#noah watches 9-1-1

[wolfdeans]

WHAT JUST HAPPENED OH MY GOD I CANT STOP LAUGHING OLD TIME ROCK AND ROLL AND THEN BUCK AND EDDIE’S STILL PANTLESS WHAT

[jackwhiteprophetic]

[deadnatura11]

Orville Peck & Noah Cyrus's "How Far Will We Take It" is a Buddie song.

Specifically Buck pining after Eddie who is still hung up on Shannon('s ghost).

Just watch the music video it makes sense.

[starsomens]

𝕂𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕟

year 1

1-3 months

Have a new baby at home was almost like having a guest in your home. Only your life revolves around them now and you’re constantly worried if they’re okay!

When you had gotten home from the hospital Keaton insisted that he was still sleepy and so stayed asleep meanwhile you and Noah were freaking a bit

“Is he supposed to sleep that much?”

“I mean his is a newborn so I guess it’s normal……is he breathing” *proceeds to put his finger under his nose “okay he is”

Keaton was more a day sleeper rather than at night….big problem. Here you were in your rocking chair trying to get him to sleep at 4:17 am. Your eyes were heavy, your arms felt like rock and you were really just ready to knock out right there. You didn’t tell Noah since he had some things to get done tomorrow

After half hour passed Noah came in rubbing his eyes and took Keaton from you

"Come on babe, it's my turn to watch him,"

"are you sure...*yawwwn* you have that meeting later today, I'll be-"

"Not gonna hear it. Get to bed now missy,"

You were so grateful to have Noah there to help you with as much as he does

Feeding, changing, bathing and night shifts were shared but he always made sure to take on a majority so you could rest more. While he did work still, he worked from home and if he had to take the whole day to help you he did.

The one thing that he did worry about was how small Keaton was. He was just so tiny in comparison to him. He held his entire body in his two hands!

He loved to do skin to skin, especially before going to sleep or while doing work at home. He knew that it was essential for bonding and just overall good for the baby. On top of that he really did enjoy just having Keaton lay on his chest and fall asleep.

When it came to breast-feeding, he was a very big help. He would help to get a good latch or he would help you with the breast pump and remind you about times and switch. Help you moisturize them to keep them from getting dry and cracked

There were nights where he would put Keaton to sleep. While he was in the rocking chair, he was just stared down at him while he stroked the soft hair on his head with his finger.

“ never really thought that I would be a dad…. Once we found out about you, it really did change everything. I swear I’m never going to leave you you need me”

He wants to give him the best life possible and the best dad that he can

3-6 months

So much development! Noah is just taken away by it! Now he's mimicking his faces, and sounds and he will spend HOURS just making faces and sounds or copying him

"babe, babe! Look he's copying me screaming face!" and he'd make his face then turn Keaton around to show you his face

He is convinced Keaton is more advanced than most kids so every time you go to the doctors he's just waiting for them to say they're perfect

the more he grows the more he looks like Noah but with your eyes. You spent 9 months carrying a copy of your husband for him to be his exact copy, but, he did take your attitude and personality

Noah swears that he gave him stank eye when he took the bottle away from feeding and said it looked exactly like you did

"Of course he is! Look at him!"

Noah Love tummy time with Keaton he was just so cute the way he smiled and giggled and tried to hold his head up. And yes He's let his head fall right on the floor and yes Noah has laughed while kissing his head better

Keaton seems to have a thing whenever Noah watches him that he just blows his diaper up almost on purpose. Noah thinks Keaton is entertained by it since he always giggles when he changes his diaper with a stank face.

yes Noah has gotten peed on

Keaton for the most part was a calm baby and seemed to like and be comfortable on schedule and would sleep and eat around the same times unless something happened

Whenever the guys are over he does hover. He hates to be called one and to admit it, but he is a helicopter parent (and it's really cute)

He 10000% takes milestone pictures every month to treasure his growth. Which by the way has cleared a wall in his studio to hand pictures of you guys on it.

Although he loves being hands on he also loves to watch you be a mom. The Keaton looked at you, how loving and soft you looked as a mom. The way your body has changed to create your baby always amazes him.

7-12 months

Keaton was now going through some changes and shifts some were better than others, including you not going to him as often when he cried. Which you hated and honestly Noah would just give in too because in his words it's

"dumb as fuck"

CRAWLING! EVERYWHERE! He underestimated how fast babies can be when they crawl But he loves to lay on the floor and let Keaton just crawl all over him or come and plop his body on his face

By now you're body has healed pretty well but still had some baby weight on you and Noah thinks you still look incredibly sexy

"but Noah look at this,"

"the body that popped out my beautiful son? Yeah I love it, now stop shit talking yourself before to bring Keaton to slobber on you"

Uses his baby as a threat against you by hold him above you and just letting his drool drip down on you (pure evil)

Speaking of drool, he's ben chewing on everything to get to his itchy gums. You noticed he started to grow teeth at around 7 1/2 month when he gave you an open mouth "kiss" you felt something rough and it was teeth! You R A N to Noah

"TEETH!"

"What?"

"TEETH!" and you just opened his mouth to show him the small stubs of teeth growing from the front gums. You were just glad you didn't catch it while you were breast feeding, welp, that means he's gonna have to bottle but you pump what you can

Now weening him was a little difficult. Even your pumped milk wasn't enough for him

"I mean, if you refused to give me your boob I'd cry too-" "Noah!"

Eventually through a lot of crying and one or two tantrums, he was moved on to bottles, now the issues was drying out your milk or whatever else was left

"If you want my hands are really big so I can just-"

"are you offering to milk me?"

"no.......maybe."

As for talking you guys have been trying to get him to say mama or dada any chance you got, but now it was a secret competition of who he would say first

Noah would basically spam him with the word Dada or Papa while you weren't around, and all lil Keaton would say was "mmmm" "buh. Buh" and blow raspberries

Now he did say his first words and it was when you had to go to a doctors appointment and he was getting fussy

"Say bye-bye to mama bud, she's gotta go"

"awh baby, I' don't want o leave you ether," you said kissing his chubby cheeks "mommy will be back soon okay?" while you hand him over to his dad he starts to whine and pout for you and said

"mama" in his sad voice as he chews at his cubby hand wanting you to stay

"HE SAID MAMA! HE SAID MAMA! Yes baby! I'm mama, that's me baby" you were ecstatic, while Noah was a bit disappointed he was still so proud to hear him say his first word, and at 8 months! You were a bit late to your appointment but hearing your baby say mama was much more important than the doctors.

but one of the biggest surprises was when he walked for the first time, and yes you both cried. It was actually at rehearsals for an upcoming show near home so you went with the guys and of course Keaton had his sound protection you were on the side of the stage holding Keaton up by his hands as you encouraged him to dance as his father sang. As he bounced up and down he was also padding his feet a lot and was just so excited for his daddy who was just out of reach

You start to move with him one foot at a time as he started to walk just a bit faster seeing how much closer he was getting to Noah, Noah turned and he saw you walking with Keaton as he held on to your fingers and crouches down with a big smile on to his knees holding out one of his arms

and just like that he let go of your fingers and stumbled his way to Noah, tripping on the last step but caught by his papa, Noah just picks him up and hides his face in his little shoulder and you know he felt emotional. An entire year went by and he didn't know how it went by so quickly, how much he had grown and how much you both had grown as parents, he comes over to you and kisses your head as Keaton just giggles as you both smoosh him in a kiss

"well, one year down."

「🍼taglist」: @badomensls @darling-millicent-aubrey @lma1986 @sanchez099 @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @flowery-mess @veronicaphoenix @malerieee @calleyx13

[twyftwyt]

spicy Noah head canons, cause I got a few asks about writing some ✨

1. edges you until you’re crying and begging

2. has a size kink for sure; loves pinning you down, his entire body covering yours, flipping you to change positions, firmly holding you in place when you try to squirm away and loves when you look up at him

3. definitely an experienced dirty talker; will text you with other people in the room just to make you feel hot and bothered and uncomfortable; loves watching how your expression changes when you read his sexts and how you squirm in your seat

4. he’s a 6’3’ dude covered head to toe in tattoos, makes heavy and dark, brooding music, spits during *that* part of dethrone and whatnot, so I can guarantee you that he will do DISGUSTING, UNSPEAKABLE things to you during sex; you won’t even be able to look at each other once you’re done, the type of sex that makes you wanna not speak to your partner for a few minutes after you finish

5. will play fight with you just so he can overpower you

6. an ASS and BOOBS man; he likes both and i just know he likes playing with either when he’s bored

7. very calm but can and will definitely put you in your place if you play too much

8. will not fuck you before a show, but definitely after; something about coming down after dethrone, still riding that high, having that rush of energy and aggression; will shove you in one of those little dressing rooms, bend you over and bottom out; will be very animalistic about it too

9. will “accidentally” put a finger inside while cuddling you, because he can’t just have your ass propped against him and not take advantage of it

[venusgirltarot]

What Would An Album About You Sound Like?

Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, envision the person you are thinking of and then choose the pile(s) you feel most drawn to.

Pile One

Ahhh okay this is so cute. Im going to try to explain this as best as I can, Pile 1. So this seems like a concept album. The idea of the album (not the sound but idea ya know) reminds me of “Melodrama” by Lorde. I’ll leave a quote here for a better description but it’s like a concept album about a single night

“Melodrama is described as a loose concept album that explores the theme of solitude, in the framework of a single house party with the events and moods that entail it”

The album about you is similar in the sense that it’s a “loose concept album” but it’s about the writer seeing you. It’s like you’re at this party that the songwriter is also at and they’re obsessed from the moment they lay eyes on you. You’re like this beautiful unobtainable being to them and they want to get to know you so bad but they just can’t seem to talk to you. This could also progress to a one night stand that never progresses to more because of a lack of communication to this album is going through the writer meeting you and watching you throughout the night and then goes into their regrets and what they wish they would have said to you the next day, if that makes sense.

They see you at a party and think you’re so beautiful but can’t seem to find the words to tell you that. I keep hearing “I like the way my bedsheets look on your body” from “hello!” By role model. (I believe that’s the right song but lmk if it’s wrong so I can fix it!) and I keep being reminded of this musician on TikTok “Chappell Roan” and their song “Red Wine Supernova” I think that’s similar to what this album would sound like and it also fits the aesthetic. I highly recommend you listen to this song because it fits your album so perfectly. I tried to find a lyric that resonates the best to include but they all work so well that I couldn’t choose.

Despite this entire album being about only you and just one night leading into the next morning, it’s still so diverse (I hope that makes sense) like you’d think there’s only so many songs you could write about a 12ish hour time frame and one person but this writer has endless things to say about you and the night you met them. I could see one song having a feature and it’s later in the album somewhere between tracks 7-12 or so. The aesthetic of the album is very neon lights, the dance floor on prom night after everything has died down and people are starting to go home, slow, melodramatic and just really pretty. Again, I highly recommend you check out “Red Wine Supernova” because it fits so well.

Track list:

1. Pretty

2. Blooming

3. missing you

4. Shinning Eyes

5. Dying Slow

6. Party Streamers

7. Old Fashioned (Feat. Another Artist)

8. Starlight

9. Nova’s Surprise

10. Sunset

11. morning after

12. You

Pile Two

Pile two, your album sounds like one written by Hozier, Noah Kahan or The Lumineers. It reminds me a lot of “Angela” by The Lumineers. Specifically the lyric “Angela, spent your whole life running away” and “vacancy, hotel room, lost in me, lost in you” it also reminds me of Ethel Cain in the sense that it’s a concept album about running away and starting a new life (but not as dark as ethel’s and with a much better outcome than she got. I heard “success story” it’s about leaving behind a difficult past and moving forward. There’s hope for the future in these songs, remembrance of the past and healing trauma. It’s a beautiful album with a good balance of different emotions. I could see this album coming with a short film or a series of music videos that piece together to tell a store. Similar to “III” by the Lumineers.

I keep hearing a few snippets from the deluxe version of “Stick Season” (that will be out June 9th 👀) like “Medicate meditate swear your soul to Jesus / Throw a punch fall in love give yourself a reason” or “we ain’t angry at you love, you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost” it’s such a beautiful album with so much soul and emotion.

I could see this album getting an acoustic live version that artists do sometimes like “Album, live from Wherever” you know? This album has very unique and catchy lyrics that stick with people, the type of lyrics people take and sell on things in their Etsy shop or use as a quote in their yearbook or put in their instagram bio. It almost feels like poetry. I also heard “escapism” this is the type of music that paints a picture and takes you somewhere else. This album will kind of chronologically tell a story about you moving forward and healing from trauma and finding a peaceful ending. Ending with a song like “Angelia”

Track list

1. movement

2. Adelaide’s Interlude

3. mother

4. farmhouse

5. leave me behind

6. baby blue

7. mustang

8. you’re gonna go far

9. more than this

10. peace

11. at your own pace

12. growing pains

13. at last

Pile Three

I feel like this album has a soft rock sort of sound? Like hozier with a rockier edge if that makes sense? It reminds me of the way hozier sings about love. He sings about a very deep and impactful love and his writing his like poetry and I think that’s what an album about you would sound like. I think this album could be about the writer/musician fighting feelings for you because they’re focused on career or are just concerned about the outcome of the relationship. They might have a fear of falling or something.

However, the last card I pulled was the 10 of cups so the outcome is very good. I feel like this album is coming from a reflective place like this is after yourself and your spouse have settled down and had kids or pets or whatever you would like and your partner is looking back at your relationship from the very beginning up until now and writing about it.

I keep hearing “I’m in love with an emo girl” I don’t think this is what the album will sound like but maybe that’s your aesthetic/vibe? This might just be conformation for you. I also keep hearing that Shania Twain song “you’re still the one” this is the kind of album that fans would dissect like narrow down the time you met your person and talk about every lyric and how that lyric relates to you and your relationship etc. this album talks about how devoted and in love with you your person is but also talks about the (I heard “trials and tribulations”) it took for you two to get there so it may include religious reference. Like religion by Lana Del Rey or Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift where there’s this slight aspect of religion/devotion to your partner.

You hear a lot about how you have to actively choose your partner everyday to make a long term relationship work and this album would definitely delve into that a little. It could also be produced by you and your partner’s mutual friends or people who have been there since the beginning or very early in in your relationship. I think this would be a longer album and there’s definitely 18+ songs on there 👀

Track list

1. October

2. Cosmic

3. Full Moon

4. Bourbon Street

5. She’s All Over Me

6. Starla

7. The Empress

8. Diamond Eyes

9. Find More of Me

10. Dreamscape

11. Escapades

12. Midnight

13. You’re All I Need

14. Mirror

15. Apartment 32

16. Deep End

17. Eternity

[fightclubgayporn]

"9 AM to noon: Lindsay and Sadie drag me out of bed to go to the mall of all places. They dressed me up in so many tacky outfits that I lost count. I guess some of them looked alright. Not my style, though. Feels great to be back in my regular clothes."

"1 PM to 4: Gwen and Duncan pick me up and drive me to some shady parking garage. Gwen's driving and Duncan has aux, so the entire drive is a purgatory of nu-metal and watching my life flash before my eyes. I don't know how they convinced me to let Duncan give me a piercing. It looks cool, I guess."

"5 PM to 7:30: Eva and Izzy come over to "help" me bake a cake for Owen's birthday. Remind me to never let them in a kitchen. Ever. I'm still combing icing out of my hair and Eva kept breaking eggs. The cake turned out good, though. No thanks to them."

aka Noah's very long day of getting annoyed by his friends. (he loves them anyway. he'd never admit it though.)

[nightwriter357]

Smosh Summer Games:Ships 9

Okay so this story is almost done now.. I'm thinking 1 or 2 more parts after this one. I really hope you like it and feel free to let me know what you want for this story before it's done.

xxxxx

part 9 - release all of those sounds that are trapped in you mind. AAAAAAH!

Spencer dragged you and Damien upstairs, you couldn't help but notice the growing buzz among your friends. There was something different in the air-something chaotic but familiar. You exchanged a quick look with Damien, silently agreeing that whatever was about to happen, you were in for it.

"The Newlywed Game," Spencer announced like he'd been waiting to say those words all day. This was the final game of this trip. You tried to keep your face neutral, but the idea of playing this game with Damien in front of everyone made your stomach flip. There's no way this was going to go smoothly.

As Spencer gleefully explained that each ship would do the game together accompanied by him, Olivia and their team captain, the lounge buzzed with energy. You tried to stay calm, but your mind was still racing, thinking about Damien. Now that you knew he liked you—and that you liked him—you felt the secret weighing on you. You hadn't had time to talk about it with him yet, and the teasing glances from Courtney and Shayne weren't helping.

As Noah and Keith were called away, you and Damien found yourselves sitting in the lounge with the others. You glanced at him, wondering if he was thinking about the conversation you almost had before you were interrupted.

"Damien," Shayne started, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "So, have you guys talked?"

Damien looked at him, confused but amused. "Uh... We talk all the time," he said, and you could see Courtney grinning as if she knew a punchline was coming.

"oh all the time, huh?" Courtney chimed in, her eyebrows waggling. "Would you say multiple times?"

There was a flicker of something behind Damien's eyes, like he was connecting the dots, but not quite. You shot her a playful glare, knowing exactly what she was insinuating. 

Damien let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Am I missing something here, guys?"

Trevor, who had been silently watching the conversation unfold, suddenly jumped  in. "Oh, Maybe they have a big secret? Like a hidden treasure or a secret love child!"

"Yes, Trevor. They definitely have a secret love child," Arasha said sarcastically, nudging him with her elbow. "Or maybe you're just not paying attention."

You caught Damien's eye, biting your lip to hold back a smile. His confusion was kind of endearing, but the situation was starting to get a bit more complicated than you'd planned. The conversation continued into a lighter topic. Later across the room, Noah and Keith came back quietly laughing about something.

"What's so funny over there?" you asked, curious.

"Munge!" Keith wheezed, causing Shayne to nearly choke on his drink from laughing so hard.

He wiped his mouth, "haha, MUNGE."

"Oh no, not this again," you groaned, catching Tommy's eye. The two of you mouthed, What does that even mean? to each other, completely baffled.

"I'm so confused," Tommy mouthed back.

Noah winked in your direction. "You'll figure it out someday, kids."

Ian joined the conversation, "Kids, kids, settle down," he said mockingly, drawing laughs from the group. "We need some decorum here."

"Right. Decorum," Amanda added with a sly smile. "As if that ever worked."

Chanse rolled his eyes, turning to Tommy. "I swear, I can't take you guys anywhere."

Angela, who had been drumming her fingers on the table energetically, threw him a grin. "We're on a ship, Chanse, nowhere to go even if you tried."

Chanse pursed his lips, "Bitch, I could still throw you overboard."

Angela waved her hands around, "hey HEY, shut up!"

The group's laughter bubbled up again, and as you leaned back in your seat, you realized how much you enjoyed these moments of chaotic calm. It was easy to get lost in the banter, it almost made you forget about the secret you were dying to share with Damien.. almost.

Suddenly, Olivia popped her head back into the lounge. "Trevor and Arasha, you're up!"

Trevor hopped out of his seat like an eager puppy. "Wish me luck, guys!"

"Don't cheat, Arasha!" Ian called out as Arasha got up to leave.

"Cheat? I would never," Arasha replied, her tone dripping with mock innocence as she walked out, leaving everyone laughing behind her.

You were sat there on the couch watching each ship go in for their turn. It didn't seem like the right time to steal Damien away, not until you had your turn. A part of you enjoyed this moment though, seeing him give you that look and actually knowing what it meant. He likes me.

After every other ship had had their turn it was finally time for you and Damien. Olivia called you, Damien and Ian in and you were met by the beautiful view that is Spencer Agnew in his perfectly altered robe.

Spencer dramatically gestured to the small whiteboards set up in front of you and Damien and explained the rules: each of you would write down answers on your whiteboards to a series of questions about the other person. The goal? To see if your answers matched. If they did, you'd earn points, and, of course, make the current score 3-2 to team leg-peggers . "Alright, time to see how well you really know each other. Write your answers down, and we'll see if they match."

You and Damien exchanged a quick look, both of you holding back a grin. You could feel the playful tension in the air, the room buzzing with everyone's eyes on you two.

"First question," Spencer started, his voice taking on the tone of a dramatic game show host, "what was Y/N wearing when you two first hung out?"

You scribbled your answer on the whiteboard-easy, he talked about it recently. Damien would remember for sure.

Damien smiled and paused for a second before confidently writing and flipping the board, "A daisy dress."

You turned your whiteboard around, revealing your answer. Ian clapped his hands together and Spencer exclaimed, "Correct! They know each other quite well folks!"

Olivia chimed in, "Daisies are like, the flower?" She looked off into space, seemingly pondering her own thought.

Ian raised an eyebrow. "Uh... okay, Olivia. Let's move on." He turned to you and Damien with an approving nod. "Great start, though."

You couldn't help but smile, feeling the warmth from Damien's casual confidence.

Spencer didn't waste any time moving forward. "Next question! Where's the wildest place Damien has hooked up?"

You and Damien both paused, your eyes widening slightly as you scribbled your answer on the board. You could already feel the heat rising to your cheeks. You knew what he was going to say.

Damien looked around the room, then back at you, smirking. "On a ship."

The room went silent for a beat before everyone erupted in laughter.

"Wait, you mean like this ship?" Ian asked, looking shocked.

You turned your board around, confirming his answer. "Ship."

Spencer shook his head in disbelief. "Bold choice. So have you ever been on a ship before or does that mean.."

Olivia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my god, like, what if it was right where we're sitting now? Like... in the exact same spot!" She jumped up from her chair and dramatically scanned the floor. "What if he's doing it RIGHT now!"

Damien laughed. "Not this exact spot and obviously not in this exact moment."

Spencer, always in character, banged the hammer on the table. "Alright, alright, let's keep it PG, folks. Moving on!"

Olivia shot him a look, "well you asked the question dude!"

You tried to compose yourself as Spencer introduced the next question. "What's an annoying habit Y/N has?"

Damien was quick this time, writing his answer on the board and flashing you a cheeky grin, you rolled your eyes playfully, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Holding everything with both hands."

You narrowed your eyes at him, remembering how he'd pointed that out a few days ago. You turned your board around, showing that he was right.

"Cute," Ian commented. "It's not annoying if it's adorable, though."

Olivia tilted her head, thoughtfully stroking her chin. "Does that mean you also use both feet for holding?"

Damien blinked at her. "Liv... what?"

Spencer waved his hand. "Ignore her, she's to far gone."

"Next question!" Spencer moved forward, clearly enjoying this. "What food can Damien not live without?"

You grinned, writing your answer quickly. This one was easy.

"Shellfish," Damien answered with confidence.

You turned your board, and Spencer clapped his hands together. "Correct again! These two are on fire!"

You interacted with the camera, "Guys, did you know Damien is a Shellfish guy?"

Damien smirked and leaned back in his chair. "That's right, shrimp girl."

Everyone burst into laughter remembering the put it in my mouth video you recorded recently, and you shook your head, grinning.

Ian chuckled. "Shrimp girl and shellfish guy are truly rocking the boat"

Spencer was barely keeping it together. "Okay, okay! Let's wrap this up before I lose control of the show. Last question-what's one word Damien would use to describe Y/N?"

You scribbled your answer quickly, knowing exactly what he would say. Damien seemed to have the same thing mind.

"One word?" Damien repeated, glancing at you before confidently saying, "Lover."

The room immediately filled with playful "oooohs" and laughter.

Ian shook his head. "Well I feel like we all knew that one."

Damien just chuckled, turning to you as you revealed your whiteboard with the same word. Of course we matched.

Spencer adressed the camera, "Looks like these lovers just got a perfect score."

He leaned in, his voice soft and teasing, "Told you we know each other well."

Your heart skipped a beat, and you smiled at him. Maybe we really do.

Spencer then glanced at Olivia and Ian. "Alright, let's bring everyone back in!" Olivia nodded and headed out the door, her voice echoing through the hall as she called for the others to join you.

Moments later, the door swung open and the rest of the crew streamed in, laughing and chatting. Anthony led the way, Trevor and Amanda not far behind, while Noah caught up with Keith, both of them holding plates of snacks.

Shayne chuckled from the back of the room, shaking his head. "haha, MUNGE."

Courtney smiled at him and raised her eyebrow, "You know, nobody even said it this time?"

He raised his shoulders, before laughing again "I know but, you know MUNGE"

She shook her head before lauging along.

 "What'd we miss?" Anthony asked, eyes bouncing between you and Damien.

Spencer smirked, twirling his marker, letting everyone take their seats before writing the final score on the whiteboard: "And the winners are... Team leg-peggers!"

The room erupted in cheers, laughter, and playful jabs. Spencer raised his hands for silence, a wide grin on his face. "But wait! This isn’t just a victory for today—this makes you the winning team of the entire Smosh Summer Games: Ships!"

The crowd went wild, high-fives and hugs exchanged, while the Leg-Peggers basked in their well-deserved glory.

Ian stood up, pumping his fist in victory. "That's right, baby! Leg-peggers all the way!"

Anthony clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to collapse onto the couch. "This isn't over, Leg-peggers! The Seamen will rise again!"

The room was filled with laughter as the finality of the game set in. After the joking and banter settled down, everyone drifted toward dinner. The cast crowded around the long table, plates piled high with food. Conversations buzzed in every corner, but your thoughts kept drifting to Damien, who sat beside you.

He caught your gaze several times, a smile tugging at his lips as he leaned in closer. "You know I'm still really curius about that conversation we almost had?"

You nodded, but your heart was pounding. Now's the moment, you thought. You couldn't wait any longer. Not when everything felt so right, and you knew exactly how you felt about him.

You leaned over, your voice just above a whisper, "Hey, can we talk? Alone?"

Damien's expression shifted from curious to serious, sensing the weight behind your words. "absolutely," he said softly, standing up and motioning for you to follow.

You both quietly excused yourselves, slipping out of the noisy dining area and down the stairs. It was quiet down here, you could only heat the sound of the waves gently crashing against the boat. Outside your shared room, you paused, taking a deep breath before turning to face Damien.

His gaze was gentle, full of concern and curiosity but with a slight smile on his face. "So, what's going on?"

You took a deep breath, heart pounding in your chest. "We've had a lot of fun together, right? And I kept telling myself it was just... because we were here, you know? Circumstances, sharing a bed, all that. But... I don't think that's true anymore."

Damien's brow furrowed slightly, but he stayed quiet, waiting for you to continue.

"I thought I could keep pretending it didn't mean anything. But it does. I like you, Damien. Not just because we're here or because we've gotten close, but because it's you. I like the stupid conversations we have. I like sneaking off with you. I like how you make me feel safe and... just everything. I want to tell you all the things we haven't said yet.. I think I'm in love with you."

The words tumbled out all at once, and the moment they did, you felt the weight lift off your chest. You looked up at Damien, your eyes searching his for a response.

Damien blinked, as if trying to process your words. Then, a slow smile spread across his face, and he let out another soft laugh, this one full of disbelief. "Wow. I mean, I didn't think... I—wow."

"Didn't think what?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper now.

He blinked, a soft, surprised laugh escaping his lips. "Wow. I mean... wow. I—God, I didn't think you'd feel the same." He ran a hand through his hair, still smiling in disbelief. "I've been in love with you for so long, and I was terrified to say it. I thought you just saw this as a fling."

He took a step closer, his hands reaching for yours. Your heart swelled with relief  "Really?", even though you already knew, part of you felt suprised.

Damien nodded, his thumbs brushing gently against your knuckles. "Absolutely, how could I not be!" he exclaimed, laughing again. "Wow, we've really done everything backwards! We slept in the same bed before we even kissed. We called each other 'lover' before we even had sex. And we've been doing all this.. feeling all this, without even going on a date?"

You couldn't help but laugh with him. "Yeah, we kind of skipped some steps, huh?"

Damien chuckled softly, his hands sliding to your waist, pulling you closer. "So... do you want to?"

"Want to what?" you asked, your voice a whisper now.

"To go on a date," he murmured, his eyes soft but serious.

You felt your heart race, grinning as the tension eased. "Can you imagine if I said no?"

As you stood close, the air between you felt charged, electric with unspoken words and lingering glances. Damien's gaze flickered from your eyes to your lips, his breath hitching slightly. You could feel the warmth radiating from him, and your heart raced in anticipation.

He moved in, the world around you fading away. Just before your lips brushed, the weight of the moment settled in.

"Is it weird that I'm kind of nervous to kiss you?" you blurted out, breaking the tension but only adding to it.

Damien's lips curled into a playful smile, eyes glinting with mischief. "Yes, you're super weird."

As you both leaned in, the distance evaporated, and your heart raced in time with his. The moment felt suspended in time, as if the world outside didn't exist. His lips brushed against yours, tentative at first, exploring the new uncharted territory of this connection. 

You melted into the kiss, the intensity building as Damien deepened it, his hands cradling your face, thumbs gently stroking your cheeks. It felt like everything clicked into place—his warmth enveloping you, a perfect harmony of desire and tenderness. The kiss was both electric and soft, igniting a fire that spread through you, making everything else fade into the background.

"Whoa, whoa! What do we have here?" Spencer chimed in, leaning against the doorframe, a teasing grin plastered on his face in that ridiculous cropped judge's robe.

Just as you and Damien were fumbling to explain yourselves, Spencer held up a hand with a smirk. "Hey, hey, I'm not one to judge."

You and Damien exchanged awkward glances, both of you clearly caught off guard.

You groaned, feeling your face heat up as you nudged Damien's arm. "This really isn't how we wanted anyone to find out..."

"Oh, this isn't how I found out," Spencer said nonchalantly, leaning against the wall.

Both you and Damien blinked in confusion. "Then... how?"

Spencer's grin widened. "Oh, by the way, when the red light is on, it means the camera is recording."

You froze. Damien's eyes widened.

"Wait, does that mean—?"

Spencer gave a casual shrug, his grin never fading. "Hey no judgement here, even though I know you already took it to Court."

As he started heading up the stairs, you both averted your eyes quickly, avoiding a full view of the "Spencer Ag-nude Show."

"What does he mean "took it to court?"," Damien muttered under his breath.

You let out a small laugh, "I might have told Courtney.." you put your hand on his shoulder, "and Shayne knows, Spencer too. I'm pretty sure Arasha knows as well, maybe Ian. Oh god, tomorrow's gonna be..

Damien's arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you into him. "Tomorrow," he echoed, his voice low, full of warmth.

You leaned in, your lips brushing against his softly, savoring the moment as the world outside faded away again.

[animegoddess15]

Icebound love

It was 9 pm and Y/N was in her room sleeping. She was very tired from all the train she had done that day. She had learned various types of martial arts and mastered them in one day, learned how to make and create poisons, and learned types of magic such as floral, fire, water, Ice, and anything you can think of. She had some friends(You get to pick your friend's descriptions), whose names were Mei Lin, Pei Lin, Noah, and Liam. Who asked you if they could come over to your house to hang out. Of course, you said yeah, just as long as they did not disturb their sleep.

Y/N's friends were hanging out, having fun, and minding their own business, but most of all since they are your friends they are very protective of you, the main reason why they are at your house making sure you’re ok. 

But anyway, they hear a knock.

*Knock, Knock, Knock* 

Your friends hear a knock at your door,” I wonder who that is”, Liam said.

Without being said, all Liam could do was open the front door, coming face to face with Bi Han, Kuai Liang, and the Fire God Liu Kang. Liam looked dumbfounded, trying to make sense of the two ninjas and the man with glowing eyes.

"Uhh, is this some type of joke, did Oliver put you up to this”? (Oliver is another friend of yours who likes to pull pranks) Liam asked trying not to laugh as he was on the verge of bursting out laughing, thinking the people at the door were playing a joke on them. Before Liam could close the door on them, Bi-Han stuck his foot in it, stopping it so it wouldn’t close. Liu Kang, the main voice of reason and the leader of the circumstances, asks to enter and speak with Y/N. Liam replied “Um, Y/N is sleeping but I can try to wake her up, can’t promise you she won’t come down to talk though. But please come in”, Liam said as the three strangers entered.

Liam tells everyone that Y/N has company. “ Liam, Y/N said not to let any stranger in, what's up with you doing that every time she lets us come over to her house”, said Mei Lin. “ Sorry, He said it was urgent”, Liam said as everyone looked at the three strangers in Y/N's house with them.

“Who are they anyways,” asked Pei Lin. “Yeah who are they, are you sure this isn’t a joke that Oliver set up for Y/N”, added Noah.

Liu Kang assures them this is no joke and then introduces himself Bi Han, and Kauai Liang to the rest of Y/N's friends and tells them he has to talk to her.

Y/N woke up from her slumber and slowly sat up from her bed. She heard Liam talking to someone but didn’t know who. She got up and went downstairs.

The picture above is your pajamas

(sorry not sorry I love Asian dramas)

As Y/N got downstairs she saw three strangers in her home. “Who are they”, you questioned Liam as you wiped the sleep out of your eyes and sat on the couch. “They are people who want to talk to you Y/N”. 

This picture is your tired expression

Liu Kang then introduces himself, Bi Han, and Kauai Liang. He is standing in front of you and your friends, giving you a speech about Earthrealm, champions, and gods (Hopefully, we should all know the speech, if you don’t play or watch the MK 1 gameplay). As Y/N was paying attention to Liu Kang's speech, you did not notice Bi-Han standing like a sculpture behind the couch where you were sitting on with your friends, his frosted staring impaling through your skull. 

After Liu Kang was done with his speech, you agreed to help.

Soon enough, Y/N is training alongside Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Raiden, and Kung Lao. You made friends out of them as soon as they saw your skills. Right now Y/N just finished making a new poison, called Chi-Bane(sorry not that good, want to give the poison a name), which allows you to take away people's martial arts skills just from one sip of it. 

As you look up from labeling your now-created poison, you see a familiar trio wearing Blue, Gray, and yellow, stroll across the training grounds. The three ninjas were now watching the others train, Bi-Han literally could not tear his eyes away from you as you started to stretch. That's until Kuai Liang gives him a playful jab to his side and gives the idea to see what you are doing. The three ninjas walk up to you, Kuai Liang is the one to speak first.

“Greetings Y/N, my and I brothers were wondering what you were doing”, Kauai Liang asked. “Nothing much, just got done creating a new poison, It's called Chi--Bane,” Y/N replied. “What does it do”, asked Tomas looking curiously at the bottle you have in your hand. “When someone takes a sip of this it takes away their martial arts skills, permanently”, Y/N replied.

Y/N thought she was losing her mind, Y/N thought she saw Bi han staring her down, but she wasn’t sure. When she tried to see if he was staring at her, he was looking back at the others' training. And even if he was staring her down, why?  Why was Bi Han, grandmaster of the lin kuei staring at her? 

Y/N tried to ask the others to see if someone looking at her, but Raiden shrugged, Kenshi was at a loss for words, and Kung Lao and Johnny just looked at each other with playful grins on their face and said yeah, the grandmaster was staring at you and started laughing.

At last a mission, Y/N is tagging along with Bi Han, Kuai Liang, and Tomas as they wait for orders from Liu Kang concerning the soul-stealing beacons. Tomas and Kuai Liang are sitting on the bench, while Bi Han is pacing around the room. “How long are we expecting to linger”, Bi Han demanded in an angry voice. “Patients Bi Han, there are many demands of Liu Kang”, Kauai Liang said to Bi Han calmly. 

Y/N then entered the room allowing them to enter the meeting room. Bi Han was now calm for two reasons, they could finally enter, and second, the main reason was because you were there. Bi Han could not stop staring or thinking about you. And of course, you notice his staring.

Bi-Han immediately stalked off with a blush on his face. As Kaui Liang and Tomas follow, Y/N stops and grabs Kuai Liang's shoulder gently, making him face you with shocked eyes. "Pardon me, Kauai Liang," you said with a quick bow. "But your Grandmaster has been staring me down for as long as I've known him. Did… Did I do something wrong or anger him in any way? It is quite Frightening."

Kauai Liang's cocky grin expression

Kuai Liang's face froze and then went to a cocky grin. It was not normal for him to be amused like he is now, but how could he resist when he could practically see what was going on with Bi Han? He chuckles for a moment.

"Bi-Han likes you very much Y/N" Kuai Liang replies, a smile pulled at his lips. "Please forgive Bi Han’s cruel appearance. He met nothing from it."

With that, Kuail Liang turns on his heel and enters the meeting room, leaving you confused, but then you quickly recover and enter after Kuai Liang into the meeting room.

When you and the Lin Kuei trio returned from the mission, Bi Han then came up to you inviting you to come to come visit the Lin Kuei. Of course, you agreed. Now you with Bi Han, Kauai Liang, and Tomas were on your way to the Lin Kuei.

[the-golden-comet]

✨How Cuddleable Are Your OCs? Tag✨

Thank you to @talesofsorrowandofruin , @theink-stainedfolk , @drchenquill , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @fantasy-things-and-such , @alinacapellabooks , @nczaversnick , and @mundanemoongirl for tagging me and leaving this open! These are getting really creative, and I LOVE it!! ✨

I will do a Richter 1-10 scale, with 1 being “will kill you” and 10 being the softest fluffiest cuddle you can imagine 💖✨

Peter: 3/10. He is fine with familial hugs (biological and crew), and is always okay with being close to Benji. Anyone else is going to lose a limb.

Benjamin: 2/10. Only Peter (and sometimes the crew) is allowed to get hugs. Even then, it’s about half tolerable with Peter. He will probably still kick them in the shins, the balls, elbow their face, all while screaming, “GET OFF OF ME, YOU BLOODY WANKER!!!”

Davey: 9/10. Amazing dad hugs, may try to tousle you around a bit, rustle your hair, small arm punches, rough affection. Best boat dad ✨

Ali: 8/10. A lovable guy, will give very warm hugs—the type to scoop you up and swing you around in genuine joy. Super open to cuddles. The only reason he’s not a perfect 10/10 on the cuddle scale is that he has a small chance to crush you with his raw genie strength.

Noah: 5/10. Doesn’t let anyone close enough, really. Only cuddles with Ali when watching a NatGeo documentary on the couch under some blankets.

Tenshi: 10/10. The perfect hugger and cuddler. He is like a cloud, a sweet cotton candy fluff. May squeak in absolute happiness at receiving cuddles 💖✨

Tagging (no pressure): @fortunatetragedy , @wyked-ao3 , @autism-purgatory , @orions-quill , @illarian-rambling , @cybercelestian , @fantasy-things-and-such +open tag!✨

[wolfdeans]

I can see the show addressing the whole father and sons of it all with Ramon and Eddie and Chris especially after 8x04 and the convo he had with the cheerleaders father and that’s good that’s great if they address it well but I think the Helena of it all is going to haunt me forever if it’s not touched on with the comments “don’t drag him down with you” and the way she’s so happy to have Chris as a do-over and how she was the present parent and the role she plays in the Diaz family dynamic and just how both his parents have fucked him up and how Eddie only really sees his dad as the messed up one

[homeofthelonelywriter]

Let's call it Fate | Part 4

(A/N) Starting to go somewhere...I hate myself for the slow burn, don't worry.

Pairing: Cardinal Copia x Reader (no Y/N)

Warning: google translate translations, abusive parents (especially mother), arranged marriage, age gap, bullying, talk of grandparents and death of a grandparent, misstreatment of Ghouls ;-;

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13

The moment Cardinal Copia announced that class was over and it was time for lunch, you slumped down on your desk. You had always prided to be smart, well-read. But Latin really got you to doubt all that. Of course, this was just the first lesson and it was a quick introduction of what you’d cover over the course of the next few months, but you were already done. If you didn’t know better, you’d ask why you had to learn a dead language. But you knew better. You knew that most of the satanic prayers used in the Ministry were in Latin. So knowing the language made sense, but it didn’t make it any easier.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw the Cardinal moving in your direction. Everyone else had left by that point, or so you thought.

“You okay, girly?”

You looked up and saw Lila standing beside you, an empathetic smile on her lips. She held out her hand, pulling you up as soon as you placed yours in hers.

“Let’s grab some food, yeah? Will make you feel better.”

While she was talking, you risked a quick glance toward Cardinal Copia. He was frozen, a few steps away from your table, watching you. When your eyes met, he smiled and nodded, which you quickly returned before focusing on Lila again.

“Sounds like a good idea.”

She smiled and linked her arm with yours before pulling you out of the classroom and toward the mess hall. On the way, you passed the same Ghouls that were in the classroom earlier. You quickly waved to them, before Lila dragged you further along, noticing the taller one wave back just before you rounded a corner.

When you entered the mess hall, you quickly noticed how full it was, a stark contrast to that morning. Lila and you immediately got into queue, loading food onto your plates as soon as you had the chance. Once both of you were satisfied with the amount of food you got, you searched for a place to sit. Your eyes immediately landed on the table you had sat at during breakfast, and seeing that it was almost empty, you led Lila there.

“Is it okay if we sit here?”

The members of the Ministry nodded and Lila and you sat down, quickly digging in. You were ready to spend lunch in silence, but Lila had other plans.

“Latin’s already giving you trouble, eh?”

She chuckled when you sighed and nodded.

“How is it not giving you trouble?”

She shrugged, piercing half of a tomato with her fork, before lifting the cutlery and waving it in the air.

“My parents started teaching me when I was a child. It’s true what they say, learning stuff is easier the younger you are.”

“Yeah, well that would’ve been quite useful. But hey, these violin lessons really paid off…not.”

Lila chuckled.

“Just give it time. It looks worse than it is. And if you need help, just let me know, I’m sure we can squeeze in some extra lessons.”

Her words lifted some of the weight off your shoulders. Knowing you could rely on her, have her as a friend made you feel better than you had in days.

You spent the rest of lunch with Lila rambling on about her life back home and how much she hated most of the people in the group. How arrogant they were and how a certain someone just couldn’t keep his hands to himself. You expected as much, but you still felt annoyed when she told you about how Noah had come on to every single girl in the group.

In response, you told her about how you’re in an arranged marriage with him.

“WHAT?”

You quickly shushed her, as you suddenly felt a lot of eyes on you.

“Your parents suck!”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

She was quiet for a few minutes, her knife dangling between her fingers as she stared at it deep in thought.

“You know…dead guys can’t marry…”

Your eyes widened at her words, but she quickly burst out laughing when she saw your face.

“Nah, I’m just joking. Unless…”

You chuckled and shook your head. If only that was a viable solution. Sure, you were in a satanic church, but murder is something that isn’t accepted, not even here.

“Anyway, what-”

Lila was interrupted by a soft bell sounding through the mess hall. And when you checked your watch you noticed that it was one p.m., time to start work.

The two of you quickly brought back your plates, before saying goodbye. You watched Lila run off before you turned to look at the head table, searching for Papa Primo, but he wasn’t there. Cardinal Copia, Papa Secondo, Papa Terzo, and Sister Imperator were all there, but there was no sign of the oldest brother.

You quickly made your way across the hall, bowing your head in respect once you were close.

“Ah, what can I do for you, my child?”

You stopped dead in your tracks when you heard Papa Terzo address you. Once you lifted your head, you couldn’t help but let your gaze wander across the people in front of you, not sure what to say.

“I…uhm…”

The current Papa chuckled as he got to his feet.

“Oh, no need to be nervous, piccola. Tell your Papa what worries you.”

He took slow, calculated steps toward you. Steps that almost seemed flirtatious.

“Terzo…”

You looked up, your eyes meeting Cardinal Copia’s. His gaze flickered from you to his brother, hardening whenever it would land on the current Papa.

“My apologies, Papa. I meant to talk to Cardinal Copia, I have a question for him. I’m very sorry.”

Papa Terzo immediately froze, a confused frown on his face.

“Are you sure I can’t help you?”

Behind Papa Terzo, you watched Cardinal Copia stand up as he glared at his brother.

“I am sure you could help me, Papa. But I wouldn’t want to steal your time for such a trivial matter.”

That seemed to appease Papa Terzo, as he smiled and nodded, before motioning for his brother to join me. Your gaze immediately flickered to the Cardinal and you couldn’t help but giggle as you caught him rolling his eyes at his brother’s theatrics. As he walked by Papa Terzo, Cardinal Copia bowed his head in respect, but as soon as he had reached you and was out of earshot from the others, he began rambling in Italian. You tried to hide the smile on your face but were unsuccessful.

“Does he amuse you, cara?”

You chuckle, nodding.

“A little. He is…very self-assured. And flirtatious.”

Cardinal Copia nodded, finally stopping and fully turning to look at you.

“So, what can I help you with?”

You suddenly remember why you even approached the table in the first place.

“I didn’t see Papa Primo at lunch today, so I wondered if someone brought him food? I assume he’s in the greenhouse.”

“Si, one of the Ghouls usually brings him a plate. The way from the Ministry to the greenhouse is too uh…estenuante to make it multiple times a day.”

You nodded, before glancing at the buffet. There was still a good amount of food left.

“Do you know if the Ghoul has already left? If not I can grab the plate and bring it to Papa Primo, I’m headed down there anyway.”

The Cardinal smiled and nodded, walking to the buffet with you following.

“He likes spicy food, probably because he can’t gusto that well anymore.”

He grabbed one of the plates and started loading some of the curry that was served on it, along with rice. He then walked over to the dessert section and grabbed another, smaller plate.

“He also has a massive golosi, uh…sweet tooth.”

He grabbed a glass of chocolate mousse with a berry topping as well as two pieces of chocolate cake. While the Cardinal finished up, you went and grabbed a tray, bringing it back so you could carry everything down at once. Together, you filled the tray with the two plates, as well as a glass of water, a glass of juice, and some cutlery.

“Thank you cara.”

You smiled and bid your goodbye, before making your way to the greenhouse. Thankfully, you knew how to get around by now. Within a few minutes, you reached the door that led outside, and once you pushed that open, you were at the greenhouse in no time.

“Papa Primo? I brought you lunch.”

You gently pushed the door open, walking in to find Papa Primo sitting at the table you had shared fruit at the day before. He perked up as soon as you entered, a soft smile on his face.

“Ah, tesoro. Grazie mille.”

With a gentle thud, you set down the tray in front of him. He immediately picked up the cutlery and started eating. He must’ve been hungry.

“Do you…always have to wait until after lunch for someone to bring you food?”

The old man shrugged with a smile on his face.

“I’m already being catered to, I won’t complain about having to wait a bit.”

You nodded in understanding, before looking around. Everything seemed to be in order within the greenhouse, you weren’t sure what you were supposed to do.

“Well, tell me what to do boss.”

Papa Primo chuckled, looking you up and down for a second, before turning back to his food.

“Before we start, you should probably change. Don’t want you to get your habit all dirty and sweaty.”

You hadn’t even thought about that. But on the other hand, you weren’t sure what to change into. Sure, you brought some stuff with you, but nothing sturdy enough for some yard work.

“The Ghouls should have brought something to your room by now. Go, take your time and when you’re ready, come back here. And don’t forget to grab some acqua from the mess hall on the way. It is going to be a hot day.”

With a nod, you left and quickly made your way back to your room. Once there, you found a new uniform lying on your bed. It was a black overall made of thick but breathable material. You quickly changed, putting on a black shirt underneath, before pulling the straps over your shoulders. You also put on the new pair of boots that were sitting underneath the window. Before you left your room, you glanced in the mirror and decided to put your hair up in a ponytail.

As Papa Primo had asked, you grabbed a few water bottles before returning to the greenhouse. Once there, Primo pointed to a small cooler, where you put the bottles.

“It’s not much, but it will keep them freshi for longer.”

You nodded before turning back to look at him, awaiting his command.

He spent the next two hours giving you an introduction to the greenhouse, showing you the different plants and what they need. As soon as you were done with the greenhouse, he led you outside and showed you the fields, assuring you that they weren’t part of your duties, but he wanted you to be familiar with them.

Once the introduction was done, he handed you a basket and together you went to the back and harvested the ripe fruits. Soon enough, you had to grab a second basket, since the first one was already overflowing. As soon as you were done, you placed the second basket in the cooler, while Primo arranged the first one to look a bit prettier.

You watched him, amazement slowly filling you as he made a simple fruit basket look like a piece of art. All too soon he was done and turned to you. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he saw the look in your eyes, he smiled instead.

“I can teach you how to arrange something like that if you’d like. Not today, but at some point.”

You nodded eagerly, making him chuckle.

“Good. For now, could you please take this up to my brother’s office? Uh, Terzo. Terzo’s office.”

“Of course. Uhm…where is it?”

“Oh…right.”

Papa Primo quickly described the easiest way to get to the currents Papa’s office. Once you were sure you could find it, you left the greenhouse and made your way back up to the building. At first, it was easy to to follow the instructions given, but all too soon, you had to admit to yourself that you were lost.

If anybody had been around, you would have asked for help, but the halls were deserted, so you had no other choice but to keep going. After a few minutes, you no longer knew how to get back to where you had just come from. You spun around, looking in all different directions, searching for something familiar.

“Miss? Are you lost?”

The voice cut through the silence, making you jump as you spun to look at who had talked. And there stood the same two Ghouls from earlier. It was clearly the smaller one who had spoken, you recognized the voice once the beating of your heart calmed down. The taller one just stood beside him, not grinning.

“I uh…yeah. Papa Primo asked me to take this to Papa Terzo. He described the way, but I must’ve turned the wrong direction at some point.”

The smaller Ghouls smiled.

“If you want to go to Papa Terzo’s office, you’re completely wrong. Come, we’ll show you the way.”

You smiled at them and nodded, following when they started to lead the way. You noticed that the taller one kept looking back at you, so you quickened your pace until you fell into step with him.

“May I ask, who is who? I know your names are Swiss and Dewdrop, but Cardinal Copia never told us which name belongs to which of you.”

The smaller one smiled and introduced himself as Dewdrop, before pointing at his larger friend.

“And this is Swiss. He is a big baby, a bit shy, but all in all he’s friendly.”

The taller one immediately grinned again and you smiled, introducing yourself.

“The part of the Ministry you were just in, you should stay away from. It’s where we Ghouls live. Most of us are friendly, but some are a bit…well…”

Swiss quickly jumped in.

“Territorial?”

Dewdrop nodded.

“Yeah, territorial fits well. Especially since most of the members aren’t as nice to us as you are.”

“Why…why is that?”

Swiss chuckled darkly.

“They see us as servants. Nothing more than dirt that can be replaced.”

You huffed and rolled your eyes.

“Now that’s bullshit.”

As soon as the words left your mouth, Swiss looped an arm around your neck and pulled you into his side, basically holding you in a headlock as he ruffled through your hair.

“Oh, I like you.”

“Ow, ow, ow.”

You laughed as Swiss finally let you go, before fixing your hair as good as possible with one hand. Then you turned to look at him, a grin on your face.

“I like you too, Swiss.”

After a few minutes of walking and talking, you finally stood in front of a set of large, ornate wooden doors. It was obvious that something important laid behind them.

“A bit pompous, don’t you think?”

Swiss chuckled and nodded, while Dewdrop just shushed the two of you. But it didn’t keep you from laughing together. At least not until the door suddenly opened.

“Who is making such a ruckus out he-. Oh, cara. What can I do for you?”

The Cardinal looked annoyed until his eyes met yours. A soft smile found it’s way onto his face, as he completely ignored the two Ghouls next to you. And as Swiss watched you and the Cardinal Copia, he let out a low whistle, leaning down to whisper in your ear.

“He has the hots for you, girl.”

You turned around, about to smack him when you remembered that you had company. So, instead you glared at him, making him chuckle, before you turned back to the Cardinal.

“Papa Primo asked me to bring these to Papa Terzo. I got lost on the way, Dewdrop and Swiss brought me here.”

The Cardinal nodded in understanding before ushering you inside and asking the Ghouls to wait for you. And once inside the office, you were proven right. The room looked more like the private room at a club than an office. Soft couches everywhere, thick curtains to keep out the sun and low lighting. Papa Terzo sat on the largest one of the couches, a cigar between his fingers.

“Ah, piccola, I knew you’d be back sooner than later.”

Translations: piccola...little one cara...dear estenuante...exhausting tesoro...little treasure/darling gusto...taste Grazie mille...thank you very much acqua...water freshi...cool

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[vivaciousoceans]

My UPDATED Law & Order: SVU A.D.A ranking:

Last time my criteria was 1) Whatever ADA I could remember and 2) Who ever I liked more. This time I’m going to be a little more objective (just barely). I will be judging off of 1) Tenure 2) Conviction Rate 3) Likeability and 4) Legacy, not in any particular order of importance.

15: Michael Cutter - He was from the mother show which I didn’t watch, and he’s very unmemorable in SVU because he only appeared in 4 episodes. I do remember him only getting moved to Sex Crimes as a punishment for lying about having a bachelors degree to both the DA’s office and the New York bar, but of course he didn’t get disbarred.

14: Sherri West - She was a decent prosecutor, she never did anything explicitly wrong. She just wasn’t particularly memorable, except for the fact that she stopped being a prosecutor in order to have more money for her "shoe fetish", which is just odd, in my opinion. She only appeared in 4 episodes as and ADA, so that’s why she gets second to last place.

13: Mikka Von - She was so fine I wish I could put her higher. She only appeared in one episode, but she won her case by being crafty. Her little flirtation with Fin was cute, Fin deserves some eye candy after dealing with the tension between Benson and Stabler for years. I wish she’d gotten a few more episodes to really cement a legacy for herself, but alas.

12: Kim Greylek - If she had appeared in more than 13 episodes, I would be willing to put her higher because she had the makings of a great A.D.A. She had the experience working with abused women, she was tough, but she wasn’t likeable in the slightest. I think she felt like she had to be this ball buster because of what happened to Casey after working with SVU, but she was just rude. She even threw shade at Casey, which was just not a good look.

11: David Haden - The dilf who chose his job over a relationship with Olivia Benson. He was like one of the finest men Liv allowed herself to date, and he broke it off with her for a job he resigned from a year later. The only reason he isn’t lower is because he was a decent attorney. He only appeared in 4 episodes though.

10: Peter Stone - Where do I start with Peter? Well 1) He tried to convict Rafael Barba, 2) He tried to play daddy to Noah, and 3) He plagiarized Barba’s whole exit after only knowing Liv for what? Two years? He wasn’t a bad lawyer, he was actually decent, he just went through a lot of personal stuff, and he wasn’t as willing as other ADA’s to do what needed to be done in a unit like SVU. I’m reserving the right to be biased towards him, despite everything he went through.

9: Abbie Carmichael - She was also from the mother show, which again I didn’t watch. She’s only this high because she didn’t do anything egregious, worked well with the detectives, and Angie Harmon is pretty. She only appeared in 4 episodes.

8: Jo Marlowe - Stablers ex-partner, played by the incomparable Sharon Stone. Part of the reason she is so high is because of her legacy, she just came in and had such a strong backstory which we don’t get a lot for ADA’s. She also alluded to having an affair with Elliot, which makes me especially happy because I don’t like Elliot. She was only in 4 episodes, but she delivered in every scene.

7: Gillian Hardwicke - I didn’t put her on my last ranking list which was just an oversight on my part. She was a really good prosecutor, and that wasn’t easy for the cases she tried. She had a 92% conviction rate and kept being handed cases that were complicated. Her empathy for the victims, and her drive for justice was refreshing. I enjoyed her short, 10 episode long run.

6: Sonya Paxton - I am a Sonya Paxton stan. She had her issues, with alcoholism, being a pain in the ass, but she wasn’t afraid to go toe to toe with Elliot Stabler. I hated her death, I wish she would’ve had more than 7 episodes, but I truly think that dying so a victim could receive justice, was the best send off for her character. That’s a legacy that can’t be easily forgotten, which is why she’s so high.

5: Dominick Carisi Jr. - Detective Sonny was my sweet baby angel, but I haven’t watched many seasons where he was ADA, and what I did watch left much to be desired. That being said, his experience at SVU, combined with his mentorship from Rafael Barba, makes him an empathetic prosecutor with great courtroom presence.

4: Elizabeth Donnelly - Coming in at number 4, Liz is a force to be reckoned with. She mentored Alex Cabot and to a certain extent Casey Novak. She fought her way to the top after experiencing a major setback as a woman attorney, that could’ve very easily ruined her career. She was empathetic when she needed to be, tougher when she didn’t need to be. She was a great supervisor and her legacy can’t be forgotten.

3: Alexandra Cabot - Her legacy, her conviction rate, her likeablity, her chemistry with the detectives, none of it can be denied. She was the first permanent ADA and is still a fan favorite for many. She’s strong in her convictions, she’s strong in her values, even if that means bending the law to get true justice. Alex just is that girl in all areas of life, and the only reason she’s at number 3 is because she leaned on her nepotism a little.

2: Rafael Barba - A feminist icon, a political landmine, and the smuggest ADA to exist. He took the cases that no one would touch with a 10-foot pole, and even if he didn’t win them, he made a difference. If he was a real lawyer, he would be studied for his impact on case law. He is very theatrical in court, especially when it comes to cross examinations, he is a shark when it comes to closing statements. He was the longest serving ADA SVU ever had and that takes big brass ego. He knew the law like the back of his hand, and talked a mile a minute, what more could you want? The only reason he’s number 2 is because of his conviction rate.

1: Casey Novak - She was insane, unhinged and insane. There’s no other way to describe her run as a prosecutor. She took on major political cases only to seek justice. She went after a sitting judge, the US Military, and pharmaceutical companies. She was empathetic and sympathetic when she felt like she wasn’t on the side of justice. She had no qualms throwing cases where she knew her win would be the opposite of justice, and she risked disbarment to get justice for a victim. I can truly say she deserves this number 1 spot because of her conviction rate, her legacy, tenure, and likeability.

[fangirl-dot-com]

Playlist

enjoy <3

Life Is A Highway - Rascal Flatts Life is a highway and I'm gonna ride it - all night long

Family Line - Conan Gray I watch the fathers with their little girls and wonder what I did to did to deserve this

Midnight Rain - Taylor Swift They wanted a son, I was making my own name Chasing that fame - they stayed the same All of me changed like midnight rain

Lift Off - Labrinth 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, gone You see my rocket ship Head up in the clouds when my space shift lit ignite Hit me from the ground, I'm about to lift off 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Baby, I'm a star, watch a girl go lift off

Man! I Feel Like A Woman! - Shaina Twain The best thing about bein' a woman Is the prerogative to have a little fun Color my hair, do what I dare Man, I feel like a woman

History - One Direction Minibars, expensive cars, hotel rooms and new tattoos The good champagne and private planes But they don't mean anything... ...We can make it you know it, you know You and me got a whole lot of history

It Girl - Aliyah's Interlude I-T-G-I-R-L, you know I am that girl

You're Gonna Go Far - Noah Kahan And we'll all be here forever, you're gonna go far

Sign of the Times - Harry Styles Just stop your crying, it's the sign of the times Welcome to the final show I hope you're wearing your best clothes

This is just a little filler until Christmas! Right now, I'm at about 6k words and still have a lot to go, so I'm hoping that I do reach 10k for this special chapter!

I hope you are all doing well! Much love <3

Tag List : @awekbachira @lightdragonrayne @leilanixx @angsthology @topguncultleader @landosgirlxoxo @gods-menace @itsjustkhaos @thefandomswhre @alwaysboredsworld @vellicora @bintuabbas @sam-is-lost @empress-kimiko @assholeinatrenchcoat @kagatinkita @glitterquadricorn @zyonsay @tsukishimawhore @ashy-kit @agent-curt-mega @julesbabey @lydialawrence @stopeatread @claudia5912 @nichmeddar @blueberry64857959 @laura-naruto-fan1998 @leptitlu @alessioayla @badassturtle13 @kaaale @wcnorris @cool-ultra-nerd @hockeyboysarehot @agent-curt-mega @myxticmoon @cmleitora @sam-is-lost @misartymis @boiohboii @alexander-hamilhoe @jayda12 @indesicivelyconfuzzled @fangirl125reader @itscrzy @xcharlottemikaelsonx @fionaschicken @torchbearerkyle @ineedafictionalman @loaksmuntxa @classiclitfreak @sarcasm-ismy-onlydefense @luisie @jayda12 @comfortzonequeen @taylor-will-be-the-death-of-me @inejghafawifesblog @treehouse-mouse

[arizonaaaaaa]

GLEE LGBTQIA+ HEADCANONS- HAPPY PRIDE MONTH PART 1

1- Rachel Berry- Bisexual

-Had more chemistry with the women she sang than most men she dated

-Shes annoying and obnoxious but surprisingly cute while in relationships, notice how she’s only annoying and hates everyone when she’s single

-Faberry, Pezberry and Jonesberry 🔛🔝

2- Finn Hudson- Bisexual and Demisexual

-Def slept with Puck on the same bed as kids when they had sleepovers

-also slept together with Sam on the couch while playing video games, Kurt covered them with a comfy blanket

-idk his interactions with Kurt on 1x04 are just so cuteeeeeeeeeeeeee

-the demi part, just remember that when he had sex with Santana, it meant nothing to him because she wasn’t important to him

3- Kurt Hummel- Gay

-Canon

-really wanted to see more relationships with him, we only had Klaine, him and Adam and that’s it, the rest were all crushes, and kisses, and friendships that we pretended were real or sm

-nothing more to add

4- Mercedes Jones- Pansexual

-idk it’s just the vibes

-kind of like Shang from Mulan, falling for the person they are, not how they present themselves

-anyway she gives the best hugs ever and she loves having conversations and everyone loves her for that (as they should)

5- Tina Cohen-Chang- Bisexual and Non-Binary

-so you are a 2000s asian character with purple hair and a goth/puck style but your not bi? The blasphemy

-notice how the three highlights she wore on season 1 were purple, blue and pink

-I feel like she questioned her gender several times after she started dating Mike, when she came out he was so supportive😭

6- Artie Abrams- Bisexual

-say what you want but he totally admired Finn and Puck

-def wanted to date both Tina and Mike

-funny how any relationship with a man would be way better than any relationship he ever had💀

7- Quinn Fabray- Lesbian

-we already know girly is at least bi, you know, fucking with Santana twice

-didn’t have a single successful relationship with a guy, cheated on most of them

-girl just wanted to lesbian and no one got her😭

8- Santana Lopez- Lesbian

-canon

-same with Kurt, we deserved other relationships aside from Brittana and Danitana?

9- Brittany Pierce- Bisexual

-canon

-bad representation in my opinion but it’s not my place to talk

-deserved a coming out scene, Kurt had, Santana had one (but it was deleted) but she didn’t, feels like the writers saying that bisexuals don’t need to come out

10- Noah Puckerman- Pansexual

-took a long time to figure out his feelings

-he’s not romantic attracted by everyone like he is sexually, so it took longer to noticed he also likes guys

-prob had a awakening while watching porn or something

-tho him being canonically pansexual would be kind of weird like imagine him hitting on mr Schue or something

[melit0n]

Delicate Is The Flesh - Chapter 3

- Synopsis: On the brink of the bustling new city of Rosholt lies a forgotten palisade of abandoned homes, shops and streets that sit mummified after a chemical outbreak in the 70s, leaving the city uninhabitable.

Over the years however, the place has become a hotspot for urban explorers and crime junkies alike.

Whispers of reanimated bodies stalking the dead streets and brutal murders worm their way into your friend's ears and, having nothing to do on your Winter break, you reluctantly agree to go exploring the abandoned city with them.

What could go wrong, right?

- Chapters ->

Prologue

Chapter 1: For Whom the Bell tolls

Chapter 2: Corvus and Krater

Chapter 3: Belly of the Beast (you're already here!)

Chapter 4: Something Forgotten

Chapter 5: Citrus and Cinnamon

Chapter 6: Mumbling Conscious

Chapter 7: Heavy is The Head that Mourns The Past

Chapter 8: Be Not Afraid

Chapter 9: Eye for an Eye

- Status: Work In Progress.

- Obsessive! Demon OC/Reader

- Word count (for chp): 8k

- Warnings for chp: None.

- Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55444003/chapters/140685856

Draped in ebony, you peer into the darkness to try to see, well, anything; your flashlight’s lights only reach so far. The slim hallway seems endless, spiralling downwards to more immovable darkness. Even the subtle moonlight from behind you does nothing to illuminate the dank hall, nor whatever resides further down the stairs in the unseen void. You think, if you squint, you can see pearly stars watching you at the bottom of the staircase. 

Maybe, if you tripped, you’d find yourself floating in the cold nothing of the beginning of everything, surrounded by light that you’ll never touch.

Even so, it doesn’t help that the hall is somehow more cold than the outside. Each subtle wind–creeping in from the door behind you–caresses each uncovered inch of your body and sends uncomfortable jitters through each of your fingers, slowly numbing them. With every exhale of warm breath, a puff of misty smoke ascends into the air. Both make you very thankful for the thick hoodie you’re wearing. 

You tuck your uncovered hands up into your sleeves, hoping to gain back some warmth and movement to the shivering digits. Helen follows along, awkwardly shoving her hands up into her jumper with her arm still looped with yours.

“Are you cold?” Noah asks, pointing out the obvious. “You can borrow my jacket if you want?”

You’re about to reply, happy to borrow his fluffy jacket–if only for a few minutes–to stop the goose-bumps somehow still appearing on your flesh, before you realise his concern was for Helen.

“Only a little,” she smiles at him. “I will be fine, though. Thank you.” Unconsciously, she steps closer to you in an attempt to steal what little heat you give off. With another exhale of air, a small shiver racks her body.

Dust motes dance in the disturbed air, your quiet inhales and exhales their unwilling partner as they drift like ocean tides before your very eyes. Thicker particles find home at the bottom of your lungs, waltzing up and down your airways as you give in to your second coughing fit of the day, paired with a few surprisingly painful sneezes. Glancing over at Noah, you can already see the exasperated frown on his face as he sighs, sending even more dust twirling around the four of you.

“Well, this is your last chance to take an inhale of clean air.” Jeanne laughs out, giving you all a toothy grin. “You good?” She looks over at Noah, who gives her a subtle thumbs up, before dramatically turning around and taking a deep inhale of the chilly night air outside the door.

“Peachy.” He turns back around with a smile, earning a laugh from you all.

“Good, good, now-” Jeanne begins.

“-Shouldn’t we close the door?” You interrupt, “In case anybody comes looking?” Glancing between the three of them, you slow your words down closer to the end of your question. You watch Jeanne’s smile grow before she clicks her fingers and ruffles your hair.

“That’s why I bring you along to this sorta stuff.” She squeezes by you, Noah and Helen and back out the doorway.

“I thought you brought me along because you love me.” Grumbling, you do your best to rearrange your hair.

“That too.” She looks left and right before obviously spotting whatever she was searching for with an ‘aha!’ that has you envisioning an evil scientist discovering a new, just as fiendish chemical. The image brings a smile to your face. 

She presents her a find–a rotting plank of wood–like a dog would present a stick to their owner. With a lot of dramatic effort, and denying Noah’s honest help a few times, she shuts the heavy door, wedging it open with the plank and allowing a small slit of hopeful, pale light to seep through.

Noah eyes the crumbling plank sceptically. “Are you sure that’s not going to break?”

“Positive! Now…” Jeanne quickly moves on from the subject with confidence, contemplating the dusty, crumbling stairs that lead downwards into the unknown. Helen’s arm tightens around yours.

“Where are we?” You mumble to yourself for the second time today, another cough and slight gag wracking your body as you feel dust coat your tongue. You already hated this place. Hated all the darkness and its stupid dust. 

You flit your torchlight everywhere you can, but you're met with the same sight everywhere; crumbling concrete and linoleum. Crumbling concrete, linoleum and shadows that stick around even if you beam your harsh light on them. They flinch, but they stay unmoving. Whether that be in fear or intrigue, you’re unsure. 

“Well, this,” Jeanne turns around and points her light to the door, “is one of two maintenance doors. If my mate gave me the right floor plan…” She trails off, digging around in her pockets for her phone. She’s the type of person to keep anything and everything in her pockets, no matter how meaningless. They seemed bottomless, with how much she managed to carry in there, pulling out a charging wire, two pennies, a fifty pence, a bent iron nail, a used Vaseline–which you don’t even know why she keeps it in there considering it ran out almost a year ago–and, finally, her phone. 

She makes her way to her photos, and expands said floor plan, significantly less pixelated than the one before. “Down there are the storage rooms,” she jerks her head towards the inky stairwell. “We’ve just gotta follow the hallway that runs along them–which links the two apartment blocks–take a right at the boiler room, and there’ll be a maintenance door that leads us up into the main lobby.” 

“And what if the maintenance door is locked or blocked?” Noah questions, looking up from Jeanne’s phone.

You nod, “Yeah. You said this place was ‘famous’, right? You know how some people are. Plus, if it’s famous to us, it’ll be famous to the police; they might’ve blocked it off for good measure.”

Nonchalantly, Jeanne simply shrugs and gives you both a confident grin. “Well, let’s just get on our knees and pray it ain’t.”

After all these years, you’re used to Jeanne’s confidence and the nature of her ‘lucky guesses’, which, you had to admit, did tend to be right. On the few occasions they weren’t, though, they normally got you into deep shit which you had to claw your way–tooth and nail–to get out of.

You really hope this isn’t one of those times.

Sighing, you nod, and point your flashlight down the horrifying staircase.

“How far down do you think it goes?” You ask to nobody in particular. 

Noah appears beside you, lending your eyes his light, but the bottom of the staircase still sits in total darkness. “Maybe three, four stories?”

Having climbed sixteen or so floors every day for a year or two–your apartment not housing working elevators for a stupid amount of time–you certainly wouldn’t complain about such a short descent. However, it was what sat, hidden, at the bottom of that staircase that put you off. The flashlights you all used weren’t that shitty. They definitely should have been able to illuminate whatever the Hell was at the bottom of those stairs.

A glacial breeze seems to rise from the stairs below, stirring the thick dust yet again. You can’t help but be reminded of static; a low buzz creeping over your skin, almost as if you’re descending into a place a soft creature of flesh and bone shouldn’t go. 

“That is not too bad,” Helen notes, squinting into the darkness. 

You can’t tell if it’s a warning or a beckoning. 

Your mind steadily begins an anxious, downward spiral of what, exactly, patiently waited for you at the bottom of those stairs. What if it was flooded? What if the building had collapsed and now your only point of entry was blocked off? What if there was someone waiting for you down there? Some overzealous explorer or police officer? What if there was a corpse-

“Right,” Jeanne claps her hands together, echoing loudly in the small space, bouncing off of the walls of your skull and dragging you out of your thoughts. Your eyes stay affixed to what lies below. “Off we go then!” Without warning, she grabs your hand–still hidden partially in your sleeve–and drags you forward, Helen being dragged forward as well with a small noise of surprise.

Sometimes, you truly do wish Jeanne was more aware of her mortality and, as you feel rotting wood bend under your weight and hear chips of concrete clatter to an unseen end, you realise this is one of these times.

The staircase is barely wide enough for two people, so, with Helen unceremoniously squished to your side, one arm holding on to you and the other holding her flashlight, you find yourself braced against a peeling, mouldy wall: cold cheek brushing against flakes of old wallpaper. Each peeling sliver that caresses your face feels like boney fingers; nails grown too sharp and skin rubbed thin by the ever present hands of time.

“Hold on-” You begin, but Jeanne only seems to walk faster. You attempt to dig your feet into the bending wood, try to get her to stop before she sends all four of you tumbling down the ancient staircase at break-neck speed, but it seems to be no use. You don’t even know how she’s managing to walk–more like run–down the creaky stairs so fast without tripping.

Every step you take–every brief kilo of weight you press down upon wood and concrete–you hear the steps groan with pain. Pain that echoes, as all pain does, that has you fearing you may fall straight through. Fall straight through and fall down, down, down until left and right, up and down, no longer exist. 

What you believe to be an ugly cream coloured wallpaper–which may or may not have been white at some point in its life–flashes by you swiftly. At some point, you think you stopped registering the steps, letting your legs go to autopilot as you pray with all your might that you don’t trip and end up with a concussion.

Suddenly, the filthy wallpaper morphs into cold concrete and, unceremoniously, you trip over your own feet, dragging Helen down with you. That is, before being caught by Jeanne with a loud snort. Looking up, you see her sly grin and can almost hear the playful insult on the tip of her silver tongue.

“Yeah, yeah…” you mumble, straightening your back and brushing the ancient dust off yourself before turning over to Helen and apologising. 

“No! It is okay! Are you okay? You almost, what do you call, ate concrete there.” She laughs lightly, placing a hand on your shoulder and quietly scanning you for any injuries. You give her a thumbs up, before allowing your eyes to search the room, well, hall, you now find yourself in.

Unlike the staircase now behind you, the bottom of the stairwell is constructed solely from concrete. Thin fractures run across the walls like veins: mould seeping into the structure via the small cracks like bacteria to a cut. In some places, the walls have almost completely crumbled to dust, revealing old pipes and insulation. They’re like gaping wounds, begging to be stitched and cleaned as the skin around it rots in a sickly grey-green colour.

Ba-dump…ba-dump…ba-dump

Now further underground, six feet under and feeling damp dirt under your fingernails, a cold chill yet again finds you. 

Above you, more exposed, rusted pipes run lengthwise along the ceiling, carrying nothing but stagnant air and tetanus. They vary in shape and size, but all run forwards towards another endless hall. Some take abrupt left or right turns into the concrete, hidden by the decaying walls, while others simply stop and fall to the damp ground before you.

“Well, isn’t this place lovely?” Noah jokes, flicking his flashlight around. Helen laughs, which you think is all Noah really wants, and Jeanne squints at the caliginous hall before you.

“This is the hall that follows through all the storage rooms. We follow it until we reach the boiler room, take a right, and then follow the door up and out to the lobby.” Jeanne repeats her earlier explanation, slightly breathy with excitement.

“Easy enough.” You whisper, eyes searching the hallway in front of you for that of which you cannot see.

The cold concrete thrums with excitement underneath you.

Following Jeanne, you walk in silence, concrete and dead woodlice snapping and popping underneath your shoes. Occasionally, you pass the odd room, hidden to you by rotting doors and somewhat collapsed walls. Jeanne’s promise of the building being ‘structurally sound’ seems less true with each step you take. 

“Alright,” Helen begins, her voice in the silence startling you all. “Walking in silence like this makes this all the more creepy.” She looks between the three of you, sighing when you all still stay quiet. 

“Uhm, Jeanne,” you start, bringing everyone’s eyes to you as you attempt to fill the void. “You said you were taking a gap year to travel, yeah? How about we, uh, all plan to go on a trip somewhere? Maybe overseas?” The idea spills out of your mouth before you can stop it. 

They all nod with a smile, Jeanne replying, enthusiastically, “Fuck yeah! I’m so tired of this stupid city.”

“Have you ever been complacent with anything in your life?” Noah jokes. He wasn’t wrong. Jeanne was the type of person who could never keep still; she had a need to see, feel and taste everything the world could offer her. She constantly had her eyes ahead of her, never looking back or even seemingly thinking about what ‘could have been’.

“What can I say?” she shrugs. “I'm like a shark; gotta keep moving.”

She’d wanted to move away so many times…but stuck around for you. She called you her anchor, grounding her to reality when she needed, but you felt more like a useless weight tugging her down more than anything.

“Sharks don’t even function that way.” Noah frowns, their conversation slowly fading into white noise as you scan the different rooms.

Sometimes, as much as you loved her and cherished all the memories she gave you, you wish she would just find some way to- to hate you and drop you. At least, then, she could go where she wanted without ‘worrying’ about you. Even then, you could watch from afar, and maybe, just maybe, catch some of the light she gives off. Maybe it’d be kinder than the rays you currently receive, too; soft gold on your face instead of slowly scalding your back. 

Walking further into the complex, you notice that the doors of each room, instead of being closed and rotted shut, are open, allowing their contents to be seen.

In full admittance, it was why you had begun attaching yourself to Helen more; preparing yourself for when you eventually become too little for Jeanne. She knew how to soar the skies without burning, unlike you.

As you mentally monologue, room after identical room passes by you, filled with moulding and disintegrating boxes. The odd pipe appears, snaking their way in and out of the walls. Other than that, it is simply dust. Dust, dust, and more dust.

What an entertaining trip this is turning out to be. 

Eventually, one room manages to catch your eye. Unlike the previous hollowed spaces, the door is nowhere to be seen. The hinges still remain, rusted and deteriorating just like everything else in this place. Odd, but not entirely unusual. Stopping by the doorway, you flit your flashlight into the mouldy four walls, and find…dust. 

Shrugging, mentally smiling with the internal image of someone dragging an entire door out of this place as a souvenir, you begin to walk away before a disgusting odour hits your nose. Heavy, it creeps in through your nostrils and settles at the back of your throat. The only way you’d be able to describe it would be something akin to rotten eggs. The type that you’ve left at the back of your fridge for too long that have finally begun to decay in their own shells; a smell you wretch at.

Hearing your involuntary noise of disgust, Noah approaches you. “What’s wrong?” He glances at you, then the room, allowing his own torch light to join yours. 

“Nothing,” you frown, “just smells like shit in there.”

He lours, gives you a sidelong look, then leans forwards and sniffs the putrid air. You can feel the scent coat your tongue with each breath.

Watching for his reaction, he turns back to you with a mildly confused look, stating, “I don’t smell anything.” 

The moment the words fall out of his mouth, you do a double take, thinking you’d heard wrong. There was absolutely no way someone wouldn’t smell the literal shit storm that seemed to reside inside the room. You spout a dry chuckle, “No way,” before–albeit hesitantly–leaning back inside. The scent still hangs, thickly, in the old storeroom. 

As you lean back out, a disgusted look on your face, you watch Noah shrug from the corner of your eye. 

“You’re messing with me.” He shakes his head back and forth as he walks onwards to catch up with Jeanne and Helen, you following along.

“You seriously didn’t smell that?”

“No,” He laughs lightly, seemingly convinced you’re screwing around with him. “What’d you even smell? It’s probably just a rat rotting in the walls or something.”

The image sends a slight shiver through you. “Rotting eggs.” You grumble, before something sparks in your memory. “Aren’t gas leaks meant to smell like rotting eggs?”

“Well, yes,” he pauses, “but I didn’t smell it; at all. Plus, if it was a gas leak, we’d be able to smell it through this whole hall since that room didn’t even have a door.”

Before you can get another word in, Noah mumbles “shit,” before calling out, “Hey! Helen, Jeanne! Put your masks on!”

You’d completely forgotten about the particle masks. As you catch up to the other two, you slide it up from your neck and onto your face. You really wish you’d remembered it sooner; would’ve saved you the coughing fit. 

“Won’t do shit if there’s a gas leak though…” you mumble to yourself, fiddling with the strings to get them to sit right on your ears. 

As Helen approaches you, gentle hands finding the strings and tightening them for you, she asks, “Gas leak? Is there a gas leak?” She first looks at you, searching your E/C eyes for any notion of danger–a notion you attempt to warn her of with a half begun ‘maybe’, before Noah cuts in.

“No; Y/N just hallucinated the smell of shit, apparently.” He grins at you, like he knows the ways of some game he thinks you’re playing.

“Well, I certainly don’t want to wait five hours in A&E to get you two checked out, so let’s hope there ain’t one.” Jeanne jokes, slinging an arm around your–and Noah’s–shoulders and giving the two of you a hearty pat on the back before walking on.

You end up next to Helen again, conversing in somewhat aimless conversation as you trek through the darkness. Eventually, after passing by more rotting rooms, the straight hallway finally changes into a Y-intersection. As you walk towards it, bored and wary of the smell of rot in the back of your throat, you walk right past the door labelled ‘boiler room’. In your own defence, half the letters were missing and, like the rest of this place, the old sign was covered in a thick layer of dust. Legs on autopilot, you veer right, before Helen calls out, “Is this what we’re looking for?”

Jeanne backtracks, as do you, almost tripping over her feet and squinting at the small sign. “Sure is. Good eye, Len.” She pats her on the shoulder, making a move to turn left. Before you can say anything, Helen takes her by the shoulders, turns her right and–laughing through her mask–pushes her the correct way.

More identical, dusty rooms pass by you at a snail’s pace as Jeanne and Noah’s laughter bounce off of the walls–Helen keeping close to you. You’re amazed that, what was in basics, the basement of two apartment blocks was so utterly large. The hallways seemed endless; nothing changing except the stage of dilapidation of the concrete. It felt less like an extensive basement, and more of an elaborate maze; repeating itself over and over.

You’re about to say something, criticise Jeanne’s terrible navigation skills that have gotten you lost for, what, the seventh time? Before a door, jaw unhinged and open, finds itself directly in front of you. Hanging, it sits–eerily still–on old hinges. A small set of stairs lay underneath it, part old wood and part plastic boxes. It’s much too short in comparison to the other decrepit staircase you descended fifteen, maybe twenty minutes ago. Even if you walked down them at light speed, you still knew you went down at least two stories; Noah had said it himself. 

You look between the three of them, finding Jeanne with a smirk, Noah with his usual worried frown and Helen doing the same as you. Your eyes meet for a split second, and you both seem to come to an unspoken agreement to stick by each other if anything goes awry. 

“Well, seems our prayin’ worked.” Jeanne mutters, taking a step, a quiet shifting of dust and battered soles against concrete, before Noah shoots out a wary hand, stopping her.

While open doors in buildings lost to time aren’t necessarily a bad sign, open doors to the only usable passageway to a ‘famous’ building certainly is. While most explorers were socially acceptably kind, others weren’t; nobody really wants to share a building, after all. Let alone, you wouldn’t doubt the local police had at least enough common sense to set a tripwire or two. 

The subtle click of each of you turning your flashlights off echoes in the endless hall of void and dust.

Helen drags you forward as you put your spare hand out, not wanting to smash your head into a wall. In doing so, you find the rough fabric of Jeanne’s jacket. She jumps slightly and grabs at your hand, cold fingers feeling your crooked digits and calming. You all stare into the unknown darkness before you. Moonwalkers and star gazers, temporary prey animals, you prick your ears and listen for any noise: footsteps, speech, anything.

After a few seconds of quiet, you hear the subtle intake of breath and the beginnings of a ‘hello’ spill out from Jeanne’s mouth. Before you can do it yourself, Helen’s hand automatically clamps over her mask, probably giving her a look in the darkness to ‘stay quiet, dipshit.’ Maybe without the ‘dipshit’ part. Even so, you’re sure Jeanne can feel it, pitch black aside.

You all sit, crouched, in the artificial night for a few more deafening minutes, the only sound the inhales and exhales of your friends through their masks. In the quiet dark, where your brain, deprived of its senses, has nothing to focus on but noise, they are as loud as fire burning, centimetre by centimetre, through dry wood.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.

You think the walls are moving with each thump. Maybe it’s a trick of your tired eyes. Maybe. 

Ba-dump, drip, ba-dump, drip, ba-dump, drip.

Water falls to the ground from somewhere unseen.

After a few more seconds of silence, someone grows restless, and clicks back on their flashlight, promptly blinding you all. 

“Shit, sorry.” Jeanne apologises, flicking her flashlight into the abandoned lobby. For a few moments, she searches around–watches the dark corners and squints at things you can’t see–before she deems it safe. “Looks like we’re all good.” She turns to you all, sending another flash of bright light into your sensitive retinas that earns another loud groan from you three. She quickly points the flashlight away and smiles apologetically.

As you all flick your flashlights back on, yours jammed in its notch, Helen turns to Jeanne. “I am sorry.” She says, eyeing Jeanne sheepishly. “I was- I was just worried about someone being there.”

Jeanne smiles, again, saying, “No sweat, Len.”

Knowing Helen, it was more of an impulse rather than an act of preservation. You think the two are still similar, though.

Following Jeanne, as you always do, you step into the old entryway. 

The lobby, like the stairway and hallway behind you, is covered in striped, dull, light blue and cream wallpaper. In some spots, the paper is slashed open, sagging downwards and brushing the floor. Even so, it’s not the ugliest pairing of colours, but, you had to admit; you were getting a bit tired of the colour cream. 

Stepping up and in, careful to avoid any possible tripwire, you watch as gentle light streams through the cracks of boarded-up windows to the left of you; the front of the building. Smashed in and littering the floor, and its stupid, dirty cream carpet–who even puts a cream carpet in a front entryway?–in tiny mirrors. Creeping, climbing, crawling weeds weave their way through the wood, damp with a forgotten rain, and into the lobby, hoping to find light, and instead finding perpetual night and dust. 

Walking closer to the closed off front entrance, you spot that some of the weeds even end in pretty white flowers, white as a bride's veil, that reach skywards. You step closer, wondering what flowers they were to be blooming at night and feeding off of the pus that oozes from each crack in the concrete, only to be met with a sour smell; something halfway between sickly sweet and foul. 

What’s up with this place and shit smells, you think to yourself, pointing your flashlight to the wooden boards hiding the lobby away, dust floating through the beam of light. 

Helen coughs. “At least there is a little less dust.”

“Yeah,” Noah points his flashlight upwards. “I don’t particularly want to think how much of that is asbestos, though.”

“Well hey,” Jeanne laughs from somewhere behind you, “If it is, we’ll all be just as short of breath as you are, Noah.” She jabs.

“More like you’d get lung cancer,” he pauses for a moment, “though, I guess you’re already half-way there, Jeanne.”

You don’t catch her face, but you imagine it has some form of scowl on it. Either way, unbothered with whatever insults they decide to hurl at each other, both quick to taunts even if they were laughing with each other but moments ago, you let their back-and-forth fade to background noise, as you did before, as you observe the walls. 

Graffiti spans almost all of them, most unreadable, having been partially hidden under layers of even more spray paint and the odd square of solid white; probably an attempt to cover up the vulgar words. As your light traces each colourful line, you note the usual images, well, words, depicted. What you think to be signatures, looped around themselves like yarn, reappear on each wall, marking their territory. You have no doubt that you’ll see them later on in the building. Hidden beneath more paint are a few slurs, phone numbers and unreadable words. However, one catches your eye, painted in fading orange spray paint and slowly being covered by other random words. 

Footsteps approach from behind you and, without turning, you catch Jeanne’s shabby haircut from the corner of your eye, as well as the ever so subtle smell of smoke.

“Hm,” she hums, tracing over the wall with her eyes. “Looks like a really shitty modern art piece.” 

You laugh, “Yeah, certainly isn’t the prettiest graffiti I’ve ever seen.”

Before long, her eyes catch onto what you’d been staring at. Nudging your side, she asks “What’s it say?”

You squint, trying to decipher the neon words. “‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’,” you huff out another laugh. “Not ominous at all.”

“Pretty sure that’s a Bible verse,” Jeanne jokes, “Who even uses ‘ye’ anymore?” she scoffs, shaking her head. 

“This guy, apparently.” You mumble sarcastically.

“Mm, maybe cultists like to fuck around this place.” She replies, flashlight lighting up other pieces of graffiti.

“Mhm.” you hum, half-listening as she points out any other graffiti that catches her eye. Keeping a careful watch for Helen and Noah, you turn from her and observe the rest of the lobby. It spans out in a ‘T’ shape, opening up in the back to two elevators in the centre and a staircase to the left, leading up to the apartments above. You’d come out of the maintenance door on the right side, so you knew there wasn’t another staircase there either. It’s an odd shape, one that doesn’t really fit the exterior of the building. Well, neither did the basement either. You guess buildings from the fifties–or maybe sixties?–just had really weird layouts. 

To your left sits the receptionist’s desk, one of the few pieces of remaining furniture that isn’t overturned or slashed to threads. You can almost imagine the small space in its prime: small potted plants decorating the desk along with knick knacks and maybe a rotary phone, the afternoon sun beaming through the large windows and onto the face of the receptionist and the shiny call bell.

Smiling to yourself, you reach out and press on the top of the bell, sending a cheerful ding throughout the dusty lobby. The noise garners Jeanne’s attention, her laugh filling your ears. She dings it repeatedly, the lighthearted noise quickly becoming irritating as she leans over the counter, looking left and right saying, “Hellooooo? Anyone thereeee?”

As expected, she earns no response; no ghostly figure of a time passed appears behind the desk to fulfil her request, much to your delight. 

“Bad service, huh?” She turns to you, smirking, canines peaking over her bottom lip.

“You say that like it’s a hotel.” You giggle, watching her find her way behind the desk. With her hands on her hips, your flashlight now pointing to the back of her head, she searches through the old desk. Just like your own apartment, old keys hang–like dead men on a noose–against a wooden board, rotten and faded plaques, once marking their flat number, above them. 

Jeanne mumbles almost indistinguishably to herself as she picks the rusted keys, gently, off of the board; all you’re really able to pick up is the odd, seemingly random number. Looking closer, at least, the little you can see behind Jeanne’s fat head, you manage to spot a series of numbers at the top of the board, starting at one and ending at thirty. Seeing the number, you can feel your legs muscles ache at the mere thought of how many floors you’re going to have to climb.

Suddenly, Jeanne turns around with a “Think fast!” and tosses a few keys at you. You fumble to catch them, almost dropping your flashlight, as you open your mouth to question why on Earth you’d need keys when half the doors seemed to be rotting on their own hinges. But, as per usual, she beats you to it. 

“I know this place is old as Hell, and a fuck ton of people have been here before us, so, most of the doors will probably be wide open. However,” she slinks back around the desk, “I wanna take my chances with a coupla’ random keys and see if we can get into some locked ones.”  

“Fair,” putting your flashlight under your arm, you sift through the different keys, attempting to find numbers and letters hidden under the years of grime. As Jeanne leans into you, offering her light and comparing which keys you have, you catch the scent of smoke again. With an inhale, you begin, “Hey, Jeanne?”

“Yeah?” she replies, bringing a particularly rusty key closer to her eye.

“I thought you said you were gonna stop.” It’s more of a statement, rather than a question, posed casually and calmly if not to keep that intricate mask of hers from coming up.

From behind the key, she peers at you, searching your face for something. Maybe disappointment. She always hated when you were disappointed instead of angry. Hated the furrow in your brows and the slump of your shoulders more than anything, you think. All you do, sometimes, is think and guess with her, and you feel that you’ll spend the rest of your life doing it.

You think she smiles, one that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I was just out with a coupla’ other friends, some of the other girls from baseball, the other day; didn’t change my clothes.” She huffs a small laugh. “I…I haven’t-” she swallows, looking into your eyes with what you could almost describe as fear as she fumbles slightly with her words. “I haven’t…been smoking.” She pauses.

She hesitates. 

“Promise,” she adds on, smiling wider; a pathetic attempt to convince you.

“Good,” you smile back at her, as genuine as you can manage. 

You really do wish, sometimes, you could crawl into her mind and understand. Understand what made her think she needed to lie to you, and that you wouldn’t be able to pick it up. 

Who knew the age of fifteen and a whole Summer could change a person so much?

Before you can dwell on what, or, rather, who, you lost warm winds and August afternoons, a loud clang reverberates from behind you, causing you to jolt. Spinning around, you see Helen, boredly, standing in front of the pair of rickety elevators, and Noah climbing–suspiciously Gollum-like–out of the maintenance door. 

“What on Earth are you doing?” Jeanne laughs out, probably happy for the change in topic, as you stuff keys into your pocket and get a proper hold on your flashlight.

Noah smiles, eyes crinkling, and shows off an incredibly rusty crowbar being held by his sleeve covered hands. “Going to try to pry open one of the elevators.”

“His idea, not mine.” Helen laughs, a mildly worried look on her face as you approach. 

Easily, he hooks one side of the crowbar in the small gap between the two elevator doors, rust flaking off as he does so.

“I think you’ve got more of a chance of snapping that thing in half than opening the doors.” Jeanne jokes, watching with entertainment.

“Where did he even get that?” You turn to Helen, who offers you a shrug. As the piece of metal bends more, she subtly steps in front of you. You don’t know if she even notices the movement; it sends a warm feeling to your chest, even if it’s only something small. She’s always been that way, at least, for as long as you’ve known her; ready to lose a limb if only to see someone smile when they’re hurting. 

You think someday she’ll get hurt from that mindset, but, for now, you bask in the feeling of being loved. 

“Need some help there?” Jeanne joins him, pulling up her sleeves, even though he shakes his head no.

With much pulling and tugging, some very overly dramatic noises coming out of the both of them that get a good laugh out of both you and Helen, even if you are slowly inching away to avoid getting half a crowbar to the head, they pry the door open a crack.

Leaning back in, you watch as they hook the crowbar onto the door again and, like in some great tug of war, the door opens, bit by bit, with a gritty screech. Suddenly, it slides completely to one side, Noah and Jeanne falling onto each other, not prepared for the sudden lack of pull, with a laugh. 

Helping the two of them up, you peer into the mechanical cavern of rusted iron and dismembered pulleys. The cold air, probably the same air that was in there in the fifties, sends a shiver up your spine. 

“Where’s the elevator?” Jeanne mumbles, brows furrowed, before Noah turns to her comically slowly and points his flashlight downwards, revealing the caved in lid of the elevator, disintegrating at the bottom of the shaft. “Oh.”

“Remind me to never get stuck in an elevator with you.” He grumbles, leaning forward slightly, trying to get a better look at some wire or pipe. From the corner of your eye, you see Helen take a careful bundle of his coat in her spare hand.

“What is that, a threat?” 

“Maybe.” He looks up, the almost familiar frown appearing on his face. Confused, you lean forwards yourself, keeping a tight grip on the sides of the still-stuck door.

“I’d like to remind you who’s currently leaning over the elevator shaft here.”

It’s exactly how they look in every spy movie ever, albeit much more eroded, unclean and unsafe looking. Metal beams run vertically along the concrete walls–either covered in soot or black mould–along with old wires and broken pulleys. Upwards, there are openings leading to the upper floors, some still hidden by closed doors and others letting subtle light stream into the concrete trachea. 

“How many floors did you say this place had?” Noah says, suddenly, his flashlight angled upwards. 

“Thirty.” For once, you beat Jeanne to it. “Why?”

“It looks a lot more than thirty.” Helen whispers.

Looking upward, you mumble to yourself, doing your best to count the floors. At some point, somewhere between sixteen and twenty-two, the angle becomes too steep and you’re unable to see any more floors. You have half the mind to lean further forwards–feel the cool air of an archaic exhale–but you don’t trust your grip, nor the crumbling walls.

“You think we can get it to work again?” Jeanne grips your shoulder, anchoring her to you as she gazes at the elevator, as if her eyes can pierce straight through the morose tunnel. 

“Oh, definitely.” You grumble sarcastically. The roof of it had caved in and was clearly detached from any pulleys that could haul it, well, anywhere. Plus, you could only imagine what the fuse box for this place would look like. Probably something similar to the behind of your TV. 

Suddenly, she sends a knock to your back, a harsh one that has you automatically loosen your grip–hands preparing to catch you–and for a split second you see your broken body bleeding out at the bottom of an elevator shaft, before her hold on your shoulder keeps you steady. Another hand also dashes out, one holding the back of your shirt, which you find to be Helen.

While you glare at Jeanne over your shoulder, heart thumping with a spike of adrenaline, she offers you a pat on your shoulder and a muffled, “Told you I’d get you back, Oiseau.”

Noah scoffs, completely unaware that–if not for your friend’s quick reflexes–you could’ve just been added to this town’s death toll, saying “It’s been abandoned since the seventies; I’m pretty sure all that remains of the fuse box is dust and disintegrating rubber.”

For a while, the four of you simply stare into the abandoned elevator shaft in silence, none of you really knowing what to say.

That is, before Jeanne leans back, dragging you and Helen backwards with her with a “Okay.” Once the focus is on her, loud voice like that of a preacher’s, she begins again. “So, game-plan: I vote we split up-”

Immediately, her words are met with a groan from you and Noah–Helen too kind to vocalise the sour feeling she displays on her face. 

“Hold on, I thought you said we were doing this as a group?” You eye her, wary of the frigid air that rises and sinks from the elevator shaft. Helen nods from beside you, wary of being split up since Jeanne’s main argument to get her to come was to have you do it as a group.

“We are, we are,” she assures. “Just- thought it'd be easier if we did each side of the building in twos, y’know? Like, two do block A, two do block B, and then we switch.”

“Thought you also said we have six hours, if not more,” Noah interjects. “One side of a building would take, what, forty minutes? Maybe an hour? We have plenty of time.”

Jeanne shows one of her confident smiles from underneath her mask, though, having traced each smile line and crinkled eye for these past years, you swear you see a hint of nervousness in it. The type of nervousness where she’s offhandedly lied about something minor, and it’s coming back to bite her in the ass. 

You have the feeling you might just have a little less than six hours. 

“Sure we do, I just…” she shrugs, searching for the right words to try to convince you all to agree to a nonsensical decision. “Thought it would be more fun.” She trails off slightly at the end, before hiding her unsure demeanour–a thing you only get glances of nowadays–underneath smooth words and a confident posture. 

You lick your lips, going over the logistics of the idea as Noah begins to argue with her, Helen sighing and simply watching the half-serious altercation, probably tired of intervening. You were sure this was a stupid, miniscule detail that she’d end up getting hung up on for no particular reason. She’s always been the type of person to, when making a decision, stick to it no matter what. 

“It would be so much easier to just do it as the four of us-”

“-It could also help us out if the pigs decided to show up! We could alert each other instead of all getting done in-”

“-I thought you said the police were lazy and we had nothing to worry about-”

While you wanted to do things as a group, as you always have, you’d rather avoid trying to argue with Jeanne when you knew most of her points would be simply made for the sake of it. You’d also like to avoid any sort of mildly serious debates between Jeanne and Noah: it was like watching a human and a robot try to argue that they are nothing alike, something that would go on forever with neither being able to come to a satisfactory point. 

“-Can you not agree with me for once?” she throws up her hands, body language exasperated but eyes filled with entertainment. 

“Why do you always get stuck up on the smallest points?-”

Interrupting the growing noise of Jeanne and Noah, you begin. “-Okay! Okay. Split into twos, yeah?” you say, mentally throwing up your hands as Helen sighs next to you. 

You couldn’t hold an argument with her, anyway. While she had grown to take the world by her teeth and chew until she could swallow, you had learnt that you’d rather accept what you were given and grin as you choked it down. 

They both turn to you, Noah’s brows furrowed and Jeanne seemingly sporting a somewhat sadistic grin on her face, which grows when she sees you agreeing. 

“Yeah,” she breathes out. “Split into twos, each do one block, then we meet up at a spot and switch. Then we can do whatever afterwards.”

You glance towards Helen, searching her eyes and her habitual furrowing of brows and pouting of lips as she mulls over the decision. She glances towards you, then Noah, then Jeanne. Eventually, she sighs, shrugs, and lets her face fall back into her peaceful expression. “Yes, why not?”

Noah huffs as Jeanne laughs, happy to have won the trivial argument. “Majority vote wins, I’m afraid.”

You think you’ve spoiled her over the years, playing the thin threads of her little games to help her get where she wishes. 

“Since when was this a democracy…” Noah shoves it off, scratching his wrist. 

You’d say you were simply being a loyal friend, but you think Jeanne would say differently.

“Since forever.” She pats his shoulder, maybe easing her smile into something kinder, and probably mumbles something about buying him food later to make up for it.

Say what, you didn’t know, and like everything else infinitesimal about her, you didn’t think you’d ever know, nor understand.

As are the intricacies of the human condition, you suppose. 

“So!” she claps her hands together, and you can almost imagine the rosary entangled in her calloused palms. “I’ll go with-”

“-I will go with Y/N?” Helen interrupts, soft hand intertwining with your own, unlike her. After all, her interrupting was rare. Rare, but very conscious. 

“I’m good with that.” You smile at her. You already knew what Jeanne was planning to ask, but you’ve spent your lifetime attached to her hip, so you’re sure she can take a few hours without you. 

If you were smarter, maybe you’d realise that once you fill a dog’s bowl high, it is all it ever expects. Give less, and even if you are a hand that feeds, it’ll bite.

Though, that’s more Noah’s forte than yours. 

Jeanne’s shoulder’s slump, and she opens her mouth as if she’ll say something to rebuke before she catches your eyes. You don’t know what she sees in your E/C iris, but it makes her close her mouth and nod. 

“Seems like you're stuck with me, Bonesy.” She slings an arm over Noah’s shoulder, and he rolls his eyes. 

“Lucky me.” He chuckles at the end of his sentence. 

The four of you check over your battered walkie-talkies, double checking they’re still set to the same frequency and, of course, that they still have power. Each of them hum to life with crackling static as you each send a quick word to each other, even though you all stand in a tight-knit circle. Well, technically more of a square, but who cares for the specifics? 

“How do we get to the other building, again?” Noah questions, fiddling with the back of his walkie-talkie after inserting new batteries. 

“Simple; take a left instead of a right.” Jeanne replies, shrugging. Noah huffs under his mask at the prospect of being in those dingy maintenance tunnels again, and you don’t blame him.

Afterwards, with a nod, you agree on a meeting spot: the overgrown courtyard in front of the buildings, as well as devise a ‘danger’ word, which is insisted to be ‘pineapple’, for whatever reason.

As each pair walks away, you and Helen walking backwards to the staircase, and Noah and Jeanne walking back to the dusty tunnels, you wave to each other.

“Promise not to get eaten by rats?” Jeanne calls out, waving her flashlight back and forth. 

You exhale a cold puff of air. “Only if you promise not to get crushed by the walls.” You half-joke back, mildly worried about exactly how much more, or less, intact block B was. 

“Promise!” Jeanne says.

Noah flashes you a thumbs up, followed by a “Don’t get lost!”

Helen smiles, replying, “Of course not!”

As you approach the staircase, Helen joking about aforementioned rats, you’re sure, in the hour or so that those two have together, they can find it in themselves to not tear each other to shreds over the tiniest thing. 

Hopefully. 

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

I hate dialogue, but the show must go on.

Now the real fun begins! I'm super excited to write out the scenes I've got planed; I've had them stored away for almost half a year lol.

I also wanted to say thank you for so much love, both on here and Ao3 and Tumblr! All of the lovely comments really boost my confidence; I'm so happy so many people enjoy this. Almost 140 hearts is insane.