#ok hold on im gonna keep yapping here

[daily-purple-character]

day 247!

noriyuki utsugi! (cell of empireo)

[sondheim-girly]

ok im gonna get my yap on, because Brody Grant has so much power in this fandom and I need to talk about why. Am I overthinking this? Yes. Is everything I’m about to say super obvious? Also yes. But who cares.

Ok so some might say “oh the fandom just likes him cuz he’s hot” and the thing is, yes hes hot, but so is the entire cast? And I can’t think of anyone else in the cast who can break the fandom with one single appearance. I think the key of it is the fact that hes unpredictable and always leaves us wanting more. See, back before the Tonys he was doing a lot of press, both for opening and as a nominee. And then post Tonys, you had a three month drought where we practically didn’t get any content of him. However we were still riding high from the pre Tonys interviews, so the obsession continued to stay strong. And theres an element of someone not having their entire life and personality on public display that makes them so much more exciting. And then he disappears for an entire month, then comes back blonde and posts a bunch of photos from his trip in Tokyo. He then goes on to start appearing in the occasional Soc Saturday after not appearing in one for literally months, then is in sky’s Instagram, and starts posting on Instagram more!! So hes giving us just barely enough content to keep us sustained, but also leaving us wanting to much more. Theres also a level of mystery that’s just super exciting cuz you literally never know what he’s gonna do. Is he gonna disappear for a month and go blonde? Is he gonna show up on Soc Saturday and yell about a guy named Mike? Who knows. Not to mention how… mysterious the post he just made was? Like who even knows why he posted that?? No clue, but it’s wonderful.

now of course this is how he has maintained this strange hold on the fandom, but how did he get it in the first place? Of course hes good looking, but hes also absurdly talented, and a very charming person. He’s interesting because he has this kinda edgy ‘persona’ tho idk if that’s exactly the right way to describe it, but then you watch an interview with him and hes this super duper genuine, thoughtful, interesting guy! And then u see a clip of him with the cast and hes just really silly and funny. And so he has all these sides to him which is very intriguing. And he just has this like- really sweet smile and also I think the ear cuff and fingerless glove combo is something that definitely had a major effect on the fans. Ok ive kinda lost the plot.

also theres something about him having social media and rarely using it. Because then it’s like oh we could get content but you never know when- there are a lot of cast members who are super active on social media so we get used to it, or actors who don’t have it at all, meanwhile Brody can just get on there, say something, explode the fandom, then leave. Hes also very intentional about what posts he leaves up, which we can tell from his occasional cleansing of his account. Idk what my point is here but I wanted to say something about this

anyways this is my yap. It’s unedited and completely chaotic but I hope y’all enjoyed it.

[xotication]

im actually obsessed with ur writing😫could u write about domestic things with kaneki? (idk if that’s the word) like slow mornings, going out to shop, etc!!

of course i can

☆,

i personally feel like slow mornings with ken come after having a night of fun.. ifykwim.

that being said though, he’s always extremely soft with you. & he’s doing any & all work so you don’t have to move all that much.

you guys spend almost two hours just laying in bed, talking, rotting.. well you’re mainly doing all the talking but ken is listening intently. he could tell exactly what you were saying ten minutes ago, without any fail. it’s so cute.

when you finally decide you wanna get up, ken makes his way to the bathroom first so he can put toothpaste on both of your guys toothbrushes.

ken will also fully try to speak to you as he’s brushing his teeth, it never makes any fucken sense but he refuses to stay quiet.

after teeth brushing, he’ll help you wash your face & then he’s on his way to make you wtv you’re feeling for breakfast.

trust, he literally wants you doing NOTHING.

“do you need help, ken? i can make the eggs”

“NO. just go sit down..”

“oh- ok you don’t have to YELL”

“sorry…”

LMAOO like he’s so passionate.

you have to stop him when he’s tryna spoon feed you your entire meal.

“i got it ken, thank you..”

“just say you hate me & want me to die.”

“OMG.”

—

on to shopping, most bfs don’t really like going shopping with their gfs because only god knows how long they’ll actually be shopping for.

but nonono. NOT KANEKI.

this man would be your personal stylist if he could be. you’ll be searching through the racks of clothes, mf waltz on over with at least 5 hangers & a big ass smile.

“here, try these on! i think they’d look good on you”

“ken, i can find my own-”

“SH. dressing room. you. NOW.”

& much to your surprise, his selections always do end up looking good on you. he’s making sure every color is gonna go with your skin tone. making sure nothing will stand out too harshly, & taking into account the things he already knows you don’t like.

not to mention, this man doesn’t let you pay for like, anything?

one time you guys were out thrifting & you kept finding the cutest pieces ever. only to reach into your purse & realize you’d forgotten your entire wallet.

“ken.. i forgot my wallet.”

when i tell you, the pure disgust written on this man’s face is OTHERWORLDLY.

“so..? who said i was gonna let you fucken pay for anything anyway? put everything you want in the cart & keep it pushing.”

“but ken.. that’s so much money”

“my money belongs to you”

your jaw dropped internally. it took all your willpower to not drop to the floor, roll around, & start giggling.

also! ken is a very big fan of matching or coordinated outfits. he loves loves loves being able to show that you guys are together. by any small or big means possible.

i’d also like to kindly remind you that ken absolutely does have a ring with your name on it :3

oh & he most definitely shares his clothes with you! he thinks it's so cute when he finds you in his closet, "what're you looking for, pretty?"

"erm.. i dunno, i really liked that one shirt you wore like 2 days ago."

"this one?" he's holding up a plain black shirt. on the back side there's angle wings, & the shirt itself is a little faded out from when he first got it, so you love the aesthetic of it.

"yes!"

"all you had to do was ask, honey."

—

i think one thing ken really enjoys doing with you is taking walks. like no matter the time nor weather. he loves a good walk & yap session with his favorite girl.

“baby, can we go for a walk”

“what’re you, a dog?”

“no.. i just wanna walk & talk.. well, hear you talk”

“we can talk in here..”

“but i wanna talk outside, get some fresh air.. yk?”

“fine.”

you guys end up walking down to a park nearby, & you're of course telling ken about the most of random things you've been seeing & hearing lately.

the two of you are gossiping about your workspaces, friend groups, social media drama & so on.

ken ends up picking like a million flowers & he puts them in your hair, you don't even stop him because you know it's making him happy, "you're so beautiful, y/n." he says when he's finally all done.

"i know."

"yeah? & how do you know?"

"you tell me everyday"

ken has the biggest, stupidest smile on his face when you say this. he feels like he's doing his job right. he opens insta & takes a picture of you in that moment & captions it, "my flower girl" & hits share.

—

ahem.

ken most definitely reads you books. it is the best bonding time ever. especially if it's a really good book too.

he loves to fucken slam the book down & debrief anything & everything with you.

if something crazy happens, ken will fully throw the damn book across the room as he's reading it.

"ken?!" "HOLYYYY FUCKEN SHIIITT"

"boy go pick the fucken book up! i didn't even hear what happened yet!"

"oh, right."

& then he's scrambling to get the book & sitting you in his lap so you can read the tea too. when you finally do, you gasp & he's all in your ear lie, "MHMM, i told you!!"

one time you bought 50 shades of grey without telling him what it was about & when he finally got to the spicy parts, his jaw dropped to the ground.

"y/n, what the hell am i reading?!"

"a book!!"

"let's recreate?"

you two most definitely recreated.

—

this is so random but i’ve been thinking about kaneki playing dress to impress SMMM.

when he sees it trending all over his tiktok & insta, he’s absolutely itching to play with you.

one day you come home from being out with a couple friends & ken is on ft with hide, practically screaming.

“CHAT WHERE TF ARE THE SCARVES?!?! there’s only a minute left!!”

you peer over his shoulder to sneak a peek at his screen & low & behold. it’s dti.

you lean down to kiss his cheek & he’s like “oh my god, babe! go get your laptop, you have to play this shit with us”

..

it’s been only 2 rounds & ken is whining about how you placed podium TWICE when he’s been trying for the past hour.. or two.

“baby.. this isn’t fair.”

“kaneki this is so rigged.” hide chimes in.

you’re cackling in your spot, “just fucken try harder?!”

“I HAVE BEEN”

you look at ken’s screen & see the worst possible outfit for “ghosts vs ghouls”

he literally made their skin green & thought he was eating the competition UPPP.

not to mention the fully purple outfit he put on, & random black top hat? with bulky black boots, & a makeup look that looked BUTCHERED.

“ken, my love. that outfit is horrible.”

he’s just about ready to put his mac through a wood chipper. there’s a pout on his face.

“okay well- can you play on my computer so i can get at least one win.” he says in the softest voice ever & you feel like it’s taking all your might not to laugh.

ken just wanted his dti win. :p

i’m so sorry this took so fucken long. ☠️

[walnutcookie]

Okokok so your gen2 au for dw has been spinning around inside my head like a microwave for the past week and I have SO many questions (if that's fine ofc ...)

First of all, how do Watson and Paris get along? Ik you mentioned that Watson doesn't like Rodger, but do Watson and Paris have a similar dynamic to Rodger and Glisten, or is it different?

Second of all, PLEASEEE don't tell me that vee's gen2 version is just called vee version 2... /silly

Third of all, if the company wants to kill any old dandy's world toons on sight, what do all the toons plan to do about this? Do they have some sort of plan of escape, or are they just going to hide in the new facility/somewhere else indefinitely?

Also, what's false ichor? You mentioned it briefly and I've been wondering how the gen2 toons function if their ichor is less efficient than true ichor. What problems does it bring up for them and all?

There's probs a lot more I could ask but I think this is plenty for now lmao. You don't have to answer them all, or any at all, I just kinda had to get these out of my brain :3 anyways I love your art!! And your au's!!! Ur so awesome and cool please don't get microwaved!!!!

HEHEHEHE THANK U FOR THIS ASKKKK i havent yapped abt gen2 in a while i miss it ... Ask away my friend 🙏 also obligatory @cherryformula mention @cherryformula @cherryformula @che

1) They get along but in the most artificial, forced way possible. its not even that they act chill with each other they Actively choose to spend time with each other and one would think that theyre the best of friends... thats what they try to be, but only because they know that if they dont everything will go to shit LOL. they hate each others guts SOOOO BADDDD and to stop both themselves and each other from getting in trouble theyve come to this mutual agreement without words that theyre gonna be all buddy buddy with each other so they can avoid ripping out each others throats. They fucking hate each other

2) SHES NOT LOLLL Her name is "t" purposefully lowercade because uhmm. Haha funny math reference. t like a variable!!! shes a calculator :3 i actually did make a ref for her but shes in the group of gen2 toons that i never posted... ough

3) OK HERES THE THING. None of them actually know this. they show up at new gardenview with mixed feelings and very messy expectations because theyre not sure if theyll be welcomed with open arms or welcomed with hostility... i think that mainly the group is filled with optimism though, so when the gen2 toons see the gen1ers show ip theyre like DUDE??? FUCK???? WE NEED TO HELP KEEP YOU HIDDEN OR THEYRE GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU ALL !!!!

The gen2 toons arent monitored 24/7 (some more than others) so theyre just trying to help the gen1 toons heal and stay alive ,,, theres nowhere for any of them to go if they were to escape since 3 foot cartoon characters would NOT last walking around fucking LA or something 💀 theyre just. Trying to survive pretty much. they've fought so hard for their lives for decades, and they dont want to give up.

4) Im not sure exactly what false ichor would be made of, its some sort of substance as vague as ichor itself lol. But its basically just Gardenview trying to recreate ichor in a lab

the gen2 toons dont hold together as well as the gen1 toons do. After about a week they start to lose their shape and gradually become more distorted and melty until theyre a puddle of goop on the floor... literally in order to SURVIVE the gen2 toons need to be killed and remade on a regular basis </3 This false ichor is a lot cheaper to make compared to how expensive it was to pump ichor from the ground though and they can reuse it to recreate toons as many times as theyd like

THANK YOU SO MUCH YOURE SO SWEET!!!!<33 i miss youy gen2 au

[chocottang]

post canon designs for when they get cured <3 /j

i added the canon designs next to them bc i was going to add design notes but i gave up so im gonna write it here and you can just. look at them

OK. yapping time. lets start with cami!!

the biggest change is obviously the hair. i interpret her hair in canon to be a way for her to hide, both her evilll intentions and her true self as a way not to get hurt, it also adds to her being mysterious. i apply this not only to the bangs hiding her eyes (the windows to the soul...) but also her whole hair, that's why in the canon design i exaggerated its length and made it kind of.. curl inwards like wrapping her. its hiding her, it's protecting her, it's suffocating her, it's making her mysterious. yes i'm obsessed with her hair. the blunt cunt can also be a sort of sign of her being polished, you gotta maintan those perfect ends so it doesn't look bad.

so. in her post-canon design the hair gets CUT into a bob. that symbolizes cami being open and honest, no more hiding! no more mystery! also, she's letting people see her, she's willing to make connections, meet people, love and be loved. but it also makes her more vulnerable, she can be judged more easily, hurt again more easily, but she accepts that possibility because know she knows how to navigate life and her own emotions with the help of her friends yippieeee

also, she still has the blunt cut because at the end of the day she's still the same person, and is in fact very polished and quite serious, but the braid can get quite messy, and that shows that she's more willing to accept her own imperfections

i took the braid from the hairstyle she has in her song bc its specific to her!! no more copying joy!! but still, its similar bc joy does also wear a braid, but cami puts her own spin to it. like, instead of trying to copy and be joy, she can just take inspiration from her and admire her while keeping her own style. on the topic of personal style, i added a black petticoat under her skirt to further personalize her uniform (also it made me think of witches hehe, yes shes not gonna do evil magic anymore but that´s still one of her interests and something she has done which she has to own up to and account for) and made her ribbon curl to allude to a chameleon's tail.

also. goldami earring

ok its golden time

longer hair!!!!!!!!! bc when he left his home he let his hair grow cuz he couldn't cut it and now he's just embraced it. it's about being rebellious, it's about rejecting gender norms, it's about embracing gender non comformity! not only can nobody tell him what to wear anymore, but also he's not letting the years of indoctrination and societal standards that still haunt his every move get to him babyyyyyyyy

i got COMPLETELY rid of any yellow or gold colors, no more golden boy persona, no more influence from the golden family, yes independence! grandpa cant get to your head anymore! now he's finally wearing the uniform, although very personalized. green sweater because green!!! when he's on his own he's shown to wear it a lot in canon!

made him wear flare pants just because i think they look fun, kind of a more fem twist ig. golden painted the pink flowers himself, they represent his bond with joy! a reference to the flower they hold in inoki and the pink used in the visuals of the song, too. the family's sexist double standards won't poison their relationship anymore!

decided to go for a ribbon instead of a tie to follow with the gnc look + because ties are considered very formal, and formal clothes are exactly what he was forced to wear, so no more! now he gets to wear normal clothes for normal situations.

i tried to make him more chubby but idk if its really that noticeable, but yea. accepting his natural bodytype

and, of course, goldami earring.

i may use these designs in other drawingssss so now u know the timeline lmao

[nicegaai]

im attempting my fic reread today. im announcing this bc i will be liveblogging to keep my morale up, NOT THAT anyone cares but i personally need this, like ill only commit to do the thing if theres an imaginary audience holding me accountable. & i like to have fun :3

anyway. captains log, its a beautiful sunny july weekend. i just finished my morning coffee, and, i am dreading this so much. i dont like rereading my own writing but i shall get over it. ok here we go.

Þetta Reddast vagueblogged directors commentary edition

Ch 1:

*opens fic and starts convulsing immediately* god i wish i smoked weed rn. i cannot chill out ever for the life of me

My Mission For Today Is: to remember what plot threads I’ve left hanging so I can resolve this story properly. And also try n remember where the flow is going. I have the end plotted out, I just am a little lost … it’s been a while :-(

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

Abrupt beginning!!!! I’m not mad because I have . I HAD. Almost no writing experience when I started this. it isn’t ideal but I refuse to be one of those fanfic writers that starts rewriting early chapters without finishing the last ones. Ive never seen one of those types actually finish a longfic. …I’d already rather yap than actually read LMAO AHH

Oh this is worse than I remember. thats cool that s great ok alright *coughs up blood*

"20 somethings" WOW I really did not know where I was going with this when I started huh

LKJSDLKSJDLGKGDJSLDGJK ??? Who authorized this. Who let me cook. What the hell

I could write this better now. I could edit this into something beautiful. <- devil on my shoulder

FORGOT I WAS MAKING RICE BRB

"generously offered nothing to the exchange." wait STOPPPP. I’m so funny

GRAMMAR ERROR DETECTED why is there two periods. I’ll be coming back to fix that …………………. :-(((

Fuck. This is a lot. Marge Simpson Hiding Her Face dot Png

Oh this is stupid this is gayyy this is fukcinnn . Who fucking did t his. What was wrong with me,. This is so good actually. what was i ONNNN. 

Im gonna throw up and I don’t know if thats like/. A complimentary thing or if im just cringing that hard . Im feeling emotions. I love my OTPs..OT3~5? I love them so so much

Ok as much as im like “eww bad writing” this is .. dare I say, rly good in places. Not to suck my own dick but maybe all hope isnt lost and imposter syndrome is an illusion

Grammar mistake #2. Goddddddd. they should ban me from the archive for this

EMILLLLL EMIL EMIL EMIL HIIIIII BABYYYY EMILLL I LOVE UUUU AWWHUUGHH everyone clap for my bewoved baby bruvver right FUCKING now

Urghhh gritting my teeth… Im fully expecting the flow of events to start not making any gd sense. There’s no way this came together the way I hoped in my head and .... For real I was never able to read this all the way thru. this is my first time, lol. and it was all disjointed on the authorial end to say the least. Im scared T-T

Jlxjvklsdkjfsjlkdkjlsjklkljzsdkjlgaskljdgjklasljkgdljkasljkdgjklasjlkdgljkaskljdgjakl?????????? 

Im not liking the ratio of dialogue to whatever the other stuff is. scene-setting I guess. prose maybe. i could have dragged this out way longer... By which I mean made it a more satisfying read. But WHATEVER !!!! 

TIMO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIMOOOOOOOOOO NUMERO UNOOOO DO MUNDOOOOOO I really need to utilize him more. As soon as I finish this fic I need to write a Timo POV spinoff where he gets cancelled on furry twitter for proshipping in real life

Hmmmm chapter ending didn’t hit as hard in practice as it did in drafts. Oh well. God damn that was a lot to happen in one chapter LMAOO???

OH SHIT MY RICE IS STILL COOKING —— 

[yakultii]

i don't feel anything , i don't feel hurt even when my own people hurt me and it scares me so much that i don't cry im not sad i feel nothing

its not me

its scary to me , do You think my heart is dead?

imo if your heart was dead you would not be able to recognise that what you are feeling is not “you”(assuming there is some sort of longing here to get back to you)

I’ve been here many times before and I think sometimes our brains are doing their best to protect us by not letting us feel - even if it’s been a long long period of time (years, decades even) don’t underestimate how long pain can endure, but also know there will come a time it doesn’t feel like this anymore, you can get there! just because something has been some way for long so long doesn’t mean it won’t change.

if you have felt before, as implied when stating “it’s not me” then you will feel again.

I totally get it’s scary, but remember to hold it gently… a bit like the chinese finger trap in which if you react aggressively you dig yourself a deeper hole/get stuck, but if you eventually learn to react with a means acceptance and grace, you’ll find it’s a lot easier to slide your way out and slowly slowly merge back into yourself - not saying this is what you have to do cause we all on our own journey, but maybe something to consider when you’re ready?

Another thing that has helped as you probably know is really thinking about what im grateful for each day because even if I’m tricking myself into have some sort of feeling about something (through using logic rather than emotion) suddenly it starts to feel a little real and im like ok wait I might feel something

Maybe this is not at all helpful for your situation idk, but either way pls take care of yourself and don’t give up on yourself and keep hope in the back of your mind that one day you’ll feel again - sometimes people find it helpful to think of their life like it’s a movie and this is the part in the movie where the character is experiencing all the hardship and eventually they’re gonna feel all warm and fuzzy etc… even if you’ve felt this way for most (all) your life like I have I still think there’s a way to make this work, maybe your ending isn’t written exactly how you planned but it could end up being so much better yk like sometimes we think we know things and we don’t know things at all, quite literally unimaginable things can occur in the future, just stick around to see it even if that means just holding on for dear life rn despite not feeling anything at all <333

sorry for yapping yet again, I hope things will get better for you, but in the mean time stay existing, there’s still so much to learn about life without feeling (trust) you can feel again, stay moving forward the best u can ily okkkk

[thefevercodepdf]

this is gonna be very personal and tmi. warning for suicidal ideation, etc.

i rewatched the death cure earlier tonight, and my reactions were just as i predicted. i cried and cried and cried, and it changed me all over again. i was reborn again. i say this with complete seriousness and sincerity, the death cure saved my life. when i watched it the day it came out in theatres, i was in the midst of my first horrible depression. i'd just had something traumatizing happen to me, and i felt so alone and empty and hopeless. i spent every waking moment planning ways to kill myself, and honestly the only refuge i had was this stupid book and movie series. the image of newt holding a gun to his head terrified me so deeply that it was all i could see when i closed my eyes for the next week or so. these are things that i didn't fully understand until years later, but seeing someone (a fictional character) that i loved so much try so hard to kill himself shook something in me, something that told me i would cause the same devastation if i did it too. i didn't say those words or think them then, because there was no way i would have genuinely believed it. but i still took newts last words to heart, because he did mean so much to me and i just needed something to keep me afloat. every time i felt myself drowning again, i'd watch the death cure. i always say it's because i needed an excuse to cry, which is true, but i also just needed to have space to love (these fictional characters), i needed to see how much people can love each other, i needed to see that it's possible to have a life at the end of all the hardship, i needed to hear someone say, "You deserve to be happy." it's cheesy but it kept me going and it's keeping me going now. there are jokes about imagining that your fav is proud of you for being where you are, and it is so cheesy but sometimes it was all i needed and all that kept me going: i know that if he were here, he would be proud of me. it really fucking hurts though that the last time i really needed to feel like "Newt is proud of me and i need to keep going" i was younger than him, and now i am older than him. that hurts bad. but whatever. i deserve to be happy and i want to be happy, damn it!!! i have had suicidal thoughts since i was eight years old and i never learned what it's like to truly be happy, but damn it i'll figure it out!!! i don't want to succumb to whatever tragedy of my life exists, and not even fight against it. i am so tired of this way of living.

it's just right place right time, really, the reason i attached to the maze runner. there are so many other things out there that would give me what i needed and in a much better way too. but idk this is what happened. that's fine. if watching the death cure is what literally pushed me to live another day, then another, and another, i don't want to be embarrassed or regretful or anything. it saved me. in tandem with a couple other things sure. like one of my high school teachers telling the story of one of his previous students who killed herself. one time my best friend in college got wasted and sobbed over the toilet because he didn't want me to die, and that for sure woke me the fuck up.

ok enough yapping! no one will see this anyway and im just posting this for archival reasons. hello me from the future who is rereading this. i really hope you're doing well. i hope i did good by you.

[oh-theatre]

Sycamore High: Quick Time (Chapter 35)

A/N: Ok so there was a giant time skip, nothing much happened but im here to answer questions. I just really needed to skip ahead and decided thats how I'm gonna do it. I hate this fucking chapter so much

summary: Things happen (I don't freaking know)

words: 3,323

warnings: Swearing, sadness, crying, negative thoughts, kissing, loopy acting, abuse, violence

Ao3 Link

“If you keep tapping your foot, Tommy…” Eric warned Tommy swallowed stopping. He stared out the window of the plane, waiting for them to land. The flight had been awful, spending almost 8 hours next to his father. They did get to sit in first class and Tommy absolutely loved it, he was devastated to leave France. It would have been one of the best trips if he could just remove his parents from the equation. They would constantly bring him around, or stay at home, leaving him to wander. His least favorite part? The churches, he loved the architecture but he knew why they were there which ruined it for him. He was excited to see Ted, he had offered to meet them at the airport but was quickly shut down by Tommy not wanting him to be harassed by his parents. He had barely spoken to Ted, every time he even glanced at his phone his parents would whisk him away to something. He’d either have to stay up really late or just not talk to him. He’d hoped his gift had arrived. The plane landed smoothly, and from then on things moved quickly. They went through everything being promptly picked up by the limo once more.

“Tommy, sit up straight” Teagan ordered, Tommy sighed. He was exhausted and just wanted to lean and sleep. But he did as she said, sitting up straight staring right ahead. The car ride was...boring. His parents sat in the front discussing who knows what and Tommy tried to keep his eyes open in the back. His phone had run out of battery so there was no texting anyone. Once they arrived at home Tommy raced upstairs plugging it in and unpacking. He knew his parents wouldn't let him leave the house unless everything was perfect, and the sun was still up so he was going to do his best. Once everything settled he gathered some things in his bag, taking his phone with a portable charger and going back downstairs. His parents stared at him, ready to grill him.

“Suitcase?” Teagan asked

“Unpacked”

“Dirty clothes”

“In the washer, ready to be cleaned”

“Clean clothes?”

“Folded and/or hung back up neatly”

“Room?”

“Tidy, and I changed the sheets on my bed”

“Did you-

“Take a shower? Yes, I did” Tommy answered, he’d done this enough times. Teagan stared at him almost impressed. She sighed clearly disappointed.

“Be back before nine pm, understood?” She declared, He squealed hugging her quickly. He ran outside grabbing his bike and riding away. He arrived pretty quickly, only missing a few directions, in his defense it had been awhile. He parked the bike, locking it up. He went up the stairs skipping one at a time until finally reaching the apartment. He was buzzing out of his shoes as he rung the doorbell. It was quiet for a moment but soon enough soft yapping could be heard through the door and a firm voice telling them to hush. The door opened.

“Tommy!” Chad exclaimed Tommy smiled it had been so long. He jumped into Chad's arm, receiving an immediate embrace. “Good to see you too” Chad laughed. He pulled away grinning so wide. Suddenly a frantic shuffling of small feet came running at him. He kneeled down embracing the white fluffball.

“Bonnie!” He squeals snuggling the creature in his arms, noticing a small Clyde following behind. He released his dog allowing her to circle his feet excitedly as he stands. Henry emerges from the archway, he's talking to someone.

“I'm sure it's just your father...” He trails off spotting Tommy, he smirks knowingly. Ted follows soon after meeting his dad's gaze. Tommy bounces, Ted grins extremely wide. The professors share a knowing glance before leaving the room.

“Ted!” Tommy squeals moving towards him

“Gumdrop!” He responds picking up the smaller boy, hugging him. He spins him around kissing him lightly. “I missed you so much!” Clyde bounces at Ted's feet wanting a piece of the action. He chuckles picking up the beagle, petting him softly. Tommy does the same with Bonnie as the couple makes their way to the couch. “How was France?” Ted asks Tommy smiles. He feels safe sitting here, Bonnie in his arms, Ted right next to him. France was awful, but right now, it was wonderful.

“Oh besides my parents it was beautiful Ted!” He shares, he wasn't lying. The time he got to spend on his own or with his grandmother was delightful. “I went to so many places! We were in Paris for a while, and then we traveled to Normandy, well me and Grammy did. My parents refused, but it was lovely Ted.” Tommy swooned, he kind of missed it. “The war sights were so sad but interesting” Tommy could go on for ages, and Ted would listen. “Oh! I do hope you got my gift, I realized we hadn't talked much since before Christmas”

“I did, I really loved it,” he expressed, the gift had been one of his favorites from the holiday. Tommy had made a wonderful scrapbook of all of their time together, with pictures, momentums, and silly things. Ted had looked it almost every night, each time discovering something new. It put Ted's gift to shame, he hadn't been able to send it to Tommy but he had it wrapped up and ready to go for this exact moment. “I'll be right back, I'm going to get your gift,” he said, kissing Tommy's cheek. He stood making his way towards his room. Tommy sat with Bonnie on his lap waiting eagerly, Clyde had followed Ted into the room. Clearly, the dog had become attached. The room looked the same except for a few small new things. The tree was still up, Tommy's heart ached at the sight. Wishing he could have spent Christmas with an actual tree. The fire was lit, the smell of cookies wafting from the kitchen. Everything was so...Christmassy. Ted returned holding a box, it was wrapped in a red paper, with little trees over it. He returned to his place handing Tommy the box. He opened it excited for the contents, knowing no matter what, he would love it.

And he did

~~~

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Aw man! Creeper!” Everyone paused turning to Ted, he pursed his lips shrugging. Tommy shook his head, signaling now was not the time.

“I'm not going over this with you again Paul” Emma returned her focus to Paul. Ted decided he was going to fall back a bit as they walked to school. He and Tommy fell in line by Bill and Charlotte as the arguing couple walked ahead. They continued this way during the entire walk to school.

“I need to talk to Jackie, see you guys later” Charlotte informed, waving goodbye to her friends. Tommy, Ted, and Bill pushed past the squabbling teens making their way to the locker.

“What is up with them?” Tommy asks leaning against the locker next to Teds. Ted opens his locker stuffing some things in, allowing Bill to do the same. “What happened over winter break”

“It's been like this for a week now,” Ted moans pulling out his lawn chair. He sets his up, Bill follows. “They won't stop fighting and we don't even know what it's about” He complains, Tommy nods. Bill yawns squirming in his chair. Ted grabs Pauls chair setting it up for Tommy to use, they sit. Tommy positions the chair next to Ted for the sole purpose of wanting to lean on him. Ted pulls out his laptop and begins working on an assignment allowing Tommy to lean on him. They were all exhausted, Emma had held a ‘Last Day of Winter Break’ party the night before. It was a great idea until they all woke up two hours later and it was time for school.

“I theorize that they are fighting because…” Bill pauses yawning, his glasses droop on his nose. Ted leans over adjusting them, gesturing for him to continue. “Thank you...I wonder if it's because of their chemistry project?” He inquires, Ted, bites his lip.

“Mmm I don't think so, last time I talk to Paul he said it was going fine” Ted recalls, Bill shrugs leaning back in his chair. He pulls out a book opening it to a bookmarked page. Ted eyes it “Is that the book for the book club?” He asks, Bill nods showing him the cover. “Cool, how is that goin-”

“I'm going to blow my fucking brains out” Paul interjects fuming. Ted shoots him a smile, waving hello.

“Good morning to you too Paul” He greets, Paul glares rolling his eyes. He shoves Ted's chair out of the way, causing Tommy to sit up blinking. “You could've just asked me to move..” Ted mumbles. Tommy stretches his arms out, kissing Ted lightly on the cheek. He stands grabbing his bag, Ted pouts taking his boyfriend's hand “Mmm where you going?” He asks, Tommy giggles softly

“Gotta talk to teachers before class” He informs lovingly, he releases Tommy waving a small goodbye. Paul gags sitting in his chair. Ted eyes him, raising an eyebrow.

“Ok, what is going on with you?” He gives in, Bill shuts his book interested. Paul glances between them, groaning.

“Ugh fine I'll tell you..” And so he does…

~~~

“So that's a yes?” Jackie asks unsure. Charlotte bites her lip nervously. She fidgets with her hands, wringing them. Jackie takes them, looking her in the eyes. “You don't have to if you don't want to, or if your not sure” She assures.

“No no I do...I really liked our kiss” She muttered the last part. “But I'm scared to break up with Sam, I've never broken up with anyone…” Jackie smiles affectionately at Charlotte. She was tempted to kiss her again, in this small corner of the school/

“I know, I liked our kiss too” She smirks, Charlotte chuckles. “But take all the time you need, really, breaking up with people is hard and who knows how Sams going to react” Jackie goes, Charlotte nods gratefully.

“You're planning on breaking up with me?” A sudden voice appears, Charlotte turns her eyes widen horrified. Sam stands angrily at the opening, his nostrils flare. “What kind of bullshit is this Charlotte?” He takes a step forward, Jackie moves Charlotte back a bit shielding her.

“No! Sam… I didn't... I..” Charlotte tries but what was she supposed to say. Her insides turn, she can't feel her mouth. She can't speak.

“This is all that guy Teds fault isn't it?” Charlotte became aware that he didn't hear about the kiss. But now she was worried about her friend. “I told him to stay away from you…” He cracks his knuckles “Oh.. he's going to regret this” Charlotte realizes what he means a second too late as he storms away, fire practically marking his steps.

“Charlotte are yo-” Jackie tries

“We have to go! We have to follow him, he's going to hurt someone!” She cries, Jackie nods as the girl's race down the hall. Following as best they can. They bump into students and teachers finally reaching a clearing of lockers and Sam. They see him approaching someone sitting in a chair. “Its Ted” She scrambled, Jackie holds her back out of fear she’ll get hurt. “Jackie!” But she's stronger.

~~~

“Hey!” Ted turns in his seat pulling away from the conversation. He spots Sam walking towards them, angrily. He eyes Paul and Bill who shrugs.

“Oh hey, Sam” Ted greets. “What i-” He was unfortunately interrupted by a fist flying at his face. His eyes immediately begin to water as he clasps a hand to his face. Paul and Bill stand, glaring at Sam. Paul creates a barrier between Ted and Sam, while Bill checks on his friend. Paul's first mistake was doing anything.

“You want some too?” Sam asked he shoves Paul backward, landing another punch.

“Hey!” A voice shouts, the students that had gathered turn to the voice. Henry emerges with their principal. “What is going on here?” he questions firm, his eyes widen when he sees Bill crouching helping Ted. He glares at Sam “Main office, now” He seethes. Sam grunts but follows the principal. Henry turns to the crowd, who all scatter upon his fiery eyes. He moves towards Paul helping him up “You alright?” Paul rubs his head nodding.

“Oh my god! Are you both ok? I'm so sorry!” Charlotte sobs running up to them, followed by a frantic Jackie. Ted winces looking up at her, he tries his best to give her a reassuring smile.

“Ok, you both need to get to the nurse” Jackie states, no duh.

“Agreed,” Henry says kneeling in front of Ted, Bill goes to check on Paul. Henry examines his injuries. He blinks at his father, feeling very woozy. Henry shakes his head helping Ted up. Bill and Jackie help Paul. They walk towards the nurse with a very worried and caring Charlotte following behind.

~~~

“Well, I'm sure he deserved it” Emma huffs, Bill exhales sharply.

“Emma I'm not kidding, Paul got seriously hurt” He informs, she turns pursing her lips. Her face, unreadable.

“He actually got punched?”

“Yes now, will you please come to the nurse's office?” She nods following Bill down the hall. He leads her into one of the rooms where Paul lays on the nurse's bed. “I gotta go find Tommy” He mumbles ushering her inside, briskly leaving. She moves towards the bed smiling sadly at him, she can't tell if he's awake.

“Hey Matthews, heard you got punched” She whispers softly, sitting next to him on a stool. He gives her a goofy grin, holding an ice pack to his face.

“I did, are you proud of me?” He asks, she chuckles softly. She leans in kissing him softly on the lips. Taking his hand as they pull away.

“No, you're a fucking idiot” She responds, he laughs instantly seizing in pain. “You're my idiot though…” She says rubbing his hand comfortingly. He nods clearly proud. He begins poking her softly

“Hey, hey, hey you know what we should do?” he giggles asking her, is he high? “We should stop fighting...it makes me sad” He pouts, Emma kisses his hand softly.

“Hmm...I guess…” She smirks, He smiles giggly “but only cause you got punched” He gives her a proud thumbs up. She chuckles lightly, the conversation dulls as he falls asleep. She sits there until his mom comes to pick him up promptly returning to class.

~~~

“So he's under anesthesia?” Henry asked doubtfully, the nurse thought for a moment.

“Sort of, it's just something to ease the pain but it makes them woozy” She explains, he nods understanding. She leaves the room excusing herself, Henry turns back to his son who sits on the bed trying very hard to keep his eyes open. Henry wishes he could drive the boy home but unfortunately he has a full day of classes. He’s waiting for Chad, who had a day off, to come to pick him up. After a very long calming down session. Ted set his eyes on Henry, he smiled and waved. Henry chuckled at him, he waved back.

“Punched!? You got punched?!” The door swings open revealing a very distraught Tommy. He rushes over to Ted taking his face carefully, moving it around to see his injuries. Ted smiles widely, pointing at Tommy.

“It's my boyfriend!” he exclaims excited, Bill sighs. “Hi” He smiles, Tommy shuts his eyes smiling. An absolute dork. He turns to face henry.

“Is he ok? Does it hurt a lot?” He figures he should ask someone whos conscious.

“It's fine… I'm used to it” Ted slurs, Tommy turns back to him sadly “My dads were so much worse” He laughs. Tommy feels a tug at his heart, he will forever hate how casually Ted will reference his past. Henry hates it just as much, clenching his jaw at the thought of Ted's old father. Bill sighs used to these comments, Teds usually a lot more careful about it. Tommy cups his face kissing his forehead lightly. “Mmm am sleepy” He responds, Henry nods.

“Get some rest dearest” Tommy suggests, helping Henry lie Ted down. Bill grabs him another ice pack holding it on his face.

“I love you guys!” Ted squeals “Bills my best friend! Tommys my boyfriend! Dad is my dad!” He sighs happily, Tommy smiles sweetly caressing his forehead carefully. “Nighty night, call me when Pops arrives” and that's that, he falls asleep after a moment. Watched intently by Bill, Henry, and Tommy. They swear they can hear him mumble a few words here and there, including ‘Gumdrop’, ‘Tall child’, and Bills personal favorite ‘fucking useless’

~~~

5 months later….

The group walked all involved in their own conversations. Arriving at the theatre the group said goodbye to Tommy and Jackie. Charlotte gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before waving goodbye. Emma couldn't help but smile, they were so happy. They had waited around a month after the incident before getting together. They sat in their respective seats in the theatre. Paul felt a buzz from his phone.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Thing 1: Hey nerd, heads up I'm driving us home after school today

Thing 2: Noice, why?

Thing 1: Debs coming over, so car

Thing 2: ;)

Thing 1: Fuck off dweeb

Thing 2: I won't be the one fucking tonight

Thing 1:

Thing 1: I'm going to block you now

Alice didn't but she didn't respond so Paul, naturally, assumed she was dead. Chad entered calling attention to himself clearing his throat. The class went on as scheduled, it was boring, no offense to Chad. They went their separate ways to their next class before rejoicing for lunch.

“Sup fuckers!” Ted greets plopping himself onto the table. Tommy looks up.

“Languag- What am I doing I don't care” Tommy grumbles returning his attention to his homework. Ted glances at him but ignores it.

“So what's up,” He asks opening his sacked lunch, Charlotte joins followed by Jackie. They greet her, answering Ted's question.

“Nothing much, I mean studying for finals, registering for classes next year, summer plans” Emma informs, Ted nods stuffing his face full of food. “You?”

“About the same! I'm thinking of not taking ceramics next year” He admits, Tommy glances up but doesn't say anything. “Paul?” Paul yawns nodding, Charlotte feeds Jackie a cookie.

“Um the same thing, Im...really tired” He tries, Ted nods agreeing. “Ok I'm sorry but I gotta ask” he turns to Jackie “What the fuck is up Jackie!” He yells, the group chuckles. She smiles biting her lip.

“Nothing much Matthews, what's up with you?” She chuckles, Emma rolls her eyes. Paul bounces in his seat flipping her off. She returns the favor, getting a glare from Charlotte. Ted shakes his head, he turns to Tommy who hasn't looked up from his paper. He nudges him softly, causing him to sit up.

“What?” He asks irritated, Ted holds up his hands defensively.

“Nevermind than… sorry” He turns back to his friends, Tommy focuses back on his paper. Ted's heart drops a little. He looks to where Bill usually sits. Bills been attending book club regularly. He seems to enjoy it but Ted misses him on days he's not there. Lunch passes quickly, and so does the rest of the day. Emma says farewell to Paul, walking home. Charlotte and Jackie walking with her, the trio having a study session. Ted waits by his locker for Tommy, instead being met with Bill. He says farewell, waiting a little longer but ultimately his boyfriend never shows. He heads home alone, his parents needing to stay after school. Paul catches a ride with Alice, teasing his sister all the way home. In five months not much has changed, but it was about to.