself to the authorities in Wax Wake after the band he had been allied with had been destroyed.  

At one point in the early Autumn, Louis left for a week.  "Visiting family", he said to those left in charge of the mountain pass. When he came back, he had dark bags under his eyes, a large sack over his shoulder, and a posture akin to a starved wolf.  

"I'm working on something important," he growled at the human guards.  "I'll do my rounds, but don't expect anything else unless it's an emergency."  

It had been customary for Wax Wake to hire the giant to help clean the stain glass of their towers, since he could reach them so easily, and hang the new banners for the winter celebrations.  They dared not ask this year.  Louis stayed in the Greyfells.  

No One with any brains or sense of self preservation wandered near the Greyfells, or pried into Louis the Grey's business.  

***

"If I had any brains I would have stayed with a caravan and waited until morning," William hissed to himself and the blizzard.  His booted feet sunk into another snowdrift.

William had been traveling with a group of builders and craftsmen on their way to Wax Wake to peddle their wears and skills.  It was a rite of passage to try their hands in the jeweled city.  But their wagon axel broke halfway down the mountain.  They hadn't the supplies to repair it and civilization was half a day away.  William had offered to find help, and went off in the direction of Wax Wake.  Except a blizzard had descended; white, blinding, howling, turning him around until he could not tell north from south.  

Night had fallen.  William, still lost, squinted for any sign of light in the darkness.  He tucked his hands under his armpits, sinking his chin into the scarf around his neck.  

His nose, not his sight, had been his salvation.  William smelled cloves, ginger, and cinnamon on the breeze.  Cookies? William thought.  Spicebread? He hadn't eaten since noon and his stomach growled, bidding him onward.  

He saw a faint light in the same direction as the scent.  Shelter, he hoped.

William wove through the trees and scratching branches until the bramble broke into a clearing pure white. The wind died in the circle, the snow and moonlight pristine as it lit up a lopsided brown shack caked in bits of white.  William didn't care how badly made the domicile was, it was shelter from the cold, hopefully occupied with someone that could help him, and feed him.  

"Hello?"  William trudged on towards the shack.  Warm spice hung in the air along with the overwhelming aroma of sugar.  And the snow under his feet felt different, more like sand.  

He peered into the shack. A stub of a candle, as big around as his thigh, had been lit and took up the majority of the wooden floor.  No furniture, no people aside from him.  

"Anyone home?"

What an odd house, he mused.  Stepping inside, the smell of gingerbread surrounded him, yet the only piece of gingerbread he saw was a stale hunk the size of his fist to the side of the candle.  If no one was home, they wouldn't be grudge him a bit of gingerbread from the floor.

While chewing on the hunk of gingerbread, delicious, he examined the rest of the rough house. The vaulted roof had gaps filled in with a white paste burned from the candle.  His eye followed the wall, attached to the roof with a tilt, leaving another gap filled in with white paste.  The house wasn't hewn from stone, brick, or wood.  Was it wattle and daub?  Clay?    

Will tested a ragged, brown wall, scratching it with a cold fingernail.  "It's gingerbread?"  

The tiny scratch, however, was enough to test the structural integrity of the shack and find it wanting.

Down came the walls, burying William in giant slabs of gingerbread, snuffing the candle.  

---

Will woke stuck between a pool of slowly cooling wax and a slab of gingerbread pinning him across his stomach.  Will gasped, trying to fill his lungs.  Despite its confectionary nature, the slab of what had once been a roof, or perhaps a wall, could not be shifted no matter how much he struggled.  Pinned as he was, he couldn't eat his way out either.  He would either freeze to death, or suffocate.

Will bleated out into the night for help until his throat felt like sand and the wax under him had hardened.  Then he heard a rumble, vibrating the ground and making the edge of the roof dig deeper into his belly.

An avalanche?  

Instead Will heard of roar of frustration and the slab over him was lifted as if it was light as a feather.

A giant face, bearded, blond, and full of icy fury stared at him.  The whispered giant of the Greyfells dressed in furs and breath of frost.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?!"  

***

Louis had stomped through the forest towards the protective circle he had set up for his project.  He carried a bag of red candies and a pot of icing with a small trowel.  If he could get all of the decorations up tonight then he could sleep in the next day. When he arrived, he saw a set of footprints in the pristine snow, and the gingerbread house collapsed.  Of course when he lifted the roof he'd find a meddling human.  

"Are you fuckin' kidding me!?"  Louis snapped.  

"What?" breathed the human.  

Louis tossed the gingerbread roof to the ground where it broke into four pieces, and then pulled the brown haired human out with one hand.  He stared at little menace, eye to beady eye. "I've been trying to keep this damned house together with sugar paste and a prayer, and then you come along and nibble on it like a fuckin' mouse until it falls?!"

"It was an accident!" yelled the human, pawing at the large hand that held him with his one free arm.  The tips of his feet, sticking out the other end of the giant's fist, twitched.  "I was lost and looking for shelter and food. And the shack wasn't stable, I barely touched it!  And the only piece of gingerbread I ate had already fallen from the walls!"  

"Shack!?" Fury lit up the giant's eyes like lightning.  He squeezed the human just enough to make him wheeze.  "I worked all day on this house and you call it a shack?"  

"S-sorry, but by definition it was a shack.  Though a delicious one.  I'm sure you can build a better one in a few hours."  

Louis didn't want to admit that the fallen shack had taken him two days, and had been his best effort out of seven.  

"I'm out of patience, out of my mind, and out of coffee," growled Louis.  He felt cruel and liked it, tapping into the reputation giants had gained as blood-thirsty ogres.  "You picked the wrong day to piss me off.  Cause I also haven't eaten in the last five days."  

Will gulped, suddenly nervous at seeing the giant's perfect grin.  "There is something admiral to be found in fasting in protest or in pursuit of a passion.  Why break such a streak?  Why not six days?"  

"Oh, I don't know."  Louis let his growling stomach speak for itself, causing the human to blanche.  "Maybe because it'll make me feel better."

"I'm sure we can talk about this in a reasonable manner!" screeched the human as he was pulled closer to the giant's mouth.  

"Reason left long ago."  Around the same time he had left to visit home and got saddled with this ridiculous task.

"There is always time for reason.  Starting with introductions!  I'm William James Rowe from Brex."  William stuck his hand out in the giant's directions, as if expecting a handshake.  "And you are?"  

Louis unclenched his jaw and breathed in the smell of sweat, sugar, and fear.  "Hungry."  

Part 2 

[crystalstar8]

Eye of the Sky

Ch. 2

Pairing: Namjoon x oc

Genre: heist au, action

word count: 1,791

warnings: action, violence, gun violence, car chases, car crashes, swearing, blood probably

notes: heist au, action, adventure, crime, enemies to lovers, ooc namjoon, because he has his license lol

Summary: Ten years ago, Namjoon's father was killed by his best friend and partner in crime, A man who now goes by the name Hawthorne. Now, Namjoon wants to get into the family business in order to avenge his father's death. After finding the man who killed his father, Namjoon builds a team and creates an elaborate plan to finally take the man down.

But will they be able to get through Hawthorne's state-of-the-art security system? And will they succeed with a mysterious assassin chasing them? Let's just say, it's a good thing Namjoon's team members keep surprising him with useful skills.

@mozy-j  @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @daechwitad-2

In the top floor penthouse in downtown Seoul, Taehyung stood in his walk-in closet, tying his tie in front of the floor length mirror. He checked the time. Five minutes before he had to leave. A text from his driver let him know that his ride was downstairs. After pulling his jacket on and checking himself one last time, he left his penthouse and made his way downstairs.

               The drive was quiet. Taehyung appreciated his early morning drives to the museum; it was a moment of peace before getting to work.

               His museum was his pride and joy. The building was all white marble, Grecian in design with a massive atrium dome in the center of the roof. He built it himself, without his father’s help. Not that his father would have helped him even if he were alive. His father was killed when Taehyung was a teenager, but the man was never very present in Taehyung’s life. He was almost always overseas on business, a business Taehyung was now in charge of.

               Taehyung never minded. He loved what he did. The thrill of it was almost as great as the wealth that came with it. The only thing he wished was different was the fame. He was the owner of the biggest private museum in Korea, not to mention the youngest, and with that title came press. He passed a billboard on the way to his museum, his own face looking down at the expressway.

               Stealing famous art and priceless artifacts would definitely be easier if his face wasn’t on every Louis Vuitton cologne and Rolex advertisement.

               His museum came into view and he was pleased to see he already had a line outside, waiting for the doors to open. There was a new exhibit opening today, and he was just as excited about it as the people waiting along the sidewalk.

               Once he was in his office, his assistant came in with a frazzled look on her face.

               “Sir, there’s a big problem,” she said.

               Taehyung took a deep breath before saying, “What’s wrong?”

               “One of our tour guides called in, he said he came down with something,” she said, frantically riffling through the disorganized mess of papers in her arms. “Which leaves us with only five guides. We’re going to be overloaded. There’s going to be children running around like monkeys, putting their filthy hands on the new exhibit-“

               Taehyung grabbed his assistant’s shoulders and fought against the smile threatening to come out. This was just like her, panicking every time something small didn’t go according to plan.

               “I will take his place,” Taehyung said.

               “But, sir…”

               “It’s my exhibit after all,” said Taehyung. “Who better than me to give the tour?”

               “Are you sure? People will recognize you,” she said. “Your most recent photoshoot for Hyundai is currently trending on Twitter. You’ll distract from the exhibit.”

               “I am sure,” said Taehyung. “I don’t think I’ll be a distraction.”

               His assistant gave him a skeptical and not at all placated look as she left his office.

               The museum doors were finally open and visitors were pouring in. The crowd was split up into six different tour groups, and Taehyung began his speech throughout the new exhibit. Quite a few eyes were glued to him rather than the exhibit, but he paid them no mind.

               A few tours later and something caught Taehyung’s eye through the crowd. He stuttered in the middle of his speech and stared wide eyed at the visitors waiting for him at the entrance.

               “Everyone, if you would please pardon me for a moment,” he said. “Please be responsible and follow the signs through the exhibit. Another guide will find you in a moment.”

               Taehyung pulled his earpiece and microphone off and pushed through the crowd of visitors. He made it to the front doors of the museum and stopped in front of two men, his smile dropping.

               “What are you doing here?” Taehyung whispered.

               Jin smiled and said, “What, we’re not allowed to visit an old friend?”

               “I’m working,” said Taehyung. “You can’t bring this here-“

               “Meet with us tonight,” said Namjoon. He handed Taehyung a slip of paper. Taehyung took it and slipped it into his inside coat pocket without tearing his eyes from them.

               “I will speak with you later,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of a tour.”

               Taehyung backed away from them and then made his way back to his tour group.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

               “How do you know he’ll actually show up?” Jin asked as they drove back to Namjoon’s apartment.

               “He will,” said Namjoon. “He lives for this kind of thing. Literally. He does jobs like this for a living.”

               “I thought his museum was honest now,” said Jin. “Doesn’t he do modelling now too?”

               “Oh, sure. His museum is honest alright,” said Namjoon. He took the turn into his parking garage. “If by honest you mean every single piece on display there was stolen one way or another.”

               “Doesn’t he buy or…” Jin began.

               “Sometimes. But most of the time, he acquires them himself,” Namjoon said as he parked the car. Jin’s Mercedes was parked beside them.

               “I’m glad we have him on our side then,” said Jin. They sat in silence for a while before Jin said, “Well, I will see you later tonight. Tell your mother I say hello.”

               “I will,” said Namjoon. Jin opened the passenger door and stepped out, getting right into his own car beside them. Namjoon waited a few minutes after Jin drove off before leaving the parking garage himself.

               The prison loomed over Namjoon as he stood in front of it, leaning against his car. He didn’t have to wait long before he saw his mother step out of the double doors. He smiled as they met in the middle. His mom wrapped her arms around him and held him in a crushing hug.

               “My son,” she said, her voice wobbly. “My beautiful son. Look at you.”

               She pulled back and held his shoulders.

               “You’re so handsome,” she said. “I mean, you’ve always been handsome, but there was that weird awkward phase you had-“

               Namjoon scoffed and rolled his eyes as she burst out laughing.

               “I missed you, mom,” he said.

               “I missed you too.”

               They got into the car and Namjoon began the drive back home.

               “How’s your sister?” his mom asked.

               “She graduated yesterday,” said Namjoon. “She wants to be a school teacher.”

               “Good. I knew she’d be successful,” his mom said. “She’s a smart girl. You both are. How are you? What have you been doing with your life?”

               “I work for a tech company in Seoul but I’m planning on leaving them soon,” said Namjoon. “I have a lot of work to do for my new job. Jin says hi, by the way.”

               His mother narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized him. “You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

               “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Namjoon, keeping his eyes on the road.

               “Well, I suppose it’s none of my business, as long you keep me out of it,” she said. “Whatever you’re up to, you know I won’t stop you. I just want you to be careful.”

               “I will,” said Namjoon. They drove in silence for a while before he said, “I’m taking us out for dinner tomorrow to celebrate Geongmin’s graduation.”

               “I can’t wait to see her. Why didn’t she come with you today?”

               “She’s busy with interviews today,” said Namjoon. He chuckled at his mother’s shocked face. “I know, she doesn’t waste any time, right?”

               “Good for her,” his mom said.

               After getting home and helping his mother settle into her new apartment he had bought for her next door, Namjoon spent some time getting ready for his own meeting. Jin arrived early, then Taehyung shortly after. Namjoon served them drinks and then sat with them around his dining table.

               “So, tell us the plan,” said Jin.

“Hawthorne’s collection is underground,” said Namjoon. “Behind a safe door that only opens with a password and thumbprint.”

               “How are we going to get Hawthorne’s thumbprint?” asked Jin.

               “We won’t,” said Namjoon. “Because that’s not the print we need. The only thumbprint that will open the door belongs to his son, Laurel Hawthorne. Laurel is the heir to the entire collection.”

               “Ah! Laurel Hawthorne!” Taehyung exclaimed. “I’ve worked with him in the past. Not a fan.”

               “You’re going to have to meet with him one last time to get the prints,” said Namjoon. “We’ll set up a meeting with him, where you’ll fake a sale. We’ll have someone hiding nearby with a tranquilizer gun. Once we take him out, you’ll nab his prints and we’ll be out of there.”

               “This sounds dangerous,” said Jin.

               “Inside the collection room is where the real trouble begins,” Namjoon continued. “Hawthorne uses a state-of-the-art technology to protect his collection. The security system inside uses gaseous detection. Once the door is opened, the room fills with a harmless gas. If there’s any kind of movement behind the barricades of the artifacts, another gas is released into the air, turning it toxic. From there, the person inside the chamber will only have a few minutes before dying. Once the security system is neutralized, and the cameras are placed in a loop, we’ll be able to just go in and take what we want. We’ll obviously replace everything with fakes, especially the Sky’s Eye, the item we need to leave with.”

               “Ah, the Sky’s Eye,” said Taehyung. “I had a feeling the necklace was what this was about. But I thought only one man has been in possession of the Sky’s Eye for ten years.”

               “You are correct,” said Jin. “Hawthorne is the very same man.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened as he made the connection.

“Hawthorne is Montgomery,” he whispered. “So, this job isn’t just for the necklace.”

“We’ll do all of this on the day of Hawthorne’s party, while he’s distracted,” said Namjoon. “We just need to find a way to get an invitation.”

               “Yes, that will be difficult,” said Jin.

               “Do you know anyone who’s going?” Namjoon asked Jin.

               “I might,” he said.

               “Do you think it’s someone you might be able to go with as their date?” asked Namjoon.

               “Oh, trust me. I would die to be this man’s date. He is the most handsome man in the world, after all,” said Jin. Namjoon narrowed his eyes. Jin burst into laughter, slapping his knee and pulling an envelope from the pocket inside his jacket.

               “You had an invitation all this time?” asked Taehyung.

               “Of course!” said Jin, laughing and slapping his knee. Namjoon shook his head but couldn’t help a fond smile from pulling at his lips.

[ri-ahhh]

van life

I wasn’t gonna post this because it’s just like an overload of unrealistic softness but now that we know that they’re selling the van I think now is the best time if I’m gonna do it lol.

Also I’m sorry I can’t make this shorter on your dash by putting a ‘keep reading’ break. Tumblr is shitty and permanently fucked on my desktop where it just won’t load the page once I’m logged in so I have to do everything through mobile🙄

6k

warnings: fluff, smut, kinda unedited

***

MJ sighs as warm morning sunlight kisses her skin through the passenger window of the tiny house van. She and Grayson had decided to have a beach day to themselves — the first one of summer — and she could’t be more excited. Nothing makes MJ Macias more content and at peace with her life than laying under the Pacific sun until her nose freckles and her skin takes on that healthy golden hue. Wrinkles are a risk she’s willing to take as long as she has a nice, long podcast, something to munch on, and, of course, a good view of her boyfriend in the surf.

That view of him rivals the one of the ocean in her opinion, which is just past his window as they cruise down the PCH on their way to Malibu. MJ wiggles her white-painted toes on the dashboard and smiles as she watches him sing along quietly (and off-key) to the Tame Impala song filling the cabin of the van. She loves his profile so much: the perfect slope of his nose; his full lips; the chunk of hair that swoops across his forehead.

She lifts their clasped hands from where they rest on her thigh with their fingers threaded together, and kisses the back of his wide palm.

“You’re so handsome, Bear,” MJ murmurs against his skin.

Grayson stops singing long enough to look over at her and smile brightly, his eyes hidden behind his black Louis Vuitton sunglasses. He pulls their hands towards himself so he can copy her kiss, only to her her own soft skin.

“My pretty Peach,” he returns with a squeeze to her palm, making MJ flush the color of her pet name. “Always so beautiful in the mornings.”

MJ hums and takes her turn returning their hands back to her lap, trailing her long nails up and down his muscular, veiny forearm. Apparently they’re equally as headass for each other today. “Just in the mornings?” she teases, tickling the sensitive patch of skin near the crook of his elbow.

She can’t see his eyes roll, but she imagines they do as his grin turns playful. “Of course not, but especially in the mornings. Your hair is in that cute braid and your skin is all silky soft and your eyes are extra green.” He takes his eyes off the road for a moment to appraise her looking exactly as he described. “And, you know, usually on the weekends you’d still be naked at this time. I like that part about mornings, too.”

“Oh, Lord,” she laughs with a shake of her head. “Grayson!”

She gasps his name and giggles harder as he completely catches her off guard by moving their hands right over his hardening cock. MJ squeezes him reflexively, and Grayson gives a little grunt as he shifts in his seat with a smirk.

“What?” he asks in mock defense, placing both hands back on the steering wheel. “I had to show you how much you affect me! I only have to think about you naked in our bed and it goes up.”

“That’s sweet,” MJ says, stroking his dick one more time before moving her hand further down his thigh, “but if you think I’m giving you road head in this car on this twisty road, you’re very mistaken.”

Grayson makes an obnoxious little whiny noise in defeat, pouting playfully and muttering dejectedly, “I knew we should have taken the Tesla.”

MJ raises an eyebrow. “Well, we wouldn’t have been able to bring your surfboard. Or be the first ones to christen the tiny house.”

“Oh, shit,” Gray says quietly, surprised. MJ smiles at the small victory of teasing him, her eyes diverting back to the beautiful scenery ahead of them as her mind wanders to all the things they can do in that makeshift bed.

“How about road hand, then, to start it off?”

She lets out a frustrated huff, his request interrupting her daydream. If there was ever a scenario where she didn't trust Grayson, it was one in which he was receiving any overt sexual pleasure whilst controlling a giant motor vehicle.

“Gray, I love you, but you’re pushing it.”

“Understood.”

***

It takes about half an hour for them to reach their destination, but MJ knows it was worth the drive as soon as they exit the car and she inhales the clean, salty air. They park at a little camping lot they had reserved a spot in for the day, the glittering ocean a mere few hundred feet away.

“Surf looks good,” MJ remarks, her hand shielding her eyes as she gazes out at the water. It always makes her a little nervous when Gray goes out in big swells, so the mild waves are a happy sight for her. “Nice and small; just how I like ‘em.”

Grayson looks out as well as he climbs on the roof of the van to retrieve the surfboard. “Funny, I happen to know for a fact you like ‘em long and wide,” he jokes. He just couldn’t help himself, apparently, his wide smile looking down at her from the top of the ladder a clear display of how proud of the stupid joke he is.

MJ watches the exposed muscles in his arms and shoulders ripple under his skin as he begins wrestling with the hooks and ties securing the board to the roof racks. The sight combined with his words and thoughts of what transpired earlier in the car makes her center pulse dangerously.

Needless to say, he’s successfully turned her on despite her best efforts.

“You’re insufferable, Dolan,” she says with a shake of her head. Her body feels heated from his innuendo and also the midmorning sun that is steadily raising the outside temperature. She pulls off the hoodie she had thrown on in the chilly early morning and steps into the back seat to haul out the cooler and beach bag.

“Yeah, but you love me,” his voice comes from right behind her. She turns around and yelps in surprise when she sees Grayson peeking his head upside down into the cab from the roof. He’s inches from her and is just dangling there like an overgrown monkey, which makes her fall back in the seat in a fit of giggles. He wags his brows at her playfully. “Ooh! Spider-Man kiss!”

MJ rolls her eyes good-naturedly and happily scoots over to clasp his cheeks in her hands, granting his wish by planting a sweet kiss to his lips. The scruff on his chin tickles her nose peculiarly, but she’s not mad at it. “Too much. I love you too much, you goof.”

Finally, with all their beach supplies in hand, they walk together towards the ocean. The private beach that they can access with their camp site is quiet and secluded. Best of all, it isn't clogged with tourists or people in general, which they both greatly prefer. Less people means they’re less likely to be bombarded by fangirls, or paparazzi, or any other unwanted distractions from what MJ hopes will be a perfect day.

As soon as the texture under her feet changes from firm concrete to sunken sand, MJ is stopping to remove her flip-flops so her toes can dig into the fine powder. This moment of first stepping on the beach is one of her favorite experiences, as minute and insignificant as it seems.

She looks up at Grayson, who glances back down at her questioningly. “Race ya,” she challenges suddenly, hauling ass to a perfect open spot on the wide expanse of beach. If there’s one thing she and her boyfriend have in common, it’s a highly competitive spirit.

“Cheater!” Grayson calls after her. He has the surfboard under one arm and the cooler slung over his shoulder, but everyone knows Grayson Dolan is the last person to turn down a competition. Which is why he does his best to catch up to her even with the obstacles in his arms holding him back.

The finish line is also only in MJ’s head, so she stops when she finds a spot she likes. She drops their bag and turns around with her arms raised like Rocky. Grayson isn’t very far behind her, being as in-shape as he is he’s reached her quickly, but he slows down earlier than he really needs to so he can take her in. Her breasts heave beneath a leopard print bikini top, loose hairs escape from her messy french braid, and her long legs glitter with the sand she had kicked up on her run.

She’s the most beautiful, dorky, amazing woman he’s ever seen and she is his.

MJ watches smugly as her boyfriend stalks over to her. “I wi—“

Grayson releases everything he’s carrying to the sand and grasps her face in both hands, pulling her in for a long, lingering kiss. MJ lets out a little squeak of surprise, but she melts into him half a second later. Nothing warms her soul more than his lips on hers, and she wraps her arms around his middle to bring them as close together as possible.

When he pulls back, Grayson stares at her with complete, obvious adoration. Ethan would have called him a simp if he were there, that’s how sappy his twin looks. Grayson can’t help himself, though; he is a simp for MJ, and, truthfully, he doesn’t give two shits who knows it as long as he makes her smile up at him like she is now, every day.

It’s why yesterday he had casually opened a new browser window, convincing himself he was just curiously window shopping on the ring section of Tiffany’s and the like… even after he got sucked into the customization tool on one website for nearly two hours.

Shaking his head and biting his lip through a grin, he traces the freckles on MJ’s cheek. “I want a rematch later.”

MJ squeezes him and smacks his ass playfully before releasing him and reaching into the bag for the big blanket. “You’re always such a sore loser,” she teases, unfolding the cloth and weighing it down with Grayson’s help. She digs through the bag again and hands him his wetsuit. “Go catch some waves. I have to catch up on this podcast by this really sexy guy and his twin brother.”

If there could be snapshots of the rest of the day, they would have been out of a picturesque rom-com. For a while, MJ rests on her tummy as she watches Grayson glide through the water, his deep voice simultaneously reverberating in her ears through her AirPods.

Eventually, when he’s done surfing — looking like a beach Adonis when he walks up the shore with the top half of his wetsuit folded down at his hips, surfboard under his arm and his wet abs glistening in the sun — he joins her on the blanket.

In the early afternoon MJ props herself up on her elbow, appraising his form with hungry, appreciative eyes as he tans on his back next to her. He has his hands pillowed behind his head, which causes his biceps to bulge and her thighs to clench. MJ is lost in him as she trails her finger over the features of his face — down his button nose, smoothing over his arched brows, across his rosy cheeks, against his pillowy lips. She smiles as he sighs contentedly and drops a peck to the tip of his nose before settling with her cheek on his chest. He smells like tanning oil and ocean and that clean, woody musk that MJ knows as him.

Later, they wade around in the sea between batches of sun bathing. At some points, he’s holding her waist-deep in the water with her legs wrapped around his middle and arms around his neck, lips connecting occasionally amidst easy conversation. Other times they have full-on water fights that have her squealing and him laughing as they splash each other back and forth.

It isn’t until the orange and pink hues of the sunset paint the sky that they’re brought back to the beach for good. Once they rinse off and have all of their things collected, they head back to the van.

MJ removes her bikini inside while Grayson reattaches the surfboard to the roof. She slips on her sweatshirt and a fresh pair of soft shorts just in time for him to carefully crack open the back door to make sure she’s decent.

Grayson smiles widely as he crawls in on the already made bed where she sits and is piling her damp hair into a messy bun. “So fucking beautiful,” he murmurs, giving her a lingering kiss while her hands are still mid-twist in her long hair.

A pleasant warmth swoops through her belly at his compliment; it had taken her a while to get accustomed to not only how often Grayson rains sweet praises like that down on her, but how sincerely he means them, too.

She hums into his mouth right before he pulls away. “I left your shorts there, baby,” she says, gesturing behind her with her head. Gray thanks her and she starts to dig through the cooler as he tugs his swimsuit down his inked legs, following them back up with the clean shorts.

They eat dinner with the back doors wide open, a perfect view of the sun setting below the ocean’s horizon right in front of them. A pleasant breeze floats around them in the van, cool and refreshing from being picked up right off the water. MJ nuzzles her cheek on Grayson’s bare shoulder, and he presses a kiss to the top of her head as she chews her last bite of tofu.

“Thank you for such a perfect day,” MJ says a minute later, gazing up at him while he takes a sip of La Croix. “Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I felt so…carefree. Loved. In love. Not that you don’t make me feel those things every day, but… y’know. Today was just great.”

Her hand reaches to caress his stubbly cheek, a soft smile at the corner of her full lips. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Gray.”

Grayson looks down at her silently, but his eyes say everything his lips don’t. He tucks his can and their empty tupperware back into the cooler, tossing the bag into one of the back seats behind them so it’s out of the way.

He cups her cheeks in both hands, wasting no more time in bringing their mouths together. MJ sighs and shifts so she’s that much closer to him, just as his tongue prods gently at her pliant lips to coax them open.

They make out like that, slow and deep, with the soundtrack of crashing waves wafting through the open doors. Gray lies her down and supports the back of her head with his forearm, his free hand swooping up and down her side before settling in the dramatic dip of her waist as he pulls away just barely.

Eyes closed, their breaths come heavy and mingle sweetly in the minute space between them. Grayson suddenly lets out a little incredulous huff, shaking his head and diving back in blindly to suck softly on her bottom lip. MJ lets out a little moan and digs her nails gently down his bare back, her eyes fluttering open.

“What?” she asks with a little smile of her own, nuzzling her nose against his in an Eskimo kiss.

Grayson’s hazel orbs meet her green ones, and the hand resting on her waist comes to cup her face once again so he can stroke the new freckles that litter her high cheekbone.

“I’m gonna marry you,” he answers, chuckling at her shocked little gasp. He hurries to clarify himself. “One day, when we’re ready. You’re my world, MJ. Maybe it’s selfish, or self aggrandizing, but hearing you say that makes it so obvious to me that you’re the only person I’d ever want to spend the rest of my life with. Because I feel the same about you. I only ever want to make you feel that way; nothing makes me happier.”

MJ is stunned into silence. Grayson isn’t exactly the most eloquent person, so somehow she reasons that his perfect delivery of such meaningful words means they’re truly heartfelt. Not that she would have doubted him either way, but their relationship has suddenly shifted even deeper in the matter of one day. One simple, amazing day.

She feels the prickle of tears behind her eyes, and bites her lip through a watery smile as she raises her hand to run her fingers through the back of his hair. No matter how happy she is, her instinct for dealing with any emotions is to deflect with humor. “Can’t wait ’til I pop out a few of your babies. From the sounds of it, you’ll be worshipping the ground I walk on.”

That hits him right in the baby fever, his dick hardening even more behind his shorts at the thought of her belly swollen with his child. Joking or not, she’s absolutely right.

“Fuck,” he whispers, grinning as he ducks his head to nibble her favorite spot just behind her jaw and right under her ear. “How many of my babies? Hm?”

“Mmm,” she sighs, scratching lightly at his scalp, considering the question seriously. “Four little Dolan babies, I think. Three boys and a little girl.”

“Yeah,” Grayson agrees easily, making his way across her jaw with soft little suckles. “But make that three girls and a little boy, and you've got a deal.”

MJ giggles and grabs his face so they’re staring each other in the eye again. “No actual baby-making until there’s a ring on this finger.” She wiggles the digits of her left hand, which Grayson grabs and kisses the back of with a smirk. If only she knew just how close that moment might be. “But we can always practice in the meantime.”

Grayson nods and hitches her leg up his hip as he ducks down for a surprisingly chaste kiss considering her invitation a second before. As much as he wants her, he has a need deep in his chest just to be close to her for the moment. To feel her hold him and nuzzle into the warm crook of his neck, sucking gently on that freckle there to make his head swim like after a nice glass of wine.

MJ is just as happy with that arrangement, and she lets her body be still and her breaths tickle the sensitive skin at his collarbone. The ocean breeze billowing through the open doors of the van is cool and salty and comforting.

“It’s crazy,” Grayson whispers after a few peaceful minutes, his fingers starting to trail up and down her covered back slowly. MJ pulls back a little so she can see his face. He isn't looking at her, but rather out the open van doors at the last moments of the sun setting behind the water. “I remember feeling exactly this way the first day we met, only now it’s…more. You felt right then, so right it was scary. And here we are. How did I know that you were my person as soon as you let me walk you back to that tent?”

MJ smiles and her belly swoops. She thinks back to that night, how scared she had been and how instantly — well, as he said — right Grayson had felt the minute they crossed paths.

“I did kind of seduce you,” she chuckles, lifting her head to nibble at the underside of his chin and reveling in the sensation of his deep chuckle vibrating against her lips. “Maybe you’re just under my Black Widow spell. Have I never let it slip I’m only after your money?”

Grayson laughs louder, squeezing her to his body tighter. “Nope. But that’s the MJ I remember falling head over heels for in a matter of hours. Smart and witty and sweet and so fucking pretty with her green eyes and bright smile.”

MJ stares up at him with stars in those emerald eyes he adores so much. He is unreal to both see and hear; his skin has turned olive and his hair has the crisp of the ocean still in it, and the fact that he can still pinpoint the little things he liked about her from so long ago…

“Do you love me?” she asks quietly. It’s so ridiculously unnecessary to ask, he tells her multiple times a day, every day.

“So much, Peach,” he murmurs back predictably, finally swooping down to capture her lips like she wanted earlier, tongues meshing instantly.

He tastes so familiar and sweet. She wants to devour him slowly, intimately, like she has a thousand times before.

“Close the doors?” MJ gasps after the simple swipe of his thumb over her nipple through her sweatshirt makes her thighs tremble and her hips grind onto his half-hard erection. Something about the heartwarming intimacy of the day has translated to her body being physically sensitive beyond belief.

Grayson nods and sits up, reaching for the switch of the fairy lights MJ had hung up a few weeks ago before slamming the doors shut on the nighttime scenery.

While he does as she asked, she scoots up to rest her head on a pillow and watches his bare, chiseled torso glow in the dim, sensual lights. Right as he turns around he catches her struggling to free herself from her hoodie.

“Let me do it, Peach. I wanna do it,” he breathes, dipping down to kiss her soundly before tugging upward on the hem of the soft fabric. MJ drops her head to the pillow to break the seal of their lips, lifting her arms up so he can pull the garment over her head.

Grayson flings it to the front of the van and brings their mouths together so quickly, like he simply can’t be away from her lips for longer than a second. His hands reach up and cup the pliable mounds of her breasts, which are several shades lighter than the rest of her chest. Clearly, he could care less, and MJ sighs softly as he massages them firmly, his calloused palms creating delicious friction on her hypersensitive nipples.

“Still the prettiest tits I’ve ever seen, too,” he smirks, making his way across her jaw. MJ smiles too, eyes closed in bliss as he kisses the familiar trail down her sternum. Predictably, his warm lips suction around the bud of her left breast, and she lets her mind wander through the pleasure to flash back on the first time he did this.

“We’re still kind of in a tent, too, y’know,” she gasps as he switches sides, letting out her first moan of the night when he scrapes his teeth against her. “Just…more bougie.”

Grayson hums, quickly getting lost in the feel of how soft her tits are and how much he loves the sensation of her hard nipples under his tongue. He drops his hips down so he can grind his full erection against her hot center, eliciting wanton gasps from both of them.

MJ groans again, the feminine sound literal music to his ears and the perfect reinforcement to keep going. She hooks her legs around his waist to hold his hips against her, thrusting up against him as he continues to bite and lick and suckle her breasts.

“Holy shit, Gray, right there… I’m gonna cum,” she whimpers, grasping at his hair to hold him down where he was sucking perfectly on her breast, and continues to grind roughly on his dick. Sure enough, a few seconds later she’s shuddering with the most intense orgasm she’s ever had without manual stimulation. Even from Grayson.

Grayson himself can hardly believe it; they have a great sex life, but he can’t remember the last time he had gotten her off just through some intense dry humping.

He isn’t going to question it, though, because it only means one thing: she’s as voracious for him tonight as he is for her. He growls when she starts to come down and surprises her with his mouth planting roughly back on hers. MJ kisses him back lazily as her mind clears some, smiling and fluttering her eyes open to meet his dark gaze when she feels his middle finger replace his tongue in her mouth. She closes her swollen, pouty lips around the digit and sucks, holding onto his hand and maintaining complete eye contact with him when he moans softly. She pulls his hand out of her mouth and pushes it into her shorts.

“Fuck,” he rasps, collecting her slippery cum against his finger, swirling it against his thumb before trailing his middle finger up to her clit. He soaks in her expression as her eyes roll back at the first contact, his favorite reaction she has to his touch. “Fuck, MJ. So fucking wet for me.”

MJ nods quickly, opening her eyes again to watch him watch her. “Lemme taste,” she whimpers.

She pulls his hand back up and doesn’t wait for permission or leave him time to process her demand as she sucks the slick moisture straight off his finger, the taste of herself gracing her tongue causing her pussy to gush even more. When his brain finally catches up, he’s immediately ripping his hand away from her with a harsh groan and hooking it around the back of her neck to kiss her deeply. His tongue plunders her mouth as he searches for traces of that sweet, earthy tang he knows oh-so well. MJ’s hands distractedly push at the waistband of his shorts, desperate for the feel of his dick in her hands.

“Please, baby,” she whines against his lips when they break for air, using the moment of clarity to tug more determinedly at his shorts. “Need you.”

“Need me where?” he teases, backing up so she can’t reach him as he pulls her own shorts down her long, newly tanned legs. Once he flings the scrap of fabric to join her sweater, he ducks down and swipes his tongue quickly over each of her nipples. “Here?”

MJ groans and shakes her head, her brain not operating at enough capacity to tease back, it’s so clouded with desire for him. “Gray…”

Grayson smirks and grabs one of her hands that are coasting down his back and attempting to pull him down against her. He cups her petite palm against his pulsing erection, sighing a little when her fingers wrap around him through his shorts instinctively. He drops his hand and brings it to her pussy, his fingertips dancing delicately against her swollen lower lips. His head swims at how wet she is and how the solid feel of him seems to have brought her mind back to earth, because as soon as he lets go of her hand she delves past his waistband to grip him directly.

“My dick, baby, you need my dick?” he asks softly, his voice a little high and his breath pitchy as she strokes him steadily now.

MJ moans and her pussy throbs simply at his words. She nods hastily. “Need it in me,” she manages, meeting his heated gaze as she gives him a firm squeeze. “Love your dick.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, his touch leaving her as he helps her in getting him completely naked, kicking his shorts off when they reach his ankles.

He takes a moment to gather himself and to slow down, trying to get himself back in that intimate headspace they were so deep in earlier, so that this doesn’t turn into just a hot, hard fuck. They love that, and it’s kind of their bread and butter in the bedroom. But he wants to hold her close and savor her body, to pass that loving energy between them in the most special, physical way.

MJ’s chest heaves as she watches Grayson hover above her, staring at her, and she parts her legs to welcome him back into her space. He looks like a fucking Greek god in the low light, his hair curly from the saltwater and sweat, his skin golden and his muscles bulging. She can’t possibly want him any more than in that moment.

“C’mere,” she whispers, reaching her arms out and making grabby hands at him. She can’t allow another second to go by without the sensation of his smooth skin against hers.

Grayson smiles sweetly at her, eyes sultry as he lowers himself at her request and presses their bodies together from chests to centers. She cups his cheeks and scratches her fingers against his scruff as they kiss slowly, deeply, desire building intensely once again as they grind together at the middle.

“Please, Grayson,” she finally says again.

All thoughts of any more teasing are out the door as Grayson obliges her. He dips his fingers in her pussy, testing her readiness and using her sweet juices to coat his dick.

MJ spreads her legs up and out, bent at the knees, and she throws her head back with a gasp as he enters her in a short thrust; a little more on the second, until he bottoms out with the third.

“Fuck me,” she whimpers, her hands pushing on the firm globes of his ass.

Grayson obeys with a groan, drawing his hips in and out steadily. “Wanna fuck you slow,” he says in her ear, thrusting all the way in and all the way out. The warm clutch of her perfect pussy is so intense at that tempo that he shudders and his eyes roll back. “Slow and deep, Peach.”

“Yes,” MJ agrees, her breaths coming in fast despite the maintained speed of his dick. He’s working her up so good, and she leans forward to bite into the junction of his neck and shoulder out of habit to keep her sounds muffled.

“Yes, baby,” she squeals quietly when her minute adjustment shifts the angle just right for him to hit her spot over and over. Her nails claw at his back, scraping over the work of art that is both his rippling muscles and the picture of the lions inked into them. “Oh my God, keep fucking me like that.. like that…”

The air confined in the van is warm and thick. Sweat drips from the ends of his hair, his hot breaths fan over her forehead, and his chain dangles enticingly across her face as he stares down at her all blissed out beneath him. Nothing turns him on more than her words of encouragement, which are usually muted due to the fact that his omnipresent twin brother lives across the hall. But now that they’re alone, in nature — just like the night they met — all filters are off. It makes him even more determined to get her to cum so hard she forgets any of those sweet praises she’s mumbling other than his name.

It’s already so, so good, but as soon as he gets on his knees just enough to gain more leverage to thrust even harder into her, that knot in MJ’s stomach starts growing in a fantastically unfamiliar way. Her eyes roll back and Grayson reaches a huge hand up to support her head against his shoulder, sensing how perfect the angle is for her and wanting to help her maintain it. She’s getting tighter and wetter around him, so much so that he has to grit his teeth and hiss to avoid having to pull out and stop.

“MJ,” he moans into her ear, tugging on her lobe with his teeth, an unspoken warning that he’s close. He’ll hold on as long as he can, but he absolutely needs to get her there first.

In the back of her mind, she comprehends his cue. But she’s so focused on reaching the bursting point of that expanding ball behind her belly, she can’t help but selfishly draw every ounce of pleasure she can from him. She thinks she knows what’s going to happen, and it will be a first-time experience for both of them.

It’s only going to take a few more deep, hard thrusts, and she’ll be there. Almost there…

“Gray!” she squeaks, squeezing a hand between their bodies to push against his abs, just in time for him to pull out and her to gush all over him and the blankets serving as makeshift sheets beneath them. It’s an indescribable release that washes over her, her own loud, shaky squeals of pleasure distant noises in the back of her head. She can only see colors behind her closed eyelids, greens and blues and lavenders sparkling in her mind’s eye like a mystical fog.

Grayson can’t believe what he’s seeing. His shocked and aroused groan sounds obnoxiously loud and foreign in his own ears; the fact that he doesn’t bust his nut right there on the blanket next to hers is a miracle. Instinctively, he reaches his fingers down to help her through it by rubbing her clit, huffing out an incredulous laugh when her thighs clamp instantly around his hand and a little more of her juices come out, soaking his hand. His name tumbles repeatedly out of her lips, just like he was aiming for and unwittingly exceeding his own expectations.

He’s painfully hard as he leans over her again, kissing her through her mindless whimpers as she starts to slowly come-to, her damp thighs opening once again and allowing him to slip between them. Right where he belongs.

“MJ?” he whispers, stroking her brow softly and watching her face intently. “You okay?”

Eyes still closed and breasts heaving, MJ takes a second to respond, but she moans quietly and nods, puckering her lips in invitation for him to meet with his. He obliges, indulging her for a moment until he can’t wait anymore. “Where do you want me to cum?”

“Inside,” she breathes at once, reaching down to grasp him and bring him to her dripping pussy. Grayson flinches at her sudden grip on him and the overwhelming wetness against the sensitive head of his dick. “Come on, Bear. Want you to cum hard inside me.”

With a groan, he slides back inside her, and a few hard, sloppy thrusts later, he’s shooting deep in her pussy. He’s never cum so hard in his life, and he whines into her mouth with the timing of his spurts. She hums contentedly, obsessed with that feeling of warmth that comes with, well, his cum.

“So good,” he murmurs when he’s finally done, pulling out of her slowly. He grabs a spare towel and cleans up the liquid white that follows him dripping from her center. “That was incredible, MJ. You’re incredible.”

MJ shakes her head in agreement, clapping a hand to her forehead and giggling softly, her knees bent and swaying side to side. “I thought we had done everything to try to get that to happen. Turns out we just had to go back to the beginning.”

Grayson lies down next to her, turning her head with a gentle hand on her cheek so he can press their lips together. “I love you,” he says simply. “My pretty Peach.”

MJ grabs a blanket and tosses it over the both of them, brushing her nose against his once they’re cuddled together. “And I love my Gray Bear. Mine.”

“Yours,” he whispers in affirmation, tucking her head into the crook of his neck until they’re both lulled to sleep in their cozy little bougie tent.

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Punch Out Halloween Headcanons

In the spirit of Halloween, here are some headcanons for what the Punch Out characters would do during this spooky season. This sort of ties into my mansion AU where they all live together in a mansion but that’s the only context you need to understand this.

Glass Joe

-Isn’t the biggest fan of candy.

-Bakes/cooks his own Halloween sweets, like cookies and cupcakes that he loves decorating.

-Favourite halloween food is candy apples.

-Doesn’t like horror movies.

-Goes through haunted houses with the others and squeals at the jumpscares.

-Makes his own costumes. They’re all incredibly silly but he tries to be scary. Nobody has the heart to tell him he isn’t.

-Really likes pocky, which Hondo introduced to him.

Von Kaiser

-Screams while giving out candy and throws them at the kids

-Doesn’t dress up.

-Helps Glass Joe decorate cookies and cupcakes.

-Watches horror movies and goes to haunted houses to prove he isn’t a coward. Ends up clinging to someone the whole time.

-Tries to go easy on the candy.

-Favourite candy is Reese’s

Disco Kid

-Dresses as musical characters or musicians. Has gone as Michael Jackson multiple times.

-Listens and dances to Thriller all the time.

-Calls October the “Spookay Season,”

-Lies about his age to go trick or treating “One is never too old for free candy!” “I’m a Disco Kid!”

-Goes to haunted houses and parties as well.

-Gets scared watching scary movies.

-Favourite candy is Starburst.

-Absolutely splurges on the candy.

King Hippo

-Eats all of the candy.

-Would try to eat it all before Halloween if it was bought pre-emptively.

-Sits at home and eats the candy.

-Is confused when the others watch horror movies.

Piston Hondo

-Gives out traditional japanese candies to trick or treaters and introduced these candies to the others.

-His favourite candy is Apollo. (A Japanese candy.)

-Still tries to eat somewhat healthy on Halloween, going easy on the candy and eating regular meals.

-Isn’t the biggest fan of American candy. “It has too much sugar.”

-Drives the others to and from parties if they need him to, but doesn’t attend himself.

-If he wears a costume at all, I could see him going as a samurai.

Bear Hugger

-Would 100% dress as a bear and you can’t convince me otherwise.

-Also splurges on candy.

-Favourite is Mike n’ Ikes.

-Watches horror movies with the others just to spend time with them.

-Loves going to parties too.

-Likes bobbing for apples.

-Gets the others to carve pumpkins with him and decorate the front of the mansion with them.

Great Tiger

-He would either be a cat or a tiger for Halloween. Either way, it’s a pretty minimalist costume.

-Each of his clones have the costume too.

-Didn’t really know what Halloween was until living in America so he just sort of goes along with what the others are doing.

-Helps the others put up decorations super high.

-Teleports away if something startles him in a haunted house. The others have trouble finding him after.

-Favourite candy is Sour Patch Kids. Would also love anything remotely spicy.

-Definitely pulls some pranks with his magic. “It’s trick or treat after all.”

-Is mostly pretty chill at the parties.

-Goes with Don Flamenco and Disco Kid when the latter trick or treats just to look at all the weird decorations (and low-key to spend time with his friends.)

Don Flamenco

-Gets super excited about putting up extravagant decorations all around the mansion and seeing all the fabulous costumes.

-Great Tiger often has to help him put the decorations in increasingly crazy places. (ie: the chandelier, the roof). Disco Kid also tries to help.

-Absolutely LOVES pocky and has definitely played the game with Carmen and maybe the others boxers at some point.

-Tries to pick a different costume every year. This year it’s a vampire.

-Goes to haunted houses with the others and is very dramatic when jumpscared. Is the same when watching horror movies.

-Brings the fruit punch to the party.

-Doesn’t have a favourite candy. Just eats all of them.

-He and Disco Kid play all of the Halloween themed songs on Just Dance and try to get Tiger involved too.

Aran Ryan

-PRANKS GALORE.

-Seriously, he’s always a prankster but he goes even more extreme on Halloween.

-Goes to multiple parties in one night, often stealing candy and wine from each.

-For some reason I like the idea of him dressing as a werewolf.

-Headbutts the water to bob for apples.

-Drinks a crap ton of alcohol as well. “It’s Halloween, I can splurge!”

-Brings alcohol to spike his punch with.

-Would definitely grief someone’s house with toilet paper.

-The most chill thing he will do is watch horror movies. In fact, he probably started that trend.

-Favourite candy is gummy worms. Probably also likes candy corn.

-Drags the others to corn mazes.

-Jumps in piles of leaves right after the others finish raking it. (Okay this one isn’t really Halloween themed but it’s something he would do.)

Soda Popinski

-He and Aran Ryan attend parties together, mixing every drink just to experiment.

-Will also help with his pranks.

-Also didn’t really know what Halloween was before America.

-Would go as a mummy. I don’t know why this came to mind, but I want it to be a thing.

-Loves any type of chocolate.

-Gives out cans of normal soda to trick or treaters. The kids love it.

-Bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to horror movies. Aran Ryan tries to awkwardly comfort him.

Aran: It’s just a dead person.

Soda: THAT IS THE PROBLEM, ARAN!

Bald Bull

-Doesn’t dress up.

-Questions the hell out of everything. (In broken english) “Why do you break the orange vegetables? What is this nonsense?!”

-Follows Bear Hugger around the whole night.

-Helps him carve pumpkins, even though it confuses him greatly.

-Viciously feasts on the candy. His favourite is Snickers.

-Bites lollipops/suckers into pieces, scaring the shit out of everyone.

-Is generally unfazed by the horror movies. If something does scare him, he will lash out at the screen.

-Tries to scare off trick or treaters.

SMM

-Would throw a party at his own mansion, inviting tons of people.

-Has the most over the top decorations, making Don super jealous.

-Tons of alcohol and candy.

-Aran and Soda grief his place and crash the party.

Mr. Sandman

-Wore a zombie costume on a dare from Disco Kid.

-He’s kinda like Bald Bull but more chill and knows what Halloween is.

-He loved trick or treating as a kid and totally went as Mike Tyson one year.

-Also bites lollipops and suckers.

-Gives out candy, since he really isn’t into the parties or haunted houses like the others.

-Scares the kids, but is more light-hearted about it.

-Watches horror movies with the others and isn’t scared at all.

-Will help Glass Joe with his Halloween snacks if requested.

-Sandman generally isn’t a prankster, but he might prank Little Mac.

-He likes the really sweet candy the best and his favourite is Hershey’s.

Doc Louis

-Loves handing out candy to the kids and often does it with Hondo and Sandman.

-Probably dresses as something cute, like a dog or something.

-Obviously really loves chocolate bars.

-Will buy the king sized ones on Halloween, with Three Musketeers and Milky Ways being his favourites.

-Along with Hondo, he tries to make sure nobody is getting into too much trouble.

-Will ride around the neighborhood on his bike to look at all the decorations. Little Mac will jog after him.