#making him warm is like the quickest way to get him to chill out everyone realizes. he n linebeck share the warmest blanket when its cold
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waywardsalt · 6 months ago
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mentally twirling my hair and kicking my feet
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flippinpancakes64 · 4 months ago
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Hi I found your blog today and it's great all around! Can you do HC's of the Cullen's with a couple who refuse the vegetarian lifestyle and consume human blood?
The Cullens with a Couple that consumes human blood
Thank you for the kind words!? Why is everyone in my inbox being so nice rn...
I interpreted this as meaning a romantic couple who are vampires who asked to join the Cullens but didn't have any relation to the Cullens before. I also didn't really make this romantic as far as with the other Cullens. I also tried my best to keep gender and details about the couple like nonexistent.
Thank you for requesting and I hope you like this!
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Edward:
He's not very happy
When you two show up all he can think about is the possible dangers
And of course the fact that their cover could be blown
I feel like he would care a lot about staying in one place for a while
So he really likes blending in
But if you two promise to only hunt past state lines and far away from where they are, he might come around
In general, it's not the fact that you drink human blood that bothers him, it's just the possible risks
He would still be very wary
Reading your thoughts constantly to make sure you're not a risk
He would get used to you guys eventually, but he wouldn't let his guard down
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Alice:
She saw you two coming and she warned the others
She couldn't see your intentions, all she could see were red eyes
And so when the two of you showed up, everybody was ready to stand guard
But after explaining your stories and that you simply wanted a family, she was more than happy
She could see that you guys would stick to your promises of blending in and respecting hunting ground
She is the quickest to warm up to either of you
Will be the one to invite you guys out to do things
She doesn't have a problem with either of you at all
She doesn't care that you two drink blood
She doesn't care that you guys won't change your ways
And she doesn't think you guys are a danger
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Jasper:
The exact opposite of Alice
He actively hates you two
He does not trust you, he thinks you guys are liars, and he is constantly ready to attack if the time calls for it
He is convinced that you two must have an ulterior motive for joining their clan
Also resents you two for drinking human blood
That is something he hasn't had in so long and has been challenging himself to give up for the ability to stay with the Cullens and then you two waltz in and do it anyway?
He is beyond pissed
No matter how long you two stay there or how nice you are, as long as you drink human blood he will not warm up to you
And maybe even if you do conform he probably still wouldn't trust you
Sorry
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Rosalie:
She'd be annoyed but just because there are more people
After the initial showdown after Alice's vision, she'd stop caring
She has a superiority complex because she's never tasted human blood, but she doesn't rub it in your faces
She doesn't care what you guys do
She's not really attached to any one place, after all
It would be no problem for her to pack up and move to a new city
She had to do it for years following Emmett's transformation
She mostly just gets annoyed at how crowded the house feels now
She says she has no "breathing" room
Honestly she might just take Emmett and pack up to live on their own for a little bit
But overall she's not mean and she doesn't care
She doesn't trust you guys but I feel like she doesn't trust a lot of people so
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Emmett:
Another one who doesn't give a damn
When you two first show up, he's obviously ready for a fight
But after you prove that you pose no threat, he backs off
He gets along with you guys pretty well
He trusts you for the most part
Obviously a part of him is still ready if something were to happen
But other than that he's pretty chill
He gets a little bitter knowing that you two still drink human blood
But he gets over himself
Even though he doesn't mind you guys, he will follow Rosalie in a heartbeat
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Esme:
She gets a little skeptical
She tries her best to be welcoming
But she is a little put off
She doesn't understand why you guys want to join them
But if you guys are nice then she's okay
Another one who is very hospitable
She'll invite you guys out to do things with the rest of them
She would be the one to invite you two to baseball
Will get over her mistrust of you guys eventually
And after she does she treats you like any of the other Cullens
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Carlisle:
He is friends with many vampires who live the "natural" way and it's never stopped him before
He's on guard at first but he is definitely the first one to trust you guys
I mean he let like 30 vampires into his house
So he's chill
Questions you genuinely on why you wanted to be a part of his clan
And why you don't want to feed off of animals
But not in an accusatory way
More like an inquisitive way
He's a doctor first and foremost
And very interested in learning the specifics of vampirism
Treats you guys like old friends
Thumbs up
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Vampire! Bella:
She'd get a bit angry
She feels like you two are entitled
And she doesn't want you to join them
Doesn't really trust you guys
Especially if they're still in Forks or somewhere nearby
All she can think about is Charlie and the potential danger you pose
She wants you gone
Like now
But if the other Cullens like you guys then she can't really make you do anything
Would come around eventually though
She just needs proof that you guys are following rules
And I feel like she'd be more okay with it if you guys only hunted criminals
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tadhgoftheforest · 1 year ago
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Eddie shivered, goosebumps crawling up his skin. It started as a chill against the bottom of his spine, rolled up his back causing his muscles to tighten, and ended with his shoulders jerking tightly and the hairs standing up straight on the back of his neck. The melting snow on the roof had dripped down the back of his coat, sending a momentary shock to his system before the small amount of ice water had warmed to his body and absorbed into the multiple layers of clothing he'd bundled himself into. He was finishing up a smoke, standing halfway under the overhang at some guy's house party.
He'd never really been invited to many of these. Everyone had kinda always steered clear of him. First, because he had an extended weird puberty period of not quite fitting into what everyone else liked at the right period of time. Second, because he'd moved quickly from oddball weirdo to the most plain Jane, khaki colored, nondescript depiction of a humanoid, to rock'n'roll bad boy extraordinaire. He'd gone from being known and laughed at behind people's hands, to disappearing from their consciousness altogether, to making everyone wonder who the new loud and obnoxious transfer student was. No one seemed to recognize him. He didn't really think he'd changed all that much from mid middle school to freshman year, but if the way people talked about him was any indication, then he was an entirely new person.
Weighed down by all his insecurities and fears, he'd drawn a blanket of false bravado over his shoulders, attempted to mash together a witty class clown air with the skills of a charming smoothtalker. While he liked to think it worked, people seemed to take his words as sarcastic or patronizing based on the black clothes, leather, demonic imagery, and incessant use of the word 'fuck'. Then he'd had to pile 'pretender' onto the top of his insecurities he was hiding from. People had seen how he looked and immediately assumed he was up to no good and that he was involved in the darker things of life; for people his age, that meant underage access to booze and drugs—neither of which he actually had access to when he first started getting approached.
The first time it'd happened had been at a football game late in the season freshman year. He'd been standing in the bleachers, hands in his jacket pockets, watching Hawkins give a good fight against this prep school from Marion. Someone had shuffled up next to him, mirroring his stance. He thought they'd just come to watch the game.
"Hey," the guy had said towards him, nodding his head a bit, eyes looking everywhere but at Eddie.
Confused, he'd responded back with his own 'hey' before returning his gaze to the field.
"I'm lookin' for a good time," the guy had said, somewhat under his breath.
His heart had started tripping over itself in his chest. He'd felt himself tense up, terrified that he'd been found out. He'd barely come to the understanding that he liked guys and girls, so how could someone he not even know already know his most recent secret?
"Yeah?" he'd asked the guy, voice shaking, trying to find the quickest way through the crowd in front of him with his eyes so he could dodge the guy if things got messy.
"Yeah. Whatta you sellin'?"
Eddie felt relief flood through him, eyes fluttering shut as he took in a lungful of air. No one knew. He was safe. And then the words finished processing in his head. Selling? Oh God, he'd thought, the dude thought he was a drug dealer. A whole new sense of panic caused his heart rate to spike.
"Not tonight, I'm not," he'd eventually forced out. He didn't know what he wanted the guy to think. He just wanted to get the guy gone. He had no clue if saying he didn't sell was better or worse for staying alive. The guy easily had a foot and a buck twenty on him; there was no way he was going to survive a fight if he pissed this guy off.
"Bummer. You sellin' soon?" The guy didn't sound too upset, mostly just a little disappointed sounding.
"Maybe," he'd finally hedged, still trying to navigate how to best exit this alive and then to get the fuck away from the game.
"Cool. See you 'round."
=
Eddie's at some country club asshole's party and somehow finds himself sitting outside next to this guy that he quickly realizes he spent last summer crushing on—Scoops Hottie.
Find out how Eddie and Scoops Hottie meet at ao3
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kawia-renka · 2 years ago
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Hi, so for a request I was thinking of headcanons for Rantaro, Shuichi, Kokichi, Kiibo, and Kaede slowly developing a crush for the reader.
Sorry if it's a big amount of characters but please take your time, no need to pressure yourself. Again, sorry for the large amount of characters ^^", and have a nice night/day!
Shuichi, Kaede, Kiibo, Rantaro And Kokichi Slowly Developing A Crush On The Reader
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❝ Oh the v3 cast. I could talk about them all day (and I kinda do) uhhm anyway- I really love this request, thank you so much for requesting, dear 💗 I hope you have a wonderful day <3 ❞
Just saying, but... I wouldn't mind if someone requested the rest of the cast
Warning: request written by a person who had to search up what having a crush feels like 💀
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• For a detective... An ultimate detective, it takes him an embarrassingly long amount of time to notice. It would've been a lot easier if someone had spelt it out for him, but, alas...
• Your normal hangouts become much more worrisome for him. And he doesn't even know why he's so worried.
• After finally coming to the conclusion that he does have a crush on you, he calms down. A little.
• Then when he think of you two possible dating, the panic rises again.
• Not only does he struggle with believing in his detective skills, he also doesn't believe you'll like him back. You're friends, sure, but that doesn't mean you'll like him in that way. There's a difference between platonic and romantic feelings, and his definitely aren't only platonic.
• The reason why he's worried is because what if he does something wrong? What if he does something that'll make you not want to ever talk to him again? What if, by confessing his feelings, he'll ruin your friendship? But, then again, if he doesn't confess his feelings, you may eventually feel uncomfortable at the fact he's hidden his crush for so long...
• I don't know how to explain this, but before you two were good friends, he'd get flustered at any sort of touch /like hugs or holding hands. Once you got closer, Shuichi didn't worry about it as much, but when he realized he has a crush on you... Here we go again
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• Out of everyone here, she's the quickest to understand her feelings. <doesn't mean it's fast]
• It was just another one of your casual hangouts. Just two friends chilling. Sometimes you would get closer to Kaede.. Your fingers would brush against hers..
• Kaede couldn't keep herself from smiling like a (lovestruck) idiot. And when you thought of the idea to brush her hair-
• Your fingers gently running through her blonde hair, playing with it. She was on cloud nine, ready to pass out.
• It's not like she's a nervous person. Of course, everyone gets embarrassed or anxious about a social situation every once in a while. While she wasn't a super confident person either, there was a distinct difference in how she interacted with certain people. Which is why it was so strange, that when talking to you, someone so close to her, Kaede couldn't form a proper sentence.
• It only took a few more instances of her blushing while around you, to make her realize- oh! Oooooh...
• Now, with Kaede fully aware of her not-so-platonic feelings towards you, she became more anxious than ever.
• On one hand, she enjoyed the warm and fuzzy feeling she got from you. All the butterflies in her stomach, thanks to you, while scary were also exciting.
• But, on on the other hand, she valued your friendship. She didn't want to ruin it.
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• Probably the most confused out of all of them. 'Cuz you know... He is a robot-
• It all started one day, during yours and Kiibo's hangout. Normally, Kiibo's would be very happy to spend time with you, but this time he felt different. To be fair, he's been feeling that way for the past few weeks (if not months). But this time it was stronger than ever.
• Kiibo wasn't sure what person he shouldn go to. This seemed like a mechanical error (?), so Professor Idabashi it was then! Not only was he the creator of Kiibo he was also like his father figure of sorts. Surely, he would understand this situation!
• Kiibo walked out of the lab, as confused as he was when entering it. He thought of what the professor had said: butterflies in someone's stomach. He had come across that phrase several times, but never truly understood its meaning. It was like encountering an unknown word and guessing its meaning based on the context.
• While searching up the definition of it, Kiibo came across other symptoms (similar to his).
Stumbling over his words - check. Smiling at the sight or thought of you - check. Heart beating fastly- uhm, heart beeping fastly? - ...check
• Cool, and those are the symptoms of having a crush, coo- ⁉️
• Kiibo was excited. I mean, very excited. Also a bit nervous, but that's besides the point. Having a crush is just, so, exciting??
• Don't get me wrong, the boy is nervous x2, but the fact he could have a crush and on you. You're his closest friend, you don't care that he's a robot you simply like Kiibo for him. And the way you smile....
• Oh gosh, the butterflies are coming back..
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• Rantaro seems like the most chill person to have a crush. I mean, he's just- chill. Or, cool. Surely, having a crush isn't anything that would make him panic?
• Ahaha, you'd think so wouldn't you?
• Man is panicking. On the inside. Outside he seem calm and collected, but he's really not.
• People often think he looks like a playboy and therefore assume he is one. Rantaro may have gotten used to it by now, but it doesn't change the fact it's an unpleasant assumption. You however, knew Rantaro. You knew how caring he was. He felt comfortable around you and there was a clear difference in how he acted towards you.
• Having a crush makes him awkward around you. Previously casual activities like hugging make him blush if not flat out decline them. He apologizes for it, if it makes you upset, but explains he's just not in the mood today.
• While spending time together, you may find him staring at you, for just a little too long. When he notices you staring at him, he chuckles nervously and apologizes.
• Rantaro doesn't need any super romantic gestures, all he needs is a person who he can travel with.
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• It takes him a long time to develop a crush and an even longer time to acknowledge it, and the fact it won't go away very soon. So to say he develops a crush slowly is an understatement.
• Don't be surprised if it takes him months to finally notice this. How he always seems to be in a better mood when you're around, or how he enjoys teasing you and seeing that cute grumpy face you make. It's little things like those, that keep him awake at night. It's 3am and all he can think about is you. That's when he finally starts realizing his feelings.
• But despite this, Kokichi will hide it for as long as possible. He smiles because you're happy? Nah, it's cuz Miu just tripped. He gave you a gift? It's just some random thing he found laying around in his room. Which is kinda true, it was hidden there for weeks. One noticeable difference, however, is the fact he bought it specifically for you.
• And when he's fully aware of his feelings, Kokichi starts ignoring you for some time. Hoping, that his crush will go away and you could just go back to being friends.
• And when it doesn't go away, because obviously it doesn't, he slowly starts seeing you again. You know what? The weird mix of nervousness and excitement he gets near is you, is actually pretty nice. He could get used to it.
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snackzimmerman · 3 years ago
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They’ve got practice in about twenty minutes, and Dex can’t remember where he left his English paper. This wouldn’t normally be a huge issue, except that he has English right after he gets out for some godforsaken reason, so he doesn’t really have time to search for it. Curse his teacher for making them print every major assignment.
“Dex!” Nursey calls for what must be the fifth time in two minutes, clattering down the basement stairs. “Dude. You have to lead practice, like, stat.”
“Got that, Nurse,” Dex snaps back. “Just - go without me, okay? I’ll be there.”
Nursey gives him a look that says you’re not fooling anyone, which is the look Dex should be giving to him, seeing as he basically has the word chill emblazoned across his forehead at any given time. Still, he leaves, and that’s all Dex needs from him right now. He can’t exactly do what needs to be done with someone else in the room.
“Where’s my paper,” Dex asks the room at large, dry and impatient. Something pings at him in the back of his mind, and he turns to follow the ‘sound’, ducking underneath his desk and blinking in disbelief. His paper lies abandoned under a stack of books.
One challenge down.
“Okay,” Dex breathes, shoulders loosening as he jams it into his backpack, “quickest route to Faber.”
The pinging starts up again, and he follows it outside, trailing through back alleys and open stretches of grass, until he reaches the rink. Chowder raises his eyebrows in a way that surely means Nursey told me what’s happening, how did you make it here in eight minutes? Dex shrugs back at him. It’s - ugh - chill.
It’s not like he can say hey, I can magically find things without being carted off to an insane asylum - if they even still have those.
“Hey, Cap!” Tango chirps, which is very sweet and affirming, before inhaling in what is sure to precede a monologue of epic proportions. Dex subtly angles him toward Hops, who’s a lot more likely to actually listen than he is. The coward's way out will do for this morning.
“You about ready to lead?” Nursey asks lowly. “Didn’t want to start without you.”
The irritability Dex has gained from staying up too late the night before (for that damn paper!) melts somewhat. “Just about.”
His defense partner gives him a slight smile - the kind he might give to anyone - and sails away with a gentle pat on the back. It’s nice, Dex thinks, that he’s at the same level as everyone else is. Even at the same level of friendship as Chowder. He’s not that slightly-below point that he might have been even at the start of junior year.
Still, his mind itches with the instinct he’s forgotten something. Dex finds a quiet spot to lace up his skates and lets his power go to work.
“What do I need,” he whispers under his breath. “Right now, before I go lead my team.”
The pinging is stronger this time. That means he really does need this thing - more than just for the moment. By the way it blocks out the soft whoosh of the air conditioning, it might be one of the things he needs most.
Dex lifts his head, almost wincing as the pinging intensifies, and lets himself edge out onto the rink. He does slow circles himself as he orders them to start with a few idle laps, monitoring. Nursey and Chowder race each other instead of setting a good example for the new frogs, but that’s nothing new. Nothing he needs. Still, the noise gets louder as they get closer to him.
“I’m tooootally winning, C,” Nursey drawls, putting his hands behind his head in an effort to look unaffected, and Chowder gives him the slightest nudge as they pass Dex. Nursey flails too dramatically to keep him upright, tipping sideways. Distracted by the pinging, Dex takes the weight and goes down fast.
“Shit,” he grunts, wincing. There’s something warm on top of him. Something he’s pressed firmly into.
“Ow,” Nursey grumbles - Dex opens his eyes - oh, that’s Nursey’s chest right there, and his hand beneath Dex’s head to protect him, even though his helmet provides more cushioning - and the sharp sting of something akin to embarrassment rushes through him.
“Damn, Chowder,” Bully says in the background, amused. “You tried to assassinate the captain and our other best D-man.”
“I did not!” Chowder protests, skating closer. “Holy shit, guys, I’m so -”
“It’s chill, C,” Nursey waves it off. The weight leaves Dex’s front, and he lifts himself off the ground, brushing at his knees. “Dexy just couldn’t take the heat.”
“Shut the fuck up, Nursey,” Dex complains good naturedly, taking the proffered hand.
The pinging in his brain shuts up, suddenly and completely.
What do I need, he thinks again, spit rising to the forefront of his throat, and looks up at Nursey, who is and has been and always will be so clever - so irritating - so compassionate -
So pretty. Dex is fairly certain what he needs isn’t a romantic crisis.
Fuck.
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jessiebanethedragon · 3 years ago
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White Sands Warm the Cold Sea (pt8)
Summary: the reader, betrothed to a disgusting Coruscanti Lord flees her home world and lands herself in a plethora of trouble, a ship of clones, and one pirate captain whose cold exterior needs much more than the tropical seaside sun.
Chapter one
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Warnings: Swearing, takes place in time periods where women have dowery's and suchlike. The readers' dad and betrothed are asses.
Chapter Eight: The Alach Moon Dragon
“Excuse me!” You call out to the captain, sliding past your new companions quickly, hearing Tech chuckle behind you. When the captain ignores you, you call again.
“Excuse me!” You emphasize, getting ignored again as Hunter beelines to the side of the ship, when his intention to dump the small creature curling around his grasp becomes clear, you let go of ladylikeness all together.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” You shriek at him, and even the tiny thing perks it head up at your nerve. Behind you, Crosshair laughs. You straighten your posture and clasp your hands together delectly. The captain looks like you’ve shocked the anger out of his system.
“I would very much appreciate it if you were to not throw her overboard.” You state trying to make up for your language.
“I think we’re past pleasantries sweetheart.” Hunter grits out.
“You can say that again, sarge!” Wrecker gleefully calls.
“Thank you Wrecker.” Hunter says dryly. Before looking back at the mini-dragon again, and with a huff, he comes back towards you.
“I’m sorry.” you apologize for a number of things, and if you’re analyzing the interaction the way Tech is, you’d see his gaze soften for the quickest of moments.
“Give me one reason not to dump this thing overboard.” He says holding up his hand where he holds the creature by its scruff. And you see the details of his burn mark more closely, and you can’t make out what are clearly Aurebesh letters, but they look extensive and painful.
“She’s an innocent creature.” You argue, fully aware of the comparisons between the small dragon and yourself. “I’ll take her, she’ll leave the ship with me.”
“Fine.” He says eyeing your wrists when you go to take her in your hands. “The bracelet.” Hunter says with a nod towards the gold on your wrist. In the background you hear someone comment ‘oh for fucks sake Hunter.’ But you ignore them. Sliding the ornate jewelry off of your wrist, juggling with your feathered friend, you drop it into his palm.
“Consider it the fare for two passengers.” You tell him.
“Fine.” He says again, turning his back on you. “I don’t want to see that thing near my quarters.” He calls back, and Tech comes to place a reassuring hand on your shoulder.
“Is he referring to the dragon or me?” you inquire.
“I haven't the faintest clue.” Your goggled shipmate admits.
You’ve had your share of awkward meals, forced dinners and luncheons with various upper class pricks. The kind that requires scrunched nose smiles and usually involve your silence or small nods of agreement.
This dinner is decidedly a different kind of awkward, and it’s refreshing to know that the company you’re in feels even more awkward than yourself. You almost enjoy this newfound weirdness as you sit and munch on dried meat with the clones.
“Gonk really likes you, Little Aaray” Wrecker comments through bites of food. You smile genuinely at the lizard on your shoulder.
“I think she’s marvellous.” You say, never having seen anything like her.
“Perhaps she’s drawn to your likeness.” Tech says regarding you both with the curious look that never leaves his face.
“Yes, compare the lady to a spliced organism that's got patchy fur” Crosshair rolls his eyes at his younger brother, and Tech rolls his eyes at his brother's comment.
“I meant that they’re both females. And it’s got patchy feathers. Not fur.” He points out. And you huff out a contained giggle.
“Thank you for recognizing that Tech, even in my ruined attire I am indeed a female.” You shoot playfully at him. Having since put your door-stop-boot back on, you’re a little more put together but all in all, still a mess. So you abandon the food and begin to work the pins out of your hair. Gonk perks her head up at your actions with another ‘bloooorg” sounding noise. You reward her with a chin scratch and notice all the eyes on you.
“Do I look that bad?” You tease the speechless clones in front of you. Hunter huffs to himself, Tech apologizes and starts a conversation with Wrecker.
“I’ve seen better.” Crosshair teases, making you laugh.
“So have I, but you don't see me complaining.” You counter without thinking. Slapping a hand over your mouth at the words, how have you lost years of politeness in the span of just a few hours?
“I’m so sorry-” you start an apology to Crosshair as he glares at you. But Wreckers laugh cuts you off.
“Lighten up Cross’air!” He says elbowing him in the side. “She got you good!” he exclaims, and you catch a smile from Tech. You clear your throat and wonder how coruscanti men would’ve reacted to your cheek.
“Can I ask-?”
“No.” Hunter cuts you off, and you take this chance to take in how he looks. Not exactly relaxed but as close to relaxed as he gets. Laying back on the crates wrecker dragged over for chairs, one foot propped on the tallest tower of provisions. His hat covers his face and he leans back on his arms, so you’re only assuming he’s glaring when he interrupts you.
“Sorry.” you mumble picking your ‘food’ up again.
“Ignore him.” Tech says, earning him a side eye from under the hat. “Ask us what you’d like to know.”
“I just, well, I was wondering about…” You trail off and crack your knuckles again, such a bad habit you chide to yourself. Hunter raises an eyebrow as he watches you crack them. - almost impressed at the action.
“About our mutations right?” Tech finishes your sentence, and continues on before you get the chance to nod. “Well you’ve probably deduced by now that Wrecker is the muscle of our operations, whereas I've been gifted with a brilliant mind.” Crosshair scoffs again. “Bless you.” Tech responds without missing a beat. “He-” Tech points to his ashy haired brother, “has exceptional aim, blaster or otherwise, hence him catching you earlier. And Hunter, Hunter’s got enhanced senses, he can feel things before anyone or anything else.” You let out a small ‘oh’ at that. They’re all so different it’s hard to picture them being clones of anybody, much less clones of the same person.
“That’s all very impressive.” You tell him, receiving proud smiles from Wrecker and Tech.
“But what about you?” Crosshair asks, raising a brow.
“Me?” You say with a breath of surprise. “Nothing makes me special.” You brush hair away from the shoulder Gonk is resting on.
“Then why does Nython want you so bad?” You bristle at the name and the twinge of maliciousness in Crosshair's voice. You fumble and look at your feet, moving your hair around in your hands as another nervous habit.
You don’t see Hunter tilt his head so he can see you from under his hat. Nor do you see the soft gaze he regards you with.
“I don’t know.” You respond, finally looking back at Crosshair, “I simply do not know.”
A silence falls over the group that isn’t nearly as comfortable as before, and on the horizon the sun begins to set. Hunter is still watching you from under his hat, he’s still not sure what to make of you. What kind of woman throws her life away as a stowaway? And where did you get this serge of bravery? No matter how hard he tries to hate you for ending up on his ship, he can’t deny the respect you deserve or holding your own against his crew.
And maybe he enjoys how you stare at the sunset, that wondrous look of longing and small smile, like you’re properly seeing it for the first time.
Shit. sunset. They’ve all been sitting around for too long.
You jump as the captain moves, tearing your eyes away from the brilliance of orange and red in the sky. You see his long legs uncross and swing off the crates so he can stand up with a groan.
“Sit rep?” He asks the group, and unsurprisingly tech answers.
“I’ll double check our heading and direction, however, knowing the Corillian Run I suspect we can tie down the sails for the night.”
“Shall we collect our finest blankets for the Aaray over here?” Crosshair asks, he sounds a little sarcastic, but not sarcastic enough to make his comment completely a joke and not hurtful. But his question does make everyone look at you. Where are you going to sleep?
On your shoulder, Gonk doesn't like the eyes on her, and she scrunches her nose, bearing teeth at the crew. Your heart swells, you know she’s being protective of herself but you can’t help but feel like you’ve finally got someone on your side. Even if it is a tiny awkward Moon Dragon.
“There's a bed in the brig.” Hunter says, almost like he’s testing you, or trying to provoke you, or perhaps, both?
“I’m not that dull,” You tell him, “I’m not going back down there.”
“Shame.” He says plainly. You look to Tech for help, thinking that perhaps he is the most reasonable of them all, surrounding, the wind chills you, and you’re envious of the men in thick jackets.
“What about Echo-” Wrecker begins, after no one offering you a space to sleep, you think he took the moment to speak up.
“She’s not taking Echo’s space.” The captain says harshly, and you look up at him from the crate you sit on. “You can sleep on the deck for all I care.” And with that he turns sharply before stalking away to what you assume is the captain's quarters.
“Ignore him.” Tech says, eyeing his sergeant suspiciously. And you take notice of the crinkle that forms right where the brim of his goggles end and his forehead peaks through.
“I do not think ignoring him is advisable.” You chime in, enjoying the huff of approval you get from Crosshair.
“He’s not…” Tech stars, before sighing and putting his food down. “I’ll show you where you can sleep.”
Gonk makes a small movement when you rush to follow Tech, and you guess that whatever kind of creature she is, it is not one of many words- or rather sounds. And as the sun sets, she becomes more lively, hence the name ‘moon dragon.’ you suppose. And as tech leads you below decks to an area that you assume is their dwelling.
Four hammocks are tied in each corner, allowing for maximum space. You can tell that wreckers is the biggest one, embedded into the sturdiest looking post that has notches in it, what they’re counting you don’t know. By sense of deduction, you guess that the folded blankets and organized trunks belong to Tech, and that the disarray of bolts, cleaning rags, and a singular pillow and blanket belongs to crosshair.
That leaves the hammock furthest from the door, to the left is wreckers hammock, and to the right, Techs. You assume this one, which is empty save for a notebook, ink and quill, belongs to ‘Echo’.
“How did he die?” You ask as softly as possible. And tech, who has busied himself in a thickly bound book from his hammock looks up briefly.
“Who?” he asks, going back to the pages.
“Echo…?” you ask again. Bristling when he laughs and flips the book closed.
“He’s not dead,” Tech says, shaking his head, “although I've got no idea how. What made you think he was gone?” You haven't decided how you feel about the way Tech looks at you, like he’s analysing your mind, and every way you answer a question, or move, tells him more than you intend.
“The way the Captain reacted, the fact he’s not here with you…” you trail off looking around the room, and the way the hanging lanterns brush against the dark wood.
“Echo’s waiting for us at Alderaan, he was taken by the Techno Union during the war, and is, well, he’s different now.” he tells you as honestly as possible, while opening the crate by Echo’s spot and grabbing a blanket - mumbling about how it wasn’t properly folded.
“You said that about the captain as well.” You say with a thank you when Tech hands you the blanket.
“Just call him Hunter.” Tech exasperates, “Hunter is a complex man, not easily trusting nor tolerant of many people. He feels betrayed, we all do.”
“I’m sorry.” You say, and watch as he shrugs.
“It’s not your fault.” He tells you, before heading back out to the deck of the ship, leaving you to think about what exactly happened in those wartime days.
Hopping off your shoulder, Gonk climbs the side of the ship, her mismatched eyes and tiny feathers catching the light strangely. It makes you wonder if you’re just as strange to the clones as the Alach Moon Dragon was to yourself.
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floriwoo · 4 years ago
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what do you think dkbs kinks are? i have a feeling junseo has a lil size kinkkk 👀 also personally idm you writing for yuku (🍗)
anon,,,, this was a trip like i didn’t know i could be attracted to so many men all at once aaaaa. half of this is just me freaking out over them lmao.
again, i wrote these out more like headcanons instead of specific kink names, hope that’s okay! also i had to put it under the cut bc it was getting too long haha
e-chan
definitely a dom
he is So into shower sex. he loves how the warm water runs down your naked body, how the steam from the shower wraps around the two of you. and the fact that there’s no clean up afterward is a plus too!
king of denying you your orgasm. like this dude’s dream is spending hours between your legs, using his fingers and his mouth to get you so close but never letting you orgasm. when he finally does let you cum, he finds it so hot, because he knows he has complete control over your pleasure.
i mentioned this in my other post but he’d love laying you on your back and fucking your throat. seeing his cock slide into your mouth and leave a bulge in your neck turns him on immensely.
he’s the type to have you put a vibrator inside of you and keep the remote with him. he’d leave it off for most of the day, but just when you get comfortable, he’d turn it to the highest setting, almost making you cum right on the spot.
d1
i see him as a switch
okay but him on his knees for you, staring up with his big doe eyes valskfjhlfjhvjd
he likes being blindfolded when he subs!! it increases his sensitivity to your touch and makes things exciting bc he never knows what’s coming next. one second you could be kissing his neck and the next second he’d be whimpering from the shock of his dick in your mouth.
when he doms, he likes to have your face down ass up. he loves clutching a handful of your booty, and having you rock back and forth on his cock. when he’s close, he’ll pull out and cum all over your ass, asking to take a picture of his mess afterward for later usage.
he also loves quickies!!! he gets SO turned on if he has to cum quickly to avoid being late somewhere. he often cums the hardest during these times, since the stimulation on his dick is so sudden and overwhelming.
teo
switch/no power play
he’s so into worshipping your body, like he loves to take his time kissing and admiring every inch of you. he’s the type to suck on your nipples and trace his fingers along your hips, and every one of his touches is so gentle
similarly, he loves to praise you. he’s always letting you know how beautiful you are and how you make him feel good. definitely the type to chant “i love you” while he cums
one of his favorite things is having you between his legs, your back to his chest while he uses his fingers on you. he loves the way you moan for him and the way your hips jerk into his hand
when he’s more submissive he’s much whinier, begging for you to let him cum inside you. if you say yes, he’d repeat “thank you” so many times when he orgasms. if you say no, you’d get to hear the sweet sounds of his begging.
gk
switch w/ sub lean
i’m very biased bc i just want this man squirming under me adjfdghkl
but his more dominant nature can slip out when he decides to dirty talk. you guys could be out clothes shopping and you’d ask for his opinion on something and he’d lean in real close to your ear before whispering about how he wants to fuck you right there in a dressing room.
when he’s feeling subby, though, your voice is the one that’ll be making his knees weak. he loves when you talk dirty to him or tease him in public !! his favorite is when you put your hand on his thigh and start massaging the muscle. the close proximity of your hand to his cock while others are around drives him crazy.
he loves when you hold him by the waist. in fact, sometimes when he’s on top, he’ll let you grab his hips and guide his thrusts instead of moving himself. he likes how it feels as if you’re taking control of his body to use as you please.
heechan
dom
you cannot convince me that this guy isn’t into jealous/competitive/angry sex
i feel like he always has something to prove and that extends to the bedroom. he just wants to show you how good he can fuck you
and the idea of angry sex goes along with being a brat tamer. though he acts like he hates you disobeying him, it actually turns him on even more.
you touching yourself without his permission is the quickest way to piss him off, and he’ll bend you over his lap to spank you as punishment
please he’d be so good with his hips..... him rolling his hips into you at an excruciatingly slow pace, watching how deeply his cock enters you, waiting for you to beg him to go faster
lune
switch
an absolute tease. i can see him being into both orgasm denial and overstimulation (giving). he loves having you and your body under his control, and hearing the sweet sounds you make.
you and him just chilling on the couch while under a blanket around the other (legal) members. he’d place a hand on your stomach, slowly sliding it down before reaching under the waistband of your shorts. your head would whip around to look at him, but he’d just hold a finger up to his smirking lips to tell you to stay quiet as he touches you.
he’s such a brat when he subs though. he would go out of his way to disobey you just to see how much he can piss you off.
like you’d be riding him and tell him to let you know when he was about to cum. you’d keep bouncing on his cock and suddenly you feel his cum start to drip down your legs. looking down at his face, the expression you’d see was a mix of pleasure from his orgasm and from defying your orders.
junseo
no power play probs
i can see him having a size kink, but i think he just enjoys how much stronger he is than you. he likes being able to lift you up and bend you into any position he wants.
he LOVES blowjobs. i mean, all the guys like them but this dude LOVES them the most out of everyone. he really enjoys how your mouth feels around his dick, and he likes pulling out and cumming all over your chest.
he was honestly pretty nervous the first time he gave you head, because he was never quite sure if he was doing it correctly. kept asking you “is this okay?” and you had to give him some guidance. now he’s a pro and often offers to give you head in exchange for a blowjob.
he still can’t get over how hot you are when you cum, like he’s so amazed every single time you do it.
yuku
sub/no power play
mutual masturbation with him thoughwjkcbjskksjvjsksjxbxjsj
pushing him down into in a chair and telling him to show you how he pleases himself... him stroking his cock while you you touch yourself over your panties...the little groans he would let out...
another way you’d dominate him would be riding his thigh, but not letting him touch you. he’d be so hard, watching you run yourself over the fabric of his jeans, soaking them to the point where he could feel your juices on his skin
he’d whine for you to let him do something, but you’d just lean into his neck and whisper about how good you feel, just to get him even more worked up
another scenario i’m thinking about is like.... watching porn with him. you’d just randomly ask him to watch it with you and he’d be so shy but so turned on all at the same time. bonus points if you reach over to palm him over his pants while keeping your eyes on the screen. the way he’d move his hips to get more friction i’m-
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toosicktoocare · 4 years ago
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prompt:  i would literally commit a crime for a buddie sick fic in these trying times,,, i don’t even care what the specifics are just,, hngg buddie sickfic ❤️👄❤️ (big mood, anon)
(I got another anon that asked for Buck taking care of sick Eddie as well. I just lost the dang ask before I could post the fic.)
Ever since Maddie’s kidnapping, Buck cannot, for the life of him, sleep well. His subconscious is gripped in a muted fear, keeping him trapped in interrupted, light slumbers. Maddie and everyone at the 118 pester him regularly about it, giving him various options to help with sleep, but he’s afraid of the foggy mind that comes with over-the-counter medication, so he convinces himself he can run on low fumes, boosting with caffeine as needed because a tired mind is still a clear mind, albeit a little slower.
When his phone rings at 2:07 a.m., Buck jerks awake, mind previously edging the line of a dream, and he fumbles blindly for his phone, squinting at the light to see “Eddie Diaz” flashing across his screen.
His stomach bottoms out, and he presses answer and swings his legs over the bed, feeling cold with fear. “Eddie? What’s wrong?” He can hear crying on the other end, and he balances the phone between his ear and shoulder as he kicks around in the dark for his abandons shorts. “Eddie!”
“Hey, sorry. One sec.”
Eddie sounds panicked, Buck thinks, taking the steps down to the first floor two at a time. He can hear Eddie trying to reassure Christopher that everything’s going to be okay in the background, and he pauses, briefly gripped in a paralyzing fear, briefly brought back to the tsunami, to losing Christopher.
“Look, I’m sorry for calling so late. Chris has been sick since the end of my shift, and I just can’t get his fever down. With his CP... I’m taking him to the ER.”
Buck’s half out the door, shoes barely on his feet, when he realizes he’s still shirtless. He snags an LAFD zip-up off the back of a chair and stumbles back to the door, arms sliding into the jacket. “What hospital?”
“I... I didn’t even ask. You’ll come?”
“Of course I’ll come,” Buck spits out, already out the door and taking the steps out of his apartment building two at a time. “What hospital?” He repeats as he runs out of the building and all but rips his jeep door open. He nods absently when Eddie rattles off the details, mentally mapping out the quickest route.
“I’ll be there in ten.”
“Be careful.”
Buck rolls his eyes because of course Eddie is going to still worry for his well-being, and he ends the call and peels out of his parking spot.
***
“Hi,” Buck starts, breathless, heart trying to catch up to the rest of him, “my name is Evan Buckley, and I’m looking for a young kid. Christopher-”
“Buck.”
Buck whips around from the receptionist desk to see Eddie slipping out a set of large double doors, and for a moment, he doesn’t move, he only assesses. Eddie’s pale, which, Buck thinks, is to be expected if he’s been up in a near-constant state of worry after a 16-hour shift. His cheeks are red, and Buck’s quick to peg it on exertion, on Eddie racing into the hospital with Christopher, his own heart also working to match the rest of him. And, he’s shaking, and Buck knows cold nerves all too well, still feeling chilled himself.
His eyes fall to Eddie’s, and then he crosses the room to him quickly and gathers him in his arms tightly. Eddie slumps against his chest, and Buck tightens his arms around him.
“How’s Chris?”
Eddie lingers for a moment, clinging to Buck, before he pulls away with a low sigh. “He’s okay. Just a persistent virus.”
Buck nods, a frown playing at his lips. Without Eddie’s body flush against him, he feels colder than normal, and on instinct, he smooths the back of his hand to Eddie’s forehead, lingering there before moving to cup Eddie’s neck.
“You sure he’s the only one with a virus? You’re really warm.”
“I...” Eddie sighs, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ve been feeling a little off, but Chris...”
“Right, where is he?”
Eddie leads Buck to Christopher’s room, and as soon as he steps in, Christopher’s face lights up in such a way that Buck’s steps falter.
“Buck!”
Though sounding a little weak, the contagious energy is still centerfold, and Buck leans toward it, finding his footing and matching Christopher’s smile with his own.
“Hey, buddy! Heard you aren’t feeling so hot.” Buck eases himself onto the edge of the hospital bed, staring at Christopher’s vitals for an extended moment before turning toward him, assessing the same way he assessed Eddie.
“Yeah, I feel bad.”
A sympathetic frown pulling at his lips, Buck spares a glance to see Eddie flopping down onto a chair pulled to Christopher’s bedside. “I bet you do, but you’re going to feel better in no time. You’ve got the Diaz genes.”
“And daddy will feel better too?”
Buck finds Eddie’s eyes, and he opens his mouth to speak, stopping when Eddie shoots him a very clear look that all but screams “don’t.”
“I’m sure your dad will feel a lot better when you’re better.”
“That’s good,” Christopher mumbles, and Buck nods, patting Christopher’s leg.
***
Buck’s carefully quiet as Eddie putters around his house, watching as Eddie measures out Christopher’s medicine, as he hovers over Christopher until he falls asleep, and he only intervenes when he’s sure Eddie can breathe deeply without the fear that Christopher is going to take a turn for the worse.
“He’s finally asleep,” Eddie mutters, coughing into his fist. “All dosed up, fever’s finally down. I’ll contact his school in a few hours before my shift; see if Carla can take him for a the full day.”
“You aren’t going in.”
Eddie stops around a yawn. “What?”
“I texted Bobby. He’s pulling coverage for the next few days so you can rest.” Buck can pinpoint every emotion that flicks across Eddie’s face: confusion, frustration, exhaustion. He’s seen them all, sometimes daily.
“Buck-”
“Eddie, you have a fever. You’re exhausted, and you are only going to get worse if you go on three hours of sleep.”
“Since when did you become the responsible one?” Eddie sighs lowly, and Buck laughs, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“It’s my week to be responsible. You had it last week.”
Eddie hums around a small smile and rubs at the ache on his forehead. “I really appreciate you coming, Buck. I don’t think... I just... It was really nice to have you there.”
Buck gets to his feet, and, for the second time that night, crosses the room and pulls Eddie right to his chest, hoping that he can ease some of the worrying pressure, even if just for a moment.
Eddie snuggles into him, frowning as he thumbs Buck’s bare chest, exposed where his zipper’s slipped down a little.
“Where’s your shirt?”
“Ah, I kinda forgot one when I rushed out.” Buck smiles sheepishly when Eddie pulls back, and he cups a hand to Eddie’s cheek, too warm for his liking.
“Okay, Diaz, it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
Buck snags Eddie’s hand and guides him to the bedroom, ignoring Eddie’s questions the whole way. He makes easy work of tugging Eddie’s jacket and jeans off, and he urges him into the bed in nothing but a short sleeve under shirt and boxers.
“Buck-”
Buck disappears into the bathroom, still promptly ignoring Eddie, and he comes back with a glass of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a thermometer.
“Buck, I’m fine.”
“Mmhmm, sure. Open.” Buck waves the thermometer in front of Eddie’s face until Eddie sighs and opens his mouth wide enough for Buck to slip the thermometer under his tongue. While waiting, he presses two fingers to Eddie’s neck, counting the flutter of heartbeats beneath his finger prints until the thermometer beeps.
“101.7,” Buck reads aloud, frowning. “Heartbeat’s a little fast. Any other symptoms?”
Eddie gives him a knowing look, but Buck doesn’t back down, matching Eddie’s narrow gaze until Eddie caves.
“My head and throat hurt. I’m freezing, and I’m tired.”
Nodding, Buck tugs at the blankets until they are covering Eddie up to his chest. He shakes a couple of pills into his hand, offering them to Eddie with the water.
“Seems like you definitely got Christopher’s virus.”
“Perks of parenting,” Eddie mutters around a wince, the pills grating against his throat. He hands off the cup, sighing contentedly when Buck smooths a cool palm to his forehead.
“You should save yourself. This thing apparently moves fast.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Eddie grabs Buck’s wrist and pulls his hand away, a tight frown on his lips.
“Buck, you have a shift in a few hours. You need-”
“Bobby took me off the schedule, too. At least for today. I’ve been instructed to call him later to update him on how you and Christopher are.”
“And you agreed?”
“Someone has to make sure you and Chris are okay,” Buck says as if it’s the most obvious thing and the world and equally the easiest decision he’s ever made, and Eddie shakes his head.
“No, Buck, you really don’t have to... What are you doing?”
Buck’s just kicked his shorts off across the room, and he’s setting an alarm on his phone as he crawls into the empty side of the bed.
“Okay, I’ve got an alarm set for 6 to check Christopher’s temperature, and I’ll wake you at 7 to check you over.”
“Buck-”
Ignoring Eddie, Buck drops his phone on the night stand and cuts out the light, snuggling into the bed with a low sigh.
“Evan.”
“Shh,” Buck shushes, patting blindly until his palm cups over Eddie’s mouth. “I’m sleeping.”
“You’ll get sick.” Eddie mumbles, slapping Buck’s hand away. 
“Okay? I don’t know if you remember, but I got a clean bill of health from the hospital, so bring it.”
“You’re so dumb,” Eddie sighs, and Buck laughs, blindly reaching around to pat Eddie’s too-warm cheek.
“Sleep, loser.”
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tripleaxeldiaz · 4 years ago
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maybe one day i’ll fly next to you
chapter 3/8
read on ao3
start from the beginning
The two weeks before Skate America breeze by, every hour filled with skating or conditioning or trying not to creep on message boards to see what people are predicting for the season. Buck feels good, the best he’s ever felt this early on. He tries to reign it in, that voice in his head reminding him that he could still lose it all at any moment, but it’s muffled and quiet and easy to ignore.
He’s also been seeing more of Eddie, now that he knows he’s not the douchebag he always assumed he was. They condition together, watch each other's jumping passes and offer tips, even take their lunch break together, talking about everything skating and some non skating things too. It’s easy and nice and the best parts of Buck’s days, if he’s honest. He maybe always thinks about talking to Eddie, picking his brain for his thoughts on various skaters’ programs, watching him laugh with his whole body at some snarky comment Buck makes about someone’s horrible choice in costume. Buck likes the way he laughs, likes the way he feels a little warmer when he makes him laugh.
He should have known this brief bubble of happiness would be popped sooner rather than later.
The day before they leave, he and Maddie get an email — an email — from their mother, inviting them to dinner while they’re in town for the competition. To say Buck’s surprised would be an understatement.
“How’d they even find out it’s in Reading this year? Did you tell them?”
Maddie rolls her eyes, stabbing her salad with a little more force than necessary. “I haven’t spoken to them in longer than you have, so no. They’ve probably seen ads or something.”
“We could lie, tell them Bobby’s really strict about non-skating things during competitions?”
“Sure, but then they might just call Bobby on their own and blow our whole cover.”
“We could tell them we’re sick? Food poisoning? Then miraculously get better?”
“If that didn’t work when you tried to get out of taking your SAT, I don’t think it’ll work this time, either.”
“I wasn’t even planning on going to college, why did I—” Buck huffs as Maddie shakes her head at him sympathetically.
There’s really no way for them to get out of this.
The thing is, their parents aren’t bad people — a doctor and a PR manager who are on every non-profit board in the county, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and donate plenty of money to plenty of charities. As parents, though, they somehow manage an interesting balance of using their children’s successes for their own bragging rights and making them feel like they’re always just shy of good enough. They supported them growing up, sure, paid their way through lessons and competitions before endorsements started coming in, but it always felt like it was serving their own clout more than helping Buck and Maddie follow their dreams. When they moved out to LA, it was easy to distance themselves, rescheduling calls indefinitely until their parents eventually just stopped trying. 
The last time Buck talked to them was right after his leg surgery — they called under the guise of “checking in on him”, but spent most of the call figuring out the quickest way to get him back to practice, offering to pay for extra surgeries and PT to speed up the process. He’s sure they thought they were helping, but it felt more like they were eager for him to get back to winning medals so they could tell their friends about it. 
As much as he loves to win, it’s not the same when someone else is pushing you more than you’re pushing yourself. 
He sighs again, slumping down in his chair. He hadn’t been nervous at all about Skate America, but now the itch of self doubt has made a home right under his skin, and it wasn’t even for a skating reason. Maddie reaches across the table to grab his wrist, squeezing lightly. 
“It’ll be two hours max, then we’ll make an excuse about early practice and leave. It won’t be that bad.”
Buck nods, turning back to his lunch, suddenly not hungry as his stomach continues to churn.
~~~~~~~~~~
He didn’t expect to get this nostalgic, but the familiar drive toward Reading and the Sovereign Center (Santander Arena now, because capitalism is a prison) fills him with jittery excitement and a weird sense of calm, just like it did when he was a kid competing in the regional circuit. The arena was a palace compared to their rink in Hershey, and it always made him want to skate well enough to be worthy of the ice there. It’s where he won his first medal ever, his first gold, his first trip to Nationals, and would hopefully now serve as a stepping stone once again, this time leading him towards Beijing.
Eddie’s lounging on his bed, shirtless and flipping channels, when Buck gets to their room. It wasn’t a surprise this time — they’d requested to room together anyway — but seeing Eddie like this, soft and relaxed and somehow at home in a hotel room, makes Buck’s heart flip a little bit. 
Buck’s heart has been flipping a lot around Eddie, and making him think about stupid things like kissing him and how his abs would feel under his fingertips and how he’d prefer his eggs in the morning. It’s taking up a lot of real estate in his brain, and it’s going to get even worse now that they’re sleeping 10 feet away from each other, he’s sure.
That doesn’t stop him from sneaking glances at Eddie while he unpacks. Just to get it out of his system so he can focus. 
It’s fine.
He can totally handle this.
~~~~~~~~~~
Skata America is a much bigger deal than ACI — more cameras, more interviews, more people watching in the stands and on TV. That should mean it’s all more intimidating, too, but Buck is thriving under the lights and camera lenses. This will be the first real chance to show people — not just skating people, but everyone — what he can do, and the anticipation of how it will be received buzzes through him constantly. That buzz practically dictates his every move through practices and his short, finally ceasing as he hits his final pose. It’s quickly replaced by elation — he knows he nailed everything, he knows the resounding applause is deserved.
He knows he’s in first place before they even announce his score.
When they do, he’s right, and he’s thrilled, but there’s also a pang of disappointment, because the margin is tight — only three points between him and Eddie in second. Bobby hands him his protocols in the green room, and his stomach clenches when he sees that his step sequence and his sit spin were downgraded to level threes. His brain starts spinning, mentally combing through every revolution and edge to figure out where the hell he fucked up, when he feels a warm, solid hand on his shoulder. He looks up and sees Eddie, but instead of pity like he expected (or gloating like he feared), he just sees understanding in his eyes, maybe even a hint of the same irritation he’s feeling.
“They screwed me over too, my camel should have had a plus three GOE at least.” Eddie says, squeezing Buck’s shoulder. Somehow, he’s already feeling better.
“I bet it was the French judge, he’s always been a conniving bastard.”
“We could take him out, we have time before tomorrow.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Buck says, as Eddie offers his hand and pulls him up to stand. He tries not to miss the warmth when he lets go.
“For what it’s worth,” Eddie says quietly as they make their way around skaters and coaches in the hallway toward the press room, “I think you should be at least 10 points ahead, if not more. You were something else out there.”
Buck can’t make his brain come up with a proper response by the time they take their seats on the makeshift stage in front of the reports, so all he can do is smile and hope it comes across as totally chill and not as dopey as it feels.
Eddie smiles back, and Buck thinks he’s beautiful.
The presser goes just as expected — a few questions lobbed at the Candian skater currently in third, more for Buck since he’s in first, but the most still go to Eddie. Being the favorite for Olympic gold doesn’t go away after half a competition, and the reporters are rabid as ever. Buck’s seen Eddie’s press routine — the humble charm and gracious smiles, cracking jokes like he’s talking to friends and not a bunch of strangers with tape recorders. He’d spent years mentally rolling his eyes at what he thought was the fakeness of it all, but after getting closer to Eddie, he knows that’s just how Eddie is. Kind and patient, actively listening to what people are saying, taking his time to form thoughtful answers. 
But whatever’s happening now is not the Eddie he knows — his laughs are forced and almost too loud, his smile is tight and boarding on a grimace. He keeps fidgeting with his credentials and the sleeve of his Team USA zip-up, eyes darting around like he’s charting his path to get out of the room as fast as possible once they’re done. 
He’s nervous. Buck doesn’t think he’s ever seen him nervous, at least not like this, and it’s honestly a little unsettling. So much so that all Buck wants to do is fix it, bring the light back to Eddie’s eyes, bleed the tension out of his shoulders.
There’s probably not an easy way to do that while answering questions about his performance.
He waits until he sees the “wrap it up” signal from the event worker off to the side, the next reporter giving one last question to the Canadian skater. He doesn’t think about it too hard, just stretches his leg a little to the right, slowly, until he and Eddie are ankle to ankle. It’s not much, but Eddie still looks over at him, first confused and then grateful, a small, real smile on his face, his shoulders falling away from his ears.
Eddie’s quiet on the ride back to the hotel, but he looks calmer, listening to everyone else talk about their events and what could happen tomorrow during free skates. He’s still jittery though, leg bouncing as he sits next to Buck on the bus. Whatever was bothering him during interviews is clearly still lingering, and Buck has to fight the urge to reach out and calm his shaking with a hand on his knee. 
They make it back to their room, door barely clicking in place behind them, before Buck breaks.
“Are you okay?” he asks. Eddie freezes in front of him, half turned around like he was about to ask Buck something before he steamrolled over him. “You seemed stressed during the presser and on the ride back, and I just...wanted to make sure you’re good.”
Eddie looks stunned for a second before letting out a breath, hand rubbing over his face. “I knew this would happen, you know? The extra attention. It happened after Pyeongchang and the bronze medal, but it died down eventually. I thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare for it again, I guess.” He shakes his head, hand falling to his side as he shrugs his shoulders helplessly. “Today was just a lot.”
Buck nods, patting Eddie’s arm in understanding because he gets it. Most of the time he basks in any form of attention, but some days the lights are too hot and the voices are too loud and faking a smile through it is impossible. The one Buck sees now is real though, he knows it, and he’s happy to see Eddie relaxing now that they’re away from the vultures.
“Well, lucky for you, I’ll be out of your hair tonight, so you’ll have plenty of time to yourself,” Buck says, crossing the room to his bed, digging through his bag for his dinner clothes.
“Where are you going?” Eddie asks, and when Buck looks back at him as he heads to the bathroom to change, he swears he looks disappointed, briefly, before it shifts to confusion. “We don’t have any team stuff tonight, right?”
“Nah, Maddie and I got suckered into dinner with our parents.”
“Are Buckley family dinners always black tie affairs?” he asks when Buck comes back in slacks and a white button down, struggling to knot his tie. 
“No, but they told us to dress nicely, so we’re probably going to some fancy restaurant downtown. Knowing them, we’ll also be dragged to some party one of their friends is having that’s conveniently close by.”
He groans in frustration when his tie comes out crooked again, and Eddie laughs, taking pity on him and coming to do it himself. Buck tries to keep cool, willing his cheeks not to turn red, but it’s hard when he can feel Eddie’s breath on his chin, feel his fingers run across his collarbones, and he’s so close, if he just leaned in— 
“Sounds like it wouldn’t be the first time.”
Buck sighs through his nose. “I love my parents, they’re just...better from a distance.”
Eddie winces in what looks like sympathy, smoothing Buck’s tie and the front of his shirt as he finishes. Buck misses the motion as soon as it’s gone.
“Maybe they’ll prove you wrong this time,” Eddie says.
Buck rolls his eyes at that, but can’t help a small part of him desperately hoping that Eddie will be right.
~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie is so wrong.
Not only is there a party, it’s a party at their parent’s house, which is in full swing by the time Buck and Maddie pull up in their Lyft. Their mother opens the door, hair up, dress immaculate, lipstick-stained wine glass perched precariously in her hand.
“Evan! Maddie! Come in, so glad you could join us!” She kisses both their cheeks and hugs them quickly before taking their hands and dragging them deeper into the house. There are people everywhere, some faces Buck remembers and some new ones. There are waiters milling around too, passing bacon wrapped figs and mini bruschetta, and Buck feels his stomach rumble.
“So I guess we’re not doing dinner, huh Mom?” Buck asks, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. Judging by the look Maddie gives him, he’s not doing a great job.
Their mother, of course, doesn’t bat an eye. “Sorry, sweetheart. We didn’t realize we were double booked, and we’d already moved this party once. There’s plenty of food in the kitchen though, you can eat after I’ve introduced you to some people. Everyone’s so excited to hear about how you’re doing. Philip, there you are!” Buck spots his father too, a head above the crowd, tie loose and cheeks flushed. He shakes Buck’s hand firmly, kisses Maddie on the top of her head, and is gone in an instant when someone beckons him towards the bar set up on the back wall of the living room.
“Nice to see you, too. We’re doing fine, thanks for asking!” Buck says under his breath before their mother is whisking them away again. 
They spend the next hour flitting between couples — the Whiteheads, the Culls, the Carters, and a bunch of others he can’t differentiate — getting whiplash from their mother’s flipping between actual praise and backhanded compliments.
“Evan’s one of the top skaters in the country, though not as highly ranked as he was before his accident. We’re hoping he’ll be back up there by the time the Olympics roll around so he’ll make the team.”
“Maddie’s been with her partner for about three years now, right darling? They don’t have as many golds as she had with Doug, but they do skate well together.”
“Yes, that skater from Japan is very good Rebecca, you’re right! Evan, do you know him? Maybe he can give you some pointers about your edges going into your spins? I know you struggle with those.”
On and on and on, Buck and Maddie barely able to get a word in. They see their father only a few times, and each time he’s gone as quickly as he comes, pulled away by colleagues or board members or whoever it is they’re entertaining tonight. Buck is exhausted, and not just because it’s been a long day already, but from having to keep up the good natured laughs and graciousness when he doesn’t even feel like a person. He feels more like a trophy, being shuttled from room to room to be admired for a while before being shoved into a closet where no one can see you. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen — their parents will tout them around for the night, send them back to the hotel, and not speak to them again until they need something.
Buck really forgot just how small this big house can make him feel.
Eventually, he breaks away, making an excuse about needing the restroom before quietly sneaking up the back staircase to the second floor. Maddie finds him 15 minutes later, sliding down to sit next to him in the guest room closet.
“Old habits die hard, I guess,” she says, and Buck smiles weakly. He hid in here a lot when he was a kid, sometimes with Maddie and sometimes alone. When it was all too much — the pressure from their parents or his coach or himself — this is where he came to quiet his brain. The darkness and the smell of the cedar chest full of their mother’s old sweaters was comforting, and it wrapped around him like a blanket until he could breathe again. 
“None of their habits have died, that’s for sure,” he says. “Is it sad that I thought they would?”
“It’s not sad to hope for better. It’s just hard when all that hope is for nothing.”
Buck sighs, head thumping against the wall. Maddie threads her arm through his and rests her head on his shoulder. They sit like that for a while, quiet, both in their own heads, though he’s sure Maddie is thinking about and wishing for the same things he is. 
He shifts eventually, head resting on top of hers. “Can we go yet? We could probably sneak out the back door. If they haven’t come looking for us yet, they definitely won’t notice.”
“Should we just go back to the hotel? It’s only 8:30.”
“What else are we gonna do?”
Maddie types furiously on her phone for a minute. “Chim, Hen, and May are down to hang out. And WhirlyDome is open until midnight.”
“That place is still around?”
“Apparently, and they have half price appetizers after 9.”
The thought of mozzarella sticks and onion rings makes his stomach growl loudly again. “Alright, let’s do it. But I’m inviting Eddie too.”
Maddie just smirks at him, getting up and out of the closet before he has a chance to ask what the look was for. 
It would just be rude not to invite him.
And maybe part of Buck wishes he had stayed in with Eddie tonight from the start.
[to: Eddie] tonight sucked. we’re going to play whirlyball and eat fried food. u in?
[from: Eddie] ????? What the hell is whirlyball?
[to: Eddie] omg now u HAVE to come. meet us here in half an hour
He sends the address and does not smile like an idiot when Eddie says he’ll see him soon.
~~~~~~~~~~
“So it’s...bumper cars?”
“Bumper cars plus lacrosse plus basketball, kind of. It’s super fun and only a little dangerous.”
“Can I watch for a bit first?”
“Sorry Eds, first timers have to play. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
Eddie still looks skeptical as they get ready for the next game, carefully sitting in the car and picking up his scoop. 
A bell rings and the cars come to life, rumbling around the room as everyone starts scrambling for the ball. It takes about 30 seconds for Eddie to get the hang of steering, and by the end of the first game, no one would ever guess he’d never played before. He leads their team to three victories in a row, laughing and cheering loudly along with everyone else, like he hadn’t been overwhelmed with anxiety just a few hours earlier. Something warms in Buck at the thought that he helped with that smile, and it’s a feeling he thinks he could get used to, a job he wouldn’t mind having if it meant Eddie was this happy more often than not.
Despite it all — despite good friends and good food and the feeling of Eddie’s shoulder pressed against his, Buck still feels the tendrils of doubt and panic floating around him. They’re bad enough during competitions normally, but pair them with what happened at his parents’ house — being reminded of how he’ll never live up to their lofty image of him, even if he does make it to Beijing — and everything just feels dark and cold, and he doesn’t think his lungs are working properly. He leaves the table, says he’s going to the bathroom, but ends up outside instead. WhirlyDome is in the older half of a shopping center in downtown Hershey, and the outside has been renovated since he was last here, now featuring an elaborate fountain surrounded by benches and newly paved pathways to the other stores. He sinks down on the nearest bench, the cool October air grounding him, making it easier to think, easier to try and smash down all these swirling emotions he’s trying not to feel.
Eddie finds him there, sits down next to him on the bench without saying anything. They stay in companionable silence, watching the fountain dance and the people bustle back and forth across the plaza, getting last minute shopping in before the stores close.
“I’m sorry dinner sucked,” Eddie says eventually, quiet and sincere. 
Buck shrugs. “I knew it would. Just got my hopes up too high that things would be different.”
Eddie nods, eyes drifting back to the fountain. Now that they’re alone and the excitement from the games is gone, he can see the slightly weary lines of Eddie’s shoulders, see how he’s still curling in on himself, like he’s trying to escape into his own body.
“How are you?” Buck asks, knocking his knee against Eddie’s gently. “I know this isn’t exactly a quiet night in.”
“I’m alright. Better than I would be, thanks to you.”
“What did I do?”
Eddie’s staring at the ground, but his cheeks are flushing pink, and Buck wants to reach out and feel the heat of them under his fingertips.
“You were there,” he says. “I’m usually alone when I start feeling like that, and nothing makes it better. But I wasn’t alone this time.”
I don’t want you to be alone, Buck thinks, and these thoughts he’s been having — about Eddie, about being with Eddie — are getting louder and louder and harder to ignore. Especially now, when it’s just the two of them, and Eddie’s eyes are sparkling like gems under the street lights. 
It’s almost hilarious that barely six weeks ago, and for 10 very long years, he could hardly stand the sight of him.
Eddie finally looks up from the ground, facing Buck, and they’re so much closer than he thought they were. He can count every eyelash, smell his cologne, watch his eyes trace over Buck’s face, from his eye to his lips and back again.
Buck doesn’t even realize he’s leaning in until his vision starts to blur, and he stops short. He tries to move back slowly, casually, but then firm hands are cupping his jaw, pulling him forward until soft lips meet his own. There’s no fireworks, no angels singing, just warm molasses in his veins, spreading to every part of him until he’s so warm he’s certain he must be glowing. His hands twist into Eddie’s jacket, pulling him as close as possible until he’s practically in his lap. They move to his shirt, feeling the abs he’s been thinking about for weeks now, and he almost melts right to the ground at the sound Eddie sighs into his mouth. 
He’s not sure how long they kiss, but it doesn’t feel like long enough by the time they come up for air. He doesn’t go far, still close enough to feel Eddie’s breath fan across his lips, but he’s not sure what to do now. He wants to know what this means (if it means anything at all), he wants to know what Eddie’s thinking, he wants to memorize the way Eddie tastes and feel his abs for real.
His phone buzzes in his pocket, making them both jump. It’s a text from Maddie, telling him they’re car is here and asking where the hell they went. He looks back at Eddie, still so close, and swallows down the urge to kiss him again and tell his friends to leave them here.
“We should— we have to go,” he says, gesturing toward the parking lot. Eddie’s eyes are flitting over his face again, unreadable but still bright. He nods finally, standing up and offering his hand to Buck. He can’t fight the smile or the blush that he feels, so he doesn’t, taking Eddie’s hand to help him stand. They stay put for a minute, until Eddie squeezes his hand and drops it, smiling that soft smile again as he turns away. 
Buck smiles himself, still full of warmth and lips still tingling, before following Eddie to the car.
~~~~~~~~~~
The ride back is quiet, everyone tired and settling back into the competition mindset they were able to let go of for a few hours. Buck feels it too, already running step sequences in his head again, but he keeps getting distracted. Eddie’s sitting next to him in the back seat of the Lyft, head tipped back and eyes closed, looking at peace for the first time all day. Buck tries to stop, tries to keep his focus, but his eyes keep drifting back to Eddie’s jaw, the cut of his cheekbones, the stubble shadowing his cheeks. It’s hard to remember what edges he’s supposed to hit tomorrow when he keeps thinking about how that stubble felt under his lips.
They silently make their way back to their room, and Buck knows they need to talk. He’s trying to figure out where the hell to start as he turns on the light in the small entryway, illuminating everything in a light that feels too harsh for whatever is currently simmering between them. Eddie’s right behind him when he turns around, looking just as unsure as Buck feels. It’s comforting, them being on the same page, but Buck hates that he’s responsible for making Eddie feel like this.
He can’t figure out where to start, mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tries to figure out what to say. Eddie takes pity on him eventually, reaching for his hand again.
“Let’s talk tomorrow?” he asks. “After free skates.”
It’s an out that Buck is more than willing to take. Not that he doesn’t want to talk, he just...can’t. Not right now. So he nods, squeezing Eddie’s hand in thanks. He goes to pull away, but Eddie’s grip stays firm.
“It wasn’t nothing to me,” he says, tilting his head until Buck meets his eye. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing or what it meant for you, but it was something for me.”
Buck’s doesn’t know what to do with that, either. He wants to kiss Eddie again and he wants to run far away from him and he wants to skate, but he can’t until the morning. So he just nods again, and it seems to be enough. Eddie nods back, finally dropping his hand as he heads into the bathroom and shuts the door. 
Buck doesn’t bother waiting for his turn, just strips out of his dress clothes and crawls into bed. He falls asleep fast, dreams of brown eyes and triple axels — taking off, rising, and falling, falling, falling…
~~~~~~~~~~
He knows he’s falling before his ass hits the ice.
It was inevitably, really — he felt like he was fighting himself through the entire program, trying to keep it from completely unraveling. He knows that to anyone else, any casual fan and even some analysts, he looked good, strong, put together right until the end. But he knows that this isn’t his best. And this fall is definitely going to cost him.
He recovers quickly, finishing the rest of the program as close to perfectly as he can manage. He smiles and bows, waves to his friends in the stands, tries to pretend like he’s okay with knowing that he’s definitely not winning this gold. 
It’s his own fault. He’d let his parents worm their way into his brain again, amplifying the self doubt that was already lingering, making him second guess every move, even the things he knows are good. Pair that with the fact that he can’t stop thinking about Eddie — not just the kiss, but his smile as he took the ice, his effortless jumps — and it was a miracle he only fell once.
He takes silver, four points behind Eddie’s gold. The fact that it was that fall that did him in stings worse than anything.
At the medal ceremony, he catches Eddie’s eye for the first time all day on the podium, and surprises himself with the genuine smile he gives him. It’s certainly not Eddie’s fault, what happened today — he didn’t ask to take up most of Buck’s thoughts, Buck let that happen. And if he keeps letting it happen, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to skate clean again.
He knows they still need to talk, and he knows exactly what he needs to say, but he really doesn’t want to say it. 
Luckily, he doesn’t have to say anything right away. Eddie disappears after the presser and doesn’t join him and May in the stands for the free dance. Buck tries to ignore the empty seat next to him, but it’s harder than usual.
They have a late flight back to LA, and Eddie’s already packed but the time Buck makes it back to the room. They stand across from each other in the entryway, just like last night, but the tension in the air feels wary under Buck’s skin instead of hopeful.
“You were amazing today,” Buck blurts out, not at all how he wanted to start this conversation. It’s worth it, though, for the smile and blush he gets from Eddie.
“Thanks,” he says, eyes on the floor. “So were you.”
Jesus, just tell him, Buck thinks, and he squares his shoulders like he’s preparing for a fight.
“It was something for me, too,” he says softly. “Yesterday, it— it definitely wasn’t nothing.”
Eddie looks at him, waiting, and Buck hesitates.
He really, really doesn’t want to say it.
“But?” Eddie prompts, because of course he knows there’s more.
“But,” Buck sighs. “But I can’t— We should wait. Until after the Olympics. I don’t think either of us want to be too distracted before then, and I don’t know if you know this, but you are very...very distracting.” Eddie snorts and rolls his eyes, and Buck lets his gaze rake over Eddie from top to bottom, distracting himself for just a little bit longer.
“You’re right,” Eddie says quietly. “Let’s wait. And I’ll try and be less distracting, so I can keep kicking your ass fair and square.”
“Oh really?” Buck laughs, and Eddie’s laughing too, and it feels good and normal and Buck doesn’t want it to stop. But it has to. Because as much as Buck wants to dive deeper into this...whatever this is with Eddie, he wants to win more. Not much more (which is a thought he never expected to have about anyone), but definitely more. 
And if anyone in the world understands that feeling, it’s Eddie.
There’s a knock on the door, Bobby giving them a 15 minute warning before they’re supposed to head to the airport. Buck moves to head toward his things so he can pack, but Eddie grabs his arm before he can go too far. His eyes look soft and sad and hopeful and a million other things Buck is feeling too, and he just wants to drown in them, in this moment, before he has to go back out into the world, alone.
Eddie leans forward, softly kissing Buck’s cheek, lingering in his space before he heads out of the room, door quietly shutting behind him.
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cosmiclatte28 · 4 years ago
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#1 Ornament Spree (Sungchan x you)
First day of Christmas 
Ornament Spree (Sungchan x you)
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I do not own the pictures, but I own the stories :) hope you enjoy this
It’s the day after Christmas, the merriest night has passed and you’re more than delighted to meet your family and had a nice feast. Yesterday was great with all of you buying presents and playing white elephant. You won a speaker and that is something you did not expect you’d get on a white elephant game. Your big family decided to gather in your parents’ house, where the grand Christmas tree stood up in its glorious form. You’re proud to say that the ornaments you hung with your brother look super pretty on the tree and that everyone is praising the Christmas tree in the hall. It was all good until your uncle got pretty drunk from chugging eggnog too fast and he bumped the Christmas tree. Though you think it is sturdy enough, turns out some of the decoration fell and break. Even worse, the main focus which is the star also toppled down and shattered into pieces.
Since everyone was in their Christmas mood, no one was making a fuss out of it. The maid cleaned up the shattered pieces and party continues like nothing happens.
But when the guest left the house and you were just chilling by the fireplace with your brother, Jaehyun, your mother came in and asked you a favour.
“(Y/n), I am sorry to disturb you and Jae, but can you please go to the store tomorrow and  buy us some decorations, we have some more guests tomorrow and we do not want to greet them with a plain tree right?” Your mother walked gently into the room and brushed a hand over your hair.
You sighed, “Why me? What about Jae?”
Your brother laughed, “Apparently, I am invited to attend a lunch Christmas celebration tomorrow in my girlfriend’s house. Sorry honey I cannot come with you.”
You rolled your eyes, “When does the store open?”
Your mom shook her head, “Not sure, you can search it up in the internet and find the one open for Christmas. Usually they’re close, but I know you can find it!” she planted a kiss on your head and then without listening to you, she left the room.
You punched your brother’s thigh and he yelled in pain, “What was that for? It’s Christmas we shouldn’t be mean to one another!”
“Oh I’ve gotten my present already, I can be naughty now.” You taunted at him and he laughed too when he realized that was a great answer.
“Look, I’m sure you will find a store. Worst case will be going to the mall but try the stores we usually go to.” Jaehyun patted your back, “I’m sure that will be a nice activity while you wait for our guests. I’ll be back before noon.” He stood up.
You turned your head to follow his step, oh he’s leaving too.
“Good night (y/n)! Merry Christmas!” he sent you a heart and you just shooed him away.
Knowing there was nothing left to do and everyone seemed to be in their room already, you made your way to your bedroom and drove to dreamland. At least mother did not ask you to wake up early and go to the stores.
You woke up late the next day. Jaehyun was gone already and your mother and father were also away, maybe visiting the orphanage they always visit on Christmas. Lunch was prepared nicely for you and as you enjoy the snow falling outside your window, you scrolled through your phone looking for shops that are open on the 26th of December.
You almost lose hope when the nearby stores are closed and that you have to go to the mall which is an hour drive from home. Quickly you glance to the big grandfather clock in the house and noted it’s almost one already. The quickest you can be on the mall is at two, and then look for Christmas decorations. Well luckily mom said to just grab a set and the star, but still an hour drive in the cold winter day by yourself is not pleasurable.
But a chore is a chore and so after making sure you’re dressed up nicely in a toasty attire, you step into your car and drive all the way to the big mall. Christmas song blasts on your speakers and you’re no longer sour about going to the mall. You put your car for valet and inhale the holiday vibes around you. Stores are holding sale and people are laughing from one store to another.
You look for the directory and found the store you are looking on the second floor. Without hurrying, you take your time to see the stores and even stop to smell candles and try candies. This was a wrong move, because when you arrive at the decoration store. There’s many people queueing in the cashier and you can see most of the decorations cleared out from the aisles.
“Oh no, I hope there’s some more left!” you rush into the store and hope to still get something.
The aisle with colors that do not match your other decoration are full but you’re struggling to find gold and blue! Those two were the majority of the colors hanging. You luckily found the star and take the last one remaining. Thanking all the gods you know that you still get the last one.
Your small steps bring you to the last aisle where there are some gold and blue ornaments left, with a big smile you stand in front of the aisle, reach out your hand, only to frown when you’re a couple of inch short.
You look around for a stool but find nothing, but your eye caught something. More like someone.
There you see on your left, a few steps away is a tall young man wrapped in a nice black coat.
He’s super tall, way taller than you but like Jaehyun’s. hastily you look around, but no crew is here too, should you ask for his help?
“Um excuse me,” you tap his shoulder and gosh he’s way taller than you!
He turns to look at you and you see a pair of warm eyes meeting yours. You bite your lips suddenly shy about asking his help.
“Yes? What is it?” he asks when he finds you quiet and his brain finishes processing that he doesn’t know you.
You gulp, “I couldn’t reach the christmas decoration on the top shelf and you look really tall.” You point to the aisle you mean and he follows your finger.
“Can you please help me?” you put on your pleading gaze Jaehyun hates so much, but look at him blushing over your cat eyes.
“Oh sure, I can help you.” He follows you to the rack and you point out the decoration you want.
He takes one easily and hands it to you, you examine the details and frown when you see a damage on the ball, you want to see the other options but how do you ask him. Luckily he notices your face of dissatisfaction and takes a glance on your box.
“Oh you want the other one?” he offers you as he reaches out for two more box.
You’re speechless, he is super considering and fast in reading face! Whoah his brain is sexy.
“I think this one can go back up there, it’s damaged.” You return to him the first box and he patiently returns it and even helps you examine the remaining two.
“You good with that two?? Want me to take out another one?”
“No need, thank you! I think I’ll get this one.” You keep the one you like and when you just want to return the second box on the other shelf, he gently picks it up and returns the box.
“I once worked in a market and when people return things randomly, it annoys me. So, let me it’s okay.” He smiles when his hand accidentally brushes yours.
“Thank you so much,” your sentence lingers, and he laughs, “Sungchan.”
“Thank you so much Sungchan!” you bow, and he calmly asks your name.
You introduce yourself and the tall man blurts out “What a pretty name!”
You invite him for coffee since you’re thankful for his help and he accepts it with great respect. After the two of you paid your ornaments, you bring him to one of your favorite coffee shop.
He settles for a hot chocolate and so did you. As you wait for the drinks, he begins talking and getting to know you. You learn that he is just a year younger than you and he is sent to the mall to buy some decorations because their lights burnt, and he needed to get a new one.
“Did you know earlier when you pull that puppy eyes, everyone will sure fall for it and help you.” He laughs between the hot chocolate cups you two hold to warm your hands.
You blush, “Well that is the first time someone told me that! My brother always hates me for pulling that face.”
He clicks his tongue, “That is because you look so cute! He can’t reject or deny you if you pull that face.”
Your mouth gape and you admire his smart brain. “You’re super smart. I haven’t thought about that.”
He giggles, “I heard that a lot.”
“Woah smart and confidence eh! You yourself are charming.” You admit it shyly and successfully makes the younger boy across you run a hand on his neck.
The talk continues and come to a pause when your phone rings and Jaehyun was telling you he is on his way home. You note the clock and it’s almost three already! You’ll be home  by four and need to prepare before the guest comes!
“Can we keep in touch?” you boldly ask after knowing you have to go home.
Sungchan nods, “Of course,” you hand him your phone and he types in his number.
“I’ll send a text and reply me when you get it.” You say and before you can ask him, he has sent you a reply.
The two of you smile although a bit sad that the short meeting has to come to an end.
“So I guess I’ll see you one day!” He reaches out his hand for you to shake, you shake his hand and smile back, “Yes, see you! Have a great Christmas and thank you for helping me.”
“I’m treating you lunch next time we meet!” he waves his hand and the two of you walk opposite ways.
Your drive back to the house is full of love song blasted out loud and once home you’re all smile when Jaehyun greets you for taking the decorations.
“Looking overly joyful eh?” he questions you as the two of you start putting the ornaments on.
You hide a mysterious smile, “Maybe it’s the Christmas vibes.”
He snickers, “Yeah maybe, or maybe it’s you falling in love with a stranger.”
You keep your story to yourself, Sungchan is no longer a stranger right?
  Merry Christmas 
 see you tomorrow! 
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ikevamp-shrine · 4 years ago
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The Ikevamp boys with a suicidal s/o
Hi! So, this is going to be super angsty and I 100 percent get if you don't want to write this, but...This year is the worst year of my life, so would it be alright if I request the vamps with a suicidal s/o? I don't care who you choose or how many (I love them all and I would request for all, but I'm sure that's too much...) I hope you're freling well and again, I completely understand if you don't want to do this. Take care 
Author: @ikevamp-shrine
Fandom: Ikemen Vampire 
Character(s): Le Comte, Sebastian, Napoleon, Jean
Warnings: suicidal thoughts, actions, and words, depressive content
So this is obliviously a very touchy subject, and I wanted to write this with more of the boys, but I needed to know how those who read this reacted. So practically this is just a “tester” writing. If y’all are okay with me writing more of this then please say so, but if this is too... hard (I don’t know what else to call it) then also please say so. If everyone is too uncomfortable with this then to the one who requested this- I will write this with the rest of the boys and will send it to you, and you alone, if you would like that.
1-800-273-8255 Suicide Hotline Number
 Le Comte
“What am I doing here Comte?”
The question that his s/o whispered had took him off guard. Putting down his book on the side table next to him, Comte looked at the human sitting in front of him in a recliner. Their eyes were filled with so much pain, and just... emptiness, Comte felt as if he was suffocating while staring into those colored orbs. 
“____? What is it? What is wrong?” Comte said speaking evenly as his eyebrows furrowed and a frown placed itself on the panels of his face. 
His s/o slowly glanced over to the roaring fire place emitting a soft glow that caressed the blank expression on their face before rasping out, “what am I doing here? What is my purpose in this life? Why am I here living, breathing, existing,” they paused their speech to sigh deeply, running a shaking hand through their hair, and shifting slightly to stare at Comte with tear filled eyes, “I just feel as if my life is passing by while I watch from the outside. I do nothing other than clean and get baguettes… I have no purpose.”
Comte felt as if he had been thrown in cold water at the sudden chill slivering down his spine when his lover continued by say, “I just feel that no one would notice if I was... gone.” 
The fear that flittered through his system forced him off his feet only to throw himself on his knees, at the feet of his lover, while wrapping viper like arms around their waist.
“Never... never think those thoughts again. Do you understand me? You have single handedly changed not only myself, but every other man in this mansion.” God, how stupid he felt. Centuries of living, and he still had no idea what to say at this very moment. Comte could feel the burning in his eyes as he almost choked with emotion. My how long has it been since he cried? 
He had always been one to seem emotionless, but that still didn’t mean he didn’t feel them.
“We were all broken before you came, all shells of what we once were... please my love, my life, my everything... don’t disappear from my arms, I don’t think I could take it,” Comte whispered, emotion thick in his voice, as he raised his head from his s/o’s lap to stare into their wavering eyes. A tear slipping down his cheek. 
Napoleon 
It was the middle of the night when Napoleon woke up to sniffling beside him. His eyes blurry and mind foggy, but Napoleon could still make out the slight trembling of his lover partially covered by the comforter he had taken the majority of. Unbenoced to himself Napoleon wrapped an arm around their waist and lightly kissed the back of their head and shoulder, causing the human to noticeably tense under his touch. 
That woke him up completely.
Lifting himself with one arm, Napoleon rested his elbow on the bed to take his weight and with his other arm he reached over and slowly rolled his lover onto their back to face the ceiling. Napoleon’s eyes harden when he saw the empty look in their eyes and the tears staining their cheeks. The sight felt so familiar to Napoleon, but from where he didn’t know.
“Nunuche…,” Napoleon whispered as he brushed a few tears off their paler than normal cheeks.
“...I had a dream that... I was gone and you were happy, happier than what you are now,” his s/o continued to stare at the ceiling, their expression showing nothing of what they were thinking. 
“Would you be happier, Napoleon? If I was gone from this world?” 
Napoleon thought his heart had stopped for a moment when he figured out what his s/o’s facial expression reminded him of. It was the same expression that was plastered on the faces of his soldiers who only a few hours later were pronounced dead after taking their own lives. Becoming overcome with panic, an emotion he had felt in a very long time, Napoleon wrapped around his s/o trying to touch them as much as possible to let them know he was there, with them. This time he would not be holding his tongue on what he really thought. He would be selfish.
“____ I could never again live without you in my life. Never. If you leave me I would not be able to go on. You are now my only reason for living... so please don’t leave me, or this world. So please Nunuche, live for me,” Napoleon rasped out grasping the clothing adoring his s/o’s body tightly between his fingers as if that would chain them to Napoleon, to this world.
“How selfish you have become Napoleon to ask me to live for you.”
Jean
“____? What are you doing?” 
Jean had been searching for his s/o for what felt like hours, only to find them curled up in the corner of his room bathing in the moonlight that shone through the single, small window.
The human didn’t move other than to breath in a shaky breath. 
“___?” 
Jean gracefully glided over to his lover, stopping just off to the side of them, and gently gripped their chin between his fingers only to gasp aloud when he saw the dark bags under their usually vibrant eyes and tear marks over their cheeks. Jean could see his own reflection in their teary, red eyes. 
“Jean... I don’t want to be alive anymore,” his s/o’s whispers shocked him immensely. They didn’t want to be alive anymore? He was confused at the declaration, angry at himself for not noticing the deep sadness in their eyes, and sad that the only person he had ever fallen in love with didn’t want to be by his side anymore, alive- with him. Jean knew he needed to do something, his body was screaming at him to move, react, and say something. The look he saw on their face was not new for Jean himself had it every time he thought about taking his own life. 
“______ I... I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s fine. You don’t have to say anything, I know I must be burdening you with my words,” his s/o moved their chin out from Jean’s hold only to go back to staring at the night sky through the window.
“Did I do something to hurt you, ____?”
“No,” they whispered, their voice cracking with raw emotion, “just leave please.”
Jean moved quickly, the quickest he thinks he had ever moved before to wrap his arms around his cold to the touch lover, pull them towards him, and shield them from the prying eyes of the night with his warm body. 
“Even if you leave this Earth I shall follow you to the very end if it meant I was gifted another second to be in your radiant presence. So what ever you shall decide to do, just know I will be there to hold you in my arms my love.”
Sebastian
The wind bit Sebastian as he threw open the doors that led to the roof of the mansion, serval stories above the hard ground below. It was dark, very dark, as dark as the emotions he felt swirling through himself at the moment, but even that didn’t stop Sebastian from seeing his fellow human, worker, and lover standing atop the roof, teetering on the edge as if they were playing with death.
“_____! Get down please! Please my love, let’s just talk about this!” Shouted Sebastian, the wind almost drowning out his terrified words as it shot up and through his clothes, sending his hair flying out of the normally perfect styling. 
“I can’t do this anymore Sebastian!” His lover shouted as they spun around quickly to stare at the butler standing before them causing Sebastian’s heart to drop even lower than it was already. There was so much fear in their eyes, so much suffocating sadness. 
Slowly creeping his way towards them, Sebastian shifted on his feet, holding a hand out, praying his lover would grasp his digit between theirs. 
“I understand what you're feeling ____. But this is no way to deal with it. Just come down, come to me, and we can talk.” 
It all happened so fast.
There was another strong gust of wind, seemingly to carrying it’s mocking laughter, causing Sebastian's s/o to lose balance, swing their arms wildly as they tried to regain it only to fail and start leaning backward towards their death. 
“____!” Screeched Sebastian once more as he sprinted towards his falling lover, arm still outstretched, and fingers grasping wildly at the unforgiving wind.
“SEBASTAIN!” 
The panicking man grabbed a hold of their lithe fingers just in enough time to pull them into his arms, falling back onto the roof behind them. Sebastian’s chest heaved frantically as he held his sobbing s/o tightly in his arms as if they would disappear from his sight suddenly if he didn’t. Their scent calm him immensely. They were there in his arms. They were alive. 
“I don’t want to die... I don’t want to die,” they repeated over and over again as they broke down completely in Sebastian’s arms. 
“I know my love, I know... You’re going to be okay. We’ll be okay.”
MASTERLIST
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tomsrebeleyebrow · 5 years ago
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Could you write something where Tom’s fam are having a party and he can’t come because he was working in the US but then surprises everyone by taking time off and coming. His gf hangs back to let him hug his family and stuff first and when he’s done he comes over to her confused about why she wasn’t excited to see him but really she just wants to cry she missed him so much 😢💔
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A/N: aww what a touching but interesting request!! 🥺😢 thanks for it, nonnie, but don’t worry because i made a fluffy ending to appease us all after it 😚✨ and as always, stay safe dear 💖💗
‘Stay safe, Cheer up’ blurb event
A TINY BIT ANGSTY BELOW, SO BEWARE! (FLUFF ENDING)
As much as a pop quiz sounded amazing when they first asked you to participate, now it totally feels less exciting and almost meaningless to you.
Around three weeks ago, Harry and Sam shared with you the idea of planning a quiz battle night in their family household, all the Holland’s and friends reunited around a few drinks and snacks to catch up and have a great time. The twins also made sure that your boyfriend Tom would be there, as the oldest son was still running all around the world to have interviews and some filming done.
You were excited to see Tom again that day, because doing FaceTimes was getting a bit boring as the weeks go by. You missed having his clumsy and funny self close to you, even to just chill around each other. And now, you were counting the days before you would meet again.
But when the pop quiz night arrived, you knew something was wrong as soon as Harry opened the door of his family house. After knowing him for a few years, you remembered quite well how the curly hair boy shows his emotions and tonight, his facial expression says it all. And when you step a foot inside the house, Harry just decided to tell you the news right away.
Tom couldn’t make it tonight. He was supposed to arrive the day before but other priorities popped up at the last minute and he had to stay in the US for a few more days. Now you understand why you didn’t receive any news from him yesterday. But still, you tried to go with it and to not ruin the night the twins desperately planned for a month. So you kept that forced smile on your face, assuring Harry it was no one’s fault and then proceed to begin the quiz battle.
So here you are now, sitting between Harry and Tuwaine - your team for the night -, trying to take part in the quiz even if you wish you were actually hiding under some fluffy blankets at home. Your mood is way far away from playing games anymore but still decide to stay for another hour or so before finding any excuse to leave. Not even the joyful Tessa could put a smile on your face for more than ten seconds.
Then someone rings at the door, which alerts the family dog who just makes a straight line to it, her barks resonating in the house. Everyone seems intrigued by the unexpected nine-pm-guest, all really wondering who it could be. Sam is the first to stand and go see at the door, his mum Nikki thanking him as she still keeps a look at her son going at the entrance.
“No way!!”
Sam’s exclamation alerts his parents and brothers, Harry being the quickest at standing and jogging to see what is happening to his twin. And soon follow big laughers and a familiar voice, which brings you out of your trance in wonderland. Not knowing if it was your imagination or not, your doubts vanish instantly when the twins appear back in the living room with their older brother Tom, his hands still holding his luggages.
Everyone happily stands and go welcome the young man who just surprised the entire household with his surprise appearance. But you just stay on your chair, looking at your boyfriend being really there, at home, and surrounded by his friends and family who hug him and ask how he is doing. A light smile makes its way on your face as you look at the scene and just wait there, slightly set back as if trying to be one with the background.
But Tom soon notices you and the happiness radiating from his entire being is enough to wash away your morose thoughts. He finds his way through his family and trots to you to quickly envelop you in a warm and loving embrace, before you have the time to properly stand. And you realise it’s like you found back a missing puzzle piece, your missing puzzle piece, who simply appeared again out of nowhere when you were not expecting it anymore.
“(Y/N)!! Gosh I missed you so much, princess!!”
While detaching from you to look at your face, Tom is surprised and quite worried to see your eyes shining and cheeks all red. As he is about to open his mouth to ask about your current state, you completely burst into tears and snuggle back into his torso. The others are slightly alerted by that, Harry approaching you both to understand your sudden mood swing. But Tom just keeps caressing your back, drawing big and warm circles on it to calm your sobs, then leaving kisses on the crown of your head.
“I-I missed you so-so so much, Tom...” you manage to say between your tears and Tom’s chest, your grasp on his shirt so tight to prevent him to leave again.
Tom lets you get everything off your chest, knowing you missed him as bad as he missed you during the last month you were away from each other. So the boy just soothes you in his arms, rocking you both side to side to make your sadness disappear.
“I’m home, baby.”
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krisdreaming · 5 years ago
Text
🎄 4th Day of Fluffmas 🎄
⟵ Day 3 | Masterlist | Day 5 ⟶
All the Way Home I’ll be Warm || Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader
Word count: 3,813 (oops?) | Gender neutral reader
(prompt: “I sort of told my family I have an s/o and now I need someone to stand in for them – HELP”)
-
Day 0 (Briefing)
Kuroo is sitting across from you at the little cafe on campus, and for some reason he actually seems to be looking forward to the next few days. He even brought a notebook, but you can’t tell if he’s being serious about taking notes or if this is all part of the act. You had asked him because you knew he was always down to help you out with your late night adventures and crazy schemes, but this one might just be the craziest.
“Okay boss, what’s the plan?” He props his elbows on the table and leans closer to you. “Actually, before we get into that, I think I’m going to need a little back story. Why, exactly, do you need a fake boyfriend?”
“Well, you see...” You lift your mug closer to your face and peer into it for a moment. “It just gets really old having everyone ask about it at every family gathering, you know? I know I shouldn’t have lied but how was I supposed to know they would insist that I bring my boyfriend to Grandma’s?” You shoot Kuroo an apologetic smile.
“And that’s where I come in.” He finishes. You nod. 
“I’m curious.” He props his cheek on his fist. “How long is our relationship going to last? Are we meant to be?” He flashes you a cheeky grin, and you duck your head. Okay, maybe asking someone you already (possibly) have feelings for to be your fake boyfriend might not have been the best idea, but it’s too late to back out now.
“Actually, I have a feeling that next year, you’re going to leave to study abroad. We’ll probably make a mutual decision to end our relationship because we don’t want to deal with the long distance.” You laugh. “Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a repeat gig.”
“Wow, you’ve really thought this through.” Kuroo actually does write something down in his notebook. “So, do we have any cute nicknames for each other?”
“Hmm.” You hum in thought. “Probably nothing too crazy. We’ve only been dating for four months.”
He nods sagely. “Well, you can call me Tetsurou, I don’t mind. Or Tetsu.” He adds quickly. For a brief moment, you consider it.
“Oh, ah. I’ll stick with Tetsurou. Sounds good.” You manage a quick smile. “You can call me F/N.”
“You got it.” He makes another quick note. “Do we have a safe word?”
“A what?” You almost choke on the sip of coffee you’d just taken.
“A safe word.” He repeats. “You know, if things get too weird, we can use it to tell the other person to chill out.” You nod slowly. That was one thing you haven’t thought of. “If we’re just calling each other by our names, how about we just call each other Babe if we start to get uncomfortable? Will that make it worse?”
“No, it’s a good idea.” You nod. “Yeah, I’m cool with that.” You shake your head. “This is so weird, dude, I’m sorry.”
He laughs. “This is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done. If this works out I might switch to a theater major.”
“No way, I think Chem might eat me alive if you leave me.” You grimace. “You’re the only reason I passed our lab last semester.”
“Kidding.” He finishes the last swallow of his coffee. “There’s no money in theater anyway, and if I switched majors I’d probably have to drag you with me. I’m too used to having you around.” He grins, a more sincere smile this time, and you can’t help but return it. 
“Well, that’s good, because you’re stuck with me. And just to warn you,” You have to change the subject before you get too flustered. “My Grandma is going to show you every single photo she’s ever taken of me. At Thanksgiving, it took her almost an hour to get through them with my cousin’s girlfriend.”
“Aw, little baby Y/N.” Kuroo laughs. “I might enjoy this too much.” He pushes back his chair, and you stand too. “I’ll walk you back to your dorm.” The early winter darkness has already fallen.
“Sure, thanks.” You fall into step beside him, stepping outside for the chilly walk across campus. 
“Thanks for helping me out.” You add, your words puffing steam into the air. “I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime.” He knocks his arm against yours. “To be honest, after all this talk about your Grandma’s cooking, I might have tagged along even if I didn’t have to pretend to be your boyfriend.” He laughs.
“You certainly won’t go hungry.” You agree. “She’ll make sure of that. Don’t blame me if it affects your volleyball physique.”
“Don’t worry, I’m naturally slender.” He pats his middle. “I’ve got the quickest metabolism you’ve ever seen.”
You shake your head. “If you say so.” By now, you’ve reached your dorm. “Oh, by the way!” You call out as he turns to go. “I don’t suppose there’s anything you can do about your hair?”
He turns back to face you. “Not a thing. Many have tried, none have succeeded.” He runs his hand through it and makes it stand even more on end.
“Fair enough.” You shrug. “They’ll have to deal. See you tomorrow.”
“Later!” He lifts his hand in farewell and turns to go. For a few more moments you stand and watch his retreating back. These next two days might be harder than you thought.
Day 1
“Here we are.” You announce as Kuroo gets out of his car and grabs his bag. You each drove your own car, and he’s parked right behind you in your Grandma’s driveway. “Ready for this?”
“Ready as ever.” He slings his bag over his shoulder. “Lead on.” You reach for the door, and before you can turn the handle it swings open with your Dad and Grandma behind it.
“Merry Christmas!” Your Grandma pulls you into a tight hug, and you breathe in the familiar scent of rose and sugar cookies. “Come in, come in.” She releases you and is immediately locked on Kuroo, who has a sheepish smile on his face.
“Oh my.” She looks up at him with a huge grin on her face. “Aren’t you quite the handsome young man! Just look at how tall he is.” She turns to your Dad, who has given you a quick hug and is now quickly sizing up Kuroo.
“Dad, Grandma, this is Kuroo Tetsurou.” He gives you a quick prompting glance. “My boyfriend.” You add, already feeling your cheeks grow warm at saying the words out loud.
“Nice to meet you.” Your Dad reaches out and catches Kuroo’s hand in a firm handshake. 
“It’s great to meet you sir.” Your Dad must approve of the handshake, because he gives Kuroo a nod and a smile.
“Come here.” Grandma gestures, and Kuroo leans down to be enveloped in a hug. 
“Thank you for having me, Ma’am.” Kuroo says the moment he’s released. A pleased grin breaks across her face.
“What a polite young man. Honey, it looks like you’ve found a good one.” She pats your shoulder.
“Guess so.” You smile.
“Well now, come, let me show you to your room.” You feel your eyes grow wide, and when she has turned her back you look at Kuroo and mouth room?? As in, singular? He gives the slightest of shrugs, and you follow her upstairs.
“Now, normally I would make sure you each have your own room, but we’re a bit full right now, and besides. I guess you’re all grown up now, aren’t you?” She gives you a fond smile and you survey the guest room she’s assigned to the two of you. A queen sized bed is the only sleeping surface in the room.
Luckily for you, Kuroo doesn’t miss a beat. “Thank you, this looks great.” He plops his duffel bag on the bed, and you follow suit.
“Thanks Grandma.” You echo.
“Dinner is at 6. Some of your cousins are here already, go find them once you’re settled in!” She bustles out to get back to her kitchen, and you let out a sigh.
“Sorry.” You grimace. “I figured there was no way we’d have to share a bed.”
“Hey, no big deal.” Kuroo shrugs. “I mean, it’s a huge bed. I’m not worried about it.” Realization dawns on his face. “But I’ll sleep on the floor if it’s weird for you.”
“Oh, no. No. That’s fine with me too. I’m good.” You manage a smile that you hope is reassuring. You and your brilliant ideas. You silently scold yourself. “Come on, let’s go find my cousins.”
It isn’t much of a surprise that your cousins adore Kuroo. He has them all laughing before you know it. One of them turns to you. “How did you get lucky enough to find someone like him?” 
Kuroo doesn’t miss a beat and slings his arm around your shoulders. You hope your flinch at the sudden contact isn’t too obvious. “I’m the lucky one, actually. Completely random lab assignment on the first day of the semester, and the rest is history.” He grins at you, and you laugh, finally reacting enough to slide your arm around his back. It’s not like you’ve never casually hugged before, but this feels a little different.
“Aww! That’s so adorable.” Your cousins all titter amongst themselves, and luckily, you’re saved at that moment by your Grandma announcing that dinner is ready.
Around the dinner table, the rest of the introductions take place. Kuroo easily answers the different questions asked of him about volleyball and his major. Soon, though, conversation turns to other things.
“So, Kuroo.” Your jokester uncle speaks up right as dessert is being brought to the table, and you’re already cringing. “Any thoughts on marriage?” Kuroo has his glass lifted to his lips, and he ends up spitting half of the water back into it as a coughing fit overtakes him. He recovers remarkably quickly and sets down his glass.
“Well, sir, we are still in college. For now we’re focusing on our studies.” He sends you a quick glance. Your uncle laughs loudly. You rest your hand on Kuroo’s arm in a way you hope is reassuring.
“I’m just messing with you, son. We’re all glad to have you here.”
“I’m glad to be here.” He nods. For some reason, this seems to be the first thing that’s actually shaken him. You give him a long glance with an eyebrow raised, but he just shakes his head ever so slightly, giving you a quick smile.
Everyone is still around the table chatting as your Grandma and aunts clear the dishes away, and before you know it she returns with a suspiciously familiar album in hand and a dastardly gleam in her eyes. The woman is ruthless.
“Oh, Kuroo-kun, I have some photos of y/n as a child if you’d like to see them! Ah, such a sweet child.” She hugs the album to her chest.
“You know, I would love to see them.” Kuroo sends you the biggest shit-eating grin he can muster, and you pout. He must have recovered from earlier. All you can do is sit helplessly beside him as your Grandma flips through the album page by page, going over each photo you appear in with excruciating detail. Kuroo is enjoying it a little too much, but you suppose it’s a small price to pay for what you’re putting him through.
Finally, the torture is over and everyone begins to turn in for the night. Pajamas on, you sit on the very edge of the bed mindlessly scrolling on your phone as you wait for Kuroo to finish in the bathroom.
“Well, that was an experience.” He appears, rubbing a towel on his still-damp hair.
“I’m sorry about my uncle!” You quickly blurt out. “He’s always saying stupid stuff like that.”
Kuroo waves his hand as though brushing it off. “It’s fine. Just caught me off guard. Marriage wasn’t in my notes.” He laughs. “You using that extra pillow?” He gestures to the spare on top of the dresser.
“All yours.” You say, finally crawling under the covers, as close to the edge on your side of the bed as you can get.
“So.” Kuroo gets in on his own side, arranging the pillows to his liking. “Think everyone’s buying it?”
You shrug. “Seems like it. You’re doing great. I never knew you were such a natural.”
“Yeah, well.” He looks away from you suddenly. “Neither did I. Guess I’m just a man of many talents.” He meets your gaze again and grins. “You’re not doing too bad yourself.”
You laugh weakly. “Thanks.” For a few moments, an awkward silence fills the room. “Well, goodnight.” You finally say, reaching over to turn out the light.
“Night.” He echoes back before smushing his face down into his pillows. It’s not the first time you’ve witnessed his sleeping habits, but it’s not something you can get used to so easily.
As he’d promised earlier, the bed is so large that the two of you aren’t touching at all, but there’s something about the sound of his breathing next to you that keeps you from falling asleep immediately.
Day 2
When the sun peeking through the blinds wakes you the next morning, you almost forget the exact circumstances you’re in. You slowly roll over as you wake up, and you almost yelp aloud at the sight of Kuroo laying next to you, silently scrolling through his phone.
“Oh, morning.” He whispers. The last traces of sleep are still in his voice, and he has marks on his face from where the pillow creases dug into his cheeks. You swallow hard, trying not to stare for too long. He looks softer this way. 
“Morning.” You whisper back. “You sleep alright?”
“Like a baby.” He confirms. “Must be the bed, I slept better than I usually do.”
“You’re almost free.” You change the subject, because you don’t want to admit that you also slept better than usual - after you finally fell asleep, that is. “I told Grandma you’d be leaving after the gift exchange this afternoon.”
“Sounds good to me.” He nods, sitting up a little straighter in bed. “Think there’s any coffee made?”
“Always is.” You grin, and the two of you make your way to the kitchen. Your Grandma and aunt are already there, chatting softly, so you pour each of you a mug and retreat to the empty living room.
“This is really nice.” Kuroo comments when you’re situated on the couch. “Your family is awesome. You’re pretty lucky.”
“I know.” You nod. “they’re crazy, but they’re mine.”
“I’m really glad you invited me along.” He says. “I know it’s a weird reason, but being part of your Christmas is kind of cool.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” You admit. “You fit in really well with them. They’re going to ask about you later, you know.”
“What can I say, I’m a popular guy.” He grins. “Maybe I’ll put off studying abroad for another year so I can come back again.”
“Maybe I’ll have a real boyfriend next year.” You’d meant it as a joke, but something changes on Kuroo’s face and you instantly regret saying it.
“Maybe.” He finally says, giving you the smallest of smiles. Before you can say anything more, your Grandma calls for breakfast.
It’s a lazy morning, and whatever strange thing had happened between you before breakfast, you both manage to ignore it. A game of team Monopoly ensues, and after Kuroo learns your family’s amended rules for the game he gets surprisingly into it. He’s back to his normal self, laughing and teasing you as you play. As it gets down to the last tense rounds between the two of you and your cousin and his girlfriend, he shuffles your money around.
“I can pull this off.” He murmurs to you. “$2,000 on Park Place, and-” his trap pays off, and your cousin gets stuck there and is forced to forfeit his entire savings to the two of you. “Victory!” He crows, and in his excitement he presses a firm kiss to your cheek. Instantly, your entire body is warm. You inhale sharply.
“Um, Babe.” You whisper, not really sure why this has affected you so much.
“I am so sorry.” Instantly, concern is written across his face. “I just got really excited.” He looks around, but no one is paying you much attention. Your cousin and his girlfriend have already gone off to scrounge for a snack. “I’m sorry.” He says again, gripping your arm. “That was way overstepping.”
“No, it’s fine. It wasn’t even a big deal.” You’re starting to relax, so you brush it off. “It just surprised me, that’s all. I’m fine.” He nods. He’s still quiet, though, and you can tell that it’s bothering him.
It’ll all be over soon, though. You only hope that things can go back to normal after this. The thought of losing your entire friendship with Kuroo over one of your crazy schemes makes you feel almost sick to your stomach.
Finally, it’s time for the gift exchange. Your family is gathered around in a circle, and the younger cousins are working on sorting through the gifts beneath the tree. “Okay everyone.” Your Grandma brings her hands together. “Let’s go around and talk about the good things that have happened this year.” It’s the yearly tradition. One by one, your family members share about fun vacations and promotions at work, anything that happened over the year that stood out to them as special.
Finally, it gets around to Kuroo. “We can skip you, if you want.” You say quickly. “I know it’s kinda weird.”
“Nah, no way!” He shakes his head. “I had a pretty great year, I might as well share about it a little bit.” He pauses, and now he’s looking fully at you. You bite down on your lip. “I met a pretty amazing person this year.” He begins. “We have so much fun together. They’re really special to me.” Murmurs go through the room, and you can see smiles growing on your family members’ faces. “I really mean that, Y/N. I can’t imagine my life without you.” Somehow, you can tell that this isn’t part of the charade. His expression is completely genuine, and his smile is filling his eyes.
“Wow.” Is all you can say, softly. “Thank you, Tetsurou.” Everyone’s eyes are on you, and you realize it’s your turn to share. You clear your throat.
“I had a pretty great year, too. I passed Chem lab which is a miracle in itself.” You chuckle lightly, still feeling a little unsettled by Kuroo’s declaration. “And I met a really great guy, too.” You shyly glance in Kuroo’s direction, and he nods in encouragement. “He’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t choose to be here with anyone else right now.” You mean every word, from the bottom of your heart.
With that, your turn is over, and your cousin’s girlfriend starts to share about the vacation they took to Italy over the summer, but you aren’t really paying attention. You’re too busy trying to untangle everything that has happened so far today. Is it possible...? You can’t even dare to ask yourself the question.
Soon enough, the presents are opened, the wrapping paper has been cleaned up, and your uncle is sacked out on the sofa, snoring away. Kuroo gets to his feet.
“Well, I think it’s about time I head out.” He stretches his arms over his head. “I’ll go grab my things.” He disappears for a few moments, and you wander over to the foot of the stairs to meet him when he returns.
“I want to go thank your Grandma.” He says, motioning toward the kitchen. You nod and follow behind him. “Hey, I’m leaving for home now.” He announces to your Grandma and two aunts who are in the kitchen. “But thank you so much for everything. The food was amazing, and I had a great time with your family. Thank you for making me feel welcome.”
“Oh.” Your Grandma waves her hand dismissively. “You deserve it. It’s obvious you make my grandchild very happy.” She smiles at you. “Thank you for coming, it was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope we’ll see you again.” It’s a good thing she isn’t watching your face as she says that. Kuroo’s grin doesn’t waver.
“Thanks again.” He says with a wave as he ducks out of the kitchen. As you head outside, a chorus of goodbyes follows behind you. The moment the door closes, Kuroo releases a heavy sigh. “Whew.”
“Are you glad it’s over?” You ask hesitantly, standing by his car as he tosses his bag in the backseat.
“I really did have a great time.” He says, making no move to get in his car. “But I have to tell you something.” You nod slowly, and he reaches for your hands. “Is this okay?” You nod again.
“Yeah.” You manage, barely above a whisper.
“I’m really sorry I got so weird earlier. It’s just what you said about having a real boyfriend next year... Y/N, I want to be your real boyfriend. And I probably should have told you that before we even left school, but I couldn’t find the words. I never thought someone like you existed. I had a stupid crush on you for so long. So... What do you say?” He looks at you expectantly.
“I would like that a lot.” You say, a grin growing across your face before you can stop it. You take a deep breath. “I guess I asked you to be my fake boyfriend because it was a hell of a lot easier than asking you to be my real boyfriend. It was stupid.”
“Good.” He says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from your face. “Then that’s all that matters.” With that, he cups your face with his palm, slowly leaning in. “Oh. Can I...?”
“Yes.” You giggle, and he doesn’t waste any time in kissing you, soft and sweet. He pulls away, only to lean in for one more kiss.
“For the road.” He say softly, a huge smile on his face. He wraps you up in a tight hug. “I’ll see you after break. Call me tonight maybe?”
“Definitely.” You agree as he slowly steps away. “I’ll see you.” You lift your hand in a wave as he gets in his car and drives away, and for a few moments you just stand in the driveway, watching until his car is out of sight. When you turn to go back inside, all three of your cousins are at the window. One of them winks at you. You stick out your tongue at them, but right now you don’t even have room to feel annoyed.
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A Few Rays of the Light (Favored Ones, Part 28.)
Series description: Many things were surely fucked up in the year 2038, but no-one ever told anyone how all of it went down. What happened before a group of people left for Seattle to handle personal matters? Why did one girl refuse to leave all of it be? And why there were so many dead in the end?
Quote for the chapter: “Went out one night to make a little round. I met Little Sadie and... I shot her down.” - Crooked Still
Part summary: After everything that happened, you finally were ready to go home. All of you felt ready to set on your journey back.
A/N: x
Warnings: Depiction of torture, bone breaking, depiciton of blood and manslaughter, anxiety, rage, anger, a bit of fluff at the end.
Word count: 3 K
Tagging:   @nemodoren @xxgoldenhour @missdictatorme @davnwillcome @pickleriiick @jodiereedus22 @gladiosamicitias @tamkashi @eternallyvenus @avengerssstuff @fangirl-inthe-us @avery-miller @mikah-writes @mad-hatter-98 @sadiaafrin99 @flavorishy @gabymiller
Series master list: H E R E
Joel Miller’s playlist for the bonfire occasions: H E R E
Youtube playlists: JACKSON DAYS | SEATTLE DAYS
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Seattle, day three - early evening:
You've never felt so tired when you finally entered the theatre. Jesse was already there since he was the one opening the door for you. Quickly, you hugged him, closing your eyes. It was fucking disgusting to be hugged by you when you were so messed up, but Jesse was happy to hug you back, knowing you were safe and sound. Both of you. But meeting Jesse back in the base rose another suspicion - where was Tommy if Jesse was here?
There were three possibilities for why Jesse was there before you. The first one was that they'd simply found him and brought him back. The second possibility was that Jesse and Ellie weren't able to locate Tommy and gave up eventually. And the third was that... Well... They've found the man... Dead. Before you could ask, you heard a man speaking out to you. - "Damn, girl, you look like shit." - The man's rough voice poke fun of you. It was Tommy with his fucked up leg and his even more fucked up arm. Joel just gave his baby brother a warm look, but you straightaway ran for it, almost bringing him down.
"You fucking stupid idiotic moron." - A relieving sigh left your lips as you dragged Tommy closer to you, tugging on his jacket to assure yourself that he's real. Your brother-in-law just chuckled, bringing you closer. - "I thought you got your fucking ass killed. Oh Lord, are you real?" - You assured yourself, catching Tommy's face in your palms. He was looking like living hell walking on two legs. He was disgusting, but at least, he was alive.
"Not gonna lie, I almost did." - The man answered honestly, sending you a chilling smile. Based on your appearance, he assumed that if he wasn't able to get the job done, you and Joel managed to kill that girl. But boy oh boy, was he wrong. A glance over your shoulder sent chatting Joel and Jesse one clear message - you wanted to fuck them off, so you could have a one-to-one conversation with Tommy. - "How you're holdin' up? Huh?" - Tommy asked and followed you behind the bar, where you had the rest of the vodka hidden. You needed a shot. Or two. Or a whole bottle. You just needed to occupy your mind with something other than Owen's massacred face.
"Short version or the long one?" - You asked back, leading him to the sofa next to the entrance now. - "I'm fucking exhausted, Tommy. This shit... This was a lot. More than I can handle." - An irritated sigh filled the room between you two as you took your jacket off, throwing the bow and the backpack off you. - "I killed a bunch of people, I have a mess inside my head, I probably will never recover from the shit I've done here and I am disgusted with myself. Does that answer your question, huh?" - One of your eyebrows arched up as you threw the cap off the vodka, taking something that could be considered a good gulp.
"I know that feelin'. I had it too... A long time ago. But I'm tired too, I ain't be lyin'." - Tommy laid down on his back, closing his eyes. - "How did that feel?" - He asked suddenly, catching you off guard. What was he asking about? How did what feel? After seeing your confused face, Tommy knew he needs to specify what did he mean. - "Killin' her. After everythin' she has done to us. How did that feel?" - "How would I know?" - You asked back. Without Tommy having a clue, he was lingering over the topic you wanted to talk to him about. The Abby issue. There was no point in continuing - everyone was fucked up in their own way.  You needed to leave as soon as possible.
"Did Joel..." - Tommy immediately picked himself up on his elbows, looking you in the eyes with a furrow. If Joel would do that, there would be no difference for the other Miller. Abby was killed no matter what, that was why you came into Seattle in the first place. In every meaning, the problem would be solved. - "She just wasn't there. I haven't seen Abby since the cabin thing happened." - "Then we need to..." - "We don't need to do shit now, Tommy." - You hissed, stopping the moment before he could go on a wild rant. Before moving to your point, you gulped and looked around.
"We don't need to do shit. Look at what we've already done here, hm? We tore Abby's friends to shreds. We found each of them and killed them. I've seen each of them dead... Except for Nora. We've done enough here, so let's go home, okay?" - This was one of the more intimate, vulnerable moments you shared with Tommy. Normally, it would make Tommy soften. But there was no softening in Abby's case. Oh, no.
"But she is alive, she's a dangerous person to me, you and..." - "Is she? We've taken everything from her. We've killed her family, destroyed her word, we left a message she can't miss." - This made Tommy shut up for a face. Suddenly, you felt like a traitor in his eyes. He was giving you that look for sure. - "We're done."
"You and Ellie were the ones who came up with this in the first place, weren't you? You went to Seattle to get her. We all did. And now, when we're so damn close, you want to call it off? You want to run back home?" - "You aren't listening to me, Tommy." - You squealed suddenly. And he indeed was missing your whole point. - "Yes, I wanted to have the girl dead. I did. But I also see what this had done to me. You and Joel, you maybe are used to this pointless violence," - "Pointless fuckin' violence? Do you hear yourself, girl? I don't recall bein' the one just appearin' in Seattle, massacrin' and torturin' these people. She was the one who didn't have any reasonin' for doin' all of it." - Tommy argued back.
"That's where you're wrong. Abby had some kind of reason, some kind of motivation. And I can see now how far can this obsession take you." - You looked at Tommy who was caught off guard. This wasn't the way these revenge rampages were meant to go. No. Tommy and Joel were surviving for a long time and never in their lives someone just... Let them go. Never. - "She is somehow tied to Salt Lake. Owen told me that they were in Salt Lake... Not verbally, but he knew something only someone from this group of Fireflies could know. I don't know how, but I don't care at this point." - You whispered, putting your palm on Tommy's shoulder.
"We are shitty people. No doubt about that. But... Let's just pack our shit and leave for home. Let's not bringing this thing to an end, I already had my conclusion to the whole story, Tommy. Please. Let's stop ourselves before letting this cycle coming to an end, just like Abby was stopped. Let's be better than we are." - Another broken whisper left you and Tommy surprisingly saw the tears in your eyes which told him that you weren't lying at all. You've done enough, you've seen enough, and it hadn't brought any good. - "I have a life to protect now. I have a man I need to keep safe under any cost... And after I almost lost him yesterday, I don't wanna go to that stage ever again. Ellie has Dina here, who is pregnant and Jesse is in this mess because of us as well. Let's go before there won't be anything left to save." - You mumbled, pleading the man to change his mind.
If you wouldn't have any other choice, you'd leave Tommy in Seatlle in case he wouldn't be able to leave the whole Abby thing as it was. You'd pack yourself and the rest, leaving the other day at dawn no matter what choice was Tommy about to make. It was hard. It was seriously hard to realize such a thing about someone you were looking up to for so long... But you were 100% sure about doing it. Tommy furrowed even more and looked away from you, licking his lips nervously. Then he closed his eyes, shaking his head. - "I don't think I can ever... I wouldn't... I'm sure I can't... I..." - Miller tried to tell you something, but he couldn't get his point across at all.
"I will guard this fucking door with a shotgun to stop you if necessary." - Was all you answered without a hint of any emotion before taking another swing from the bottle. This was the point when Tommy finally broke the whole revenge thing, assuming you're probably right. This was enough. He himself had his revenge in a way, just like you told him you had yours. Abby got the message for sure by now. And if that wasn't enough for her or to stop her from coming, neither of you would be merciful this time. It was irony, to talk about mercy and leaving behind when you murdered the whole party from the Baldwin cabin, except the person you've come for and aside from the pregnant Mel. But it was showing mercy in one wicked way or another. And at that, Tommy finally nodded his head.
You were leaving Seattle the next morning, never coming back.
While this conversation was taking place, another emotional mess storm was started just in the other room between Joel and Ellie. At first, the girl was talking to Jesse about the quickest route home - but as she saw Joel coming closer to them, obviously meaning to talk to her, she wiggled her eyebrows and asked him to look out for Dina for a moment. When Joel nervously entered the theatre hall while fidgeting his fingers, looking around, Ellie was sitting at the stage, having a guitar leaned into her thighs. She noticed the incoming man immediately, although she seemed to be mentally far away from the place.
"Hey, kiddo. You doin' fine?" - Joel mumbled nervously as soon as his brain understood that he would have to be the one to speak first. Which was quite new to him, but all he could do was to get along with it. - "How ya doin'?" - "You already asked me if I'm fine." - Ellie answered and started to tune the guitar so she'd have something to divert her attention during the whole conversation. - "I've done some... Nasty and fucking disgusting things today. I just need to get a hold on those feelings inside my head." - She answered back, plucking the first chords.
"Yea, listen, I'm... I'm sorry, 'kay?" - Joel said abruptly, looking at Ellie's face while she didn't give him a single small gaze back. - "I was thinkin' a lot since we came here. This is all my fault." - The man sat down on one of the seats, looking at Ellie who was mindlessly playing some chords. She still didn't want to look at the old man because she felt that she wasn't ready. These few days were tough - and the more each of you fell into the hot pile of mess Seattle was, the more she became to be aware of all of this being tied to Joel's past in some way. Maybe even to hers, maybe not.
"Totally agree with this one. This is on you, old-timer. But we all came here because we kinda wanted to, so that's contradicting the fact that you've fucked up." - Ellie agreed emotionlessly, sighing at the was her own words were sounding. This was some nasty shit. And she could be like that. A stubborn brat who wasn't emotionally capable of forgiveness. But that was also the brat who Joel took as his daughter, so he knew this for a fact.
"I'm not talkin' only about Seattle. I'm sorry for everythin' that happened. I'm one helluva selfish fucker." - Joel sighed, remembering the passion Ellie screamed those words with at you. Finally, Joel recognized the song - an alteration of Take On Me. She wasn't sticking to the original chords, but hell, it still sounded good. You would've loved it. Finally, Ellie at least cracked a smile. - "I've thought about it too. About the whole Salt Lake situation... And it was fucked up, what you've done. It's fucking gross no matter which point of view I take to look at it. And I'm not even starting on how mad I was at you taking my chance to save some lives. Shit..." - Ellie shook her head during the intimate confession, licking her lips before looking at the man. - "But it was also fucked up from them to do that without at least telling me, or, in the better instance, asking me. And the more Y/N talks about it... The more I see the issue. Marlene wouldn't give the vaccine out to everyone either way. Yeah, it would save a few, but this thing wouldn't get outside the fireflies. I was so dumb, thinking that my life would've mattered..." - "But it does matter, girl. Cant, you see?" - Joel jumped into her speech abruptly.
The girl stopped playing and looked at him annoyedly, telling him that she wasn't done. Joel slowly sat back to the seat, not watching Ellie without a word.
"I was fucking stupid for thinking that my life would've mattered in one case only. If I'd die. But now I'm here and I can see... What I mean for all these people. I finally feel that I belong and that I matter. I made differences here, Joel, thanks to you." - With that, she looked into his eyes. - "I'm not over it, no, I am fucking not over it. But I'm working on myself, I'm trying to overcome the hate." - She told Joel just before someone else entered the hall. It was you, having the infamous bottle of vodka in your hand. While neither of them came back to the situation, there was a sense of sincerity and a kind of safety in the air, starting the connection between Joel and Ellie for real this time.
"Hey, you two. Sorry for interrupting the moment, should I leave now?" - You asked, pointing your thumb to the door you've just closed. - "No, I fucking missed you all day, baby. Come here." - Ellie told you with a smile, having the man smiling as well. Now, when they started to do something with their relationship, Ellie and you had the chance to repair yours again. It wasn't broken that much, but there was still some noise going around and some talking which needed to be done.
With a cheerful attitude and a swinging bottle in your hand, you walked to the stage, sitting next to the girl. She looked quite surprised when you started to wiggle the instrument to of her hands, catching it in your arms. - "Come on, you never played guitar." - Ellie cracked when you finally seized it, pushing her away with a burst of honest laughter.
"I can do things you don't even know about, honey," - With a concentrated expression, you tried to hear if the chords are tuned right. - "This sounds good. What are we playing? Any suggestion, dinosaur?" - Well, this just made Ellie laugh too. Could you know about the thing that had happened in Wyoming? When Ellie and Joel had visited the dinosaur museum? Or were you just shooting in the dark? If you were calling him names just to fuck around with him? In that case, this was sweet as hell.
"You can play whatever you feel like. It will all sound majestic, I'm sure of that." - The man answered tiredly, slipping down on the velvet seat. All he wanted to do was that he wanted to go to sleep. Yet it was a pleasure when he watched both of you sing some songs. Ellie was pushing her fingers into the chords to unfocus you, while you were trying to crawl away from the girl. Both of you were looking so... Happy and calm. As if you were still at home and you were just toying around during one of the bonfire occasions.
But soon enough, the time when you yawned loudly has come. Joel didn't say a word since you were an adult woman who was capable of deciding on her own, but it was time for you to finally go to sleep. Your body and mind had to be exhausted, there was no other way around it, and the sooner you'd catch some sleep, the sooner you could wander off to one of your dreams and finally get some good sleep you were missing since you came to Seattle. After you drank the rest of the vodka, you walked to the man on unsteady legs, offering him your palm in the process.
"Gross." - Ellie mumbled under her breath, watching both of you with a nasty smile after that. - "Fuck you too. I need a comfy pillow." - This was all you said before dragging Joel off to the small room in the entrance hall. You didn't even hesitate to go to sleep - you just crawled into the sleeping bag, making sure Joel was next to you before you closed your eyes. It was refreshing to know that in early the other morning, you'd finally set on your way home.
You both fell asleep for less than two hours before you've heard something going on in the entrance hall. You thought that maybe, just maybe, it was Ellie and Jesse, who had just some loud discussion. Without further hesitation, as you did previously, you climbed on Joel's lap, catching his mouth while waking him up, trying to make him understand that now, he has to stay quiet. Because no matter who was in the other room, you didn't know these people by voice. No matter if those were just some bandits, you knew that this situation requires slow and quiet approach.
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atomic-taco-muffin · 4 years ago
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The Lost Princess Chapter 19
Warnings: fluff/angst 
Rating: SFW
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(I’m crying at this!😂)
Sora and the others left Atlantica and headed back to the gummi ship and flew around the worlds. 
“I think my magic is as good as Donald’s now. Maybe it’ll be stronger than (Y/N)’s,” Sora said. 
“No way! Not in a million years,” Donald said. 
“Why don’t you go see Merlin? Work more on your magic,” Goofy said. They traveled to Merlin’s Study and spoke to him after training with him a bit. 
“You’re making excellent progress. Here’s something for your effort,” Merlin said as he gave Sora a keychain. 
“Keep it up,” he said. Sora decided to return to the 100 Acre Wood with another torn page. He entered, finding a swing hanging from a stout tree near a river. He saw Pooh and Piglet on the bridge overlooking the river.
“Look, Pooh. Something is floating this way,” Piglet said. 
“I think you’re right, Piglet. What could it be?” Pooh said. A gray donkey floated slowly along the current of the river, a glum expression on its face.
“Why, it looks like Eeyore! Hello, Eeyore, if it is you,” Pooh said as he waved while Eeyore floated towards them.
“Hello, Pooh. Yes, it’s me. Could you pull me out? That is, if it’s not too much trouble. Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Eeyore said. He drifted under the bridge and Sora jumped in to get him. They met on the riverbank with Pooh and Piglet.
“Thank you, Pooh. Thank you, other you. You know, floating along out there, it seemed like something was missing...” Eeyore said. Suddenly, Piglet and behind Eeyore. 
“And something’s still missing,” Eeyore said. 
“Why, Eeyore’s tail is gone! Is that what’s missing?” Piglet said. Eeyore looked behind him and saw that he had no tail.
“Let’s see... Yep, lost it again. Wonder where it went this time. It’s not much of a tail, though I’m sort of attached to it. But I don’t know why anybody’d look for it. Probably won’t find it anyway...” he said. 
“Sora, why don’t we all look for Eeyore’s tail?” Pooh asked. 
“Lost something?” Owl asked as he flew in from above.
“Searching from a high place is the quickest way to find it!” he said.
“Owl, can you fly up high and help us find Eeyore’s tail?” Sora asked. 
“Sorry, but my eyes aren’t what they used to be. Too much reading, you know. But I can offer good advice! Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. See that swing up there? Take Pooh there.” He motioned toward the tree at the top of a hill.
“You’re a bit too big for the swing, but Pooh should fit nicely. I’ll tell you more when you get there,” he said as he flies away. Sora lead Pooh up the hill to the swing, where Owl was perched on the branch above them. Pooh got on the swing.
“Here’s what to do. First, get ready to push,” Owl said. 
“How?” Sora asked. 
“Like this.” Owl demonstrated how to push the swing.
“Like this?“ Sora asked as he pushed the swing gently. 
“Not bad, not bad! Here’s the next step. If you time it right, Pooh will swing higher and higher. Try it! Push too soon, Pooh won’t go any higher. Push too late, he’ll go too high,” Owl said. With Owl’s help, Sora pushed Pooh on the swing, tossing him into the air so he can search for Eeyore’s tail from high above. He landed right in front of Rabbit on a house made of sticks, knocking Eeyore over. Pooh stood up and Eeyore saw something under the pile of sticks
“Hm? That looks familiar...” he said. Sora helped repin Eeyore’s tail onto him. 
“How’s it looking?” Pooh asked.
“There we go,” Sora said. Eeyore swung his tail around.
“It’s not much of a tail, but it’s mine. Thanks, everyone,” he said. 
“I wish we could put the Hundred Acre Wood back the way it was, too!” Pooh said. Owl sat on the branch of the tree, waving a wing. Pooh’s words made Sora more determined to find the rest of the book’s torn pages. Sora left the hill and found Pooh at his house, sitting on a log outside.
“Brrr! I think I spend too much time on the swing,” he said as he shivered. Sora targeted the pile of sticks in front of them and ignited them into a small fire and Pooh extended his hands to warm them.
“Thank you, Sora. This is nice and warm. You’ve helped us so much. This is just something to say thank you,” he said. Pooh hopped off the log and gave Sora a Mythril stone. 
Sora left the 100 Acre Wood and the three traveled to a dark world filled with pumpkins and ghosts. Donald changed their outfits so they blended in with the eerie scenery.
“This sure is a spooky place. I’ll bet the people here are scary- lookin’ too,” Goofy said. 
“Don’t worry. We look spooky, too. If they scare us, we’ll scare them right back!” Donald said. 
“You think so?” They entered the Town Square and an explosion went off in a nearby laboratory, sending smoke into the air. They saw a group of Search Ghost Heartless in town, but they don’t attacked. Sora made his way over to the laboratory when they heard a booming voice.
“And now, allow me to introduce...” someone said. They looked over to see a short man in an extremely tall hat speaking through a megaphone. He wore a spider as a bow tie and a ribbon reading “Mayor” was attached to his business suit. From their angle, it looked like he had a second face behind his head.
“The master of terror... the king of nightmares—Jack Skellington!” the Mayor said. The line of Search Ghosts parted as they presented the fountain in the middle of the square, where a tall, thin figure was emerging from the green water. He had a black and white striped outfit and long bony fingers. His head was naught but a skull; behind his eyes, only blackness. He striked a pose and smiled, and the Mayor ran over to him.
“Bravo, Jack! Bravo! Those ghosts will be a big hit at this year’s Halloween!” the Mayor said. The Mayor grinned wildly as Jack stepped out from the fountain.
“Thank you, thank you! But their movement still needs work. It’s not scary enough,” Jack said. He hung his head.
“I want to strike bone-chilling terror,” he said. He lifted his arms in a creepy pose, and the Mayor backed up.
“I’m going to consult the doctor,” Jack said. He stood up and walked to the laboratory.
“Then I’ll go attend to the decorations,” Mayor said. He ran away gleefully. So gleefully, in fact, that he ran in the wrong direction and has to turn around. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed Jack to Doctor Finkelstein’s research lab, where the doctor was inspecting the Heartless on the examination table from the comfort of his wheelchair. The various machines on the walls gurgled and hissed.
“I don’t understand. Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion,” Jack said. 
“Nonsense. My devices are always perfect!” Finkelstein said. Jack searched through the doctor’s research book.
“Oh, I’ve got it! Why, of course! The Heartless need a heart! Doctor, do you think we can add a heart to that device?” he said. 
“Certainly. A heart’s not all that complicated,” Finkelstein said. He rode his motorized wheelchair to the end of the table.
“Let’s get to work,” he said. 
“To make a heart, first take a container with a lock...” Jack read. The doctor pulled out a pulsing box shaped like a human heart with a large keyhole on it
“We need the key to this thing first!” Finkelstein said. 
“You’re really gonna unlock it for them?” Donald asked. 
“Why not? If they succeed, we won’t have to fight the Heartless, right? Besides, I want to see the Heartless dance, too. Don’t you?” Sora asked. 
“Not really.” Sora unlocked the heart for them.
“My! That was amazing! Uh, and you are...” Jack said. He cocked his head to the side.
“Sora.” Jack walked up to him.
“Well done, Sora! I’d like you to be a part of this year’s Halloween,” Jack said. 
“What’s this Heartless doing here?” Sora asked. 
“Oh, the Heartless came to town just recently. What’s frustrating is I can’t get them to dance with me. So the doctor and I are trying to improve the guidance system. He’s quite a genius! Okay, Doctor, let’s continue. The ingredients for a heart: Pulse.” A pulsing frog was placed on the table.
“Emotion,” Jack said. 
“Terror,” Finkelstein said.
“Fear.” The doctor’s hand slid off a pane of glass on the table, making an eerie screech.
“Hope and despair,” Jack said. Two snakes, with their mouths over each other’s tails, were placed on the table and they glanced at one another.
“Mix them all together, and we have a heart!” Jack said. The doctor completed this and placed the heart into the console of the machine. He wheeled over to a large lever and initiated the experiment. The machine sparked to life, gears clicking and whirling. Electricity crackled over the Heartless, who suddenly sat up with its arms outstretched, before falling limp.
“It failed!” Finkelstein said. Jack looked disappointed and the doctor peered over his research book.
“Maybe we’re missing some ingredients. Let’s try adding memory,” Finkelstein said. The doctor opened his skullcap and literally scratched his brain.
“Sally! Sally! Good-for-nothing girl! Don’t know why I bothered creating her!” he said. He slammed his fists on the arms of his wheelchair and closed his skull. He whirled around to face Sora and his friends.
“Sally’s got the memory we need. See if you can track her down,” he said. 
“No problem. Sora, would you like to come along?” Jack said. 
“Sure,” Sora said. They left the laboratory and saw the Mayor at the bottom of the stairs, his unhappy face on.
“Jack! Jack! We have a major crisis! The Heartless are completely out of control! We can’t stop them!” Mayor yelled into his microphone. 
“Hmm... Maybe our experiment triggered something. Everything will be fine, Mayor. You have nothing to worry about,” Jack said. Donald tapped his foot, looking in Jack’s direction. They entered Guillotine Plaza and fought a group of Heartless before entering the Graveyard.
“Let’s check this place, too, once the Heartless here are out of our way,” Sora said. They defeated the Heartless in the Graveyard and a ghostly dog with a glowing pumpkin for a nose, rose out of his doghouse grave and Jack walked up to him.
“Zero! Have you seen Sally anywhere?” he said. Zero flew over to a gravestone, startling the person behind it. A rag doll with long hair stood up and looked over at them, the stitches covering her body clearly visible.
“Is something wrong, Jack?” she asked. 
“No, everything’s going great. We’re going to have the best Halloween ever. All we need now is your memory,” Jack said, excitedly.
“‘Memory?’ You mean this?” She pulled out a gnarled flower. She gave the Forget-Me-Not to Jack, who stared at it curiously. 
“Jack, I have a bad feeling about this. Why don’t you try something else? There’s still time,” Sally said. 
“Nothing could beat what I’ve got planned!” Jack said as he spun around to face her.
“Once we give the Heartless a heart, they’ll dance just as I envision it,” he said but Sally looked worried.
“Trust me. You’re going to love it!” he said. Sora started talking to Sally.
“I have a bad feeling about this. If only Jack would reconsider... I’m happy if he’s happy, but I’m just so worried about him. I’m worried about him because I...well, I just am. Jack, why not have these kids star in the festival instead? They both look rather frightful. And funny, too. They’d be better than the Heartless,” Sally said. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack left the Graveyard, with Sally following. From a coffin near the end of the graveyard, laughter erupted before the lid flew open. Three little imps jumped out dressed like a devil, witch, and skeleton, respectively. They wore masks on their faces because they liked it.
“Lock!” 
“Shock!” 
“Barrel!” The little imps huddled together. 
“Did you hear that?” Barrel asked.
“Yeah, I sure did! A heart! What should we do?” Lock said. 
“Gosh, you really are stupid! Isn’t it obvious?” Shock said. 
“Tell Oogie Boogie,” Barrel said and the of them laughed. Sora and company returned to Dr. Finkelstein’s Lab and gave him the “memory”.
“Yes. This is it. Now, just one more ingredient. We need “surprise” to complete the heart. The mayor should know where it is,” Finkelstein said. Meanwhile, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were trembling in the presence of a laughing monster named Oogie Boogie. He had the appearance of a burlap sack tied together with thread. Two holes for the eyes curved evilly, giving him a nightmarish look. His hands and feet ended in points, rather than fingers, and an opening in the cloth was stitched together for the mouth.
“A heart? That bonehead Jack is really making a heart? I’ll be jiggered! That works for me!” he smiled. 
“Ohh, when I get my hands on that...” He looked at his pointed extremities.
“Well, I’ve got no hands, but I’m still gonna nab that heart and control the Heartless,” he cackled powerfully. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jack found the Mayor in the Boneyard near a giant pumpkin and talked to him.
“Ghost rise from those tombstones. Check the tombstones in the order the ghosts appear. If you get it wrong, you’re in for a surprise!” Mayor said. He pointed to a nearby group of gravestones, where they saw three ghosts rising from various ones and vanishing. They picked the correct ones and there was an explosion behind them.
“Splendid! Now go look at the pumpkin,” Mayor said. They turned around to see the pumpkin destroyed with a treasure chest inside. They opened it and took out a Jack-in-the-Box. They returned to Dr. Finkelstein’s Lab and gave him the Jack-in-the-Box.
“Yes. This is it,” he said. The doctor assembled the ingredients into the heart.
“There you go. This time it’s sure to work,” he said. He wheeled over with the heart on his lap, when Barrel jumped out from under his research table, tripping him over.
“Ya!” Barrel said. Finkelstein yelled as he fell out of his chair, causing the heart to bounce over the table and into Lock’s arms. The doctor growled, shaking a gloved fist at them. Lock snickered and the three escaped.
“The nerve of those little hooligans, stealing my work!” Finkelstein said. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack raced after the trio to Guillotine Square.
“We lost them!” Sora said. Jack tapped a hand on his leg, calling Zero over to him.
“Zero, after them, quick!” he said. Zero flew towards the Graveyard to Moonlight Hill, where a large curled hill unfurled, making a pathway to a bridge. Lock, Shock, and Barrel rode in a walking bathtub over the hill. Sora and company arrived and defeated the Heartless in the area. They found a hidden switch in a gravestone, which unfurled the hill for them and they walked across to the bridge to Oogie’s Manor, where the bathtub was approaching a wooden bridge. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack ran in.
“I knew Oogie Boogie was behind this!” Jack said. They stared up towards the twisted mansion. They made their way up the mansion, fighting Heartless until they found the topmost room. They entered the Evil Playroom to find Lock, Shock, and Barrel tossing the heart down a shaft. They whirled around when they entered. Sora and company subdued the three imps and forced them to talk.
“We were just following orders! Oogie Boogie told us to steal the heart. It’s all Barrels fault! It was his idea to tell Oogie Boogie about the heart,” Shock said.
“Yeah, that’s right!” Lock said.
“B-But you guys said—” Barrel said. 
“You should be ashamed!” Shock said. 
“Oogie Boogie made us do it. We had no choice,” Lock said.
“Oogie Boogie told us not to give away his hiding place. Oh, and we’re not supposed to talk about the lever, either,” Barrel said. Sora activated a lever on a control panel and geared in the wall begin to spin.
“What’s he going to do with the heart? Beats me. I’d stay away from Oogie Boogie if I were you,” Barrel said. 
“Hey, I was just following Oogie Boogie’s orders! We don’t have the heart! Oogie Boogie has it!” Shock said. 
“There’s no way I’m gonna take you to him! If I did that, Oogie Boogie would eat us too,” Lock said. 
“You’ll never find the green door!” They made their way down to Oogie’s Torture Chamber, which looked like a giant roulette wheel. They ran in and found Oogie Boogie with the heart.
“Oogie Boogie, give me back the heart!” Jack said. 
“You want it? Well, then come on over and get it!” Oogie Boogie said. He put the heart in his mouth and swallowed it to everyone’s surprise. He began cackling.
“Now, let’s see if I can get their attention. Oh, Heartless!” he said. Two Gargoyle Heartless appeared behind him.
“This is it?” he asked as he started to get angry. 
“Nobody disrespects me! Nobody!” he yelled. He pulled a switch causing an explosion from behind Sora and company, knocking them into the pit of the roulette wheel. The Heartless flew down and attacked them, but they were quickly defeated.
“C’mon, baby!” Oogie said. Him, being a gambling man, threw exploding dice into the pit, but they dodged out of the way. Sora activated a switch that raised his section of the pit, allowing him access to the boogeyman. Sora held a hand to his chest and raised his Keyblade, which lit up and a bubble dropped down from above. The bubble popped, revealing a young elephant with enormous ears. Sora jumped onto Dumbo, grabbing onto the elephant’s hat. Dumbo flew into the air with his huge ears and sprayed a torrent of water at Oogie Boogie. Once the boogeyman had enough of this, he activated an explosion. Dumbo disappeared and Sora was sent back into the pit. Donald attempted to strike Oogie from below with Thunder and Gravity spells.
“This would be a lot easier if (Y/N) was here,” Donald said.
“Agreed,” Sora said. 
“Buzzsaw!” Oogie said. A spinning saw blade whirled past Sora, nearly slicing him in half. The roulette wheel began spinning around, sending Sora, Donald, and Goofy in front of three slot machines.
“Bone Soldiers!” Oogie said. The eyes of the slot machines glowed and they raised their pistols, shooting at the three of them. They jumped out of the way onto another button that sent all four of them upward to face Oogie. They attacked Oogie Boogie with everything they had, causing the villain’s burlap sack to open and a swarm of squirming bugs to fall all over the floor. Oogie Boogie screamed before the sack fell motionless with the heart still inside as a final blue bug crawled out of it. It landed on its back, squirming on the floor of the pit.
“So, that heart was a failure after all,” Jack said. They left Oogie’s Manor, crossing the wooden bridge back to the ridge they entered from, when a large explosion occurred behind them, sending everyone off balance.
“Huh?” Jack asked. Dust billowed out from the mansion and they heard Oogie Boogie moaning. When the dust settled, they saw his body overtaking the house, covered in orb of darkness.
“Whoa! How did he get so big?” Sora said.
“Look! It’s brimming with the power of darkness! Oogie Boogie is drawing power from those dark globs!” Jack said. 
“So we just have to destroy those things, right?” The four jumped down as the bridge was now destroyed and made their way up the living mansion, destroying the dark orbs in their path. After the final one was taken out, the mansion quaked and crumbled to the ground. In its place a giant Keyhole appeared. Sora sent a beam of light into the air, which broke up and fell on the Keyhole, locking it. They returned to Dr. Finkelstein’s Lab, where Sally was waiting for them.
“Sally, why didn’t I listen to you?” Jack asked.
“Don’t feel bad, Jack. We’ll come up with another plan for Halloween. Next time, we’ll do it together,” Sally said. They held hands and stared into each other’s eyes. Sora, Donald, and Goofy then spoke to Jack.
“I guess we have no choice. We’ll have to cancel the Heartless Halloween festival for now. Here, I want you to have this,” Jack said. He then gives Sora a keychain.
“Visit us any time, Sora. Next year’s Halloween will be the scariest ever!” he said. The doctor was rereading his research book, thinking out loud.
“Emotion, memory... We put in all the necessary ingredients. What else do you need to make a heart? What is a heart, anyway? I can’t figure it out,” he said. 
~~~~
You were sitting in front of the door, having more of your power radiating off of you while having your arms tied up like a puppet. 
“How much longer till we’re ready?” Maleficent asked.
“Almost,” Riku said.
“Excellent.” She then walked away leaving Riku alone with you. He walked up to you and cupped your cheek.
“Why are you doing this?” you asked, weakly. 
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said. You started to cry and Riku wiped your tears away with his thumb.
“Shh, don’t cry. It’ll all be over soon,” he said. He stood up and walked away, leaving you by yourself.
“Sora...please help me,” you said.
To be continued...
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honeycombme · 5 years ago
Text
Easy as Breathing (PT. 2)
Clyde has never looked so sweet.
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Part 2!
(Pt 3 available here!)
Your fingertips shook ever so slightly as they pulled clothes from your dresser. What do you even wear camping. Nothing you dredged up from the depths of your drawers was satisfying the goal you had in mind. Of course, all you wanted to do was feel desirable, but how do you do that when you’ll just be sweaty and gross for the entire weekend? You decided to just text Lauren. You wrote, “EMERGENCY. Wtf am i supposed to wear to keep Clyde’s attention? Surely not the t-shirt from my middle school robotics team?!”
You felt even more frantic. Bathing suits. You didn’t have anything other than a cheap, all black one-piece. You texted Lauren again. “Ok ok and bathing suits...i’m fucked”. You took a shaky breath, piling in essentials you at least knew you’d need. After all the toiletries and whatnot were sorted, you checked your phone. Lauren must’ve been having a ball. 
“Oh sweetpea, honeybear, sugarplum. I’m at the mall right now, what’s your size?” Her text burned into your retinas as you contemplated whether or not to give her this power. You relented, realizing you were already a lost cause and she could only help from here. After she received your text about sizes, she sent a wink emoji. Winking….about what???
You decided to fold up every piece of clothing you ripped out of your dresser while you waited for her to let you know whether or not she had any luck with bathing suits or clothes. You bargained with yourself, realizing t-shirts, shorts, and leggings would just have to do in this case. You folded everything neatly into a duffle bag, cursing under your breath at your nerves. 
Your phone dinged. When you unlocked the screen, Clyde’s name came into view. Your heart fluttered and you felt the butterflies again. You’d been texting on and off since last night you went to the bar, getting to know each other little by little. You learned that  he loves spaghetti and the smell of the Earth fresh after the rain. You learned that he was in the military and that he enjoys the moon more than the sun. You learned that his favorite dessert was peach cobbler. You also learned that you wanted to learn everything about him. 
He texted, “Just finished puttin some booze in a cooler for us, that way everything’ll be nice and chilled when we get there. I’m sure excited to be gettin there and settlin’ down for the night. I hope you’re as excited as I am, darlin.” You leaned against the closest wall you could find, re-reading the text over and over as you sighed. No matter what you wore, you were certain it’d be perfect. 
Lauren proposed that you both drive together to minimize the amount of cars at the campsite. When she showed up, she invited herself in to help you with bags. She looked you up and down as she saw you standing in your living room, closing the door and whipping her head back around. In her hands was a small fabric bag and she began pulling out the contents. 
“Ok so I packed you the swimsuit and a couple other essentials; however, we need to fix this outfit immediately,” she laughed, walking over and placing a hand on your shoulder. “Listen dear, you’re perfect; but if i’m going to live vicariously through you, i’m gonna need you to put these on.” She held out her hand, holding a few items of clothing. 
You unfurled the clothes, revealing a cropped, v-neck tank top, high-waisted jean shorts, a thin, loose cardigan, and a ballcap. You looked from the clothing to her, panic rising in your throat. 
“Y/n, it’s going to be fine. This way you’ll be more comfortable, too. It’s hotter than a rattlesnakes taint out there.” Lauren was perfect. She always had a quip to make you laugh, put you at ease. You ran into the bathroom and changed as fast as you could, trying not to look at yourself in the mirror too hard. When you walked out, she praised you. 
“YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS girl, I AM drooling. I’m quite the life saver. No need to thank me, let’s just get outta here, shall we?” With a spring in her step, she grabbed the bag and walked out of the door. You picked up your own bag and shuffled out, locking the door behind you. And so it begins. 
When you arrived at the campsite, there was a man in a guard shack checking every vehicle in. As Lauren approached, she stated the party’s name (Clyde Logan…*sigh*) and the man let you through. You drove for about 20 minutes around and around seemingly endless trees, camp sites, and then back the place you started. 
“Fuck,” gritted Lauren. She was visibly frustrated, and you were no better to navigate the woods than her. You decided to text Clyde. 
“Classic. Girls lost in the woods. Any way you can give me a play by play on how to get there?” You sent your text in a flash. Only seconds later, Clyde’s name appeared on your screen; he was calling. 
Your stomach dropped but you answered quickly (too quickly? Oh shut up y/n). 
“Hey there darlin’ can ya give me an idea of where you’re at? I can walk up to the main street ta meet ya.” His southern drawl was exceptional, I mean. WHERE did he pick this gorgeous twang from, the heavens?  
You chatted quickly about your surroundings, coming about a gentleman holding a phone, looking in the other direction. It was him. His hair was halfway pulled back into a convenient bun, t-shirt ripped open on the sides revealing his sides and chest. You shuddered slightly. When he turned his head your way, Lauren had slowed down drastically. He smiled and waved his arms for you to follow him. The path became littered with branched and trees, the further you drove in, the thicker the foliage became. Lauren kept a decent distance between him and the car. 
“Sure is looking like a snack for you, hmm?” she teased. She bit her tongue and smiled wildly when you glanced at her, pleading. Your nerves were already shot, and you felt way out of your element in this outfit. The skin that was exposed feeling every draft that passed you. 
When the car stopped, your stomach jolted upwards. You exited the car, tugging at the hem of the crop top to try and regain some modesty. Clyde was talking to Jimmy, but when he looked over and saw you, he jogged over to help. 
“Ya made it in one piece, ladies,” he beamed, giving Lauren the quickest of embraces. He made his way to you, smiling wildly as he placed an arm around you tightly, burrowing his face in the crook of your neck. You could’ve sworn he breathed you in. When he pulled away, he eyed you up and down, eyes lingering on the skin between your shorts and your crop top. You were immediately away of your exposed skin again, tugging at the hem of the shirt. 
He led you into the clearing of the campsite, holding you and Lauren’s bags over his shoulder. She reached for hers as he showed you where your tent was, escaping into the tent to set her stuff up. He placed yours down next to his tent. 
“This here’s Jimmy Logan, worst best brother ta ever walk the earth-” Clyde stated as Jimmy walked towards you arms open. 
“And you must be the pretty little thing he’s been ravin’ about, c’mere sweetie,” Jimmy Logan’s arms were around you in the blink of an eye, Your left hand raising to pat his back. As he pulled away, you noticed how bright his eyes were, a stark contrast from Clyde’s molasses colored eyes. His smile was warm and genuine, an honest smile you realized you needed to see. Jimmy’s friend introduced himself and you shook hands, becoming acquainted with everyone. 
When Lauren reappeared, she also received the same introductions, hugs and quips. You were both led through the options for dinner and available snacks, Clyde hanging around in the background sipping a beer. He was tending to a small fire, attempting to build it into one that would last the evening. Lauren and you spent a good fifteen minutes applying sunscreen and bugspray, leaving you both slightly greasy with a bit of sickly perfume hanging on your skin. 
A few hours had gone by and drinks were heavily passed around, sitting by the fire. No one was shy to drink from Jimmy’s friend’s flask after a few drinks, and boy did it burn. You swallowed an accidental mouthful from the flask, trying to regain control of your facial expression as it burned your esophagus. 
“That there is my momma’s best apple pie moonshine,” declared Jimmy’s friend. “She won awards from it….there’s another handle in my trunk.” He laughed, holding his belly as the flask made its way back to him. 
“Sometimes I honestly believe your momma’s been tryna kill you with that stuff,” chuckled Jimmy, slapping his chest as the remnants of the moonshine trickled down. You smiled into the heat of the fire and the heat in your veins. Shit. You were a little drunk. 
You were saved by Clyde pulling out hot dogs and the works. You mowed down probably two...maybe three hot dogs when you felt you had control of your mouth. Jimmy and his friend spent the sunset asking you and Lauren questions about your lives. He kept referring to you as “city girls” and acting in awe of the life you had back in New England. It was interesting to see their reactions to your everyday ventures. 
You asked the same amount of questions in return, learning about Jimmy’s criminal past (he has nothing to hide) and his hopes for the future. Clyde remained quiet and attentive, soaking in all the information. You turned to face him. “What about you, mister tall, dark and mysterious?” You felt brazen, realizing you didn’t mean to put him on the spot. Clyde just smiled at you. 
“I’ll tell ya anything you wanna know, miss.”
You all got to talking about how Clyde came to own Duck Tape, how he and Jimmy got themselves into all sorts of trouble, and how they used to come to this campsite to get away from all the negatives in their lives. 
The sun was beyond set and you began to feel the draft of the air against your skin becoming colder and colder. Without realizing you were, you started shivering; teeth chattering every so often as you attempted to stifle it. It was nerves as well, Lauren and Jimmy’s friend hit it off, deciding to go watch the fireflies by the lake's edge. Now it was you, Clyde, and Jimmy. 
“Welp, since the suns down I’m gonna take this chance to go wash off the day. You guys need anything, you holler.” Jimmy stood promptly, grabbing his bag from beside his tent and walked off into the woods. 
“Shower?” you questioned Clyde. You didn’t realize but he had stood when Jimmy did, perhaps he wanted to go shower as well. 
“Yeah, it’s like a quarter-for-a-few-minutes of hot water deal,” he explained. “It’s in an old log cabin up the road.”
“Aaah,” you teased, “so this isn’t real camping..”
He came to sit by your side, shoving you playfully with his shoulder. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with wantin ta stay pampered,” he let his hair out of the bun and shook it loose. You could smell the spicy shampoo from his hair, the deodorant clinging to his skin, the peppery cologne he must be wearing…He chuckled at his own playfulness
You breathed in deep. “Mmm tell me you brought some of that shampoo to share, mister Logan.” You smiled sweetly at Clyde and then looked back to the crackling fire. Another gust of wind, stronger than the others, attacked your exposed skin, causing you to shiver. Clyde noticed, getting up and walking towards his tent. How could this hot, muggy place have such freezing night time drafts?
Clyde returned with a balled up piece of clothing in his hand. “Arms up,” he demanded. You looked to him confused, raising your arms. He pulled the material out and draped it around your arms, tugging it down until your hands met the holes of a shirt. He grabbed his own shirt for you to wear...to keep you warm. You melted. It smelled just like him. Not exposed to the smell of burning wood, the shirt exuded his scent, each subtle note gracing your senses. You sighed as the shirt enveloped you, coming to your thighs. 
The heat of the fire on your shins matched the heat in your cheeks now. Clyde seemed closer than ever, yet the two of you were silent. 
“Clyde?” Your voice pierced a scared rhythm of crackling in the embers of the fire. 
“Y/n?” he replied.
“I think you’re too cool for me,” you joked, halfway believing it. 
He smiled wide, “Too cool...ain’t never heard that one before. Truth be told, i’m a little shy. And hell, maybe a little nervous.” 
“Nervous?”
“Yeah...i’m not real good at the whole...smooth talkin’ thing.” He looked from the fire to the ground. You turned to face him. 
“Smooth talkin’ thing,” you repeated. “Clyde, you don’t need to play games with people, you’re the real deal. That’s why all the women at the bar hang on your every word, why I come as often-” You stopped yourself. Don’t give too much away, damnit. Even if the moonshine is strong, you needed to at least not make yourself vulnerable. You looked to the ground, then to his prosthetic arm which was glinting in the fire. In your peripheral vision, Clyde was looking down at you with the faintest smirk. 
“Yes, miss y/n? Please continue,” he demanded.
You huffed a breath through your nose, taking a sip of the drink you had been nursing. “All i’m saying is...I can’t seem to get enough of being around you. You make this whole reassignment..I don’t know...brighter? Sweeter? You make everything as easy as breathing when I come to see you at the bar. I’m sure you get a lot of this, but it sure means a lot to me to have you around.” You weren’t sure where you pulled the courage to say all of this, but you realized you’d begun shaking from nerves. 
Clyde’s eyes contained the image of the fire reflected back to you. Of course they did. He’s the only person that’s made you feel hotter than the West Virginia sun. The only face you’ve pictured late at night when your hands dip below your panty line. The only thing giving you a glimmer of hope for happiness in this lonely town. You were only able to hold his gaze for a moment. His hair was curling at the ends from the humidity, a slight breeze sending the scent of his shampoo to your senses. 
“You must not know how much I think of you, y/n,” he began, “ever since you been comin’ to my bar for a laugh, I’ve been hangin off every word you say to me.” He looked down at his shirt wrapped around your body. “You are the highlight of my day, every time I see your pretty face gracin’ my bar. I love makin’ you your favorite drinks, watchin you sip and be happy with your girlfriend...hell, i’d do anything to make you feel happy,” he chuckled. “I honestly never thought I stood a chance with lady as beautiful as you, always comin to see me in those perfect dresses.” 
You shuddered at the thought of him noticing you in your dress, wondering what you were wearing underneath, how the fabric would feel against his skin…
“Y/n!” yelled Lauren. 
You both perked up, not realizing how close your faces had gotten in your conversation. You became acutely aware of the smoke coming your way in contrast to the scent of Clyde’s body coming closer to yours. You turned to face Lauren, walking with Jimmy’s friend. 
“Yes, Lauren?”
~
@callmehopeless​...because I LOVE annoying you with attention
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