#okay we got her talking to him back in 75

[ackergarden]

i need him to spend an afternoon with the forgers and yor talking to him now please please please 😭😭😭😭

[multiversefanfics]

Girl Of My Dreams (Part 2)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader Warning: maybe some cussing? angst, then fluff again Summary: Summary: You work at a small diner down the street from the compound which Bucky visits often, so often that you remembered his order, but things got a little shaken up when Sharon puts her unwanted opinions in it.

You haven’t talked to Bucky in months, every time he comes into the diner you serve him and that’s it. He tries to talk to you, but you tell him you’re busy even if he’s the only one in the diner. It’s not his fault that Sharon said what she said, he can’t control what comes out of other peoples’ mouths, but the whole “75 girlfriends” comment really got to you, he was a very attractive man, so does he actually go out and pick up girls all the time? Is he a player? A lot is going on and you have enough to worry about. Bucky on the other hand, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He’s never felt like this about anyone before, he doesn’t want to lose you, but he knows giving you space may be the right thing to do he doesn’t listen to himself, he keeps trying although you two didn’t know each other for that long Bucky knew that you were the one for him. When he first showed you his arm you were intrigued, you asked many questions about it, and he had no problem answering them.

Bucky has never experienced that type of reaction when he told people about his arm, you didn’t make him feel like a robot or that he didn’t belong you made him happy and Steve and Sam saw that, but of course, Sharon had to go and fuck that up. Bucky stays in his room and only leaves to get food and go to the gym and every time Sharon comes around, he leaves even if he’s in the middle of a conversation and everyone understands they even warn him when she’s about to arrive, so he’s not caught off guard, which Bucky rarely is. There was a soft knock at Bucky’s door “Hey, Buck we were gonna go get some food do you want to come?” No answer, Sam and Steve shared a look and continued on their way, Bucky knew where they were going and after the last time, he was at the diner it was probably best he didn’t go with them.

A short time has passed, and Steve and Sam are at the diner and of course, they are in your section, you walk over and exchange greetings, you’re at work you have to pretend you’re happy. “Y/N please talk to Bucky; he doesn’t leave his room and he feels bad about what Sharon said.” You sighed slightly and rolled your eyes a bit “Why doesn’t he contact his 74 other girlfriends” Sam chuckled and looked you dead in your face “There are no 74 other girlfriends, Bucky isn’t the type to do that, hell I’m surprised at how good he was with you. Bucky is a loner, he’s over 100 years old with no practice when it comes to women, trust us.” Sam’s eyes went from super serious to pleading “Why should I trust you guys, you’re his best friends you could be covering for him.” You crossed your arms over your chest and stared "You don't have to but think about it. Would we really be okay with that type of behavior?" You shrugged your shoulders "I don't know what men think, but I'll think about it. I have to get back to work can you guys stay a bit and give me a ride?" They both nodded and you went to continue your shift, you had plans to talk to Bucky about what was said you just didn't know what you were going to say, and you didn't know what he was going to say.

Finally, your shift was over, and you met up with the guys. "Okay, I'm ready to talk to him." The three of you walked over to Sam's car, Steve opened the front passenger door for you and shut it after you were comfortably in the car, he got in the back and Sam drove to the compound. A short drive later you're outside the compound you take a deep breath and follow them inside, Steve showed you to Bucky's door, and you take another deep breath and knock on the door. "Go away, Steve!" You could hear his voice cracked from the other side of the door which made your heart break in half "It's not, Steve." You heard rapid movement and the door opened to reveal a very tired and sad Bucky. Your heart is now shattered. You did this to him, you hurt him. Well, Sharon did but you felt somewhat to blame. "Hi, Bucky." He blinked a few times and just stared "Y/N..." You rubbed your arm "Can we talk?" He nodded and moved to the side so you can walk in.

His room was dark and a mess. You didn't know Bucky that well, but you knew he wasn't a messy person at all. You sat on the edge of his bed and watched him walk over and sit next to you "Listen Bucky, I am very sorry for ignoring you, that comment really messed me up I like you a lot and I know I shouldn't have let her get in my head but that was the first time we hung out and to hear that I didn't know who to believe, I've been hurt before." You fiddled with your fingers while you tried to figure out what to say next, he saw your hands and gently took them into his. "I have never felt like this in my life, you bring out the best in me even if we only hung out once, the moment I saw you, I knew you were the one for me, and you confirmed it when I showed you my arm most people look at me and treat me differently, you don't and I appreciate that so much I cannot lose you."

You looked over at Bucky and smiled softly "You're not going to lose me, I'm here." He brought your hands up and kissed both of them "By the way I don't have 74 other girlfriends, I'm really hoping to have 1 that is if you want to." You smiled again and nodded "Of course I would love to." He pulled you into a hug sighing with relief "You already make me so happy" You pulled back softly pecking his nose "Now, why don't we clean up this room and go downstairs and I make us some food" He smiled and nodded his head. You walked over to the windows opening the curtains to finally let some light in the room. After cleaning Bucky's room for about an hour, you both go downstairs and into the kitchen. “Alright, what do you want to eat?” Bucky sat at the island and watched you look around the kitchen “What can you make?” You leaned against the counter and started naming things you could make “Ooh chicken alfredo sounds good” You smiled and started getting all the ingredients out, you looked back at Bucky who was just admiring you “Wanna help?” He nodded excitedly and stood up to come help “Okay, so what do you need me to do?” You looked around for the easiest task you reached over and handed him a pot "Fill this up with some water, maybe about halfway maybe a little more." Bucky can't mess up filling a pot with water, can he? "Is this good enough?" You nodded and instructed him to put it on the stove.

While you were cutting up the chicken you figured the water would be boiling but nope, he never turned the stove on, you giggled to yourself and turned the stove on when he wasn't paying attention. The two of you laughed and cooked. Finally, you were done and ready to eat, you both sat down, and Bucky looked down at his plate in amazement "This looks amazing" The two of you sat there in silence, enjoying the wonderful meal that you two prepared together, when in walks Sharon. You look up in disgust as she walks into the kitchen "Hey, one of Bucky's girlfriends is here, do the others know not to come by?" You could feel your blood boiling again and just as you were about to speak, Bucky spoke up instead "What the fuck is your problem?" Sharon looked at Bucky shocked by what he said but she stood firm "I just want her to know how much of a player you are." You rolled your eyes and continued eating, it seemed like Bucky had this handled, so you sat back and watched. "Y/N is my one and only girlfriend, and it's about time you respect her and me and everyone else in this compound." At this point, Bucky is now standing and staring straight into Sharon's eyes.

Sharon takes a step closer to the island. "Do you really want to go there with me Bucky?" Bucky walked around the island and stood firmly in front of Sharon, now it was time for you to step in you walked up behind Bucky and gently grabbed his right arm "It's not worth it, baby." You felt Bucky's arm relax and he slowly turned his head to look at you "You're right, Doll. Let's go continue our dinner in the living room." Bucky picks up your plates and walks into the living room, he sets them down on the coffee table and stands there with his hands on his hips. "Actually, you know what I have one more thing to say then I'm done." He turned around to face Sharon and took a deep breath "Ever since Steve stopped fucking you, you've been the biggest bitch imaginable, but one thing you are absolutely not going to do is, disrespect Y/N. You don't even know her and honestly, I would love to keep it that way so pack your shit and get out." Both you and Sharon stood there shocked. You never expected Bucky to say anything like that, that was the moment you realized you found the one for you.

Main Masterlist - Bucky Barnes Masterlist - Part 1

A/N: I really hope you guys like it; I tried my best to make it good for you guys. feedback is definitely appreciated along with constructed criticism, please the more the better. Tell me how I can make it better for you guys to read. :)

Tags: @megamindsecretlair @blackhawkfanatic @casey1-2007 @scorpiosaintt @buckysdoll85 @grdh90 @thedonswife13 @scott-loki-barnes @b3llair3

Divider credit: @firefly-graphics

[devilfic]

Do you still make Batman x reader? If yes, could I request a "reader figures out Bruce Wayne is Batman"?

Thank you!

❝honeymoon❞

parts: next plot: 'til death do you part. pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x gn!reader. cw: arranged marriage, friends to enemies to (fake) lovers, implied history between reader and bruce. words: 760.

a/n: a little something quick that I thought of!

Recognizing that you had agreed to this, you had been prepared to accept anything. An affair, a drug addiction, secret ties to the mafia overlords like high society always suspected. That was your job as Bruce's spouse: contractually obligated to be okay with it and never let anyone find out about it. Whatever it was.

Even now, as your brain short circuits and the floor feels like you're about to sink right into it, you're looking for ways to be okay with this, and he's looking at you like he wants to kill you.

It's a fleeting look. One second there, the next vanished. Neither of you say anything but there is a world of things being felt, you're certain. One of you has to budge. "This... isn’t what I was expecting."

But Bruce doesn't laugh (and you'd never expect him to, not in your presence). He stands there, heaving slow breaths to calm himself down, the cowl still conspicuously trembling between both of his hands. He could've tossed it or let it go but it's almost like you've frozen him solid.

"Where did you get that?" Is all he demands, eyes trained on the key glimmering in your hand now. "The doormen have orders to-"

"To not let me in? I know. I had the key made myself. Your doormen are easy to persuade with the right amount of money."

Bruce's lip twitches and he scoffs. "I won't tell anyone," you assure him, about 75% convinced of it yourself, "It does me no good to have extra eyes on me, and I'm sure you've got contingency plans in place were I or anyone else to expose you. You were always very good about that. Plans."

"Of course you won't. Your mother wouldn't approve of the disruption in cash flow."

Your eyes narrow. "I am not interested in what my mother wants."

"Why not? She's a part of this marriage, too. Isn't she?"

"Can we talk about the suit?" Bruce stiffens when you bring back attention to the compromised position you'd found him in. "I have questions, and I suppose if you want me to be good at lying about your... hobby, you'll have to prep me."

"I think the less you know, the better. Personally."

"The 'my husband's just busy with work' spiel is getting old, and people are already starting to talk about us living apart. Now, when I agreed to marry you," you watch him flinch as you take a step forward, "I promised that I would be with you in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, 'til death do us part. Your business is my business. Your secret," within arm's length of his cowl, you wrench it from his grasp and he relents rather easily, "is my secret. I will take it with me to the grave so long as you keep up your end of the bargain."

Up close, you take in the black paint smeared over his eyes, a fitting backdrop for his stunning eyes so cool. The fire in the hearth flickers off of them, reflecting back at you as you stand but inches apart.

Just as you stole his cowl, Bruce steals your key. He holds it up in the palm of his glove, "You want to move in."

You hum, "It would help with appearances. And my mother would be pleased."

"I thought you weren't interested in what your mother wants."

"I'm not, but she's interested in you, and given tonight's revelation... I think you'd like someone keeping her nose out of your business."

You punctuate your point with a touch to his chest, palm laid flat over his heart and the several layers of iron-clad padding in front of it. His hair falls into his eyes as he looks down at it, then back at you. There's discomfort there but... something else. Resignation, you'd wager. Defeat. You almost sigh in relief when it dawns on you that you've—rather miraculously—won this battle going in completely blind.

Later, it will dawn on you (or plummet on you) just what you've witnessed tonight. Just what you've agreed to. Just who you've married.

Bruce peels your hand away, placing the key in your palm before releasing it like a burning stone. "There are guest rooms on the second floor." He pauses when you're not fast enough to school your expression, his mouth turning down into a scowl, "This changes nothing else." And he stalks away.

Nothing else. This changes nothing else, but if anyone were to ask, the honeymoon was going great.

[d0enti]

“True Beauty” -"Fate has something against love"

⋆˚࿔ puffy skirt from Kuro𝜗𝜚˚⋆ :: a skirt to cover your lias

― ʚ summary ɞ ― Reader finds out Lyney is with the Fatui

― ʚ words ɞ ― 1.7k

― ʚ warning ɞ ― mention of dead, and spoilers for the fountain archon quest

― ʚ author note ɞ ― got Lyney so I had to write something for him

You and Lyney were partners for 5 months the full city knew about that, and Lyney made it obvious you two were dating, he would always give you rainbow roses, call you "Mon ange" he also would give you a free v.i.p Lynette and Freminet knew you very well because Lyney always talking about you, this happened on one of his shows. Lynette and Lyney were performing and Lyney made his hat float in the air, he then hit the top of it and cards fell from it he walked around it and kept pationg the hat and cards were falling out when he stopped he put his hat back on and a dove came out of it flying away, then he stared doing more cards tricks he made 5 cards appear and they fell then he made 5 more and let go of them smiling and he spoke again with his charming voice

"But this isn't what you came for"

"Don't you think?"

He wasn't lying, you all seen these tricks before and you especially since you always watched his rehearsals after you started dating, you kept listening to your lovers voice his calming voice

"So it's time for something truly extraordinary"

"Don't you think?"

You and everyone were getting intrigued you didn't know which trick he's gone do and you were interested in the trick he's going to do, the only thing you knew is that Lynette gone be in it since she didn't appear earlier so you kept watching

"this one's a little tricky"

He put his hand together and opened them dove flying out of his hands It flew up to a water tank on which, Lynette was sitting on top of it and started waving, the crowd was clapping but continued listening to Lyney talking

"Using this water tank, I shall make my sister vanish completely"

"right before your very eyes"

Lynette finished waving and jumped into the tank she did a little twirl to show she's in actual water and waved again, everyone was clapping and so were you you saw this trick already but it still amazed you one way or another

"it's actually quite simple"

"she'll just turn into air bubbles and float right out of the top"

The tank then closed and locked Lynette looked like she was surprised and so were you, you saw this trick multiple times and the tank isn't supposed to lock itself Lynette tried to open the tank and Lyney then noticed that too

"oh no, I told them to check all the props carefully"

Lyney walked towards the tank and Lynette swam down a little bit

"With the lid on, even air can't escape... An amateur magician would be getting very nervous right around now"

Lyney then chuckled, and looked at the crowd and made a silly pose that made you laugh inside

"Luckily it's me on stage!. So let me show you what a true virtuoso can do".

Lyney then snapped his fingers and bubbles started showing up in the tank Lynette seems surprised until there's so much bubbles she needs to cover her face, then the only thing you can see in the tank are Lynette clothes everyone starts talking and clapping even the Hydro Archon seems surprised

"Lynette. Are you still there?"

"Don't go too far. We don't wanna use up all our magic"

"Hi, I'm back"

Lynette then starts walking on the stage and everyone is clapping and you are relieved that Lynette was okay and joined the crowd in clapping, after a while the twins bow. Then it was time for the second trick and Lyney needed an assistant that wasn't Lynette, he used the number generator and number 75 won the woman walked towards the box with the help of Lyney's assistant, then Lyney explained how the crowd needed to count down and entered the box

୨⎯ "Time skip" ⎯୧

It was time for Lyney to come out of the box so you stood up and looked at the box in the middle of the opera and it worked he came out

"Ta da!"

The light then went towards the other box and you were getting excited since you loved that trick, the box was about to open until the tank fell onto the box everyone was shocked and so well you, you turned around to look at Lyney and you noticed how he seems to be paralyzed you wanted to run up to him but Neuvillette stops you from doing so, you look at the stage and notice it was Lyney's other assistant that died not the girl after Neuvillette left and the others, you ran over to Lyney and hugged him tightly trying to calm him down a little bit, and it worked Lyney relaxed but was still scared especially since he knew he's about to be put in trial with his dear sister Lynette

"Lyney are you feeling a little bit better?"

"yeah... yeah can we go somewhere else please?"

"yeah of course let's go behind the stage"

You and Lyney went behind the stage and sat down, you were rubbing Lyney's back to calm him down at least a bit more than before, finally he relaxed

୨⎯ "Time skip" ⎯୧

It was the time for the trial you were standing between Lyney and Lynette willing to prove that they did no wrong, you knew they did nothing wrong you could see in Lyney's eyes the fear of what just happened you saw it all you could tell that man is innocent but will you think like that again after he lied...?

"tell me aren't you and Lynette actually from the House of the Hearth"

"huh?"

"that's irrelevant. Our identities have nothing to do with what happened"

Lyney's voice was breaking, he noticed your reaction, the reaction of betrayal...

He could tell you were about to cry he already saw the tears

"you honor may I request a break from the trial"

"Permission granted"

Before Lyney could speak you already left and went to sit on the stairs in the main entrance, thinking about what just happened you were confused or maybe angry with him? You honestly don't know, you knew Lyney for a while and felt so special with him he wouldn't lie to you would he? You were honestly confused did he ever love you? Or was it all an illusion created by the magician Lyney?

୨⎯ "With Lyney" ⎯୧

Lyney was sitting behind the stage on a couch crying his eyes out, he wanted to tell you he really did he was planning to but he was too late lady Furina already exposed him, and he could tell you hated him with a burning passion, after all the Fatui did take away you family from you... while he was crying Lynette was watching she felt bad she knew he loved you a lot, so she decided to look for you, she quietly left the backstage and started looking for you for Lyney's dear Mon ange, she would only do it for him and you nobody else, nobody else other than her brothers and you matter to her, Lynette was walking towards the main entrance and noticed you sitting on the stairs, and walked up to you if she's begin honest she also felt embarrassed about the situation like Lyney, you were her best friend and she didn't tell you either she sat next to you and spoke.

"[Y/N] I know you are mad at me and Lyney I fully understand that, I know we didn't tell you but we had our reasons Lyney loves you and he wanted to tell you he really did"

"then why didn't he tell me? I'm so confused right now since when and why?"

"It's not me who should tell you that please go talk to Lyney, he's behind the stage crying his eyes out you will understand everything later on, so please go and talk to him before the trial starts again"

And that's what you did you stood up and walked towards the backstage, you were still wondering if you were making the right choice do you actually want to go up to Lyney and talk? Or maybe you just want to end your relationship, you are very confused on what to do but you keep walking ready to be met with Lyney, still worried about what to do with you guys relationship, break up or stay together that's something you and Lyney need to talk about, eventually you arrive behind the stage and see Lyney crying his eyes out you decided to walk up to him and hug him to make him feel better, Lyney hugged you back and was crying even more

"I'm so sorry mon Ange, I'm really sorry"

"Lyney please tell me why"

"Where should I start I guess I start from that me and Lynette used to be homeless, it was hard for us to get food, from watching outside performances I learned how to do magic and got some money, eventually a noble man took me and Lynette in after he saw me and Lynette perform, one day when we were returning I didn't see Lynette anywhere and I asked the man... he said somebody got a liking to Lynette and send her over to him as a present, he had multiple young girls there and he was gonna hurt them and Lynette when I got there he was already dead, Lynette was saved by Arlecchino and I felt it was right to join them, after father saved us. I swear Mon Ange the fatui isn't trying to make the situation in Fountain worse, we want to help I swear on the archons and beyond.

"Alright I get it but why Didn't you tell me before?"

"I wanted to but lady Furina did it before me I'm sorry Mon Ange"

"I don't think I can forgive you yet, but I will try to, now let's go finish the trial, if you are indeed innocent we need to prove it, now let's go"

୨⎯ "Time skip" ⎯୧

You and Lyney won the trial, Lyney felt happy but felt something was missing before anything he felt you jumping onto him and kissing him, he felt so happy he returned the kiss holding you tightly

[psiroller]

gaymers preview

i blacked out and what is this

au where everyone is playing an mmo that simulates dungeon meshi world but theyre all regular dudes named like larry and charles and stuff. the worst thing they do in this excerpt is cuss. im going to go finish chapter 4 but a friend needed a juicy carrot dangled in their face to finish their job applications. i am the picture of benevolence

cw: excessive gamer references and lingo

“Sorry, guys,” Laios mumbled into his crisp, high-fidelity mic. “I drew aggro early again.”

Chilchuck’s sigh came out in a raspy crackle. “We’re four rooms behind you, moron, what am I supposed to do about that?”

“I’m kiting the dragon back to you,” said Laios, hammering at his mechanical keyboard to try to get his speed buff cast while navigating the winding dungeon instance.

“You’re what!?” Chilchuck’s busted old Logitech headset clipped due to the volume. Laios’ hand slipped and he parried needlessly, locking him in place for a fraction of a second, the overlapping footfalls of the red dragon growing louder behind him. His ears were sweating under the cuffs.

“Laios, take the path on your right and keep running,” Marcille instructed, exasperated. “This is why you stay with the party, okay?”

“But we were talking for so long, I got bored,” Laios whined.

“Then why are you on the RP server, dumbass!?” Chilchuck hissed. Laios misfired a spell, alerting the party to his presence. The spatial audio on his headphones alerted him to his party moving up the tunnel perpendicular to the path he’d been assigned, chasing after the dragon.

“Because this is the one Marcille is on, Falin,” Laios jeered. Falin sent a winking smiley in party chat.

“Don’t deflect, Laios. You’re in deep shit if you die,” Chilchuck growled. Laios’ brainwaves flatlined as the dragon caught up to him, dousing him in crustily-textured flames that obscured his character. He kept aimlessly running, finding himself sliding along a wall once the flames cleared. The dragon wound up for its deadly right-armed strike and chunked a hefty amount of his health bar. Just as he regained his bearings, the dragon galloped and slid into a tail swipe that he managed to parry—it bought him just enough time for Falin to heal him, a glittery golden glow enveloping the screen. Laios slumped into the headrest of his gaming chair and breathed.

“Oh my God, thank you thank you thank you thank you—”

Another smiley, this one without the teasing wink. One day they’d talk her into turning her mic on, but she always worried about breathing too loudly. The dragon spun in the opposite direction for its follow-up attack, staggering Laios despite another successful parry. Chilchuck’s scrawny rouge dashed in after everyone else, buffed to the nines and firing poison arrows from the mouth of the arena. Marcille hammered the dragon with a barrage of fireballs, so overleveled for this dungeon that the dragon’s fire resistance was negated by the sheer amount of damage. A bunch of pre-cooked meals appeared in his inventory, dropped onto him by Senshi. The dragon turned its ire upon the dwarf, being within melee range, and hit him with a jet of flame—his health dropped by fractions of fractions. He ate another tail swipe without moving, his stout character waving at Laios and dancing a delightful high-kicking jig. The dragon tried in vein to get him below 75% of his max health before it all healed back in a few seconds. He continued tanking all the attacks, ramming the dragon with his shield every time the cooldown reset, and Laios hopped back into the fray. They alternated taking heavy swings, keeping the dragon stunlocked and helpless as Marcille charged her nuke spell, the one that made Chilchuck’s shitty Gateway lag for minutes on end.

Ka-choom. The dragon had collapsed before the animation was completed, the particle effects whipping away to reveal the corpse, glittering to indicate there was loot to be claimed. Laios cheered along with the bombastic fanfare; he heard Falin whoop from her room next door.

“Well done, newbies,” Senshi laughed. His beard brushed against his microphone, a strangely comforting sound. “You had me worried for a second!”

“Why? It’s just a game,” Laios said, clueless. “I’d just respawn, wouldn’t I?”

“Well, for one thing, I don’t think our characters like dying very much,” Chilchuck said flatly. He’d dropped character, knowing that the night was drawing to a close.

“That, and it’s a huge hassle to run all the way from the start of the instance to come get your corpse,” Marcille huffed. “We’d have to wait for you to come back so you wouldn’t miss experience or loot… and Senshi has to log off in thirty minutes.”

“Gotta prep for the breakfast rush,” he said with grim resignation.

Laios briefly tabbed out to check his system clock. “At two in the morning?”

“Three here, son. I got to get the croissants rolled before five so they’re in the oven by five thirty, or the kids who come here to mooch off my wifi will buy something more than the cheapest coffee I have.”

“Oh.” Laios scratched his cheek. “Well, uh, have a good day at work?”

Senshi laughed, raspy and warm. “Someone’s never worked food service. Take care, everyone.” He accepted his share of the loot, giving away anything that couldn’t be crafted into a meal, and blinked out of the instance. When they emerged from the dungeon, he was long gone.

“I think I’m calling it here, too,” said Marcille. “Great work, you two. Until our next adventure!”

Her character bowed, and she too faded away.

I think this is a good stopping point, Falin typed. Laios smirked. “Oh yeah, I bet.”

>:( Don’t stay up too late, big brother! You have an exam in the morning.

Laios rolled his eyes, but he typed the emote shortcut to wave her off. Falin logged out. All that remained of his guild at this ungodly hour was Chilchuck, his character sat on the ground, likely checking the stats on the loot he’d acquired. He didn’t back out of the call; Laios could hear a long, whistling inhale, a holding of breath, and a satisfied exhale. He’d already lit up his post-raid cigarette.

“Well, uh, sorry for that,” Laios laughed. His chair squeaked as he shifted around in it. “I’m used to games where you can just run in and start pummeling the bad guys.”

Another long inhale. “What kind of games do you play? Call of Duty?”

“Ew, no,” Laios said, nose wrinkled. “I like Monster Hunter.”

Chilchuck snorted.

“What? Not good enough for you?”

“Can’t say it’s my kind of game, no,” Chilchuck said. There was a hint of a smile in his voice. “I know a girl that plays it. She loves it. But I guess I like more of a storyline in mine.”

“Ooh. Do you play JRPGs? Final Fantasy?”

Chilchuck barked out a laugh. “Final Fantasy was never my style either. I guess I prefer those old ones based on Dungeons and Dragons. That’s why I gravitated to this game.”

Laios sat his character down next to Chilchuck, loathe to log off but too tired to tackle his solo quests.

“Stuff like Divinity and Baldur’s Gate, then?”

“Yeah, Baldur’s Gate, that’s the one.” Chilchuck sounded a little brighter on the line. “So you’ve got some taste, eh?”

“Never played it.”

“Ah.” Chilchuck took another drag. “Elder Scrolls?”

“I played Skyrim,” Laios said. Chilchuck sniffed.

“Of course,” he grumbled. “Morrowind? Oblivion?”

“I always wanted Oblivion, but my mom wouldn’t let me buy it. Witchcraft.”

“That’s a shame,” Chilchuck hummed. “It’s good. A bitch to get running on modern machines, but I think it holds up.”

“How long have you been gaming?” Laios asked.

“Since the  late eighties, early nineties.” Laios gasped, and Chilchuck laughed it off. The sound made Laios buzz. “Yeah, yeah, I’m old, get it out of your system.”

“That’s so cool! You’re into retro stuff?”

“I guess that’s what the stuff I grew up with counts as now,” Chilchuck sighed. “I heard someone call Aerosmith an ‘oldie’ and almost had a cardiac event.”

“You are old, then.”

“Yep. But I also got to play Fallout when it first came out. That ending was nuts. I’m glad I didn’t get spoiled for it.”

“The old, isometric Fallout games? You like those? I like Fallout.”

“Yeah. I’m guessing you played Fallout 3?”

“Shooting people’s heads off in VATS is fun,” Laios said giddily.

“Sure it is,” Chilchuck drawled, and Laios had the sinking feeling he’d given the wrong answer. “New Vegas?”

“I was never into cowboys,” Laios admitted. “Never tried it.”

Chilchuck clicked his tongue. “God. I got some things to teach you.”

Laios sat ramrod straight in his chair.

“I’d—I’d like that,” he sputtered, before he could second-guess it. There was a long pause as Chilchuck polished off the last of his cigarette, a distorted shuffling sound as he moved to stamp out the butt.

“Yeah?” Chilchuck’s voice was low and warm, the hiss of his terrible mic like the soft noise of a record player. “I guess I could dig around in my boxes and rip a few CDs for you. For the sake of education.”

Laios was no stranger to wrestling with his rig to play older games. He had a PSX emulator for Monster Rancher that he’d managed to get to read discs properly, and some old PC simulator games that they just didn’t make anymore. Yet still:

“Could you—help me set them up? On call? Sometime?”

“I don’t see why not,” Chilchuck said. “I got nothing better to do.”

[ariesqueencobra]

what we used to be | XV

Pairing: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Summary: You didn't think joining Miyagi-Do would end your friendships. But thankfully, you're making new ones.

Warnings: dojo rivalry, karate training, swearing, mentions of heartbreak

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: A short chapter but its a good one! Have ch 16 done but I'm gonna give it some time to post cause then it'll give me time to edit ch 17. But we're closing out season 2 with ch 17 and season 3 is next! I already have up to season 4 planned out and a little written, still brainstorming for season 5 and even s6 lol!

Thank you to those who already reblog and comment, I see you and I love you all for it!

I don't consent to this work being copied, translated or reposted.

You frowned as another message to Aisha and Tory went unread. A few days ago, they were blowing up your phone, asking if you were okay. You were guilty that you didn’t respond, but you were going through so much heartbreak. You didn’t want to bother.

Now that you were part of Miyagi-Do and you felt happier, you decided it was time to reach out, the only thing—your friends weren’t responding.

Defeated, you walked through the dojo, phone pressed against your ear as it rang. Relief filled you when Aisha answered.

“I’ve been worried sick, you guys haven’t been answering,” you began.

Two voices scoffed.

“So now you’re worried?” Tory asked in disbelief. 

“Of course, I am,” you furrowed your brows. “You guys are my friends.”

“Funny, I didn’t know traitors are classified as friends,” Aisha accused. 

Confusion filled you. “What are you talking about?”

Tory muttered under her breath and she was annoyed, allowing Aisha to answer.

“We saw you hanging out with Miyagi-Do the other day and we confirmed with Moon that you joined,” Aisha said.

“We thought you just left Cobra Kai, but joining the enemy?” Tory questioned, disappointment filled in her tone.

“I didn’t think I was going to join Miyagi-Do,” you defended.

“So what? You accidentally joined?” Aisha scoffed. “Sorry about you and Hawk breaking up but joining Miyagi-Do is a low blow. Enjoy your new friends,” she said before hanging up. 

You stared at your phone in disbelief. 

“Everything alright?” Sam asked, holding onto the punching bag to stop it. She glanced at you with wonder, her brow raised and blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

“Aisha and Tory completely blew me off, some friends,” you shook your head. “Sorry, I know you don’t like Tory.” 

You frowned, knowing their history. But after what had happened, you didn’t like her so much either.

“Don’t apologize, if they can’t see you’re trying to be better, then that’s on them,” she shrugged before going back to her warm-ups, her punches becoming stronger. 

You shrugged off your backpack, warming up alongside her until the rest of the guys showed up. 

Mr. LaRusso was nowhere to be seen and with the summer heat, you all made it under a tree in the dojo. Still, the shade wasn’t enough to keep you from burning.

“Oh God, it’s so hot out,” Demitri gasped. “I’m sweating in places I didn’t even know had pores,” he wiped his forehead against your shoulder.

You grimaced at the sweat, shrugging him off.

“Alright guys, get out from under that tree. It’s time to work,” Sensei said. 

You all groaned as you got up, the small movement troubling in the excessive heat.

“Mr. LaRusso, it’s like 100 degrees out,” Robby complained. “Can’t we take it easy today?” He was saying what you were all thinking.

“Are you kidding? This heat wave is a gift. Today you are going to experience Shochu-Geiko,” he smiled.

You arched a brow.

“Like the car insurance?” Chris asked.

“Shochu-Geiko is a Japanese exercise where you train during the hottest days of the year,” he explained. “It’s about pushing yourself to the limit. The fight isn’t always gonna come when it’s 75 degrees and breezy.”

“Aren’t we supposed to avoid the fight?” Sam questioned.

You nodded. The whole reason you joined Miyagi-Do in the first place was to stop fighting.

“Sometimes you can’t,” he sighed. “Someday, the fight might come to you. And I want to make sure you’re ready,” he gazed hopefully. “So today, we’re gonna see what Miyag-Do is made of.”

That’s how you found yourselves formed in a circle out front. The sun beating down as Robby stood in the center, waiting for Mr. LaRusso to call out a number. 

“Two!” 

One of your classmates ran towards Robby but he punched him right in the chest, sweeping his leg and sending him to the ground.

Everyone reassembled.

“Five!”

Sam blocked Robby’s kick before spinning around and landing one straight on his abdomen. “Got you,” she smiled, their gaze lingering.

You sent Demitri an amused glance, one he didn’t match as he let out a groan.

“Alright, Demitri’s turn. Come on, Demitri get in there,” Sensei encouraged.

He reluctantly sighed before going in the middle. He raised his fists before Mr. LaRusso called a number out.

“Three!”

It didn’t take much for Chris to punch him in the stomach. 

Figuring it was just a rough beginning, you waited for the next number, which happened to be yours.

“Seven!” 

You lunged towards him. You wanted to give Demitri a chance to fight you off but it was so easy sweeping your leg and watching him fly to the ground. 

“I hate this!” Demitri groaned. 

“Alright, get up!” Sensei encouraged.

You offered your hand, helping him up. “Sorry, Demitri.”

He reluctantly forgave you, putting his weight on you as you made it back to your spots.

“Can we please take a break? This heat is brutal,” Sam sighed.

You all agreed.

“You guys want to cool off?” 

“Alright, I think I can accommodate that,” he grinned.

You were hoping for a trip to the pool, not a freaking freezer storage.

“So, you couldn’t take the heat of Shochu-Geiko, perhaps you’ll find Kangeiko more to your liking,” he smiled with that same grin from earlier.

You shivered as you stood in the middle of the room, regretting you wore a tank top today.

“There are no “geikos” that take place in a spa?” Sam asked, the cold evident in her breath.

“It’s not about the heat or the cold. It’s about adapting to the environment around you and using that to your advantage” he said. “Look around, what do you see?” 

“Frozen London Broil?” Chris asked.

You snickered.

“No, not the meat, look past that. I see the exhalation of breath,” he pointed to Sam. “The twitch of a muscle,” he glanced at Robby. “The shift of a stance,” he pointed to Demitri. “If you lean into the cold, it will heighten your senses,” he said. “And then you’ll anticipate the moment before your opponent strikes and you’ll always be ready,” he concluded.

You understood what he meant, noticing signs too.

His phone began ringing, hesitating to answer before he told you all to circle up, taking the call. 

Now ready, you stood in your place. You watched Sam move about in the circle, looking out for obvious clues. She blocked Chris’s strike before Robby’s turn. They both battled, neither hitting the other and they stopped as they got lost in each other’s eyes.

You used to look at Eli that way. Your heart ached, memories flooding through but they were interrupted when Mr. LaRusso interrupted.

“All right, let’s get Demitri in there,” Mr. LaRusso said.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” he sighed. “Literally.” 

He got kicked right in the stomach.

You sighed out in slight disappointment, knowing he had it in him.

“I can’t do it, Mr. LaRusso. Between the cold and the shouting and the hole in my sock. I’m not sure when that happened but it’s really uncomfortable,” he began complaining.

You rolled your eyes. Knowing your friend, he always had something to complain about.

“Demitri, you are the most neurotic person I know. You always expect the worst,” Sensei approached him.

Demitri sighed in agreement, a bit reluctant about it though.

“But you can use that to your advantage. It means you anticipate. Think of it like a spidey sense,” he stated.

“Actually in the comics, they call it Spider-Sense,” your friend corrected.

“Look, Demitri, this isn’t about who’s fastest and who’s strongest. It’s about instincts, using what’s in here,” he pointed to his head, your friend getting it now. 

With some confidence, he took his stance, raising his fists.

“Two!” Mr. LaRusso called out.

Demitri noticed Chris, blocking his first strike and his second before he punched him in the gut.

You cheered for your friend, and the rest of the class too.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the next person.

“Baby steps! It’s alright!” Mr. LaRusso reassured.

You patted Demitri on the back, the rest of the class crowding around you.

~

“Sam and I are more like acquaintances than friends,” you said.

It was unexpected to have Moon reach out. Knowing your situation with Aisha and Tory and now barely knowing Sam, it was good to have a friend.

“I’m sorry about telling Aisha that you joined Miyagi-Do, I didn’t think this rivalry was that bad,” she said, frowning as she sat on her bed.

“Don’t worry about it, I guess I would’ve had to tell them sooner or later,” you shrugged, sitting across from her.

“Listen, I’m glad we’re doing this, I really meant what I said about being friends. I did want to give you space though,” she offered, tipping her head to the side.

“Thanks, Moon,” you smiled. 

It’d been a few months since she apologized before the All Valley. You never considered reaching out, still hurt that she wasn’t true to her word about showing you she was serious. But now she is and better late than never, right?

“So how are doing? With the breakup and everything?” She searched your eyes.

“Heartbreaking,” you hummed self-deprecatingly. “Eli was the first boy I ever loved, love,” you corrected. “I have karate as a distraction, but honestly, sometimes I just want to reach out,” you sucked in a breath. “Am I crazy?” You glanced at her.

“Not at all,” she shook her head. “It’s normal to experience that after breaking up. And considering how long you’ve known Hawk, your souls are connected. Best friends, boyfriend-girlfriend, first loves,” she listed, growing giddy. “I can’t imagine having a close bond with someone and it would suck to be apart even if it’s for the best,” she explained.

“That makes sense then,” you raised a brow. “The longest I spent without Eli was when he’d go to sleepaway camp with Demitri. That was only for a few weeks, this has been almost two months,” you hummed, shocked at the realization. “Thanks for being a friend,” you smiled genuinely.

“It’s nothing,” she giggled. “But as a friend, I have something I want to give to you,” she said, reaching under her bed and pulling out a wrapped gift. “I had this saved for the right moment. You’re right when you said talk is cheap,” she handed it to you. 

You hesitated, eyeing her weirdly before you took it and unwrapped the gift, finding a lime green sketchbook.

“Moon, you didn’t have to,” you gasped slightly.

“I did,” she stopped you. “I hurt you, Y/N. I destroyed your property and I can’t undo what I did, but I want us to start new,” she sincerely said.

You grinned, leaning in to hug her and you felt happy as she returned it.

“Thank you,” you beamed. “It does mean a lot.”

[riacte]

Team B.A.T.S. of Ninth Life — (MCC9 Blue Bats in Life Series terms):

It’s the ninth season of the Life series with a rotating cast of 40 players per season. False and Ren loyally ally every single season they’re in and their factions end up being the second faction to be eliminated three seasons in a row so they’re like “okay we’re going to do better for Ninth Life”.

Enter HBomb, winner of two Life series so far (Second and Seventh Life) and beloved leader. He has a meta of blessing his allies and propelling them to great heights. He is also a renowned prophet. H is present in a lot of final showdowns, losing Sixth Life to Fruit’s faction and is crushed by the “rivals to teammates” meta in Eighth Life. H has never really talked to False before, but the power of ✨prophecy✨ befalls upon him and he predicts False will do really well in a final showdown given that she’s on a faction that gives her what she needs.

Fruitberries is a winner of Sixth Life but his performance was not as expected in Seventh Life, leading people to think he’s not that skilled. However, this is the kind of thing that allows the Faction Mechanic at the beginning of the session (controlled by a mysterious being called Scott) to team up two skilled players while keeping it balanced.

Team B.A.T.S form and they get matching jerseys with letters on the back. They undergo a training arc. H famously claims, “It's kinda crazy how 86% of people sleep on their belly, I sleep on my side and the entire Life Series community sleep on Team BATS.” People predict they’ll be the fifth faction eliminated out of ten factions. They invoke the power of the Underdog meta to keep them safe and hidden. They have a brilliant session one and got their comms sorted by then, and while they did well, they weren’t the biggest threats. False and Ren comment this is the longest they’ve lasted before going down to yellow.

In session seven, a freak TNT explosion gets all of them down to red and they claim it’s the worst thing ever and start dooming themselves. But they raise morale and push forward and start killing everyone else instead. They are aided by Grian, who has turned red and his faction is mostly dead. Grian eliminates 3/4 of a major powerful faction. Team BATS continue slaying everyone in sight and in the end they reduce everyone to their red lives and even claim a few permakills. They break a kill record. Fruit rises up to the peak.

Naturally this makes them a big target and everyone comes in for them. Things initially don’t look good at the final showdown— BATS keeps on being knocked down, the public doesn’t want them to win, like 75% of people believe they’ll lose, it’s the year 2020, Hermitcraft fandom is in the trenches, but they miraculously reverse sweep and in the end Fruit gets the final kill. Ren gets a crown and his role playing is irreversibly changed. Fruit is pushed to S Tier status (an even higher rank than your average Life series winner).

This is the first time hermits win so it’s very exciting. The major consequences of this is that 1) H gets invited to Vault Hunters 2) Hermitttwt rallys around this victory (and that of Tenth Life) and becomes “officially recognised” 3) Ren takes this crown and does a royalty roleplay which irreversibly changed a bunch of people and helped to normalise non canon shipping.

Tldr: the BATS significantly impacted fandom landscape as we know now.

H’s prophecy gets fulfilled in Tenth Life when False permakills four people in a row (an ace) at the final showdown :)

[thecapricunt1616]

Blue Lotus - SxC Fic - Chapter 2

♡ Summary: Carmy & Syd go horseback riding!!! Carmy's therapy friends push him to go for what he wants, his 'light at the end of the tunnel'

♡ W/C: 6,534

♡ Posted Date: 04/07/2024

♡ A/N: Hayoooo!!! I am too inspired... this has become a multi-chap fic hahaha I am havin' so much fun here!! Thank you @gingergofastboatsmojito for inspiring me to keep going!!! ILY! As per usual please know - this fic was inspired by THIS FIC here - Tucson by the GLORIOUS GINGER!!!! Go read that before you even THINK about reading this fic ok?! I love how I hate storer for the same reasons but im a sucker for writing a slowburn - I find myself screaming at MYSELF internally "make them kiss already!!!!" but they will KISSSS SHORTLY SO SHORTLY MY DEARSSSS !!! It will be a JUICY TAYLOR SWIFT DAYLIGHT ASS KISS OK!!!! THEY WILL ONLY SEE EACHOTHER FROM THEN ON!!!! Its gonna be a 'and I can still see it all in my mind all of you all of me intertwined I USED TO THINK LOVE WOULD BE BLACK AND WHITE BUT ITS GOLDENNNNNNN. We need Carmy to realize a few more things but then - he will be hozier level devoted to this woman even more then he already is, I hope you enjoy!!

♡ Warnings for BTC: Not really any? Like? LOL - Swearing?! Smoking cigarettes?! They just went horseback riding & carmy went to therapy- oh Ig talks of carmy getting hard LMAO but thats as crazy as we get this chapter. ➵ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 ♡ ➵ 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 ♡

Stardust nudges his shoulder so hard he almost falls over, and he turns to look at her. His heart jumped into his throat, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. She was there, she was really there. 

“Uh-” he blinked a few times, to be sure that she wouldn’t disappear. “Syd? Hey..uh-” he felt his entire body buzzing with excitement. He couldn’t help the smile that took over his features. She looked… gorgeous. Carmen wasn’t sure there actually was a word in any human language ever to exist that could describe just how wonderful she looked. 

Her hair was in its natural state, she was wearing an adorable corduroy jacket, black jeans, and white sneakers. “You came to a farm…in those?” he motions to her shoes. 

She laughs a bit “Wow- it’s great to see you too, Carm. Didn’t realize you were…actually like living on a farm” she approached him carefully. 

“Shit- yes- fuck- It’s its so good to see you, Syd, C’mere” he pulls her into a tight, long hug. The smell of her lavender vanilla perfume nearly made him melt. 

“You’re like…tan- and…muscley now” She laughs a bit, squeezing his arm lightly. 

“Uh..” he pulled away, cheeks bright red. “Yeah uh.. It's like- fuckin hard t’ride a horse. And the um…” he rubbed his neck nervously “The uh cows.. They eat hay? Most the time, and so we need to move the bales during the morning for em, they’re like…. 75? 80 pounds? So moving like 10 back and forth every day helps. And I dont really.. Go inside? Here? Its like… uh.. Thats the therapy mostly, the animals- at least f’me” he said sheepishly. 

She nodded, looking around the stable. “That one behind you is yours? Shes been side-eying me creepily since I started talking” she pointed to Stardust. 

“Oh! Fuck sorry yea, well- no…not- not mine- I got ‘er t’trust me. But uh, yeah this is Stardust. She’s a super sweet girl” He explained. Stardust leaned in, sniffing Syds hair carefully. 

“Cute- All you’re missing is a hat” She teased.

He chuckled a bit,  “Ok, c’mon - why are you here, Syd” He said with a small smile, crossing his arms over his chest.

She shrugged, looking at the ground and kicking a rock out of the way with her shoe. “Cause…I was worried- I dunno…” She definitely wasn't going to get bold and tell him that she’d missed him, terribly.

“Ok…well now that y’here, and y’see i’m okay…wanna have some fun?” He asked, a small smile on his lips.

Syd looked back up at him, as if he had 3 heads. “Okay- Where is Carmen Berzatto- Not his… Weird alien clone- Camren Brazota” she said, laughing a bit “what do you mean fun?” She asked, and Carmy laughed, real, and genuine. 

“Well- If I didn’t change my view a little I’d never leave. So, yes, Syd, ‘a little fun never hurt noone’ - per my therapist. Shes fuckin annoying. I much prefer the horses.” He pet Star’s mane and she leaned into his touch.

“Holy shit” Syd laughed a bit. “Wow- alright. I feel like you’re a whole new man already, what kind of fun?” she mused. 

“Ever ridden a horse?” he walked over to the saddle rack, pulling off a double seated one and hanging it over the back of the stall door. 

“No- Actually, Don’t I need um…like - stuff for it?” she asked. 

“Oh don’t think I wont give you the full experience” he opened the riding closet, “Whats your shoe size?” he asked, crouching down and looking through the pairs of extras. 

“8? Er- 9 probably 9” she said. He dug through them until he found a matching pair.

“These should do, y’stuff is cool here we can just leave it in her stall” he told her, holding out his arm for her to hold while she switched her shoes.

“You seem like…” she said as she slipped off her sneaker and put on the boot. “I dunno…chill- well- i wont go that far- but chill-er then before.” Carm snorted a laugh, holding on to her arm to steady her. 

“Thanks? I guess..that’s good right?” He asked. 

“Yeah! Yeah of course…I mean, it’s nice. To see you not so…anxious.” She said, slipping the other boot on. 

“Yeah I um…” he cleared his throat, opening the stall door. “I uh..I’m takin meds- Now? Uh..all this shit. Y’know they have me like tranquilized more then these guys” he said and she laughs, Carmen smiled proudly at the fact, relishing in the wonderful sound. 

“But yeah like Like 3 er..er 4. they say I had all this uh..mental shit. Goin’ on w’me and that’s why I was all…wound up I guess” he explained, calling Star out and getting her harness situated. 

Syd caught herself staring at his arms as he worked, how the toned muscle moved beneath the fabric of the shirt. 

“Aren’t you freezing?” She asked, noticing he wasn’t wearing a jacket like she was. 

“Used to it now, well- I mean the moving around. It gets hot this shit is heavy. Wanna try to hold the saddle?” He asked, unhooking the saddle from the stall door where he’d left it momentarily. 

“It can’t be that bad” she countered. 

“I think this thing weighs probably as much as you do.” He said “hold out your arms” he smiled a bit. 

She lifted her arms out in front of her and he plops the saddle down, she had to plant one of her feet forward so she didn’t fall face first due to the sudden weight and he laughed, catching the saddle quickly and baring most the weight. 

“Told you” he teased. 

She rolled her eyes “yeah whatever. Saddle up the horse, cowboy” she dropped the saddle back in his arms. He hurled the saddle over Stars back with a grunt. 

“Fuckin hell” he huffed, realizing since the saddle was nearly double the weight as his usual, and being on the shorter end- he couldn’t just get it on her when she was standing straight. “Bow” he told the horse and she just stared at Sydney. 

“Don’t embarrass me, Star. Bow” he told her and she looked the other way. 

“So uhhh…this one’s trained, huh?” Sydney teased. 

Carmen looked back at her “mmhmm maybe she doesn’t like strangers” he said, walking over to the other side. 

“Since she’s bein difficult y’gonna have T’help. C’mere” he waved her over and she followed. “So when I push it up, just grab the saddle pad and make sure it doesn’t move, yea?” He asked. 

“The fuck is a saddle pad, dude- I know my way around a kitchen not a fuckin horse stable.” She looked at the many different layers the horse was already wearing. 

“Alright. So this,” he lifted the cloth, “is her blanket. Keeps her core warm. And beneath it” he pats the pad “this is her saddle pad, it makes it more comfortable. So our bones aren’t like..diggin in her back and shit. Also shock, when she jumps the foam of it helps our weight disperse. The saddle is so big and heavy I can’t keep the pad still at the same time, so just hold it f’me,” he took her hand, guiding it to where he wanted her to hold. 

She felt her heartbeat quicken, his hands were so large and calloused on top of her own. She nodded wordlessly, keeping her eyes trained on where she was meant to be holding and focusing on keeping it steady as he went back around and carefully lifted up the heavy saddle with a grunt, laying it over the horses back. 

“Jesus- how much can this thing carry” Syd asked. 

“Well she is a mare, she weighs about…mmm- 1900? She can comfortably hold about 400 pounds for a decent distance but she can’t do that for hours and hours at a time. We together can’t be more then 300, and her gear is less then 100 pounds. Were just goin f’r a quick ride, I gotta get to therapy at 3” he explained as he buckled on her saddle. 

“Ah. So you’ve been memorizing horse information instead of creating recipes? I figured when I got here you’d have gone nuts by now without being in a kitchen so long” she gently touched the horses mane as she spoke. 

“Maybe. Well…I am kinda goin crazy? But I can’t…let it out?” He chuckled a bit “does that make sense? Nights are a little hard before my sleep meds kick in but that just says I haven’t done enough that day” he got up. “So y’gettin up first since I’m sittin in back” he explained. 

“Oh…uh- ok how do I?” She asked looking up at the at least 7 foot tall animal. 

“Y’not gonna be able to do it alone. C’mere” he told her. She comes over and looks at him. 

“How the fuck do you do this?” She looked up at the saddle that was at the top of her head before looking back at him. 

“So-“ he snorts a laugh at her wide confused expression. “She’s not gonna like you trying to roll up on her back, and I don’t want you t’get thrown off, she can be moody with new people. I almost broke my shoulder my first time trying to ride her” he said and she crossed her arms slightly. 

“So how. How do I get up there?” She asked. He pulled out a step stool, setting it next to the horse and getting up on the third step. 

“I’m giving you a lift. Arms up” he said with a playful smirk. 

“No- no way- Carmen that’s too high. You’ll drop me!!” She took a step back, feeling slightly nervous. 

“I won’t because I’ll bribe her Syd. C’mere” he pulled a pack of peep marshmallows out of his pocket and the horse nearly starts dancing. 

“Carm- what the fuck is happening?” She asked and Carmy chuckled. 

“Bow. Cmon Syd wants t’ride. Bow and you’ll get y’treat star.” He told the horse. 

It obediently bowed down and before Syd could process what was happening, Carm was scooping her up beneath her arms Syd squealed in surprise. “Oh my GOD WHY ARE YOU PICKING ME UP!” She shrieked, wiggling in his arms. 

“open y’legs! Cmon! she’s gonna get up!!!” Carmen laughed holding her up higher. Syd finally obeyed and he gently plopped her on the first saddle. “Good girl” he told the horse, feeding her the marshmallow and putting the packet in his pocket again before swiftly getting on behind Syd. 

“Alright. Hard part done.” He reached around her waist, and she lifted her arms slightly. 

“What- can you tell me what’s going on? I’m a horse virgin!” She said, and they both went quiet for a moment, before cracking up laughing. Syd leaned to her left slightly as she tried catching her breath, grabbing the rein for stability and tugging. 

Star took off sprinting, Syd screamed in surprise, her body going tight with fear. Carmen quickly wrapped his arms around Syds waist protectively, tugging on the reigns “WOOOOAH!” He called to Star and she quickly came to a stop. 

“Stand.” He told the horse firmly. 

“What the fuck Carm I thought she was trained!” Syd exclaimed, gripping onto his forearms for dear life. 

“I gotchu, you think I’d let her kick you off?” He tightened his arms around her. Carmen swore his heart was thumping so hard that she felt it on her shoulder blade. 

“Also when she moves it’s hard to keep still.” She said nervously. 

“Don’t worry, I gotchu, Syd. Lean into me, if our weight is centered then it’ll be easier for all 3 of us” he gently pushed at her stomach. 

She leaned back into his broad chest, “see” he said softly. He was lucky the angle didn’t allow for her to see him, because his face was bright red, And having her body pressed against his…was making him flush somewhere else too. 

He clicked his tongue and Stardust started walking again, at an easy comfortable trot. “This…is ok.” She said, much more comfortable now. 

“I’m gonna take you t’one of my favorite spots.” He said, pulling on the reins to the left lightly so she would follow the left trail. 

“Wow, already sharing secret spots huh? I think this therapist may just be Doctor of the year I don’t even think I’ve seen your favorite Chicago spots” she teased. 

Carm laughed a bit, he felt so much lighter with Syd around. And life had been lighter ever since he got here. 

“How is…uh- how is it back home?” He cleared his throat lightly. It was something that had being weighing on him. Yes, he was here, he was doing the thing. He was making Sugar happy. He was making Syd happy…but he would go back, at some point. 

And his biggest fear was things will just go right back. He won’t have this outlet, he won’t have sunset rides with Stardust to ease his mind. He won’t have the cows happily running up to him and greeting him when he was the first one to bring out a bale of hay. He felt like if he was here, he may have the confidence to tell Syd how he feels. But back home? It was another life. 

“Fine..things are..y’know. The usual shit. But nothing bad, no one’s getting locked in any freezers if that’s what you mean” she said playfully. 

Carm rolled his eyes with a light smile. “Mmhmm. So the restaurant is-“ 

“Is fine.” She said. “I’d have told you. You know that.” She said and he nodded a bit. 

“I know she scared you back there…but it’s pretty fun to go fast. You wanna try?” He asked. 

She shifted a bit uncomfortably, her hands tightening around his arms that were holding the reins around her waist. “Uhh…maybe? Are you sure we won’t fall off?” She questioned. 

“I’m sure. Here you can be the one to control it. Start light ok? With your legs.” He gently ran his hands down her thighs to right below her knees “here” he said softly, squeezing the flesh gently so she wouldn’t have to lean and look. “With that part of your legs, give her a little squeeze. But really light, or we’ll take out of here like a bat out of hell” he held around her waist again, securely holding the reins. 

“Mmhmm” she said, she was beginning to feel hot- and not because she’d done any hard work in regards to getting the horse ready. 

“Alright. Whenever you’re ready, you’re the boss” he said the last part softly in her ear. If it wasn’t for her jacket, he would see the goosebumps that had risen on her arms. She nodded quickly, staring straight ahead and trying to maintain her composure. 

“So I just?” She squeezed gently and the horse picks up her speed slightly. “Oh…ok” she said. 

“Told y’she was trained” Carmy teased and she rolls her eyes. 

“Mmm you’ve done a very good job, bribing this horse with peeps. The staff know you do this?” She asked. Carmy snorted a laugh

“No. But she’s healthy. Made sure. She only gets one or 2 if she doesn’t listen.” He admitted. 

She shook her head with a smile. “And how’d you find this out, Carm?” She leaned into him once more. 

“I…” he laughed a bit, his chest vibrating with the movement and it made her heart warm. 

“I uh…spent a few days in the library here. Reading up. After she threw me off. It’s all about trust with em. So I never lied to ‘er and I’ve never done something she didn’t expect because I always try to warn her.” He said, pulling her reigns a bit tighter. 

“This is like a joyride Syd cmon, I said fast not an evening stroll.” He teased. 

“Fine. Mister horse master- show me what Miss Stardust can do.” She said. 

With 2 kisses and a quick tap of his heel, they were off like a rocket. He held Syd steady, being sure she wouldn’t have to do most the work of holding herself center as he gripped each reign with the opposite hand, holding them taught so Star knew to keep going. 

Syd laughed, the wind flicking her dark curls all around. He wished she could see her amused expression. “Holy shit this is the best!” She shouted over the loud thuds of Stars hoofbeats. 

“I know right! Can you believe she can go faster?” He said, holding his knees taut around her hips to keep her from sliding. 

“Okay we are not! This is fine!” She said and sat up a bit “are we going into the-” She asks as Star begins to barrel through a creek, the freezing water spraying up and around them getting them slightly wet, the freezing water splashing from their calves up to their cheeks.. “CARMY!” She screams through laughter. 

He could barely catch his breath as he laughed so hard his stomach and ribs ached. “I’m sorry!! Syd! Oh god-“ he chuckled “woah girl- woah” he called to the course and she slowed down once again to a stop. 

“Fuck-“ Carmen chuckled “you okay?” He asked, picking a wet leaf from her jacket and throwing it to the forest floor. 

“Yeah- I’m.. I’m fine. That was really fun actually. C’mon I wanna see the spot” she said and took it upon herself to tug the reins so Star would take off again

“Shi-it!” He quickly finds his balance, “warn me!! Oh god I almost flew off!!” He told her. 

“You think I’d let her throw you off?” She mimics him from earlier and he takes the chance to playfully pinch her waist 

“Yes because who’s in back and who’s in front?” He wrapped his arms around her again, taking the reins from her grasp. “Your reign privileges have been revoked for this riding lesson, Ms.Adamu”  

She laughed a bit “I’ll earn them back. Don’t worry” she mused. 

“Mmm we need to talk about more shit before I just literally hand the reins over. Coulda spooked her and we’d be fuckin dead.” he angled the outside reigns so she’d slow down as they came to the clearing. 

“Here we are” he hopped off, raising his arms to help her down. 

She carefully reached out for him and he lifted her off, gently setting her down. “Holy fuck Carmy” she turned around, watching the waterfall cascade down over the rocks. 

“Right! Told you. It’s a fire spot” he went over to one of the rocks he usually sat at, plopping down and taking out a cigarette. “Oh- shit- can’t have y’running off” he told Stardust and chuckled, leaving the cigarette between his lips as he walked over to her, guiding her over to the tree, and hooking her right rein around a branch before sitting back down. 

“Yeah…I can’t remember the last time I went somewhere so…” she trailed off, looking at all the trees and running water. 

“Green?” Carmy lit his cigarette, taking a drag. “Not packed with smog? Somewhere that doesn’t smell like shit.” He said as he exhaled. 

“…yeah” she said and laughed a bit. “Yeah. Guess that’s it.” She came and sat next to him. “What did you mean about her getting scared?” She asked curiously. 

“Oh- a scared horse will fucking kill you. Not on purpose, but they’re big and pure muscle, and will do anything to get away from danger. I scared the shit out of her one time, that was it. Dislocated my shoulder 8th day here. Doing that hurts like a bitch by the way.” He rolled his shoulder gently. 

“How’d you manage that? God I knew you were shit at chatting up girls but she dislocated your shoulder?” She teased. 

He rolled his eyes with a playful smile, taking another drag. “Yes, I was fuckin around on the trail, dunno why- but there was this branch sticking out so I grabbed it, it snapped, she fuckin reeeared dude. I flew back so hard. My back might still be bruised I’m not sure. Still hurts a little to laugh” he said. 

“You better have seen a doctor” she said. 

“Ohhh silly Syd.” He sighed, a puff of smoke filling the air in front of him. “We aren’t allowed to refuse treatment here. If you get hurt, and you refuse to get help, it’s considered self harm, which leads to them believing you have suicidal ideation, which leads to you being locked in the actual nuthouse. So yes. I willingly went to the doctor daily for a week. And now, I’m being checked on once a week. So yeah. Oh and therapy daily. And every day I’m given my meds and someone checks over ‘pre-existing injuries’ which that is now considered. So yeah. I’m good. I’m fuckin fine as fine can be.” He said. 

“Awww poor little chef, being taken care of so well that’s so hard isn’t it?” She teased and he gives her a playful glare, but couldn’t help but crack a smile when he realized she was smiling too. 

“I was being taken care of fine at home by myself but you and my sister just had to ship me off after one tiny accident” he leaned back on his hand, taking another drag of his cigarette. 

“It stops becoming an accident when you didn’t care, Carm. You didn’t care. It didn’t phase you. You weren’t even…you weren’t even scared. Just because you didn’t do it on purpose doesn’t mean you did the sane thing which would have been doing everything you could to not let something like that happen.” She said, her tone suddenly serious. 

He looked down at his lap, swallowing thickly. He suddenly felt all of the armor he’d spent the last 31 days chipping at, slowly start to meld back together and shell him back in at the shame the whole situation was making him feel. 

“I have nightmares…you know. About it. What happened” she said quietly, and he could physically feel his heart ripping open. 

The only sound between them was the bubbling stream, and the sounds of their even breaths. 

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly, gaze fixed on his lap knowing he would burst into tears at the admission she’d been so deeply plagued by something he’d done, if he had looked at her.

“I know” was all she said, gently resting her hand on top of his. He felt the same fireworks exploding in his chest that he only ever felt when she was around. 

“Do you um…” he clears his throat and shook his head, embarrassed by the question plaguing his mind. “Never mind it’s..it’s stupid.” He removed his hand, putting his cigarette in it and resting the hand opposite of her on the rock. 

“That usually means it’s not stupid. What?” She coaxed, bumping his knee with hers gently. 

“It’s stupid” he said again, shrugging his shoulders. 

“It can’t be stupider then asking me what UPS means” She said playfully. He rolled his eyes, smiling and looking over at her. 

“And what if it is?” He questioned. 

“I would be..worried they’re giving you a bad concoction of meds that’s turning your glorious chef brain in to Swiss cheese” she teased 

He snorts a laugh. “I was gonna ask..if you wanted to cook..t’night. My cabin…it uh- has a kitchen? I haven’t cooked in a month. They give us food so I haven’t really bothered but…seeing you makes me miss it more, I guess” he blushed, looking back down at his lap. 

“Well obviously. Not gonna let you eat whatever bullshit they’ve been giving you while I’m around.” She said and he shook his head, meeting her gaze once more with a playful smirk. 

“Maybe you should check in. My therapist says it’s bad apparently to feel ‘responsible for others’ - says it’s a ‘subconscious self harming behavior’ “ he teased. 

She smiled a bit. “Okay- say I do. How about, I check in now, we shoot the shit for what- eleven more days- then, you go back home- and see how stressful it is in that restaurant when one of your hands is basically missing” she plucked the cigarette bud he’d forgotten about from between his fingers before it burnt him, flicking it into the creek. 

“You know that’s the first time I’ve seen you smoke- other then…me like checking on you when you were about to explode at work. But you’ve never…pulled one out and smoked it I guess” she said, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her cheek on her forearm as she looked at him. 

“Oh…” he said, pulling one of his legs up and resting his arm on it. “Didn’t realize you noticed” he said, brushing some dirt off his jeans. 

“I notice a lot of stupid shit about you, it’s kinda annoying honestly.” She said without thinking, her eyes widening when she realized and she looked the other way, resting her other cheek on her knee and squeezing her eyes shut. 

Why would you ever say that?! She asked herself internally. 

“Oh?” He said again, smiling a bit. “You do?” He questions, but that was as far as he’d push. 

“Mhm” was all she responded. Carmys phone started buzzing in his pocket and he pulled it out in case it was one of the ‘base keepers’ they called them. Carmy rather call them babysitters. He knew what they were for, being sure if they were out of sight too long they were making sure they could still get ahold of them. 

He sighed in relief when he saw it was just his 2:40 alarm. “Gotta go” he stood up, offering his hand to Syd. “Like- now. Or my ass is getting chewed out.” 

The ride back to the cabins was mostly silent. He had no stool this time, so he had to pick up Syd essentially by the ass and gently place her on Stars back so she didn’t get spooked. 

He was embarassed as fuck that the tiny action had the crotch region of his jeans tightening more then was casually explainable. Thank god no one was around to see him awkwardly hop in the way of his semi hard third leg down his left pant leg, grunting but covering it with a dry cough when she settled her ass back into him to ‘center their gravity’ 

Syd absolutely felt the firmness pressing into her ass. She thought it was a bit funny, but also brushed it off to the strange friction that came with riding a horse. She couldn’t allow herself to fully believe his teenage like excitement was due to her, or she’d go insane. 

Carmy dropped Syd off at his cabin, giving her the key and telling her he’d put up Stardust and be back by 5, she would be blushing if it weren’t for her mahogany complexion at the domesticity of it all - er what she could imagine domesticity with Carmy would feel like. 

Her panties were also soaked through from the feeling of his enormous length pressed into the curve of her ass - the entire way back - but she just chalked that up to not getting laid for a few months, and misreading his natural arousal for him being horny- she quickly pushed the thought down and just chalked it up to the horse. Because guys get hard when they ride horses…right? Right?!

Carmen arrived to therapy extremely frustrated, and extremely ready to talk. He sat down in his regular spot in the back, tapping his knee nervously and covering his crotch with his hands. Luckily, thinking about his mother was enough to make him soft nearly instantly so he had that to thank her for at least. 

“Alright guys!” Julienne, the usual Friday therapist came in, sitting in her spot in the circle. “Who is up today! We are-“ she looks at her iPad “oh! Yes this is another OP class, so- no pressure but, I wanna hear what’s goin on!” She crossed her legs. 

Julie was far from his favorite therapist, at Blue Lotus. But he wasn’t his least favorite. So he would still talk. He cleared his throat, raising his hand slightly. 

“Carmy?! What a treat! Okay what’s up” she grabbed her little stylus pencil. He bit the inside of his lip nervously. He despised how casual she tried to make this all feel. 

“Uh…so- my um…business partner, she came to see me. I guess I haven’t been…keeping touch? Enough? She just said she was worried…” he cleared his throat again, gaze fixed on his lap. “And uh…I’m startin’ t’-t’realize stuff?” He sniffled nervously, rubbing his mouth with slightly clammy, nervous hands. 

“She uh..” he chuckled a bit. “She…she just…showed up. Didn’t hear shit from ‘er. She probably knew that I’d uh…I’d tell ‘er no?” He finally meets the gaze of Julie. 

“Okay. You know guests are allowed right? Like- during the visiting hours, 6am to 11pm, no fraternizing between patients but-“ Carmen cuts her off

“We aren’t - no. Not fraternizing” He shook his head. “But uh…today? We were- we were sitting. This spot, near uh, Jupiter point? On the north side. And I had this- this urge T-to tell her…everything.” He shook his head, looking at the floor again. 

“So…you wanted to tell her you love her?” Jesse, one of the guys he’d had lunch with a few times piped up. 

“T’be honest, I don’t know.” Carmen said honestly, looking at him. 

“Well what does it feel like?” Jesse asked, sitting up a bit. 

“What? Like- what does what feel like?” Carmen asked curiously. 

“Her. Being with her. Talking to her? Inside. Like. Your chest. Your skin?” He questioned. 

“Uh…” Carmen sat back, swallowing thickly and crossing his arms over his chest. He thought for a moment. 

“Hot. I get hot. All over. My chest feels tight but - but good? Like- a hug almost. And then…when she…” he blushed, looking down with a shy smile. “When she touches me” he shook his head slightly. “When she touches me it’s like um.. fireworks? Like fireworks beneath my skin.” He chuckled a bit at how cheesy it sounded. 

“And you haven’t fucking nailed her?” Jessie asked plainly. 

Carmen furrowed his brows, glaring at him. “No” he clenched his jaw “I haven’t.” He snips. 

“Dude- you are- pussy whipped with no pussy?! You- you love her, Carmen. You love this chick. I feel like I’m looking in a weird straight mirror - the first time-“ he laughed a bit “the first time I kissed a guy- god. He was so hot. But I had no idea! I had no idea. I really thought that I was just-“ he shook his head “that I was just wanting to befriend him? Or something? But like- I wanted to fuck him. And when I did kiss him? Something unlocked in my brain dude. It was like…like a whole new world. I felt like I knew - I knew what love could feel like? Just ‘cause of that one kiss “ he shrugged. 

Carmen looked at him, arms crossed, trying to absorb everything he was saying even though every fiber of his former self was screaming to take it with nothing more than a grain of salt. 

“Kiss her dude. Kiss her.” Jesse said and sat back in his chair. 

“Well. Although, consensual sexual instances are against the code of conduct to discuss - I am very proud to see you two coming out of your shells. Has anyone else felt… confused in their romantic endeavors and would like to share?” Julie asked. 

Carmen crossed his arms tighter, looking down at his lap. This was quite unusual for him, he was one of the patients to only add what he had to to be credited during inpatient, and during outpatient - only spoke when he really and honestly had to. 

“Uh-“ the super tall girl, Shayna sits up. Carmen was never really sure why she was here. She looked…perfect by all means. Perfect skin, perfect nails, pretty face, long blonde hair, a perfect body by girl standards. Or at least what Carmen had understood of them.

 “Not really the same.. but before I came out? I like…I would uh buy…girl clothes. That I liked. For my girlfriends at the time…” she blushed “and um.. I realized after a while that I liked them. And I wasn’t just..wanting to see my girlfriend in them. And like- it’s not the exact same, but when he said… about how Jesse realized he wanted the guy. That’s how I felt when I finally tried the clothes on” she shrugged. 

Carmen was…aghast. He just simply stared at her. He’d never met- or thought-  he’d ever met a trans person before today. But…Shayna? 

Well- he was wrong because he had met her, they actually knew each other fairly well as far as patients go, she joined the program when he did. When they first met, she’d made a joke about how they were the tallest girl and shortest guy in the class, so that meant they were bound to be friends, since opposites attract - and that earned a chuckle out of him before his meds had even fully evened out. 

“I love the cis-and-confused look- it’s cute” she said and laughed a bit. Carmen blushed, smiling a bit. 

“Not confused- well, maybe. Maybe a little. Y’Just so…dainty? I dunno..” he shrugged. 

“In case you haven’t noticed- mr.little man syndrome- you’re only one out with the cows doing the hay on time in the morning. Ninty percent of the group is your version of dainty ” Jesse teased. 

“Jesse” Julie gives him the look. “I’d assume that means- the rest of you that aren’t out helping with the bales- are scraping out the cow pens? Since Carmen is doing all the hard work according to you.” 

“I’m not girl- fuck no! The second I got out of inpatient house arrest? I walked my happy ass down to Walmart and bought me some blackout curtains. I recommend those to all of you! Oh my god and some ear plugs!! The stupid fucking roosters! Worst 15 days of my lifeee! I’m never coming back here peace and love to you all though. Truly. Can’t stand this cow shit stank ass place.”  Shayna said dramatically, causing Carmen to chuckle a bit.

 He had loved her boldness since they’d met. If Shayna didn’t want to do something- she wasn’t doing it. He learned that the day the staff tried to force her on anti-depressants. One of the main therapists got a Wellbutrin straight to the eye, they never attempted that battle the same way again. 

“We know Shayna you aren’t shoveling scat, princesses don’t do that” Jesse mocked her valley girl tone. 

“Okay! Okay. Alriiiight! Back on track- done with the bickering!” Julie said. “Now that open call is over let’s move on to breakthroughs. This issss-“ she looks at her iPad “ah- yes! D group. So. That makes it-“ he checks her watch “ah- right. 11 days! How are your light tunnel projects going?” She questioned. 

Carmen’s chest tightened, but not in the Syd is smiling or he made Syd laugh way- in the - I haven't done something I was meant to do way. 

The Light Tunnel project wasn’t hard. It was simply one thing you have done that you had wanted to do when you came into the program. And Carmy knew what his answer was, 

Admit how he felt to Sydney. 

Or, as his Therapist- Mandy told him ‘become more truthful with yourself and those you know about how you feel’ because “counting on someone to like him back would put him at square one” he had pretended to understand, but knew that he had to tell her and soon - or he was going to really go insane. 

“ my light tunnel was to talk to my asshole father- but lucky for me I just caught wind the motherfucker finally died thank god. So by default I win and don’t have to be here anymore cause his abandonment was what fucked me up anyhow“ Shayna said jokingly, causing Carm to snort a laugh. He knew she was only joking about the leaving early part, not the father part. Her father was an even bigger piece of shit then Carmen’s was, he had come to learn.

“Mmm that isn’t how it works we know that Shayna. We’ll talk more about this in one to one “ Julie told her and Shayna crossed her long legs, looking out the window. 

The last 20 minutes of the session Carmen sat silently, looking out the opposite window to Shayna, watching the horses running around in the field before they got called in for dinner and just spacing out, thinking about what he may say to Syd. 

“Yo - Carm space cadet” Shayna said before kicking his boot he jumped a bit, looking up at them both and had realized the room since had cleared and Julie was preparing for her next session. 

“Shit.” He said “how long have I been like…like that?” He asked, his cheeks feeling hot. 

“It’s the OCD meds. They get you stuck in a happy thought loop sometimes. Are you just gonna sit here? You wanna do another hour of this with sniveling group a? They got here three days ago.” Jesse said. Carm shook his head, getting up. 

“No- no sorry” he said starting with them outside. Shayna laughed a bit 

“You were thinking of screwing that business partner aren’t you. “ she said, causing Carmys cheeks to go pinker. 

“Shayna shut up!” Jesse scolded, pushing her shoulder lightly. 

“Awwww carmyyy are your feelings hurt little buddy? Do you need a hug? Jesus men are such pussys” she pushed open the doors of the therapy cabin for them. 

“Let me see pictures of this hot chick. If you don’t fuck her I will and I bet I’d do a better job” Shayna teased as they started heading back towards the cabins. 

Carmen couldn’t even process what she said as he felt his breath get caught in his chest, he saw her. She was sitting on the porch of his cabin, criss-cross in one of the rocking chairs as she writes in her notebook. He couldn’t help but stop and stare at the way the setting sun hit her bronze skin, her curls casting intricate patterned shadows on the wood. He felt his heart pick up, his chest squeezing in that way, the way that only happened when he saw her. 

Shayna and Jesse stopped after a few moments when they realized Carm had gotten stuck behind. They both follow his gaze carefully to see what he was so fixed on, like a trance. 

“Holy fuuuck!!! Holy fuck how did I get this lucky!! She’s here? She’s here still?!” Shana asked excitedly, “oh my god- you’re getting laid- tonight” she excitedly skips up to the cabin and Syd looks up, locking eyes with her before seeing Carmen just a few paces behind.  “I’m Shayna! Do you and Carm wanna hang out with us tonight?”

➵ 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 ♡♡♡

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

👀👀👀💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👀👀👀

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞(i'm so excited for this i can hardly stand it😩)

Also yay new cranberry fic🤗

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮

Thanks so much cal!💋

Yay thank you!!!!!!!!!!

30 for 💪🏻:

---

And before Eddie can sneak away and come up with literally any other plan, Buck sees him. 

Buck catches Eddie standing outside the gym area, having stopped dead in his tracks on his way to the locker room, practically staring holes into Buck’s biceps. Which are currently engaged in rather distracting curls. When he notices Eddie, Buck grins. He sets the weight down, straightens back up, and turns towards Eddie. 

Sweat is making his shirt stick to his chest a little more than it normally would. Which is already a lot. The outline of his chest is very… Well, it’s outlined. 

“Hey, Eddie,” Buck grins. “You’re here early.”

Shit. Fuck. Eddie feels like he’s been caught looking at a dirty magazine or something. Because the thing is, Eddie has only ever come early to do this one before and Buck knows why. Buck has to know that he’s feeling… Sexually complicated. 

“Uh… Yeah. Thought I’d get a workout in before shift,” Eddie says. Technically the truth. “Guess I wasn’t the only one with the idea.”

“Guess not,” Buck agrees. There’s a wolfish sort of look in his smile. Like he’s sizing Eddie up.

Eddie swallows. 

“I can go,” he offers. 

“Why would you do that?” Buck asks.

Fuck. Fuck.

“If you wanted to be alone,” Eddie explains.

---

36 for 🔼:

---

Buck sits and shivers and waits and hopes that they aren’t too late.

At least they got to Shannon and Chris first. That’s the main thing. He hopes they’re both okay. That they didn’t get injured in his absence. And what about the baby? Surely a tsunami has got to have consequences on fetal development. What if there’s something wrong with her? Buck couldn’t live with that. 

He’s getting sleepy, kept awake mostly by the anxiety and the cold gnawing at him, when Bobby finally calls out to him. 

“Okay, Buck,” he says, voice fuzzy and farther away than he really is. “We have a solution.” 

“A solution?” Buck asks. 

“Yeah,” Bobby confirms. “We’ve got a way to keep the Jeep elevated using the boat and some chains. But it’s only going to last a few seconds.” 

Oh. Buck has to move fast. He’s feeling kind of slow, though. 

“What do I do?” Buck asks. 

“Just get as close to the opening as possible, and when we move the dumpster, I’m going to grab you, and we’re going to move quick, okay?” 

“Okay,” Buck says. “I can do that.”

“Alright,” Bobby says. “That’s good. Count of five, okay?” 

“Okay.”

Buck shuffles right to the crack of light, leaning into it as much as possible. 

“Five, four…” 

Buck takes a deep breath. 

“Three, two…”

He braces himself. 

“One.”

---

75 for 🪞:

---

Buck’s pretty sure he was explicitly told not to let Chris win every game they ever played together. What will that teach him? Had been the logic. Buck sees how it is. Not so easy when it’s not your kid.

“I’m really good, Eddie says,” Dove announces proudly. 

“I bet you are,” Buck smiles at her. “Hey, maybe you can kick my butt at Go Fish later, but right now, I need to talk to Eddie for a second. Is that okay?”

Dove nods. “Okay. Can I watch TV?’

“Yep, go for it,” Buck replies. 

She heads to the living room and Buck asks Eddie to step out onto the porch with him for a second. He doesn’t want Dove to overhear them.

“Thank you for watching her, Eddie,” Buck starts. “I really appreciate it.”

Eddie shakes his head. “God, Buck. Of course. I don’t just owe you one - I owe you potentially a hundred.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Buck replies. “I was panicking. Watching Chris was never transactional.”

“I know,” Eddie says. “Seriously, I know.”

Buck takes a deep breath. He still feels like his heart is racing. He doesn’t know why. 

“She’s a great kid,” Eddie says. 

Buck relaxes a bit. “Yeah, I think so, too.”

“Totally meant to be yours,” Eddie says.

Buck’s cheeks heat. “Uh, you think?”

“Weird about animals, competitive, and sweet? Yeah. Your kid.”

Buck could cry. 

“I really miss you,” he says.

Eddie looks at his feet. “I miss you, too. And I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry,” Buck says. “I didn’t even think… I know it’s got to be really hard to be around other kids right now. I… If I pressured you, or-”

“That’s not it,” Eddie interjects.

“It’s not?” Buck asks. 

“I mean, kind of,” Eddie concedes. “But it’s not the only reason.”

“Okay,” Buck mumbles. “Uh, did something happen?”

Eddie shakes his head. His eyes look a little misty.

“I just don’t want this to get fucked up for you.”

Buck blinks. “Wait. What?” 

“Buck… My kid left me. Still hardly talks to me. Christopher… It’s my fault he’s gone. Maybe… I mean, maybe it’s better if-”

“No,” Buck nearly snaps. 

Eddie closes his mouth.

“Eddie, no. Are you insane? You’ve known her for an afternoon and she’s already more comfortable with you than most adults she’s met. You’re amazing and… And, no offense? You can’t fuck this up for me, Eddie. Only I can do that.”

---

21 for 🦮:

---

There’s a long pause after that, where no one seems to know what to say. Albert, bless him, jumps in. 

“What’s it like driving that far in an RV?” He asks. “That sounds exciting!”

“Statistically speaking, it seemed the safest way to travel right now,” Phillip says. Which really doesn’t answer Albert’s question at all. But that would involve accessing human emotions.

“Yeah, we didn’t want to take any chances, given Maddie’s condition,” Margaret adds. “And it being a high-risk pregnancy.”

Eddie shifts a little uncomfortably. From what Buck gathers, he has some experience with judgmental parents criticizing a pregnant woman. 

Maddie frowns. 

“Well, no,” Chimney says. “It’s not really high-risk-”

“Oh, she’s over thirty-five,” Margaret doubles down. “That puts her at a higher risk. So we all need to be extra careful.”

“The baby’s fine, Mom,” Maddie says. 

“But you don’t want to take any chances,” their mother continues. “Not when you’ve waited this long.”

[digenerate-trash]

Okay so. It happened.

I got harassed at work. And it wasn't pretty

Tw for transphobia, homophobia, racism, trump shit.

I got harassed at work today

I'm fucking sick

Also I look Hella bad on camera and I hate it

This dude comes in- saying he's gonna celebrate while I'm just chilling with this woman murelle.- (she's lovely)

And instead of being silent like normal people he starts spouting off about how we all should be celebrating.

We both kinda shrug. And he goes off about how Trump won.

And I can't tell if he's serious

So I kinda shrug it off and hes going off about how he's so happy that All the weird people with green and purple hair and imagrants will be loaded up on a plan and they'll die and crash.

And I'm like "damn.... okay"

And hes like "you look like a trump suporter" and I'm like "okay"

And then he continues to push??

And I keep my cool because this isn't my store I don't really care I just want him out. But Murrell is like "oh stop it. It's terrible" and the guy keeps going and it really rubbed me the wrong way when he started to argue with her. Going back and forth saying shit about the election and how it's finnaly going the right way. And finnaly I'm like. Dude. Just gimme the 5 dollars and get out.

And he hands it over. Saying that I should be glad that we're not in the states because he knows what I am.

But now that he's harassed a customer and made transphobic, homophonic and racist remarks, I'm like. This is harassment so I'm like cool. I'll need your name and I gotta write down a description of what you're wearing and the time. And hes like. "Nah." And I'm like "cool. I'm keeping your 75 cents until I'm done tho." And hes like squirming???

Hes like "I'm batman- gimme my money"

And I'm like.

"Cool. Batman. I just need to write down your description real quick." But I'm going slow as hell dictating everything and he threatens to call the cops but that's not going anywhere and finnaly I'm like. "Here's your money batman" and he just gets out of dodge like he wasn't just wasting mine and sweet Murrells time with this trumpie shit.

And sweet murelle is like I wish I wasn't here for that"

And me too honestly

Today though I get a call from my boss who is upset on my behalf. She tells me she's banned. Doesn't know how I stayed so calm. She's telling me that if she ran into him spouting that shit she would have thrown his water at him. And I'm like

I used to work for Rodgers. I'm the king of staying calm (and romancing the elderly into talking to me for over an hour so I waste call center hours and get a good convo out of it. Not even kidding I learned like so many cooking, gardening and household maintence tips this way)

Anyway she says she's proud of me and he's banned. I go into work and her husband- (my other boss) is like. "He's a vile peice of shit. If anyone does anything like that again grab their license plate and kick them out we don't want their money"

So yeah... trump may have won. But your shitty aditude won't be tolerated

[solo-ojo-jojo]

Teaser for upcoming Chenford Fic: Moonlight & Magic

The Rookie Fanfiction | Chenford | Oneshot | Rated G | 4x21 Mother's Day | Chenford Bingo | Truth Spell

Hi, all! I've got a Chenford fic that's been sitting in my drafts since the night 4x21 aired, and I wanted to share part of it. Perhaps if there is enough interest, I'll find the spark of inspiration I need to finish it.

Check out an excerpt below the gif from @chenfordsource, which is right where the story picks up.

(original post here)

“Could you just wait here?” Lucy asked. “I need to go find Lopez and figure out how to go put a curse on someone.”

“Yeah, right,” Chris chuckled before watching her walk away. “Oh, you’re serious.”

Lucy walked hurriedly over to the Detective desks in the bullpen, but didn’t see Angela anywhere in sight. She noticed the computer shut off for the night and dialed her number.

“Angela? Hey, did you already go home for the night?”

“Yeah. But what’s up?”

“Oh, okay.” Lucy was silent for a moment. “It’s not work-related. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Angela answered without missing a beat. “What’s going on?”

“I, uh—I wanted your help putting a curse on Tim.”

Her friend laughed. “Why do you want to put a curse on Tim? What did he do now?”

“He pranked me and I need to get back at him.”

“With a curse? That must have been some prank he pulled. Curses aren’t to be taken lightly, Lucy.”

“I know. And I’m sure about this.”

“Tell you what. Can I call you back after dinner and we can discuss finding the right one for you? Then I can give you the instructions tomorrow. Would that work?”

Lucy had really been hoping for something tonight. To get back at him as soon as possible—while she was still feeling motivated to get back at him—but tomorrow would have to do. She tried to hide her disappointment when she answered. “Yeah. Yeah, of course. Enjoy your dinner. I hope it makes up for the way the rest of your day went.”

“I hope so too.” Angela said, gazing at her husband, who had promised her an evening of pampering. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Wesley looked over at Angela from his spot behind the steering wheel. “Am I hearing that right? Lucy wants to put a curse on Tim?”

“Yep,” Angela said as she clapped her phone between her hands. She grinned widely. “And I know just the one.”

✨️ 🔮 ✨️

I hope you've enjoyed this teaser! I go back to work on this one every now and then. It's been fully outlined and is probably more than 75% finished, but I've been stuck on a couple of parts. Honestly, I could probably benefit from a beta to help push me across the finish fine. You can message me here or on Discord if you're interested in helping. 😊

[httpsdana]

18 + 75 w/ marcus rashford🥹 ty in adv :)

Floating Near~Marcus Rashford

・❥・prompt list

・❥・masterlist -> part 2

・❥・who I write for

18-“Remind me again how I got stuck with you?” 75-“Good god, you’re in love with her!”

y/n and Marcus had been assigned to organize a party with their friend group, an event that had everyone buzzing with excitement. A group chat had been created weeks ago, but when it came down to who’d do what, it was chaos. Finally, after a hilarious back-and-forth, the tasks were split up: some friends were in charge of decorations, others on food, but somehow, y/n and Marcus ended up tasked with blowing up and setting up all the balloons.

As soon as the two of them started inflating the balloons, it was clear Marcus had no intention of doing it quietly. He’d blow up a balloon, then immediately bat it over to her, watching it bounce off her head before she could react.

“Marcus!” she exclaimed, laughing as she swatted it back. “Are you actually going to help, or just mess around?”

He leaned back, hands behind his head, flashing her that trademark grin. “Hey, messing around is helping. I’m keeping you entertained.”

y/n rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help smiling. Every time she tried to focus on the balloons, Marcus would nudge her, tap her shoulder, or whisper her name just to make her look up so he could smirk and blow her a kiss.

After the fifth interruption, she gave him a playful glare. “Remind me again how I got stuck with you?”

He raised an eyebrow, smirking with that boyish charm. “Oh, I think we both know you love it.” He winked, making her laugh as she gently elbowed him in the ribs.

A few minutes passed with both of them actually getting some balloons set up, a few floating around the room, but every time y/n reached up to tie one, Marcus would lean closer, his voice soft. “Need any help there?” he’d murmur, his eyes lingering on her in a way that made her heart skip a beat.

“Only if you’re actually going to help this time,” she teased, but he just gave her a small smile, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear before he adjusted the balloon string for her.

Once all the balloons were set up, everyone headed off to get ready. y/n found herself upstairs, putting on her dress, fussing with her hair, and adding the final touches to her look. She took one last deep breath before heading downstairs, only to find all her friends milling around the living room in their best outfits. She stepped down the stairs, her eyes scanning the room for one specific person.

And that’s when she caught Marcus’s gaze.

He was standing with his friend Mason, who was talking to him about something, but Marcus was staring at her like he’d forgotten how to breathe. His eyes traveled over her, lingering on every detail, his gaze soft and admiring. He looked utterly spellbound, his usual playful self-replaced with something more vulnerable, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Mason noticed the look on Marcus’s face and nudged him. “Mate, are you okay?”

Marcus didn’t even respond, his gaze still fixed on her as she was pulled away by one of their friends. Mason, following his line of sight, raised an eyebrow. “Oh, mate. Do you like her?”

Marcus’s eyes stayed locked on her, a small smile curving on his lips. “Like her?” he murmured, shaking his head slightly, almost in disbelief. “Mate, I like her so much it’s not even funny.”

Mason’s eyes widened, a grin breaking across his face. “Good God, you’re in love with her!”

At that, Marcus finally pulled his eyes away from y/n and gave Mason a look of slight panic. “Do you think she knows?”

Mason chuckled, giving him a shove. “Go tell her, you idiot!”

Taking a deep breath, Marcus made his way through the crowd, catching her eye and nodding toward the balcony. She followed him outside, the cool night air making her shiver slightly, and he immediately shrugged off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

“Thanks,” she said softly, looking up at him with a smile.

He smiled back, his usual confident demeanor faltering just a little. “You look…amazing,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a soft, almost husky tone.

“Thank you, so do you” she said feeling the butterflies flutter in her stomach. His gaze was so intense, she almost forgot where she was.

He took a deep breath, his hands fidgeting slightly as he looked out over the city lights before turning back to her. “Listen, I… I didn’t plan on saying this tonight, but seeing you tonight, I just—I can’t hold it in anymore.”

y/n tilted her head, giving him an encouraging nod. “Go on.”

He ran a hand through his hair, smiling nervously. “I like you. A lot. More than I probably should. I think about you all the time, and every time you laugh, every time you look at me… it just makes me want to be around you even more.”

y/n couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, her heart almost leaping out of her chest at his confession. “Well, you’ve been doing a good job of showing it by messing with me all the time.”

He laughed, looking down before meeting her eyes again, stepping closer. “Yeah, well, annoying you was the best way I knew how to get your attention.”

“Well, mission accomplished,” she whispered, closing the distance between them by clutching his shirt and pulling him down to her level. then pressing her lips softly against his. The kiss was slow and sweet, filled with the months of teasing, of unspoken feelings, finally coming to light.

When they finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, grinning. “So, remind me again… how did I get so lucky to be stuck with you?”

y/n laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Pretty sure I’m the lucky one here.”

“Guess we’re both pretty lucky,” he whispered, capturing her lips in another gentle, lingering kiss as the night settled around them.

[tyrantonutx]

Something about how you write Erik gives morticia addams/sensual deadly & mysterious which always means in my mind that person needs a foolish adoring/doting husband and im not sure if that's on purpose but I love it! 💞

I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR WHAT YOU STARTED (lovingly)

okay listen

I got this notification when I woke up for work, right? And I was like huh that's an interesting thought

this shit percolated in my brain for 75 minutes

let's talk about this.

To me, Gomez Addams and Morticia Addams has always been one of my favorite romantic tropes for a lot of reasons, but the more I thought about it, a lot of it stems from the way that they are different, and love each other differently, but the truth and reliability and strength of that love is never in question.

Gomez Addams, to me, is so very human. He's passionate and he loves things with all of himself. He loves life, he loves everything, no matter how difficult it is or makes his life. I can't canonically think of a single point where Gomez Addams feels anything worse than like, benevolent indifference, right? He's so in love with life, and experiencing it, to the extreme.

And how he loves Morticia is loudly and adoringly, which is simply a testament to how he loves.

What makes him strange and weird is that he is unapologetic in how much he loves and expresses that love. He has no shame because that would imply that what he does and who he is is shameful, and that is simply not the Addams way.

Morticia Addams loves very differently. Her love is no less strong, or fierce, but she herself is just simply built different. Gomez Addams is so very expressive and overt and obvious in how he loves. Morticia Addams is not. The affectation she has is cold, and calm, and supernatural. Against Gomez, it might be easy to think that she loves him less because she is not outwardly expressive the way he is, but it's just that she loves him differently. She loves her family differently. She loves them with calm, and grace, and when necessary, with blood.

Gomez Addams, to me, is so very human. Morticia Addams is not. She is a monster, a predator, calm and cool and collected always and fiercely defensive of her family.

Now let's look at Starkmonger with this understanding.

Tony Stark is so very human. He is loudly expressive, sometimes to a fault, sometimes to aggravate people. He grew up in a cut-throat world of business and science and technology, with a father who saw him in the shadow of a (then) dead man and found him wanting, who was so focused on the future that he didn't care about raising it, raising him, right. He learned to put on one mask, and then another, and then another. So Tony is good at acting. He's good at projecting protector, and predator, and cut-throat businessman, but under all of those layers of defense he loves in such a passionately human way.

Tony Stark is Gomez Addams that way. He gives so much of himself, all of himself if he's asked, and while it would be nice to get that back, he doesn't expect it. He loves, and he has learned not to expect it back, but that hasn't stopped him from loving people, even when it hurts him (possibly especially when it hurts him).

Tony Stark is human.

Erik Killmonger is not.

Erik Killmonger is a predator. Even in this AU where he is raised somewhere that loves him, he still carries that cool strength, that confidence, of a predator. He's not a monster here, not in the ways that we think of monsters as antagonists, but he is a killer, and he does not regret or question that. It's simple necessity, man. He does what he has to to survive, and to ensure the people he loves also survives.

But he does love. And he loves in a cool, calm, confident way, the way he does everything. He doesn't do grand gestures. He doesn't do overt displays of affection (unless it's to send a message, that this is his). But he does the things that his people need him to do.

In Tony's case, that's being there, and giving exactly what he needs when he needs it: comfort, strength, logic. He's not loving in the way that Tony is, in that "give them everything whether they ask or not" way that Tony does. But he will give what Tony needs. And like Morticia, he is not opposed to defending his family or his husband with bloodshed.

Tony and Erik are Gomez and Morticia in some very key and important ways, and I didn't think about this at all until you sent me this ask, and now I'm fuckin' obsessed about it.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Daughter of the Rain and Snow

Concept: Around ten years after the events of Crooked Kingdom, 25-year-old Captain Inej Ghafa frees Maya Olsen from a pleasure house in Ketterdam. Maya is looking for revenge against the man who put her in her position, a man who she knows nothing about except his name: Kaz Brekker.

Tags: @wraith--2 @lunarthecorvus @just2bubbly @real-fragments7 @cartoon-clifford @origami-butterfly @lady-a-stuff

Content Warnings: in more general terms I want to remind people to be aware of the nature of Kaz and Inej's experiences and relationship since even if I'm not directly addressing these things they tend to be implicit in any writing about them, but specifically to this chapter there's ptsd, imprisonment, violence, blood, gore, grief, and discussions of death.

Chapter 75 - Jesper

Getting Inej to the Slat wasn’t an entirely simplistic process, which probably shouldn’t have been surprising considering they’d struggled to get her down a flight of stairs, but it was still harder than Jesper had expected. He and Nina managed to lift her onto a slightly makeshift stretcher that they could carry her on, but it wasn’t easy and they found themselves continually falling behind Kaz as they followed him through the tunnel towards the Crow Club. Kaz hadn’t said a word the entire walk, and Jesper wasn’t sure if he ought to try and talk to him. Possibly that would make everything worse.

There was something inherently terrifying about seeing Inej of all people like this, and Jesper could not stand the desperate sensation inside him to look away. Before they’d left the house he’d stood over her for a minute in the quiet, trying to calm the frantic feeling bubbling through him. He gripped her limp fingers in his for a moment. For Inej, he could do anything.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” he’d asked Wylan as they stood opposite each other in the doorway.

“Right here waiting for you,” said Wylan, winding his arm around Jesper’s waist to pull him closer, “Are you?”

Jesper nodded.

“As ever,”

“Come back safe,”

“I’ll consider it,” Jesper teased, leaning towards him, “For you,”

“Jes…”

Their lips met for the briefest second. Jesper lifted a hand to Wylan’s cheek and felt the trace of a tear.

“Damn,” he whispered, “Didn’t think I was that bad a kisser,”

Wylan laughed softly, taking Jesper’s hand in his.

“Wylan, it’s gonna be…”

“I know. I know. Just bring Inej back safe - and Kiada. And you come home safe too, promise?”

I promise you-

Don’t say that.

Jesper pressed a kiss against the back of Wylan’s hand.

“Always,”

The Healer - Evan, Jesper had overheard his name as - was yet to arrive when their ramshackle little group reached the Slat, and it was more than obvious that Kaz was on edge.

“We got word he’s on his way,” said Anika, as she helped Nina and Jesper carry Inej up to the apartment on the top floor.

“Then where is he?” asked Kaz.

“Maybe he was with a client wh-”

“If he’s prioritising anything else right now then he’d better start praying,”

No-one said anything more. No-one was stupid enough.

They laid Inej on the bed, then Nina gently rolled her onto her side and arranged her limbs the same way as before. She’d undone the top button of Inej’s collar as well, and now quickly ran two fingers beneath the fabric around her neck to make sure it was loose enough for Inej to breathe easily.

“I’ll have Pim stay on the door for you,” Kaz told Nina as she crossed the room back to the group, “Just in case. Anika, you’re with us,”

“Where are we going?”

“Rollins’ safehouse,”

Anika looked at Inej, then back at Kaz.

“Now?”

“Now. Get Roeder and Vix, then-”

“Vix is on Ethan duty,”

Jesper frowned.

“Ethan duty?”

His confusion went unresolved.

“I doubt he’ll run,” said Kaz, “But stick Jhar on the door instead. We need about ten people with us,”

Anika looked wary, but she nodded and slipped around the door frame out of sight. The Healer had still not arrived and if Kaz had any patience left it was fraying quickly. He glanced at his pocket watch.

“We don’t have long left to get the girl,”

“Then I’ll go,” said Nina, “You stay with Inej, I-”

“No. We’ll leave now - if you’ve not heard from Evan in fifteen minutes, find Yara downstairs and send her to the White Rose to find him,”

“Kaz you should stay with her,”

“I have a job to do, Nina, and so do you so get on with it,”

Nina swallowed. She glanced at Jesper, but he had little more to offer her than a hesitant shrug.

“This is about getting Kiada back safely and protecting Inej,” she said

“Yes,” Kaz agreed, “It is,”

“And it is only about Kiada and Inej,”

Kaz smiled.

“Now, I’m afraid, you’ve lost me,”

“Kaz,”

“Nina, dear, I’ll only say this once more: you concern yourself with your job, and I’ll concern myself with mine. Jesper, let’s move,”

Jesper shot an apologetic look towards Nina’s exasperated one, then hurried to follow Kaz from the room. Kaz paused at the top of the stairs and turned back, frowning.

“I left my knife in the other room,” he said, which seemed about as suspicious a statement as he could’ve come up with.

They both knew damn well that Kaz was carrying at least two knives at any given moment, and there was no particular individual blade he might have forgotten in his apartment. But Jesper stayed quiet as Kaz moved back past him to the door. After a moment Nina appeared in the hallway as well, shaking out her shirt cuffs and looking thoroughly unimpressed.

“Did he actually just kick us out so he can say goodbye to Inej?”

“Of course he did,” said Jesper, “What did he tell you?”

“That he needed me to get a ledger from his office. A ledger. Right now,” she shook her head in disbelief, and Jesper laughed.

“Is it just me who remembers him being a better liar?”

Nina snorted.

“Where Inej is concerned? Never. You’re just terrible at reading people,”

*

Rollins was hiding out a little farther south than the Slat and the Crow Club, a fact which Roeder had apparently discovered that night when Alby limped his way back from the Geldstradt.

“He took a long route,” Roeder explained as they walked, “went all the way past the embassies then up to the harbours before he came back down again. I thought he was trying to throw me off the scent, but it don’t seem like he noticed me,”

“What was he doing then?”

“Got me. What does he want with you and Brekker anyway?”

Jesper shrugged.

“To continue a vicious cycle?” he offered.

Roeder didn’t reply.

Kaz split the group into small teams; he would go in through the back with Vix and Rotty, Jesper, Anika, and Roeder were to approach from above by going through the building next door, and the rest would go in through the front or surround the building in case Alby tried to run. They weren’t sure if there would be anyone in the place except Alby and Kiada, but Kaz doubted it.

“Stay on guard,” he told Jesper as they parted, “but he doesn't trust anyone, and based on the numbers we took out at yours I doubt he has many others in waiting,”

Jesper nodded.

“No mourners,” said Anika.

“No funerals,”

The words echoed briefly through the group, and then Kaz was gone and Jesper was moving quickly away.

The building next door to Alby’s was a safehouse of the Liddies, not currently in use but Anika told Jesper that they’d set a deal for short term use of the space just in case. Jesper frowned; when had this deal been made? And based on the state of the Crow Club, what would Kaz have to trade? They slipped inside and straight up the stairs, then waited until the signal from Vix to cross to the next window. Roeder crossed first and picked the lock, the thirty seconds it took him only reminding Jesper just how skilled Kaz was with his picks, and then Jesper and Anika followed him into the building. As the others began to try the doors nearest to them, Jesper hurried straight up to the third floor.

The doors to the first two rooms he checked weren’t locked, but he slipped inside and called Kiada’s name anyway. The third door he tried just rattled on its hinges and he was about to try cracking the lock when Anika’s voice rose from the stairwell. He only caught the end of her sentence:

“…think we’ve got her,”

He ran downstairs to where Roeder was almost finished picking another lock. He ushered the others back and opened the door slowly, leaning round the edge before he slipped inside and pushed the door to swing almost shut behind him.

It was a small room, bare of furniture save for a spindly chair with a sheet thrown over it on one corner and a cobweb-ridden trunk pushed up against it, with no lights and no window. A sudden banging sound from the room next door shivered through the tight space, and the girl crouching in the darkness flinched.

“Kiada?”

She sat in the farthest corner of the room, knees held up to her chest and her hands hidden somewhere behind them. At first he wasn’t sure if she’d heard him; she shuffled slightly, pressing closer to the walls she leant against, but did not look up until after a moment had passed. She turned slowly, her wide, frightened eyes meeting his in the dark.

“Kiada, thank the Saints,” he breathed, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Jesper moved forwards and Kiada pushed herself back against the wall, screwing her eyes shut. He froze.

“We’re getting out of here,” he whispered, “I promise you,”

Don’t say that. Please.

She stared at him. And after a moment, she lifted one of her hands above her lap so he could see the heavy iron shackles on her wrists.

I’m gonna string that bastard up, thought Jesper as he traced the chain with his eyes.

It ran across the floor behind her, he’d missed it in the shadows until now, and disappeared through a small hole at the base of the wall.

“He has the other end?”

She nodded.

“Alright, I should be able to get you out; Can I come over to you?”

There was a moment of hesitation before Kiada nodded again. Jesper approached slowly and knelt down in front of her. He let her reach her hands out to his instead of taking them, and inspected the shackles cautiously. They were too thick for him to break with any ease and he didn’t have anything to meld into a lockpick - not that he was sure he knew what he was doing with one anyway. He could probably separate the cuffs from the chains though; he’d be leaving Kiada with a set of heavy, unwelcome bracelets to figure out how to get rid of later, but at least she’d be able to run. He took a breath.

A diagonal slice of his hand snapped the first link in the chain off her left hand, and a second did the right. Kiada jumped, then closed her eyes for a moment and flexed her fingers.

“You���re zowa,” she whispered, staring at him like she’d seen a ghost.

Jesper pulled the broken chains away from her wrists.

“I’m sorry I can’t do more than that right now,” he said, “But I’ll get them off when we’re home, alright?”

“Thank you,”

Jesper stood up and brushed a few pieces of grime off his trousers, then offered Kiada his hand. He wasn’t sure she’d take it, but she clung to him firmly and stayed close every step he took. They slipped from the room together and onto the landing, where several of the Dregs were waiting. Kaz’s group must have moved up here as well. Kiada gripped his hand tighter and Jesper heard the anxious spike in the air as her breath caught in her throat.

“It’s okay,” he murmured, “Sorry I should’ve told you they were here. They’re with us,”

Kiada said nothing.

“Where’s Kaz?”

Rotty opened his mouth, but before he’d had a chance to answer Kaz appeared from the room next to the one Jesper and Kiada had just emerged from. There was blood on his clothes and splattered across his face, but more notably he was dragging Alby Rollins along with him by his collar. The head of Kaz’s cane was pressed against Alby’s neck, Jesper would’ve called it a pretty safe guess to say his nose was broken, and when Kaz released him and shoved him onto his knees the boy spat blood onto the floor. He tried to get up but met a hard crack from Kaz’s cane straight across his chest and coughed hard.

Jesper felt Kiada’s grip on his hand tighten.

When Alby drew a knife from his sleeve the entire building seemed to snap alert, the Dregs reached for their various weapons and Jesper, Rotty, and Anika all moved to step forwards before Kaz gave them the briefest shake of his head. Jesper recognised the dark gleam in Kaz’s eyes and lightly placed a hand on Kiada’s shoulder.

“Don’t look,” he murmured, gently redirecting her.

Jesper did look. It wasn’t pretty.

He watched Alby’s blood spill onto the floorboards. He saw Esme falling.

Alby was somehow still breathing. He clambered slowly to his feet, joints cracking loud enough to make Kiada flinch at Jesper’s side. By this point he’d lost his knife, kicked across the floor by Kaz and collected by Rotty, but apparently he just really didn’t know when to stop. Within the entire next minute Jesper only counted two blows actually landing on Kaz, and lost track of how many landed on Alby. The pair ended up vanishing back through the door they’d come through, and Jesper hesitated.

He should go. He should take Kiada home and he should go back to Inej.

Jesper had never been good at doing what he should.

“Anika!” Jesper beckoned her across the landing, then turned to Kiada, “This is Anika, she’s going to walk with you just a few streets to a building with a grey façade, okay? You’ll know it when you see it - The boards are tilted at the front so it looks like it’s leaning on the building next to it. She’ll take you upstairs and Inej and Nina will be there, alright? And then I’ll either see you there or back at the house,”

Kiada stared at him for a moment, and then gave the barest nod. Jesper took the win.

“Okay, Anika, this is Kiada. Take her back to the Slat and don’t leave her until Nina or Inej are able to take over for you. She’s your responsibility,”

Anika nodded, and Jesper began to turn away before he paused and shot a look back over his shoulder to Anika.

“And if anything happens to her you’re dead in the water, and I will personally see to that. Okay?”

Anika raised her eyebrows, then nodded before she turned to Kiada and started directing her down the hallway. Jesper looked back towards the door. He could still hear Kaz and Alby in the next room and he could still feel Esme’s blood on his hands.

Esme, look at me, you’re going to be okay. I promise you-

Don’t say that. Please. I don’t want to make you break it.

Jesper breathed.

I’m sorry.

He was going to get answers. And he was going to make that bastard pay.

[roughandtumble-r]

Issue 72 is here, so it's time for me to talk about it!

Surge and Kit quit their jobs!

Clutch however isn't okay with it and doesn't allow them to leave, which neither Surge or Kit are too happy about, and Surge is so mad that she causes a storm and disrupts a nearby highway, which Sonic just so happens to be hiding in and is blamed for being the cause of the disruption. After losing his disguise to throw off the Babylon Rogues who were on his tail, Nite suddenly pulls him into his and Don's RV for cover, and he explains that they were working with the Chaotix before they went missing at the start of the Clean Sweepstakes...

As Sonic mentions, Tails and Amy as well as Belle are still aboard the Restoration's shuttle, and they want to go see Jewel and tell her about the shady stuff that's going on, but her office is being guarded by the Clean Sweepstakes' mascots. A battle breaks out between them, and it's revealed that the mascots are actually...

And that's it for Issue 72!

We also got a whopping six covers as well as the solicit for Issue 75, which is set to come out in November...

The higher they fly...the harder they fall. It's time for a double-sized arc finale! If Clutch can't win, he'll take everyone down with him... trapped in a flying battleship set to explode, on a collision course with Central City! Can Sonic find a way to thwart Clutch's maniacal vengeance? Identities are revealed, plans are in motion, and there's no going back now.

:)

[maxverstappensflatbrim]

Show Me Yours | Matty Healy [2]

chapter two, act one: antichrist

May 29th 2010

"You've what?"

"Changed the name of the band."

Comes the reply over the phone, "Why?"

Adam sighs on the other end, "Not sure, think Matty's going through an existential crisis again."

She snorts, "When is he not?"

She twirls the pen in her hand as she leans back, and lifts her feet to rest on her desk, "What's the name?"

"Uh, 19- sorry, the 1975."

She starts laughing, holding a hand to her mouth to hold it back, but the smile can be seen from miles away.

"He's very specific about the."

"Yeah?"

Adam hums, "Is it some kind of inside joke?" He asks, "Your tattoos? I don't get it, he won't tell anyone."

"Our little secret, Ads."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm just glad I don't have to describe to girls why we're called Drive Like I Do, anymore."

"What girls?" She teases and she hears him laugh sarcastically on the other end.

It's silent for a few moments, and she picks at a string on her cardigan, "We've got another gig lined up."

"Really?"

"Yeah, a few, you gonna come up soon?"

She sighs, "I don't know, Ads, maybe."

"Matty uh, he bought your book yesterday. Was pissed I got a free one and he didn't."

She scoffs, "Didn't want him stealing my stuff again."

Adam laughs too, "It's great, Tommie, really. You're an amazing writer, you should do something with that."

"Maybe."

"No, you should." He says firmly.

She glances to the side, the little book sitting there staring at her, 75 pages of her own work. Her writing, her words, her poetry.

"Has he, uh, has he read it?"

"About a hundred times."

"Really?"

Adam hums, "We all have. It's good, Tommie." He hesitates a second, then adds, "Song worthy, band worthy."

"I'm not-"

"Yeah, I know. Thought I'd try again."

She wants to get off topic now, and talk about something other than her work. The thought of Matty reading it, understanding it, makes a red blush rise up her neck and across her cheeks.

"Did you hear what Nan and Granch are doing?"

"No." She can imagine his furrowed brows and confused tilted head, one that makes him look so much like their grandfather.

"Moving to France, or Spain, they haven't decided."

Adam laughs, "A place in the sun?"

"All the time, I can't come downstairs and see it on tele anymore, I'm going crazy, If it's not that it's an antique roadshow making him think he can become some sort of pawnbroker."

Adam chuckles again, "I think he's bored."

"I know, being retired doesn't suit him, he's trying to convince Nan to retire but she's still got four years before she's old enough."

"Doubt she will either, she loves her little break from him once a day."

"How is it over there?" He asks then, "At the McDuff household?"

"Great, actually, great."

"Tommie?"

She hums, moving her position so her feet are back on the floor, going back to staring at her notes for her English class, "How's things at the Fern household?"

"Well, dad's pissed he lost the custody battle. But, he did turn up to court drunk four times, so... that's his own fault."

"He seen you?"

"He asked me to go to dinner with him three weeks ago, still waiting for him to pick me up."

"What time was he supposed to be there?" Adam asks.

"Three weeks ago." She repeats slowly.

She hears him sighs, can imagine the pity falling off of him, "Tommie-"

She cuts him off quickly, not wanting the pity, "Nan's calling me, think dinner is ready, I'll call you monday when I get more credit."

"Okay, bye, Tommie."

"Bye, Ad."

Adam turns away as he hangs up, opening up the door again to step back inside Matty's place. Despite the early hour, seven thirty, both Ross and George are passed out on a sofa each. Matty's curled up on the beanbag he'd brought down from his bedroom, book in hand, glasses on, leaving the armchair open to Adam.

"She okay?"

"Yeah, revising for exams."

Matty nods, not tearing his eyes away from the page, "What do you think she means by 'watch my inane tears'?"

Adam looks up, "What?"

"In her one poem, she's written, 'the consequential ignorance, as you watch my inane tears', what do you think she means by that?"

"You know, if there was a poem in there about you, she'd have told me."

Matty closes the book, sending him something between a glare and an embarrassed look, "That's not what I'm trying to find out. I-"

He sighs looking away, "Your cousin is a very private person. She only reveals things she wants to, and I'm very nosy." The other boy just raises a brow slowly, "I'm trying to understand how her mind works, she's- so, I don't know, her mind is just- amazing."

"But," Matty asks, "What do you think she means?"

"Which poem is it?"

"The art of eye contact."

Adam remembers their conversation where she talked about it, "It's about her father, ignoring her and moving on to the next child. So, I guess she means like- I don't know." Adam shakes his head then looks at Matty, "But I have a feeling you think you do?"

"Well, I had to use a dictionary, no idea what inane means, or how to pronounce it. But according to the dictionary, it means, 'lacking sense'." Matty sighs, "I think it's her saying that her tears are worthless because they make no sense, she's been holding them back for so long at this point she's crying over things she doesn't need to cry over."

He looks up at Adam, "Is she okay? When you talked to her?"

"She's fine, Matty."

"Really?"

"Yup."

He nods, then he looks down at the page again watching his scruffy handwriting in blue ink beside the printed words as he reads the poem over and over until it's engraved in his head.

, by Tommie McDuff

-poem has been removed for ‘real life’ reasons-

(poetry competitions lol)

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

June 3rd 2010

Sixteen.

She thought maybe it would feel different but as she rolls over, noticing the yellow post-it note that's been placed on her pillow she sighs.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Working late tonight, see you then x

As she scrumples the paper up and tosses it into the plastic bin beneath her desk she lays back down in bed.

She thought being sixteen would be different, thought being sixteen would make her mother try and stay around for a birthday.

She sighs then checks the time, eight-thirty. She doesn't have an exam today, next one is on the eight, history and maths. She hates maths.

Hearing her grandfather tottering around downstairs forces her up, she smiles when her foot hits something and recognises her nans terrible wrapping skills lying at the bottom of her bed.

When she unwraps it she smiles at the soft fabric. A little knitted green cardigan lays inside and she lifts it up.

Her nan's been really into knitting lately, reading books on it until she perfects the little thing.

Tommie had asked for a new cardigan, the one she'd bought got caught on a door at school and ripped, she'd been heartbroken. It was her nannie's, the only thing she'd had of her after she died.

She pulls on some grey sweats, an old Stereophonics t-shirt then her new green cardigan over the top and heads downstairs quickly.

"Morning."

The dog, Taffie, is the first to greet her, the little Jack Russell that's still like a puppy despite her age of fourteen.

She leans down to pat the dog's side, smiling as she turns to lick at her hand.

"Good morning."

She stands quickly turning to the settee, "Hey."

"Cute slippers."

She rolls her eyes, looking down at the little cow slippers on her feet, "What are you doing here?"

Matty grins, looking up as her nan walks in with a cup of tea in her hands, "There you go, Matty."

"Thanks, Mag."

She settles beside him and then notices her granddaughter, "Tommie, happy birthday."

She gets back up to kiss her on the cheek and she smiles, "Thank you, and thanks for my present."

"Granch has got some pancakes on."

She goes back out into the kitchen with a promise of a cup of tea for her and then Tommie goes back to looking at Matty.

"Happy birthday, Tommie."

She smiles sitting beside him, "Thank you. But seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Fulfilling my life goal."

She rolls her eyes a little and shakes her head, "Matty..."

"What?" He shrugs a little avoiding her burning gaze.

She plays with the sleeves of her new cardigan, "It's four hours here from Manchester, and it's only nine."

"Actually, it's three hours and fifteen minutes, and I've been here since eight."

"Matty."

He shrugs, "I couldn't sleep, then I thought to myself, 'Wow my amazingly talented and funny best friend has her birthday today, I should go see her'."

"Thank you," She says again, "But you didn't have to."

"But, I wanted to-"

"Breakfast for the birthday girl."

She smiles at her grandfather as he walks in, he places a kiss on her forehead, "Happy birthday, my little flower."

"Thanks, Granch."

As he hands her the plate he checks his watch, "Oh shit, I've got to go. Late to go to the station."

He kisses her head once more, "Happy birthday."

"See you tonight."

"Tomorrow," He says as he leaves, "I've got to pick up a night shift."

Her nan shakes her head, "He's supposed to be retired. Always running off to 'look after' the engines."

Her nan sticks around until lunchtime, pestering both her and Matty to make sure they eat something before she leaves for her shift at work.

"What do you usually do on your birthday?"

"Sit around, watch tele, eat, cry, eat, watch more tele, eat."

He groans loudly, "Right, get up, put some actual trousers on, and some suitable footwear, we're going out."

"Out? Where, you've been here twice before. And got lost trying to find ASDA."

"I've been researching."

"You asked, Adam?"

He blinks at her slowly, "Get dressed."

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

"Gonna tell me where we're going?"

He sighs, fingers drumming the wheel, "I have to, I have no idea where I'm going." She chuckles, "I was going to take you to that ice cream place, in Brecon."

She smiles to herself, "Third exit on this roundabout."

She turns back to look at him then with a smile, "You're taking me for ice cream."

He nods, looking over at her with his own little smile, "Gonna make it the best birthday ever."

"No need," She says, leaning forward to mess around with the radio, "Already is."

"We haven't done anything yet."

She shrugs, "You're here, I've left the house and we're on our way to get ice cream," She turns back to look at him as Katy Perry fills the car, "It's already the best birthday I've ever had."

His smile only gets bigger as he keeps driving forward, taking in the beacons and the sunlight peeking through the trees as they go.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

"Where are we going?"

She laughs and keeps running, dragging him behind her through the field until finally, they stop, she turns walking backward then falls flat on her back.

He chuckles, walking closer, "What are you doing?"

"I used to do this as a kid with Granch, star gaze. He's a big constellation freak. Come here."

He sits beside her then slowly leans back into the grass, "Bet you've never seen stars like this, Healy, huh?"

He tilts his head, "They're so much brighter."

"That's 'cause the street lights in the city put all the stars to death."

"Wow." He chuckles and she turns to look at him, "How poetic of you."

"Shut up, it's true."

He sighs looking up, "Okay, what are the constellations?"

She snorts, "I don't know, never really paid much attention."

He tilts his head, "That one looks like a blunt."

She snorts, "You're such a junkie."

"A junkie wanna-be, baby."

She scoffs, "A sycophantic junkie."

He raises a brow, tilting his head down to look at her, "Really? Sycophantic? Thought I'd at least be like prophetic level."

"Since when could you see the future?"

He turns fully onto his side, "I can predict the future."

"Go on then, read me, Healy."

He closes his eyes, hovering his hand over her face and she giggles, he peeks one eye open to look down at her, "Shh, I need to concentrate."

She purses her lips, looking up at him as he closes his eyes again, his curly dark hair falling across his forehead causing him to try and blow it up out of the way.

"I see... a band-" She pushes his hand out the way but he fights back to keep it there, "And- an album. Loads of money, big houses, parties, celebrities, red carpets-"

"Wow, like living an actual nightmare."

He opens his eyes now, "You wouldn't want that?"

She shakes her head, "Not for me. I'd rather have enough money to get by and live in a little house with a dog or two alone, for the rest of my life."

"That's a sad life." She shrugs her shoulders, closes her eyes, and lays down again.

Matty sighs, shifting a little. He's the opposite of her, never one for silence whereas she thrives in it.

"What would your superpower be?"

"Um..." She sighs, brows furrowed and eyes still closed.

"Reading minds."

"Boring."

She elbows him in the rib and he dramatically cries out, rubbing the area, "Why is that boring?"

"It's such a basic answer."

"You don't even know why."

"Okay," He nods, turning to her, raising his one eyebrow in a challenging way, "Why?"

She flicks his forehead, "So I could see what's going on in there." He catches her wrist moving her hand away.

He shakes his head laughing and she laughs too, moving up onto her elbows, "What? I'd love to see inside your mind."

"Why? It's a scary place."

"Oh, I don't doubt it. But so I could see how you come up with your songs,. Like Lost Boys, ooh, and sex, where'd that one come from? I know for a fact little Matthew Healy never asked anyone to meet them in the back of his van."

"I did, actually."

"Lies." She calls him out immediately, then giggles to herself, "You sound like a paedo in that song."

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

Matty stops the car, pulling up the handbrake then looking over at her with a huge smile. "Home."

"Thank you." She says sincerely as she shrugs off the seatbelt.

"Happy Birthday, Tommie."

"Uh, you wanna stay? I can set up the spare room, it's in the attic and a little creepy but I'm not staying in there, so it'll have to do."

He chuckles, watching her pick at a string on her jeans, "I'm okay, I've got to get back anyway."

"This late?" She asks, she glances at the little watch on her wrist, brows furrowed and he chuckles at her confusion.

"Two twenty."

"At twenty past two in the morning? You've been here since early this morning, Matty, surely that's not healthy."

"I'll be fine."

"Healy."

He grabs her hands that pick at her thumb and squeezes it, "I've gone longer and further with no sleep, at least I've had a couple of hours."

She sighs, knowing he's too stubborn and she won't win. Nodding her head she opens her door and smiles as she leans down but he jumps up, unbuckling his seatbelt, "Wait, wait..."

He runs around to the back of the car, opening up the boot and calling her over. He takes a big case out and hands it to her but she hesitates, "Matt..."

"Happy Birthday."

"I-"

"Just open it, please."

She unzips the bag slowly gripping the guitar by the neck and then looks up to him. That adorable pout and head tilts of hers staring up at him.

"Matt."

"It's the one Alex Turner plays."

"I know." She smiles and nods quickly, looking down at the Fender Stratocaster in her hands. It's a dark green colour, her favourite.

She rubs her fingers over the colouring, plucking a few strings, briefly playing what he recognizes as a tune of crying lightning.

"I can't-"

"You can, it's a birthday present, can't give them back."

"It's too expensive."

"It's not just from me, it's from all of us."

Her shoulders drop quickly, "Is this some kind of ploy to get me in the band?"

"No, I think it was Adam's idea to get you to stop stealing his when you're over."

She looks down at the guitar again, she turns and sits on the edge of the boot, resting it on her thigh, "Play me something." He requests, hands in his pockets as he leans against the side of his car.

"What?"

"Anything."

She thinks for a moment, hands moving as she plays around, plucking a few strings here and there.

She finds herself doing a favourite of hers, C'est la vie by Stereophincs, she hums the lyrics a little as she goes on.

"See? Natural." He says.

After putting it back in the case, swinging it over her shoulder and looking up at him she smiles once more up at him.

A big toothy smile that has the corner of her eyes crinkling and cheeks tinting red in the cold air of the night.

"Thank you, Matty."

He nods hands still in his pockets as he turns away from his now closed boot, "Happy birthday, Tommie. Did I do it?" She raises a brow, asking him to explain, "Prove birthdays can be good."

She shrugs, "Not really." His whole demeanour changes, shoulders sagging and his smile falls. "Everyday with you is like this. Fun, adventurous, happy..."

His head lifts again, and he lifts a hand quickly to wipe away the curly dark hair that has fallen across his forehead.

She steps closer, lifting up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "Thank you."

He nods, watching her step back again before turning to go into her house. As he gets in he doesn't see her turn back to watch him drive away. Or hear her mutter warnings to herself about having a crush on her cousin's best friend.

Who not only lives three hours away but is a good few years older too.

"Stop it, Tommie," She says, quietly closing the door, "He's your friend."

~thanks for reading! x