#nah dude i guess asking the bare minimum of going to work is too much

[femmeboyhooters]

Me: Hey wow this thing $10 would really help me feel like a person again, can I get it?

Husband: Yeah I'll pick it up

Husband on his way home: Hey you know that thing that would really help you feel better? Yeah well imma skip that errand today bc -insert list of arbitrary reasons- but I'm still gonna run *my* errand that i wanna do for fun

He then proceeds to take an hour and a half to get two errands done despite the fact that my errand would have added maybe ten minutes onto that

[umbillicalnoose]

i think that you would think im pretty and would like my poetry and i want to share it with you. im shy.

to be honest, im very apathetic these days. im not the nice “cutesy baby flower petal boy” i used to be. a lot has happened & im bitter & sullen & all in all, a pretty shitty friend/person to know. i used to possess some redeeming qualities, believe it or not, even if they were construed by the subconscious in an attempt to be likeable - a facade, even tho its only a facade, is still tangible, still there, is still something, even if not authentic. is poorer character forgivable in the name of presenting more authentically? but nah. that makes it sound like im putting effort into being a better person, which im not. im just sort of fried & done. its been a very long time since i played the role i built for myself on here of the “small fawn boy who wants to help girls” lmaooo. how embarrassing. altho, i was just a kid, & i guess, if you had a tumblr as a teenager, you went thru some cringe (i know the use of that word has fallen in on itself & adopted its own definition but for lack of a better one) ass phases, whether it was kinning or malingering mental illness or oh fucking christ, all that gender bullshit, etc etc. from what ive observed, tho, loosely following kids im still casually friends with that i met on here, i think we’ve all managed to Grow The Fuck Up, at least a little. most of us have jobs or r in school or have partners - growing up & moving on is a very surreal experience to watch/go thru. im moving at my own pace & ive accepted that - im still currently using & starving myself & concocting a suicide plan every day but at least i use clean needles as much as possible, i actively & honestly do strive for the bare minimum calorically, & um able to work with the mentality of “well ill have this when i need it but todays not that day” a lot more readily, in relation to suicide shit. ive finally found a therapist who Really Gets It, is a frontrunner internationally on ritual & extreme abuse & mind control. its pretty incredible what a few years with a good therapist can do. anyways. im sorry, i know you didnt ask for all this & im not even sure why i divulged. i guess, what tipped me off, was your attempt at sounsing “cute” - dude, cut that shit out, i promise youll be a lot better off. & i know everyone interchanges aspects of their personality based on who theyre talking to/who they percieve themselves to be talking to, but i feel like not a lot of people give enough credence to the internet & its hand in shaping/molding young people, kids, vulnerable dumbasses, especially tumblr (tho, i get that its a relatively new phenomenon) - u get a bunch of the “weird”, “alternative”, ““ostracized” kids together on a website, of course its gonna nurture a culture of hypervalidatoon & pretending to be sick in order to fit in to the point that its not an act anymore & exacerbation of symptoms & basically, just sucking each others dicks, sitting in ur own shit, & never ending coddling. & then, you have the older group of kids, who have played this game before but instead of helping or ignoring the Dumbshit kids, they indulge their own normally-buried-but-unleashed-by-internet-anonymity sadism/human instinct to just be fucking dicks & so now you have this vicious cycle of anger & hatred & fucking melodrama up the urethra. im sorry, i know im comig off as/am being harsh but god fuckin dammit yknow? also, this isnt directed at you, specifically, more of a generalized thing, @ myself included. so uh. i mean, if u still wanna share it with me after reading all this, id be happy to read ur poetry. i used to be over the top nice & then reverted to Major Asshole & am now trying to find that sweet middle spot - honoring & allowing myself to share my pain without putting it on others. which is really hard!! cuz becoming a Dick was difficult in that it forced me to be more honest with my true self & as such, more vulnerable - now in trying to become Kinda Nice again because despite being a pulsating scrotom, ive had the intense desire for friendship & human interaction, while simultaneously doing things that i was consciously aware was pushing others away - but then, if i pretend to be nice, where does that authenticity i worked for & was so scared of go? & i dont mean telling someone their new haircut looks nice even when it doesnt - thats just not being a dick. but i guess, those r the normal trials & tribulations of any relationship & adolescent developing identity. which is weird too - dealing with “normal” issues, i mean. whats the point if your life/limbs/breaking point arent at risk? whats the point when your best friends already dead. im sick of people calling "survivors” (despise that word, so fucking female-originated & overdramatic) “brave” & “strong” - surviving is not brave or strong. its just survival. you wouldnt call an animal brave for running for its life from a predator but you would call a dog courageous for going into a burning building to save its owner. premeditated action on the notion that you are probably going to be hurt is brave. being subjected to pain with no choice is not. theres no “silver lining” or anything “good” to be drawn from it either - sure it may have made x a more compassionate person or made y more introspective & gentle but you know what would have been even fucking better??? if the shit hadnt happened in the first place! let x be an asshole & y be self absorbed - the “benefits”, so to speak, do not outweigh the cost, not by a long fucking shot. its not only patronizing to hear garbage like that, but a slap in the face to know that anyone could possibly see anything good coming from that nightmare & that the characteristics, good or bad, you developed either in response to or as a result of, are worth praise. dont tell me im strong for doing what i had to to escape a torture chamber - tell me im perseverant for studying my ass off & passing that test last week. in the words of one of my dearest & most fucking brilliant friends, “pain doesnt owe me/you purpose - the need to intellectualize & assign meaning to pain & death is not only futile, but harmful.” & honestly, i think that it stems from weakness (in most cases - i realize theres a plethora of other reasons such as those who r just desperate for something to hold on to or r hyperintellectual & analytical or who have been pressured by external “support” systems to find the “good” etc etc) - while the majority of people view the person who “can find the good in everything” (strictly speaking only in relation to trauma/tragedy here & more in denunciation of those that celebrate this trait as opposed to vilifying “survivors” who respond this way, though in my experience, its very very very rarely the “survivor” that perpetrates this ideology ) as strong, i sort of see it as a weakness - their inability to sit with & absorb their own pain or that of others is so strong that not only do they have to frantically pull rainbows out of the teeth of a meat cleaver, they also have to exist within this strange (tho, not malicious - more subconscious) superiority complex. like, nah, dude, some times shit is just awful. you cant tell me anything fucking good came out of a four year old girl being kidnapped, gangraped, & tortured for two years, before being impaled & left to die on a stake. her mom opened a non profit organization? oh well thank fucking god for that!!! those that believe the latter to be more “enlightened” or whatever the fuck r the same people who say shit like “dying is easy - living is harder” & i get that that its supposed to be interpreted metaphorically for the most part - giving up is easy, trying isnt (which also.....isnt true??? admitting defeat & fully accepting the fact that ur fucking helpless is beyond hard lmao???) - but pretend youre somewhere, anywhere outside ur sunny little fucking yoga studio full of white women whos biggest issues r the pta & johnny whos failing math, & lets say your life is in real, imminent danger, a gun is to your head & i want you to not scream or cry or beg for ur life since dying is “easier”. if dying is so easy, why do the majority of ppl cling to it with such desperation - why is suicide illegal? why do some ppl go thru 100s of chemo treatments even tho the doctors say theyre just prolonging the inevitable, ppl who cut off a diseased arm so it wont spread, those who walk dozens of miles every day for food & water, etc? & i know & understand the survival instinct better than anyone, even when i wanted to die more than anything, my natural instincts would kick in with no conscious neural input & id do what i had to do. im not condemning those who cling to life (ok - a little. ur wasting resources out of ur own fear. but i also realize thats just me being a Fucking Asshole As Always cuz technically, im doing the same thing tho its more due to lack of opportunity rather than fear. i just think, societally, death should be more normalized, discussed, & not made out to be so unknown & scary), instead just reprimanding those who say shit like that (inspirational facebook quotes). especially cuz most of the ppl who do spew that shit have never gone thru anything even remotely difficult - their worst nightmare is a Big Scary Black Man grabbing them on the street, mugging them, & touching their tits. & i also know that these stupid ass sayings are to be applied to bullshit like exercise & fitness (“no pain no gain” is another one of my Favorites) & not fucking torture or even just ur run of the mill rape, even that would probably smash the rose tinted banana republic shades off their beverly hills tanned faces. but ive heard the no pain no gain one a handful of times in the last few weeks, specifically from doctors performing procedures in preparation for my bottom surgery. & i know its supposed to be encouraging & they have no way of knowing, but its just like, buddy, u have no idea who youre fucking talking to. & im starting to understand what THEY mean when they say it - pain with a reward is infinitely more tolerable than pain just for the sake of pain; like, a tattoo, it hurts, but u know, when its done, its gonna be sick as fuck. when u r able to fall back on the idea that its for something u rlly want, its A Lot easier to handle as opposed to pain thats Just Pain - theres no reward for it except, i guess, that the more u experience it, the closer u r to the end of it lmao. i mean, i still hate when ppl say it cuz for most of my life, pain was just pain, & the “reward” was the opportunity to go home at the end & so whenever ppl say that, my mind just immediately resorts back to that & im just like haha fuck u. but im trying to remember my experiences r definitely not universal & im starting to sorta understand what they mean i think. but, flipping gears here, & going back to the sentiment of “everything happens for a reason”, the base philosophy of psuedo deep Fuckwads - a girls dad didnt fuck her “for a reason”, everything doesnt happen “for a reason”. like ok, hypothetically, the kid he impregnated her with & that she was forced to have at 12 may surpass all odds & not become a homeless junkie & instead become a world renowned doctor who finds the cure for cancer. but she wasnt raped repeatedly from the age of six for that “reason”, no matter what anyone says & honestly, the liberation of the masses does not justify the suffering of one, especially a child. in my eyes at least. but again, im a bitter asshole. sorry i just Went The Fuck Off here oh my god.....if u read all this, thanks, pal. if not, thats cool too. but yea, send me ur stuff, id totally be down to read it. as for me potentially thinking ur cute, i have to look at my disgusting shitstain of a “face” every goddamn day so everyone else to me is fuckin aphrodite. but im also tryin to not put so much worth into physical appearance- its not something that should be complimented cuz its just smth a person was born with which is the same reason it shouldnt be insulted. this is gonna sound gay & stupid but i personally find that a persons essence & personality really permeates. you can meet someone who, objectively, isnt all that great looking, but once u get to know them, u really see their beauty - how the sun catches in their hair, their dilated pupils looking up at u from under long eyelashes in the dark, the birthmark on their right shoulder that they despise but that is so Them, the gap in their teeth, etc. & idk how to phrase this without it sounding like “well ur ugly but at least ur a good person”, cuz that only reiterates the societally indoctrinated emphasis on appearance & my kneejerk reaction to assure the person in question that thats not what im saying is only another result of that!!! its inescapable!!! but no, really, its not just a matter of “its on the inside that counts” - physically, they change or maybe, actually this is more likely, when i first meet them, my “default” eyes r just looking for features that i know im immediately attracted to (tall, blonde, sickly as in sunken eyes sticklike pale but still looks like she could & will beat the shit out of me) but as i fall in love or get to know them better, my eyes adjust & i notice & adore the beauty that was there all along. so uh. idk if ill think ur “cute”. but probably, yes, ill think ur an angel.

[soundofseventeen]

Default Valentine (Xu Minghao)

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! We love you and hope you all have a wonderful holiday! 💖💚💛 -Erin

“So, I guess we’re just going to have to finish the presentation itself, make it look pretty, and then get out presentation notes set up. Then we’re done!” You said, smiling at Minghao. He nodded as he finished packing up his bag, logging off of his computer and putting it away.

“Excellent.” He grinned, putting the last of his notes away. “We can probably finish that this weekend at some point, right?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, uh sure. I guess we can.” You said, thinking it really wasn’t that much work left to do, and probably didn’t require another meetup to do. You could easily finish it in the next 2 hours if you worked hard enough.

“If that’s okay with you? I just don’t want to keep you from any Valentine’s plans.” He said, standing up. You looked at Minghao confused for a couple seconds, then your eyes widened and you looked at your phone. 

“Oh my gosh, it’s Valentine’s day?” You asked, and Minghao nodded.

“February 14th. It comes around every year.”

“Oh man, I totally forgot about it.” You laughed, putting your phone down and turning back to your computer.

“So… What are your plans?” He asked, standing by the doorway of the study room you were in. You looked back up at him.

“Oh, well I didn’t have any, so at least I didn’t forget something.” You laughed, and Minghao raised an eyebrow. “I’m probably going to work on this for a while, then stop somewhere on the way home for takeout and chocolate. It’s gonna be a wild night.” You joked, and Minghao tilted his head.

“Wait, you really don’t have any plans tonight?” He asked, and you shook your head.

“Why would I? Isn’t this kind of a couple holiday?”

“I mean I guess…”

“Minghao, you can go. I promise I won’t touch your part of the presentation.” You said, and with that Minghao nodded, said goodbye, and left. You exhaled, turning back to your presentation. You added to a slide or two, then got up to use the bathroom and grab a granola bar. As you walked back to your study room, you saw the door had been reopened, and when you peeked inside you raised an eyebrow. You leaned on the doorframe and knocked on the door.

“I thought you left?” You said, and Minghao looked up, having just opened his computer back up.

“Yeah, it seemed rude to leave you here by yourself.” He said, and you rolled your eyes and sat down.

“Dude, I was serious. You don’t have to stay. I won’t get lonely or sad or anything.”

“It still wouldn’t be fair for you to be here working when I’m not.” He argued back, and you sighed.

“What about your plans for the evening?” Minghao shrugged.

“I was just going to see some friends, but I’m seeing them this weekend, so it can wait.”

“But Hao-”

“Y/N, I’m here. Let’s just work on this, okay?” He said, finally looking back up at you. You pouted for a second, but Minghao managed to keep his face straight.

“Okay fine.” You agreed, earning a smirk from Minghao right before he turned back to his computer.

You both spent the next hour working in near silence, only your keyboards making sound in the room. You were just finishing the information on your last slide, when Minghao stretched his arms up, causing you to look up.

“I’m hungry. Do you mind if I order something?” He asked, and you shook your head. He pulled out his phone and started to look for something, and then a couple taps later he looked back at you. “Do you want anything?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

“Well, you said you were getting takeout later, right?” You nodded, and Minghao shrugged. “What’s the difference if you have it now or later?”

“Well, what were you thinking?” He showed you his phone, and you quickly scanned the menu. “Alright… I guess if you’re already ordering I might as well tag on.”

“Okay, order what you want then.” You nodded and picked out your usual meal choices, and then handed the phone back to him.

“I have some cash I can give you for that somewhere.” You said, starting to dig through your backpack.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.”

“Minghao-”

“Really, it’s fine.” He smiled. “I’d be buying food for one of my friends anyway. I’m actually saving money this way.”

“You could be saving more money.”

“So could you.” Minghao smirked.

“Okay, you need to stop being good at arguing.” You pointed at him, causing Minghao to laugh, officially placing the order.

“Should be here in about 20 minutes.” He said, putting his phone back in his pocket. He looked out the window of your study room for a second, then back at you.

“You know,” You said, eyes not leaving your screen. “I think we’re almost done.” You smiled, finally looking back up at Minghao.

“Really?” Instead of looking at his own computer, he moved his chair over to your side of the table and looked at your screen. “Wow, it looks great.” You furrowed your eyebrows at him.

“Wait, you haven’t been looking at this?”

“Uh… I was.” Minghao smiled, his cheeks turning pink. “For the first half.”

“What have you been doing?” You couldn’t help but laugh, looking at his laptop.

“Definitely not online shopping.” He laughed, scratching his head.

“Oh my god. How much did you get done?” You asked, scrolling through the presentation to find his slides. “You just put the words on there.”

“Technically I did my bare minimum.” He pointed out. “I was going to touch them up this weekend, like I said before.”

“If you didn’t want to work on this, why did you stay?” You asked, humor in your voice. Minghao cleared his throat, sliding back to his side of the table.

“Uh… You know, I felt bad for leaving you here working. Plus… Okay, one of my friend’s was going to set me up tonight, and I wasn’t really interested in going.” He said, clicking on his computer a little bit. You looked up at him, and raised an eyebrow.

“Why weren’t you interested? Was there something wrong with them?” Minghao shrugged.

“Probably not. I don’t really know, it was supposed to be a blind date. Someone from his psych class, or something.” You rolled your eyes, shaking your head.

“Then how could you know? Maybe it was your soul mate.” You offered, and smirked as Minghao scoffed.

“Sure.” He shook his head, looking up at you. “If they’re my soul mate, I’m sure we’ll meet in a much better way than a set up from Jun.”

“Okay, that’s probably fair.”

“Plus, I kind of thought... Maybe… Oh, our food’s here.” He said, standing up. “I’ll just run and grab that.”

“Okay. I’ll try to make your slides looking somewhat decent.” You teased, and Minghao left the room shaking his head. You got a couple of the slides made, adding some colors and pictures when Minghao returned carrying a bag of food.

“Alright, come on. You can finish after you eat you workaholic.” He joked, passing you your food and closing your laptop.

“Fine.” You said, taking the container. “You should still let me pay for my half.”

“Nope. What kind of Valentine would I be if I let you?” You raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

“Oh, you’re my Valentine?” Minghao shrugged, picking at his food.

“I mean, it is Valentine’s Day. We are spending it together. It’s kind of like a… default Valentine.”

“A default Valentine? Oh, you really know how to swoon a person.” You grinned, and you could tell Minghao was trying to suppress a smile.

“Hey, it still counts.” He countered, causing you to laugh.

“Well, I guess if I have to have a Valentine, you’re not a bad one.” You smiled at Minghao as he looked back at you, then turned back to your food, looking for a good bite. Minghao just sighed, and looked back at his own food.

“Yeah, you too.”

[fuck-customers]

my boss could be an irl mr. krabs

lately getting more and more pissed with my boss and how he’s rly ruining our store 🙃

he’s relatively new (to our particular store and to being a general manager) and our former boss transferred at the end of august this year. and just. man is our current boss a Real Piece Of Work. for starters he’s incredibly stingy and overdramatic about labor and our overtime and how it takes from his bonus check. like just a couple weeks ago i worked night as i usually do but i came in early to cover someone in the morning so i was working a double shift. and my boss was almost immediately complaining about labor to me when he came in and how i should’ve said something about it to him. thing is, we have always just told the opening or closing managers about schedule changes which he. is not. he got so mad at me and said i didn’t need to come in for who i was covering due to labor and shit but like dude why schedule her then lol??? god the fact he was so trying to get rid of me until i come back for my night shift was so annoying? especially given my recently cut hours (more about that shit is upcoming 🙃) so. like. no i’m staying thanks!! ugggh he’s cheap so much so that it’s become a store-wide meme amongst just about everyone lmao. for example say something obviously unusable and so insignificant falls on the floor like One (1) french fry, and we exclaim dramatically “OH MY GOD we gotta pick that up RIGHT NOW, just think about [boss’ name]’s money!!!” it’s so goddamn funny he’s literally too easy to make fun of. which is all fun and dandy until you consider how his dumbass has been causing us to go downhill since he arrived.

the first big significant thing he did (that also really involved me so like. makes me even more pissed) was starting to promote our opener and give him a raise before me despite the fact i had asked first and as the main closer i do so much more shit than this other guy could even fathom doing. i was beyond frustrated and ANGRY. i work too hard and too much for the little pay i was getting. not to mention i live 30-40 mins away! gas ain’t too cheap! the fact this other guy still remains getting promoted is infuriating because he. doesn’t. fucking. deserve. it. and i’m not the only one who thinks so, just about all my coworkers think he’s careless, bothersome, and incompetent with no real maturity to handle becoming a manager. i keep fucking praying he ends up not becoming one. the thought of closing with him makes me want to SCREAM

but luckily i did eventually get my raise (after literally having to directly contact my boss’ boss over the issue) but heres what’s just. great… i’m now like still making a similar amount to what i was pre-raise because our boss pushed and pushed to start closing early. like we ARE brutally slow most of the time at night and the fact there’s this shitty construction blocking a big road entrance to our store isnt helping. but ya’ll we went from closing at midnight every day to closing at 10 except fri and sat we close at 11. its a drastic change though and it killed my hours. the worst part is i know my former boss wouldn’t have done this, maybe closing at 11 every day if anything but not 10, good lord. but because my current boss is so damn persistent in getting what he wants he was able to push enough for the change in our store hours. it’s funny because if you have some kind of issue you HAVE TO be super persistent to him about it otherwise it gets forgotten on the backburner immediately and it’s so frustrating. yet he’s always annoyingly and brutally persistent with his bosses over everything so 🙄

hes also like cutting my hours completely and giving me far less days to work, i used to be working 5 days a week all the time but now its like 4 days and recently this week (dec 3) its turned into only 3 days. but to sorta put that into perspective, i havent worked 3 days or less since MID JULY. id be working 35-40 hours a week (and 50 before i started school) and now this most recent week im barely working 19.

not to mention this hours change has managed to be reason for 1 of our night cooks to quit. and like ya’ll, we have only 4 night cooks, and the one leaving literally closes most of the week. she closed a minimum of three days each. and now our other main closing cook who closes fri-sun every weeky is beginning to consider leaving also. it’s such a shitty development from all this and i don’t even want to know the shit that’s to come next.

so not only all that shit but then there’s how he makes our schedules and always manages to fuck something up each week or weirdly schedule people in a way that makes no sense. like if someone requests off a day they normally always work each week, he often doesn’t fill that shift with someone else? like hello?? our schedules are so static too, my former boss always went out of his way to put different people together on different days each week but my current boss? nah let’s just copy and paste the last week’s schedule, change like 2.5 things and call it good. and i know it’s like, don’t change something that doesn’t necessarily need to be changed but. ugh i guess i just didn’t realize how much i enjoyed that original schedule diversity until it was suddenly gone… doesn’t help that i’m constantly being scheduled to work with the few coworkers i don’t particularly like 😊

so yeah tl;dr my new boss is an incompetent stingy asshole who gave a raise first to someone evidently less deserving than me, obnoxiously pushed to close much earlier thus killing the night crew’s hours, has given me far less hours than i used to altogether, at least partially caused 1 out of our 4 night cooks to quit, and he additionally just makes rather shitty unideal schedules

[blame-canada]

I Think - Crenny

Kenny is just starting to tiptoe into the realm of boyfriend terminology with Craig when he gives him a gift he could never repay him for. The way to Kenny's heart is his family, after all, and with the way he's gotten to see all their smiles so brightly this Christmas Eve, he's about ready to pop the question. He thinks, though, he thinks.

Hello everyone! I was given the opportunity to post the Secret Santa gift fic that I wrote for @kotaii-san! It’s some Christmas Eve fluff, just in time for Christmas Eve. It’s a bit long to be posting on Tumblr, but I guess that’s what cuts are for, haha. I hope you enjoy. :) Read it on AO3 here!

“I don’t mean to be a bratty teenager, but this sucks.”

The words hurt Kenny more than he wants to let on. At thirteen, Karen has had her fair share of pubescent girl meltdowns, and Kenny’s cleaned up the aftermath more times than he can count. In Kevin’s defense, he’s helped too, but the older he’s gotten, the more detached he’s become. His mother tries, sometimes, but more often than not she gets so overwhelmed so quickly that before Karen’s even done screaming, she’s reaching for the nearest illicit drug. It’s frustrating, but it’s life, he supposes, and Kenny sometimes wonders if in a different world he could have been dealt a better hand. It’s not worth the trouble to dwell on it now though, because the three of them are busy sitting huddled in the center of the living room, touching shoulders for warmth because the heat is at a bare minimum, and finding patterns in the stains on the carpet with their mouths shut and their fingers curled around small hands of cards.

“It’s not your fault,” she adds on, because apparently he hadn’t hid his disappointment well enough to keep it a secret and she reads him like a book anyway. “You do your best. It just kinda sucks.”

Kevin shivers while he nods, and the guilt in the pit of Kenny’s stomach weighs him to the floor so that he sinks further into the circle they’ve made, nearly touches noses with the discard pile. Sometimes in December he dreams of Stan’s house, or even Cartman’s, where it’s warm and there are soft lights and candles everywhere and pine needles wrapped around the banisters and fallen on the tree skirt that adorns the very bottom of their Christmas trees.

The McCormicks have never had a Christmas tree. He isn’t sure if it’s because his parents never thought it was important, couldn’t afford it, or both. He’d been planning on surprising them all with one this year with a meager savings he’d accumulated from the jobs he’s been working to help pay the bills, but it had to go to an emergency window fix, the glass punched out in a fit of rage. Kevin’s hand is still scabbed over and bruised on the knuckles.

“Do you think mom will be home in time? For midnight? Uno,” Karen asks as she drops a card onto the pile, because for some reason they still care that their family is together while the calendar turns to the twenty-fifth. Their father walked out ages ago, which was probably for the best. Now their mother works late into the night and early in the morning, and they don’t see her very much anymore. Kenny understands, but they all miss her, regardless of how horrible she can still be. It’s not a perfect place, and maybe when they move out they’ll each have their own revelations about just how toxic and abusive the household they came from was, but for now it’s all they’ve got.

“Dunno, Kare,” Kevin mutters, and Kenny puts his cards facedown on the ground to pat the top of her head instead. She protests with a whine and ducks away, but he still messes up the top layer of her thin hair. When she straightens up, she’s smiling, and Kenny smiles too.

“Love ya, kiddo,” Kenny says, because they don’t say ‘Merry Christmas,’ because it doesn’t really mean anything. They never were taught the story of Santa Claus. There isn’t much merry about their seance for warmth in a cold, dark house.

“Love you too, Kenny,” she replies, her voice small and fragile, and she adds, “love you too, Kevin.” Kevin grunts.

They finish their game and fall back into silence, and Kenny reaches for his phone, practically a burner several years out of circulation. He has a new text message, and he feels a flutter in his chest, because the name of the sender is a short string of emojis and there’s only one person in his contacts without a regular name.

His phone buzzes in his hand as another text comes in, from the same tiny spaceship between two stars.

   You home

   Answer if youre up for a good time :P

Kenny licks his lips, glances up at his siblings while he contemplates the offer. They’re each using one earbud to listen to music. The screen from the old iPod they still use is lighting up their faces, because night is setting in and the last drops of sunlight are fading from their profiles so that they turn to silhouettes. Ordinarily he would say yes, of course, in a heartbeat, because his spaceship crush is a deadly combination of addicting and rare. Tonight he hesitates though, because it is Christmas Eve, and as he realizes this, he thinks to ask him why he’s looking for a quick visit today of all days.

  tf u doin xmas eve that u wanna fuck around instead @_@?

The response is almost immediate. His spaceship is always lightning-fast, the same way it traverses the galaxies like ponds and hops stars like lily pads.

   Nothing important

Before Kenny can reply, he sends another.

  Thats not true. Im doing important stuff. Which is why I need to know if you are part of the important stuff.

Kenny sighs. Though it’s tempting, and he feels like maybe it’s selfish, his family needs him more. Maybe they’re fine, he doesn’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.

   i gotta spedn it w the fam dude. xmas sux but u kno. its family

  *spend

There is a long pause in which Kenny does nothing but stare at his phone. There isn’t much to do on it like the newer models, so it feels like more of a brick than anything else. He switches between watching the clock tick by and watching his brother and sister share music together. It’s approaching eleven, and he isn’t sure his mother will make it home in time after all. The pile of cards they’ve abandoned sits neatly at their feet. The brick vibrates.

   Well. Dont go anywhere.

Kenny’s curiosity is piqued, but he’s not sure if it’s too forward to ask what he’s talking about. His spaceship likes to keep secrets sometimes, within its indestructible metal walls. That’s not quite true, Kenny corrects, because he knows how to destruct it, and it’s one of his favorite things to do. The faint high of excitement and nerves makes his stomach flip, and he tucks his phone away in his pocket, reaching out to hold Kev and Karen’s hands again per tradition.

Karen drops her head on Kenny’s shoulder and starts to doze off then, and he starts blinking away sleepiness himself as the ambient noise of his house lulls him to sleep. He doesn’t want to fall asleep though, so he keeps snapping back up to attention, jolting his head up and blinking his eyes rapidly awake. Kevin seems to be doing the same thing, and eventually, Karen starts gently snoring against him. He adjusts his arm so she can rest her head on his lap and in her sleepy stupor she obeys- something she hasn’t done since she was nine years old. He pets her head with his now free hand and tries not to think about how much she deserves better.

A knock on the front door startles all three of them so that they sit up straight, and Karen gasps as she returns to the waking world. “Mom?” Kevin asks, and Kenny shakes his head.

“Nah, she don’t knock. Lemme check by the window.” Kenny stands, walks across the room carefully to avoid the squeakiest floorboards, and peeks out the window to check out the scene.

He’s met with a view of a mass of dark green.

He is even more confused than before. He looks back at his family and nods his head roughly to the left, silently telling them to hide behind the hallway, and they obey quickly. Kenny takes the metal bat he keeps by the door in his hands, shifting it in his grip carefully and weighing its potential fatality, and in a streamlined motion he’s practiced before, he yanks the door open and pulls his bat up behind his head, ready to swing.

“What the-” a familiar voice rasps, and its owner leans backwards, his eyes wide with surprise. “Kenny what the fuck,” he exclaims, and it takes Kenny a moment to take in what he’s seeing.

Craig, his spaceship between two stars, is standing on his doorstep, and in his arms is a big pine tree as tall as he is. Kenny drops his bat down against the wall, and takes a deep breath in through his nose. “You answer first. What’s goin’ on?”

Craig blinks, then shakes the tree a bit to his right. “I said important stuff.” He shrugs, a motion made awkward by his bulky cargo, and Kenny points at it.

“What is that?” he asks, not wanting to get ahead of himself, but he thinks he knows. He has a pretty good idea that he knows.

“The fuck does it look like?” Craig shivers and Kenny realizes he’s left him standing outside inappropriately, and he jumps to the side so Craig has room to enter his humble abode- emphasis on humble. “I got you a tree,” he says as he lugs it in, and with a small grunt of effort, he leans it against the wall beside the door.

Kenny is silent for a moment. “You sure fuckin’ did,” he replies, weakly, because he’s not really sure what else to say. “Where the fuck d’you find a tree on Christmas Eve?”

“Farms sell them till the last minute. I knew you didn’t have one this year. I got a stand and shit too, because, you know.” It’s unspoken that Craig most likely knows that it isn’t just a this-year thing that they don’t have a Christmas tree.

He can’t really help himself; Kenny wastes no time in planting a sloppy kiss on Craig’s lips, not caring that maybe their relationship status isn’t the most defined or that his sister might see. He doesn’t care at all about anyone except the angel gone rigid in front of him who then wraps his arms around his back like he’s hugging him for dear life, like he always does. He feels tears prick at his eyes and tries to blink them away, but he’s not entirely successful. He wants Craig to know how much he loves this moment so he doesn’t try too hard.

Kenny doesn’t say anything at first because there’s not much that he can say to make it better. The silence between them is their usual comfortable normal, the adoration in Kenny’s heart beating so rapidly he’s sure Craig can feel it against his chest. “Thank you,” he finally decides on, whispering it, and Craig hums, the vibration of his Adam’s apple tickling Kenny’s cheek. “Is this real?” he breathes against his collarbone.

“I think so?” Craig replies, but the way it sounds genuinely like a question makes Kenny laugh.

“Craig, I don’t,” he begins, but he truly doesn’t know what to say, and so he says, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Craig murmurs, and he kisses the shell of his ear, and suddenly Kenny is floating miles above his own body. His soul dances in his chest like a ballerina, jumping and spinning in joyous circles that make him laugh. He must look crazy, doing that, laughing for no outward reason, but he doesn’t care.

“Kenny..?” a timid voice calls, and he remembers he banished the other two-thirds of his family behind the corner of his house for their protection. He leaves Craig’s arms as he turns around and Karen is peeking around the corner, her tiny hands gripping the wall and hair spilling straight down towards the floor.

“You can come out,” he says softly, his smile warm and glowing, “it’s just Craig.”

He can see the sigh of relief in her shoulders before she hops out from the hallway. She catches sight of the tree and gasps. A big smile is slowly growing on her face until it becomes too strong to hide behind her lips and her teeth poke out with glee. Kevin saunters out behind her, but rests his back against the wall, crossing his arms and keeping watchful distance.

Before she can crash into them, Karen screeches to a halt in front of him and Craig. She looks back and forth between the two of them, her eyes crinkled slightly closed from the pure intensity of the blissful grin on her face. “Um,” she begins, suddenly growing shy and clasping her hands in front of her sheepishly, “is that for us?” She looks over at the tree then back at Craig, waiting patiently.

Kenny looks to Craig too, whose expression is essentially unreadable at first but melts into a gentle smile, the kind that makes Kenny melt too. “I had an extra, so.” Karen giggles and Kenny sees Kevin chuckle a bit too before he kicks away from the wall to join the rest of them. “We gonna put this shit in the window or what?”

The rest of their evening is punctuated by happy chattering and giggling while they put together the small string of lights and miscellaneous baubles that Craig has likely stolen off his own Christmas tree for them, and Kenny wishes he could have recorded it. He wishes he could have committed every single second to memory, to savor the glow and genuine joy that pulsed from each of their chests so that every moment felt sweet, soft, and safe. He can, however, memorize the little flashes of things: the way Craig’s eyes get so dark they look black when the room is lit only by Christmas tree lights. The way Kevin smiles when he’s truly, really, happy, with one side of his mouth higher than the other and his tongue stuck between his canines in a smile. How Karen looks at him when no one else is looking, with so much innocent hope in the rosiness of her cheeks that he’s forgotten his worries entirely.

The way his mother looks shocked, confused, then overjoyed when she walks through the door at twelve fifty-three in the morning, officially Christmas Day.

They hold their breath as she steps quietly across the room and looks up at Craig, who struggles to keep eye contact and has to look away after only a few seconds. “Um,” he starts, but she pulls him down into a tight hug, and she starts to cry.

“Thank you,” she says, “oh, thank you for doin’ this for my babies. Thank you so much, Craig. Yer a good kid, you know. Your momma must be proud.” Craig’s cheeks are flushed with embarrassment after that, and Kenny can’t help but giggle at him, his heart in the clouds. “Well come on in now, kids. It’s Christmas, come on!” she insists quietly, her arms opened wide on either side of her, and Kevin, Karen and Kenny pile into them with Craig squished between them all.

She sighs, but it’s happy, and she holds them for a moment longer than usual. “Look, look,” she murmurs, twisting each of her children around by their shoulders- Craig too. “Look at all them pretty lights. You ever seen somethin’ so beautiful in this room?”

Kenny looks up, studies the way the white lights glow against the window and the wall, and he thinks to himself that he has. He’s seen four things so beautiful in this room in fact, and he sees them all around him, and it’s the most beautiful this room’s ever felt for as long as he can remember. Craig’s shoulder is bony against his own, and, remembering his proximity, he twists his hand around his forearm to search for his fingers. They find his and wrap together, warm and clammy, and Kenny breathes out deeply. For a moment, as his lungs empty, so do his troubles.

“Craig,” Kenny mumbles, his eyes struggling to stay open, the streetlight outside the only thing telling him that Craig’s eyes are open too across from him on his mattress.

“Hmm?” he hums, the way he does where his lips buzz and resonate with the vibrations of his heart. Their hands are clasped between them, meeting in the middle between their pillows and bathing in the white light that paints crescents in Craig’s dramatic knuckles.

“I think I love you,” he whispers, letting the smile in his heart overtake his lips, and Craig’s eyes widen before they return to half-lidded. Kenny watches his lips stretch into the widest closed grin he’s ever seen on Craig’s face. He looks so silly, like a caricature of a smitten cartoon.

“Oh yeah?” he questions, and Kenny laughs a bit.

“Yeah,” he says, “I think so.”

“Well,” Craig murmurs, in the deep, raspy voice that he adores that precedes his sleep and preludes his mornings, “I think I love you too.”

He squeezes his fingers in time with his racing pulse and closes his eyes, resting his forehead against the soft, flat back of Craig’s hand. “Thank you,” he whispers, and Craig hums again, and he falls asleep dreaming of the day he isn’t afraid to leave out ‘I think.’

Not yet, but maybe next year.

[faithis2beawake]

All for the vaguely NSFW asks 😈😈

1. Are looks important in a relationship?~ yeah i think so,,,like not in a shallow way, though, everyone has different versions of what they believe beauty to be. but i do think that being able to find that beauty in someone one is in a relationship with is important & a lot of that has to do with the person’s heart in my opinion. i’m overthinking this lmao but looks do have a lot to do with a person’s soul & values.

2. Are relationships ever worth it?~ in my experience, no. but i’ve had a lot of bad experiences so don’t listen to me.

3. Are you a virgin?~ no

4. Are you in a relationship?~ no

5. Are you in love?~ i don’t know

6. Are you single this year?~ ??? uhhh for the most part yes ?

7. Can you commit to one person?~ i can but i’d rather not

8. Describe your crush~ nah i’m good

9. Describe your perfect mate~ someone who respects me & genuinely cares about me. y’know. the bare minimum.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?~ no

11. Do you ever want to get married?~ no

12. Do you forgive betrayal?~ not truly. i really try to but it’s always very hard for me to actually forgive the person & stop holding it against them. something i’m working on.

13. Do you get jealous easily?~ nah

14. Do you have a crush on anyone?~ i don’t know stop lol

15. Do you have any piercings?~ yes 3 on each earlobe

16. Do you have any tattoos?~ nah i wish

17. Do you like kissing in public?~ no not rlly

20. Do you shower every day?~ no my skin is too dry for that lmao but i do most days

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you?~ yes

22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?~ possibly

23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?~ yeah

24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?~ no

25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year?~ no

26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?~ yes

27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you?~ yes

28. Have you ever been cheated on?~ not that i know of

29. Have you ever cheated on someone?~ no

30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body?~ not really?? one of my eyes is kinda lazy but it’s growing on me

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?~ oh loads of times

32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love?~ yes

33. Have you ever had sex with a man?~ no

34. Have you ever had sex with a woman?~ yes

35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?~ yes

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends?~ yes

37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?~ yes

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?~ absolutely

39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?~ yes

40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone?~ yes lol very bad poetry but poetry nonetheless

41. Have you had sex so far this year?~ yes

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?~ if i’m sure it’s consensual? not long at all. i’m a horny gremlin

43. How long was your longest relationship?~ 8 months uhhh yikes

44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?~ i guess 5

45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013?~ how do you expect me to remember things ? ig i was like 13 so no one

46. How many times did you have sex last year?~ oh god so many times i lost count

47. How old are you?~ 21

48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say?~ go for it lmao

49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her?~ i do not

50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?~ yes but that wouldn’t happen

51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for?~ yes

52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why?~ yes. they are terrible, abusive, selfish people.

53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?~ no

54. Is there someone you will never forget?~ plenty of people

55. Share a relationship story.~ we just finished seeing mamma mia 2 in theaters & i took them outside & kissed them in the rain. it was kinda magical.

56. State 8 facts about your body~ I have a patch of freckles on my left thigh, I have stretch marks on my ass & thighs, i have short fingernails, i have terrible joints, my skin is super soft bc i very much believe in moisturizing, i have love handles, i am somewhat muscular but nothing too impressive, & my hair is naturally super curly

57. Things you want to say to an ex~ did you ever really care? honestly? (super dramatic ik)

58. What are five ways to win your heart?~ remembering the really important things, remembering small details, words of encouragement/affirmation, touch me for the sake of touching me & being close to me, & uhhh just be intimate w me

59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)~ u may see me in my icon

60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners?~ just about a year

61. What is the first thing you notice in someone?~ their voice

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?~ not to be not-vaguely nsfw & a Bottom but tie me up & make me beg

63. What is your definition of “having sex”?~ all individuals being satisfied & content in their experienced pleasure

64. What is your definition of cheating?~ when one gets involved with another without the other person(s)’ knowing

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine?~ i can’t pick a favorite

66. What is your favourite roleplay?~ i’ve never actually tried roleplay!

67. What is your idea of the perfect date?~ going to see a play on a cold night then maybe hot chocolate, hand holding, & lots of things that provide warmth

68. What is your sexual orientation?~ lesbian ig

69. What turns you off?~ selfishness, arrogance, lack of compassion/empathy, lack of good hygiene

70. What turns you on?~ basically the opposites of my turn offs & some other stuff that one may find out if theyre lucky

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?~ i lucid dream a lot & believe me, u don’t wanna know

72. What words do you like to hear during sex?~ anything that displays that i’m doing a good job and the other person(s) is/are feeling good

73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?~ hug me for gods sake

74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for?~ im a sucker for some brown eyes dude

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?~ myles set up a little date for us on animal crossing it was genuinely so kind

76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone?~ i don’t remember anything i ever do

77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships?~ as long as it involves consenting adults then idrc

78. What’s your dirtiest secret?~ why would i tell u

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why?~ when my cat gave love to anyone other than me >:(

80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?~ i told my brother just now

81. Who are five people you find attractive?~ nah im not gonna do that lmao

82. Who is the last person you hugged?~ mars !!!

83. Who was your first kiss with?~ a guy named jake in high school <3 he was cool

84. Why did your last relationship fail?~ a lot of reasons

85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet?~ it depends

yeah i was either super vague or too descriptive apologies~~ im super touch starved rn lmao so im a mess whoops ~ thanks so much for the asks tho <33 xxx

[shleezaemour]

Yet another 3 days in the infirmary fic!!

I followed him. It was stupid I know but I followed the stupid blonde to the infirmary. My blue eyed captor smiling his brightest smile luring me into a confined corner. Part of me wanted to be normal. Wanted to enjoy the attention. I wasn't raised that way. Not by my mother and not by myself. Setting me up in a corner of the infirmary, turns out Will had everything all planned out. It was concerning. "Ok so here's your room you will be here for three days minimum until I deem you fit for camp. First we are going to do a routine check up and get a history on you. From what I pulled from your records we don't have anything from the last four years but it seems we still have stuff from when you and your sister first arrived." Bianca. Will knew about Bianca.... "Yeah well not much has changed." "I'll be the judge of that sir. Ok I need you to strip down. First shirt then pants. You may keep your underwear on." "Is this really necessary?" "Yes I need to make sure everything is ok Nico. I promise I'm not just trying to get you naked. " I blushed at the idea. Breathe Nico breathe it's just a doctor exam. I took off my clothes and sat on the white canvas cot all made up for me. The ones here in the back were bigger. Must be for stays longer than a night. Taking his time and moving slowly Will moved around me like I was a feral animal. Must be used to kids with PTSD. Kids who look at their swords a little to long and pull from sheath from the sound of a dinner plate breaking. Coming over he sat on a low wooden stool setting out medical implements in a neat row. The more he organized the more nervous I became. I fought monsters and gods and yet Will Solace lining up reflex testers and swabs made me start shaking. Looking me over I could feel his blue orbs absorbing everything from my body. In all honesty I haven't been this undressed in a very long time especially not with someone looking at me. Long warm fingertips grazed my scars. I had so many from the years. Wordlessly he went to work on the Lycon scratches. Mumbling about taking out the stitches and redoing them. "Nico I need to do something and it's going to hurt a lot. I need you to hold still can you do that?" "Yes of course." "Would you like something to bite on? I have a belt." "No I can take it." "Ok. " Pressing his hands on the marks heat swarmed in the area ripping my skin apart. He was reversing what had already healed to the original state of the scratches. The stitches broke as he did this snapping off, barely noticeable compared to the rest of the pain. I could feel blood running down my back. I didn't scream. I didn't even make noise. Taking a hot pad he staunched the bleeding. Grabbing the tools from the table he prepped the area. "I'm going to put some stuff in these to numb them then I'll redo the stitch work." I nodded silently afraid to open my mouth, who knew what would fly out. Will was so concentrated when he worked like nothing could pull his attention away from what he was doing. I had never seen such focus. Especially not in the ADHD hub of people we were around. "What was it you used to numb it?" "Cocaine" "WHAT!" "Geez deathboy it was a joke. It was powered unicorn horn." "Oh good." "Are you saying you have used cocaine?" I was silent. "Nico, I need to know certain things for medical use and drug use is one of them. I'm a doctor for all intents and purposes I can't and won't talk to anyone about it. I need to know for drug interaction though." Damn him and his using logic against me. "I ugh.. I've used it before. And pain pills the mortal kind." "Like Motrin pain meds or like Percocet?" "Vicodin and Oxy." "Last time you took these?" "Before the Doors of death and right after I boarded the Argo II. I ran out." "Did you go through withdrawals?" He asked calmly. "No I've never really been on them regularly enough to withdrawal." "Are these used recreationally?" "Yes." I admitted pitifully. "Hey stop that!" He held his fingers below my chin not allowing me to look down. "Nico, you are not the first demi God to self medicate. You are also not the last. It's ok. We have all done it. Let's just hope we can make it so you don't have to anymore ok?" "It's just... I'm so tired of being in pain all the time." "I know. I can see that. You have so many marks it's hard to count. I finished your stitches they should be able to come out tomorrow with some ambrosia and nectar. I also want to do a sleeping draught for you. I promise it's dreamless. I made it myself." "You promise?" "Yes. I have some in pill form too for you to take with you when you leave. I think two months worth should do the trick. Let your mind heal for a while." "Why are you being so nice to me?" "Because you are letting me." Once again the smile creeped on his face and I couldn't help but smile too. "Ok question time. How many bones have you broken?" "Around 17 or more." "Ok on a scale of 1-10 how tired would you say you get traveling from here to your cabin. Shadow travel that is?" "Umm wow I've never thought about that I guess a 1?" "Ok so that gives me an idea of how far you can go. Do you have an example for me or can give me any insight on your traveling? No other campers can do it so I need your help on this one." "Ok um... I can cross state lines pretty easily. More than 200 miles at a time I need a nights rest by myself. Taking others is more wary. In and around camp is very easy no fatigue. Zero fatigue in the underworld. I can visit my dad easily. " "Ok so let's put a no travel ban on you for a month until you restore your strength. That includes skeletons and earth fissures." "You say that so calmly like you have heard this all before." "Well you would be surprised at some of the powers we run into here. You, Percy, Thalia, and Jason are he most powerful though." "Wait no Annabeth?" "Nope she's no better off than the rest of her siblings. She just happens to have more clout and experience. Makes her seem more powerful when really it's just the confidence behind it." "Makes sense." "Ok I'm hooking up your IV and you will be sleeping very soon." Taking his time and small pinch later he had me hooked up and feeling... feeling really good. I was getting drowsy pulling the covers over me. "Hey Nico?" Yawn.."yeah" "You are staying right? At camp I mean?" "I'll try. I'll give it a real try." "Ok" And I drifted off with thoughts of blonde curls and lapis blue eyes. Day 2 Waking up I could feel the warm covers soft on my skin. My eyes heavy with sleep practically stuck together. "Wake up deathboy time to do checks!" I felt a swat on my behind. "Whoa dude watch the merchandise!" "Merchandise? Are you for sale?" I blushed. "I'm going to reach for your hand now." Taking my hand he looked like he was reading my pulse and other vitals. "Why did you warn me that you were going to touch me." "Cause I didn't want my hand broken." "You just touched my ass and you warn me about my hand." I drawled with sarcasm. "Yeah well I had to get you moving and I knew you wouldn't see it coming. Tell me who else at this camp would even dare try to touch your backside?" "No one unless they have a death wish." "Yeah well see?" "Do you have a death wish?" "Nah but unlike everyone else, I'm not afraid of you." "Oh yeah why is that?" "Because I carried you across camp on my shoulders dangling like a rag doll. You are about the size of a pack of gum." "Oh yeah, short jokes?" "Well I'm sure you have a nice store of blonde jokes you can battle back at me with." He winked. The wink sent a jolt up my spine and made my face flush. "I'll take your blush as a lack of blonde jokes. No worries I know them all!" "Great." "Well we are going to eat now so sit up." Sitting up he had some fruit and oatmeal for me along with a square of ambrosia. Tossing the ambrosia back first I tasted lemon cello cookies. I tried to eat but found it difficult. The apples felt like glass in my mouth. Will saw me struggling with the food. "Hey uh how about we try something else?" "Sure that would be great." Returning ten minutes later after he took the food, he had a large glass of pinkish purple liquid. "It's called a smoothie. " Taking a sip I could taste blackberries mixed with banana and strawberry. It was heavenly. Perfect texture. " I put protein powder in it. Maybe we should think about doing these to put some weight on you before moving into more solid foods." "How did you know?" "Percy. He told me you went through Tartarus. Chiron said he knew a few guys who went through it. Not many escaped alive. He said there is nothing to eat there. He also said that it tricks you into thinking you have food when you don't and you are not really eating what you think you are eating." "Yeah. Something like that." "So until we can get your stomach straight we will do these. No worries we can switch up flavors." "Thanks Will." "Yeah no problem buddy." He ruffled my hair causing me to curse at him in Italian. "Oh none of that now! You were being so good!" "That was before you started treating me like a Labrador that took his treat nice." "Ok no petting you. I think within a month we can have you filling out those tshirts of yours nice. You have a great body already you just need a little weight." "Is this what our friendship is going to be? You and I bickering and making lewd comments about my body?" "Awww did you just call us friends!" "No no no! That's not what I said!" "You did, you totally did!" "Nope you misheard me, my English isn't great." "Your English is fine. Well except how you say my name but I find it kinda charming." "What's that supposed to mean?" "You don't call me Will you say Weel. It's adorable!" "I am not adorable!" "You bickering about it just makes it's more adorable." "I hate you." "What was that? I didn't hear you?" "Oh so English isn't working here I'll help you! ti odio-Italian Daikirai- Japanese ich hasse dich- German je te deteste- French That enough for you or shall I continue?!" "How many languages do you speak?" "Eleven" "Wow! Where did you learn them?" "I would shadow travel a lot ending up in different countries. You pick things up." "That's actually really cool. Would you be willing to come translate when we get new demigods that don't speak English?" "Oh uh yeah sure that's fine. I didn't really think you would want me in here after I'm discharged. The aura of death isn't great in a place of healing." Will sat on the bed and took my hand. Wills hands were strong and warm. Callused over from training and healing. My heart began to race as he touched me. What was wrong with me!! "Death is a natural part of life Nico. I understand that. I've seen more death than most demigods. I was in the last war. My brothers died. Many died under my hands as I tried to bring them back. I'm roughly the same age as you. If people don't understand that then.. well screw them." Wills face was serious and had this little V that formed when he frowned. "Don't frown Will." "Sorry." He tried for a small smile. It was cute. CUTE!! What was this dude doing to me! I snatched my hand back quickly only leaving him chuckling. The rest of the day Will would come in and out of my room. Jason brought me some clothes from my cabin. Sitting with me on the cot we played cards for most of the afternoon. "So how's the vacation?" "I wouldn't call this a vacation. I can't travel for a month. After that I'm thinking maybe a real one would be nice. Maybe Jamaica. " "You hate the sun." "Yeah well maybe I've been in the dark to long." "Sounds like Goldie locks is rubbing off on you." "I don't know what you are talking about. And you are Goldie locks in my head." "Aww you have a nickname for me in your head!" "Why is everyone doing that!?" "Doing what?" "Doing the Awww Nico likes me bit." "You like me!" "Shut the fuck up Grace!" "Language Nico!" Wills voice chimed in as he walked threw the partition. "I seriously need to rid my life of blondes." "Oh gods Grace what did you say to him." "I did the awww Nico likes me thing." "Yeah I did that when he called us friends." "I did not call us friends we are not friends!" "We are so friends, we are best friends." "Yeah we'll go fish best friend." I said with acid dripping from my mouth. (Later that night...) Wills POV I heard thrashing from the back corner of my infirmary. Running back I realized it was Nico. The IV I had him on came loose in his sleep! Shit! A nightmare! Plugging his IV back in his arm I started to rush his hair back out of his eyes. Nico dreams in Italian it seems from the mumbled words coming from his lips. Soon he started to settle, maybe even waking up a little. "Will..? Is that you." He said sleepily not even opening his eyes. "Yeah it's me. Your IV fell out but I put it back." I whispered. "Oh good... will you stay with me incase he comes back?" " Yeah sweetie I'll stay." I took his hand. I know it seems presumptuous to call him sweetie but I was tired and I was used to scared patients. They like endearments when they are scared. Nico must have been sleep talking because he didn't even budge at my words. I took his hand clasping it in my own. Fingers long and thin like a piano player or a violinist. More scarred and callused than any warrior I've treated. Honestly he is probably the most broken of anyone I've treated. Asleep his name fit him perfectly. Angelic was the only word. He has those big heavy lidded eyes and pouty lips that drive me crazy. I've had it bad for this boy for years now and this may be my only chance to indulge in this kind of contact. Soon I fell asleep still holding his hand. Day three Nicos POV I woke up with something hot in my hand, almost burning compared to my naturally low body temp. Wills hand. I almost snatched it back until I realized he was asleep. Hmmm he's a quiet sleeper even sitting up in the chair? I allowed myself a few moments of daydreaming. Will was really attractive. I hated to admit that but he was. Also he wasn't afraid of me the way others were. I liked that. I pushed him away countless times yet, bam here he is holding my hand. I tried to remember how this could have happened.... the nightmare! My IV fell out that's right! Did I? Did I ask him to stay? I did. Shit! Well to late now. I circled my thumb across his palm. Smooth and even. Not scarred like me. I've seen him with his shirt off at the beach once before too. Will was smooth and unmarked everywhere. Perfection if there is such a thing. Why was I feeling this way it's not like we haven't spent a bunch of time together. We have only really interacted like five or so times before this. Of course that just made me realize how much I have noticed him in the past. Looks like I have a thing for nice tans and light eyes. Never really liked blondes but on someone like him it looks really good. Reminded me of his father but less selfish. Will was upbeat and humble. Qualities that are worth prizing. Will Solace should be shadow boxed and put on display. Damn this is worse than Percy. Stirring in his seat I decided to play possum so I could still hold his hand. Closing my eyes I stayed still listening to his movements. Instead of bringing his hand back he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. Readjusting his hand he laced our fingers and began rubbing small circles on the tender flesh of my inner wrist. The motion was doing things to me. When I was little I remember this being a very forward gesture. A man would flick the button of s woman's glove open and caress the veins of her wrist. It was the equivalent of putting your hand up a girls blouse in public nowadays. I may be wrong... but I think he might like me.

[halethestilinskis]

Lacrosse - Dylan O’Brien blurb

"Heads up!" you shrieked, seeing a couple of guys the ball you threw was heading towards. All three of them turn around and try to find the source of the noise, then looking up to see the ball coming at them. The taller one ran forward a few feet and caught the ball before it landed on the ground.

"I got it!" he screamed, so you were able to hear it across the field. You rose your eye brows and made a face of a mix of apology and nervousness, all while still smiling to show it wasn't intentional. They obviously couldn’t see it, which you guess was kind of lucky, because it wasn't the most flattering.

"Sorry!" you screamed, jogging over to get the ball from him.

"Thank you" you said breathlessly, catching up to the boy who caught the ball.

"No problem" he smiled, and now that you were right in front of him, you could see he had an amazing smile, and big brown eyes, "you play lacrosse?" 

"I'm practicing" you shrugged, heat going straight to your cheeks, obviously you weren't that good.

"Well, you can throw pretty far" he chuckled, "what were you even aiming for?"

"I wasn't" you half smiled with a small laugh, "I didn't make it in the goal, so I just threw it out of frustration"

"It made it pretty far" he reiterated, handing the ball back to you, "have you ever played before?"

"No, this is my first year" you shrugged. And it was true, even though you were 19, almost 20, this was your first time ever trying out for lacrosse. Your high school never had it to offer, and you were at a different school your freshman year of college. You wouldn't even try to make the team if it was an actual team, but this was more like a sports club, and lacrosse was one of the sports you always wanted to play, just never had the chance to.

"Do you know how to?" he asked, his eyebrow cocked, like it was something you probably should've looked up before you even tried.

"I don't know all the rules, no" you admitted, "but I wanted to get a feel for holding the stick"

"I can give you a few pointers if you want" he suggested.

"You play?" you asked.

"No exactly" he shrugged, "but I used to watch a good friend of mine play, so I know some things"

"Of course then, yeah, I mean, if you don’t mind, I see you're with friends" you stuttered out.

"They'll be fine" he waved off, walking back to the field with you, "Dylan, by the way" 

"(Y/N)" you responded.

You lead him back to the bench where you had an extra stick and a couple extra balls that a friend had given you. 

"Here" you said, giving him the extra stick and then throwing him a ball.

"Alright, first lesson, do you know how to cradle?" he asked, getting his grip on the stick.

"Yeah, I know how to do that, it's just moving the stick with your wrists so it's in constant motion, right?"

"You got it" he winked, "always cradle"

You smiled at him, showing him how you cradled, him telling you that you were doing a great job.

"Alright, what about passes?" he asked.

"You just throw it, right?" you asked, confused.

"Well yeah" he chuckled, "but there's techniques to do it" 

He jogged down the field, cradling the ball like it was natural to him, maybe he never played, but he definitely practiced cradling at some point in his life.

"Ready?" he yelled.

"Go" you screamed back. He threw an over head pass to you. You watched the ball rise with precision, and followed it with your eyes, when you figured out it wouldn't land directly at your feet, but more to the left and in front of you, you moved quickly to where it would be and caught it without a problem. 

"Nice catch!" he yelled with a smile, "throw it back"

You lined yourself up with his body and threw it as best as you could. It went way to high and definitely too hard of a throw, it flew over his head, and landed somewhere behind him. He tried hard, jumping up and even back pedaling to actually try to catch it, but it didn't work. Dylan grabbed the ball from the ground with his stick, and jogged back to you.

"I see how that landed by me the first time" he laughed, "It's your stance" 

He spent a couple of minutes show you four basic throws and the stances that are best for throwing, moving your arms, legs and hips in front of the goal until it looked like you were in the correct form.

"Alright, now try" he told you, as you flung the ball out of your net and for once made it in the goal. You jumped for joy, throwing your stick and hugging Dylan, thanking him a million times, until you realized you were hugging a stranger than didn't ask to be hugged, no matter how cute.

"Sorry" you said lowly, backing away from him.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, still excited, "you made the goal, c'mere" 

He pulled you back into a hug for just a second before telling you how great you did.

You just dorkily smiled at him when he pulled away, only to notice his friends were closing in on you guys.

"Yo" one of them yelled, causing Dylan to turn around, "we're going to grab something to eat, you wanna come?"

"Uhhh" he stumbled, "give me a sec" he said to you going over to his friends to talk. Obviously you weren't invited, and you didn't really want to watch them talk about you, so you turned away and went to go grab the ball that you got into the goal.

"Hey" he said a little out of breath from the jog over that you didn't notice, "they're going to grab something to eat, did you want to come, I imagine you're hungry, looks like you've been here for a while"

"Uhh" now you stumbled, "I mean, yeah, but I didn't want to intrude on you guys" 

"Nah, it's fine" he motioned, grabbing your stuff off the bench for you and motioning you to follow him. 

You were a bit sweaty and gross, had the bare minimum of make up on and weren't wearing the best of clothes, so you felt a little weird going out with a really cute guy and his friends, but he didn't seem to mind, so you brushed it off and hoped you looked a little better than you thought you did.

"So you play lacrosse? " his friend asked, pointing at the stick in your hand.

"Uh, yeah" you stuttered, "well kind of, I'm practicing to make a club team"

"And you were taking advice from this idiot" another one chuckled.

"Well, I made a goal because of him" you shrugged.

"Nice" he said to you, then turned to Dylan, "you learn that on Teen Wolf"

"They showed us some pointers" he shrugged off, probably hoping you didn't hear the Teen Wolf part.

"What's Teen Wolf" you finally asked as you sat down at the diner. The entire ride over, you were trying to think of why that sounded so familiar, and you came to the conclusion that your parents used to talk about a movie with that name, but there was no way he had anything to do with that movie, he probably wasn't even born before it came out.

"You didn't tell her?" his friend mused, shoving a roll in his mouth.

"Uh, it's a show" he mentioned, his cheeks getting a little rosy.

"A show taught you how to play?" you asked.

"Yeah, uh, I was on it, the final season is about to air" he fumbled a bit with the straw in his hand.

"Oh" you remembered, slamming your hand on the table, "the one on MTV?"

"That's it" he smiled, although the smile didn't reach his eyes, obviously, he didn't want you to know.

"Wow you look different.." you started, looking at him, "I mean, not in a bad way, I haven't watched that show since the second season"

"Didn't like it?" he asked his cheek pulling up on one side.

"I did for the first couple of seasons and then characters started leaving and the plot lines started to not make sense" you shrugged, not sure if you offended him.

"Yeah, some of it was a little weird" he chuckled.

"But you did a really good job with it" you tried, "Is saw some videos with void Stiles and it was really great"

"Thanks" he chuckled, still not looking at you, "I'll be right back"

He got up from the table in a hurry, and made his way to what you could only assume was the bathroom. You were quiet for a while, you didn’t know any of these people, and you just met Dylan in the first place, so you weren't quite sure what to do with yourself now that he wasn't there, but at the same time, you felt like something just went horribly wrong.

"I messed it up didn't I?" you asked his friends, eyeing their reactions.

"Nah" one said putting down his glass of soda, "he's shy, he never likes to tell people about shows or movies he's been in, he's a real low key dude" "Movies?" you questioned, astonished.

"Yeah, The Maze Runner, the entire series actually, The Internship, a couple of independent films, and there's a new one coming out in September" he informed.

"Wow, I had no idea" you said a little under your breath, but loud enough for them to hear.

"Hey" his friend motioned as Dylan sat down. 

You all had lunch with minimal talking from you, Dylan talked to his friends non stop, making jokes and occasionally turning to you and watching you laugh at what was going on. It was an odd situation to be in, you were eating dinner with a movie star, and his friends after the movie star showed you how to play lacrosse. A lot of the time eating you spent wondering just how this happened to you.

We all made our way out of the diner and back to car. Dylan still hasn't said much that was directed straight towards you, it was an awkward silence, and you weren't really sure what to make of it. His friend pulled into the parking lot and you jumped out muttering a thanks, taking the bag Dylan put in the trunk out and walking back towards the field.

"Hey" he jumped out behind you, "sorry"

"About what?" you asked, a smile on your face since he was actually talking to you.

"I don’t really like to talk about the fame or whatever I have" he shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"It's okay" you shrugged back, not really sure what else to say.

"Well, you were really cool about it, thank you" he mustered up.

"Hey no problem, least I could do for the guy that helped me figure out lacrosse" you giggled, hitting his arm.

He chuckled back at you, "Uh well, we should hang out again sometime, without my friends making it way more awkward than it should've been"

"Absolutely, I'm usually always free, unless I get on the lacrosse team, but then you can always come to the games" you winked at him.

"I wouldn't miss it" he smiled, "here" he said handing you his phone.

You put your number in and texted yourself so you had his number as well. "So you'll text me right?" you asked, starting to walk away.

He looked up from his phone, back pedaling from you, "Just did" he said loudly, so you could hear it from the distance you were at. You looked down at your phone to see a 'hey' on you screen, a stupid smile appearing on your face as you messaged him back, turning around to see him getting into his car, waving at you.

[rejectedusername-trashfics]

Madness is Contagious: Chapter 7- The Anti-Mad Pyro Team

Summary: After the Mad King is put back in jail, one of two his nieces is appointed CEO of Monarch Labs. The niece seems disinterested in the company, but in keen on figuring out how to cure her uncle’s madness. His other niece wants to keep the madness alive. After an attempt at a cure goes aerie, the madness is transferred to Vav. X-Ray ends up getting captured along with the new CEO niece. Will Hilda, Rusty, and the sane King be able to make things go back to normal? 

Chapter: 7/10

Word Count: 1,203

First / Previous / Next / AO3

Hilda, ORF, Rusty, and Ryan were beginning the next chapter of their situation. Hilda decided that if she wanted to try and fix the problem, she had to try to trust Ryan. She could tell he deeply cared about his niece’s well-being, and was willing to put his foot down to stop his other niece’s wrong-doing. He wanted to make things right, now that he could.

He led the group to a rundown looking apartment. This made Hilda skeptical again. “Look, I wanted to try and trust you. But this apartment complex looks really sketchy.”

Ryan looked nervous. “Well, this is what research told me.”

“I think it seems legit,” Rusty shrugged.

“Really? I thought you’d be on my side,” Hilda replied, disappointed.

Rusty shrugged again. “Nah. This is the area of town where all the people making minimum wage tend to rent an apartment they can barely afford.”

Hilda sighed. “If that’s the case, then I guess this is really it.”

“I guess it is,” Ryan assured. The four of them walked up he stars of the building and up to an apartment. “I’ll knock on the door.” Ryan went up to knock then paused and lowered his fist.

“What is wrong?” ORF asked, sensing Ryan’s hesitation.

“It’s just, it’s been years since I talked to this kid. And last time I interacted with him, I had just gone mad. I’m a bit nervous of what he’s going to think since we’re attempting to thrust him into a new adventure.”

“If he was as there for Poppy as you said he was, he should be okay with what we’re going to ask of him,” Hilda reassured.

“Alight, but can we still try to ease him into it. I’m irrationally paranoid and I don’t even actually know if he and Poppy still talk.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“I’m gonna do it now, then,”’ he said. Then he began to knock on the door.

After the knocking, a short man whom the group couldn’t see much of opened the door. “He- hello?” the man asked.

“Hel,” Ryan began, but was cut off.

“HELP TIMOTHY! POPPY BECAME CEO OF MONARCH LABS, BUT HER SISTER TRIED TO TAKE IT FROM HER AND SHE TURNED VAV EVIL AND CAPTURED HER!!!!!!” Rusty screeched in fear.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO EASING HIM INTO IT?!?!?!” Hilda yelled at Rusty, angrily.

“I’m sorry! I panicked and I thought this was urgent!”

Hilda facepalmed and sighed. “Look, Poppy was captured, then X-Ray tried to rescue her, but he got captured too. So, we need your help to free the two of them,” she tried to explain.

“Humph,” the man started, “I saw Poppy just the other day, and she was perfectly fine. And if I know anything about her, I know she’s always hated being the damsel in distress. She’s perfectly capable of rescuing herself,” he finished as he began to close the door again.

“JEREMY, WAIT!” Ryan yelled as he stuck his arm in the way of the door. “One of her captures has pyrokinesis. She actually CAN’T free herself on her own. That’s why we need your help,” he explained.

The door began to open slowly. Once the man inside saw Ryan, the door slammed open, revealing a short man with purple and orange hair. “DR. HAYWOOD!?!?” he yelped.

Ryan nodded. “It’s good to see you again too, Jeremy,” he greeted the man.

Jeremy gave him an up and down, then stared at him, confused. “Y-you’re… sane again?”

Ryan sighed. “It appears as though that would be the case, yes.”

“How????”

“It’s a long story. Could we come in so we could explain it?”

“’Well, I did always like your science bedtime stories, as a kid,” he answered as he welcomed the group into his apartment. The group came in and Jeremy motioned for them to sit on the couch. They sat down and he ran into his kitchen to grab a chair. He brought it back to join the others and sat down. “So, what’s the big deal about Poppy, Sir?”

“Well Hilda, you probably have a better grasp on the situation than I do,” Ryan prompted her.

“But, he’ll probably listen to you better,” Hilda replied.

Jeremy started shaking his head. “Look, I don’t really care who explains the situation to me, as long as someone tells what the fuck is going on. Like, why is Poppy trapped? And why isn’t Dr. Haywood Mad anymore? And he said that you,” he pointed at Hilda, “could explain the situation better. So, could you explain it?” he finished.

“Ha, I think I like this kid,”’ Rusty commented.

Hilda rolled her eyes t Rusty and sighed. “Well, the court turned Monarch Labs over to Poppy after Mad King went to jail again. She said she wanted to make a Madness curing ray, so she tried. Mad King’s other niece, Mad Princess, broke Mad King out of jail and they went to take Monarch Labs back. When they broke in, Poppy tested her ray on Mad King while he happened to be holding Vav, and the Madness and power transferred into Vav. Vav got pyrokinesis and captured Poppy,” she explained.

Jeremy nodded. “Alright, it makes sense that Poppy can’t free herself, now. But why can’t X-Ray rescue her again? Is he evil now too or...?”

“Oh, he got captured too,” Rusty interrupted to explain. “He’s got a dumbass crush on her that she will never reciprocate, and Mad Princess beat him down before his attempt at rescue got anywhere.”

Jeremy blinked twice, then facepalmed. “That idiot! I made that mistake when I was a kid, but now I can clearly tell that she’ll never be interested in me. Plus, she almost sorta fits into a stereotype look of what she is now. Dude made a rookie mistake!”

Hilda groaned. “WHAT EVEN IS SHE!? EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING SHE’S SOMETHING, BUT WON’T TELL ME WHAT THAT SOMETHING IS! WHAT IS SHE SUPPOSED TO BE!?!?”

Jeremy’s brows furrowed. “It’s it obvious?”

“NO!!!”

“Look, if she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”

“I told you earlier,” Ryan interjected, “it’s not our right to tell you.”

Hilda rolled her eyes. “You know what, fine. Maybe that’s enough about whatever the hell Poppy is that prevents her from having romantic feelings towards X-Ray. We should work on trying to free her and X-Ray.”

“And after hearing that she really can’t rescue herself for once, I’ll help you,” Jeremy told the group.

“Excellent!” Ryan replied as he clapped his hands together.

“Though, one last thought on the X-Ray topic. I’m not even sure he was smart enough to be capable of being a good boyfriend,” Hilda commented, adding in her last thought on the matter.

“I’m gonna be honest, I’m not really thought about what really goes into having a love interest,” Rusty commented as well.

“Can we please get off the topic of how a relationship would never work between this guy and my niece, and back to rescuing this guy and my niece?” Ryan asked.

Everyone nodded. “Let’s hatch a plan,” Rusty suggested, hopefully.

Hilda smiled. Things might actually go according to this new plan they were going to hatch. Things might go right for once.