#not dressing him in blue ever though. youre emo as fuck youre staying emo boy (man twice my age)

[storywestistrash]

this is the only context i will ever draw him in because 1. i can 2. i want to 3. its funny 4. the brainrot is real and im losing grey matter by the second

[bakugohoex]

“you’re such a pretty setter”

pairings: atsumu miya x female reader, eita semi x gender neutral reader, keiji akaashi x female reader, keishin ukai x female reader, kenma kozume x female reader, koshi sugawara x female reader, tobio kageyama x female reader, toru oikawa x female reader cw: swearing, kissing, fluff word count: 4500+ a/n: this took so long, bruh i have to isolate as well which sucks but more time for school work at least, keep sending in requests summary: in which you wait for the setters after practice

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atsumu miya

Atsumu knew he had fangirls; knew he had a lengthy line of girls who would do anything to fuck him. Through them all the only person he would ever see was you. You and your bright eyes, your soft y/e/c eyes looking past the fans as you saw him.

You had walked towards the gym after studying for you and Atsumu to walk home. You loved walking home with him, the way his fingers wrapped around your own, the way he brought your knuckles to his mouth. He adored you and you adored him.

The fangirls screeching with baked goods that Atsumu wouldn’t take, you tried to barge through them, getting elbowed, why was it so hard to see your boyfriend?

Osamu had been at the door as he noticed you, “Y/n.” You smile at him as he takes your sleeve dragging you through.

“Where did all the fangirls come from?” You mutter as you follow him inside.

“It’s summer and you know what happens then.”

“What sweat and shirtless men.” He laughs at your comment as you try to find Atsumu.

“Agh Osamu, we need to do some sets before we can leave.” Kita speaks before noticing you. “Is this your girlfriend, nice to meet you.”

He gives a smile as you look at the twin, both looking at disgust at the thought of being in a relationship together. Sure, he may look like your boyfriend, but his qualities were more brother like whilst his brothers were more boyfriend type.

“Ugh...” You were interrupted as you felt arms wrap around your waist.

“What’s my princess doing surrounded by all these boys?” Atsumu’s lips brushed against your ear as you shivered at his touch.

“Osamu helped me past the fangirls.” You said as you turned to meet his eyes, his hands moving to your waist to being you closer.

“They weren’t any trouble.” You shook your head as he leans down to meet your lips.

His soft lips on your own feeling as you both move together. “Oi you two we still have some sets to do.” Atsumu huffs at his brother as he leaves you.

“Wait on the benches princess.” You nod as you walk away.

Kita looks between the twins before shaking his head, “someone’s actually dating you.”

He walks away as Atsumu scowls, he watches you sit down making sure nobody disturbed you.

He starts the set effortlessly before he hears you speak, “You’re such a pretty setter.” You had stood up cheering him as he did one of his great sets to Osamu who spiked it. He blushes at you he knew how much he loved your eyes on all of him, his body, his form even his hands. He wanted you to know that he was all yours.

eita semi

“Semi.” You hum his name out to the empty gym, he was with Ushijima and Tendo as they were practicing spikes and blocks.

You smiled at three boys as you walked onto the court, “do you boys never get sleep?” You laugh as you walk up to Semi.

“I get the daily amount needed to survive.” Ushijima spoke stoically he had the ball in his hands rotating. You raised your eyebrow at the boy as Tendo started to sing about sleep, his fingers doing little dances.

“Come on guys it’s like 9, don’t you have beds to get too.” You mutter as you lean against Semi, his arm wrapping around your waist.

“One more minute.” Semi pleads his eyes softly looking at you, “and I’ll even teach you how to set a ball.”

Ushijima gives a confused look as you look at the boy, “Fine by me.” Is all he mutters.

You drop your bag only wearing your skirt and thigh highs with your button up. Semis hands wrap around you showing you the technique of setting, how far your hands should be raised, the whole lot.

Before you knew it Ushijima passed the ball to you ready to spike, you push the ball from your hands upwards making it go towards Ushijima as he spikes it down, Tendo just missing it.

“That was amazing, you might even end up taking your boyfriends spot.” Tendo joked out as your waiting for praise from your boyfriend.

“You did amazing baby.” Semi smiles kissing the top of your head. “Give us another five minutes and then we’ll leave.”

You nod as you move to the benches watching them practice, you admired all of Semi’s features, the way his hands moved to set the ball, the way he scrunched his noise. You loved it all you loved everything about him.

“You’re such a pretty setter.” You say aloud, the boys looking at you, Semi goes red as you gawk at him. He finally walks up to you kissing you softly, his hands wrapping around your waist to bring you forward. He would never admit it but you calling him pretty made him feel some type of way.

keiji akaashi

Fukurodani’s practice game with Nekoma was closing to an end, you had stayed late in the library to revise for an upcoming exam and had sadly missed the game. Knowing Akaashi would be upset, you left a little early to catch the last part of the game. Hopefully.

You walked through the gym doors, the points at a mere 2-point lead by Fukurodani, Nekoma had been putting up a fight, you examine the game, going towards the two managers who you were friends with. 

“How longs this been going on then?” You ask Yukie as she gives a look of dread.

“Too long Y/N.”

“Has Bokuto gone into emo mode?” You question as Kaori speaks this time.

“Gladly no.” You loved the frosted tip owl like a brother and a happy Bokuto meant a happy Akaashi, you watched as the game was drawing to a close, the ball being sent to Akaashi as he effortlessly set it to Bokuto who spiked it down winning the set.

You admired all of Akaashi’s features, the way his blue eyes analysed the area, brightening up once he saw you. He rand his hands through his already messy black hair, Bokuto screaming at Akaashi, “Akaashi you saw that.” He bounced about as Akaashi quickly praised him before walking up to you.

“You’re such a pretty setter.” You hum at the tall boy; he gazes down at you smiling at the comment.

“You’re my pretty girl.” He kisses your temple before quickly going back to thank Nekoma.

“I’ll wait outside for you.” He had passed you gesturing five minutes as you walked outside. The chilly air hitting your exposed thighs as your socks only went below your knees. The uniform not helping as you hadn’t worn your blazer due to the immense heat in the morning.

“What do we have here? A cold owl.” You could recognise that voice from anywhere.

You turn around to be met with the one and only Nekoma’s captain. “One day Kuroo I’d wish you weren’t an ass.”

“Ooo my bad, princess.”

You glare at the tall boy, he was mocking you, knowing already of yours and Akaashi’s relationship. “Don’t call me that you dickhead.”

“Are you pissing off my girlfriend?” Akaashi walked towards you unamused at the situation.

He handed you a hoodie as you quickly wore it, not wanting to freeze your tits off.

“Me never.” Kuroo laughs as you roll your eyes.

“Come on Y/n, pain in the ass Kuroo san must be getting tired from all the loosing he did today.” You smirk at the uncharacteristic comment of Akaashi but nevertheless take his hand.

“You’re so cute.” You sing out as he grabs you closer to his body, putting a hand to your jaw as he kisses you softly, his calm demeanour making you melt underneath his touch.

“You’re cuter Y/n.” You blush as you remain in each other’s arms.

“AWWW MY FAVOURITE COUPLE.” Bokuto screams as he runs next to you.

“Bokuto san.” Both you and Akaashi scold in unison at his shouting. He gives a signature smirk as he beings to praise both his and Akaashi’s skills. You listen intently as you stare up at Akaashi his warm eyes filling you with love and comfort. 

keishin ukai

Keishin and you had dinner plans and knowing him you knew he would not be ready or ever arrive early to get ready. Being the best girlfriend ever you went to go collect him, you had already closed the shop up for the night, occasionally helping out when you had free time mostly to spend time with Keishin though.

You had always wanted to meet the kids he coached but he had always been a wary because he knew the kids and knew exactly how they acted in front of pretty women. Especially Nishinoya and Tanaka.

You walked up the steps leading to the volleyball gym, well that’s what you assumed it was. Knocking on the door as you saw the team taking a break, a man comes up to you with black hair and glasses as you smile at him.

“Hi, how can I help you?” He speaks cheerily before you recognise him as the man who had tormented Keishin for a couple of months back at the shop.

“Who’s she?” You hear one of them mutter, you were dressed up to be a teacher and you couldn’t have come for any of them. Even with the blue dress that clinged to you, you looked gorgeous and the whole boys team knew it.

“Oh, hi, I’m Y/n I looking for Keishin.” He gives a confused look inviting you in from the freezing air. 

“You know our coach.” A loud orange hair boy jumps up in front of you as you look between both males and the rest of the team. This had shocked the team how did their coach know you.

You nod speaking, “Yeah he’s my boyfriend.” Deadpanned as the team goes silent, Takeda goes red at the fact that Keishin had mentioned you but never introduced you to them all.

Two boys instantly jolted in front of you as you jumped back, one with a buzz cut and another with a brown strip of her between his black hair. “Tanaka, Noya don’t frighten the woman.” A guy with grey hair spoke calmly to the boys. 

“I have hope, if coach was able to get her than there is hope for us all.” Noya screams at the team as you fiddle with your clutch that kept your phone. You regretted not calling before you had arrived. 

“Hope for what?” Keishin had come through the doors carrying his car keys. “Y/n what are you doing here?” He looked even more confused before seeing the dress and how amazing you looked 

“You forget didn’t you.” You walk towards him as you mutter at looking up at him.  

“Dinner, fuck, let me wrap practice up, I need to…” You bring your finger to his lips. 

“I know you need to get changed we have an hour before the reservation.” You spoke confidently, the team gawking at how you shut their couch up so easily. 

“Guess you better meet the team before we leave.” You laugh as he grabs your hand making you stand in front of the boys. “Introduce yourselves make it quick.” 

One by one they all introduce themselves even stating their position as you remembered what Keishin had taught you about volleyball. “Wow you’re both setters, I love setters.” You smile at both Kageyama and Sugawara as you turn back at Keishin.

“You’re such a pretty setter.” You coo to your boyfriend teasingly. 

The team laughs at Keishins bright red face, “Yeah, yeah.” He mutters grabbing your waist feeling your skin through the thin dress material. “I’m gonna wrap practice up early, you are all free to stay longer, but I’ll make practice a lot longer tomorrow.” The boys groan at the lack of energy knowing that they did love Volleyball enough to spend all hours of the day doing it.

“Before you leave, how did you get her?” Nishinoya said with no filter. 

“The imbecil actually asked that.” The tall blonde Tsukishima snickered as you laughed. 

You turned to face the dyed blonde man, “He begged.” He goes wide eyed as he pokes your side. 

“You really be telling people that’s how I got you.” He pulls at his hair taking the headband out of his hair as you smirk.

“He begged on his knees.” You rephrase as the boys laugh at how embarrassed their coach was getting. 

“Okay this practice is done now.” He grabs your hand as he pulls you outside, “Princess I distinctly remember you were the only one of your knees.” 

You slap him playfully as you look at him, “you perve.” You give a quick kiss as you retract he grabs your throat making you stay close to his mouth as he continues the kiss. His rough hands on your body. 

He retracts the mere inches between both your mouths still visible, “as soon as I saw you in that dress, how could I ever resist you?” You chuckle your head going back as his hand was still wrapped around your neck, his thumb brushing against your lips. “A quickie in my car.” 

“You pervert.” You could almost feel his smirk as he laughed at your reaction. He adored everything about you as you go back for another kiss. He loved you and you couldn’t lie and say you didn’t love him back.

kenma kozume

You had been showing the new kid around making sure he knew where his classes were, you were going to show him the volleyball club so you could end the day meeting Kenma. He seemed nice enough but had already asked for number which you rejected as soon as you realised what he wanted.

“Finally, this is the gym, the Volleyball boys team are practicing, and I have to meet my boyfriend but if you have any questions. 

“Isn’t volleyball for girls.” You gave a sign as you looked at him. 

“Some of my friends are the best volleyball players in Tokyo, so no its not just a girls sport.” He gave a look as he peeked through the doors. 

“There’s a girl right there though.” You grew confused as Nekoma had no manager and people wouldn’t stay long enough. He had been pointing to Kenma, you scowled at his ideocracy. 

“He’s not a girl, he is the setter and he’s fucking amazing at it.” You shout urning the glances from the team as they heard you shouting. “If you started thinking with your upstairs brain maybe you’d realise that people don’t have to conventionally look like boys to be boys, they are whatever they want to identify as.” 

He was scared and you had started to get pissed, the team walked up to you as Kuroo looked at you, “he giving you a problem Y/n.” 

“I handled it Kuroo.” 

“This the boyfriend.” The new kid asked as your blood boiled. 

Kuroo was confused, he grabbed Kenma by the hood as he made him stand in front of you. “Kitten is everything okay?” All the anger that filled you had disappeared as soon as you saw him, your love, your everything. 

“This is your boyfriend.” Your face grew angry again.

“Cover me.” Is all you said to Kuroo and the rest of the team, Kenma knew what was about to happen as he stopped the game he was playing to watch. “You want to say that again.” 

Before you let him speak, your fist went to his face, pushing him back even if you didn’t condone violence, it was sometimes necessary. Kenma smiled as he saw his girl fighting for him. “That’s enough kitten.” He spoke softly as you stopped beating the crap out of the boy. 

You don’t say anything as you leave, he wasn’t injured just a few scratches, Kenma grabbed your hand holding it, even if you were shorter than him you would always fight for him. He brought your bruised knuckles to his mouth. Kissing it better as if all the love and care he had was going to heal your wounds. You giggle at his touch as you watch the rest of the game feeling his eyes fixated on the ball. 

Before you knew it the practice had finished and you and Kenma held hands walking to the train, the new kid disappearing. He smiled listening inattentively at your day. “You know.” You pause speaking as you notice him watching, “you’re such a pretty setter.”

He hides his face with his hair not wanting to feel embarrassed you knew he loved it as he squeezed your hand softly, you smiled leaning your head against his shoulder, feeling everything, you needed in him.  

koshi sugawara

You hadn’t intended to come watch the practice, but Suga had insisted you come so he could walk home with you. You adored him and even though you knew the basics of Volleyball it was still a confusing game.

You ended up coming right on time with Kageyama swapped out with Suga. He noticed you as he gave a bright smile, you smiled back going to Kiyoko and Yachi as they greeted you with cheery HI’s. 

The game started again, Suga serving as he started getting passed the ball, you understood the terminology and what was going on, it was when they would do their insane moves that were unexplainable. He set the ball effortlessly as Asahi spiked it right past the blockers. 

You cheered always being Suga’s biggest fan, as they continued on with the game you watched smiling at the love you had for him. The devotion you had to this boy who brought happiness to your life. You knew he would bring about comfort in a room and right now all you could feel was admiration at his perfect sets, his perfect passes, his perfect serves. He was perfect to you and he deserved the world. 

They had started doing something you didn’t know much about, Noya coming from the frontline as he jumped up setting as well. Suga had told you about this attack, a synchronised attack that would only work if everybody was perfect. You didn’t really read up on it as much as you did other attacks but seeing it in action as Suga spiked the ball passing the blockers you realised just how much satisfaction it brought your boyfriend. 

“Suga that was amazing.” You shout as he smiles, the practice game having been won as he scored the last point. 

He walked up to you, opening your arms for a big hug. You loved his hugs he always smelt of fresh towels and vanilla a combination expected from the grey-haired boy. “You’re such a pretty setter.” 

He smirks as he remains around you, his arms encasing you as he was so in love with you. You were his everything and he wanted to show you the world. 

“Can you two stop making us want to puke?” Daichi laughs out as you stick your tongue out at him. 

You turn back to Suga his eyes remaining glued to you, “just because nobody loves you Daichi.” Suga spoke still fixated on you, “I love you.” He whispers as you reply back the same love and adoration for him. He kisses you quickly before coach shouted at him. 

Even with the smallest quickest kiss it still brought happiness to you as you felt your heart beat through your uniform, your body missing his touch, even your thighs encased in tights had hairs risen just at the pining of love you had for this boy. He was going to ruin you and you were going to gladly let him.

tobio kageyama

Kageyama had been none stop practicing for the past week, even with nationals months away he was still concentrated on improving. You loved that about him, loved his dedication but his lack of knowing when to take breaks is what worried you the most.

You walked through the double doors, it was another late night of studying for you and playing volleyball for Kageyama, your lack of communication annoying you. You saw as he set the ball perfectly, Hinata spiking it to where the water bottles were. You smiled as you continued to watch not drawing any attention to yourself, he kept setting perfectly for the orange haired boy. 

As soon as the last ball had been set, he looked at the door seeing your cold frame watching intently. You smiled giving a small wave as he gestured for you. 

“Hey Y/n, what are you doing here?” You play with your fingers being shorter than the boy making you have to look up to him. 

“I thought we could walk home.” He knew you both hadn’t spent that much time together since the team had won Nationals. 

He hesitated a response, but you spoke before he could, “you’re such a pretty setter.” You were embarrassed at what you said his face going a bright red. 

“Kageyama you look like a rotten tomato” Hinata said as he walked past, you giggle at the comment as he looks at you again, the reddening calming down. 

“We should walk home together; I’ll go grab my stuff.” You smile as he starts to walk off before pausing in his tracks, “thank you Y/n.” He was never this outwardly affectionate but in the enclose where only you could hear you felt love. 

“It’s all true you’re a…” He interrupts you quickly. 

“No, thank you for that but also thank you for staying by my side, I love Volleyball and I love you, I’m not very good as balance, but you realise how important Volleyball is to me, so thank you for always being there.” You smile looking down. 

“I’ll always be there for you.” He smiles as he leaves to grab his stuff. 

He arrives as quick as he left, the small action of skimming his fingertips beside your own, made you grab his hand, he looked down smiling as you leaned in closer to hid frame. He let your other arm go around his arm, bringing warmth to you. 

“You know, every time I set, I set for you.” He smirks as you have love in your eyes. 

“R…really.” You choke out. 

He stops you, putting his hands to your face, “yeah and I really do love you Y/n” 

“I love you too Tobio.” You close the gap, his hands guiding the kiss as in the privateness of the empty street allowing Tobio to express himself in which words could never do. You had to hand it to the boy, he would always be better at physically showing his love than emotionally. But even then it made you love him even more, it made Tobio Kageyama, Tobio Kageyama.

toru oikawa

Oikawa had fans, a lot of fans. You hated to admit you were jealous of how they’d come up to him after games, how they’d touch his arm. It was always a race to get to him first and even him always ignoring them as soon as you came. You still hated them.

You knew how much Oikawa had been practicing lately so you made him some milk bread and would wait for him to finish practice so you both could walk home. You walked towards the double doors, his fans crowding around as they watched intently. 

You sign as you push past them, hearing scowls, someone even elbowing you as you glared at the girl, just as you reached the entrance about to walk in. Someone on the team came running up to you, he looked new and have the ugliest hair ever. 

“Sorry you can’t come in when practice is on, are you one of Oikawa’s fans?” You were about to answer him as he saw the food in your hands. “Fucking hell you fangirls are obsessed with him, y’know he won’t eat it.” 

You raised an eyebrow at the first year, “Yeah well I’m not a fan so move it.” 

You try to barge past him, but his arm was out, he glared as you glared back. Almost a competition of seeing who would retain eye contact. “Then what are you doing here?” 

“I’m here to see my boyfriend.” He raised an eyebrow as he chuckled. 

“You must be crazy if you think Oikawa’s your boyfriend.” You grew even more frustrated at the new kid. 

“I’m going to kill you if you don’t move.” He remained standing in front of you. 

The commotion that had been occurring had made Iwaizumi come over, “Leave Y/n alone Kindaichi.” You finally found out his name. 

“But…” 

“Thank you Iwa-chan.” 

“Who the fuck is Y/n.” Kindaichi mutters as you continue to glare at the boy. 

You walked towards Oikawa who was sitting on the bench, his knee was getting better, but he needed some breaks occasionally. “You okay, baby.” 

He broke out from his trance as a soft smile appeared on his lips, “What are you doing here princess.” 

He gestured for you to come closer to him, you complied as he brought his arms around your waist, hugging you, his head resting on your stomach. “I brought you some milk bread, you didn’t eat enough this morning.” 

He smiles as he takes the bread, he puts it to the side before hugging you again. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” He lets go looking up at you, “now go show me those amazing sets of yours.” 

He nods standing up becoming a lot taller than you now, grabbing a slice of bread he stuffs it in his mouth as he goes into a game. “Shittykawa don’t stuff your face.” Iwaizumi shouts as Oikawa looks at him hurt. 

“My baby made me bread.” He coos as you laugh sitting on the bench. 

The game occurred, Oikawa setting perfectly as Iwaizumi spiked it past the blockers especially the annoying turnip head. You watched Oikawa intensively occasionally glaring at Kindaichi as he glared back. The game ended quickly as Oikawa’s serves allowed for many points to arise. 

He came up to you, smiling happily waiting for some praise, “you’re such a pretty setter.” He grabbed your waist pulling you towards him as he hugged you tightly. 

“You’re too nice to me.” You laugh as your hands played with his hair, it brought comfort to the tall boy. He gave a genuine smile as he looked down at you. 

He brought his face closer to yours as he kissed you softly, his mouth gaining momentum as it became heated. His hands bringing you closer to his waist as you could feel his skin on your own. Before it could go anywhere further, you felt Oikawa’s head push against you, he let go off you his hand to his head as you saw the stray volleyball roll away. 

“Iwa-chan don’t be so mean.” 

“Lazykawa we still have practice, stop eating Y/n’s face off.” He huffed at the boy, you watched as Oikawa left to go pout to Iwaizumi for being mean. The tall boy would be the death of you, but even then you still loved him. 

If you guys want to be a part of a tag list, just reply to any post and I’ll add you xx

@samusimp @alaina-rose13

[aclosetfan]

ask game number 10?

(ask game) thank you so much for asking!!!!

BUBBLE BAND ♥♥♥

YESSSS YESS haha yessss someone chose 10!!!!!! So pumped for this one. For new fandom members (lmao I’m like a damn fandom historian), battle of the band fics got really popular for half a second b/c of the punks. I outlined my own where the punks are included but with a twist. No powers au, multi chap fic.

My outline is really detailed because I know I’m going to be writing this one!! It’s just too much fun, but I’m only gonna give you the jist, I don’t want to spoil too much :))) I’ve got like six pages of notes and I’m still not done mapping it all out. It’s supposed to be goofy as well as a big s/o to everyone who watched cringy amvs on youtube in the early 2000s <3

BACKGROUND:

Brick (lead guitar), Butch (bass), and Boomer (drums) are three brothers with a shitty garage band. They think they’re hot shit. They’re not hot shit (not yet). They’re good at playing their instruments but they don’t have a big following (or any good songs). On a good night, Mojo (their adopted father) indulges them and brings the crowd to a stunning total of 1.

PLOT:

One day, Boomer gets it in his head that he doesn’t want to be a punk rocker anymore. It’s dumb, he’s bored, and obviously, he is the next Picasso, so he quits the band. Brick all but disowns him as a brother. Butch is like dude I’d be cool staying in the band and Brick goes “you don’t have a choice!” Butch is like “aight, but now that Boom’s gone, can we maybe play a song I wrote?” Brick’s like, “no!” Butch is like “aight. That’s fair it’s dumb anyway. No harm, no foul bro. How are we going to get a new drummer as good as Boomer?” Brick’s like, “we’ll find someone better!” They won’t because, to give credit where credit is due, Boomer is quite a good musician.

Butch is like well this still sucks though cause we just got all those t-shirts. Like we’re broke af and they’ve got Boomer plastered on the front of them too. We can’t just replace them. Brick’s like “we’ll find someone better and someone who looks like him nbd.”

Brick and Butch don’t know any other drummers and they certainly don’t know anyone who drums and also looks like Boomer, so they make flyers~  

“Annnd,” Brick chirped, grabbing the page from the printer, “done. There. Perfect. We just need to make like a thousand more of these and post them around the City.”

Butch yanked the flyer from his hand with a frown, his eyes jumping around it before he grimaced, “Man, I dunno.”

“What?”

“Must have blonde hair, blue eyes,” Butch looked up, “reads kinda neo-nazi-ish.”

Brick ripped the page from Butch with wide eyes, rereading the flyer. After a second he hissed, “Ah fuck. Fucking Boomer.”

“He ruins everything.” Butch solemnly agreed.

“Fascist can’t even be punk.” Brick huffed, glaring at the flyer.

Together they sat back in their chairs and regarded the flyer before turning their attention back to his cracked computer screen. After a few moments of hmm’ing and haa’ing, Brick snapped his fingers and leaned over his keyboard. He made the font big, bold, and red so it couldn’t be ignored at the bottom of the flyer:

‘CAN’T BE A FKING SKINHEAD’

“Dude,” Butch nodded, reading over his shoulder, “it’s beautiful.”

And then the boys post the flyers everywhere. Including their school, where most people ignore them regularly. Their flyers however become popular scratch paper for the art department where one Ms. Bubbles Utonium stumbles upon them. She takes it as a sign. She’s a bit of a drum hobbyist, but her dad has had enough of the racket and she needs to find a new place to play. She’s not practiced or anything, but she fits the four requirements to a “T”. She has blonde hair. She has blue eyes. She can play the drums. And she isn’t a skinhead! She thinks it’s silly they even had to clarify that. She’s not too into punk music but even she knows fascists can’t be punk! So on the day of auditions, she shows up with her drum sticks and gets in line!!

Brick and Butch are floored when Bubbles Utonium comes strutting in. They only know her because she’s a popular cheerleader at their school and shares an art class with Boomer, who only ever complains about the perky upbeat girl. Their first thought is to laugh, but when she starts playing, they’re like “oh?” She’s inexperienced, but she’s got a knack for it, and (as Butch points out) she is not a skinhead. Since she’s the best they’ve seen all day they offer her the position on the condition that she dresses like a dude when they play because of their t-shirt dilemma. She tells them that’s no problem, she likes playing dress-up, but they’ve got to work band practice around her cheer schedule. They agree.

The RowdyRuffs are a band once more.

Boomer btws is NOT AT ALL jealous. Not at ALL. Nope. (he totally is and he’s very obvious about it). In one of the early band practices that he barges in on to “check out the new drummer,” he’s ten shades of betrayed when he sees Bubbles of all people in his seat. He does not like Bubbles. Bubbles thinks Boomer is the bees-knees. He doesn’t like her because she’s good at just about everything he wants to be good at—except for drumming, which he proves then and there and is like “your new drummer sucks, later losers, you wish you still had me, by the way, dad wanted me to tell you he’s making tacos and they’ll be ready in ten.” Bubbles is not deterred by his behavior, thinks how he plays is really cool, and wants him to teach her, which he continuously refuses to do, but that doesn’t stop her from pestering him. (eventually, he does tho just a fyi; Bubbles is hard to resist)  

Jumping forward in time, Princess becomes involved as their PR manager and decided that Bubbles shouldn’t act as Boomer anymore. They need “horny old man money” and everyone’s like ooooh yeah, horny old man money, neat! So, in all her genius, Princess decides to make Bubbles “Brat.” And boom! Here’s our first powerpunk girl.

It’s a hit with the crowd that the band is slowly starting to amass. After accidentally hearing Butch goof around on his bass, Buttercup ((((Bubbles’ sister, who at the beginning of the story takes pity on Butch and Brick and volunteers to help teach her sister how to be “punk rock”. She is also forced to drive Bubbles to and from band practice (because Buttercup is being punished for failing math)))) encourages him to pitch his songwriting to the rest of the band. He refuses. Brick’s the guy who writes the songs, who’s very bad at it.

However, after another shitty song about some mystery girl Brick swears he doesn’t have a crush on, Bubbles has enough and assigns the boys some songwriting homework. Butch writes a banger and their little band gets more recognition. They’re now playing sizeable gigs, but wait! OH NO! Bubbles and Butch aren’t going to make it to the show on time. Boomer’s like, “shit Brick! The show must go on, dude, but where are you going to find two people who know how to play the exact same instruments as Butch/Bubs, know all their cues, and all the songs in the next ten minutes????” Brick looks at Buttercup (plays bass like Butch/almost at all the band practices/has a lovely voice despite what she says) and Boomer (who was Bubbles before Bubbles) and goes “huh, genius, I wonder.” Buttercup’s like “oh no, wait wait! I’ve got stage freight!” To which Brick says, “get over yourself and join my shitty fucking band!”  

And that’s how we get our Brute <3 (named by Brick). She’s a hit!

They just keep getting bigger and bigger as a band, and record labels are starting to take an interest, so after Brute debuts, everyone’s like welp, Brick needs his counterpart too. And it’s eventually Blossom, but that comes about in a roundabout way because Brick’s feelings are still hurt (she’s the girl he was crushing on, but she rejects him). Eventually, Bubs is like “listen, Brick, we need a Berserk (Butch name’s this imaginary person), and it's coming down to the wire. Blossom can do it. I know she can. It’s for the band.” So, he sucks it up and Blossom hesitantly accepts (she’s very much preppy pop to whatever Berserk is lol so it’s difficult for her at first). After a heart-to-heart with Brick, they make amends (I think I’ll leave it platonic for now tbh) and their first show altogether is a hit!

As always, there’s a happy ending :) They get their record deal lol.

I can’t write songs. I’m shit at poetry, but I was thinking about just choosing irl music and mashing them up, so the music is still “original” but people can also be like omg I remember that horrible song from my emo “phase.” I have to find a good song list first. If anyone’s still reading send me some recs. The music I like is too embarrassing.  

[themangoyogurt]

Misguided Youth: The First Misunderstanding

Chapter 1

Kylo Ren didn’t necessarily enjoy being an asshole. It just kind of happened that way. Somewhere along the line between puberty and getting his heart broken for the first time, the man evolved into an enigma of darkness and reticence. Somehow he had shucked off the nerdiness and slipped on armor in the form of bad decisions and anger management problems. Looking at this hulking form of a man, you’d never guess his obsession with space or that his hobbies included calligraphy.

Although Hux, his best friend from childhood, sure as hell did his best to remind Kylo of the fact daily.

The biggest joke of all was that Kylo had somehow turned his teenage angst and emo persona into a career. It was pretty straightforward - he just wanted attention. His father was a pilot, and his mother was a senator. Both of his parents were headstrong and stubborn - meaning that neither really had an interest in being a parent. His childhood was a blur of being passed from nanny to nanny. Once, his parents were so busy with their own lives, they actually shipped him off to the Pacific Northwest to live with his reclusive uncle.

So Kylo lashed out. It was a slippery slope that began with wearing dark clothes and piling on the metal hardware. He even gathered his friends Hux and Phasma and started a stupid band where he could croon about abandonment and loneliness. To be honest, they were just kids messing around. Even as he began to collect piercings and tattoos, his parents still didn’t do much. They weren’t exactly present enough to notice their only child spiraling out of control.

Somehow his teenage pet project took off though, and Kylo Ren found himself being signed to a record label alongside his friends. His music resonated with his generation, and next thing he knew Kylo Ren was a college drop out touring the country.

Still, his parents couldn’t be bothered to come to a show.

And so, he continued to act out. It was so fucked really. The more he smoked, drank, and pushed back - the more his fans loved him. Every bar fight, every tabloid photo of his tongue down some model’s throat, every time he flipped off the press - record sales would increase. Finally, he relented to his reputation. If the world wanted him to be an asshole, then he’d be the biggest one of them all. If he couldn’t soothe his aching soul with light and love, he’d find a balm in the form of quick fucks and alcohol.

Which was how he found himself prowling some random bar on a Wednesday night. It was the same routine: if he couldn’t find a good lay, then at least he could get blackout drunk and forget the night. Holding his second or third or fourth (who the fuck cared) glass of bourbon, a sparkling beacon of sweetness caught his eye.

There you were. Pristine and calm, and so fucking good. Perched alone at the bar, your hands were neatly folded over your crossed legs. A stiff peter-pan collar poked out of your pale blue cable knit sweater. A pleated skirt donned your legs, and your feet were covered by a pair of penny loafers. Kylo almost choked on his drink. It was like watching a wet dream straight out of the fifties.

Kylo slowly licked his lips and imagined all of the different ways he could defile you. He’d definitely keep the skirt on while he fucked you into the mattress. He smirked at the clean ponytail - not a single hair out of place. That was definitely staying as well. Better leverage to warp around his hand as he tugged on your hair.

Girls like you were his favorite. Easy pickings as he so eloquently liked to say. There was a reason why the bad boy/good girl trope existed. Women were so eager to fix him. To save him from himself. To make him change for the better - as if he were a fucking conquest. Kylo learned early on that girlfriends would just leave when they realized that he wasn’t some home improvement project they could work on in their leisure time. He was an actual person with actual problems.

They’d usually selfishly move on, leaving behind more damage than there was before their arrival. So Kylo decided to forgo the chore of being in relationships. Instead, he’d allow the illusion that he could be your bad boy for a few hours. Long enough to get his dick wet before he left in the middle of the night.

He thought of it as win-win anyways. He got his rocks off. You got to fulfill some sort of fantasy - really sticking it to your parents for forcing you to take SAT classes every weekend. Nothing said “fuck you” like fucking the boy they’d never approve of.

Downing the bronze liquid in his glass, he harshly set the cup down before cracking his neck a few times. You were still silently sitting alone - not even glancing at a phone. Kylo imagined that you weren’t accustomed to being out on a weeknight. You were probably nervous. The shy type who needed a man like him to shake things up a bit.

He ambled over to your side and slid a forearm across the bar to box you in. His form towered over your smaller one as he smirked down at your placid features returning his gaze with a surprised look.

Jesus, you weren’t even wearing makeup. What an angel.

His deep voice drawled, “Hello, princess. I’m Kylo, and I’m going to buy you a gin and tonic.”

Your owlish eyes blinked back a few times in silence. Kylo licked his lips again. He definitely had you now. Your features were so compliant. So soft. So easy. He could already imagine how he’d probably be the first guy you’d ever allow to go down on you. How he would...

His indecent thoughts were suddenly interrupted as you doubled over in laughter. Hinged at the waist, you had thrown both hands on your knees and bent over to guffaw into the space between your thighs.

What the fuck?

You sat back up and wiped a tear from the corner of your eye. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Seriously? You’re going to buy me a gin and tonic? Just like that? And then what? And who drinks gin and tonics anymore? What, are you like eighty?”

Kylo felt his face redden in agitation as you continued to laugh at his expense. His fists clenched and he felt his spine stiffen in embarrassment. Suddenly, another woman appeared by your side. You clutched her arm and continued to shriek, “Oh my God, Jyn. This asshole over here thinks he’s some sort of dark knight trying to whisk away an innocent dove.”

Your brown haired accomplice gave Kylo a withering glare before grabbing onto your arm to tug you away towards a booth pressed against the back wall. Even as you were dragged away, you turned over your shoulder to cry out, “Oh mister knight! Please show me the dark side, won’t you? Show me how to be a bad girl.” You continued to howl in amusement while Jyn wrangled you into a seat.

Kylo stood rooted in shock. Nobody had ever talked to him like that. All six foot two of him screamed “danger”. Yet here you were, dressed like you worked at a fucking soda fountain while hurling insults at the rock star. Kylo felt offended - it didn’t even seem like you recognized him.

This was his supposed angel?

Meanwhile, Jyn shoved a bottle of water in front of your face. “Seriously? I leave you alone for fifteen minutes, and somehow you managed to still get blitzed.”

You pushed the water away in indignation. “Who said I was blitzed? Was it Finn? That fucking snitch!”

Jyn rolled her eyes and pushed the water back towards your hands. She unscrewed the cap and sighed, “Dude, Finn isn’t even here. Honestly, you hold your composure pretty well when you’re just sitting around. It’s when you open your mouth that I can tell you’re drunk.”

“How?”

The brunette laughed and pulled you in for a hug. “I say this with so much love, but you turn into a total bitch when you’re tipsy.” You huffed into her hair and relented with a swig from the water bottle.

“Oh, here. Thanks for letting me borrow your phone.” Jyn squeezed your shoulder before placing the device on the table. You waved off her gratitude, and the woman continued, “Why are you dressed like a cast member in Grease, anyways?”

You moaned and threw your face into your palms. You were in the last year of getting your MBA. One day you would be a fearless female CEO of some publicly traded company. You’d slink out of your penthouse, get chauffeured around to your job, and change lives dammit.

But that was someday, and right now you were a broke grad student trying to make ends meet before resorting to hawking your organs on Canal Street. Jyn gave you a look of pity as you bemoaned your existence. “I look like Sandy Olsson because I actually do work at a soda fountain now.” Jyn burst into a fit of giggles as you pulled at your face in exasperation.

“It’s one of those stupid hipster joints in Brooklyn where they’re still trying to profit off of nostalgia. So yeah. That’s my part time job.” You moved to kick your friend off her seat as she started to tear up at the image. Just before you could successfully push the woman off, a man cleared his throat.

Kylo was looming over the table, still angry from your confrontation. Somehow watching you laugh it up with your friend only pissed him off even more. He glared down at you and seethed, “What’s your fucking problem?”

Before Jyn could grab the back of your sweater, you leapt up from your seat and squared right up. “You want to know what my fucking problem is? My ‘fucking problem’ is entitled douchebags such as yourself thinking that you can just prowl up to any woman and we’ll drop our panties for you. You’re not good looking enough to act like an asshole.”

Kylo reeled back, completely disarmed and offended. “Well I’m so sorry for misreading your desperate fake good girl look.”

His chest was heaving now, barely grazing your own as it rose and fell with each labored breath. You knew you were about to become annoying, but it was too late to stop. You begin to press a finger into his chest over and over again, punctuating your words with each push.

“Let me tell you something about looks, mister. At least I’m not the old geezer dressed like he’s still holding onto the wonder years of his misguided youth.”

“Misguided youth? Do you know who the fuck I am?”

Kylo was positively seething at this point. Who gave you the right to talk to him like that? Some stupid nobody dressed like a fucking cartoon trying to school him on his wardrobe. Jyn desperately tried to calm you down, but her words were drowned out as you raised the volume of your voice.

“No, I don’t dickwad. And I sure as hell wouldn’t want to. I don’t want people thinking that I associate with grandpas who still wear eyeliner!”

“Grandpa? I’m fucking twenty-seven!” Kylo practically roared as he flung his phone into the wall. You looked at him in shock as the device ricocheted off the wall and slid back towards him across the table. Kylo Ren had participated in his fair share of bar fights, but very few people could actually get underneath his skin. He sure as hell wasn’t expecting his opponent to be sporting a bowtie in her hair.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” A posh British accent suddenly interrupted the feud. A red-haired man appeared next to Kylo, and pushed him away from your shaking fist. He quickly snatched up Kylo’s phone, and apologized on behalf of his friend. Jyn took the cue and quickly moved you behind her as well. The moment was over, and you heard Kylo call the man “General” before the two disappeared through a crowd that had formed.

Still shaking, you sank down into the booth and closed you eyes. You really needed to get your shit together.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #227

“it’s my party, and i’ll die when i want to.”

Where do you hang your towel to dry after showering? On the rack that's on the bathroom door. What kind of mouse pad do you have? It's just a simple black one. Do you brush your hair with a comb or a brush? A comb. If you had a choice to be a unicorn or mermaid which would it be? Probably a unicorn? Idk. I think unicorns are cooler, but I guess being a mermaid (as depicted in the media, however) would be fun. Can you do a hand stand? No. If you were the opposite sex, how would you style your hair? Fuck man emo hair is the way to go don't even try to change my mind. What movie are you embarrassed to admit you’ve watched? None, really. Would you rather spin upside down going 30 miles or drop 400 ft. into water? Well, dropping 400 ft. into water would literally result in your body exploding upon impact with the water; at that height (I'm pretty sure that's high enough, anyway), the water's surface would be like concrete at the velocity you land. Soooo, the former. I'd like to live. What's your favorite shape? "I don’t really have one. I guess the shape of women’s bodies? Like, all kinds of them? Whooooopsie gaysie!" <<<< HAHAHA YOOOOOOOOO THIS. If you were put in a room with nothing except for a pencil and paper, what would you write? Doodle meerkats or write poetry. Do you use deodorant? Does anyone who can afford it and in America not? I'm ignorant to if that's a societal standard in other places in the world. Do you think you’ve grown as a person since this time last year? I honestly don't know. If you could change one physical trait about yourself, what would it be? Can I PLEASE weigh around 120 again??? Have you ever gone out with someone you didn’t like? Well, I didn't not like him. I kinda had a crush on him in high school for a brief period, but we lost communication throughout school. When he asked me out a few years ago, I only agreed to it as a test, I guess. He was a good person, and again, I had liked him. It was a "get to know one another (again)" thing. It was still very, very unlike me, though; I usually date people only when I know I'm into them. Looking back, it really was mostly an "I don't want to hurt his feelings" thing. What are some of your morals? "I wouldn’t say I have any unique morals or things like that. I just…don’t do harm and treat people like I’d want them to treat me." <<<< Pretty much this. I don't see my morals as unordinary. Just hopefully the usual good person. Would you ever take a bullet for your significant other? I wouldn't even fucking hesitate. Do you like your smile, or are you unhappy with it? I hate it. I look high when I smile. My eyes squint too much. If you were starving on a freezing mountain, would you eat your friend? No. Some things aren't worth living after. Out of all your friends, who can you count on the most? Sara. Do people who say they’re depressed bother you? I actually don't think any other survey question I have EVER come across boils my blood like this one. Fuck no they don't. Depression isn't a goddamn choice. Rot the fuck in Hell if depressed people "bother" you. Their mental illness is far, far, far fucking more an inconvenience to the victim than to you. What do you think of hunting? By this point in my animal/wildlife conservation and welfare eruption, I'm perfectly open in calling you a goddamn asshole if you hunt for any reason other than survival. There is something seriously wrong in your head if you get fucking pleasure out of ending a life without reasonable cause. Damn man, this surveys getting me fired up, lmao. White lies aren’t dangerous; true or false? They can be. Do you pretend your crush is with you when you’re home alone? I mean, I can daydream? But I don't actually like, pretend they're present. How many times do you go behind your parents’ back weekly? Never. Do you tend to go for people older or younger than you? Older or the same age. I don't mind if they're slightly younger though, so long as they're of legal age of course. If you became a doctor, would you help your patients kill themselves? I am 110% in favor of assisted suicide when a patient is diagnosed with a terminal malady. Forcing a human being to suffer 'til their inexorable death via the hands of their illness is, to me, torture. I genuinely do think I'm a very compassionate and gentle person, so while it would be ABSOLUTELY heartbreaking and probably scarring, I actually feel I'd be a good option for a doctor euthanizing a qualified patient. Are you good at haunted houses, or do you scream your head off? I haven't been to very many at all, actually. The one I remember that I've attended a few times, I handled just fine. They're fun to me. If you’ve seen it, what did you think of the Twilight movie? I didn't watch it, so I really can't make a fair judgment, but from what I've seen and heard (so take this with a grain of salt), the acting is horrid and the romance is very poorly composed. Would you rather be called babe or darling? The latter. Does the movie Titanic make you cry? Oh Lord, yes. We (surprisingly) watched it during one of my psych hospital stays, and even some of the guys were teary-eyed. What is your favorite thing to do on your phone? Play PokemonGO when I'm in enough of an urban area to be able to lmao. Which Disney princess resembles you the most? *shrugs* Which fairytale seems closest to your life story? Rapunzel being trapped in her home, lmao. What color was your first phone? Hm... I believe it was blue? Was your first phone a flip phone? I don't believe so; it slid upwards. What is your favorite pizza parlor? I'm a basic bitch that finds Domino's to be the bomb diggity. What is an old website that closed down that you miss? Hm... I'm not sure. Well, the site itself didn't close down, the Animal Planet's Meerkat Manor forum and games are dearly missed by me. Have you ever had an embarrassing period story? If so, what happened? Not that I recall, thankfully. What was your worst experience in high school? My depression. How much did your senior prom dress cost you? I don't remember, but I know it wouldn't have been all that expensive. Did you cry at your high school graduation? I only teared up very slightly. Did you cry at your college graduation (if applicable)? N/A, but I'm sure I will out of so much pride and joy. Do your parents try to stop you from chasing your dreams? Hell no. My parents are so, so supportive Who is a former friend that you wish would come back into your life? I miss Megan so, so much. Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? Two. What instrument did you play in the marching band? I wasn't in the marching band, but rather the normal one. I played the flute. Who got kicked off of your favorite talent show that you were mad about? Okay, so I remember one year, there was this very quiet, shy, and darkly-styled young man with a love for metal on America's Got Talent. Everyone was expecting a screamo mess, and then he belts out FUCKING BEAUTIFUL opera. Everyone lost it, myself included, and the sweetheart started crying. Sadly, he was eliminated the next round because his nerves got to him, poor thing. Do you own the entire series on DVD of any TV show? If so, what? Meerkat Manor. What show did you always want to be on when you were a kid? None, really. Can you tell the difference between Mary-Kate and Ashley? I think I could as a kid? I haven't seen them in forever and half. Who is your favorite set of twins? *shrugs* What is the grossest thing you have ever vomited up? Idk? Have you ever thrown up in public, in front of someone else? If yes, was it embarrassing? Yes, but I was in kindergarten, so it wasn't too embarrassing. I was just surprised. Did you ever take your dog to school? Whoa... this brought back memories. I believe I did bring Teddy to school one day in elementary school... 5th grade, maybe? I can't recall what the occasion was, though. Name one person you know who had a baby in high school. I don't remember her name. Describe your dream wedding in three words. Autumnal, personal, memorable. What do you hate the most about summer? The fucking heat. What is your favorite thing to do in a swimming pool? Just swim around. Which part of your body is the most muscular? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA BOY I couldn't even GUESS. My legs are recovering from muscle atrophy, so OBVIOUSLY not them. My arms aren't impressive. Neither is my stomach at all. I honestly don't know. What was the last race you ran called? Brittany??????????????? running a?????????????????? r a c e??????????????????????????????? Which major holiday is closest to your birthday? Valentine's Day. Do you find kite flying boring? I haven't done that since I was a kid, but BOY did I LOOOOOVE it back then! I'd probably still find it kinda fun. What is your favorite musical? Musicals make me cringe. Have you ever seen a Broadway show? No. What is the best summer camp you have ever been to? Well, I remember as a kid, one of the vacation Bible schools I went to was pretty fun. It was Hawaiian-themed. Have you ever ran a cash register? Never. Ever. Fucking. Again. Do you like the feeling in your stomach on a big drop on a roller coaster? I've never been on one, but I hate even just the sensation you get when the elevator goes up or down. I immediately get dizzy and nauseous. It's so bad that I even experience this in video games if you have to jump from a large height. What is your favorite roller coaster? N/A How and when were you baptized, if applicable? Hell if I remember. Have you been baptized more than once? No. Would you rather paint or carve a pumpkin? Carve it. Have you decorated for fall yet this year? No. Do you own pumpkin earrings? No, but now I want some. That sounds so cute. Have you ever asked someone to be your Valentine? I mean, not really? I've had s/os on Valentine's Days, so being each other's is kinda just... a given. What was your favorite video game to play with your brother? My older half-bro, when he lived with us anyway, used to play this mercenary game (I don't remember the name) that I LOVED watching him play. Idk why. Really when he played anything I would sit right beside him and watch. What computer game did you used to play all the time? Amazon Trail 3 was my cocaine, hunny. Do you like the name Ellery? I guess it's kinda cute... but it reminds me of celery. Do you find cemeteries pretty? "Pretty" isn't the word I'd use, but I find them aesthetically pleasing. They're more like... mysterious, enchanting. Does your phone screen freeze a lot? Often enough... Who is the better cook in your household? My mom. What by your definition is the naughtiest thing you have done? I guess the time I was entirely naked and him just in boxers going the fuck at each other on the chaise in the living room when we were home alone one night. Or maybe when we "slept" in my sister's room one night (can't remember exactly why) and we just fooled around the entire night instead. He came on her bed multiple times, hence why I guess it fits "naughtiest." (Yes, yes, he cleaned it up, calm down.) I honestly haven't done anything too wild. What is one thing you’d never want your parents to find out? The Joel situation I've told before. Which room of your house are you in? Mine. How many blankets do you sleep under? One thick one. I miss my school lunch menu.. what’s the fave thing on yours? Okay real talk, my high school chicken sandwiches were The Good Shit. Do you like your best friend's parents? Could you even tell me their names? I love them, and I could, but it's not my business to share that online. Anything silly that annoys you? (I hate hearing nails being clipped) I really hate people going in/out the opposite door. Why are you where you are right now? I absolutely have to take a mental health day from school, so I'm home in my room. Did you used to watch Blues Clues? Of course. What's your opinion on people wearing high heels to school? I feel very sorry for your feet, aha. But I don't care if you do, go for it. What difficulty do you play on Guitar Hero? I used to play like, everything on expert, but now if I do, I can barely manage expert on most and have to do hard. Do you stutter when you get nervous? BADLY. You’re at the grocery store, what 3 fruits do you get? Strawberries, apples, grapes. If you died next week, what would be the cause of death? Sleep deprivation lmao. Love these night terrors + nightmares. What do you think about dating websites? Whatever. I definitely think there are better, safer ways, but it's not a huge deal. Just go into it with a genuine heart and mind of wanting to find love. There's nothing wrong with wanting a partner to enjoy life with. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I wear glasses. I wish I could do contacts, but noooo sir. I had them very briefly again earlier this year, but I just couldn't; all I could do was feel them there, mainly the weighted one in my left eye because my vision is so bad in it. They just bugged me too much. What is one memory you have from elementary school? Making our own butter in 4th grade came to me first. We walked through school singing this annoying song while we shook our jars. Do you own a pair of converses? A few. How many fridges are in your house? One. Are you easy to get along with? I hope so, but idk. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? She's over 800 miles away lmao. What kind of people are you attracted to? Platonically or romantically? Well, with either, I'm drawn to compassion, a tranquil mind, empathy, gentleness, romance if we're talking romantic attraction, a deep thinker, wisdom, creativity, uniqueness/individuality, just, funny, thoughtful, charitable, concerned with nature/love and kindness to animals, intelligence... There's a lot. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? I don't see why I wouldn't be. Do you like it when people play with your hair? My hair's too short now for that. It'd feel weird. I used to like it, though. Do you think there is life on other planets? Probably. Do you like bubble baths? I don't enjoy baths period. Who are you most comfortable around? My mom, or Sara. Depends on the subject matter. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? No. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? I wouldn't. I'm strictly monogamous and to me would feel like cheating. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? Yeah. What do you say during awkward silences? Nothing, but I panic inside. What are you paranoid about? My loved ones secretly hating me or leaving me, being raped, people thinking I'm weird (and not in a good way), stuff like that. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? I don't think so. Been suspended/expelled? For what? No. Been arrested? For what? No. Craving something? What? Nothing. What color are your towels? They're varied. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two. Favorite animal? MEERKATS. Opossums are #2. Favorite character from Mean Girls? I don't remember the characters at all. Favorite actress? Betty White. Favorite actor? BITCH Markiplier, lmao. But okay if you mean a "real" actor, probably Johnny Depp. Last time you were in an elevator? Thursday when I had to go upstairs to my Writing class. It's absolutely humiliating, but I can't make it up two flights of stairs due to my muscle atrophy without people asking if I'm okay. Even going down is dangerous for me because my legs ABSOLUTELY QUAKE and I have to go extremely slow. I go down via stairs anyway though for practice. I'm going to fall one day, I know it. I’m sure we all know what your name is… so, tell us what your boss’ name is? N/A Do you actually read your friend’s surveys, or do you just copy paste them and fill them out yourself? Yes; I love learning about my friends. When you were a kid, which comic strip was your favorite? I didn't care for them. Would you feel guilty about cheating on your taxes if you got away with it? Well yeah. Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced? It is pierced. What woke you up this morning? A nightmare that resulted in me screaming almost the loudest I ever have in my life. My throat hurt for quite a while. What was your favorite sweet as a child? Reese's cups. Still are. Do you own a lunch box? Yeah. How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Once, oops. If there was a fire, what would you take with you? The very first thing I'd grab would be Teddy, then Roman, Venus, and then my laptop, probably. How many people have the same middle name as you? The majority of the white female population lmao. Does your house have a white picket fence? The backyard does. Have you ever needed to call the police? 911 when we thought my mom was having a heart attack. What are you best at? Writing, I guess.

[lil-papaya-tifosi]

Admin: Bunny

Word count: 3479

Summary: Even if you can't see him, Yoongi is always watching over you.

He knew he was doomed. The second he sat down with the paper work for his assigned case, he knew he was about to have the worst time of his existence. Her name was scribbled on the top corner, her stats, parents names. Ages, occupations. Where she lived, what gender, sexuality, everything, scribbled onto this small file. So far it didn’t seem too bad, just another lost soul needing put back on the right track. That was, until he saw the block red stamp, the one reserved for full-time cases, the one reserved for life long angels, ‘Problem child.’ There it was, the reason he was called, the reason he had been ripped away from Czara, the loud, energetic girl with the need to lash out. He had JUST gotten her into self defence classes before being summoned back.

‘He can stay as long as he wants, it’s nice to see him again after all this time.’ She smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to her daughters forehead before leaving to tell Taehyung what the fuck just happened.

‘Really? A problem child? I already have a case.’ He whined, throwing the file down and crossing his arms. He pouted like Czara used to do when her mum told her to get dressed for classes. Yoongi used to have to coax her, promising they would play hide and seek when she came home. He smiled thinking back to her, she was a good kid. Even though she couldn’t see him anymore, he couldn’t help but feel sad for leaving her, like she might notice he was gone.

‘We already have someone to step in for case 937-‘

‘Czara, she isn’t a case number she is a little girl. Use her name.’ He defended, sometimes he really couldn’t be bothered with Jin.

‘Right, sorry, I forget how easily you form attachments. We have someone to step in for Czara, Uhhh Jungkook I think his name was.’ Yoongi rolled his eyes, Kookie, baby Kook was really about to take over the hot headed child? He snorted out a breathy laugh, shaking his head picking up the folder once more.

`Why me?’ He questioned, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway, angels needed their egos stroked too.

‘She’s a real skamp Yoongi, and you’re the best we have.’ He smirked tilting his head, signing his name on the bottom of the file, handing the one slip of paper back to Jin, he was going to need that file if she really was that bad.

‘I love hearing you say that, don’t call me back this time.’ He warned, stepping out the door heading to her address.

For a while Yoongi thought the file may have been an exaggeration. That the child couldn’t be as bad as the file showed. Things were always worse on paper right? However, walking into the house, he was proven wrong.

She couldn’t be more than two, throwing toys around in a whirlwind of temper tantrums and pure anger.

‘Y/N PUT THAT DOWN THIS INSTANT! ’ Her father screamed, shaking a warning finger at her. She regarded him for a measly second before launching it towards his face. Yoongi smirked, enjoying the attitude of this child. The young girl shot her head around to the small humorous noise he had let out, in surprise and anger, she picked up another toy throwing it in Yoongis direction. The sphere hit him on the chest, he stumbled backwards knocking the vase off the table.

‘Ouch, why you little-‘

‘THAT’S IT!’ Her father screamed, throwing his paper down, grabbing her under her arms lifting her. Yoongi watched the scene before him play out, hoping this wasn’t going where he thought it was. He carried her to her room, putting her in the cot and closing the door behind him. Yoongi looked at the closed door, then back at the crib. He could see her eyes watering, the beginning of a meltdown happening.

‘Hey hey, no need to cry little one! I know you’re stuck in there but want to play a game?’ He whispered, not like he had to, no one else could see him. She sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve nodding animatedly.

‘Your fault.’ She mumbled, after the game was long over, she lay in her crib, trying her hardest to sleep. He stalled playing with her little hands, frowning.

‘You smashed it. Your fault.’ She yawned, he smiled nodding his head to the side slightly.

‘You’re right, I’m sorry. Off to sleep with you.’ He hummed, singing the nursery rhyme Czaras mum used to hum to her.

‘SHE WOULDN’T STOP WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO?!’ A voice screamed, making him sit up. He rubbed his eyes, checking on her before he left the room.

‘Oh I don’t know Peter, how about you take care of your daughter instead of locking her in a room all FUCKING DAY!’ The woman screamed, assuming this was her mother he sat on the stairs watching.

‘I never wanted this Leah, you know that.’ He spoke, bitterness lacing his voice, Yoongi hated her father. Leah wiped her tears, unaware she had been crying, Yoongi stood up defensively.

‘Well this is what you have, accept it or leave.’ She whispered, hurt filtering through her voice. She turned on her heel, making her way to her daughters room. Yoongi stood for a moment, watching her father. He swayed for a bit, genuinely thinking about leaving before sitting back in his chair, picking back up his paper and ignoring the crying of his daughter.

This case was going to be a lot harder than he once believed.

She was 6 before she stopped seeing him. She woke up that morning, ready to tell him about her dream, but he was nowhere to be found. He rubbed her back while she cried that morning, not like she could feel it, or hear his comforting words. This was just as hard for him as it was for her, he had warned her that one day she would stop seeing him. That one day she would be too old to remember him, that it may be upsetting for a while but she would get used to it eventually. He told her he would always be here, but it’s not like she would ever remember that either.

Yoongi can recall vividly when her attitude changed back, she had been bearable for a while, whilst she could see him. However, when she was too old to visualise him she regressed, taking her anger out on everyone and everything. Secretly she hoped this would make him come back, that he would appear again and tell her to stop being a little shit. It never worked, but that didn’t stop her blaming him every time she did something wrong.

‘What did I tell you?’ Her mother spoke, the tone of her voice making her feel a whole foot shorter. She rolled her eyes crossing her arms, huffing out a breath before speaking.

‘Don’t call Jimin a butthole, it’s not a nice word and I shouldn’t know it.’ She recited like a robot, her mother got down to her level, tipping her chin up so she looked in her eyes.

‘Exactly, now I want you to go up to your art desk, draw him a nice picture, and apologise.’ Her eyes widened, no way in HELL was she drawing that raw chicken breast a picture! For free! She opened her mouth to protest but her mother placed a finger over her own lips, shushing her.

‘No buts, now go.’ She demanded, standing back to her feet. Storming away she muttered to herself.

‘This is all your fault, you taught me that word. You’re an idiot Yoongi.’ Yoongi tutted, throwing himself down on her princess Jasmine sheets before replying.

‘I may have taught you it but, that doesn’t mean you have to say it.’ He watched her draw out the picture. It was pretty good for a six year old, he would admit. She scribbled in the background, blue blending into bright green before drawing her and Jimin. She was handing him the card scowl drawn on her face, a big arrow pointing to Jimins bottom. Yoongi did everything in his power that day to get her to remove that part.

‘Sorry I called you a butthole, even though you kind of are. Tea is better than you are.’ He laughed out loud, knowing she meant to spell Tae, he giggled fondly at the young girl beside him before she ran off to give Jimin the card.

Problem child my ass.

11 was a hard time for her, even harder for Yoongi. She was beginning a phase, a gothic kind of emo phase. The children Yoongi had worked with before NEVER went through a phase, he requested a meeting with Jin in hopes he would change the cases.

‘Jin, please. Give me a new one I can’t do this.’ He begged, practically on his knees. Jin laughed, watching his favourite guardian grovel.

‘I can’t change your case Yoongi, like I said, she needs you.’ He let out a scream of protest before slamming his head on the desk.

‘I don’t know how to work through an EMO PHASE SHE JUST LISTENS TO PEOPLE SCREAMING AND STUFF. What if she starts, you know. I can’t protect her from her inner troubles. I can’t sit and watch that happen.’ He pleaded, worrying for her.

‘That isn’t in her future, she will get over this when she gets into boys. Here have a handbook!’ Jin spoke, easing his worries ever so slightly, but a handbook? What the fuck.

He looked down at the book, the title making him cock his eyebrow and grimace. ‘How to get them through a phase: a handbook for dummies’ He glared at Jin before taking the book and beaming himself right back down to her bedroom. The familiar sound of screaming and heavy beats attacked him as he did, rolling his eyes at the CD player. Cracking open his book he sat in the corner of the room scowling, she danced around the room, throwing her head about in some strange cult dance.

‘Y/N, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!’ Her father screamed stomping up the stairs, she bolted towards the player, shutting the music off completely. He barged in through the door, knocking Yoongi’s book out of his hand.

‘Rude ass...’ He muttered, snatching the book back trying to find his page.

‘Sorry dad.’ She mumbled, avoiding eye contact. She was never a timid or shy young girl, seeing her cowering like this unnerved him.

‘You’re honestly such a pain in my arse, and what’s with this shit in your hair?’ He spoke, lifting the blue streaks of hair closer to his face, pulling her towards him at the same time. She yelped in pain causing Yoongi to stand up protectively. He did everything in his power to bring her mother home from the neighbours, to have her enter the house quietly, to have her see this and realise what a shit face her husband was.

14 is finally when her phase broke, she began dating, started to like pop music, which saved Yoongi money on earplugs. He thought he would be happy when it ended, when she got into boys, but she just became sassy, rude and of course she had to pick literally the WORST men.

‘You’re really going after that scumbag?!’ He yelled exasperated, other guardian angels in the high-school turning in pity as he waved his hands in her face.

‘Y/N Yoo-hoo! Oh my god this is insanity.’ He muttered. She giggled at Namjoons joke, trying far too hard for him to like her.

‘See you later yea? How bout we meet up tonight?’ He spoke, placing his hand in hers, swaying it slightly. She looked at their adjoined hands as did Yoongi, he scoffed as she blushed nodding.

‘Great, I’ll meet you at 7 my house?’ She bit her lip agreeing, watching him walk away.

‘Bet you hate me huh?’ She muttered under her breath, opening her locker. He looked at her strangely before sighing.

‘Hell yeah, fucking loser. Out of all the maniacs you could pick in this school he’s it huh?’ He spoke sighing, she chuckled to herself shaking her head.

‘Wish you were here Yoongi, I miss you teaching me bad words.’ He rolled his eyes. He loved the way she still spoke to him, so fondly, it was the main reason he stuck around so much.

‘You don’t need my help with that, you know all the naughty words you fiend.’

‘So?! How did it go?!’ Her friend squealed, running up to the locker.

‘I’m meeting him at his house!’ They jumped up and down squealing, Yoongi threw his hands to his ears covering them promptly, fucking teenagers.

‘You better bring... Uh you know’ Her friend nudged, causing Yoongis face to fall, she didn’t mean...

‘I can’t, my mum would find it. Do you have one?’ Her friend rolled her eyes, pulling a small wrapper out of her pocket placing it in her hand. No way, no fucking way. That was NOT about to happen.

She walked to his house, conversing with herself along the way, well she was talking to Yoongi but no one had to know that.

‘You know I’m not going to... You know.’ He turned his head to look at her, walking along side her.

‘I’m not ready, Jesus I’m not even 15 yet! I know he’s older, I know you probably don’t approve but he’s nice to me. He won’t force me right?’ She mumbled, trying to not look like she was talking to herself. Yoongi shrugged, not 100% sure what was going to happen tonight. The only worry would be if he saw a particular demon.

As if by chance, they hit his house, lust demon perched in the second floor window, looking down at the two of them.

‘Come upstairs?’ Namjoon spoke putting his hand out for her, she blushed following him upstairs.

‘Out of all the boys you pick, you pick this idiot with a literal LUST DEMON?!?’ Yoongi screeched, flailing his arms dramatically. The lust demon pouting in his direction.

‘Wow, low blow dude, I have a job to do as well!’ it took all his power that night to get the demon away, to make him promise to leave her innocence alone.

At 18 Namjoon broke up with her. To say Yoongi was surprised it lasted that long would be an understatement, he was astounded. Really the boy was a perfect gentleman most of the time. He held her hand through seeing her dad again, told her to take care of herself daily. Said I love you first, helped her through her periods and comforted her through the first time.

Things Yoongi would never understand was how she let him make her conscious of what she wore, how she went on the pill because he didn’t like condoms. Oh and fuck knows why she called him daddy in bed, for weeks Yoongi couldn’t look her in the eye, knowing that was more than he needed to know.

‘So what happened?’ Her friend spoke, rubbing her back from the right while Yoongi soothed from the left.

‘He found out something, and couldn’t deal with it.’ Yoongi let his hand stop abruptly, there was no way. He placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the fast but light heartbeat, he shook his head. How could he not see this coming, he had prevented it multiple times so far, what made it slip his mind this time.

‘But you’re on the pill right?’ She sobbed harder, Yoongi really racking his brain for an answer, before it hit him like a truck.

‘The condom night.’

‘I ran out, he said he would wear a condom for one night. I guess he just, didn’t.’

‘Fuck my guardian angel.’ The tattoo read, he glared at it for a whole 30 seconds, if he tried hard enough maybe it would evaporate.

‘That’s really what you want on your body? Wow what a good example you’re setting for your daughter.’ He sassed.

‘Hey its not that bad I guess, it could be worse! I’m Hoseok, by the way.’ The voice spoke, startling Yoongi. Yes he had talked to other guardians before, none had ever popped up like this before. He frowned, shaking the bright angels hand before turning back to her, defacing her body.

‘How old is yours?’ Spoke the angel sitting cross legged on the bench beside her.

’22, you?’ He answered wincing in pain at the same time she did, the tattoo artist smirking shyly at her.

‘Tell me if it gets too much I’ll stop.’ He reassured, causing Yoongi to smile ever so slightly.

‘He’s 22 also, ridiculous they still seem to need us at this age!’ He bantered, throwing his hands exasperatedly over his head. Yoongi snickered slightly, he liked this guardian, he was funny.

‘Yep well, she was a problem child.’ He muttered, not expecting the other to hear it.

‘Hey so was mine! What’s her name again?’ Yoongi squinted slightly, same age, same town, same case. Why didn’t he recognise them? He spoke your name as more of a question, watching the angel for a reaction, his eyes widened.

‘Dude no way! That’s Taehyung! They didn’t speak but she was friends with Jimin. Man did Jimin have a PHAT crush on her, then she dated that Joon guy and they stopped talking.’ Yoongi frowned, coming to terms with all this information.

‘Where is Jimin now?’ He questioned, recalling not seeing him in years, not even about town.

‘Don’t know man, he moved for college and never came back, him and Tae really lost touch too, sucks if I’m honest.’ He spoke, touching things he probably shouldn’t be.

‘So why do you hate your so called guardian angel then?’ A voice questioned between them, Yoongis eyes shot towards them both, looking for any funny business.

‘The shit bag left when I was six, and my life went to shit from there.’ She grumbled, looking the young man in the eye, he looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.

‘That sounds fair I guess, I feel like if you have one they never really leave though. Always lurking, protecting you from the big stuff rather than the little stuff you get me? I feel like they never leave until they think you’re ready to be alone.’ She frowned at him, eventually letting a little laugh escape her lips.

‘well if he’s still here I bet he’s glaring at me, trying to find a way to make you stop. Probably thinking about what my daughter will think.’ She mumbled to herself mainly, Tae stopped tattooing her to look at her for a minute, realisation washing across his face. He screamed her name, startling her ever so slightly.

‘Sorry, sorry that was very loud. It’s me, Taehyung!’ He spoke, more controlled this time, barely above a whisper, as if he was telling her a secret, like no one could know who he was. Yoongi found this fully amusing, he couldn’t decide if the guardian had rubbed off on him or if he influenced his guardian. Either way, they were practically the same personality.

‘Tae?! OH MY GOD HI!’ She screamed back, both guardians covering their ears, Tae giggling happily.

He never thought he would attend your wedding, never thought you would still need him at this point.

‘Excuse me Mr, but why are you crying?’ A small voice questioned from beside him, whispering so no one heard her.

He looked down, her face the spitting image of hers when she was that young. He smiled fondly at her, moving her dark locks out her eyes.

‘I never thought I’d see the day your mummy was this happy.’ He admitted candidly, the little girl giggled into her hand, it was so adorable Yoongi swears he felt his heart leap.

‘You’re silly, she’s always been happy!’ oh those Rose tinted glasses, how sweet.

He returned months later, assigned a new case, one close to home, one he hoped for but never asked for.

‘Rosie, nice to see you again!’ He greeted cheerfully, the little girl running towards his body.

‘Yoonglie!’ She shrieked, her mother turning her head in alarm.

‘What did you say baby?’ She questioned, not quiet sure she heard correctly.

‘Yoongi is here to play! Mummy can he stay?!’ She begged, holding his hand, pulling him closer. Her eyes watered slightly, a fond smile gracing her lips.

[outroshooky]

for him | jhs

⇢ genre: series (fluff, brief smut)

⇢ pairing: jung hoseok x reader

⇢ word count: 2.3k

⇢ warnings: drinking, vaping, hobi almost gets electrocuted. mild smut, mentions of sex.

this work is based off of the song for him. by troye sivan. listen here.

We are running so fast and we never look back

And whatever I lack, you make up

Your hand was clutched tightly in his, and you were sprinting down the abandoned city block like your lives depended on it.

The sound of your Converse hitting concrete echoed against the stony buildings. Store lights flickered in the distance, and a car alarm’s whoops resounded through the chilly air.

How he had convinced you to take a shortcut back to your apartment down a shady side street, you’d never know. You’d said it looked suspicious, and he brushed it off. He said if worst came to worst, you could just run, and you’d get a good workout out of the experience, so why not?

Of course, fifteen feet down the block, a trash can cover clanged against a metal fence and scared the crap out of him. You simultaneously bolted, one thing led to another and now you knew why not.

The street light shone off of the creases in his jacket, the stylish leather sharpening his features. He turned to make sure you were next to him and it contrasted against his face, throwing it into shadow.

“Christ, Hoseok,” you wheezed as you loped along next to him, legs stumbling. “Slow down and consider that the person you’re running next to has legs half the size of yours.”

“All the more reason to run faster,” he teased, slowing down a fraction of the pace.

“Shut the fuck up, you do this for a living.”

“I never said I was good at it.”

“Well-“ You were interrupted by a wheeze, throat beginning to burn from the lack of oxygen. “You are, so shut the fuck up.”

We make a really good team

Though not everyone sees

We got this crazy chemistry between us

He’d taken you out to dinner to the nice Italian place on 48th East and 12th Street and gotten a table tucked back into the corner, away from other restaurant goers. You’d snuck in through the back with a reservation and miraculously, word hadn’t yet gotten out that J-Hope was out and about. With a lifestyle like his, you could never be sure, and although the fans knew about you, he kept you safe from their prying eyes.

He didn’t go all-out with the designer clothing, but the Prada dress shirt and musky cologne hinted at enough. He looked like a god who’d come down from heaven, settled across the table from you, and introduced himself as the utterly ridiculous man you knew to be your boyfriend.

He caught you staring over the top of the menu and smiled widely. “Everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah,” you stuttered over the words, cheeks reddening. “I’m good.”

He chuckled and went back to perusing the pasta options. “You’re too cute.”

It had been a long, long time since you had him to yourself. Thus, you had a lot to talk about, from life at the studio with six other type A boys and Namjoon’s destructive abilities to the latest Broadway show you had seen and the weird guy at your job that didn’t seem to take no for an answer. The waitress came by to refill your waters after the three hour mark, and long after the meal ended, you were still talking even as the last customer paid their bill and gathered their belongings to leave. That was what you loved about him, loved about your relationship- you connected endlessly on so many levels, although you were completely opposite people.

Jumpstarting your car cause the city’s a bore

Buyin’ e-cigarettes at the convenience store

Makin’ new clichés on our own little tour

Let’s ride, ide, ide

The hair was sticking to Namjoon’s forehead, and Hoseok was trying not to get electrocuted.

You sat on the sidewalk edge with your head in your hands. “Why, just- who the hell thought it was a good idea to give practically teenage boys jumper cables and go off of Google to learn how to restart a car?”

There was a stripe of grease on your boyfriend’s cheek from where he had wiped off his hand. “I don’t know, but he was a genius, whoever he was.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, sitting next to your right on the curb. “See, I trust you two to restart my car, which is probably a mistake considering Namjoon destroys everything he touches and Hoseok might spontaneously explode from excitement.” He blew mango smoke into the air- he’d been trying to quit smoking recently, it was damaging his vocal cords.

“Dammit, Suga. This is all your fault.”

“Hey,” he shrugged. “He’s your boyfriend. You’re the one calling 911 if this backfires. No pun intended.”

Taehyung lifted his chin from where it rested from the pile of leftover boxes from dinner on his lap, sitting to your left. “Yoongi, that was awful.”

“I didn’t plan it.”

Maybe there was a god up there making sure your friends didn’t accidentally electrocute themselves, because Yoongi’s car fired once, twice, and rumbled low, puffing smoke much like its owner.

“Lo and behold, the car lives another day.” The slim blonde rapper stood, pocketing his e-cigarette. “Come on kids, get in the back. And buckle your seatbelts this time, I don’t need one of you destroying the roof along with the engine on this thing.”

You don’t have to say I love you to say I love you

Forget all the shooting stars and all the silver moons

We be makin’ shades of purple out of red and blue

Sickeningly sweet like honey, don’t need money

All I need is you

All I need is you

You had no idea how he’d planned it, but it was two days of the road, your boyfriend, and the best trip of either of your lives.

“How did you manage- you know what, I don’t even want to know.”

Your boyfriend had somehow booked two days off from work and rented the smallest camper van you’d ever seen. It hooked onto the back of his car, and had the appearance of a somewhat rusted tin can that someone forgot about for a few years, then found and cleaned, only to abandon again.

It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen, and you fell in love with it instantly.

You planned out the route the day before, covering as much as you could, stopping only to eat, sleep, pee, and replenish the gas. It was the perfect short road trip- long enough to get away from the rush, but not long enough to miss anyone. In fact, you didn’t even have to miss home- home was next to you in the driver’s seat, one hand gripping the rim of the wheel and the other interlocked with yours.

Oh, and the sex was pretty good, too.

We try staying up late, but we both are lightweights

Yeah we get off our face too easy

You promised him you wouldn’t fall asleep during the movie, but your head was on his chest, one thing led to another, and you were dozing under the blanket he’d thrown over you.

He noticed you’d fallen asleep and was about to wake you with a tickle fight, but after the week you’d had at work, you deserved a rest. He kissed the top of your head and brushed your forehead with his nose, admiring your cute little snuffles and the way you pressed yourself closer against him.

“How did I ever deserve someone like you?” he mused, kissing your nose and running his hand down your back. You sighed in reply, cuddling ever closer to him.

And we take jokes way too far

Cause sometimes living’s too hard

We’re like two halves of one heart

We are, we are, we are

Your legs were crossed over his on the couch recliner, sliding as you toppled into the cushion in a full bodied laugh. He was laughing just as hard, shoulders shaking, breathless with mirth. You glanced up at him and found that even in a crowded room he was paying attention only to you, tender eyes gazing into yours. Time slowed and you were in your own little world with him, and only him.

His hand slipped into yours, and you entwined your fingers with his. You leaned your head on the swell of the pillow and smiled. Your thumb traced his knuckles, finding every curve and edge.

Across the room, Jungkook aimed a throw pillow at Hoseok’s head, but Taehyung batted it out of his hand. “Let them be.”

Eat a pill, stay and chill, you don't need to go

I'm about to bring emo back if you leave my home

“Oppa, I have to leave for work.” You tried to pull free of his arms, which had wrapped themselves tight around your waist.

“No, stay. Please?” He widened his eyes and batted them at you, putting fists up against his cheeks, doing aegyo. He knew it was your weakness.

You huffed at him, pretending to be upset. “Five more minutes.”

I'd panic at the disco and you'd rather watch a TV show

Then I'll squeeze your booty real hard like I'm kneading dough

His mouth was on your stomach and he was crawling up your front, kissing every bit of exposed skin he could find.

He pressed his lips against the sweet spot on your neck, listening to the cries that fell from your mouth like prayers. Hands ran up your sides and down your front, settling on your hips.

You snaked your nails down his back, tracing down his spine. He tipped his head back and you took the opportunity to kiss a trail from his throat to his lips. He crashed them into yours, needing you ever more closer to him, and let out a sudden yelp.

You had cheekily decided to pinch his ass.

His gaze darkened and he grinned seductively, taking his bottom lip between his teeth and stealing a not so casual peek at your chest.

“You fucking tease.”

Pizza boy, I'm speeding for ya

We can get married tonight if you really wanna

Me in a cheap suit like a sleazy lawyer

And if you break this lil' heart, it'd be an honor

You were drunk and he was tipsy, nearly shitfaced on the living room carpet. He was dancing around with a champagne bottle microphone and glittery top hat, trying not to trip over his own feet. You were draped over the couch arm, half hanging off in a stupor. You kept bursting out into fits of giggles when the hat would fall into his eyes and he’d have to stop and fix it.

“Hobi…?” Your voice trailed off, dragging out the ‘i’ in an upwards glissando. He twirled around to find the source of his name and lost his balance, pitching backwards.

“Jagiya?” He tilted his head so the world was sideways. “You look funny.” He completely tipped over now, flopping sideways like a rag doll. “Jagiya, I love you.”

To your alcohol-addled brain, that was the most monumental thing anyone had ever slurred to you.

You crawled the length of the couch and ran your hand through his hair, welling up. “I love you too, Hoseok.” Your tongue felt heavy, and the words weren’t coming out quite right.

“Jagiya…” he swayed a little as he sat up to take you in. “I want to marr’y you, you’re my e’rrything…”

You were pulling him closer by the ends of his crumpled bow tie as the door opened and Yoongi poked his head in. “Everything alright? I heard a crash.”

“Yoongi!” You opened your arms like a toddler wanting a hug. “C’mere…”

“I’ll pass, thanks. Jesus, Hobi, how many shots did you have?”

“Jus’ one. Maybe three.” He held up two fingers.

“Oh my god, this is worse than the car incident.” Yoongi scratched the back of his neck. Hoseok rarely ever drank, so his tolerance was fairly low, and he was more than a little plastered. “You’re both going to have awful hangovers in the morning. Ah, god. I’ll get Jin.” He turned on his heel and strode out.

Yoongi poked his head back in the room. “Oh, and by the way, happy new year to both of you.”

Your love for each transcended alcohol and late-night talks, pasta dinners and scuffed high-tops. It flickered and sputtered like a flame, growing until it was a roaring bonfire. You made sacrifices and he made sacrifices, giving up personal time you could have had to yourselves to spend it with the only other person in the world.

You helped him flourish, to break out of the mold he had made for himself to discover something new- a person he had never known before. The Hoseok who cooked you dinner and kissed your nose and fell asleep beside you wasn’t the same Hoseok who rapped Cypher looking like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, nor was it the same Hoseok who sang the tribute to his mother at her birthday party, or even the same Hoseok who made cute faces in selcas and joked with the boys. It was a Hoseok that was somewhere in the middle of all of those, a perfect mix of boyfriend and performer and goofball and everything you had ever looked for in a person, wrapped up and tied in a bow with a cute smile to boot.

So as you passed under the glow of a flickering street light, running hand in hand with the only man you’d ever come to love, your mind wasn’t on the burning in your lungs or the shooting pain in your ankle or the intoxicating drone of the city. It was on him, and only him.

You don't have to say I love you to say I love you

Forget all the shooting stars and all the silver moons

We've been making shades of purple out of red and blue

Sickeningly sweet like honey, don't need money

All I need is you

All I need is you, you

[purplenickel]

So this turned more into my queer dating history but its fun lol

So I have always been attracted to boys even before I knew that trans was a thing much less that I could transition. I also always admired girls and found ways to rationalize it until like middle school when I became aware of bisexuality where I had so many crushes usually on the mean kids at least the ones that didn’t have like weird shaped heads or watch alarms that went off at weird times during class like why do you need an alarm for 1:27? Youre supposed to be learning basic Spanish do that instead lol An I dated one guy in middle school when I knew I was bisexual and at least a tom boy. And the things I wanted to do to that boy. Like I was kinky as a small child lol like damn you could do a lot more than hold my hand and let me give you innocent little cheek kisses.

We stayed together until freshmen year of high school where I was bored with how slow things were going so I broke up with him. It probably didn’t help that I was starting to question my gender then either.  I told my mom I thought I wanted to be a boy and she shot that down real quick “You’re a girl and cant be a boy” so I ended up trying to cut off all my hair until it was so fucked she had to give me a buzzcut and I ended up looking like a hard core butch lesbian for a semester)

Second boyfriend was this skinny dude like only an inch taller than me and I was 5’3 at the time. I wrote down love song lyrics and gave them to him to ask him out. Im romantic like that lol. We dated for a while and I guess we just grew apart. He wouldn’t do much more than kiss me occasionally and I was like damn yall how do I keep getting these innocent Victorian straight boys. But he was cute and I still see him around town much to my embarrassment. Idk why im embarrassed so much maybe I feel bad that he thought he was dating a girl and im not?

Next boyfriend was a bi emo guy named Justice. I dated him mainly because he was the only bi guy I knew at my school in rural redneck Virginia lol he ended up being really kinky and kinda weirdly intense.  Like the fun part was he didn’t mind that I was all for sitting in the back of the anime club/computer classroom and tryina get down. The weird part was that he had the idea to write Real Person fanfiction staring ourselves as like vampires because he had a major biting kink and was really emo and thought he was goth but rural VA is a hard place to be goth when all your clothes come from walmart. But he was really intense like he had our entire lives planned out in the fanfic and actually went a bought me a ring  , gold with a pearl setting, that I immediately lost because why would you give me a ring??? Nah so I got real disinterested in Justice and planned to break up with him. I actually ended up cheating on him sort of. My class went on a field trip to Jamestown famous school tour site all Virginian probably had to go to. And one of my classmates/kind of friends was this really hot guy with this shaggy blonde hair and this wiry lanky body and was this laid back hot stoner type and I really liked him so I sat next to him on the bus ride and seduced him through out the whole trip until we stopped in this little shopping mall on the way back to school. I was walking around one of the department stores and saw him trying one underwear of all things lol he invited me to help him pick out a new pair of tight good looking underwear and I agreed and slipped into the changing room while he was putting them on and ended up giving him a hand job he was grateful lol. Then we went back to the bus and pretended like nothing happened but there was already a rumor going around the buses that somebody had sex in the store. A few days later Justice actually broke up with me because he felt that I was “acting different” and I probably was simply because I wasn’t attracted to him any more.

Between dating Justice and the next guy I did have my first kiss with a girl! She was so pretty with silky black hair in a bob and dark blue eyes and the palest skin. She dressed in rave clothes all the time and sometimes wore fairy wings and cloaks to school. She was delightfully strange but moved to florida I think but we were saying goodbye by the schools front doors and when it was my turn I gave her a tight hug and she turned her face and gave me a kiss and I was just wow kissing girls is so nice. Speaking of girls, I also had a huge crush on president of the anime club. She was so tall and really thin with a few curves, but she was really confident and funny and just made you feel at ease and I could’ve seen myself dating her easily but she was dating someone else but im pretty sure she might have been bi but she graduated and moved to Washington state to be a masseuse.

Next boyfriend was extremely religious and also wanted to get married. I was against getting married so young, really against converting to southern baptism and definitely against having kids. Pregnancy has always freaked me out mostly because I don’t like pain and don’t want to be in pain and in general everything about reproduction freaks me out idk why. But I really wanted him. He had these nice big and rough hands and was so warm all the time. He was also really sweet. But I broke up with him because I couldn’t do the religious thing It was Too Much™.

After dating him though I had this huge crush on this girl a year younger than me in me creative writing class. She was gothic in a very flowery dark fairy type way and I loved it she was also had a huge gay crush on my female friend who I can confirm is very beautiful with long dyed red hair and olive skin and this soft husky voice that would be perfect for a late night radio talk show where you call in about relationship problems. But anyways the girl I had a crush on was named Sage and she was beautiful  with her long blonde hair and her light green eyes and small everything she was very thin like scarily thin she actually had an eating disorder that we tried to help her with and she could reach her hand behind her ribs and grip the bottom of her ribs it was creepy to look at. She wrote beautiful and dark poems and never seemed to mind that my crush took the form of hugging her and resting against her as often as I could. She never seemed interested in me though I think she was actually fatphobic or maybe she was just femme for femme I dunno but I graduated and nev er saw her again so whatever.

After I graduated high school I decided to go to a traditionally womens college. My roommate was ace and like the first openly ace person I had ever met and she was really cool and introduced me to the idea of being ace but at the time I was decidedly bi and later pan once some more friends introduced me to tumblr and I started openly learning about gender and sexuality. All my friends were really hot that I met at college and I probably would have been down to date any of them except for the girl that I met through the anime club who also really liked the anime Hetalia. We could get together and watch episodes and read a variety of fanfictions ranging from family type things to kinky sex shit we were very close and im sure that a lot of people thought we were dating or at least fooling around together. We actually met each other at a Virginia anime convention where the anime club people went in a group and I went separately with some friends from high school (the best part of the experience was the wafflehouse in the hotel parking lot) but me and my friend got together at the con and went back to my groups hotel room to gush over the merch we had found and watch some anime together. I was in a closet cosplay that consisted of booty shorts and tied button up shirt so I had a lot of skin showing and we were sitting on the bed by ourselves until my friends came back and they all thought we had sex like no she was very attractive and had really nice curves but girl needed to shower more often because unfortunately she had a smell to her that I just didn’t like. I think she was interested in dating me but she ended up having financial problems of some sort and couldn’t come back to school the next year.

After she left school I came out as trans and got closer to the core group of the college anime club. They were all really hot except for the vegetarian one but she had a boyfriend and didn’t seem to like me much anyways so whatever. I also dated this one girl in my graduation class for like three days over the summer but she broke up with me because she was again a southern Baptist and couldn’t honestly date a trans person because it somehow went against god or some shit. That person has since come out as trans masculine. But anyways next person I dated was this smoking hot older girl who only wore skirts. She was southern Baptist and straight but I had to try even if I never got to be anything other than her creepy friend who everybody knew had a crush on her. She surprisingly was interested in dating me so we started going out. We went on dates around town to explore and see new stores and went to the park and shit was great we had kisses and cuddles and fun cute dates and sexy times but we also clashed a lot over mostly miscommunication. It didn’t help that I was on a medicine that once I started taking it regularly like I was supposed to my sex drive dropped to nonexistent. We fought over this a few times but still planned to try to get an apartment off campus the next year. I thought she was being too clingy by texting me pretty often that summer. I was in a bad mood all of that summer though. We broke up and got back together over the phone probably at least three times before deciding to break up for good. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we had stayed together because when we weren’t fighting we had a lot of fun and I told her things I hadn’t told anybody before, I felt safe.

The next person I dated didn’t go so well. This was a friend from the colleges LARP club that also had people from the community or it was a community club that extended to the college kids and just ended up being held on campus but that’s how we met. She had a very butch androgynous look but I just really liked her personality no matter how hot she looked in her leather jacket. So we started off as LARP friends and then I worked up the nerve to ask for her number and just texted her about random things and we ended up talking about how much we both like coffee so that turned into a coffee date at the local dunkin and it was a lot of fun and we had a few more dates like that and things were looking good. A few friends that knew both of us warned me that she didn’t normally go for men but I had talked to her myself and was like that a lie and you don’t know what youre talking about ok so we hung out for a few months going slow and not really relationship dating. Around the time I was thinking of asking her to be a couple my mental health deteriorated and I ended up being hospitalized. I tried calling her once to keep up the habit of talking at night through text since I couldn’t text at the time but I think me being in the “cr*zy ward” freaked her out because 1) the phone call did not go well and was never tried again and 2) once I got out of the hospital I texted her to see if she was interested in picking up where we left off and she shut me down saying she just wanted to be friends. Of course not even a month later I found out that she and the girl I had dated for over a year were now dating. This bothered me for a long time and I was constantly wondering if I was too cr*zy to date somebody or it was because I was trans a whole bunch of self hatred type thoughts. I eventually got over it (mostly)

Then I didn’t date anybody until last year. I started texting my friend Cat from high school (back then we had a very cute James Potter Severus Snape thing going on where the characters were dating but we weren’t) and I learned that they were agender and ace and I thought it over and determined that I was ridiculously attracted to them and didn’t mind being in a nonsexual relationship because at the time I was still pretty sex repulsed myself besides for reading kinky fanfiction and getting myself off every once in a while. So We went on a friends date in the spring to see Zootopia and it was so much fun and they were so cute in their leggings and hoodie with their windblown cropped hair dyed dark red. I asked them if they wanted to date and they said yes so we went on our first official date (a hike up an abandoned walking trail where we both got covered in ticks and I had to stop and stretch out a bad leg cramp, then we got lunch at a cute vegetarian café in town and went to the town park to hang out. We sat in the grass and listened to Florence and the Machine songs and smiled at each other looking cute. We then got milkshakes and learned that we still had ticks on us from the hick and they took me home and gave me a sweet kiss goodbye with the promise of more dates in the future). Over the summer we hung out a lot because they and their mom were moving from the house they had lived in for years to a house a county over and I volunteered to help with the moving of the last few belongings. Maybe 5 trips all together, but it was a good time every day we got to see each other. We would comfortable hang out in their old house packing things up and taking our time and then we would take the forty five minute drive to the new house listening to whatever queer music we could find and save to playlists.  Then we would cuddle on their couch after taking the days moving things inside and find something nice to eat on the way back to my house. I visited their college a few times (another traditionally women’s college) and met their friends who were also agender and queer and very cute people indeed. I enjoyed all the time I spent with Cat. Cat also helped me realize I was leaning more towards being a demiguy than strictly binary trans and that it was okay if I was ace, that sexuality can be fluid. Our relationship was very intimate and domestic and I loved it, especially the tight hugs and long slow kisses I would get each time we met and each time we had to say goodbye. I fell in love with Cat and because we didn’t see each other all the time and there was no pressure to maintain a sexual relationship I felt I could maintain those feelings I had for cat for a long time. We dated up until August of 2017 when they texted me and let me know they felt they were not only agender and asexual but also felt aromantic and would prefer to be platonic as they couldn’t keep up with the demands of a relationship. This devastated me. I took a week off from school to lie at home and let myself deal with the depression this brought. Im over Cat now. I enjoyed what we had but Im happy being friends though our ideas of friendship are different but that’s another textpost entirely.

I recently went to Charlottesville Pride 2017 with my friends that are the couple where I dated both and now they are happily dating each other and one of their other trans friends and it was so much fun. I think the act of getting a bag of free condoms reawakened my sex drive somehow?? Because now I would totally be down to get sex from anybody I was attracted to?? And im attracted to a lot more people than I usually am?? Like it was my friend Ness’s birthday a few weeks ago and she invited the same trans friend that went to pride with us to come and she brought her cousin with her and damn. Her cousin was the cutest and got so drunk like baby no you gotta stop while its still fun. So he’s agender and gave me his Snapchat and Im just…crushing so hard…hes too cute. But also I’ve been talking to people on OKCupid and everyones just so attractive (not the cismen tho neither the hets or gays wanna hit it so fuck em I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life) and all these tumblr people are cute and I wanna date everybody but everybody live like at least three hours away and it makes me sad because nobody seems to wanna try a long distance type thing which I would be up for.

So tl;dr:  if youre reading this and you think im cute, message me and ill tell you what all we could do together  ;)

Im a biromantic greyace chubby transmasculine enby and i like all body types and most personality types lol

[ominousdan]

Till Death Do Us Part

Summary: Dan has countless near death experiences throughout his life and Phil, or Grim Reaper D2417, is stuck with a client who can’t seem to die. After so many run ins with each other throughout the course of Dan’s dangerous life, they form a forbidden connection between human and AfterLife employee. 

warnings: death (not in great detail, guaranteed happy ending), smut 

word count: 9.7K

Phanart that @starsthatshine13 made! 

You could never hear him coming. He moved like a feather dancing in the wind, being swept off his feet with each breeze that blew his way. He never made a sound when he walked. The pitter-patter of toes along hard wood, the clacking of dress shoes along a stone hallway, the angry stomps that could shake a house -- it was never him. You could put him on a piano and he could stride along the keys without resonating a single note. That's how he snuck his way into everyone's lives, that's how he snuck his way into Dan Howell’s, unheard and unnoticed. His body frail, his hair black gossamer, his eyes as deep as the drowning sea. He was the poison in everyone’s veins, waiting to be enacted. To die in his hands was surely a heavenly way to die, but Dan refused to let him have his way. Even if he didn’t know he was fighting it in the first place.

It had all begun when Dan was a mere toddler. His mum had left him sitting on the living room floor with one of those little race car toys. The bright blue metal vehicle zoomed back and forth between his chubby legs. Curiosity swept over his tiny mind, like it does, and he crawled his way over to the diminutive holes in the wall with secret electricity brewing behind them. Dan’s infancy disabled him from seeing the consequences of his actions, so when that baby stuck a piece of his toy in the socket, he didn’t know a shock would pass through his entire body, rendering him unconscious. The poor boy could taste metal in his drooling mouth. He could hear his mum screaming his name repeatedly, as his eyes drifted to a close.

Dan awoke from his coma-like state while in the ambulance on the way to the local hospital. His mum was holding his right hand and to his left were three paramedics. Two of them were working diligently to keep track of Dan’s vital signs but the third one was acting...

. He stood the farthest away from Dan, seemingly minding his own business when he should be minding the high voltaging baby on the stretcher. His aura was dark and lingering. His expression showed that he was bored as if he’d been in the same situation a thousand times before. Dan’s beedy eyes met with his and he smiled at him. Those lips, that grin, the pure blackness that encompassed the mysterious being was Dan’s first memory of him. It was the first file in a very extensive folder of moments in his life where the same man would make an appearance.

He was supposed to die that day. The doctors claimed his body wouldn’t have been able to undergo a shock of that caliber. And yet, it did. His mum called him her

, and would always remind Dan that he had someone watching over him. And he knew that was true because he saw the same mysterious man many times after that first incident, though he never put two and two together until well into adulthood. Except this person was no guarding angel, in fact, he was far from it.

His second near death experience occurred a good couple years following the first. He was ten years old and didn’t have many friends. He didn’t know what it was about him that made everyone in primary school seem to have a shared seething hatred for Dan, though he didn't feel like finding out what it was because that meant interacting with them.  

Earlier in one of his dreaded classes -- biology, to be exact -- they were conducting an experiment that involved several mixtures of microscopic organisms. Dan was walking passed Steven’s desk and didn’t see the boy’s extended foot that Dan soon tripped over. He lurched forward, falling to the ground, and dropping the test tubes in the process. To Dan’s dismay, the organic substances found themselves a landing target on Dylan’s shirt. Dan looked up to meet the fiery eyes of the kid who had had it out for Dan since the beginning of the school year. Dylan was a foot taller than Dan and a year older too, due to the fact that he’d repeated 4th grade. His fists were clenched, and his scowling face had microorganisms spread across it. Dylan’s friend, Steven, was curling over with laughter, joyful tears brimming in his eyes. Technically, it was Steven’s fault, but Dan knew that wasn’t going to stop Dylan from taking it out on him.

Which is why he was in the position he was currently in.

It was like any other day. Dan was walking home from school, taking his usual route that allowed him to avoid the public. He trekked behind the school, through the borough of trees that encircled the train tracks, the path leading him right to his backyard. This way he wouldn’t run into anyone he knew because everyone he knew didn’t like him.

Except today, he knew someone was following him. With every crunch of a leaf, every snap of a twig he heard behind him, Dan’s ears felt like they would begin to bleed. He shivered at the thought of being pulverized in such a secluded area where no one could hear him scream for help.

he repeated in his head,

. He stared straight in front of him, determined to get home as fast as he could, when he noticed a rustling across the train tracks. Out from between the bushes emerged Steven. Dan quickly turned around, only to be met with two other boys; Dylan and someone he didn’t recognize, both scary nonetheless.  

“Where do you think you’re going,

?” Dylan exclaimed, making Steven giggle at the childish name. The hooded stranger didn’t even crack a smile, or a glance for that matter. He stared down at his foot kicking a rock from side to side as if he was bored. He was dressed in black from head to toe and his even blacker hair was poking out from under the hood of his sweatshirt.

Dylan and Steven approached Dan from either side of him, forcing Dan to stay in between the  two. He attempted to run up the tracks, away from the bullies, but then more kids from school who were apart of Dylan’s posse made themselves known. Dan was outnumbered, five to one. All of them, except the emo looking one, surrounded him. They each took a turn hitting Dan, causing him to fall toward another boy who just hit him again. Dan was flying from fist to fist, each blow in a different spot. Dylan, a punch to the face. Steven, a fistful in his gut. Tommy, a crack to his ribs. Jonathan, a heel to the groin. Dan’s vision blurred and his whole body ached, he didn't know which part of him to hold onto so he just fell to the ground. He laid there in a fetal position, trying to make himself as small as possible. But they continued to kick him and laugh even as he spit out blood and coiled within himself.

He was slowing drifting away, becoming so numb it didn’t even feel like he was being pulverized anymore. But then he became aware that he actually wasn’t. He glanced around, seeing the boys far away from him on either side of the tracks. Some of them were looking at him with wide, worried eyes while others were looking north of the tracks also worriedly. By reading their lips, he could tell they were calling his name but he couldn’t hear them. He couldn't hear anything. Not the birds in the trees, not the wind whistling through branches, not the rumbling of the ground, and definitely not the horn of the train that was headed right at him. When he finally noticed the bright light barreling towards him at a rate he could not comprehend, it was too late for him to even attempt to get up. His head lolled to the side in defeat. Dan took one last look before clenching his eyes to brace himself for Death. The last thing he saw was the hooded stranger, sitting cross legged by his side, right outside of the lines of track, staring down at him. Dan could finally see his face. It was pale, and all his lines were dark and abrupt, like a statue with chiseled edges. His eyes were the real amazement. They looked like someone crystallized the ocean and put the rocks inside this boy’s face. Dan was confused about a lot things, like why was he sitting next to him? And why wasn’t he helping him? But the most baffling question lingering in the back of Dan’s mind: Why was he feeling so calm about dying as he stared into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen?

The train ran over him. Literally ran right over his body but did not scathe him in the slightest. Because of the position Dan was in, there was enough space between the ground and the bottom of the train for Dan to lay perfectly still and not be harmed. Dan couldn’t even breathe while under the vehicle for if his lungs were to expand, they would have been taken off. Dan stared with bewildered eyes at the bottom of the train, watching it pass him so rapidly it looked like a gray cloud, all the pieces of metal blurring together in one fast motion. As the caboose finished passing over Dan, he shakily stood upright. He looked into his shaking palms in amazement, and started to laugh. Actual, full on, cackling. His body rolled with laughter, ignoring all the pain. He fell onto his back, panting and smiling and screaming into the air. He was alive.

. And that was all that mattered. Not the bullies who scrambled away in terror at the freak who thought this was the funniest things that’d ever happened to him. Not the mysterious stranger with eyes that captured the sky who became even more mysterious when he vanished. None of it mattered because he was a walking fucking miracle.

-----

Dan’s teen years were filled with no inhibitions. Ever since he was almost run over by a train he stopped caring about what other people thought about him. And you’d think that would have improved his life significantly, but things unfolded quite oppositely. Apparently not giving a fuck meant allowing your life to unfold while having no emotional reaction to whatever may come of it. He found himself without friends once again, because he never made an effort to keep anyone around. His grades were slipping because who cared what his teachers thought, or his parents for that matter? He didn’t even care what he looked like. He’d come to school in the pajamas he wore the night before because who was he trying to impress?

However, Dan

built himself a reputation. His stoic appearance and fuck-whoever-looks-at-me-wrong attitude made him somewhat popular among the student body. Being bullied throughout his childhood made Dan immune to it now. No reaction meant no entertainment and kids like Dylan and Steven gave up and sought out new targets. Dan was always invited to the big parties where high school students across five different neighborhoods would gather and drink their weight and get too high to come back down. And Dan was a sucker for substances that allowed him to leave his body and escape from the dreary life he had created for himself. But tonight was different. Tonight he didn’t simply want to drift away; he wanted to fly.

Tonight the air felt thicker, harder to take in and digest. Dan’s numbness was consuming him lately, to the point where if someone stabbed him with a knife, he would just keep walking with the handle protruding out of his body. “Don’t feel, don’t care” was no longer a command he repeated to himself, it was a way of being. But after so long, Dan felt bored. He wanted pain and hurt and happiness and wanting, but now it didn’t come naturally to him. So he had other means of bringing on such things.

Dan sauntered into Brandy Meldane’s luxurious house that took up half the block. Because Brandy’s parents were always on work excursions, this was the usual spot. She had enough space for a small village to live in it and enough money to repair any post-party damages and enough freedom to do whatever she pleased. The house lights were dim but strobe lights of an array of colors were flashing in every which way. Someone was going to have a seizure. The house was consumed in a cloud of smoke, reeking of pot, and if someone in the crowd didn’t have bloodshot eyes, they had a beer in their hand. It was a teenage wasteland and Dan loved getting lost in it.

Brandy, who had had a thing for Dan since primary school, skipped over to him in her red, velvet miniskirt and tanktop that couldn’t contain her breasts. “Here, Danny, drink up!” She handed him a red cup with a clear liquid that smelt like biodiesel, so Dan chugged it down without hesitation. It stung his tongue, burned his throat, then lit a fire inside his chest. And it was the best kind of pain he’d ever experienced. He craved more and Brandy was more than happy to provide for those needs. Drink after drink, they kept coming, and Dan consumed every last drop. Soon, he decided that red solo cups could no longer hold the amount of alcohol Dan wanted- needed. 

He decided to grab an untouched bottle from Brandy’s home bar. Zyr Russian Vodka, the label read. But the label could have read ‘POISON’ and he would have gulped it down regardless.  

Everybody in this house of fog seemed like a completely different species from Dan and he believed that’s why they kept him around: to observe him like a creature in a zoo. He had a black cloud around him, looming over his every move, metaphorically and literally. For ages now there has been this moribund aura surrounding Dan, one that everyone felt in the same way dogs could sense a hurricane approaching.

Dan couldn’t tell what it was, he just knew he was doomed. He was the type of person to get struck by lightning then come back to school the next day only to be hit by a meteor. Dan was always stuck in a state of almost dying -- the walking soon-to-be dead. The crowd that lingered around his ominous presence wanted to witness the damned miracle that was Daniel Howell in the same way people couldn’t help staring into a solar eclipse despite the risk of blindness. This calamitous cloud became stronger whenever Dan was in danger. Like how it was right now. Today it was massive, black, and consuming. It was dark matter.

Dan chugged his Russian vodka and it slid down his throat like molten lava with no viscosity. He was nearing the bottom of the bottle and started to feel naked, in a way where he couldn’t feel his clothes anymore, and then couldn’t feel his skin. He felt himself slipping in between realities. In one moment he was in his head, and then in the next he was in Brandy Meldane’s house. Desperately drunk and hopelessly lonely Brandy Meldane, but Dan was a hypocrite.

He was slumped on a hideous chair that was probably more expensive than his own life and Brandy was sitting on his lap. Her tits were practically morphing with Dan’s hands and if he kept groping her his fingers were going to get stuck. He kept his hands there anyway. Brandy’s mouth was plastered to Dan’s, the kiss messy and wet. Brandy seemed to be enjoying herself but Dan kept his eyes open. He couldn’t help but stare at the boy leaning against the wall across from them.

The boy was dressed in black (or possibly navy), a hood pulled over his low hanging head. He had one foot resting on the wall behind him as he stared at his fingernails absentmindedly like he was bored. He was balancing himself with one leg planted on the ground so he was clearly not as intoxicated like everyone else.

Of course he’d be bored, Dan thought. The mysteriously sober boy finally met Dan’s eyes and it was like he was punched in the face. Blue. His eyes were so blue Dan wouldn’t be surprised that, if he got close enough, he would be able see waves crashing in them. Dan wanted to be close enough.

He suddenly remember his hands were up someone’s shirt and his tongue haphazardly moving inside their mouth. He untangled himself from Brandy, lifting her to the side, and ignored her protests as he got up. Dan moved towards the stranger, the dark matter growing, and he leaned into him.

“Come,” Dan whispered, before moving towards the back of the house as the stranger complied. Dan slid open the door to the back patio where no one else seemed to be lurking. He waited for the hooded boy before closing the door shut behind them. Dan grabbed his hand, wincing at how cold it was, and pulled him to the side, pushing him into the siding of the house. Dan slid a hand in between the boy’s hood and his hair and pushed the article of clothing down to his neck. His hair was an inky black, the kind of black that shined blue in fluorescent lighting.

He was still staring down, his fringe blocking the eyes Dan so desperately wanted to see again. He lifted his head by grabbing his chin and raised it. Dan was right. There were tsunamis in his eyes ready to crash into Dan and drown him.

And then Dan was kissing him.

He was kissing him and it felt like it was the first time he’d ever kissed anyone.It stung his tongue, burned his throat, then lit a fire inside his chest. It felt better than any drug he’d ever had. Just kissing this boy felt better than all the kinds of sex he could ever have with Brandy. The boy’s hands were dancing on Dan’s naked back where his shirt had risen up. His hands were cold -- so cold it was hot enough to burn his skin, the same effect as dry ice. Dan’s arms were slung around his neck and he was pressing his entire body up against his, deepening the kiss as much as he could before he was swallowed whole. Dan realized he liked kissing boys better than girls because there were no boobs in the way, he could hold him closer. So much fucking closer.

The boy pushed Dan away and stared at him, wide-eyed, as if he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. Right when Dan’s lips parted from his, all his drunkenness ran him over like a freight train. “I rec..o..nize… you,”  Dan slurred, remembering flashes of blue from pasts too far away to pinpoint, but remembered nonetheless.

“No you don’t.” He said this factually, his voice stern but face still nervous. Dan ignored him, confident in his distant memory of this boy.

“Wutz..yer...naaame?” Dan attempted to ask, keeping one hand on the boy’s shoulder and another on his own stomach because it ached and he could feel it twisting around, something within his gut pushing itself up.

“Don’t have one.” He said nonchalantly, and maybe Dan was too drunk to understand or maybe he didn’t ask the question right. He couldn’t remember what he even said. “But some of my colleagues call me Phil.” So he did ask what he thought he did but he still couldn’t make any sense of his answer. Dan didn’t have the capacity to evaluate the conversation because he was too busy trying not to vomit.

His efforts were fruitless. He spewed the contents of his stomach onto the deck he was standing on, changing the stainless, white wood to chartreuse. Dan figured he just needed to get the alcohol out of system and then he’d be ready to pop a mint in his mouth and continue where he’d left off with the boy possibly named Phil, but he coiled over and vomited again. And again. And again. At some point he couldn't stand anymore and threw up while sitting down which resulted in vodka mixed with stomach acid getting all over him. His throat was so raw and his entire body was exhausted from the violent hurling. He couldn’t see properly anymore and could feel himself shutting down completely.   

Phil was just standing there, looking at him with a blank expression as Dan choked on his own vomit. “Help. Me,” Dan muttered with a scratchy whisper in between heaves.

“I’m not permitted to do that.” He spoke solemnly, sitting down on the railing. “My job comes after.”

“After-” Dan wiped some residue off his mouth with the back of his sleeve, “-what?”

“After you die.” And then everything went dark

------

Dan woke up in a white room, so white, he swore the walls were glowing. He was in an equally white bed, wearing an equally white gown, with an IV drip attached to the inside of his arm. He awoke to the sound of monotonous beeping from the machine beside him and water droplets falling within the pouch hanging above him. Dan pressed the red button on the side of his bed that called for an attendant and within the minute a middle aged woman in a doctor’s coat entered his room. “Hello Daniel, I’m Dr. Warren.” She greeted gingerly, shuffling over to his bed, clipboard in hand.

“Why am I here?” Dan inquired bluntly, confusion affecting his manners. The doctor smiled regardless.

“You had your stomach pumped, young man!” Dr. Warren's tone was still chipper despite the news she was delivering, “You suffered from an extreme case of alcohol poisoning. You could have died if someone hadn’t brought you in when they did.” She shook her head sadly at the thought.

“Who brought me in?” Dan desperately tried to remember what had happened the previous night but kept drawing a blank. His eyebrows were scrunched in bewilderment, the gap between them disappearing.  

“Ms. Meldane. She stayed here throughout the procedure and spent the night in the waiting room. Would you like me to send her in?” Dan continued to file through blurry memories but nodded, hoping Brandy could put the puzzle together for him.

The doctor left and didn’t come back, but in her place, Brandy stood. She was wearing a stained red skirt and the worn grey hoodie she kept in her car. Her cheeks were stained with streams of black from her mascara. Her lips were red, as was the area around her mouth, like she’d tried to wipe it off but instead just smeared it everywhere. She was trembling and her eyes were bloodshot. Dan looked up to meet her stare and the corners of his mouth quirked up. Brandy flew into his arms and he wrapped them around her, pulling her close and basking in the familiarity. “I thought I found you dead, Dan. I thought you died in my fucking backyard.” She cried into his chest, her balled up fists shakily hitting him. Flashbacks of Brandy’s house party began to come back in waves.

“I’m sorry, Dee. I’m sorry.” Dan leaned his forehead against hers and kissed the top of it. She was his best and only friend after all. And a good one at that seeing as she’d saved his life and all, silly crushes and drunken hookups aside. Suddenly Dan remembered something. Something blue. “When you, uh, found me outside, was there anyone else there?”

Brandy pushed herself up and sniffled. She thought for a moment but shook her head no. Dan brushed off the fleeting recollection.

-----------

Phil has lived a total of 57 lives, reincarnated into a different human over and over again (except that one time he was a dog in the 17th century). Once you’ve completed certain requirements throughout your lives, a soul is then eligible for a higher-up position. For instance, you need to have saved a life, made a beneficial long lasting difference, discovered something new, and many more things along those lines. Phil had completed enough of these to apply for ‘Afterlife Employment.’

There were a large variety of positions to register as. Sorters were people who placed souls into new lives after dying in a previous one. Determinators decided whether a soul was worthy enough to experience another life or whether they’d done something so heinous that it results in them being banished to “Hell,” if you will. There were the Creators who generated biological matter, making the bodies a soul could inhabit. And then there were Reapers, like Phil, who collected souls whose earthly figures had died and brought them to headquarters to be dealt with by the other employees.

Mr. G was the head of the entire AfterLife department. He hired them, fired them, and gave them orders to follow. On Earth, you were given names by your guardians, but the staff had only Mr. G to be named by. The G man had called Phil by this name on his first day and he had been referred to as such ever since.

The thing with reaper D2417, or “Phil”, according to his humanitarian boss, was that he had it tough. Tougher than anyone else in the office and everybody knew it. Poor, pitiful Phil, stuck with a client who can’t seem to die.

Daniel Howell was a fluke, a glitch. Phil had been assigned to take his life when he was supposed to die in ‘93, yet here he was 24 years later still waiting to collect his soul. The kid would be teetering on the edge of death when out of nowhere the universe would decide to save him, leaving Phil to report back to base empty handed.

There was a certain degree of power that came with each job here at Afterlife. For instance, Phil would get a list of names in the area he had jurisdiction over. Each name was put in order of time of death and glowed red when it was time to collect their soul. Phil simply had to touch the illuminated name and it teleported him to the exact location of the soon-to-be-deceased. Since Phil didn’t have a body, per se, he could shapeshift into someone that blended into the environment he got sent to, always with the same basic features that he could manipulate according to age and attire. He could also manipulate the memories of those around him, making it so they didn’t think of Phil as a stranger who’d just appeared out of thin air. Earthlings looked at Phil and were forced to recognize him as a friend, a coworker, a neighbor -- whatever the situation required.

But Daniel Howell, whose name was always glowing red at the top of the list, had a non manipulable mind. He always saw Phil as a stranger. Except, just recently he had recognized him, though not in the way Phil would’ve liked. The stubborn boy had started to remember moments where Phil had tried to take his soul but was inevitably unsuccessful. Daniel was getting closer and closer to putting the puzzle with together every day he was still breathing (which was a huge violation and could get Phil fired and who knew how many lives he’d have to live again before getting a chance at another job).

Still, no matter how irritating Daniel Howell was, it was undeniable how attracted Phil was to him during his most recent visitation. Throughout the years, Phil had seen Daniel as a work case, a file in a cabinet, a difficult task. He was always categorized as something that wasn’t worth feeling over.

Like most AfterLife employees, he didn’t pay humans much mind -- they were seen as potential future workers to contribute to this whole cog. No one cared about one another after they were aware of the system behind their meaningless lives on Earth. You fall in love and in hate and die and realize that none of it mattered because now you’re off to do it all over again. And again. And again. But there was something about that nuisance of a teenager at that party that’d switched something within Phil’s head, or lifted a veil of sorts that made him view Dan in a different way.

Maybe it’d been the alcohol or the cannabis in the air -- not that any of it could physically affect Phil -- but the energy was hypnotizing. Phil couldn’t help but keep a watchful eye on his target. And who was going to stop his target from returning that gaze? It wasn’t like Phil could have possibly halted said target from advancing towards him. And in Phil’s defense, who could’ve said no to those flushed, pink lips being pulled between teeth? And those rich, hazel eyes that had born into Phil like he wasn’t something to be kissed, but something to be devoured?

And Phil hadn’t thought that that blonde ditz could have had the capacity to come to Dan’s rescue! So yes, introducing himself had seemed harmless -- the kid was dying right in front of him, mere seconds away from choking on his own vomit! Although, Phil was an idiot for not seeing this coming. At this point he was convinced Dan was immortal.

The problem with the current circumstances between reaper and client relationship had left Phil in a sticky situation. The night sky was dark enough to convince a seeing man of being blind. The only semblance of light reigned from the street lamps looming above the handful of people reckless enough to be roaming the dangerous paths of London this late in the night. Of course of those people was Daniel Howell, once again making an appearance at the top of Reaper D2417’s list.

It had been a few years since their last encounter. Dan was now 24 years old and a lawyer at a reputable firm, resulting in long shifts of infinite paperwork that sometimes left Dan tiredly stumbling home to his flat a 12 AM on a Thursday night.

Phil crossed his fingers in the hopes that their last meeting had been forgotten. Still, only a fool would be able brush over something as traumatic as making out with someone who told you you were going to die as you commenced to nearly die.

Phil never got a cause of death summary, he just knew who was going to die and when. He followed closely behind Dan, curious as to what was going to happen. Maybe a meteor was going to fall from the sky and crush him. Or maybe a gang of cats would come out of nowhere and maul him to death.

Among these hypotheses in his head, Phil couldn’t help but appreciate the way Dan’s pants clung to his ass like they were painted on. Or the way his hips swayed back and forth like they were begging Phil’s hands to grab them and bury his nails into his bare skin. Or the way Dan admired the city like it was a dream, that glimmer in his eye and the slightest grin of wonderment pulling Phil in deeper. Phil’s heart began to race for two reasons, both not any better than the other. The first reason being that Dan was beautiful and Phil missed him. How was that even possible? They’d kissed once and barely had a conversation, and yet here Phil was, yearning pathetically. The second reason was that soon Dan was going to die and for the first time in his career, Phil didn’t want that to happen. Strange.

Out of the corner of his eye, Phil saw a figure -- tall, dark, and brooding. Upon closer inspection it appeared to be a man, possibly homeless. He was wearing worn, scuffed clothes and his facial hair was absurdly unkempt. The man wore a crooked smile that radiated hostile energy. Aside from the distant sound of sirens, slight patterned noises erupted in the night. Slice, click, slice, click. The reflection of the street lamp glimmered on the silver blade of this man’s pocket knife. He flicked it open and the sharp blade whipped through the air. Slice. With his middle finger he tucked the blade back into the handle. Click. He continued this as Dan walked closer to where he was standing. Why isn’t he crossing the street? Why THE FUCK is he not crossing the street?

Some people get murdered. That's just a fact. The greatest power a human has is the ability to create and destroy life itself and sometimes the urge to execute that power is too overwhelming to ignore. Phil knew this. He went through hours and hours of unemotional training. Seminar after seminar on how to resist feelings of empathy and mourning. Being a reaper required one to be void of emotional understanding. Phil had seen countless, brutal murders and felt absolutely nothing. But this wasn’t a field assignment about to be stabbed to death, it was Dan

A few more steps, a couple inches to go, and Dan would be right beside this maniac. The haggard man bounced off the building he was leaning on, pulled his hood further down his face, and left his blade out. Slice. Phil squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the piercing scream of tortuous pain, but all that followed was a gasp.

Phil opened his eyes and saw the blade pressed threateningly against Dan’s neck with the filthy hand of that man cupping his mouth. His lips were brushing against Dan’s ear, whispering something Phil could barely make out: “Follow me and maybe you won’t die tonight.”

The man dragged Dan by the jaw into the nearest alleyway and behind a dumpster, Phil trailing behind with trepidation. The man’s hands were traveling all over Dan’s trembling body as he emitted grunts and moans of pleasure. His knife traveled down to Dan’s groin, the point of the blade malevolently dancing along the imprint of his dick from under his slacks. “This is mine tonight,” he grunted behind grotesque chuckles, “and this,” his hands gripped Dan’s ass and pushed him against the side of the dumpster so that his back was facing the homeless guy’s front. Hushed whimpers poured from Dan as he felt the knife dig hard enough into his back to most likely draw blood. The reality of the situation didn’t sink in until the predator took his greasy cock out from his unzipped jeans.

“Nope nope nope nope.” Phil had had enough. He transformed into a form he knew would intimidate and terrify the rapist. He lifted himself onto the dumpster in the most demonic manifestation he could muster. His skin grew black feathers, long with rigid edges covering his face and body. Wings sprouted from his back. Not majestic, beautiful wings but broken, crooked appendages that flapped in the air menacingly. The whirlwind they created sparked the attention of the two men from below. Phil’s eyes were glowing bright yellow like the tips of fire and his pupils were the narrowest of black slits as they were bored into the soul of the criminal. Phil could see this man’s worst nightmares, his past life trauma, his dreams. Every secret he could possibly have was not a secret under Phil’s gaze.

“Harold,” Phil said warningly after learning the man’s name along with just about everything else about him.“I’m not happy with this behavior, Harold,” he said lowly, imitating the voice of Harold’s abusive father. His father was what he’d been running away from as a teenager, and now here he was, homeless with his dick in his hand and his knife on the ground.

Phil’s neck extended 10 feet longer, like a jack-in-the-box clown, so his ink blot lips were fluttering over the man’s cheek, “You know what happens when you upset me. Right, Harold?” The man’s face went completely pale. Dan could hear the man's heartbeat increase rapidly and his breathing go shallow. Shivers ran up Harold’s spine and his eyes glossed over in disbelief and unadulterated fear. Phil leaped off his perch and before he hit the ground, he transformed back to his natural state. There was only a millimeter of distance between Phil’s and this despicable man's nose. “Run.”

And he did.

-----------

Dan stared at this thing in disbelief. A giant bird-monster-demon ass thing came out of nowhere and yelled all this weird shit at this criminal who nearly raped and killed him. So maybe saving his life deemed this creature not a monster. But maybe he just made his competition go away so it could eat Dan while he was fresh.

“That was a close one, huh?” The misshapen, terrifying bird-man, was now a normal appearing human. Black pants and a matching hoodie cascading a shadow onto his face. He could barely compensate what his company even said because his mind had reverted back to the situation he needed to be saved by. He could still feel the touch of the rusted blade pressing against his groin; the taste of the dirt on the man’s hand gripping his jaw; the cold metal of the dumpster he was pressed against; the hot, humid breath of disgusting whispers forcing their way into his ear. Dan was shaking, hyperventilating, and reaching out for something to catch his balance on as his vision dissipated. The being of some kind caught him before he fell and gripped him securely. Dan realized that for the second time that night, a stranger was unexpectedly touching him. “Let go! Get the fuck off of me!” Dan punched at his chest vigorously and tears began to fall involuntarily, the shaking not only continued but hastened like volts of anxiety charging through his body. The man didn’t let go, he knelt down on the floor, pressing Dan closer to his chest.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” This person whispered into Dan’s ear but it didn’t feel like the whispers of the creep from before. His cold breath was as soothing as magic or really strong narcotics. Dan drastically relaxed, his breathing becoming less shallow. The two stayed like this until dusk’s fog veiled the Earth, twilight was approaching but not quite yet because the dark continued to showcase its persistence. Dan finally felt composed and with that, embarrassed. With rouge cheeks he looked up at his savior. His face was still covered with a peculiarly strong shadow created by his hood as if it was a black hole that swallowed light. He looked like the drawings that partnered with stories of the grim reaper. A faceless figure with long, pale fingers wearing a long black robe, all this guy was missing was a scythe. Dan lifted a hand and slithered it into the space between the hood and the top of his head. Dan combed his fingers through the silky hair that sat atop the man’s head and moved his hand all the way to the back of his neck, effectively pushing his hood off.

Dan was finally able to view this face he thought would be terrifying, demonic, unfamiliar. All adjectives that could not be applied in this situation. His face was very pale, like Dan figured, but his lines were not gentle, they were abrupt and sharp. His lips were naturally mauve, like he was always cold but his skin was bereft of goosebumps. He had small, brown freckles almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, they were so minuscule. But once seen you can never unsee them, they decorate his face like constellations in the sky above.

But the most vital aspect of his face, the feature that really tied it all together was his eyes. These fucking eyes affected Dan like when a deer faces headlights. They were so incredibly blue that it seemed as if this specific shade couldn’t possibly exist anywhere else. Except Dan has seen this color before, on this specific face, in these same hypnotic eyes. “Who are you?” Dan pressed and the other man just cracked a smile, chuckling breathlessly.

“C’mon, let me take you home,” He said smoothly then awkwardly added, “For, uh, protection.” Dan nodded, returning the smile from before but continued walking with the familiar stranger in apprehension. Dan tried so desperately to delve into his memories and rip one out that starred this guy. They walked side by side through the mucky, city air. The whistling of birds awaking from their nests rang from above them. The man made all the right turns sans Dan’s guidance as if he already knew where his flat was. The knocking of the rock the stranger was kicking along the path seemed booming, every noise enhanced in the awkward silence that consumed them.

They turned the corner, approaching the stairway leading to Dan’s apartment. “So are you going to tell me what your deal is? Because I know I’ve met you before and you just turned into a bird back there. I think I deserve some kind of explanation?” The guy sighed in return, seemingly conflicted. His eyes moved from side to side, he scratched the back of his neck, and groaned irritatingly before nodding.

“Okay, fine, but we have to go inside.” Dan stared blankly at him before reviewing what he just said and hurriedly dug in his coat pocket for his house keys. He fumbled with the cold piece of metal before inserting it into the door handle. It took an embarrassingly amount of turns of the knob before it eventually swung open. Dan stepped inside first, slipping off his loafers. The other guy followed by kicking off his black sneakers revealing black socks- consistent. Going from the frigged outdoors to the contradistinction of the thermal apartment caused Dan’s face to flushed red with warmth. But mystery-man’s face remained pallid. Dan made his way to his grey couch, gingerly placing himself in the sunken crease that perfectly outlined his body. His company stood in front of him, rubbing his temples with his hands, as if preparing what he was going to say.

“I’m D2417,” Dan’s eyebrows stitched together, not knowing what to do with that information, “but some of my colleagues call me Phil.” There’s the trigger word. Dan collapsed in a montage of flashbacks beginning with the party. He heard that exact same introduction before he almost died, in fact, this guy had told him he was going to die that night! Dan remembered how transfixed his drunken self was with this guy’s eyes but he now realized it was because he’s seen them several times before. When he was baby, when he was a boy, a teenager, and now in this very moment. The red string that attached all these pictures together was that each one of these memories involved a near death experience. Oh my God, this guy was trying to kill me all these years, Dan figured. But he hasn’t aged consistently, maybe this guy was Satan. Great, Satan is trying to kill me.

“Why do you want me to die so badly? Who th- WHAT the fuck are you?” Dan began to hyperventilate for the second time today. Each time this guy reappears, the previous worst day of Dan’s life gets triumphed by another.

“No, I don’t-” Phil began but Dan’s panicking cut him off.

“Ohmygodohmygod you didn’t let that guy kill me because you wanted to do it!”  Dan stood to his feet and paced back and forth, trapped inside his own worried thoughts.

“That’s not-”

“Just do it, just get it over with. I don’t want to deal with this again.” Dan stared up at his ceiling, opening his arms wide in defeat and hopeless acceptance. He clenched his eyes tightly, holding back tears, his heart attempting to beat out of his chest.

“Can you shut up?!” and he did, snapping his head in the direction’s Phil. “I’m not trying to kill you! I just want to collect your soul when you die… not that that seems to be happening any time soon.” Phil attempted to explain, but Dan wasn’t at ease.

“So this is like an Angel of Death type thing?”

“Yeah you could say that…”

“Then what ELSE could I say about it? I want more than the shittiest, vaguest explanation a demon can offer.”

“Okay, the d-word is offensive.” Dan rolled his eyes and gestured for Phil to continue with the most pressing matter at hand. He nodded, placing his hands on Dan’s shoulders, pushing him back down on the couch. Phil sat beside him and decided to tell Dan everything, each minute detail of his occupation. He told him about AfterLife, about Mr. G, the other professions. He told him about his powers. To prove himself, Phil morphed into a child, and then an old man, he grew gills, made his hair red, all of which made Dan nauseous. Phil explained the ability of his list and how Dan’s name is continuously glowing red at the top of it. He told him about the first time they met when Dan was an infant, and then second when he was in elementary school. He foreclosed all the information about past lives, about the requirements needed to apply for an AfterLife job.

Everything.

They sat in silence. Dan looked dazed as he endeavored to understand. Phil rapidly tapped his foot against the wooden floor, not making a sound. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth distractedly, “Can you say something?”

“You saved my life though. Doesn’t that defeat your purpose?” Dan turned toward the reaper in, once again, utter confusion. But Phil didn’t have a reasonable answer for that one.

“I suppose so…”

“Do you think it was the same reason why you kissed me at that party?” Phil choked on his spit in shock. It wasn’t brought up in the entirety of their extensive conversation, he assumed Dan forgot about it.

“I-I mean, maybe?”

“Okay,” Dan nodded sternly. “So what’s the plan?”

“Wait until the next time you’re supposed to die, and not interfere, I guess.” Dan nodded again, both of them unsure of how Dan felt about the situation. God, how could anyone be able to forget that kiss, Dan reminisced. He turned towards Phil, his knee pressing against his. They both looked at their grazing legs and then up at each other. The eye contact they shared was tense- a good kind of tense like they both knew what each other wanted, but who was going to be the first to break? Dan’s stare shifted down to Phil’s lips, and Phil’s eyes were traveling along Dan’s neck like he was trying to taste his skin with a glance. Dan noticed every subtle movement of Phil’s mouth; how he bit his bottom lip and dragged it between his teeth and when it bounced back into place, the pigmentation was bright red causing his cheeks to adapt the same color.

“Thanks for tonight. Hopefully, next time we see each other I’m old and about to die in my sleep.” Dan chuckled morbidly, still undressing a Grim Reaper with his eyes.

“Mmhm.” Phil said distractedly busying himself in the same fashion.

“Do you...have somewhere else to be?” Dan asked nervously, hoping the question would lead to the conclusion of Phil deciding to stay with him a little while longer (for closure of course, nothing more nothing less).

“Absolutely no where.” He may have had somewhere to be, but definitely didn’t want to be anywhere else.

“Do you maybe want to spend the night? Only because this is a lot to take in an-” Phil grabbed the sides of Daniel’s blubbering face and pressed it against his boarder line violently. He had wanted to do that so desperately for almost 5 years. And it was exactly all it was pent up to be.

Dan reciprocated immediately, moaning into the fast paced kiss. Phil bit Dan’s lip forcing a gasp to escape, which gave Phil the opportunity to slip his tongue inside Dan’s mouth. They explored each other’s mouths so deeply, each taste bud rubbed against an identical one on the other’s. Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck and leaned back on the couch so that his company was on top of him. They separated for a quick second so Dan could unzip Phil’s hoodie and Phil could pull his shirt over his head and discard it on the ground. Dan followed suit, the pair of them now able to grip, scratch, and dig at each other’s bare skin. Phil bent his head down to that neck he craved to cause discoloration to. He peppered a trail of delicate pecks from his jaw to his collarbone. Dan sucked in a quick breath through clenched teeth when Phil hit a spot just below his ear, feeling the smirk being pressed against it. Phil began by sucking gently, Dan’s soft skin lifting into his mouth. It escalated to Phil pulling the derma between his teeth, nibbling and then biting. Dan was panting and arching his neck so high it looked straining.

Phil began grinding into Dan and he reciprocated by thrusting upwards, their pelvises adapting into a symbiotic rhythm. Phil moved further down Dan’s body doing what he did to his neck to each nipple until they were pink and puffy. “Phil, please,” Dan huffed, “I’m so hard it hurts.”

“I’ll take care of you, don’t worry,” Phil grinned smugly. He gripped the waistband of Dan’s undone pants and the hem of his underwear and with one swift motion he was now completely naked. His erection sprung free from his constricting clothes and pressed itself against his body. Dan yelped at the drastic motion. Phil didn’t give Dan enough time to think before he grabbed the back of Dan’s thighs and lifted his legs in the air. For a split second, Dan horrifyingly thought that Phil was about to go in raw and dry but was delightfully surprised when he felt a warm, wetness spreading over his tight opening. Phil’s tongue lapped diligently over the area, effectively lathering his spit and lubricating Dan. Phil pushed a dripping finger inside of him, waiting a moment before adding another. And soon Dan was three fingers full and pushing down on Phil’s hand as he curled and twisted his fingers in fluid motion, tickling the surface of Dan’s throbbing prostate.

“That’s enough! Oh my god, please Phil!”

“Please what?” Phil smiled, making eye contact with Dan as he kissed his shaft.

“Fuck,” a scream overcame him as Phil’s middle finger pressed even deeper, “Fuck me, fuck me until I break.” Ceasing any hesitation (because it was killing Phil just as badly), he lined himself up with Dan’s ass, Phil’s pants and boxers slipped down his legs, he shook them until they hit the ground. He pushed himself in slowly, both of them erupting into a chorus of groans and explicites. Phil pulled in and out, leisurely, and gradually picked up his pace. He was thrusting in and out every two seconds, pounding Dan further and further into the couch. Dan threw his arms over his head, holding the armrest behind him in a death grip. Both of them were glowing through their sheens of sweat and Dan broke out into laughter.

“What?” Phil asked breathlessly, looking down at the beautiful boy he had pinned below him.

“Can you manipulate every part of your body?” He inquired cheekily, the glimmer in his eye brighter than any stars gleaming through the windows. Phil couldn't wait to distort that complacent look on his face.

“AHHH! FUCK, PHIL,” Dan felt Phil’s dick grow several inches longer from inside him, ripping impossibly deeper like it was in his stomach. Dan’s entire body started to shake as he helplessly flailed his arms around in search of stability. His mouth was open as if he was screaming but he didn’t even have the strength to conjure a voice. Dan came instantly, getting cum on both himself and Phil. One more deep thrust later and Phil was doing the same.

Dan sat up and pushed Phil down, so their positions were switched. Phil laid on his back, and Dan sprawled himself on Phil’s stomach, Phil wrapping his arms around his precious boy. They laid there, panting, naked, and moist but neither of them made a move to separate. “That last part was just mean.”

Phil couldn’t help but laugh, “I know, I know, I’m sorry,” he pressed a final kiss on his forehead and waited for Dan to fall asleep before slithering out from underneath him. He wiped himself down with some tissues that were near by and dressed himself. He spread his black hoodie on top of Dan’s curled up body, and relished in one last view of this unkillable man before teleporting out of his favorite corner of the world.

----------

It had been several months since Dan woke up alone and naked on his couch. He hadn’t seen Phil since that hectic, terrifying, magical day. Dan shamelessly moped and ate ice cream in a dark, locked room for what seemed like weeks afterwards. He had no way of contacting Phil, all he could do was wait for the next instance he might die. But since he became self aware of his near death experiences, they stopped happening. Dan’s thoughts only consisted of Phil. The memories Dan had of Phil attempting to collect his soul, that he hadn’t even uncovered until recently, became the only memories he seemed to have. He had unfinished business with the reaper. It was devastating to have developed a connection with him only for him to disappear from his life directly afterwards.

But Dan developed a recklessly insane (but creative) idea that might drag Phil to him. He began putting himself in extremely dangerous situations that might lead to his death. Dan walked in the middle of busy streets, along the double yellow lines as oncoming traffic zoomed and honked passed him on either side. He would go to the tubes and stand on the very edge of the tracks, the trains coming close enough to skim his skin. But today he was on the edge of his apartment complex, 10 stories above the ground. He wore the black sweatshirt Phil left behind to protect him from the frigid wind of the heightened atmosphere. Balancing along the foot wide trim of the building, singing toward sky, “C’mon, asshole.”

Dan was about to get back on the roof floor in defeat before he noticed this blackish mist developing in the sky. It became an orb of darkness that germinated until it was large enough for a person to come out of. Phil materialized in the air, sporting his classic, black-feathered wings that kept him afloat. “Okay, Dan, what the actual fuck have you been thinking?” Dan beamed at him, a smile stretching from ear to ear plastered itself on his face. “Are you fucking crazy? Trying to kill yourself? For what? For me!?” Dan was so overwhelmed with joy and pride that his plan had worked out he couldn’t even tell what Phil was saying. “That’s bullshit!” He seemed angry. Cute. “I know that this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have sprung all that on you, had sex with you, and then left. I didn’t even leave a note! Did you want to see me to punch me in the face? I’ll give you a free hit.” Dan shook his head, finally responding to Phil’s spastic rant.

“I just missed you,” Dan offered, “And I don’t know how I feel about you, but I can’t get you out of my head. And I very much want to kiss you right now.” Phil’s face did a complete 180 as an expression of distress morphed to a flustered, happy one. Phil flew closer to the chocolate-eyed human and Dan attempted to take a step away from edge. But he had forgotten it rained the night before. And he had forgotten that he was standing on the slippery, narrow platform of a 100 feet drop. And Dan didn’t remember until he was falling through the air and Phil didn’t think to remind him until he saw his body splattered and broken on the pavement below. “Well, shit.”

---------

“Get up, son,” Dan awoke to a man’s deep, bellowing voice and a blinding white light. His vision focused on a muscular, businessman with luscious brown hair and a perfectly groomed beard.

“Am I dead?” Dan inquired as he sat up, noticing everything else in the room. There were several other professional looking people in a place where the walls seemed as if they were glowing, decorated with file cabinets, desks, and office doors.

“Yep!” The big guy said, “Congratulations you have completed all your Earthly life requirements and can now be promoted to an AfterLife job! I’m M-”

“You’re Mr. G! I’ve, uh, heard about you.” He erupted into a laugh that probably caused an earthquake in California. “Alright, boy, take my hand, I’ve pre-assigned you a position.” Dan shook his hand and a surge of power flooded his body and ran through his veins, like his blood was being replaced with liquid gold.

“What’s happening to me?!” He vibrated vigorously as Mr. G kept a firm grip on his hand.

“I’m giving you the powers of a Reaper. You are now reaper R38L2, or Dan, for short. I can tell you’re fond of that name.” He let go of Dan and magic settled itself within his new feeling body. He was handed a scroll tied prettily with a red bow which Dan assumed was the List. “Now I’ll introduce you to your partner, he’ll show the ropes.” Dan followed him down a winding hallway with beings of all shapes, sizes, and energies. He could feel each of their powers levitating off of them, he could see their auras.

“Danny, this is your reaping partner.” A black figure appeared from behind him with the rarest blue orbs for eyes.

“Hey, babe, wanna get to work?”

[noquiznaksweregiventhatday]

WOULD YOU LOOK AT WHAT’S FINALLY WORKING

Heyo so my fic FINALLY uploaded after 3 hours of waiting. I’ve never done these description type things so we’ll see how this goes

Title: When Dusk Falls

Current Word Count: 9982

Chapters: 2/? (I accidentally uploaded two chapters instead of one whoops)

Pairing: Keith/Lance 

Summary:  It all started when Ms. Evanescet vanished without a trace six months ago. Unexplained disappearances have been occurring ever since, and no one has been found. It is starting to appear that the cases could be connected, but the police seem to not care. Strange things are afoot in the sleepy town of Altea Falls, and the group is going to get to the bottom of it, no matter the consequences.

You can also read the first chapter of the fic here (Since it was an accident that I uploaded two)

Beep. Beep. Beep. The strident sound of the alarm cut through the air, jolting the teenager from his sleep. He rolled over from the position in his bed, groaning as he did, to look at the clock. 7:00 AM, it read in red luminescent digits. He grabbed his pillow from under his head and placed it over his face and ears, trying to drown out the raucous noise. It still pierced through the air, but it was at least somewhat muffled from under the pillow. He began to slowly to drift off again.

"Keith Kogane! Get down here! You're going to be late for school!" A voice yelled from down stairs.

"Five more minutes!" He groaned back.

"Keith, breakfast is getting cold! Come on!" Another voice shouted.

"Fine," Keith grumbled, removing the pillow from his head and sitting up. He rubbed his face to wake himself up, and pulled the covers off. He swung his legs around the side of the bed and dug his toes onto his carpet, curling them as he did.

"Keith!"

"I'm coming!"

He stood up and stretched to the ceiling, attempting to reach it with the tips of his fingers (even raising his heels in an attempt to make himself taller). When he couldn't, he sighed in disappointment and made his way downstairs, yawning as he did. He sat down at the kitchen counter next to his stepbrother contently digging into a plate full of eggs.

"Keith, you aren't even dressed yet!" A woman from the kitchen said.

"Aw, lay off of him, Mom," his stepbrother said, ruffling Keith's hair as he did. "He stayed up late looking up Bigfoot sightings again."

"I did not!" He protested.

The person simply took a sip from his coffee mug, a smile playing on his lips.

The woman from the kitchen set a plate of eggs in front of Keith. "Eat up."

Keith picked up his fork and began eating his food. He glanced to the newspaper on the counter next to the plate. A large headline was plastered across the front, reading, Two More Missing Since Last Incident. He was tempted to read the article further, but he already knew what it entailed. It would state that two more people were missing, maybe link them back to the other recent cases, then say the police are looking for any information on any of the cases. He shoved it away from him.

He finished his eggs and headed back upstairs to change. He pulled on a shirt plastered with the words "I WANT TO BELIEVE" and tied a flannel around his waist. He laced up his shoes as quickly as he could and raced back down the stairs. His father and stepmother were just leaving the house for work.

"Have a good day, you two," his father said. "Don't get into too much trouble."

"We won't," Keith said.

"Takashi, honey, remember to pick up the eggs on the way home."

"I will, Mom," his stepbrother replied.

She kissed the top of his forehead. "See you guys tonight!"

With that, Keith's father and stepmother were gone, leaving him and his stepbrother alone.

"Come on, let's get going," his stepbrother said. "You want a ride?"

"Of course I do, Shiro."

"Just making sure."

Shiro grabbed his keys off the hook and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He stepped outside and to the car parked on the curb, and Keith followed suit. Shiro got into the driver's side, and Keith in the passenger side. A fog clung to the ground outside, but it was light enough that it was still safe to drive. Shiro started the car, and they began to drive down the quiet roads to the school. Keith stared at the window, watching the quaint houses zip by them. Many had perfectly manicured lawns, flowers arranged beautifully, and sprinklers going off in the early morning. Keith knew that the ones that didn't were recently empty houses, with their previous residents nowhere to be found.

"So, uh, do you want a ride home?" Shiro asked.

"I've got Cryptid Club after school with Pidge today. I'm sure Matt will give us a ride home, or Pidge and I can walk home."

"Sounds good. Just be home by the curfew."

The curfew. A recent rule put in place in an attempt to reduce the missing persons rates. Of course, it did nothing to reduce the number of people vanishing and only made the town folk more irate than they already were about the situation. Despite this, the curfew still stood in place.

"We will. It's not like we have much of a choice, do we?"

"I suppose not."

They rode in silence the rest of the way to school. When Shiro pulled into the parking lot, Keith nearly jumped out of the moving car.

"Hey! Careful there!" Shiro said.

Keith fell back into his seat. "Sorry."

Shiro parked. "Now you can get out."

Keith hopped out of the car and landed onto the asphalt. He sprinted off to the throng of people while yelling back, "thanks for the ride, Shiro!" He quickly caught up with the horde and slowed his pace to a walk. He was about to place the headphones around his neck over his ears when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, emo!"

He turned around and scanned the area for the source of the voice. His eyes settled on a person much shorter then them, with hair that seemed to defy gravity. She wore large, round spectacles that were far too large for her face. Small freckles were dotted over her cheeks, creating constellations across her face. She wore a mischievous grin that stretched ear from ear, warning others to not mess with her. She wore a tank top with the Nasa logo plastered across the front, and an olive green jacket (the dress code forbid those from showing shoulder blades, and because she was a freshman, teachers were much more strict about it around her). Her backpack was slung on one shoulder, nearly knocking over most people as she shoved through the crowd to reach Keith. Despite being the shortest person around, most cleared out of the way. If they didn't, she would forcefully move them out of her way.

Keith broke into a grin. "Heyo, Pigeon."

She punched him playfully on the arm, but light enough so it wouldn't leave a bruise. "Great to see ya. Heading to our locker?"

Keith nodded. "Sure am."

Pidge, as she was called, looped her arm that was free from her backpack through Keith's. "Lead the way."

They weaved their way into the building, pushing their way through the horde to reach Keith's locker. The layout of the school was quite simple. One main hallway that had three small branches on each side. Each branch covered a different subject area. The three branches on the left covered English, science/math, and social studies. On the right, it was world languages, art/music, and other electives. At the end of the hallway was the gym and the pool. In each hallway, lockers lined the walls. Keith and Pidge were lucky enough to be in the one of the main hallways, a luxury the younger students (freshmen and sophomores) got to enjoy. Soon enough, Keith and Pidge had reached their locker. Keith quickly spun the combination lock and swung the door open. Keith shifted his backpack to the side so he could reach and open it, and unloaded the majority of its contents into the locker. Pidge followed suit, then leaned on the locker next to Keith.

"So, you finally tell Lance your true feelings?" Pidge asked nonchalantly.

"Shh!" Keith replied, turning red. "Someone could hear you!"

"Yes, because I am sure everyone in this hallway is eavesdropping on our conversation."

Keith glanced at each passerby, eyeing them for any suspicious activity. "You never know who is listening," he whispered.

"Stop being a paranoid little shit and answer my question."

"Of course I didn't, Pidge. I don't want to get rejected, or ruin our friendship. I'll just suffer silently until college."

"Come on, man, out of everyone in this damn school, you've got the best chance. He's totally into you!"

"But he's straight! There's a zero percent chance of him liking me. There is no way I am telling Lance-"

Out of nowhere, a boy swooped in. He was taller than Keith, but not by much. His skin seemed to radiate the sun, and brown locks fell over his head. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt with blue sleeves, and a hand-me-down jacket.

"Tell me what?" The boy asked, a grin playing across his face as he did.

Keith shut the locker quickly. "I-uh, well um."

"Not tell you the answers to the Latin quiz you missed last week cause you were sick. It's only fair you have to suffer like the rest of us on it," Pidge said, saving Keith as she did.

The boy groaned. "Fuck, I didn't study for that. Can you at least help me a little bit?" He pleaded.

"Our lips are sealed, Lance," Pidge replied, pretending to lock her mouth and throw away the key.

Lance sighed. "Fine. I'll just fail it like you guys did."

Pidge fished out a paper from her bag, proudly displaying a large 56/56 on the paper. "Read it and weep."

Laugh chuckled. "Jokes on you, now I've seen the quiz."

"Except, you forget that Ms. Cavallaro changes her quizzes slightly when you have to make them up."

Lance snapped his finger. "Bested me again! What did I expect from the smartest person in school though?"

Keith had locked the locker while Pidge and Lance were talking about the quiz, listening intently to their conversation. He hung onto Lance's every word like it was his lifeline, not random ramblings about a Latin quiz. While Lance continued his rambling, Pidge mouthed the worlds "You're welcome" to Keith. Keith nodded and smiled.

The first bell rang, signaling they had five minutes to get to class. Pidge scooped up her textbook for biology class off the floor and gestured to the science and math hallway. "Shall we go?"

"I guess we don't really have a choice," Lance sighed.

They all began to clear out of the main hallway, as all the other students did, and strolled to their first period class. They were lucky enough to all share biology together first thing in the morning, as well with their other friend Hunk. It was the only class period all of them shared together (with the expectation of lunch), and it was the perfect way to start off the day.

It didn't take them long to get to the classroom and claim the back table as their own. Pidge placed her bag on the seat next to her to ensure it was saved for Hunk, who appeared to be running late that day, which although strange, was not something to worry about. They continued their conversation.

"So, as I was saying," Lance said, "I totally think Prince Lotion uses the same shampoo as I do! His hair smells exactly the same as mine-"

Pidge smirked. "Do you smell it regularly?"

"Don't interrupt. It's a pretty hard smell to miss. I could smell it all the way from my desk in English class. Anyway, but like that's just really frustrating, you know? I mean, that guy honestly can't be original in anyway, can he?"

Before Keith or Pidge could contribute to the conversation further, a boy burst into the room, heaving heavily as if he had just been running. He wore an orange bandanna on his head, tied neatly at the top. He made a beeline to the back of the room to their table. Pidge moved her stuff and he plopped down next to her.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Pidge teased.

"So, what are we talking about?" The boy asked, ignoring Pidge.

"Prince Lotion," Lance answered, "and his inability to not rip me off."

"Ugh, that guy," the boy replied.

"I know, right? Did I tell you that I think he's using the same shampoo as me?"

"I think you told me that three days ago."

"Sorry, Hunk, I can't keep track of every conversation."

The second bell rung. Class had begun.

Their teacher, Dr. Franklin, looked up from her computer and to the class. The projector already displayed the power point for today, or "Unit 2-1: The Molecules of Life".

Dr. Franklin began teaching, but the four were still murmuring in the back of the classroom, keeping their heads low, as if in a secret meeting. Their topic had quickly changed from "Prince Lotion" to that of a more serious one.

"Two more went missing," Pidge whispered. "That's eleven in the past month alone."

"Oh god, not your conspiracy theories again," Lance groaned.

"Shh," Keith said in response to Lance. "Pidge, who were they?"

"Not sure. Both were minors, meaning the names couldn't be released. With some digging though, I think we can figure out who."

"What time did they disappear?"

"Did you not read the article Keith? It said they went for a walk at about seven pm and never came back."

Keith scratched his chin, thinking. "These ones must be connected to the others. They disappeared at a similar time."

"No shit, Sherlock. They're all connected," Pidge replied.

Hunk and Lance were listening in on the conversation, but not fully responding. The conspiracies and missing persons cases were Keith and Pidge's specialties, and they both new that. Hunk doodled small cups of coffee and other breakfast food in his notebook while he listened, and Lance tapped his pencil against his blank notes.

"Fuck you, Watson. You got any leads yet?" Keith asked.

"Not anything substantial. I think we need to try to figure out how all of these cases are connected. Then maybe something will click."

"What do you think we've been doing the past five months? Goofing off?"

"I know, I know, it's just that-"

"Ms. Holt!" Dr. Franklin interrupted, looking with disdain at Pidge, her nose turned upwards. "Since you clearly were not paying attention, do you mind answering the question?"

Without skipping a beat, Pidge replied, "dehydration synthesis."

Dr. Franklin blinked and stood at the front of the room, silent. It took her a few seconds to regain her look of contempt before she spoke again. "That-that is correct. Can anyone tell me why it is called dehydration synthesis?"

"Not paying attention my ass," Pidge mumbled, rolling her eyes and frowning as she did.

"Ms. Holt, would you care to share what you said to the rest of the class?" Dr. Franklin said, crossing her arms.

"Nothing, Dr. Franklin."

Dr. Franklin nodded her head and continued her lecture about the wondrous molecules of life, seeming content that Pidge had backed down in the end instead of standing up to her like she normally did.

"Look, we'll talk about it later. It's too risky here with Dr. Franklin watching us. Let's pay attention and take some notes so you guys can pass the test," Pidge whispered.

"But I get As on all the exams," Hunk replied, his lips in a thin line.

"Wasn't talking about you, buddy. I was talking about emo and flirt over here."

"Hey!" They both whispered in unison.

Pidge let a smile play on her lips, but did not respond to their protests. Keith sighed and turned his attention to the front of the room, watching as Dr. Franklin droned on about condensation reactions. Pidge was furiously jotting down information, already filling half of a page with words and diagrams. Hunk too was talking notes, and he was nearly down the bottom of the page, his large handwriting filling most of the page. Lance and Keith on the other had both had two words written down: dehydration synthesis.

Pidge glanced to their papers, and seeing few notes on them, raised her eyebrows at them. Keith shrugged, and Pidge rolled her eyes in response, turning her head back to the presentation. After what felt like hours, the bell finally rang. People clambered out of the room as Dr. Franklin yelled out the homework. Keith didn't hear it, but he was sure Pidge would tell him later.

They clustered around the outside of the door, blocking a small section in the hallway.

"Well, see ya guys at lunch, I guess," Pidge said. "We'll talk more ab-" She was cut off when someone ran into her, nearly knocking her over. She stumbled, but quickly regained her footing and her tongue. "Hey! Watch it! We're trying to have a conversation here!"

The perpetrator just snorted and walked off, leaving Pidge with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the ground. When it was evident he wasn't going to come back to apologize, Pidge sighed. "I should probably get going. Don't want to be late to class and all. You guys should probably do the same."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. See you guys later!" Lance said, walking away.

"Good luck on your grammar test today," Hunk said to Pidge.

"Thanks. I'm totally going to own it!" Pidge replied.

Hunk smiled. "That's the spirit. Go get 'em, Pidge."

Pidge strolled off, taking her time to get to English class. She pulled out her phone while she was moving, the screen illuminating her face and reflecting on her glasses. She nearly ran into a couple of people, but was quick to maneuver around them. She did run into one person, but she continued walking.

Keith glanced to Hunk, and Hunk shrugged. "Ready?"

Keith nodded. They began their perilous journey through the halls to their drawing class. It wasn't a long trip, and soon enough they had found their seats. The bell rang once more, and class had begun. Class today was easy, with them learning about different components of shading and techniques. Before they knew it, class was over.

Hunk and Keith grabbed their things and headed for the door. Once there, Hunk patted Keith on the back. "See ya around, buddy."

Keith's final class before lunch was the most dreaded class in the entire school-physical education, or the work of the devil. He took his sweet time getting there, knowing that once he walked through the doors of the gymnasium, there would be no going back for another fifty minutes. Keith pushed the doors open, and was met with a wave of air conditioning and the stench of the teenagers from the previous class. He nearly gagged on the odor of sweat, blood, and tears, but managed to refrain from vomiting his eggs from the morning. He walked by a group of students loitering around the water fountain, trying to enjoy their last few minutes of freedom. When they saw him, they began to giggle. He tried to ignore them and decided to go change out for class.

The locker room was a rowdy place, full of yelling boys running around the lockers in every direction. In the corner, the seniors all sat, glancing out from their conversations every once in a while at the chaos. Few seniors had to take P.E, so the ones that did tended to stick together. The juniors jostled each other around, trying to bring up the morale of the group. The freshmen were evenly divided into two groups-the riotous ones and the quiet ones. The riotous ones thought they owned the place, strutting around with their noses turned upwards, slapping each other with towels as they did. The quiet ones just silently changed and drifted out of the room, like a ghost wandering away.

The bell chimed. They now had two minutes before roll call started, and Coach Sendak was a strict about getting to class on time. Keith quickly grabbed his gym uniform, a grey shirt with the words, "Altea Falls Lions" circling around a black lion roaring, and black shorts, from his locker. He threw them on and took the hair tie from around his wrist and pulled his hair back. He threw his street clothes back into his locker and closed the lock. He sprinted to where the others had lined up in alphabetical order and took his spot.

He looked up the line to see three spots from him stood Pidge, staring at him intently. She waved and him and mouthed something that looked like, "you won't beehive what harpy to hay," but was probably closer along the lines of, "you won't believe what happened today." Keith nodded in response and gave a thumbs up to show that he at least somewhat comprehended what she had mouthed. She turned her head so Sendak wouldn't yell at her for not paying attention and order her to do forty push-ups (he loved forcing poor unsuspecting souls into exercise).

"Katie Holt!" Sendak called out, his eyes settling on Pidge.

"It's Pidge," she replied, not breaking eye contact with him.

He checked her name off, but decided to ignore her comment. He finished up role call and stood in front of the group, his hands on his hips. He was a larger man, being the coach for the football team and all, and he towered over most of the group. His hair was turning grey at the roots, but he did not seem to care or notice.

"You guys got ten laps around the gym! When you're done, come to the whiteboard."

Everyone groaned, but started their laps. As soon as Sendak went into his office, everyone slowed to a walk.

"So what happened today?" Keith asked Pidge, who was trotting next to him.

She shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Okay so I was sitting in English class today after I had turned in my quiz. Which, by the way, was a piece of cake. Sentence diagramming ain't got nothing on me! Anyway, I was getting ahead on the bio reading while I'm waiting for class to be over, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Now, may I remind you, I sit right next to the window. So I looked out the window, and-shit. Sendak is back. Start jogging."

They picked up their pace and began to run around the gym. The rest of the students, also seeing Sendak, followed suit. Sendak nodded in approval and went back to his office. Everyone stopped jogging.

"So, continue," Keith said.

"Right. So I looked out the window, and I swear to God my blood ran cold. There was a woman standing outside the window looking at me, with cold, dead eyes. It was almost as if she was staring directly into my soul. The woman was hunched over and withered like the old tree by my house with the tire swing on it, and she was draped in a green cloak covering her hair. She stood there with her gaze upon me, swaying slightly. We stared at each other for sometime, and I couldn't tear my eyes from her. It was almost like she was rooting me in place simply with her gaze. I sat there transfixed by her, for what felt like hours, or days even. Finally, she opened her mouth. From her mouth came the most blood curdling shriek I have ever heard in my life. While she was screeching, her hood fell back and I saw she had bright red hair. Not normal red hair--it clearly had to have been dyed to get to that color. That startled everyone, myself included, so much so I was no longer in my trance, and everyone rushed to the window. In the commotion, I looked away for a brief moment. When I looked back, she's gone."

Keith had turned paler and paler as the story had continued, and by the end of it, all the blood had drained from him. He had stopped walking some time ago, trying to comprehend what Pidge had told him. "The hell?" He asked, still paralyzed by the thought of who, or what, would do that.

"I know, right? There's no way this could have been something human that did this. If you heard the shriek, you'd know. We should discuss it at Cryptid Club today."

"I agree. Something's up here. Something," Keith paused, thinking what this could even be classified as, "strange."

Before they could discuss Pidge's encounter further, they heard a whistle coming from the whiteboard. They glanced over to see Sendak with his arms crossed and whistle in mouth, his eyes narrowed. They had become so engrossed in Pidge's story that they hadn't noticed that everyone else had gathered around the whiteboard.

"Kogane! Holt! Get over here!"

They jogged over to the others, trying to avoid the gaze of their judging peers.

"Next time, run the ten laps so you can finish with everyone else," Sendak said. The students oohed.

"Yes, because everyone was running, you ignorant buffoon" Pidge said under her breath, low enough so only Keith could hear. They joined the others on the hardwood floor before the board.

"Name of the game today is kickball. I hope to gosh you guys know how to play this game." He disappeared into his office for a couple of minutes and came back holding a ball. "Go line up on the wall so I can split you into teams."

When the teams had been finalized, Keith and Pidge had managed to get on the same team. Rather than playing kickball, however, they played a different game called "do no work without getting caught". The rules were fairly self explanatory: do the least you can throughout the duration of gym class without getting caught. They had managed to do it (and succeed at it) almost every day of P.E. they've had, with the exception of one day two weeks ago when Sendak was absent and they had a substitute.

When Sendak finally told them to change out, Pidge and Keith high-fived. So, they had won again. Keith quickly changed out in the locker room and emerged, where Pidge was waiting for him. Wordlessly, as if on autopilot, they pushed open the doors into the main hallway and traveled to their locker. They both pulled out what they needed for their afternoon classes, along with their lunches.

It wasn't a long walk to the school yard where they ate lunch, so they got their fairly easily. Lance and Hunk were already sitting at a picnic table, as it was not a far from their previous class, English. Lance was throwing his head back in laughter at something Hunk had said when they approached the table. Lance scooted over to giver Keith a place to sit.

"Thanks," Keith said.

"No problem, buddy."

Pidge sat next to Hunk, pulling out her peanut butter sandwich and taking a large bite from it. "The weirdest thing happened to me in English class today," she announced.

"What was that?" Hunk asked, picking up a fry to inspect it as he did.

Pidge explained what happened to Hunk and Lance, leaving out no details from when she told Keith. When she finished, both Lance and Hunk were wearing skeptical looks.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lance said, one of his eyebrows raised. "If this actually happened, how come none of us heard the shriek?"

"Yeah, gotta agree with Lance there. Why didn't we hear the screech?"

PIdge tapped her chin for a moment before speaking. "All three of you guys were on the opposite side of the school. Lance, you were in choir, right? You guys were probably singing and the shriek just blended right in."

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding. You guys sing well. You were probably just singing too loudly to hear it."

Lance crossed his arms. "That explains why I didn't hear it, but what about Keith and Hunk? They were in drawing class. There was no way they were singing."

"But, Hunk and I were probably in the back room when the screech happened," Keith explained. "We had to get our drawings from it, after all. That room is practically sound proof, so it would make sense if we couldn't hear a shriek on the other side of the building."

Lance slouched, defeated. "Fine. Even if there are explanations as to why we didn't hear the sound, it still doesn't explain how she just disappeared into thin air."

"Like I said, my vote is paranormal," Pidge said.

"Bullshit on that," Lance replied. "No way in hell does anything like that exists. Come on Pidge, I thought you were the smart one here."

"Just because it can't be explained doesn't mean it can't exist. Gravity existed way before Newton figured it out, so why can't this exist?"

"Yes, because a woman in a cloak shrieking is the same concept as gravity," Hunk said, joining in further. "You just can't make that comparison."

"I can, and I will," Pidge said.

"Whoa, hold on," Lance interrupted.

"What?" Pidge asked, trying to follow Lance's gaze.

"Did Nyma get hotter or is that just me?"

Keith groaned and put his head in his hands, rubbing his face as he did.

"Lance, you're really asking the wrong group. Keith over here has never had a straight though in his life, and I on the other hand have not had straight, or gay thought, for that matter, in my life."

Lance turned to Hunk. "Hunk? Your opinion?"

Hunk groaned. "You know how I feel about that girl. She's been a snake since first grade. Don't trust her."

Lance sighed, glancing to Keith with his head still rest in his palms. "Fine, I can catch a hint. I'll stop talking about her."

"Thank you," Keith said, grateful the discussion had moved away from Nyma.

"You guys busy Thursday after school?" Lance asked, trying to make sure the conversation did not wander into the paranormal. When he asked, he was looking at Keith, making Keith turn slightly pink.

"I'm free!" Keith replied quickly, perking up immediately. He silently chided himself after saying that for being a bit too eager.

"Free as a bird," Hunk said.

"I've got no plans," Pidge said, continuing to munch on her sandwich. "Whatcha got planned for us, Lance?"

"Well, I've got a swim meet after school and, uh, it would love it if you guys could come support the team. I'll have a lot of down time in between events so we can chill or something. It's a home meet so it's just on campus."

"I'll be there," Hunk replied, eating a fry.

"Sounds good to me," Pidge said. "I'm sure Keith would love to come as well, wouldn't ya?"

"Of-of course," Keith stammered out, trying to keep a straight face. "Love to go."

Lance clapped his hands together. "Then it's settled! Just walk with me after school to the pool. Then we can go get pasta or something afterwards."

They continued their lunch with random conversations, none delving into what happened during second period. They all seemed to forget about it, or simply had nothing more to add to that particular conversation. All too soon, their free time was cut short but the shrill F# (Lance cited last year while he was tuning his guitar that the bell registered as an F#. No one knew how true that was, but no one cared enough to fact check him) that rung through the yard.

Pidge gathered her things and stood up. "I'm off to government. See you nerds later!"

The rest of the day was boring for Keith, with no strange ladies standing outside the window of any of his classrooms (or at least at the classrooms with windows). He wasn't sure what he expected though, when this was her first ever appearance.

But the school day did not matter right now. He was in the best place in the world, Classroom 411, or the home of the Cryptid Club. The club had most of its members there already (it was a small club), along with the teacher sponsor, Dr. Ryner. Dr. Ryner taught all of biology 2, and the few lucky ones that get her for biology 1. Keith, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk were not among those lucky ones. She also taught a few electives, but those were few and fair between.

The last member filed in, and a boy moved to the front of the room behind a podium. He looked almost exactly like Pidge, even sporting similar glasses and haircut. "It appears everyone is here, so let's get started." He glanced down to his watch. "We have some time for open floor. Anyone wish to speak?"

Pidge shot her hand up. "Me, sir, me!"

The boy sighed. "Yes, Pidge?"

"I'd like to speak about a strange encounter I had today."

The boy took a second to ponder things before saying, "The floor is yours."

Pidge hopped up from her seat and marched up to the front of the room. "Thank you, Matt. Now, all of us here have been in this club for sometime. While I may have just started this school this year, I know I've been coming here since my brother Matt started this club. Now, we've had some good times in this room, and some good stories, but have we ever found anything? The answer to that is no. Despite all of our research, all of our wanderings, we have been unable to find anything. Until now. You see, today I had quite a strange encounter with what could potentially be a paranormal being." Pidge proceeded to tell the story of the woman. When done, she continued. "I say we investigate her! She's the closest we've gotten to anything. What do you say?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Pidge grinned as she jumped down from the podium and rushed back to her seat next to Keith.

"That was an interesting story, Pidge. Everyone seems to be in favor to investigate it further, correct?" Matt asked.

No one protested.

"Good. Let's investigate, shall we?"

"I can't believe our investigation turned up nothing," Pidge said, kicking a rock into the gutter as she did. Her and Keith were walking on the sidewalk, sharing a bag of licorice between the two of them. The sun was starting to dip below the mountains, meaning that curfew was going to begin soon. Pidge and Keith did nothing to pick up their pace, however, contentedly deciding to continue walking at their leisurely pace.

"We can look more into tomorrow. If we can figure out who, or what, that woman was, it could seriously help."

"I feel like we've looked everywhere, though. Despite that, nothing on a shrieking woman with bright red hair and a green cloak."

"Pidge, if I know you, which I do, you'll be able to figure it out. You're the smartest person around. You're gonna crack it."

Pidge stuck her hand into the bag of licorice Keith was carrying and grabbed a handful. She tore a large bite of one, deep in thought, mumbling to herself, "green cloak, red hair, shrieking. Green cloak, red hair, shrieking."

Keith put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it, okay? We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, I won't."

They reached a street corner and stopped.

"Well, see you tomorrow!" Pidge said, taking half of the remaining licorice and walking away.

Keith walked in the opposite direction to his house. He continued as he traveled, thinking about what Pidge described today. Even if he had told Pidge to not worry about it, he was going to. He was going to get to the bottom of this woman in green.

Five hours later, and still nothing on the woman in green. Keith had gone to every website imaginable, sifted through stories upon stories, and delved into lore he never knew existed, yet he did not find one thing to help them. He clicked back to his Cryptid Forum post about it, hoping someone had answered, but it was dead.

Keith sighed and closed his laptop. It was already almost midnight and he had not started his homework yet. He opened his Geometry Textbook to the section on triangles.

Prove Side AB  is congruent to Side BC given Figure 3.

Keith began to write down his answer.

Given that: Angle A is congruent to Angle C

His phone vibrated. He glanced to the glowing screen. The screen let out little light, given that his phone background was mostly black. A white strip stretched across the red eyes of Mothman, reading: (1) New Message from Lance.

Keith dropped his pencil and hastily picked up his phone, unlocking it. He read the message.

Lance: Hey buddy want to hang out this Saturday? Maybe go swimming in the lake or something?

Keith was quick to respond.

Keith: Just us?

Lance: We can invite Pidge and Hunk if you want

Keith: No it's cool. Saturday sounds great

Lance: Cool. See ya then

Keith shut off his phone and smiled. He grabbed his pencil and begun to work once more.

[siriusly-random]

Land Next to Me: Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks to @cupcakecana and @x-benihime for being amazing and giving me feedback/editing this for me!! <3

Enjoy Natsu’s POV of chapter 1, which is mostly to establish his world!

(won’t be posting on ff.net for a while because I ran into computer issues-i.e., I spilled water on it and it is fried)

Translations at the bottom for Trigedasleng 

Fandom: Fairy Tail/the 100

Rated: T

Words: 3120

Pairing: Nalu

Characters: Natsu, Gajeel, Acnologia, Sting, Levy- mentions of others

Summary: Three hundred years since the human race has set foot on Earth, one hundred teen prisoners are sent down with nothing but their wits. Even though she’s just as scared as everyone else, Lucy Heartfilia will do anything she can to make sure they survive.

<<prev         next>>

Chapter 2: Down Here, Weakness is Death, Fear is Death

“What the hell?”

Fire blazed in the sky, bright and blinding as it descended, moving closer and closer to the ground.  Natsu’s eyes fixed on it, at first thinking it was a star, but the closer it got, the less likely it became.

A large group gathered, surrounding Natsu, all looking up at the sky. The younger children muttered to each other about it being a falling star, just like he’d thought it was, but those who were older knew better.

This was dangerous.

A heavy weight settled in the pit of Natsu’s stomach, fear of the unknown creeping up on him.

“Vieda.” Natsu tensed at the familiar voice and his back straightened as he turned to face Acnologia.

Natsu looked up at him. “Chief?”

“They’re from the sky—Skaikru. They are not welcome here.” A shiver ran down Natsu’s spine at Acnologia’s menacing expression and he nodded at the chief’s words as he hid his anxiety.

A new clan.

Skaikru.

The unfamiliar word sounded strange in his mind.

Even if there were people falling from the sky, they wouldn’t last long if Acnologia’s expression was anything to go by.

He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it.  

The legends had spoke of those from centuries past who’d travelled to the sky, but he thought they would all be dead by now. It was inevitable. How would they grow food, or even get water? They were in space, where there was nothing but stars and the moon.

Besides, even if there were people coming down, those flames would’ve surely engulfed them.

“Come,” Acnologia barked. He strode to the main war hut and paused at the entrance, looking back. “Gajeel!”

“What?” It was muffled. From the other side of the hut. “Did you get everyone?”

“No.”

“Well hurry the fuck up. Get the council members. We gotta figure out our defense. Go now.” With that, their Chief disappeared inside.

Reluctantly, Natsu made his way over, Sting sidling up next to him. He quirked a curious eyebrow at the blond, earning a mere shrug from him.

It was clear to him that Sting also had his doubts. He’d never been as good as Natsu at hiding his feelings.  

Natsu kept his face neutral and shoulders pushed back as he entered the hut. If he wanted to stay alive, he couldn’t let his guard down. Not around their chief.

Being part of the chief’s personal guard was never in Natsu’s plans, yet here he was, thanks to being a protective idiot. He never would’ve volunteered if he’d thought there was any other way to protect Romeo or one of the other kids from being selected.

Taking his seat at the round table, Natsu glanced to the rest of the room—Laxus and Cobra on either side of Acnologia, Sting and Rogue beside Cobra.

He narrowed his eyes at Gajeel who sat beside him, cool air following him from the outside. His obvious pleasure at being back here once again written all over his face, no doubt aching to kill.

Disgusting.

Not to say that Natsu didn’t love a good fight himself. He just didn’t like killing for pleasure like the others seemed to.

“The legends spoke of the sky people and how one day they would return,” Acnologia stood, expression hard yet manic. “I cannot predict where their ship will land, but if they come into our territory,” he gazed at each other them, grin turning sadistic as his eyes landed on Natsu, “frag emo op.”

Natsu heard Gajeel let out a grunt of agreement, saw Cobra’s smirk and the coldness in Acnologia’s eyes, and made a vow to himself.

He would kill Acnologia, whatever it took.

The Chief assigned positions. Cobra and Laxus would cover the North and South, respectively, Sting and Rogue the East, Natsu and Gajeel the West. Natsu tuned out the rest. He didn’t care about strategies or whatever else they were discussing.

Shuffling pulled Natsu from his thoughts as everyone stood and headed out of the hut, excitement and bloodlust clinging to them. It had been quiet recently, with the new Commander’s coalition, not many opportunities for blood to have blood.

The needless wars and senseless killing had stopped for the most part. Natsu had been able to spend more time with Romeo and the other children, grateful to keep them from the danger the other krus could be, and teach them to how defend themselves—not only physically but mentally.

Never show weakness. He told them, fiercely. Weakness is death. Fear is death. Don’t show your fear.

“Let’s go, Salamander.” The gruff sound of his reluctant partner broke him away from his thoughts. He turned to face Gajeel, and with a nod, grabbed his bow and arrows. He followed Gajeel to the trees, the pair moving quickly and quietly as they approached their border near the mountain, neither saying anything.

They never really got along, though Natsu didn’t get along well with any of the guard for that matter. They enjoyed killing, he didn’t. It was as simple as that. If tolerated any of them, it was Sting and Rogue—mostly because he’d helped teach them to fight, and they knew when to spare a life.

The duo perched themselves up in the trees, facing the lake, waiting for the so-called ‘Skaikru’ to approach. Natsu still doubted that anyone could survive the fall on a flaming fireball. It could just be a falling star like he initially thought—even if that didn’t make much sense either—besides, if there had been people in the sky for all these years, why come down now?

“This is pointless,” Natsu grumbled as he adjusted his quiver. They would be stuck in this spot for days before Acnologia would send for them once he realized there were no invaders.

At least, Natsu hoped that was the case. If there really were sky people, they wouldn’t know about the boundaries or the kill order, and Natsu would be forced to kill innocent people in order to save himself.

He had to figure a way out of this.

“It’s the chief’s command, don’t complain.” Gajeel spared him a single glance as he surveyed the land in front of them. “Unless you’d rather step down from the guard?”

Natsu saw him smirk. Gajeel knew the answer already. The day Natsu stepped down from the guard was the day Natsu died. He would never let someone take his place and have them be subjected to Acnologia’s reign. It was his burden to bear.

Protect those who cannot protect themselves, Natsu. Don’t be afraid.

He wasn’t sure what Igneel would think if he saw him now. He hoped that he’d be proud.

Voices drifted over from across the river.

Voices speaking english.

His pulse quickened and his gaze darted to Gajeel, fists clenched at the ever-expanding grin on his partner’s face. He saw Gajeel’s grip on the spear tighten, poised to attack, aching to launch it.

“Only if they cross, Gajeel,” Natsu spoke low, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. He couldn’t see the people yet, but he knew they were there, and they were most likely not Trigedakru.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gajeel waved him off, branch beneath him bending dangerously as he practically bounced on his heels.

A predatory grin warped his face.

Scowling, Natsu readied his bow and tried to figure a way out of this. He could only pray they didn’t cross the river.

The group appeared from the woods dressed in strange clothes and, from what he could tell, weaponless.

He frowned and slackened his grip on his bow, curious. He couldn’t understand why they’d wander this far from their crash site, if it was indeed Skaikru, and without weapons at that.

“Gajeel,” he stated, hooking his bow over his head, string across his chest, “these people aren’t dangerous. They don’t even have weapons.”

“Your point?” Gajeel scowled and his eyes narrowed, not bothering to spare Natsu a glance.

“Wouldn’t it be better to question them? Ask them why they’re here?” He was grasping at straws—a lost cause, and he knew it. Gajeel knew it too.

“The chief told us to kill ‘em if they cross, so if they cross I’m gonna kill ‘em. End of story.”

Natsu sighed and turned to the odd looking group. They were young, two girls and three boys, probably around his own age. They were discussing something, looking at a big piece of…something with markings on it. What was it? They were pointing to it and then looking up and around. What were they doing? Maybe he could get a closer look—

His heart clenched at that. He and Gajeel were here to kill them. They couldn’t come closer. They needed to leave.

There was a loud exclamation from the orange-haired boy as he ripped the…thing…from the blue-haired girl. The rest of them looked worried. Uneasy.

Hope bloomed in his chest for a moment.

But then the white thing was tucked away, Skaikru’s faces changed from worry to resolve, and Natsu held his breath.

They’d found the old bridge, a path that Natsu and the rest of the clan used to cross the river when they were hunting or when the kids wanted to explore. Natsu chewed his lip, hoping they’d be too scared to cross. But then the blue haired girl stepped in the water, and Natsu could practically smell the smugness coming from Gajeel.

He let out a shaky breath, dread running cold in his veins as he watched the young, innocent, ignorant, girl practically skip across the water, distantly hearing someone call her name. Levy.

Two of the boys followed.

And then the blonde hurried out, and Natsu could see the desperation on her face—the worry.

A lump settled in his throat. Constricting Heavy. He wanted to scream at them to get. Back.

She stepped out of the water and onto the land—their land—with a wide grin from her apparent success. Natsu whipped to look at Gajeel’s readied arm and lust for blood in One.

Levy turned to her friends, smile only growing.

Two.

Gajeel’s left arm extended to aim, the other bent, readying to release.

Three.

Gajeel launched the spear. A perfect throw. Straight for the girl. No curve.

He knew without a doubt it’d hit it’s mark.

A scream and a frozen smile. Eyed wide. Shocked and empty. Forever etched into his mind. His heart plummeted. His stomach churned, horrified at Gajeel and what he had done.

He saw the rest of the group try to get to her, but the orange-haired one stopped them. It looked like he was in physical pain to have to do so. With how the blonde was digging her nails into him, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was.

And then Gajeel threw another spear.

He missed his target by an inch.

Anger roiled in Natsu. He had to stop this.

“Fuck.” He growled, unable to contain himself anymore. He leapt from the tree and he grabbed Gajeel by his ankle, yanking him down from his own branch. Gajeel reeled back, whirling on Natsu, his third spear now angled at him.

“What the fuck, Natsu!”

Natsu didn’t care. He shoved the point out of his face and yanked the spear away from Gajeel. “This is wrong, Gajeel. They’re defenceless.”

He quickly grabbed an arrow from his quiver and shot it out to the water.

A warning.

Though, he hoped at this point the message was already clear to the group.

They needed to get the fuck out.

His hands clenched as he looked back to Gajeel.

Gajeel was pissed.

And Natsu knew he was about to make it worse, but he didn’t give a flying fuck at the moment.

“You should be proud.” He made the hatred clear in his snarled words, spitting them at the black-haired male. “You’re turning into our Great Chief. Maybe someday you’ll kill someone’s innocent father as they beg you for mercy, just like he did.”

He’d struck a chord with Gajeel, he knew. He didn’t need to see the flicker of regret interrupt his gratified, murderous expression.

But then it was gone and Gajeel was advancing on him.

“Natrona.” Gajeel spat, fist flying towards Natsu. The hit struck his jaw, his head snapping to the side, body twisting with it from the force.

He could already feel the bruise forming and metal rolling over his tongue.

He stood, shocked for a moment, before spitting at the ground and turning to look at Gajeel, tongue poking the inside of his cheek in frustration.

Natsu stayed expressionless, no pain or fear, as he met Gajeel’s glare head on.

“I may be a traitor, but at least I’m not a mindless follower of a dictator. You know these people aren’t dangerous. You know they’re innocent.” He squared his shoulders and ignored the throbbing in his jaw.

“They’re Skaikru, Salamander,” Gajeel argued, hand flying to the sky, “they’ve been living in the stars! They ain’t fucking innocent and I’m gonna prove it.” He turned his back on Natsu, took a few steps, then stopped, looking over his shoulder.

“Though I doubt you’ll still be alive to see I’m right,” he spat, letting out a humourless laugh before taking off in the direction of their home, not once looking back.

Natsu never expected anything less from Gajeel.

He turned to face Levy, absently scratched at his face, and winced.

He really was an idiot sometimes.

So much for never stepping down, he thought, frustrated.

But he couldn’t have stopped himself.

These people were helpless, their knowledge of this world limited, as was his of theirs. They didn’t know any better. That didn’t mean they should be killed for it.

He turned back to the water just as they disappeared into the safety of the trees.

Good, he thought, flee.

He looked around, spotted some comfrey plants, and grabbed a few on his way to the girl. Gajeel was a good shot, but he’d been a fair distance away when he’d thrown the spear. With any luck it wouldn’t have gone all the way through and she’d still stand a chance.

He dropped to his knees next to her, taking care to not pull out the spear as he moved his hand under her small body. He sighed in relief as he felt only clammy skin, no trace of the spear or blood. He lay her back down, double checking for blood on his fingers, before he moved to her wrist to check for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there.

He couldn’t believe it.

With a quick prayer to Pramheda, Natsu gripped the spear around and took a deep breath before he pulling it straight out, quickly and carefully.

He heard a sharp intake of breath followed by a pained groan, and his head snapped to her face. He froze for a brief moment at the sight of her eyes open, the terror in them unnerving. Her lip quivered, tears falling from her eyes in silent horror, the pain too much for her to speak.      

“It’s okay,” he reassured—in english—dropping the spear and reaching for her hand. He worked quickly, pressing leaves into the wound, giving her hand a gentle squeeze at her soft whimper. “I’m Natsu kom Trigeda. I’m here to help.” She barely reacted, either confused at the use of Trigedasleng, or she just wasn’t processing his words. She was scared and in pain, and he was going to do his best to help her.  

He placed pressure on her wound to stop the bleeding..

He bit his lip, worried.

He couldn’t move her on his own, not without risking her injury getting worse, and he didn’t want to leave her in case she wasn’t there when he returned.

He wasn’t just worried about the wild animals.

He watched as the girl’s eyes closed and muscles went slack. Though he felt slightly guilty, he was grateful she wouldn’t be awake and in pain. He could’ve taken on Gajeel and stopped this.

But he had been a coward.

He could leave her, go back home and deny Gajeel’s accusations, which he knew Gajeel was making to Acnologia. He could say he just wanted to make sure the girl was dead, but nobody would buy it. Even if it were the truth, Acnologia was looking for a fight. He was looking for blood. He wouldn’t want Natsu to be innocent.

Natsu ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. He couldn’t think properly. He needed to figure something out. He needed to survive. He’d been doing it all his life. It was the one thing he was good at. So what was he supposed to do?

Protect those who cannot protect themselves, Natsu.

Igneel’s words always crept back. He knew what the right thing to do was.

But how was he supposed to do it?

With a deep breath, Natsu tried to calm his racing thoughts. There was a logical solution to this.

He spotted his quiver and he grabbed it, ripping the cloth he kept tied around it and wrapping it around her small frame to cover the wound best he could to apply a bit of extra pressure to it.

Natsu didn’t typically work with the healers—he only knew the basics in case he got hurt and was by himself—but he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of his handy work. In any other case he would just go see Porlyusica for help. That wasn’t an option at the moment though…obviously.

He slung his quiver with its remaining arrows over his shoulder as he tugged lightly on the makeshift bandage to make sure it would hold. When it did, he slid his hands under the girl and hoisted her up in his arms.

He could only hope that he would be able to hold the injury steady long enough to get her somewhere safe.

He adjusted his hold, making sure she was secure, and looked out at the lake in front of him. He was doing the right thing.

Right?

If he didn’t bring the girl to them, she would probably die. He couldn’t count on the others coming back for her, and it felt wrong to just leave her.

But thoughts of his friends and the kids from home plagued his mind. He couldn’t leave them. Some of them didn’t have parents anymore. He’d be abandoning them.

Maybe he could go back after bringing the girl back. He could talk to Acnologia, could beg him to believe him.

Taking a deep breath, Natsu took a step forward, foot hitting the water.

He could only hope he wouldn’t regret this.  

Trigedasleng–>English

Vieda (vay-da)–> Invaders Trigeda (tree-ged-duh)–> Woods Clan Skaikru (sky-crew)–> Sky people Frag emo op (fe-rag em-oh ah-p) → Kill them all Trigedakru (tree-ged-duh-crew )–> People of the woods clan Natrona (na-trunna) → Traitor Pramheda (präm-head-da) → First commander Kom (come) → From/of the

[paintedface]

Misfits Prologue

Summary: An introduction into your college life, including your room mates and your crush which you really shouldn’t have

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE)

Word Count: 1,679

Warnings: none, really

Notes: This is a demo fic, I’m not quite sure if I’ll continue it or not. This is a rushed prologue, but I hope you like it! This series won’t have much angst, sorry!

Now:

Sometimes life didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. Sometimes it worked exactly how you wanted it to. This was one of those times, and you aren’t exactly sure how you lucked out. Or how you are still lucky.

Then:

Your name is Y/N Y/L/N, a graphic design student in your junior, fourth, year of University. You spend your time doing both online and actual painted commissions, finishing assignments and binge watching Netflix. You’re not the most social person, an obvious introvert. You are quite the contrast to your room mates though.

Natasha Romanoff. How do you even begin to describe Natasha Romanoff? She has so many secrets and you don’t even bother to try find them out. She’s dangerous, has a black belt in karate. She could beat up a 7 foot guy with one perfectly aimed punch. Now that you think about it, she has beaten up a 7 foot guy before easily. No sweat. She’s alluring as well, curves in the right places, thick red curls and long eyelashes. However, if anyone even dared to touch her thigh higher than to be friendly, she would kick them in the groin. With her high heel. She’s incredibly smart too, acing all her classes. She’s studying Physical Education, and it’s a breeze for her. You’re lucky to have her as a friend though, she really is good fun.

Wanda Maximoff. When you first met her and Natasha, you thought they may have been related, because of the endings of their last name. She’s a Dance student, you’ve never met someone so graceful before. She’s quietly spoken, shy and reserved. Something happened in her past that had scarred her, making her a bit afraid of herself. Her parents aren’t around anymore, but you’re not insensitive enough to ask about the situation. She’s a bit taller than you, with long brown hair and a complexion you wish you had. Sometimes you wish you had her fashion sense because she rocks all the clothes she wears.

Pepper Potts. She’s the one who stops Natasha from getting involved with all the frat parties. Well…you all stop her, but Pepper has that authoritative ‘mother’ voice. Pepper is studying law, and rightfully so. She is great at negotiation and arguing, from your knowledge. She’s one of the kindest people you’ve met, which is strange, considering her boyfriend is an asshole. She’s always organised, with planners and to-do lists. Her outfits are clean and sharp, hardly an orange hair out of place. Despite her tidy exterior, she’s extremely funny as well.

Finally, Peggy Carter. Your absolute best friend. She actually deserves to rule the world, with all the damn right qualities. She’s been your friend since Year 5, and she’s been your life support through all the years. She was there for you when you first got dumped, she was there for you when you were being bullied. She, like Wanda, is amazing in anything, having flair and style. She’s the right mixture of work and party, though she knows much better than to ever get drunk. She studies business management, and you know her business would succeed instantly once she’s gotten out of college.

You’re not certain how you ended up with this bunch of room mates, but you’re not complaining. At least they don’t bring in random guys into their beds. No way would you tolerate that.

You’re specifically connected to the dorm above you in the apartment building through romance. You don’t have any luck with love, but your room mates do.

Natasha is dating a young man named Clint Barton, who, for some reason, is a master at archery. Every time he does darts in a bar, he wins. He’s doing a Physical Education course too. He has a great sense of humour, and he’s fun to be around. He also goes out with Nat about every weekend, and is probably really bad for her. They’re both bad for each other, but you can’t argue with love, right? They never seem to get hungover after parties, which is strange considering the amount of alcohol they consume. They also screw at least once a week. On those nights, you blast music through your earphones in an attempt to drown out their moans.

Wanda’s with Vis Midsten, who’s just as quiet as she is. He’s highly intelligent, his brain power probably higher than all of your friends’ ones combined. He’s always dressed well, shirts, sweaters, pants and dress shoes. You don’t talk to him much, but then again, he doesn’t talk much either.

About that asshole Pepper’s with…his name is Tony Stark. You have no idea how such a sweet person like Pepper could be dating someone so arrogant and egotistical as Tony Stark. You, personally, don’t see what’s in him, and you don’t know why Pepper stays with him. Maybe he’s soft and mushy in the inside, you have no idea. From what you’ve heard and seen of him though, he’s taking an engineering course, and is quite good at it. Doesn’t excuse his annoying behaviour though.

When you first saw Steve Rogers, you knew he had to be with Peggy. They were made for each other. Steve had golden hair, which looked beautiful beside Peggy’s brown curls. He was virtuous and would help anyone. Peggy was bold, brave, but you knew the moment her heart melted-when she first introduced herself to Steve. You enjoyed his company, especially as he was studying English and wrote amazing stories. You sometimes drew sketches to his stories, and you always had a good time thinking up ideas with him. You never went further than a strong friendship, though.

Everyone else is paired off, but that doesn’t mean that the last eligible person in that dorm would want you. Because it’s Bucky Barnes.

Bucky Barnes…otherwise known as James Buchanan Barnes. God, the moment when you first properly met him, you fell for him. Literally, you stumbled while walking towards him, and almost fell flat on your face. But luckily, he caught you on the upper arm, chuckling, and pulled you back up. You never believed in 'love at first sight,’ thinking it was extremely sappy. However, Bucky sort of changed that. For the first time, you actually longed to be with someone, desperately hoping that one day, you would find out he would reciprocate your feelings. When he held your arm after you had embarrassed yourself, it felt like shivers were running up your spine. The good kind of shivers, like you were excited about something. And that laugh…it was warm, broad and low. You couldn’t get enough of that laugh, you wished you could hear it more often. You still do. His voice is the same, husky and gentle, every word careful. People would find that quite odd, because, speaking frankly, Bucky’s a punk rocker.

That may be an overstatement, as you know he’s not a punk rocker or a heavy metal, he’s more of an emo, but it’s true. It doesn’t mean he’s not kind, because he is. You’ve seen him stand up to frat boys trying to hit on Wanda. And on movie nights, he’s always laughing and not making rude remarks. He doesn’t make rude remarks in general. He’s extremely smart, studying music and English. However, he’s a person who has a lot of piercings, up his ear, a stud in his nose, a lip ring and an eyebrow bar. He doesn’t have enough to make him look menacing, intimidating, but there’s still quite a few of them. You honestly think they’re extremely hot. He has tattoos too, a sleeve of them on his left arm. A red star with wandering vines trailing out of it, metallic lines across his skin, with different geometric patterns that snake up to his collarbone. You think he has one on his right rib, though you’ve never had the chance to properly see it. You’ve seen a few others dotted around, not big ones though. As an artist, you admire them, intrigued by the designs. You wish you could trace your finger over them one day without him thinking you’re weird.

Bucky wears leathers jackets, dark t shirts with the names of bands that are probably like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco. His skinny jeans just kill you, defining his long and muscular legs, a few of his jeans having rips in the knees and torn in a few other places, looking scuffed. You liked the non-torn ones just as much as the torn ones. He sometimes wears scarves, thin cloth ones, wound around his neck several times. Belts, both chain and leather, hang loose in their loops, slung down to mid thigh. You hardly ever see him out of leather boots, sometimes rivalling the height of the heels you own.

He wears eyeliner. He…wears…fucking…eyeliner. It kills you. It takes all your strength to not eyefuck him from across the room when he’s got that black, smudged liner around his blue grey, stormy eyes. Especially when he’s smirking, soft pink lips curled up in one corner.

Bucky’s taller than you, probably about a head taller. He fucking towers over you. Maybe it’s just the heels. You also want you to bury your hands in his hair, soft, wavy brown hair almost reaching his shoulders. He often wears it in a ponytail or a bun, but when he wears it loose, you inwardly groan because he looks so good.

Yes, you basically have every detail of him memorised, but you’ve been having a secret crush for over a year now. It’s eating you away from the inside, and if you don’t tell him soon, then you won’t see him for a while, seeing as it’s the second final year of college. But the fear of being rejected is way too much, and you’ve chickened out every time you decided to tell him. Nat keeps teasing you about it, and you tell her to shut up.

You tell yourself that one day, you’ll tell him. But you haven’t yet.

Part 1 

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