#once I get all that set up then Ill probably start working towards setting up more farms so I can upgrade my food quality some more

[arolesbianism]

We did it boys we got our first game crash in oni 🎉

[eighttens]

Imagine: Gymcrush!San x pilatesgirlie!reader

Synopsis: Imagine finally working up the courage to go up to Gymcrush!San, after weeks of semi-creepily watching him across the stuffy gym.

It’s not your fault that he‘s somehow always there when you do your sessions, even less so that your eyes keep finding him and his tiny waist. Him and his thick arms, him and his muscular chest, him and thunderous thighs. Not your fault that he wears those skin-tight tops, paired with the iconic grey sweats, or on days where you thank the lord, workout shorts. No, not your fault at all when he looks like sex on a stick after running cardio on the treadmill, even more so when deadlifting, a belt cinching his waist in deliciously.

So, after a particularly successful gyming session for you (you had completed a new Pilates routine with increased weights, and held your yoga stretches for a whole 20 seconds longer than usual, and even the 15-minute warm up run seemed easier than usual), you finally manage to walk up to him.

You’re regretting it the moment you start walking towards him, only now noticing that he isn’t here alone fuck fuck fuck what do you mean he’s got his bros here?!. You almost make a 180 to turn to leave, but decide to kick yourself in the ass you’re going to die anyway, why not take the chance?. Your Yolo attitude carried your feet across the gym hall, and by some miracle the two guys standing with San start drifting towards a machine, probably to start the next set.

Taking deep breaths you try to hype yourself up, you look down at your clean shoes and revise what you’re going to say. Once your confidence if built up enough (and your short trek across the gym is complete), you muster up the courage to speak to him, lightly tapping his shoulder to call his attention.

He pulls the headphones off his head completely, and turns to look you in the eyes. His eyebrows raise slightly once he takes in your appearance, and you can feel your face heating up at the way his eyes scan your figure. He remains silent but nods his head to you once his gaze returns to your face, bidding you to say your piece.

You collect your scrambled thoughts and practically squeak out the semi-confession „Hi, sorry to disrupt you but I find you really admirable, I hope this doesn’t come out of the nowhere but could I have your number?“ Your eyes are hopeful, and by now you’re sure that a blush has crept its way onto your face- you can feel it down your neck.

You‘re fidgeting with your phone a little, watching his eyes widen and his mouth drop open a little, tongue coming out to dart at his lips before he speaks. „Yeah, sure. No problem.“ His voice is gravely but kind, and you can feel your heartbeat pick up at the success you’ve garnered from the interaction. A little too giddily you open your phone contacts and select a new contact.

Holding out your phone for him to take, you’re caught off guard by his grumbling voice again. „You do Pilates, right?“ your breath halts for a second. Never in your life had you considered it a reality where he would perceive your existence, too. It really didnt occur to you that just as much as you watch him, he could be observing you as well.

„Uh- yeah, yeah i do Pilates. Im usually in the open space though.“ you reply once you found your voice again. He nods thoughtfully in response, „yeah, thats right.. Ive seen you do your routines once or twice. Impressive as hell, i couldn’t do that stuff to save my life.“ a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he finishes typing on your phone, passing it back to you and looking into your eyes again.

You bite back a smile and look down at your phone to avoid his eyes, shy from the compliment. „Oh, thanks…“ you hear him chuckle. „Hey, lemme get your number too, ill reach out first since you beat me to taking the first step.“ your eyes flick up to meet his again, wide in surprise. „Huh?“ you look down to his hands where he holds out his phone on front of him, eyes expectant and warm.

He sighs and gestures for you to take the phone, which you do almost reflexively as he explains: „Well, you’re braver than me for approaching first, I’ve been noticing you for a while now, never had the confidence to go up to you though. I was worried I’d scare you away.“ You look at him in disbelief, your mind racing with thoughts as your gaze shifts to the heavy phone in your hand.

„Oh…“ your voice is quiet as you numbly type in your number, filling the contact as your name. A smile that mirrors his crosses your face when you look back at him, and you both end up giggling as you stare at another in silence, smiling like teens.

Once you’ve calmed down you avert your gaze again and shrug. „So… see you around??“ he nods almost immediately, arms flexing as he reaches up for his headphones again. „Yes! I mean- yeah sure.“ he corrects his overzealous tone and coolly coughs to cover it up, cringing a little at himself, and you laugh a little. „Okay, bye then!“ you send him a little wave and turn around to collect your things and head to the changing rooms to leave, a little pep in your step.

Glancing into the contacts of your phone you notice that not only did San leave you with his number, but he added a note into the contact itself: „Meet me tomorrow in/after gym, same time as today? Maybe i can spot you, and maybe you can help me stretch? And maybe we can grab some food afterwards???“ you almost die right then and there, head floating in the coulds as your cheeks hurt from how hard you’re smiling.

What you dont see though, is the way his friends rush over to him once you’ve left, bombarding him with a million questions and clapping him on the back in congratulations. „Wow! Sannie!!! The cute little Pilates chick? Fuckin‘ score man!“ Mingi claps his hands in approval, nodding hard as he watches your form leave the gym. „Who knew that San had this kinda game, damn good on you.“ Wooyoung still has his hands on San‘s shoulders, rubbing them up and down roughly.

San doesnt say anything, just standing there, soaking in the moment, chest warm and stomach fuzzy as he thinks back to your interaction. From one moment to the next however, his face falls. „Fuck.“ he curses, voice flat. Both Mingi and Wooyoung look at San‘s face, and then one another. „What do you mean? You just bagged all that, and you’re worried about anything??“ Wooyoung looks at him incredulously, expression almost comical. San shakes his head with a blank face his eyebrows ever so slightly furrowed. „Where do i take her to eat? And how the hell do i become flexible by tomorrow?!“

[bloomyeu]

i want to request a hyune soft short au please, anything u can think of!! hyun loving hours strong n barely anything to read ;(

always have time for you

pairing: idol bf!hyunjin x afab!reader

summary: hyunjin is out late working, you stay up waiting for him.

word count: 876

warnings: foolish lovers in love, mentioned kissing and a shower !!!! not edited

a/n: this made me feel single

masterlist | requests

Its midnight, you're alone, you’re bored, you're waiting. you wait with kkami and hyunjins favorite blanket. All you can think about is sleep but not seeing hyunjins cute face all day makes you wait. He's probably being a perfectionist, dancing till he's basically dragged out of the practice room. Although you weren't too sure, he could be on his way home right now.

as 12:30 rolls around you decide to text him.

jinnieeeee

where r u :p

While you reread the message, your eyelids grow heavy, and sleep starts to win the battle. You lie there, pondering how long he’s going to take to get home because the sooner he arrives, the sooner you can sleep.

An hour passes, and you check your phone.

delivered.

He hasn’t opened the message yet, but his phone is probably dead, right?

Eventually, you surrender to sleep, curling up on the couch with Kkami on your lap and your phone unplugged.

​​—

The sound of keys clanking outside the door jolts you awake. The doorknob turns, and Hyunjin stumbles in, looking like a sweaty mess. He takes off his shoes and drops his bag, resembling a zombie in his exhaustion.

Hyunjin looks at you, clearly hurt. “Baby, what do you mean I’m smelly? Me, your beautiful, hot, sexy boyfriend? Smelly? Are you smelling yourself?” He sounds both offended and comically dramatic. You’re amazed at how he has so much energy now when just moments ago he was about to crash into the bedroom door. Still, you manage to coax him into the shower.

“Hey, I’ll join you, and we can use that expensive bath bomb Felix gave you,” you suggest softly, gazing into his eyes. Hyunjin nods, and you both head to the bathroom.

“Yeah, we need to get that smelly smell off you. It’s probably there because you weren’t with me today.”

“Hey you, where are you off too at this hour?” you ask with a hint of amusement at his disheveled state.

“Sleep,” he mumbles.

“No, baby. Not yet. You need to shower; you’re all smelly,” you reply.

Hyunjin looks at you, clearly hurt. “Baby, what do you mean I’m smelly? Me, your beautiful, hot, sexy boyfriend? Smelly? Are you smelling yourself?” He sounds both offended and comically dramatic. You’re amazed at how he has so much energy now when just moments ago he was about to crash into the bedroom door. Still, you manage to coax him into the shower.

“Hey, ill even join you and we can use that expensive bath bomb felix gave you” you suggest softly, gazing into his eyes. Hyunjin nods, and you both head to the bathroom.

“Yeah, we need to get that smelly smell off you. It’s probably there because you weren’t with me today.”

The bathtub is warm and filled with so much love, he gives you a massage, you give him sweet kisses, and you both smell like vanilla and roasted almonds. you help him dry his hair while he drains the water, he brushes your hair while you brush your teeth. Both of you just taking care of each other in comfortable silence. 

“tired hm?” 

He just nods. You smile and kiss his cheek.

Once Hyunjin is nestled in your bed, where he and Kkami like to hog the space, you hand him a glass of water and a book. He drinks half and insists you finish the rest.

“You can’t go to sleep dehydrated, baby. It’s not good for you,” he says, whining a bit.

You drink it, pull the cozy comforter over both of you, and light the candle, leaving only a night light on. Hyunjin plays with your hair as he begins to read aloud, lulling both of you toward sleep.

You watch as Hyunjin’s eyes start to flutter shut. You set the book on the nightstand, and he turns off the lights. He pulls you close, almost like a koala, and wraps his arms around you. You run your fingers through his damp hair, and he smiles contentedly.

“How bad was practice today?” you whisper.

“Awful. Chan was in a mood, Minho kept snapping at Han, and Han snapped back. The tension was unbearable and made for a very unproductive day, which led to a semi-productive night alone in the studio.”

“I’m sorry. I know I can’t do much, but I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“It’s okay. I knew I had you waiting for me at home. But why didn’t you sleep? You didn’t have to wait up.”

“I can’t sleep without you, plus it’s always worth it to see you.”

“Aw, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Jinnie.”

You push Hyunjin’s hair back and give him a kiss on his forehead, cheek, and finally a light peck on his lips. He pulls you even closer and buries his face in your neck.

“I really don’t know what I’d do without you, Y/N. I love you so much.”

When you don’t respond, he looks up to see you slumped beside him and chuckles softly before drifting off to sleep himself.

“I really don't know what id do without you yn.”

When you're unresponsive, he looks up to check to only see you slumped, he chuckles at that and soon follows you.

masterlist | requests

[sacredtime]

If the boys had a chronically ill mate:

Possibly ooc

David: the minute he’s told (or realizes) Angel is chronically ill he internally panics and frets about them and how they treat themselves and how he treats them. He knows Angel has been living with this for a long time knowingly or not, their usual laidback attitude and usual lack of thought towards how they take care of themselves makes him concerned. He’ll focus more on making sure Angel is accommodated for in the home and they can be as comfortable as possible in their house.

David makes sure Angel is also treated well in day to day life. They come home complaining of how they’re getting treated or how they have to go into the doctor and how shit the doctor was to them when they told the doctor their problems he’ll come in next time as scary dog privilege and back up bullshit detector since unfortunately they’ll listen to him better than Angel. David is also on top of any medications and the conditions and location of possible mobility aids. Angel will never run out of medication or misplace any aids they need. If any of their medications have bad side effects or reactions with Angel David’s written it down in detail along with when they started it. Anything needs maintenance or needs to be replaced? There’s already an appointment set before Angel can forget or procrastinate about setting one.

Asher: Asher doesn’t worry like David, Babe is responsible and has their shit together out of the two and they probably have a steady routine; and despite his goofball, carefree personality he’s extra attentive to Babe once he’s told and help them see the positive side of things. Yeah he might try to get out of things but he’ll become their personal runner for anything, he’ll even ask David to try and teach him how to cook again so then Babe doesn’t have to make meals when they’re not up to it or has to power through making meals because Asher can’t really be trusted in the kitchen. He’ll also move anything around to make things manageable for Babe, he’ll also carry them and any mobility aids around if need be any time they ask.

Asher isn’t as intimidating as David off of looks alone, he lacks David’s murderer face, but he is very much a people person and I think he’s able to guilt trip people very well. Someone talks down to Babe or touches their things he makes the person feel so bad the person can’t help but apologize and depending on the situation avoid the two. He’s also naturally Babe’s biggest hype man, things are getting hard for Babe and he can’t do anything? He’s there encourage them and then comfort them after. Physio? Asher’s right beside them being literal support and not backing out no matter how hard they hold onto him or how much of their weight Babe puts on him. Asher is also great with positive reinforcement, if Babe struggles to take or remember to take pills he has a timer and little treats to make it all worth it and bearable few minutes.

Milo: Sweetheart is pretty self sufficient and tries to work through hell and high water so when they crash, they crash hard. When Milo realizes they have a chronic illness he makes it his mission to alleviate their stress and pain. He knows sweetheart is a workaholic and they are set well in their ways no matter how unhealthy it is. He has pain killers, massages and a good show/movie on hand. Even if Sweetheart tries to keep going despite everything Milo will pull out the big guns: ✨Aggro✨. He’ll plop the cat on their lap and sweetheart can help but stay put for as long as possible no matter how frustrating it is to be kept from their work. Milo also makes sure that in sweetheart’s work frenzy they eat well so they don’t feel even worse. He has ice packs, heating pads, pain killers and if worst comes to worst his mother to help manage sweetheart’s conditions.

Milo also makes sure he that they keep any mobility aids in arms reach for them. It’s not that sweetheart doesn’t acknowledge that they need them, it’s just that it’s another thing they have to bring with them that they also can’t cloak the aid so they try to go for as long as possible without it. He’ll start to nag if they’re at home and refuse to use it. Milo will also get sweetheart excellent comfy formal wear for work so they don’t have to wear anything uncomfortable or if they have braces they can wear them comfortably under their clothes and are able to look fashionable. I feel like sweetheart carries enough respect naturally with their job and just the attitude they have on their own they don’t need Milo’s help when it comes to disrespectful people and doctors in the empowered world but both would bounce off each other excellently and damn near kill someone with their words alone.

Sam: in short he is stressed. When Sam finds out Darlin has a chronic illness they shrug it off as ‘not that bad’ and that ‘everyone’s bodies do this.’ that if Sam weren’t a vampire and immortal he’d have had so many years taken off his life by the stress of this revelation alone he’d probably be on his deathbed. In the early stages of their relationship Darlin has nothing but a sketchy ziploc bag of Tylenol/Advil and a brace and/or cane from like Walmart. He goes all in looking for their medical history to confirm what they have if it’s there and if they should be on medication and then takes them in to the doctors for various tests whether they think it’s serious or not. Sam is there no questions to make sure Darlin goes to their appointments and he makes sure Darlin gets answers and proper treatments, he is unbelievably persistent and determined to get their health back on track. He is the ultimate mother hen early on and focuses on getting Darlin into better habits while also keeping them safe from their own recklessness.

Sam later in the relationship is far less stressed since Darlin is considerably more stable. He keeps tabs on their medicine still and can’t help but monitor their condition just incase they try to hide it again as to try and not worry him. In the rare time that Darlin finally crashes Sam comes in with old man comfort as they sit on the couch under a blanket. He uses his lack of body heat as a human sized ice pack, putting his hands on the areas that ache the most and apply subtle pressure while murmuring affirmations of how they’re still strong and how he doesn’t see them as lesser or love them any less for times like this.

If darlin has a cane and Sam picks it up Fred and bright eyes joke that it’s his now and to not rush his weary old man body and a whole bunch of grandpa jokes.

[godessanonymous]

Blame it on the Vodka - LN4

Request: No.

Genre: Fluffy (i guess)

Triggers: mentions of small injury

Summary: Partying in the Netherlands Lando gets a little injured, after helping him you spend the evening at the celebrations.

The picture of him on the boat inspired me to do this

Blame it on the Vodka – LN4 Martin Garrix had invited you to the king’s day celebration in the Netherlands, load so of people were there, famous influencers and artists and then there was you. Technically you could be categorized under the influencer division, yet you were nowhere as known as most the others here.

The invitation only got to you because you went to school with the DJ.

You were now a nurse working in a trauma center in the sunny state of Florida. A couple of years ago you and a friend started a podcast just for fun and your following on both the Podcast as well as your usual social media grew fairly quickly.

Though you were not even close to some of the people here it, your podcast and work was what made you happy.

The party was loud, you got on a boat around noon and were immediately greeted with a drink and an orange shirt to put on. You scanned the crowd around you once you had pulled the fabric over your head. The boat wasn’t huge, but It was big enough to fit a lot of people you didn’t know.

The whole city was a Party, boats on the water and orange things everywhere. You loved a little bit of partying so chances were you’d have some good fun out here. Able you probably needed a glass or two before you could truly come out of your shell.

You made your way through the dancing bodies, recognizing a face or two and giving people a big smile and muttered sorry as you squeezed past them towards the DJ Desk to greet Martin.

As soon as he spotted you his face lit up. Next to him was a familiar face, be it only from TV. F1 Driver Lando Norris, a glass in hand chatting to a girl next to him. You reached him and he immediately pulled you into warm hug. “How’ve you been? How is life in the sunny state?” he smiled.

“Oh its great! Work never stops, but I am really enjoying life over there. The Podcast has been going well.” You responded. That wasn’t the whole truth, your life was rather busy than chill and enjoyable. You were more or less working two whole jobs. Juggling being in the media and the chaos of the ER weren’t always easy.

“How’s Daniel?” he asked leaving you debating what to say. You and your boyfriend had recently broken up and it wasn’t a pretty one.

“Oh… yeah well I don’t really know” was all you said, pulling a confused look from Martin. “OK well I have someone id like you to meet, you still enjoy motorsport right?” he switched the topic. “Of course I do.” You said, you knew what was coming. He was probably going to call Norris over to the two of you. And that is exactly what he did. “Lando come over here really quickly.”

The Brit, clearly already a couple of drinks in waddled over, quickly excusing himself from the woman he was chatting to. “This is a old school friend of mine, Y/N. I think you two would get along well. She doesn’t know that many people here. Maybe you could put your chatty self to use and introduce her to some people around here.” He said half joking.

The curly haired man looked at you. “Well hi, I’m Lando and apparently I am your tour guide, its nice to meet you.” He smiled. “Well how about we go get you a drink.”

And with that you walked off with him to the bar.

“You strike me as a Aperol Girl.” He thought out loud. You chuckled, he wasn’t wrong. But you weren’t about to go easy today.

“Well you’re not wrong but ill take a Vodka-O, if I want to get through today ill need something strong.

“Alright then, ill take another one of this and a Vodka-O for the Lady please he told the man behind the tiny bar, sliding his empty glass over the counter.

You lost him on your way back towards the middle of the boat. The swimming party had set of and was cruising around in the calm water surrounded by a ton of other small boats with partying people on them. You had found some familiar faces to have small chats with but quickly returned to dancing to the music playing loudly.

At some point you were stopped and checked by some harbor police who wanted to make sure everything was safe.

The alcohol had started to make you feel just the right bit fuzzy.

You grabbed another light drink and walked back to Martin who was jamming out just like the rest. On your way back you noticed a small group of people all standing around one individual. You went closer to investigate whatever was going on.

Getting closer you were greeted with the slightly bloody face of the British man you were introduced to earlier. He was clearly more drunk than you.

“Well what happened here?” You asked. Still grinning he responded. “Weeeelllll, I was dancing and someone smacked their glass in my face and it cut my nose.”

Ok so nothing bad. “Well what do we do now.” Someone you didn’t know said next to you.

“Aright someone get me a first aid kit. That cut won’t need stitches.” You said grabbing a tissue.

“Mind if I have a closer look Lando?” He shook his head no so you stepped up to him and wiped a bit of blood away.

“Well at least its not in your eye.” Someone set down the first aid kit next to you. You quickly went through it checking what you got. Grabbing a little light, some gauze and tweezers you turned back to your patient.

“Aright let me just have a look.” You stepped even closer to him. He was sitting and you were not, so eventough you weren’t as tall he was looking up at you.

You just now noticed the pretty color of his eyes and long lashes that put most girls to shame. Now almost standing between his legs you shine the light at the wound. It looked fairly clean cut, though a small piece of glass was still lodged in the wound.

“There is still something stuck in there, ill have to get it out. Stay still.” You said before you grabbed it with the tweezers in one quick motion. It came out easily, it did also earn you a tiny wince from Lando.

“You look like you know what you are doing.” He said, eyes questioning.

“That’s because I do, I am a nurse.” You responded quickly while searching through the little medical bag for some disinfectant a bandage and some steri strips.

“Aright lets clean the wound quickly. Cover your eyes with you hands please. And this might sting a little bit.” You warned him before spraying to quick sprays of the disinfectant on the wound.

He flinched at the coldness.

In your half drunken state you rewarded him with a little pat on the head, like you would do to pediatric patients at your hospital.

You dried of the wound and leaned down a little further to better place the strips to hold the skin together.

“What a view that is.” Lando said, probably before thinking about it.

The comment made you blush a little. Your shirt was pretty but also warm and not too revealing but given the position you were in his eyes were on the same level as your boobs.

You quickly finished up placing a small bandage.

“Okay you are free to keep partying but watch out for dancing missiles.”

“Well thank you very much for your help miss nurse.” He smiled back.

“How about I say thank you with a dance.” A offer you could simply not decline. He didn’t waste any time pulling you towards a small free space to dance. His steps were a little wonky, but you got there eventually.

In all fairness the man knew how to dance, your bodies were getting closer to eachother with each song and the tention was getting stronger.

Maybe coming here, despite not knowing people, wasnt so bad after all.

[thelampisaflashlight]

A Lack of Engagement Pt. 8: Save The Date

[Previous Part: Here. The final installment in the ALOE series. I am first and foremost a delighter in chaos. This is what happens when you let me write while ill.] Below the cut.

While the groundskeeper drags the lake closest to the docks for any signs of the giant dick that started this whole mess, Rain and Dew spend their afternoon digging holes and carefully planting the blueberry bushes Bea had entrusted to them.

It's a tedious job, especially since neither of them knows how best to approach the situation; Whether it's better to dig all the holes first, or simply dig them one at a time, but either way the task is distracting enough for the two of them to spend most of it working in near silence.

Rain digs the holes and Dew sets the plants into the ground, carefully covering the roots, his nails slowly becoming encrusted in soil.

They wind up making a loose circle, spacing the bushes out with room to grow, and by the time they finish and take a moment to stand back and admire their hard work, Bea's approaching them once more.

"Hm, good job." she nods approvingly, placing her hands on her hips, "I appreciate the help."

Rain smiles, then looks past the woman towards the docks, "How did the search go...?"

Bea scratches her fingers through the short hair on top of her head, glancing back over at the water herself.

"Well, there's definitely something in the water over there," she says, "but that's the thing; There's a LOT of things in the water by the docks."

She gestures for them to follow her, and they all find themselves standing on the edge of the dock, staring out over the water.

"The water here is relatively clear, so you can see the bottom pretty easily." she explains, "I didn't have to search long to find an abnormality, but..."

She points to several odd shapes in the silt below, "It's kind of a mess down there."

Rain frowns, the groundskeeper is right, there's all kind of debris in the water by the docks, and none of it really looks like what they're searching for.

"You said the statue you were looking for was made of metal, so I thought I could just sink a magnet on a line and see what it stuck to, but, then again, there's so much garbage down there... and I think y'all said the blasted thing was made of bronze, yeah?" She asks, and the pair nods, "Yeah, see, you can't use a magnet to find bronze, because the shit's not magnetic, well, not unless it has nickel mixed in-"

Bea cuts her rambling short and shakes her head.

"Anyway, point is, short of diving in there and having a look around, I can't really go in there and shift things around much more. Taking a net to the lighter debris is one thing, but I can't be hauling up anything heavy and potentially waterlogged manually." she sighs, "Personally, I'd have the Creature From The Black Lagoon over there-" she gestures loosely at Rain, "-take a dive and see if anything fits the bill."

"We appreciate the help either way, Bea." Rain says, "Sorry to take up so much of your time."

Bea shrugs, "Ehn, it's whatever. Besides, if I had known earlier how messy this area was, I'd have probably come out here sooner and organized a group to help sort out all of this..."

She places her hands on her hips.

"I'm going to talk to Copia about getting some machinery in so we can remove some of the larger bits from the water, but it'll probably take a while for that to happen, so..."

Rain hums.

"We'll figure something out in the meantime, go have your fun with Mountain already." he does a light shooing motion, "Just shout if he actually tries to kill you."

"Aw, so kind of you to think I'd have the time to scream if he really wanted me dead." Bea places a hand on her chest, "But yeah, I better get going, or he'll be upset... I did promise I'd let him make dinner afterwards..."

As Bea leaves with a bit of a skip to her step, Dew can't help but turn to look at Rain and mouth a simple, "What the fuck?"

.

.

.

"So a plan B is in order." Rain announces after surfacing for the fifth time, "I've found two car fenders, a large rock that looks like a penis, but was definitely a rock, and, like, three shopping carts at this point."

Dew kicks his feet in the water, "We have to order a giant purple dildo and send it to Limbo via express shipping?"

Rain pulls himself up onto the dock, "We have to order a giant purple dildo and send it to Limbo via express shipping."

"Man..." Dew flops backwards, sighing, "I was kind of hoping we'd find the dick, I kind of wanted to see that ridiculous thing again..."

"I mean, yeah, it was pretty funny to look at." Rain agrees, laying down next to him, "...Dew?"

"Yeah, Rainy?"

"Why do you think that dick showed up here in the first place?" he asks, turning his head to face Dew, who is already looking at him when he glances over, "Like, the sudden rumors, it just appearing and disappearing and all of that... It just feels... odd, you know?"

"Mn." the other ghoul thinks for a moment, "Well, strange things happen here all the time, it's just the nature of things, I suppose... I don't want to dismiss it's... oddness, but, I guess I've bore witness to a lot of weird shit over the years so this didn't really register high on the list."

"But it is weird, right?" Rain wonders aloud, "Touching that statue, winding up in that other... dimension? World? Whatever that was... and then traveling to Limbo, getting out of there so easily because we could bargain with the Toll Man... Hell, even Bea being willing to help us search the lake... it all feels too convenient to be real."

Dew reaches over and trails his fingers down Rain's side making him twitch slightly before letting out a yelp as Dew pinches his sensitive skin.

"Ow! Hey-"

"Well, we can rule out the idea that this isn't real or a dream." he chirps innocently, "But I get what you mean. It's like someone is guiding us somehow, and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that."

"Who do you think it is?" Rain asks, "Guiding us?"

"Honestly? It could be anyone." Dew says, sitting up again, "You said you heard the rumors about the dick from eavesdropping on the siblings, right?"

Rain nods.

"Well, the siblings all study the arcane arts, at least the ones living here in the abbey do. It wouldn't be hard for a couple of them to concoct some weird multi-dimensional, teleporting penis... no matter how fucking weird that sounds now that I'm saying it." he turns to look at the abbey in the distance, "Point is, whoever made it probably just wanted to test out the statue on some poor saps curious enough the try it out... Or ministry actually shelled out cash for a giant metal dick statue, but that doesn't feel like a Copia purchase to be honest."

"Definitely more of Terzo purchase," Rain chimes in, "or Ome-"

"Omega!" Dew gasps, "Why didn't I think to ask him before??"

"Huh?"

"Omega manages the arts department! It's... kind of a holdover position from when Terzo was still around and they'd do 'still life nights' that were just an excuse to fuck each other covered in paint, but he's basically in charge of deciding what pieces go on display and which ones get vetoed or shipped elsewhere for viewing." Dew explains, "He'd know if the dick is still in the collection if it's not in the lake!"

"...Can we go back to the having sex covered in paint part?"

"Rainy."

"What?" Rain pouts, "I'm a connoisseur of the arts myself... Also was that one of the instances where you and them..."

He brings two of his fingers together, then, after some thought, tries the same motion but with three instead.

"...I will admit that Terzo did occasionally school me on my... brushstrokes."

Rain whistles and Dew kicks him in the side lightly.

"C'mon, ya perv, let's go see Omega."

.

.

.

"...A giant metal dick?" Omega's mouth hangs open as he processes what Dew has said, "No... I don't think we have one of those. We do have a rather large, um, Georgia O'Keefe style statue that has a similar story to it, but it involved rubbing the clit and some people had a bit of a hard time finding the right spot to-Anyway. No, no large metal dicks."

"Aw, fiddlesticks." Dew snaps his fingers, "...Any idea where we can find the pussy statue by any chance?"

Omega eyes him wearily.

"No dice, huh?"

The older ghoul nods.

"Circling back," Omega says, waving his hand about dismissively, "you said you two held hands in front of this dick statue, rubbed it, wound up in another universe where you were married, then traveled through Limbo, came back here, had the groundskeeper -who is currently getting railed by Mountain, a detail I didn't need to know- search the lake and came up empty... which lead you to here, am I correct?"

Rain and Dew nod.

"Yeah, that's basically everything."

Omega leans back in his office chair, bringing his hands up in a prayerlike gesture.

"Boys, have you been eating out of Lucifer's cabbage patch...?"

"Lucifer's... Are you asking if we're high??" Dew balks, "Omega, it's a Monday! I'd at least wait until Tuesday-"

"Professionally, no..."

Rain clears his throat, "We're being serious, Omega. We experienced something really weird, and now we're kind of... It lead to some... emotions. So we just... we want to confirm that it, ya know, actually happened, and also we kind of sort of promised a ten foot tall demon in Limbo that we'd send him back something he could ride, and the giant metal dick that started all of this seemed like the obvious choice."

"Ten foot tall demon in Limbo..." Omega looks between Rain and Dew, "...Dewcifer Maurice Drop, if you're telling the truth, did you-"

"Fuck the Toll Man again? No, not this time."

Rain throws his hands in the air, "He knows about that, but you never told me-"

Omega holds up his hand, "As a medical professional and a man of science, I needed to know how-"

Dew slaps his hands down on the desk.

"He can shrink down!"

"OHHHH!"

As the sun finally begins to dip below the horizon, Dew, still reeling from their conversation with Omega, lets out a sigh as he and Rain fall onto the couch in the ghouls' common room.

"Well... we're back at square one." he says, letting his body sag into the cushions, "...Can you get me my laptop?"

"Gonna order the dildo for the Toll Man?" Rain asks, "You sure you don't want to wait and see if the metal dick doesn't show up somewhere?"

"Nah, let's just... We're the only people that seem to know that thing exists. I'm tired, and I have a giftcard that expires soon, so... Two birds, one stone. Laptop, please." he shrugs, "Oh, and my reading glasses!"

"Aye, aye, Captain." Rain salutes him and Dew rolls his eyes, smiling softly as the other walks away.

As soon as Rain returns, Dew opens up his laptop and clicks on a pinned link below his search bar.

"...You just have this site on quick access?" Rain's eyes grow wide as he takes in a barrage of colorful sex toys in some... unconventional shapes and sizes, "On your unlocked laptop no less?"

"If anyone opens my laptop without my permission and the worst they see is a bunch of penises than I think it's fine." Dew says, pushing up his reading glasses as he scrolls through their options, "This isn't even my main computer... Anyway, let me know if you see anything you want."

"...You're gonna buy me a dildo?"

"Or a vibe or one of those stroker things, whatever your perverted heart desires, I'm feeling strangely generous."

After a bit of searching, and spending way too long customizing not one, but two absurdly large sex toys, Dew carefully inputs the details on the gift card and confirms his purchases...

...Just in time for Swiss to walk in dragging a certain metal dick in what is effectively the ghouls' front door.

"You guys will NOT believe what I found-"

Rain and Dew exchanges looks.

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

[angelsanarchy]

Glass Houses: Jack Thurlow x Y/N One-Shot Series PRT 30

Tagging:@roryculkinluvr@thatsthewrongwallcraig@icarus-star @cc-luvr @madamemaximoff06@shady-the-simp @quicksilversg1rl @s-0lar @kristennero-wallacewellsver@ophelialaufey @mayathepsychic1999 @x-prettyboy-x @rorylover71 @auggiethecreator@tempt-ress@blacksoul-27

Jack was nervous. He hadn't gone all out for a date...ever. Even when he was courting Cleo, he never found himself in a pressed dress shirt with a black vest lighting candles in the dining room. The house smelled great, the food turned out perfect. He set an alarm to take his meds which he did on time. He looked at himself in the mirror and debating on what he could possibly do with his hair but he knew he was just lucky to have it clean. He found himself nervously fiddling with the bouquet that he put together when he heard the soft knock on the door.

"Come in." Jack yelled hearing the door open and close.

"Wow...you clean up nice Thurlow." Y/n smiled at him as she looked him over. She was wearing a dress that fell just above her knee and moved with her body as she walked.

"Look who's talking." He swallowed trying to form words from how dry his throat just became.

"You look beautiful." He walked towards her and kissed her cheek. She laughed and nodded.

"I think anything is a step up from scrubs or pajamas you usually see me in." She walked towards the table seeing the candles.

"You really went all out. The candles, the flowers, Jack these are gorgeous." She looked at the bouquet.

"I don't want to brag but I did like 2 hours of research on the symbolism of flowers just to make this bouquet special just for you." He smirked.

She laughed as she started picking through the flowers and looking at him.

"Calla lilies symbolize magnificent beauty. Much like the Dahlia's that symbolize your dignity and elegance." She shook her head before touching the Iris'.

"Blue Iris symbolizes hope which is what I have for the daffodil's which symbolize new beginnings." Jack licked his bottom lip and she put her arms around his neck.

"The roses are pretty self explanatory." He added letting his hands fall to her waist.

"You're really trying to get laid tonight huh?" She teased making him blush.

"Seriously, this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you." She kissed his lips and he sighed into the kiss. He was so worried he had gone too corny with the flowers but he was wrong.

"I would offer you a drink but I can't really drink with my meds." She shook her head at him.

"I don't drink a lot myself because of mine either. Water works just fine." She followed him into the kitchen.

"So this is what it's like for two mentally ill people to date." Jack teased.

"I honestly couldn't say. I don't even remember the last time I was on a date." She admitted.

"I don't believe that. I've been here a while now and you're the most attractive person I've seen." Jack poured water in a glass for her and one for himself.

"You're about to find out how insanely boring I truly am so I hope you're prepared to be let down. I've been considering getting a cat to complete the trifecta." She smiled taking the glass.

"Hey once I'm cleared to get a dog we can be shut ins together." He joked.

"We should probably work on the whole shut in thing. We're too young to give up on social progress." Jack pulled her chair out for her and she sat.

"I wouldn't mind being social as long as you're with me." Jack sits down opposite her and smiles. The conversation seemed almost knowingly, like they had known each other for years and we're just two old friends catching up. He learned the Y/n liked to swim, paint and listen to oldies rock music. She learned that Jack was a big reader as well as writer, enjoyed classic black and white horror movies and cooking shows, which explained how what he cooked was so good.

They moved from the dining room to the living room and sat on the couch talking.

"Just by looking at you, I wouldn't have expected you would enjoy cooking so that's a nice surprise." Y/n smiled.

"Why is that? What's my look got to do with it?" Jack laughed looking at himself.

"You're what the internet refers to as babygirl stature. It's cute though." She teases him making him shake his head.

"Well I guess I have to start working out or something." Jack mocked offense and she gave him a playful shove.

"Shut up, you know you're hot." Y/n rolled her eyes at him. He smiled at her and drew circles on the skin of her knee.

"Yeah? Pretentious mentally afflicted makes you weak in the knees?" Jack tilted his head and she put her hand on top of his.

"Something like that." She teased moving his hand up her thigh and under her dress. Jack could feel the wetness on the front of her panties.

"Fuck...all this for me?" Jack asked curiously. He could feel her hips move just at the mere graze of his fingertips.

"Put dress clothes and homemade dinner on a menu and the hot, pretentious mentally afflicted guy gets you wet." He continued to tease her and she put her hand on his neck.

"No...just you Jack. You make me wet." She confirmed before pulling him towards her. She kissed him hard, gripping at the hair from the bottom of his skull making him groan. He pushed her panties to the side and let his fingers tease her clit. He couldn't believe she was already this turned on as he pushed two fingers into her cunt making her jaw slack.

"Oh fuck." She yanked his hair again and Jack leaned back to watch her face as he finger fucked her on the couch, her moaning and pulling on the sides of his vest like she was trying to brace for the impact of an orgasm.

"Does that feel good? You like when I fuck you like this?" Jack could feel how hard he was but he didn't want her to touch him. He wanted all the focus to be on her and her pleasure.

"Jack...fuck yes. Don't stop, please don't stop." She pleaded.

"I'm not going to stop, I want you to cum for me. I want to be the reason you cum." Jack explained trying to speed up his thrusts and still maintain pressure on her clit. He could feel a slight tightening around his hand and her moans got louder.

"Come on baby, cum for daddy." Jack whispered into her neck, biting down on the skin near her beauty mark. She let out a scream, gripping his hand but when she started whimpering, he started to slow the pace. He felt her legs shaking and watched her breasts heave in her dress, trying to catch her breath. Jack removed his fingers and licked them clean as Y/n laid, half on his lap, half on the couch with a shiver.

"Daddy?" She laughed.

"You came didn't you?" He blushed and she pulled him on top of her to kiss him. She could taste herself on his tongue and she deseperately wanted to return the favor but he declined.

"I wanted this night to be about you. Besides, I think if I undid the button on my pants I'll cum." Jack explained. She laid there with him on the couch for almost an hour, talking and enjoying the feeling of just being held by one another.

She looked over at the clock and saw what time it was.

"My mom has testing in the morning so if you text me and I don't respond, don't take it personally. I will let you know when I get the plans for our second date put together." She tucked his hair behind his ear and he smiled.

"Second date...so I did pretty good tonight." He boasted and she kissed him.

"You did perfectly." She sprinkled little kisses over his face and he smiled. She went home that night and text him how much fun she had and Jack felt like he had won some sort of award. He had never planned a date in his life but something about Y/n made him want to do better, be better.

He was also correct in assuming that undoing his button on his pants would make him cum. He would need to take these dress pants to the dry cleaners.

[st4rgzer]

NOW PLAYING…

↳ WELCOME TO NEW YORK (1980 TV) MATT STURNIOLO

genre: fluff, with a touch of angst

cw!: cursing, fem pronouns

summary: in which the reader is, half ready, to move to new york after booking her first major gig

a/n: this is the first track and i hope ill release one every weekend, maybe more, thank you for reading!

after 7 years, no, all my life working my ass off, going to every audition I can get my hands on, reading too many scripts a day, I finally got an audition.

And the best thing, it wasn’t because of the triplets! me being friends with them, and dating one, had made it incredibly difficult to make my own image, be my own person, even though I love them, I want people to know me for me, not know me as “matt’s girlfriend” or, “that girl that hangs out with the triplets”.

The only problem about getting a major gig, it’s in New York, and it’s going to be a pretty long time rolling, so I’d have to move there, at least for a year. That means leaving thee triplets at home. Leaving Matt home, and its not like NY is next to LA or Boston, 5 hours on plane. And it´s already difficult when they have leave for LA.

“babe, c’mon, just, come, spend the night here and in the morning we can drive you to the airport” Matt wined, pulling me towards him on the sofa, he had been trying to convince me not to leave early all day, and that they were closer to the airport so they could be the ones to take me there.

“well…maybe…” I sighed, the airport anxiety making me doubt wether or not to stay tonight, well, they are closer to the airport than me…fine, I sleep better with him anyways.

“yes! see i always win” he says lifting his arms up in victory, earning a laugh from me, he may be very persistent but it was sweet to see how he celebrated when he finally won.

He tugged me towards him and I laid my head on his chest, closing my eyes in a moment of peace before I had to worry about the move.

I nearly fell asleep when his hands started caressing my hair and detangling all the knots, slowly putting me in a trance, then I came to the realization that my bags were still in my house, and sighed, taking his hand away from my hair gently and sitting up.

“I just remembered my suitcase is still in my house, we have to go get it before anything” I kneaded my forehead and breathed deep, then I felt Matt’s hand on my back.

“relax ok, I can take us there in a minute, don’t worry about anything, the important things are already being shipped to your flat and the flight leaves at 10 am, enough time to sleep in a bit or have breakfast.” he said stroking my shoulder reassuringly, I grabbed his hand and placed it on mine, sighing as I backed myself against his chest once again, grateful I had an organized boyfriend opposed to the mess I was with this kind of stuff.

We pulled up to my driveway, I fiddled with the keys before finally opening the door. I went up to my room to get my big suitcase, them I realized a staircase and a big suitcase wasn’t a good match for me, I yelled Matt’s name but I saw him already going up the stairs, probably cause he knows me too well.

“thank you” I said with a sly smile. Grabbing the other end of the suitcase to at least help a bit, though he took all the weight.

We got into the car, the sun was setting and the weather was perfect for reminiscing and being nostalgic.

I laid my head against the damp car window , I started to think if this gig was going to be my big break. Even though I’ve wanted to be an actress since I was a young child, I never liked change, I despised it even.

This was going to be a big change, I had the last month to think about it and get used to the idea, but still, the thought of me and Matt breaking up because of long distance…

I felt a hand be placed on my knee, snapping me out of my thoughts, my mouth curved up into a slight smile, I placed his hand in mine, he rubbed small circles on my knuckles, and pulled it closer to him, placing a soft kiss to them.

“I’m so happy for you, do you know that?” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at me with genuine joy. I tilted me head slightly and pursed my lips together.

“Do you think we’ll- survive the long distance…?” I looked down, guilt lingering in my voice, It was my fault I was moving to NY, I took the job, if the relationship went down the drain…I wouldn’t help to think it was my doing.

“What? That’s stupid, of course we will, Its not like you’re moving to a whole other country, phones exist, planes do as well” He insisted, tilting my head up to meet my line of view.

“trust me, okay? I’m a professional at the whole moving stuff…” He saw I was still unsure.

“baby I wouldn’t care if you moved to a whole other continent, I’d still book the flight every weekend to come see you” He said, gently moving a strand of hair out of my face, he wanted me to look at him, and I did. I half-smiled at him, feeling a bit more sure about the move thanks to his pep talk.

I realized I didn’t recognize where we were heading to, turning confused to Matt as he kept his eyes on the rode.

“Matt, where are we going? As far as I know, your house isn’t in a forest” I shook my head when he didn’t respond, scoffing as I laid back into the carseat.

As we parked in a rocky spot, he got out and went ‘round the car to open my door, what a gentlemen.

“What? are you gonna murder me out here or…?” I laughed as I got out of the vehicle, closing the door behind me. I was shut up as he placed a hand on my cheek, pulling me closer, and planting a sweet kiss onto my lips.

“oh?” I grinned, resting my hands over his shoulders, he grabbed one gently and led me in front of the car.

“ok, so, you know how I decorated my room all foresty?” He finally spoke, turning so he could make eye contact with me, I nodded.

“well, that’s cause the woods, mountains, they help calm me down, ease my anxiety and worries about things. After our first argument I came here, to clear my head. I come here a lot, and…I thought maybe it would help you a little? at least give you some peace of mind for while…”

He said, sweet words spewing from his mouth, I could’ve melted then and there. God, he was thoughtful. I smiled at him so widely, pecking his lips gently, I then peppered his cheeks and forehead with some more, he was right, this WAS giving me peace of mind. There was a slight fog surrounding the trees, and a soft breeze.

“thank you, Matt, this means a lot, like, really” I sighed as he opened his arms and held me, I closed my eyes at the smell of his cologne and the soft fabric of his plaid flannel.

“anything for you, lovely. I just wanted to give you a good afternoon to end with before the exhausting week that awaits you” He said kissing the top of my head and resting his chin there.

Hours passed. We were crossed legged, sat on the ground, watching the sky get darker and darker, contemplating as the stars slowly appeared.

My head was rested on his shoulder, his arm intertwined with mine, and his head laid back on the front of the car. It was simple and sweet, but better than anything I could’ve asked for.

It was silent, the comfort of our company being enough substitute for meaningless conversation. He sighed, contempt, we both knew the night was coming to an end, as I still wanted to get in at least 9 hours of sleep.

“do you think we should go now? its getting a bit late” he said stroking the palm of my hand.

“mhm, it is” I hummed, I gave him one more kiss before getting up and grabbing the makeshift blanket beneath us.

We drove to the car humming songs on the radio, his hands always resting either on my knee, my thigh, or my hand.

As the car pulled into the garage, Nick and Chris’s voices were heard, I think they were screaming something along the lines of “fucking finally”

We both looked at each other and sighed, holding in a laugh as he turned the doorknob, we were greeted with an angry blonde haired boy and a hyperactive Chris.

“where the fuck were you guys?! we wanted to do a going away movie party for tonight!” Nick yelled, he breathed and tried to calm himself, me and Matt were delighted watching the scene unfold.

“I took y/n somewhere.” he smirked slyly at him. Nick scoffed, he wasn’t too mad, after all, they were going to see me just next week.

After some more banter and such, Matt and I headed up to his room. He had his hand intertwined with mine and wasn’t dropping it anytime soon.

“m’lady” he said with a country accent, that always earned a chuckle out of me, opening the door for me, following behind. I sighed, letting myself fall onto the soft sheets of his bed.

He laid down next to me, as routine, I placed my head on his chest, he wrapped his arm languidly around my waist, pulling me close.

“im tired” I yawned and felt the vibrations from his chest as he laughed.

“of course you are, we’ve had a busy day, huh? He said kissing my hair softly, rubbing small shapes on the exposed skin of my waist.

I nodded, closing my eyes, sighing, I grew more tired every heartbeat of his I felt from his chest, the lullaby of his heart clearing my mind.

He felt I drifted off, he kissed the top of my head once again and whispered goodnight.

“I love you.”

“i love you too” I mumbled.

I recounted the previous moments in our day, everything from the starbucks he bought me when picking me up, to watching the sun set in his favorite place, with his favorite person.

Im scared of new beginnings, but New York can’t be so bad, right?

…

‘welcome to New York’ The big sign I was met with read, people were hustling and seemed like they had somewhere to go, I could here sirens blaring and people yelling “taxi!” I smiled. Everyone here wants something more. I guess I maybe could get used to this.

taglist: @dwntwn-strnlo @iha8you @lovelysturniolo @gabbylovesreading @hedgehogperalta @iloveneilperry @stvrni0lo @sturniolol @stvrniolo @sturniololoverr @oneirophobic (nicole idk if you wanna be added or not, tell me if you want me to take you off😭) @gaytoadwithapopsicle (same for you)

reblogs and likes are appreciated!

[sunaria-bees]

"Rest stop"

A sonic fic because I can't sleep and that gave me inspiration

Stuff included:

• Sonic & tails being brothers

• Tails overworking and being angsty

• Sonic being protective

• MY PERSONAL HEAD CANONS (if you do not like them that's fine but please keep that to yourself thanks<3)

Have fun reading!

Sonic stood on top of the workshop, staring out into the horizon as the sun rose. It was the first sun rise of the month, and usually he'd watch it with tails... speaking of, where was he? Normally he'd wait on the roof for sonic to arrive, it wasn't like him to be late.

Hopping down from the roof top, he looked towards the door of the building, seeing it open very slightly made his spines stand up, what if someone had come and kidnapped him, or worse...he just had to make sure he was okay.

He opened the door ever so slightly to check if he was inside, "Tails?" He called out, hearing a response consisting of a few grumbles and a half asleep "I'm awake..." after a few moments. Sonic slid inside, closing the door after himself, he didn't want to leave a draft after all.

"You good bro? You sound like you've been having a rough time" He said while walking to tails side, he was taking notes of tails appearance, seeing the disheveled fur and small coffee stains on his normally pristine white muzzle, it was all enough to set odd some red flags in his mind.

Tails meanwhile waved off the hedgehog, leaving him with a simple "I'm fine" knowing that he was definitely not. He focused on the thing that had been keeping him up for so long, the chaos emeralds. ever since the events that took place on the Starfall islands, tails just couldn't stop thinking of them, he had so many questions and yet so little answers, he wanted...no needed to know how they worked.

"Tails..." sonic said with a sigh as he leaned against the wall, looking at the fox who was clearly dedicated to his work. he had known him for around 10 years now, and through out majority of them, Miles had been one to push his limits, for better or worse at times.

"I just have to do a few more test, if I can just-" He started ranting before being cut off by the hedgehog snapping his fingers and pointing towards the messy workbench, then at the trash bin full of discarded coffee cups from a café just down the road "you know this stuff isn't good for you right?" he said, his ears drooping a little "you mean the coffee or the sleep?" "Tails."

That was the first time sonic had gotten this stern in a long time, normally sonic was pretty laid back when it came to tails working schedule. "sonic, I just...just one more test? then ill go straight to bed I promise." tails said, using the hardest puppy eyes he could muster to try and persuade him.

"sorry bud, but thats a huge no from me." he leaned he moved from the side of the wall and stood straight, tapping his foot against the ground. "now c'mon, lets clean...this up and get you to a nice, comfy bed" he right to where the fox was sitting and extended a hand for him to take, just so he could stand up.

Tails, after a bit of hesitation took his hand, stretching a bit as he did, before any cleaning could be done, he should probably get the kid to bed, he didn't mind cleaning up anyways, its the least he could do after he let him crash on the couch again.

Sonic squatted down next to him, letting tails climb onto his back so he could carry him to bed. as they walked up the stairs to the bedroom, miles had already dozed off into a heavy sleep by the time they had reached the door...just like when they first met, this whole situation was giving him heavy Déjà vu, but he didn't mind it

Once they reached tails bed, sonic slowly moved the sheets so he could place tails down onto the bed very carfully, making sure not to wake him in the process, and eventually tucked him in, ruffling the tuft of fur on his forehead. "g'night little bro..." sonic said, walking towards the door of the room once again, but not before hearing a very faint response from the fully asleep tails

"Night...big bro..."

[misscinnamonroll16]

brozone and the bunker part 1

im sorry but i have to break this up into more than one part bc tumblr only allows 30 images on a post. so i tried my best to get good screenshots of everything and ill tell you a little about my thought process 😁i tried to make all of them good looking bc they were pop sensations so theyre are still gonna be good looking (aged like a fine wine) bc majority of celebs do

so first up, as the oldest, is john dory. i tried to recreate his jacket but there were no vests like that, theres no option for glasses/goggles on the head so theyre on his face. i also tried to do the fingerless gloves but again no option :(

you got the close up of his face with and without goggles. i picture him as kinda scruffy. you cant tell bc of the clothes but hes fit and toned. he has body hair, arms legs and chest. i also gave him a little tattoo. i didnt have many colors to work with for hair so i felt the green fit him the best.

next is bruce. same as john, didnt have many colors to work with for hair but it works. like john he has facial hair and body hair, especially chest hair. i choose a tied back style bc 1 there was no hair as big and beautiful as his hair and 2 he works in food as his hair is supposed to be tied back. i gave him his dad bod but still kind of toned? hes still strong. i went through every outfit and added his wedding ring

onto the middle child, clay. i tried to do the wild hair but none of the styles suited him. i headcanon that clay often ties his hair back when hes working so i choose that style. i didnt see any shirt choices with the pattern he wears but i did kind of incorporate with his pants. clay and floyd both lean towards thinner body types so thats what i did. idk if itll show up once i post this but i wanted clay to still have some of that 'fun boy' charm so i gave him freckles bc whats more boyish than freckles

time for the sensitive one, now bc i didnt think anyone would want to see these, i did use cc for some of them. i remember floyd for sure. i couldnt do one earring like i wanted so he has two. i tried to give him more piercing but they didnt work. i gave him heavy eye makeup and a beauty mark. it just seemed to fit in my opinion. i leaned into soft boy image, the 2000s emos, and the fact that his body was probably not the same after dying. so he looks soft and cozy and comfy.

on to the baby, bitty b, baby branch. i leaned into the greens in his canon outfit. i wanted him be wearing woodsy, hand made, patched up looking clothes. again did my best with the hair. hes got a sturdy build like john but hes slimmer than john. i wish i would have put some kind of scar on his face, that fits him.

for the actual bunker i tried to base it off branch's drawing and what we see in the canon of the movies and show. i was mainly trying to set it up like the drawing. there are on elevators in the sims so i just made a basic room to act as an entry way or foyer with a staircase. i feel like branch would have a bunch of clutter and junk. so when his brothers "moved in" hed have to move stuff around and i imagine that hed have some of their grandmas stuff and some of his brothers old stuff. i also wanted to incorporate the fact that he probably started building this when he was still really young so some design choices were made by a little kid

@djmurphy @aerodominics @cow-boy000 @lululemongurl @sharks-n-bones

[wooahaes]

cause you’re my flower

pairing: non-idol!seungkwan x gn!reader, ft roommate!dk

word count: 9.3k~

warnings: angst, no happy ending. usage of the hanahaki disease trope + mentions of surgery (& hospitals). heartbreak, depictions of illness (via hanahaki), reader struggles with breathing some. vernon says ‘dude’ but its unclear whether its aimed at reader or toward chan (it can be easily read either way). minimal proofreading, my bad.

daisy’s notes: ok google play flower + fallin’ flower by svt. in my heart theres a sequel of reader n joshua + jeonghan (or just reader and seokmin tbh, both could work) slowly falling in love lol but i doubt anyone wants that fic

It all started with a tickle in the back of your throat in early winter.

In your defense, you’d just thought you were coming down with something. From the corner of a cozy cafe, you waited for Seungkwan with a burning hot cup of tea in a to-go cup between your hands. Maybe you’d make another cup when you went home--black tea, maybe, with honey for your health. Seokmin would probably give you a soup recipe if you asked and help you make it, too (the perks of having a lovely roommate). But that could wait, as you saw Seungkwan walk into the cafe. He spotted you, smiling and waving before he went to order his Americano. He’d asked you to meet him here, and yet you’d arrived before he did. You’d tease him about it later: you always seemed to be the one who showed up to places before he did (out of habit for getting places early, to be fair).

Soon enough, Seungkwan had sat across from you, making small talk while he opened the plastic. You’d been talking about work when you noticed the way he fumbled the straw, the plastic hitting the table.

Was he nervous...?

“Everything okay?” You tilted your head, as if it’d give you a better look at him. His eyes flickered up to meet your own, and you smiled. “You can tell me anything, you know.”

Seungkwan let out a sigh a moment later, annoyed that his nerves had triumphed over his attempt to act casual. “I went out on a date.”

For a second, your smile faltered. “Oh?”

“And it went well,” he said, pushing his straw into his drink. The ice clinked as he picked it up, taking a long sip before setting it back down. “She wants to go out again, but...”

“But?”

He met your gaze again. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

In another life, you’d probably laugh at him. Tease him over being clueless before asking what they’d agreed on. But that damn tickle in the back of your throat made you cough, smile falling as you reached for your drink. Seungkwan, kind as he always was, had immediately moved to push it into your hands. He waited, watching you take a long sip of your tea until your throat felt soothed.

“Are you sick?” He frowned, brows drawing tightly together. “I should have asked before asking you to meet me--”

You waved him off. “I’m fine, Kwannie,” you forced your voice to stay lighter, as if nothing was wrong. “Don’t worry about me.”

Yet he pouted, “Have you been taking your vitamins? It’s cold out. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll get sick...”  

Again, you dismissed the thought. “I’m fine,” you pushed further. “So... Do you like her?”

His face flushed at the question as he averted his gaze, taking another long sip through his straw instead of answering your question. “She’s... really kind,” he settled on a moment later. “I think she really likes me.”

Who wouldn’t like you? You cast that thought aside. “That’s good,” you kept your tone even. “So... You’re telling me all of this because...?”

“I want to buy her flowers,” he said. “And I want someone to go with me, and Vernon can’t--not that I’d ask him. You know flowers. So...”

Despite that same damn feeling in your throat picking back up, you swallowed hard and nodded. “Of course I’ll go with you,” you said. “You didn’t have to ask me out to coffee to ask that.”

Seungkwan’s face flushed once more. “I...” He knew you had a point. “I just wanted to see you. Is that so wrong?” When you began to cough again, Seungkwan frowned, “I’ll get you some napkins. You should go home and rest,” he stood up. “Seriously...” He huffed, “We’re friends. You should have told me you weren’t feeling well.”

Truthfully, you didn’t know you were coming down with something. You’d been fine up until he asked you to come meet him, and even then it had only been that tiny tickle in the back of your throat. With napkins pushed into your hands, you bid Seungkwan farewell before leaving--but not without him saying he’d text Seokmin and demand that he take care of you. He was your close friend, that’s what friends were for (and Seungkwan could probably recount the times he’d helped Vernon and Chan when they were feeling awful, albeit from a distance with a mask on and a bag of medicine held as far from himself as possible to minimize the risk of getting sick himself). You’d promised him that you’d let him know when you were home safe and sound, because Seungkwan was a worrier when the people he cared about were struggling, and that had been enough for him to finally let you go.

When you came home, Seokmin had been looking through the fridge. “Seungkwan said you’re sick,” he called out without looking up. “I think I have a recipe--”

“Oh my god, it’s not that serious,” you said, slipping into your house slippers. “I might be getting a cold. I’ll make some tea and rest--it won’t be a big deal.”

Seokmin looked up. “Are you sure? I’ll make us soup tonight,” he turned his attention back to the fridge. “I might run to the store--”

You immediately began to sputter and cough again, something in your throat moving upward with each hack. Seokmin immediately rushed over to you, wide-eyed as he hit you between the shoulder blades as you leaned over the sink. Gasping for air, you continued to choke until something finally fell from your mouth: a wet glob of petals, bright yellow standing out against the stainless steel. You stood there, heaving as Seokmin wordlessly rubbed circles into your back as you caught your breath.

Fuck.

Hanahaki Disease. Of all the things your family was saddled with, this was the absolute fucking worst. While not purely related to genetics, there were the rare families that were more prone to the stupid disease. You’d never win the lottery, but you’d win this shit. Your mother had it once when she was a teenager, and so did her father, and her father’s grandmother because not every bitch in your family has been saddled with this shit. You’d hoped that you’d lucked out.

Considering you were sitting on an examination table and the plastic bag of those stupid yellow carnation petals you’d coughed up, clearly you had not. Seokmin had brought you to the doctor, insisting that you have someone out in the waiting room. And since you knew exactly who these feelings were linked to, you refused to bring Seungkwan or Vernon or Chan into this: two of them would spill shit because this was too big to keep secret.

“Surgery is an option,” the doctor said to you. In your pissed state, you almost wanted to snap back that you knew that because of your family history. But she hadn’t done anything to you, and you bit back any bitter comments as she continued to talk about how the procedure was entirely safe.

Your parents, luckily, had already agreed to pay for the procedure before you even brought it up. You’d called them after spitting up the flower, and your mother had said they’d pay for it to save your life. What you hadn’t told them was that you weren’t entirely sure about the procedure at the moment. You’d heard the horror stories both from family and people outside of it. Your mother had woken up and gone back to school a few days later, and she felt... nothing when she saw her former crush. He used to be her friend, and the surgery had been what led to their friendship ending. Your grandpa told you that he hadn’t regret itted in the slightest: the young man he’d been smitten for had moved on, he never saw him again, and he recovered well. 

But you? Seungkwan was your friend. One of your close friends. How were you supposed to face him after surgery and feel nothing? At the worst, you might not even remember him since the recovery period differed for plenty of people. Your grandpa had told you that: his grandpa had told him when he was a boy that he forgot her face entirely, and that it was for the best. Better to live without remembering them than die gasping for another breath and choking up flowers. How were you supposed to tell Seungkwan that you couldn’t get close to him again? That this would be it between the two of you because if you stayed around him too much, you held the risk of it coming back?

You couldn’t. The idea of hurting Seungkwan was... hard to swallow. Or maybe that was also the petals you started coughing up again, your doctor quickly pushing a paper towel into your hands.

“Luckily we have medication that’ll help slow the process,” she told you, already jotting something down. “A surgeon will get in touch with you to help you figure out what comes next, alright? I’ll give you a call in a day once we get those x-rays back.”

You mumbled some sort of thanks before gathering your things. Seokmin rose once you re-entered the waiting room post-payment for your visit, and made his way over to you.

“I’m fine,” you said, continuing past him. “Gotta stop by the pharmacy.”

Seokmin’s gaze softened. “Well? What did she say?”

You waited until the two of you were outside. “I guess I’m getting surgery.”

“You guess?! You have to get it,” Seokmin said, “you’ll die if you don’t! You aren’t considering not--”

“I don’t know!” You hugged yourself tight. “I just--I don’t know. How am I supposed to tell Seungkwan I can’t see him anymore?”

Seokmin slowed to a stop, staring at you. “It’s Seungkwan?”

... Fuck, you weren’t supposed to say that. No one was supposed to know. But if you had to pick a person, Seokmin was trustworthy. He wouldn’t tell. Not until later, at least. And if you went through the procedure, you’d at least have someone who could keep him away, if not break the news for you...

Seokmin said your name, pity in his eyes. “You should tell him.”

“I can’t.”

Seokmin reached for your hands, gently curling his fingers around them. “You should,” he pushed further. “I’ll be there with you if you want me to be. But you should tell him. What are you going to do if you don’t? Just stop seeing him?”

Honestly, it didn’t seem like such a bad plan. A dick move, definitely, but cutting him out entirely and letting the news get to him secondhand? He’d never want to see you again after that heartbreak. It’d do the job.

“Don’t,” Seokmin said, knowing the look on your face. “We need to go to the pharmacy, right?”

You nodded, pulling your hands free from his. You started forward, only to feel the telltale feeling in your throat of flower petals again. With a tissue pushed into your hand from Seokmin, you coughed up a few petals before curling your fingers around them tight, hands shaking. Seokmin came back to your side, leaning forward to see that tears were brimming around your eyes.

Your name fell from his lips, and before you knew it, Seokmin had enveloped you in his warm embrace. “It’s okay,” he promised. “I’ll help you. You’re not in this alone.”

At least you had Seokmin. In the end, he’d be all you’d have, and you knew it. But you could manage with just Seokmin for right now.

“Seokmin said you went to the doctor.”

Seungkwan stood a little further from you, happily looking over the different flowers on display. True to your word, you’d come with him after promising that you were fine. The medication was working at temporarily slowing down the disease’s progression (thank you, modern medicine--you only choked up flowers every once in a while now), and you hadn’t felt anything. Maybe a little numbness in your chest, but nothing major. That was a normal side effect, apparently, to help with the whole flowers-growing-in-your-lungs thing. You side-eyed the stupid bouquet of yellow carnations, though.

Seungkwan called your name, and your attention snapped back to him. He’d come over, looking down at the flowers. “These are pretty.”

“You don’t want them,” you pushed past him. “If you’re going to pick carnations, you should pick the red ones. Or the pink ones, if you want.”

He’d stayed right where he was. “I don’t know,” he said. “These are pretty.”

“There’s better yellow flowers,” you said. “If she knows anything about flower language, you’d be telling her a big ole “nope, not interested.””

Seungkwan immediately turned away. “This is why I have you here,” he made his way back to you, already latching himself back onto your arm. “You’re the expert... What do you think? I want to give her something bright and pretty.”

You were far from an expert. You just... looked up flower meanings sometimes. Maybe it came from a morbid curiosity when your mother told you, after your badgering, what flowers she had (purple hyacinth--sorrow, a beg for forgiveness). You had looked up your own: of course loving Seungkwan would give you something pretty and bright like him. At least they were better than the red spider lilies (death) that your grandfather had coughed up.

“Are roses off the table?”

“Aren’t they too serious?” Seungkwan frowned at you. “This is our second date... I don’t want it to look like I’m moving too fast.”

“Then go for tulips,” you said, guiding him over to where a bouquet stood of pink tulips. “The pink ones would work.”

“Are you sure?”

If you didn’t know that Seungkwan was anxious, you would have rolled your eyes. He... really seemed to like this girl. There were legends that said if you could convince him to love you back, the flowers would go away on their own. But if doing that tore him away from someone else he already liked...

“Of course I’m sure,” you smiled at him. “She’ll love them.”

Seungkwan had smiled at you, squeezing your arm. “This is why you’re my best friend,” he said. “Besides Vernon.”

The disclaimer there made you smile. If he didn’t specify, you would have texted Vernon immediately. You turned your attention away from him for a moment, gaze caught on a bouquet of white lilies kept in a case. Seungkwan followed your gaze, his grasp on you easing up. He quietly excused himself to go speak to the florist, and you made up something about needing fresh air.

Standing outside the shop, you watched people trudge past. The paint on the bench was beginning to flake off, pieces of dark green and pale white petals coming off onto your fingers. You dragged your hand along the leg of your jeans, and pulled out your phone. You’d need to take your medicine in another few hours, before you went to bed. Once in the morning, once at night: the nightly dose kept you from waking up with petals in your throat (as well as knocked you out pretty well). It worked. It wouldn’t work forever, not when the disease became worse, but at least you had a little more time before you needed surgery. It gave you time to think about what really mattered now.

“Is something wrong?” Seungkwan had exited the store, bell still jingling as the door shut behind him. He held the bouquet in his arms securely, yet gentle enough to keep from crushing a single flower.

Tell him. You could practically hear Seokmin urging you to do so. “Seungkwan...” You felt your hope dwindle in your chest. Guilt. Don’t ruin this. Leave him with good memories of you. “What would you do if something happened to us?” 

He frowned, settling into the spot next to you. “Did the doctor say something?”

“No! No, just...” You frowned. “Theoretically... if we couldn’t be friends anymore... Would you move on?”

Seungkwan watched you with careful eyes, mouth slightly agape as he struggled to answer the question. How would you answer that kind of thing? “You’re scaring me,” he said a moment later. “If something’s wrong--”

“Nothing’s wrong,” you insisted. “It’s just--I dunno, I watched a stupid movie the other day,” you lied, hoping he would buy it. “And I just kept wondering about what would happen if we couldn’t be friends anymore. It’s stupid.”

He let out a sigh of relief, back falling against the bench before he immediately smacked your arm. “You scared me! I thought you were dying!” He huffed, “You shouldn’t talk so seriously about a movie. Seriously...”

“You didn’t answer the question,” you pouted at him. “Would you move on?”

“No,” he said, “because you’re stuck with me forever.”

You rolled your eyes, fighting back a smile. “Uh-huh.”

“You love me,” he laughed, one of his arms slipping through your own. His cheek pressed against your shoulder. “Right?”

... Right.

Seokmin sat behind the wheel, fingers drumming against it as he slightly bobbed his head to the music. He still hadn’t told you where the two of you were going--only that you had to go with him because this was important. Important enough that he was driving to a different part of the city, listening carefully to each instruction from his phone’s map service. He told you that he’d explain when you got there (which was what he told you after he told you he’d explain in the car). Despite your slight demand that he take you out to dinner at a casual place in the area that Mingyu had been raving about, you trusted Seokmin enough to blindly follow him like this.

He pulled the car into a spot, quickly shooting a text to someone before he turned his attention to scrounging up the change to pay for parking. “Okay,” he said. “You said the surgeon called for an exam before setting the date.”

“Uh-huh?”

“And you told me that you were still on the fence about it.”

Stupidly, you had. Although, when you thought about it, it was good that you told someone. Your parents were completely set on it without giving you space to decide: Seokmin at least listened to you.

“I’m going to help you make up your mind,” he said. He pointed up to a higher apartment on the building. “My friends live there. I’ll introduce you when we get there.”

Once he’d paid the meter, Seokmin took your arm and guided you into the building. Soon enough, the two of you were standing in an elevator. You ignored the worried look Seokmin gave you when you coughed up petals into another tissue (this time your own--you’d stolen one of those pocket packs from Seokmin so he wouldn’t have to dote on you so heavily). The elevator whisked the two of you higher and higher before chiming, and Seokmin gestured for you to follow as he looked back at his phone. Wordlessly, you followed him down the hallway until he finally arrived at a door.

Before he could even knock, the door opened. A pretty man stood in the doorway, hair pulled back into the tiniest of ponytails as he warmly greeted Seokmin. Then his gaze met your own, and that warm smile fell a little.

“Is this them?”

Seokmin nodded. He said your name, before turning back to his friend, “this is Jeonghan. We were in a choir together in college.”

Jeonghan stepped out of the way. “I’ll let him know you’re here,” he said. “Just a warning that he doesn’t really remember too much, so... Please don’t stress him out too much.”

The two of you stood in the entryway as Jeonghan left, calling out for someone named Joshua. With a curious glance to Seokmin, you began to pull off your coat to leave behind as Jeonghan returned with another man--equally handsome in looks, with the gentlest eyes you thought you’d ever seen on a person.

“Hi,” he said, voice warm already, “so, uh... You’re the one with Hanahaki?” When you mustered up a nod, he extended a hand to you. “I’m Joshua.”

You introduced yourself in turn, giving Seokmin another weird look. “And... I’m here because...?”

“Hanahaki nearly killed me,” Joshua told you outright. “And Seokmin said you’re considering not getting the surgery. I’m supposed to tell you why it’s a really bad idea before you make up your mind.”

You immediately glared at Seokmin. “I thought you said you wouldn’t force me to change my mind--”

“And he’s not,” Joshua said, gently guiding you forward. “I wasn’t going to get them removed either. But things were... really, really bad. So I just want to tell you what you’re signing yourself up for.”

Jeonghan made a comment about making the two of you some tea, and you followed Joshua out onto the balcony for some privacy. He brushed a hand through his hair, settling into a cozy chair. There was an easel set up in the corner, empty of a canvas but stained with paint. Joshua followed your gaze to it.

“Do you paint?” He asked, and when you shook your head, he smiled. “I don’t, either. It’s Jeonghan’s.”

“And you two are...?”

“Friends,” he clarified easily. “Really close friends. Look... Seokmin told me a little about you. You’re in love with your friend, right?”

It felt weird for a stranger to say it out loud. But you settled into your chair, nodding. “Yeah. His name is Seungkwan,” you said quietly, “and I didn’t mean to fall for him, but I did, and now...”

The conversation died as Jeonghan stepped out, setting two mugs between the two of you. You thanked him, and waited until the balcony door slid shut again before reaching for your own mug.

“And now you’re coughing up petals,” Joshua said, taking his own mug. “I get it. I didn’t think it’d happen to me, either.”

“What happened?”

Joshua opened his mouth to speak, only to wince for a moment. “Shit--” He lifted a hand to his temple, rubbing at it before setting down the mug. You watched the way he went quiet, eyes squeezing shut. “I--I don’t know,” he said. “Jeonghan told me that there was a girl. I fell in love with her, she rejected me, and then I started coughing up flowers.”

You raised a brow. “He told you?”

The pain began to subside, and Joshua opened his eyes again after a moment before nodding. “He told you, right? I don’t remember all of it. Her name, her face... her favorite color.” He stared off for a moment. “Nothing. I’m apparently a rare case, but the doctors said it’s because I let it progress too far.”

“You didn’t see anyone?”

He shook his head. “I told Jeonghan I wasn’t going to. He’ll say I was being dramatic, and maybe I was, but... I didn’t want to lose her. I loved her,” his gaze didn’t meet yours again. “It wasn’t her fault she didn’t love me. Not all cases are fatal, I mean. Jeonghan says I had this stupid hope she’d change her mind because the guy she liked was a dick. My mom kept telling me that I needed to see someone. I think...”

He took a deep breath. And then he slowly exhaled, curling back up in his chair. The thick sweater he wore fell down over his hands, and those pretty pale brown curls were rustled by the cold breeze. But neither of you moved to go back inside.

“I think I was punishing myself. I don’t remember why, or how I came to that conclusion, but it makes sense. I was the one who fell in love with her when it wasn’t going to happen. I was the one who deserved to suffer for it.”

Something about the somber way he spoke shook you. Like he had resigned himself to death there, the heartbreak of a love so powerful not being returned had broken him. Maybe that was why you still weren’t sure about the surgery. It’d be admitting you were stupid enough to fall for someone who never liked you. 

“So it got worse,” Joshua continued after a moment, lidded eyes staring down into his tea. “And worse. And then Jeonghan came home one day, and found me collapsed and gasping for air. He called the paramedics, they managed to clear my airway of the blood and flowers, and I was taken in for an emergency procedure to remove the flowers. If he hadn’t come home, I would have died...”

He didn’t need to say more. You understood the feeling well. If Seokmin hadn’t pushed you to see someone, you’d probably be in the same boat. A morbid part of you had to wonder if you’d be the same way: lying on the kitchen floor, cold tiles under your fingers as you gasped for one last breath of air.

“I’m a rare case,” he said, eyes meeting your own again. “Most people who get the procedure done before it progresses too much still retain all their memories. And I know there’s research still being done on whether Hanahaki always returns if you stay around the person, since a lot of people are reluctant to break ties when they’ve fallen in love with their friend. But if I could go back in time... I don’t think I would hesitate.”

“Have you met other people?” The question pushed out of you before you could process it.

He smiled at you warmly. “I’ve met you.” But then he laughed softly, “A few. No one I’ve liked yet, but I have hope. I started seeing a therapist once I was released from the hospital, and she’s helped me with everything. They say it’s really rare for Hanahaki to take hold twice in the same person--something about the antibodies created, I’m not sure.” He set his mug down. “But... I think Seokmin’s worried you’re trying to punish yourself, too. Just because you fell in love with your friend.”

You said nothing, arms curling back around yourself to hug yourself tight.

“It’s not a crime to fall in love with someone,” Joshua said slowly and clearly. “Just like how it’s not a crime he doesn’t love you back. I know you don’t want to cut him out of your life, but you need to do what’s best for you. You’ll love someone else one day. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t live to experience it.”

Not all cases are fatal, you wanted to point out to him again. It goes away in rare cases.

Rare. Just like the disease itself.

He began to reach into his pockets, pulling out his wallet. “The therapist I see is a grief counselor, but she apparently did some major studies in helping people like us recover after the surgery. If you tell me your room number, I’ll send you a bear.” He slid the card across the table to you. “I figured you’d be tired of flowers.”

The thought made you smile. Without a word, you accept the card, pushing it into your own wallet to consider later. “I didn’t say I’d go through with it.”

“I know. Send me your room number. I’ll give you my number when we’re back inside,” he pushed back his chair. “It’s freezing out here.”

You scooted your own chair back, about to stand when Joshua turned back to you.

“When you tell him,” Joshua said, “make sure you tell him that you still treasure him. Okay?”

You stared at him a moment, brows drawing together.

“Jeonghan didn’t get to do the same before his own procedure,” he said quieter. “She was his friend, too."

(It wasn’t until then that you noticed the top few buttons of Jeonghan’s shirt were open, and you could see the faint incision scar up the center of his chest.)

Seungkwan had invited you over to a movie night--just the two of you. With your medicine kicking in, you’d agreed. Saturday night movie nights were a longstanding tradition, sometimes including Vernon if he wasn’t busy (and occasionally Chan, ever since you unbanned him from them (he had bad taste in college)). But tonight would just be the two of you, and you’d had a long day at work, so something about curling up with Seungkwan and watching something stupid seemed more appealing. At least the petals weren’t a huge deal. You could hide them if need be, but they hadn’t been acting up too badly yet. Maybe you coughed them up a bit more, which wasn’t great when you had to answer phone calls at work, but people were usually understanding when you made a quick apology and went straight back into that mask of professionalism. You’d fully be off while you recovered from surgery, taking off a few personal days leading up to it as well, and hopefully be fine to return soon enough. But you kept tissues on your desk and had grown better at coughing up the petals and immediately tossing them away before anyone could see or be bothered by it. Even Seokmin rarely noticed when it was acting up again. 

And yet the universe seemed to have the absolute worst fucking timing.

“You didn’t have to say yes,” Seungkwan said from the other end of the couch as he watched you shift uncomfortably, coughing into your elbow while searching for your pack of tissues. “If you aren’t feeling well, you should be resting. I don’t know why you’re even at work right now. Your doctor should have given you the written excuse to get your boss off your back.”

“She did, I just didn’t use it. I’ll take off next week.”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the drama on the screen--something he’d been meaning to watch. “I have extra vitamins you can take with you. Remind me and I’ll give them to you before you leave.”

The female lead had begun coughing up flowers dramatically on the screen, and you felt a sense of bitterness at the sight of it. You had seen this one already. She’d die in the end, right before the male lead could confess that he fell for her instead. It was the dramatic tragedy of someone suffering for their love. Talking to Joshua had been enough to push that thought out of your mind: you’d get the procedure done to remove your own flowers. The harder part, and maybe the part people didn’t talk about often, was the way to cut someone out. You’d read articles both for people like you and for people trying to get out of toxic situations in general.

They said that you didn’t owe anyone an explanation. To do it publicly to keep yourself safe. That this was a process you had to go through, too, and that it was okay to dwell... except for the timer you had on your own situation, but you still had a little more time. Some lists even said to block them entirely once everything was over, just to keep them away for good. Other people said to have a real talk with someone, to explain the situation to them in order to ensure your health in the future. Everyone said it was the hardest thing to do to tell someone that you loved them and that them not reciprocating meant you were struggling worse all because of stupid flowers in your lungs, but to make it clear that it wasn’t their fault (although you’d seen people bitter and angry on both sides, some claiming it was guilt-tripping, others claiming that it technically was their fault). There was a mature way to say “I love you, I know you don’t love me back, so we need to end this so that I can live” according to plenty of people. Some people said the distance helped once the conversation was over.

But every time you looked at Seungkwan, you felt an ache in your heart and a deeper one in your lungs.

“Does this ever bother you?” He said, not looking up. He picked up another piece of popcorn. “Seeing it treated like this?”

“It’s dramatic,” you shrugged. “People use illness all the time for stuff.”

“Still...” He sighed. “I can’t imagine what it feels like to be physically hurting like this. Heartbreak is hard enough. But coughing up flowers? Isn’t that worse?”

“It is,” you hummed. “That’s what my family said, at least.”

He sighed. “If this ever happens to you, I’m taking care of you until you recover. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Kwannie.”

He looked at you, offended. “I would be a great nurse! You know that,” he huffed.

You wanted to respond and say he couldn’t keep that kind of promise to you. But instead you turned over, watching the secondary male lead in a scene with his own love interest and the actual male lead eavesdropping. “What would your girlfriend think, hm?” You settled on teasing him, if nothing else but to shove your own feelings aside. “Taking care of someone else...”

“She knows I love my friends,” he said. And then you felt him smack your leg. “She’s not my girlfriend yet!”

“Yet.”

He looked sheepish at his slip of the tongue. “It feels a little too soon,” he said, turning back away from you. “I’ve known her for a while, but...”

“If you love her, you shouldn’t hesitate.” You curled up into yourself a little. “Life is short. What if something happens? You shouldn’t wait forever to tell someone how much they mean to you.”

“I know that,” he said, casual as could be. “That’s why I tell you all how much I love you.”

You cracked a small smile, almost telling him that he only did that because he was a big softie who loved all his friends (and liked being told in return that he was loved, too). Seungkwan was always the most physically touchy of your friend circle: that was why he was either hanging off of you or Vernon most of the time, more than content to be snuggled up to your arm or hugging you from behind during casual moments. It’s something that’s made both of you be mistaken for Seungkwan’s partner, sure, but you were always able to laugh it off both before and after you developed feelings for him.

(There was one instance of the two of you playing up the dramatics when someone tried to tell you that your boyfriend was cheating on you with the other person. Vernon had mouthed for you to slap him, and you’d stormed off only to meet back up in the car with a incredibly flustered Seungkwan who swore he couldn’t take the two of you anywhere anymore.)

“Yeah,” you said, half-heartedly as realization hit you again that these moments were fleeting. Soon you wouldn’t be able to see him anymore, not for prolonged moments. You couldn’t risk the flowers coming back once they were gone. “Love you, too, Seungkwan.”

Maybe one day you’d tell him just how much before you lost the feeling entirely.

You’d set the date. You’d gone in for the visit your surgeon had requested, which was primarily for them to take a new x-ray to check the progress. In another world, you’d be looking at the flowers on that results sheet and thinking that it was a pretty art project. But the reality of the situation was that the disease had progressed, and you’d be going in on Friday to have them surgically removed. Your parents had already come into the city with a hotel room booked for the week (the downside of your apartment with Seokmin being so small: you sure as hell weren’t going to boot him from his own room despite his offer, and your parents would rather stay somewhere closer to the hospital). You’d had dinner with them yesterday night after your appointment, talking through everything with them. Although your father would never know the feelings your mother described to you, he had been supportive as he could be while she talked you through the procedure for the third time since that first phone call.

Which was why you were now, on Wednesday, waiting for Seungkwan... and Vernon and Chan. Seokmin was sitting next to you, happy to play moral support as you broke the news. You’d figured everything out: you’d tell them about the procedure, and then ask for a day with Seungkwan tomorrow in order to experience something nice before you were stuck in the hospital for your recovery period. Except for the past where you broke the news that you could never see him again, that you loved him, and that you treasured your friendship and would never hold it against him that he didn’t reciprocate. Maybe Vernon and Chan would never speak to you again, too, but that was a fallout for later you.

Except you could see Vernon and Chan walking up to the restaurant without Seungkwan, and you knew for a fact that they would have come together.

“Seungkwan couldn’t make it,” Chan had said as he took his seat. “Didn’t he text you?”

(He did: his sister was in the city for the day and he rarely got to see her, so he apologized and said he’d talk to you tomorrow. You just hadn’t heard your phone go off, or you would have left with Seokmin far earlier and figured out something else.) 

Seokmin could see the panic on your face. He said your name, hand grazing your arm as you pushed it away.

“I’m fine,” he said.

He lowered his voice, albeit it was useless considering how close the other two were, “You’re supposed to be taking it easy now. Panicking only makes it worse--”

“Makes what worse?” Chan asked, looking between the two of you. “Wait. Are you dying?”

“No--” You said, and at the worst fucking possible moment, you began to cough. “Shit.”

Seokmin reached for the napkins as you shielded yourself as best as you could, flower petals falling in a thick clump into the white napkin. The petals, while on your medication, were rare. Not gone entirely, and of course they’d pick this moment to act up.

Vernon stared at you, hand groping through the air until it hit Chan’s arm. “Dude.”

You could practically see two bulbs light up above each guy’s head. “Don’t tell Seungkwan.”

“What the fuck do you mean ‘don’t tell Seungkwan’?!” To your surprise, Vernon had raised his voice a little. He immediately lowered it after nodding in apology to the other patrons, “you have Hanahaki! You could die if--”

“My surgery’s on Friday,” you said, “so technically I won’t die.”

“That’s beside the point!” Chan stared at you. “You’re--Why didn’t you tell us sooner?! How long have you known?!”

You said nothing. Seokmin only looked at you.

“A few weeks,” you finally confessed. “But I’m fine and I’m getting them removed, so I’ll be fine. Just... I wanted to tell Seungkwan myself.” I needed to tell him I love him before I don’t remember feeling it anymore.

Vernon knew you, though. Chan might be a little oblivious at times, but Vernon had observed you and Seungkwan enough to know. He tore his eyes away from your own, and you could hear him mumble something about how this was awful timing. The thought made your chest ache.

This was awful timing? For who? For Seungkwan? Sure, you were pretty much dying right now and having to make sure you didn’t choke to death on flowers in your sleep--But, fuck, this was inconvenient timing for Seungkwan apparently. If you had it your way, you wouldn’t have ever developed feelings for him. But Seungkwan was sweet. He was your close friend. He was the one who came over and nursed you back to health a year ago when you had the flu, even if he scolded you for not taking better care of your health.

He’d probably scold you now, too. Seungkwan would have told you off for not telling him sooner, and then he would probably have let you cry in his arms because of how terrified you were underneath everything. The procedure itself was safe: the aftermath could be anything. Meeting Joshua had confirmed that for you. What if you were like him one day? Still living with your roommate, unable to remember the reason behind the scars on your sides (or down the center of your chest--you shivered to imagine what that would mean for you, and you refused to bring that topic up to Jeonghan who clearly would rather not talk about it) without pain? You’d looked it up before: the pain was a psychological thing... or, at least, that was the leading theory. Joshua was rare, people were still researching it in full, but they said it was in the same vein as people who lived through trauma only to not remember a thing because they blocked it all out. A safety measure out of your own control.

(Sometimes you wonder whether Joshua even wanted to remember.)

Hanahaki tore people apart. The fact that you were more prone to it only made you angrier at the world, at the stupid flowers stuck in your lungs. At yourself for being so foolish to fall for Boo Seungkwan when he was only ever going to be your friend.

Vernon’s gaze softened as he watched you, so quiet and acting so much smaller. Like a child, almost: uncertain of what would come next, but with only so much guidance that you could fully understand. The swelling, the stiffness, the different feelings around your incisions. But what about what really came next? The empty feeling when you saw Seungkwan again unless you pulled yourself together to tell him that he couldn’t see you again. Not for long, not without risking yourself. He’d heard the stories and was lucky enough that his own instances of unrequited love were met with plenty of chocolate and nights with his friends, watching movies and giving him a space to feel and breathe and think.

“So what do you want us to do?”

You lifted your gaze from where you’d begun staring down into your lap, meeting Vernon’s eyes. “I...”

“We’re not gonna tell him,” he promised, despite the look Chan gave him. “I mean, that’s your thing, right? It’s your thing to tell, unless you want us to tell.”

You shook your head. “I’ll meet up with him tomorrow,” you said. “And I’ll tell him everything.”

Chan looked between the two of you, realization slowly swallowing him whole. “We’ll come visit,” he said quietly. “Is that okay?”

“It’s not a huge deal,” you shrugged. “I mean. It’s surgery, but they’ll probably keep me in for a few days of observation before I can go home. Just... Don’t send me flowers.”

It’s a weak joke, but it earned a smile from Chan. With that, you decided to shove the conversation aside for a meal with your friends instead. It felt comforting to pretend that everything was okay, as much as you wished Seungkwan was there with you. It’d be nice to hold his hand under the table for a minute, just to know that he cared about you still. That, even after you walk out of his life for good, he’d still care for you in the future.

It wasn’t until you were back in the passenger side of Seokmin’s car that you called Joshua and asked if he was busy. That night, the two of you were sitting in the Hong-Yoon apartment so you could have a cozy night. As much as you wanted to go out for dinner with your parents, you needed to stay away from surgery talk (and, unfortunately for you, that was how your mother calmed herself down: going over the procedure out loud to try and reassure both of you that everything was going to be fine). Joshua had an arm draped around your shoulders, blanketing you in his warmth as the four of you were watching some drama they’d found on Netflix.

Seokmin left to use the bathroom, and Jeonghan shifted over so that he’d be resting against Joshua’s other side. A moment later, he lifted his head, eyes meeting your own. “It’s going to be okay,” he reached out, hand finding your own for a reassuring squeeze. “I recovered well. You’ll be okay.”

Wordlessly, you snuggled further into Joshua’s chest now that you didn’t have Seokmin anchoring you from the other side, still holding Jeonghan’s hand for a moment longer. You shut your eyes for a moment, just listening to the sound of Joshua’s heartbeat. “Which one of you was first?”

Quiet. The sound of the movie felt so distant, a mere mumble of background noise as Jeonghan let out a long sigh.

“He was,” Jeonghan said. “I thought I’d be okay. Then we had to call our friend, Seungcheol, to help us.”

Joshua wrapped an arm around you. “Do you want me to be honest?”

You nodded.

“They still hurt sometimes,” he said. “The incisions. I can barely see them, but they’re still there.”

Suddenly, your stomach turned at the thought. You squeezed your eyes shut a little more. “I’m sorry--I know I brought it up, but can we drop this?”

Neither said anything. You merely curled up closer to the two people who’d been strangers until days ago, yet already felt so safe to be around. They felt like an escape from what you knew would come tomorrow. Even when Seokmin returned, curling up close to this bundle of limbs and shared trauma, you only felt safer.

Seungkwan had asked her to be his girlfriend. You only found out because he’d blasted it on every social media platform he was on, only tagged with the caption ‘day one ❤️‘ alongside a picture of the two of them silhouetted with the sunset in the background. Any other life and it’d be sweet. In this one, you merely felt bitter as you finally sent the text you’d been sitting on all day.

it’s really important. can we meet at the usual spot?

The moment he gave you his confirmation, you left your apartment. The park wasn’t too far from where you lived, although you’d always prefer to take the bus to it instead. With your coat pulled over your hoodie, you made the trek by foot instead. This used to be your picnic spot with Seungkwan, although you could easily see him going on dates there instead. As much as you wanted to be happy for him, the stupid ache in your lungs and the tickle of petals that eternally seemed to be plaguing you (at least it would be until you took your last dose of medicine before surgery--a smaller one than what you usually took to avoid complications, but enough that you’d be able to sleep easily) served as a cruel reminder of what would never be. That this would be the end.

Yet you saw him sitting on that stupid bench the two of you always met at, the glow of a streetlamp bathing him in light and making him look stupidly radiant. Or maybe that was what love could do to a person. The moment he saw you, he stood up, coming to hug you tight.

“Vernon said you’re having surgery tomorrow,” he said once he stepped back, hands holding your own. “Is it true?”

... At this point, you couldn’t be surprised Vernon would at least let that slip. Maybe he’d been debating coming to see you, and Vernon told him outright how important it was.

His fingers tangled with your own as he brought you to the bench, sitting down next to you. “Is it serious?” He paused, and then vaguely gestured toward his mouth and throat, “is it... you know?”

Seungkwan knew of your family history. You’d lamented it to him forever ago, saying that you hoped you’d be lucky enough to be spared by it. When you nodded, his gaze softened tremendously.

“Do they know?”

You don’t, you almost wanted to say. It’s you. I’m sorry. “I don’t know if I want to tell him.”

“Do I know them?”

You shook your head, unable to verbally lie to him.

He stared ahead, visibly upset. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t notice it sooner. I’ve just...”

He’d been falling for someone else more and more with each day. Deep down, you couldn’t blame him for that. If you didn’t know someone was going through it, you’d probably be blissfully doing the same.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you,” he said a moment later. “Are you scared?”

“Terrified.” You tucked your hands into your hoodie pockets, leg bouncing. “I don’t know how I’m going to react.”

Seungkwan was good at faking smiles when things were rough, just to try and instill some confidence into someone who needed it. “You’ll pull through,” he squeezed your knee gently, and he left his hand there. “You’re strong. And... and when you get out, we’ll go out. Just the two of us. I’ll pay for our meal, and you can pick, and... and it’ll be thanks for helping me while you were struggling.”

Something about how genuine he sounded squeezed your heart tight, almost as if it’d pop with just a little more pressure. You looked up, “Seungkwan, I...”

I love you. I know you don’t love me back, and it’s okay. I’m sorry our friendship has to end like this.

And then he smiled at you, a little more genuine than before, just to reassure you. “It’ll be okay,” he said again, clueless to the storm inside of you.

Your words died in your throat. Instead, you just bit back your tears as you dove forward, hugging him tight. “I love you,” you said, a confession you couldn’t make directly to his face. “Thank you for being a good friend.”

His arms wound around you after a moment, squeezing you tight. “You’re not going to die, you know,” he said, laughing just a little. “It’s a safe procedure. I’ll see you when you wake up. Okay?”

Drifting back from him, you lied again, “Yeah. I’ll... I’ll see you then.”

With one truth spilling from your lips about going home and getting proper rest, the two of you parted ways. Despite the fact it only served to make your lungs ache worse, you jogged the way home. The sooner you were inside, the better. With the door shut and secured behind you, you let out a long sigh and then a groan of frustration at backing out yet again. You’d been pulling your jacket off when you heard Seokmin call out your name.

“Did you tell him?”

You sniffled hard, already feeling those tears welling back up. He opened his arms to you, and you almost tripped over yourself rushing to him as you broke down crying.

“I-I couldn’t,” you said between sobs.

And Seokmin could do nothing else but hold you tight, head resting against your own as he sheltered you through your storm.

Everything felt fuzzy.

The anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off by the time you were a little more awake. You’d answered their questions as best as you could while your head still felt full of clouds, but the procedure had been a success. The flowers were gone to good, likely going to get tossed out with the other waste and burned. Your mother recognized how completely out of it you still were, but you could see the relief on her face that you were okay. It took the sound of your dad gently coaxing her for her to agree to come back when you were far more lucid and well-rested.

At some point, Seokmin came in to see you. You barely remembered the encounter, but you stared at the teddy bear that sat nearby with a card being held between its plush paws (thanks to Seokmin’s efforts). It wasn’t from him, you’d later discover, but from Joshua and Jeonghan wishing you well (and making promises to see you again once you were discharged, maybe while you were recovering if they could make it during visiting hours).

Three days into your stay, you were fully aware and alert... and also recognizing the annoying tinge of pain that came from your incisions every single time you moved or even breathed. You could breathe clearer now, sure, but the ache was annoying nonetheless. Your doctor had been kind to you, understanding how tiring it could be to recover from the procedure. Your nurse, a tall kind man named Wonwoo, had taken your vitals. So when you heard a knock on your door, you were sure it was either whatever breakfast you were getting (you barely remembered your own order now), or your parents.

And after you called out for whoever it was to come in, you were met with Vernon’s face. He stopped where he stood, staring at you for a moment before apologizing and saying he wasn’t sure what to do. Chan was with him, too, hugging a big teddy bear that was clutching a ‘get well soon’ heart.

“You said not to send you flowers,” Chan said as he made his way over to you, and you accepted the stuffed animal with a thanks. “It was my idea.”

“Our idea,” Vernon rolled his eyes. Then he stopped, looking at the open door. “You wanted to see them. They’re awake.”

The guy that Vernon had been talking to walked into the room, pushing the door shut with an apology for hesitating. He started rambling about how he didn’t know whether you’d want so many people crowding you at once, sitting down at the edge of your bed as he started asking how you were doing. Were the flowers gone? Was the staff taking care of you? If you needed someone to speak on your behalf while your parents were gone, he would happily do it for you.

Vernon noticed the confused look on your face as this guy--friendly as he might be--kept talking to you. You’d answered his questions, sure, but you could see the way this stranger’s heart was visibly breaking in his eyes. His smile fell, and Vernon nudged him out of the way so that he could sit and talk to you for a few minutes. 

“Is there anything we can do for you? I mean, we were gonna pool together for one of those edible arrangements, but I wasn’t sure if your doctor was gonna restrict any of it...”

Chan had apologized, saying he needed a cup of coffee--it was too early for him--and he left with the other guy.

Vernon pushed himself back into your field of vision, and you felt yourself flounder a little for words. “No restrictions,” you said, brain still catching up as you had questions. “Sorry, Vernon, do I know him--”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just, uh... Rest up,” he patted your thigh. “I’ll see you when you get out, yeah?”

When he stepped back into the hallway, it was to the sound of Seungkwan sobbing. Chan had already gone to him, holding him and waving off any concerned staff that had probably seen this kind of thing before.

One of his best friends didn’t recognize him at all. He knew that that meant when it came to Hanahaki.

Chan had patted his back gently. “It’s not your fault you moved on,” he said quietly. “You didn’t know. None of us knew they liked you back--”

Vernon could feel his heart sink in his chest as he made his way over. His own future with you (as well as Chan’s) was in the air--both knowing the weight of keeping you in their lives could lead to future pain for both you and Seungkwan. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I told you--”

But Seungkwan shook his head, the weight of his own decisions beginning to suffocate him. “You were right,” he started to walk away, his heart breaking all over again. “I shouldn’t have come.”

taglist: @twancingyunhao​ @synthetickitsune​ @wonuziex​

[astrid-sama]

Labyrinth of white roses (Effie trinket x fem oc)

Chapter 1)

The harvest

I wake up with the warmth of the sun's rays caressing my face, it's a rare event, usually if I want to sneak away without anyone seeing me I'm forced to get up when there's still the moon in the sky, at first light dawn in district twelve everyone is already at work; today, however, everyone is exempt from work and people sleep late trying not to think that tonight at least two families will mourn the loss of their children.

Today the annual harvest is held, on this day a boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen will be chosen from each district to participate in the Hunger Games, a deadly game from which only one tribute will emerge alive. At school we kids are taught that the Hunger Games are there to ensure that the Dark Days are not repeated, in reality they are just another way for the Capitol City to assert their dominion over us.

I get out of bed, put on my hunting clothes, kiss my brother on the forehead being careful not to wake him and leave the house as quietly as possible. I arrive on the main road and after making sure that there is no one around I head towards the fence; during the journey I feel my stomach growling, it is normal to be hungry here in district twelve and that is why every day I leave the fence to go hunting, putting my life at risk, between dying of hunger together with my brother and being hanged for betrayal by the peacekeepers I choose the second, it is the least painful option. At the fence I find my friends Gale and Katniss waiting for me, we have been hunting together for more than four years now; the fence should be electrified but here in the twelve there is almost never electricity, one at a time we crawl under the fence taking advantage of a point where it is damaged. According to the Capitol, the fences surrounding the districts are there to prevent wild animals from attacking us, but I think they're there to keep us locked up.

We enter the woods, retrieve our bows and hide among the vegetation waiting for prey to hunt. After almost an hour we have captured three rabbits and a squirrel, we go to hide our bows in an old hollow trunk and start looking for fruit and medicinal herbs; when we have finished the sun is higher in the sky and it is probably just before midday. Before leaving the woods, Gale, Katniss and I take a break sitting on a rocky ledge.

-Girls look what I have here- Gale takes a loaf of bread out of his bag, it seems warm and fragrant, few people can afford such bread.

-But this is real bread! Gale where did you find him?- Katniss said as she grabs the loaf of bread.

-The baker gave it to me in exchange for a squirrel-

-Just a squirrel?!-

I can't help but wonder, the baker is a good person but usually a squirrel isn't enough for a loaf like that.

-Today is harvest day, we are all better-

Gale divides the loaf between the three of us, we eat in silence until Katniss asks a question.

-How many nominations do you have?-

-Thirtyfive-

-Twentyone-

Under normal circumstances a seventeen year old like me should only have five nominations, I have so many because I was forced to trade them for food; my father became ill when I was twelve and died when I was fourteen, but my mother died soon after my brother was born so I found myself having to support both myself and my brother and was forced to apply several times in exchange for food, Gale and Katniss are in the same situation as me.

A few minutes later we set off to return to the enclosure; once we return to the district we go to the black market to barter: we exchange strawberries with the mayor in exchange for a bag of legumes, we exchange the squirrel for matches. After leaving the black market, Katniss, Gale, and I wish each other good luck and part ways.

When I arrive home I find my brother waiting for me, he is dressed in a pair of green jeans and a white shirt, his long black hair is tied in a braid and his green eyes shine with happiness when he sees me.

-Welcome back big sister, how do I look?-

-Elia you are handsome, I bet you will make everyone fall in love with you-

Elia blushes and looks away.

-Big sister it's almost time for the harvest, you should go and change-

I nod, I go to the bathroom and quickly wash both my body and my hair, after drying my hair with a towel I put on my best dress, a light green dress with small white flowers and finally I put on some old brown boots. Elia insists on tying my black hair in a braid like his, when he's finished we go to the square to take part in the grape harvest.

As soon as we arrived we immediately separated, I joined the seventeen year old girls while my brother joined the fourteen year old boys. After all boys and girls eligible to participate have been registered, the harvest ceremony begins; first of all (like every year) the mayor goes on stage and begins to read a long speech in which he explains how the Hunger Games are our just punishment for having rebelled against the Capitol seventy-three years ago; after what seems like hours the mayor finally concludes his speech and gives way on the stage to the Capitol emissary who has the task of escorting the tributes of district twelve to Capitol City Effie Trinket.

-Welcome to the seventy-third edition of the Hunger Games, may luck always be in your favor-

Effie walks very enthusiastically towards the glass bowl containing the pieces of paper with the girls' names written on them.

-As always ladies first-

Effie slowly dips her hand into the glass bowl, pulls out a piece of paper, and returns to the center of the stage; in the seconds preceding the reading of the name of the tribute there is absolute silence.

-The female tribute from district twelve is.... Selene Davidson-

All the girls turn to look at me, some look at me with pity, others with relief. My hands are shaking, my body seems to have turned to marble and even though I know I should go on stage I can't move.

-Darling come here-

Effie Trinket smiles at me and calls me to the stage. I force myself to move and slowly advance towards the stage; I'm trying to hold back the tears, I can't seem weak. Capitol City is watching me.

-And now the male tribute-

I watch Effie take the piece of paper with the name of the male tribute and hope that the name is neither Elia nor Gale.

-The male tribute from District Twelve is... Alexander Morgan-

Alexander is a fifteen year old boy with curly red hair and a weak physique, you can clearly see how terrified he is; once he gets on stage he starts sobbing.

-Now a big round of applause for our tributes-

Nobody claps their hands, silence is the only act of protest allowed. After the harvest we are taken into the courthouse and given some time to say goodbye to our friends and family. I'm sitting on a velvet sofa when the door opens and Elia comes in, hugs me and starts sobbing with his head resting on my shoulder. For a while we remain hugged without saying anything, then Elia dries his tears and begins to speak.

-Win big sister and come back to me, I know you can do it-

-Elia I-

-No Selene don't say you can't win, you are an expert hunter you know how to use a bow and knives perfectly and you also know both edible and medicinal plants-

-You're right, I promise I will do everything to come back-

I try to sound confident but in reality I don't think I have much chance of returning home, after all what can a weak little girl from district twelve with a bow (if there is a bow) do against a volunteer from district one who weighs twice as much as she. A short time later, peacekeepers arrive and take Elia away and let Gale and Katniss in in his place. We hug each other, resigned to the idea that this will be our last meeting.

-Guys remember the promise we made to each other, don't let Elia die of hunger! Take him with you into the woods, teach him to hunt, please don't abandon him-

Some time ago the three of us had made a pact, if ever one of us was chosen as a tribute the others would be taken care of by his family.

-Don't worry, we'll take care of Elia, you think about winning-

-Certain-

A short time later the peacekeepers took Katniss and Gale away, I was escorted out of the courthouse and taken to the train that would take me to the Capitol City.

This is the first chapter of my fanfiction "Labyrinth of white roses", I will publish all the chapters of the fanfiction on Ao3 with the name "Labyrinth of white roses".

These are my fanfiction characters created with artificial intelligence:

Selene

Elia

Alexander

[angelofdarknessss]

Beautiful Sinner

Chapter 2: Nightmare

Previous Part: CH-1

Next Part: Not here! ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)

Word Count: 2,679

Main Pairing: Toko Fukawa x Gen!Neutral Reader

Summary: You *just* arrived and you already feel like you're going insane.

Author note: I feel bad for being so late >_< so sorry;; also I lied here is the part but on tumblr ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ for now my fic is active on Ao3 (main), Quotev and here! It's also published on wattpad but I'm not sure If ill update it there too, it is alot of work but I want as many people to read my work as possible sooo I'll try to keep up with it ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊

!!CW:!! Murder is described in this chapter! Starts when you see the "….. ᶻ's " If you want to read past it keep scrolling until you see another pair of " ….. ᶻ's "

You and Sayaka finally made it to the dorms, but not without you observing the other rooms as you passed through the school. It really had everything, you saw a bathhouse, dressing room, laundry room, dining hall, warehouse, and you’re sure there’s more to search later. You’d say its heaven but considering the situation you’re in now…it’s the opposite.

“Ah! Here we are!” Sayaka says happily. You two stood in the hallway between 12 rooms, the others located further down. “Wow, this school wasn’t lying when they said we’d be set for life. There’s a lot of useful stuff here…except for a hair salon. Would’ve loved a room to do my hair with all my materials.” You say with an annoyed sigh.

She giggles. “Aw, don’t be like that y/n! I see you already have some of them, right?” She gestures towards your waist apron with a few basic hair tools. “Well, yes..but that’s not enough to do my or anyone else’s hair!” You whined.

“I’m sure there’s a room with the things you need around here somewhere, after all this school is massive!” She smiles while staring at your hair. “I can tell you take good care of your hair..it’s so pretty.”

You could feel your face burn in embarrassment. Sure, you’ve received compliments about your hair many times but coming from Sayaka, an idol, it made you feel different. Especially since she was so gorgeous. “Oh!..thank you! I appreciate it.”

“Of course!” Her eyes then travel back to the dorms, searching for hers. “Hmm…oh! There’s mine!” She points towards the door on her right, you also took notice of the rooms beside hers. Those being Chihiros and coincidently, Makoto’s.

You stare at it, thinking about Makoto. Is he okay? Is he still asleep? Did something happen to him again? Those thoughts clouded your mind until Sayaka spoke up again. “Worried about Makoto still?” She tilts her head. “Don’t worry y/n, we can check up on him later. For now, should probably let him rest..” She voiced.

“Yeah..yeah you’re right. He must be unconscious still, I guess it’s best to wait until he wakes up.” Speaking of resting…you could really use a good nap right now. Where was your dorm?

You look around for your dorm and eventually spot it in-between Junko and Celeste’s dorm. Resting next to Junko doesn’t seem to bad, as for Celeste…you weren’t sure. You’ve only spoken to her once, maybe you’ll get to know her better later.

“Found my dorm.” You point towards the door with a little pixel you on it. It was kind of cute..you guess. “Perfect!” Sayaka holds her hands together. “Let’s check out our rooms, then we can meet back out here!...if that’s okay with you of course!” She says.

You nod in response. “That’s perfect. I’ll see you in a little bit then.” With that, she nods and heads straight into her dorm and you go into yours. As soon as you stepped inside and closed the door behind you, you realized it’s not like your typical dorm room.

It had…everything useful for a hair stylist!

There were three shampoo systems, three hood dryers, two salon chairs, a shelf filled with multiple hair products, scarfs, shower caps, blow dryers, combs, brushes, hair straighteners and curlers, and so much more..! This school even hooked you up with beautiful bonnets! With these tools you can do everybody’s hair in here…well, not for free.

And…of course there was your bed and bathroom you guess..that’s good too. But the tools is what you cared about the most. Not only did Monokuma hook you up with good hair products, but also some good personal ones too. On the nightstand beside your bed a bottle of shea butter lotion, dove deodorant including the soap, Olay bodywashes and a few perfume options to choose from.

Damn…you really shouldn’t be praising the bastard who put you in this mess but he really knew what specific items you used. It was a little creepy, but nonetheless you appreciate that you won’t be walking around the school looking AND smelling a mess.

“Phuhu~ You like it, stylist?”

“AHH!” You screamed while stumbling backwards, landing on your backside. “Y..you!!”

“Indeed! I am Monokuma!” He giggles into his paws at your reaction. “Didn’t mean to scare you buddy. Anyways…again, do you like your dorm, stylist?” He asks again. “uh…yes..?” You respond, your voice filled with uncertainty.

“You better!” He waddles over to you with his paw pointing at you. “All of these hair products, machines, and personal hygiene were expensive!” He angrily says. “I didn’t know you hair stylists were so high maintenance! I mean granted I have more than enough to buy them all but still! I better see you use every single one of these items, stylist!” He scolds you as if you were his child.

“What the..?!” You get up, now towering over the small Monokuma. “Did you just come to my dorm to yell at me? Get out now!” You yell at him, meanwhile he keeps that same angry expression. “Nuh-uh, you don’t have the power to send me off, kid! And besides…I came to give you this.”

He reaches into his non-existent pocket and hands you what looks like a room key, specifically a key to your dorm. “Your room was the last one I had to prepare, and I realized I forgotten to leave your key inside it.” You take it from him cautiously and slowly, as if he’s going to suddenly bite your hand.

Monokuma giggled at that. “Aw..scared a lil ole me?” He laughs out loud, showing off his sharp teeth. “You should bee~” You huffed in irritation and proceeded to point towards your door. “Just get out already!”

“Fine! Ungrateful brat..” He mummers before disappearing. You were alone again.

You let out a sigh of relief then sat onto your neatly done bed. Before you laid your body down on the soft blanket, your eyes caught a glimpse of a shiny coin on your nightstand. You picked up the coin and examined it…it was…a Monokuma coin?...a monocoin? You scoffed. How ridiculous….. yet, you slipped it into your waist apron. Might be handy later.

“This is so…..ughhh!” You frustratingly screamed, face palming yourself and then laying your back against the soft sheets. What were you going to do? You were trapped with 16 other strangers alongside a psychopathic bear and you could die at any minute! Why…why you of all people? Why did this have to happen to you specifically?

This was bullshit.

You need to take a nap for awhile..maybe for 30 minutes or so. Sayaka won’t mind, right? She knows where you are afterall..hell, she’s probably still looking around in her room. You slowly closed your eyes.

A little…rest…won’t hurt….

Yeah….yeah..you’ll see her in 30 minutes. After a few minutes of pure silence, you drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately missing the few gentle knocks at your door.

….. ᶻ

………………………. ᶻ 𝗓

……………………………………………………… ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

…ᶻ

……………….ᶻ 𝗓

……………………………………….ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

“Y/n…..” A gentle voice whispered your name, their hand brushing against your cheek like a warm breeze. Exhaustion enveloped you, as if every ounce of energy was being siphoned from your very essence. You found yourself unable to stir, your body feeling heavy and frail.

Your eyes fluttered open, taking in your surroundings. You found yourself in a bathroom, sitting on the floor with your back against the wall, your left arm stained with blood and a fresh stab wound that continued to bleed profusely. As you shifted your gaze downward, you noticed that your right calf was also injured, bearing a matching wound that was equally oozing blood.

Yet, everything felt numb. All you could focus on was the person in front of you clutching a bloodied kitchen knife—Sayaka Maizono. But, she didn’t strike you as someone capable of causing harm, much less taking a life. So… why?

“I’m…I’m sorry!” she cried, her voice trembling as her clearly broken nose leaked blood. “I didn’t want to…to do this..not to you.” Tears streamed down her face, splattering onto your blood-stained shirt. She looked so traumatized, like she hadn’t mean to hurt you in the first place. “It wasn’t..*sniff*..supposed to be you..!”

How did it end up like this?… ‘Sayaka… why?’ was the question you longed to voice, yet all that escaped your lips were only anguished murmurs.

She suddenly clung to you tightly, the knife still firmly in her grasp, tears streaming down her face as she buried her face in your neck. “I’m so sorry…b-but I have to do this…please forgive me!” In one quick movement, she pulled the hand holding the blade away and drove it deep into your abdomen. Your eyes grew wide with shock; a scream threatened to escape your lips, but no sound came.

You could only remain frozen in fear, helplessly observing as your blood seeped through your garments and trickled down your legs. She pulled the knife away, her gaze locking onto yours, realizing you were still alive. “No no no…I’m sorry I’m sorry, I’ll make try to make it quicker…” She cries as she gripped the knife in her hand in guilt. It seemed so cruel to allow you to bleed out slowly, so… she directed her blade towards your neck and drove it in. But instead of taking it out, she let you choke on your own blood.

…This option didn’t seem much better, but you did feel the life being drained from you quicker. You watched her intently as she rose from the floor, her hands stained with blood as she tried to wipe away her tears. The crimson streaks marred her face, and some of it splattered onto her shirt and skirt. The bathroom floor was a gruesome sight, soaked in blood that continued to flow from your fresh abdominal wound, and now with the injury on your neck, your clothes were becoming increasingly tainted.

You made one last desperate attempt to cry out, to call for help, but deep down, you understood there was no hope. The only thing that escaped your quivering lips was blood. Sayaka looked at you, her eyes filled with remorse for a fleeting moment before she stepped out of the bathroom, shutting the door softly behind her, but not before flicking off the light, plunging you into complete darkness.

She left you all alone in the dark to die…how cruel. You thought she was your friend…why..why did it have to be you?

With one final breath, you felt your soul leaving your body finally. Sayaka Maizono murdered you.

If you were still able to talk, what would you ask? Was it worth it?...Would she do it to another classmate if not you?..Did she intend to kill you the moment she saw you?..How would Makoto feel?

Questions that you’ll never get an answer for. Because you no longer existed.

….. ᶻ

… *DING DONG*

………………………. ᶻ 𝗓

………… *DING DONG DING DONG*

……………………………………………………… ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

…………………………… *DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG*

“…ugh!!” You shot up from sleep, drenched in sweat and your heart racing wildly in your chest. You propped yourself up, your fingers brushing against your neck and stomach. That dream, or rather, that nightmare, felt incredibly real. Yet, here you were, awake and safe. What on earth was that nightmare about? Why did Sayaka kill you? And why—?

*DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG*

“Okay..okay! Stop! I’m coming…” you grumble, feeling a bit irritated as you push yourself off the bed and shuffle toward the door. With a yawn slipping out, you swing the door open. “..Taka?” You murmur. “AH..Y/N!..So THIS is where you’ve been hiding all this time!” He exclaims. “You really worried everyone, you know!...especially Makoto…” he adds, his voice dropping for the last part. “We were all convinced something terrible had happened to you!”

Makoto was worried about you..? wait…He’s awake?? “Wait what—? Makoto is awake?” you exclaim, a blend of shock and relief washing over you.. “Yes, he’s fine… but seriously, why did you think it was okay to nap for an hour and a half without telling anyone?!” he reprimands, prompting you to shoot him an irritated look. “Come on, cut me some slack! I didn’t plan on sleeping that long; I just meant to take a quick nap, but… well, it turned out to be a bit longer than I expected.”

“Clearly!” He states. “Now…please head to the dining hall with me, we’re holding a meeting, and we cannot start without you.”

"Uhm.. I appreciate the offer, but I can make it to the dining hall on my own. I’ll see you there." Just as you were about to shut the door, Taka wedged his foot between the door and the frame. "I really must insist." You give him a long look and let out a resigned sigh. "….fine, just let me freshen up first."

Once you had tidied your hair and brushed off your clothes, you made your way to the dining hall with Taka, feeling a bit reluctant. As you strolled toward the hall, a thought struck you—you had carelessly thrown your waist apron somewhere in the room. You considered turning back to grab it, feeling somewhat exposed without it, but then decided you could always pick it up later

At this moment, you really had to get up to speed with your classmates…who had been busy digging for information while you were asleep…this may end badly for you. They likely put in a ton of effort while you were relaxing in your room…or rather, you wouldn’t exactly call it ‘relaxing’ given the nightmare, but still…

Anywho, you two finally made it to the dining hall and were immediately greeted with everyone eyes on you two, more so you. Everyone sat at the same table except for Toko and Byakuya, who sat at a different, smaller table. Toko wasn’t sitting with him but was standing near him.

And..wait..Kyoko wasn’t there. Strange.

“Y/n! There you are!” Sayaka exclaims, her face lighting up with relief as she jumps up from her chair and rushes over to you, wrapping you in a warm hug with her head against your shoulder. “I..I thought something had happened to you..I tried to ring your door bell but you didn’t answer.” Her voice trails off, and she glances away, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “So I assumed you had left your room..”

Your breath caught in your throat as she unexpectedly wrapped her arms around you. Every time you laid eyes on her, the haunting nightmare replayed in your mind. A part of you wanted to keep your distance, yet another part ached with sympathy for her; after all, it wasn’t her doing that you had such a terrifying dream. You reassured yourself that it was just the overwhelming stress of the situation, she’s harmless..is what you tell yourself.

"Y/n?" She lifts her head from your shoulder, calling your name softly. “Ah, sorry to scare you Sayaka, I was just sleeping.” you reply, feeling a bit embarrassed as you rub the back of your head. You give her a gentle pat on the back, which brings a warm smile to her face. "No worries! I’m just happy to see you’re okay. By the way, Makoto woke up a little while ago!" She points to him at the table, where he offers you a friendly smile and a wave.

“And guess what? I found out we used to go to the same middle school!” She happily chirps, her face lighting up. “How funny is that? What middle school did you go to? Maybe we have—"

“Sayaka…Y/n!” Taka clears his throat with a loud cough. “Let’s put a pin in this conversation for now; please take a seat!”

Sayaka's shoulders droop a bit as a rosy hue spreads across her cheeks, but she manages a nod. "Alright... um... Y/n?" Releasing her grip on you, she takes your hand gently. "You’ll sit next to me, right?"

[stuckysimp]

A Cold Embrace

Summary: A somewhat more realistic take on Steve Rogers' 'death' at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger

TW: Death, hypothermia, plane crash, blood, hallucinations, vomit

Word Count: 1720

It had all happened so fast. Schmidt was gone? Dead? Steve wasn’t really sure what he’d just witnessed, staring in shock as the tesseract burned through the plane’s hull and fell down into the ocean below. He forced himself back to reality, placing the shield down, sitting at the plane’s controls. Harsh, icy wind bit at his exposed skin and he braced himself against it, adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

The plane was heading for New York. Fuck. He didn’t know what to do, not really, but he knew there was one thing he could do. One last thing, to end this once and for all. He spoke into the radio, setting it to the correct frequency.

“Come in, this is Captain Rogers, do you read me?”

A male’s voice, Morita, answered him. “Captain Rogers, what is your-”

He was interrupted as another voice came through, a woman’s. Peggy. “Steve, is that you? Are you alright?”

Something in Steve’s chest settled at the familiar voices, even as he stared out at the sky in front of him. “Peggy, Schmidt's dead!”

“What about the plane?”

Steve glanced at the controls, his stomach sinking. “That's a little bit tougher to explain.”

“Give your coordinates, I'll find you a safe landing site.”

“There's not gonna be a safe landing.” The plane was armed. “But I can try and force it down.”

“I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do.”

“There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York.” Steve had made his decision. “I got to put her in the water.”

“Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out.”

Steve didn’t miss a beat, staring out at the clouds as the plane went towards the city. “Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice.”

Every instinct screamed at him to find another way, but the truth was, Steve was tired. He’d served his purpose, defeating Schmidt and playing the role of the ‘mighty Captain America’. But he was no hero. Not really. He just had to do this. This last thing, and then he could rest. He could let go and be with his ma and pa up in heaven, if he even got in. Bucky too, his best friend. Yeah, it’d be nice to see him again.

Steve readjusted his grip on the controls and forced the plane down, towards the ocean waiting below.

“Peggy?” He was almost reluctant to call out to her, to ask for her company in his final moments.

He was scared, more scared than he’d ever been. And he didn’t want to be alone. Was he a coward? Wanting peace? Wanting company?

“I'm here.”

Steve almost smiled. He had no one to pass anything on to, no one else to say goodbye to. So instead, he tried to make her smile. Tried to let the moment be soft, instead of scary. He just wanted to be soft.

“I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance.”

“All right. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club.”

“You got it.”

The ice below came into view and Steve knew it wouldn’t be much longer now. He forced himself to keep the controls down, not to run. He’d always stood his ground, he’d never been one to turn away from doing the right thing, no matter what anyone else said.

“8:00 on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?”

So, this was it.

Steve was going to die.

He’d always known that he wouldn’t live very long, given all his illnesses. Then he’d been given the serum, and he’d been given time at least to fight for what he’d believed in. From the moment Steve had first started trying to enlist, he’d been willing to lay down his life to do the right thing. To save, whatever he could. To help, wherever he could. He was selfish now, probably. Wishing that at least he wouldn’t have had to do it alone.

Cold.

And alone.

Part of him wanted to scream, wanted to yell to the wind about the injustices of the world. How unfair it all was, how angry he was at himself. Was this giving up? Was he taking the easy way out, doing this? It was over, wasn’t it? Fuck- what did he even have to go home to?

Steve had to force the response out from his throat, staring out of the glass in front of him.

“You know, I still don't know how to dance.”

“I'll show you how. Just be there.”

“We'll have the band play something slow.” That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? A slow dance. Something nice. Something soft. “ I'd hate to step on your-”

The impact of the plane crashing into ice cut him off and his body was thrown against the glass, a thunderous rumbling erupting around him. The plane settled against the ice, metal groaning as it slumped down towards a watery grave.

Darkness slipped in and out around him as Steve dragged himself back over towards the chair. If he could get himself up, if he could- He cried out in pain as the plane shifted further down into the ice and he was forced back towards the hull, his body slamming against the metal. Through gritted teeth he tried to force himself back up, but his body wasn’t cooperating, and instead he slumped down onto the floor, his breathing laboured as black spots danced in his vision, a dull ringing piercing his ears.

The plane slumped further down and water started filling in through the cracks of the ship. Instinctual panic flushed through Steve, grunting as he clawed his way back over to the chair. The wind was harsh against his skin, the cold water pooling around him.

Cold.

Fuck!

It was so fucking cold-

He curled his body against the chair, breathing laboured, body aching. He cradled his hands to his chest, trying to shield himself as much as he could. He didn’t really know why, he was going to die here anyway, he knew that. But there was that primal part of him, that animalistic, human instinct to survive. To hold on, no matter what. To try and live.

Stay alive.

He didn’t know how long had passed before Steve was barely holding on anymore. It could have been minutes, hours. Steve didn’t know. How could he? All he knew was that his shivering body was coated with sweat, and he couldn’t breathe. It was worse, worse than anything he’d ever experienced even before the serum.

He couldn’t fucking breathe.

Digging his fingers beneath his top, he ripped the fabric off, trying to get at least some semblance of relief from the burning of his skin. His chest heaved, trying desperately to suck enough air in to fill his lungs, to calm the spinning of his head.

Fuck-!

Before long, the cold had seemed to sink back, deep into his skin, into his bones, and the desperation to be warm had filled him completely. Clawing into the seat that he was huddled against, he’d ripped past the leather of the chair, stuffing falling out, and had tried to bury himself into it.

Cold.

Fuck!

His clawing only got more desperate, more frantic, more feral, as the cold made him spiral further into delirium. He’d barely registered the blood spilling from his fingers, his skin numb to the pain, the skin beneath where his nails had been, now raw and exposed.

He yelled in frustration, and a wailing sob quickly followed, the wrenching sound erupting from his chest as his body slumped against the chair. He shivered violently, bile rising in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to hold it in, hold everything in until he physically couldn’t anymore.

He retched and doubled over, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor in front of him. Acid burned his throat, dry heaving over the sour smell of the vomit beneath him. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to steady himself as much as he could, trying to force himself up to his feet. His legs gave out beneath him almost immediately and he fell back to the unforgiving metal beneath him with a thud, a sharp pain shooting through his head as it connected with the ground.

His ears were filled with screams and yells, those he recognised alongside the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

War. The absolute devastation of war.

But one thing cut through it all, one sound, soft but full.

Her.

A distant humming, an old tune that brought back memories of warm arms and a small apartment. Of kind smiles, and worried eyes.

“M-Ma?”

The word barely made it past his blue lips, the chattering of his teeth making it nearly impossible.

For a moment, a precious moment, Steve wasn’t on the plane anymore, slowly sinking towards his doom. Instead he lay in a warm, soft bed, his body small and frail, the rattling of his chest a familiar sound as he took deep, shaky breaths. There was a gentle hand against his hair, massaging his scalp in a way that had been tailored just for him.

“Ma-”

“Shhhh.” His mother’s voice was warm, fond. “It’s okay, Stevie.”

A groan escaped Steve’s lips as he rolled to his side, curling up on himself, trying desperately to cling to the warmth of the bed. “I’m sorry.” He sobbed, voice cracking. “I’m sorry, I-I-”

His mother shushed him again, brushing her hand over his hair. “I’m so proud of you, Stevie. You’ve done everything you can, it’s time to go now.”

“I-I don’t-”

“I know, I know.” His mother smiled at him. An expression he’d longed for from the moment she’d passed. “It’s over now. You can rest, Stevie. You’ve done enough. You can let go.”

That was… nice. Let go. Finally be free.

“You can come home, Stevie. We’ve been waiting for you.” His mother reached out her hand for him, kind and inviting.

Warm. She looked warm.

Steve reached out for her, taking her hand and clinging to it. Squeezing his mother’s hand, he closed his eyes, and he let the darkness finally take him home.

[preoccupied-educator]

Ooh, Juke podcasters AU?

Alright, I went back and forth on this for literal ages, but it is high time I actually post something so, I hope you like it! Happy Juke Jeudi! Also lol RIP me trying to write a summary, failing spectacularly and instead ending up with over 700 words of a relatively solid outline for a fic I'll probably never find time to write 🙃

A kinda-sorta-enemies-to-lovers with a classic misunderstanding and of course a HEA (that isn't really well thought out, but couldn't sit in my drafts any longer!)

Julie Molina doesn't really play music anymore since her mom died, but she does listen to it and talk about it at great length on her very popular podcast she started back in her junior year of college after a very interesting elective on the topic

Now, she's a bit of a celebrity in her own right, as episodes of her show, "The Studio" (where she reviews listener-submitted songs from up-and-coming bands in college towns all across America) reach thousands of listeners every week

Luke Patterson listens to music, talks about music and, of course, plays music in his band, Sunset Curve, with his two best friends Alex Mercer and Reggie Peters (they did have a fourth band member, Bobby Shaw, but that ended rather abruptly when Bobby decided he'd rather have a solo career with Sunset Curve's most popular songs)

Now, Sunset Curve is on the edge of celebrity - a rather stressful recon mission ensured Bobby no longer had access to their music (and no, they won't be telling that story anytime soon) - and they're calling in all of their favours to get a showcase slot at the famed venue, The Orpheum

(click to continue reading my rambling below the cut)

Luke has been working on the booking manager, Caleb, for weeks and he's finally agreed to book them a slot in two week's time...assuming they can sell half of the tickets for the show themselves by the time the doors open the night of the show [Alex has anxiously done the math on that and it works out to about 1300 tickets if Caleb expects them to sell the place out (he immediately had to do his breathing exercises after having that realization)]

Luckily, the two optimists in the band have a plan - submit their best song (along with a little plug about their show) to "The Studio", get a rave review, profit (read: sell a thousand tickets in less than 14 days)

Unbeknownst to the current members of the band, there is a reason why Sunset Curve has never been featured on "The Studio" before, despite being submitted a handful of times by local listeners

Back in freshman year, Julie went on an ill-fated blind date set up by her well-meaning but ultimately misguided roommate, with her cousin, one Bobby Shaw (it wasn't that Bobby wasn't a nice guy, but he talked mostly about his music with his band and when they passed a street piano on the way to the theatre, she accidentally let slip that she used to play music and he was like a dog with a bone and when she refused to show him what she could do, he got a little too bold - she had stormed away soon after, walking the 12 blocks back to campus blinking back tears) - hence her distaste towards the band

Now, Luke is nothing if not determined, so here we insert a chapter or two of him weaselling his way into "accidental" run-ins with Julie (maybe he figures out a mutual connection? - Willie knows Flynn knows Julie) who doesn't realize immediately who he is, but they obviously vibe

Once Julie figures out the connection there is a smidgen of hurt feelings and explanations and apologies, but eventually she is persuaded to feature them on her next episode (and even goes so far as to have the band in the studio to plead their case)

Lo' and behold! They sell the allotted tickets and the show goes off without a hitch - Julie is in attendance, only slightly begrudgingly having been dragged along by Flynn and Willie

She is obviously immediately smitten (more than she already was) by Luke's stage presence and also the way he winks at her during the bridge to Now or Never (listen, she's only human okay??)

Their set wraps up and there are congratulations all around and an invitation for post-show pizza and there are more vibes and some not-so-subtle suggestions from both Flynn and Reggie about chemistry and oozing that Julie and Luke are both trying very hard to ignore while they enjoy their pizza

Luke volunteers to walk Julie home since she lives a couple blocks over (there is jeering and a few not-so-subtle nudges from Reggie, a very serious stare-down along with a threatening "text me as soon as you're home safe" from Flynn)

The walk home is relatively quiet, when they get to her door Luke confesses he hopes he didn't mess this whole thing up by trying to get the band on her show, he'd really like to see her again, etc.. Julie assures him that he didn't..and he can see her again. There is a cute Juke kiss and ta da! The End.

[vixensofsorrow]

Demolition Lovers - Ⅲ how can you say I go about things the wrong way?

DISCLAIMER: This fic is a long slowburn with multiple chapters, still being updated. also on AO3 my masterlist (all the chapters are linked there) PAIRING: young!Carol Denning/fem!reader OVERALL SUMMARY: An exploration of your and Carol's relationship through the years. CHAPTER SUMMARY: Things get out of hand at a house party. CHAPTER TAGS: party, angst, argument, jealousy, little bit of fluff, complicated feelings, developing relationship, underage drinking, CW: vomiting A/N: sorry for the delay but I lost my glasses and had to buy new ones </3 also with the easter break ill probably drop the next chapter sooner than this one

You banged on the door of Dana’s room. You wore a weird assortment of clothing you tried out in an attempt to come up with something to dress in for the party, and so far it was nothing good. “Dana!” You yelled out. “I know you’re in here!” You could hear some shuffling and chatter, and Dana finally stumbled to open the door, dressed even more unusually than you were: an oversized t-shirt, cheetah-print sweatpants with one leg rolled up to her calf, and a tank top around her neck. 

“What do you want?” She panted, leaning against the door, brushing sweat off her face. 

You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow at her. “You still got some vodka, wine, whatever lying around?” Your sister slowly closed the door, but you caught a glimpse of someone on her bed. Looks like Dana was consummating her not-so-yet marriage. 

“There.” She handed you a bottle of Malibu. “Now scram!” Dana slammed the door in front of your face before you even got the chance to thank her. 

As your pleased self was walking back to your room, you heard the doorbell ring. You scurried downstairs, hiding the liqueur behind your back, and opened the door with an excited smile.

“You’re aware that this...” She tilted her head and gesticulated towards the bottle that was apparently peeking out. “… It’s not doing anything.” Denning pointed out, slightly out of breath.

“Oh, bite me.” You put your arms in front and let Carol inside. You noticed her red nose, slightly blue-tinted hands, and sweaty face as she took off her bag, beanie, and jacket, stuffing the beanie inside one of the sleeves, ready to head to your room.

“Did you walk all the way over here?” You once again glanced at her hands, and she must’ve noticed because she put them inside the pockets of her jeans as you two walked up the stairs.

“Oh yeah. Barbie was playing dress up, folks at Debbie’s practice.” She scoffed. “It’s such bullshit! All she does is twirl ribbons and dance around. How hard can that be?” Carol ranted over the sound of giggling coming from your sister’s room.

“Who knows, maybe the risk of busting your kneecap is as high as in soccer, they just want to keep an eye on her or something.” You poked fun and managed to get a chuckle out of her, and you walked into your room. As you sat on the bed and set the bottle of Malibu down on the floor, Carol still stood in the doorway, taking in the changes that had happened to your bedroom. 

“Damn, this is a whole different room than what I remembered.” She slowly closed the door, sat on a chair, put her legs up on your desk, and dropped her coat and messenger bag on the floor. 

Suddenly, some childhood memories came back to you; the rug you played with dolls on, whom you’d always make kiss each other or cut the hair off of, the stacks of books that were taller than you, or the floral wallpaper covered in paint splatters of various colors. 

“Yeah… uh. Rooms and... and people change.” You furrowed your brows and sighed, picking at a scabbed pimple. Why the fuck did you say that? You swiftly walked over to your closet before you could see Carol’s reaction to your awkwardness, and you started browsing through the clothes again in hopes of finding something that could work. 

“I was just about to ask if you were going to go out in that.” Carol broke the silence and stared you up and down, flashing you a soft smile while she chipped away at blue nail polish.

“Oh, fuck off.” You scoffed playfully and rolled your eyes as you pulled out a maroon dress and turned to Denning, holding it up in front of you as if you were trying it on over your clothes. 

“So, what do you think?” You smoothed out the wrinkles and slightly adjusted the garment. She put her legs down and slightly leaned in on the chair, parting her lips. There was a familiar glimmer in her eyes, the same one she used to give you when she particularly liked something you drew. She muttered something, her face turning a vague shade of the color of your dress.

“I mean, shit.” She chuckled, her eyes darting off for a moment. “It, I mean, you look really good. Just lose the, uh, shit, you know…” Carol gesticulated around your legs and upper body, “…the, the rest.”

“You got it, boss.” You could feel your face warming up as well, laughing through it as you walked out of her sight to get dressed.

Sometimes, during certain late nights, especially the ones in the summertime, with your window open and the smell of cigarettes lingering and mosquitoes flying into the room, you'd lie on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought about how Carol looked like and acted, now that the two of you were all grown up.

Surprisingly, so far, she has somewhat met your idealized expectations. But what if it was once again one of those restless nights when she would hijack your mind, and you were just visualizing a day you’d want to experience with her?

In juxtaposition, during those nights, you never thought about the vulnerable side of Denning. Seeing her be all embarrassed and dropping the confident facade just for a moment made you feel slightly uneasy because, after giving it some thought, you were sure that after all this time, this was all actually real. The possibility of her abandoning you without a word again was actually real. This Carol was human, not some rosy fragment of your imagination.

You weren’t dreaming this up, nor was it some twisted trick your mind was playing on you. She was all real, breathing, and she was back here, in West Virginia, with you, in the same room you used to play in, sitting by your desk, looking at the posters on your wall.

Your brooding was interrupted by the bedroom suddenly being shaken by the loud bass of a rock song as you struggled with the zipper of your dress. Carol looked up from the boombox she was fiddling at, slightly turning the volume down.

“You need help with that?” 

“Oh, no, no, I’m good.” You reached behind your back again in an attempt to get a grasp of it, using all the flexibility you had in your arms. Denning raised her eyebrows and sucked in air through gritted teeth, still looking at you.

“Yeah, right. I don’t think you are.” She insisted, and you admitted defeat. Her firm hands swiftly brushed against your bare back. The sensation of her now warm palms sent a slight chill down your spine, right as she zipped up your dress and the cold metal hit your shoulders. 

“Thanks.” You turned to face her, twiddling at the clothing.

“No problem, I couldn’t stand looking at you twisting your arms like you were being exorcised or somethin’.” She joked and rubbed the back of her neck, cheeks faintly flushed. 

It was around quarter to nine PM by now, and the both of you were ready to go. Carol’s slightly too big, dark denim straight-leg jeans were tied with a brown leather belt around her hips, the blue flannel that reached her midriff complimented the black turtleneck. On her feet, she wore dirty combat boots, and of course, the large glasses that hid the eye makeup she spent the last 20 minutes on. 

“I’m gonna go ask Dana if she’s gonna give us a ride real quick.” You messily threw on layers of necklaces. Carol murmured an “Alright” while adding final tweaks to her hairstyle, and you scurried to your sister’s room.

Whatever noises came out of her bedroom an hour ago have calmed down. All you could make out now was Fleetwood Mac and Dana speaking with some guy. You knocked on her door once again, wondering what attire she was going to surprise you with this time. 

“Yeah?” Well, that was quicker than you expected. Dana was dressed plainly now, in flared jeans and a hoodie. That’s a shame. You slightly peeked into her room, trying to get a look at the man in her bedroom. You managed to catch a glance of a thin man with medium-length blonde hair, and you were sure that this was the infamous Jeff. You turned your attention back to Dana before she could realize what you were doing. 

“Can you give me and a friend a ride to this one party?” You bit your lip and made eye contact with her.

“Jesus fucking Christ, get your license alr-“

You interrupted her. “I’m not even 16 yet, dumbass.”

“Let me complain, jeez!” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll give you a ride, but I’m not doing this for you, you know. I have to drop Jeff off anyway, so. ”Dana shouted at her fiancée to get dressed. “Be downstairs in 10 minutes.” She shut the door, and you went back to your bedroom, told Carol to hurry up, stuffing the Malibu bottle in your bag.

The car ride was slightly awkward, to say the least. You could tell that Dana wasn’t in the best mood, and her fiancée kept on talking her ear off. She attempted to make small talk, mostly with Carol, which then also made her grumpy since she was asking many questions, mostly about Barb. The two of you exchanged exasperated looks, and you mouthed, “I'm sorry.” Carol shrugged, probably expecting to be bombarded with questions, especially the ones regarding her more liked sister. 

As time passed, Dana could tell that the younger Denning didn’t really want to engage in conversation anymore and let it go. Whenever the run-down car hit a speed bump, the radio would stop playing for a moment, leaving everyone in uncomfortable silence, only broken by Jeff bothering his soon-to-be wife.

After what seemed like ages, you finally arrived at Nicole’s place. The mid-century modern two-story house surrounded by the woods, along with a few cars of your classmates in the driveway, served as the only source of light in a wide radius. As the both of you walked towards the front door, you could already smell the sweat, alcohol, weed, and cheap perfume of teenage depravity. 

“Thank god your sister knows when to shut up, I swear if I had to hear another “Oh, and what about Barb?” I’d explode right here and there.” Carol spoke up amongst the loud gossip and even louder music, squeezing through the crowded hallway.

“Oh yeah, that’s one of her better traits. Not like she has many, though.” You snickered, making your way to the kitchen.

People were crashing into each other, which often almost led to drunk bickering. You looked over to the dimly lit living room, so crowded that even a short glance made you feel suffocated. It was even harder to imagine dancing in there, but a lot of your peers were doing so to Girls on Film. You liked that song, whoever picked it had good taste, although the main theme of the party was definitely the hyped-up shouting. The fireplace shelf overflowed with alcohol of a higher quality; next to the bottles was a clearly staged photo of Nicole’s family and a flower vase, all of which will most likely be gone, or at least shattered, by the time it’s morning. Couples stuck tongues down each other's throats, spilling drinks out of red plastic cups, too distracted with making out to notice, and if it was someone squeamish the booze landed on, a squeak of disgust was guaranteed. Now, it was just a game of time to see the first fistfight, sex, vomit accident, or gag on a keg.

Overall, the definition of chaos.

“Come on, we need to get wasted for this, L/N.” Carol suddenly yanked your hand, and when finally in the slightly more peaceful kitchen covered in colorful string lights, you leaned against the counter full of snacks, sodas, and booze and pulled out the liqueur, taking a few swigs. You handed the bottle to Denning, who winced as the warm alcohol burned her throat.

“So, would I be correct if I said you’re more of a weed person?” You laughed, taking back the Malibu and drinking some more.

“Shit, you got me.” She sat on the counter next to you, reaching for the bottle.

“Man, where the fuck is everybody?” You raised your head, observing the lively crowd in the hallway.

“In the living room, probably.” She handed you the liqueur again, turning to face you.

“No, like, I mean Veronica or Jennifer, or someone from the team.” Your eyes squinted.

“Whatever, fuck ‘em.” A drunken blush slowly appeared on her face. “You know, we can have fun without them.” She spoke up, just as a plate shattered on the kitchen floor. 

“Totaally.” You walked over to the stack of plastic cups, avoiding the fine china pieces on the floor, and poured the rest of your drink into two cups. “Here, let’s go.” You gave Denning the other one, threw the bottle in the trash, and with your tipsy confidence, left for the living room.

Everything felt more bearable now, and you couldn’t stop grinning. The smoke-filled living room turned a shade of gray. Some girl from your Biology class danced on the coffee table, surrounded by a group of people with all eyes on her. Someone yelled out, Turn that shit up! and got themselves a round of applause in approval. As you and Carol stumbled further into the room, bumping into people now and then between taking sips of the alcohol, a female voice screeched, “Watch where you’re going, cunt!”. Your friend sloppily yelled out “Fuck you, slut!” and threw up a middle finger, reaching her arm around your back, while you cackled to the point of your ribs hurting, getting away from the other girl without a bigger fight. 

The realization of what was playing hit you just now. “Carol, I fucking looove this song!”. You took the last sips from the cup and threw it on the floor somewhere, people already stomping on it. “That guy was right, TURN THAT SHIT UP!” You cheered, the alcohol warming up your body and buzzing your mind. Your singing voice blended in with the sounds of the party, and you held hands with Denning, jumping around and headbanging to the rhythm of the music. Some of the liqueur spilled out of Carol’s cup, and you took a swift break to let her finish the drink, immediately going back to the dancing. 

“I never, ever thought I’d be happy about...” She broke out into laughter, “Moving somewhere, moving back especially, especially back to this shithole!” She blurted, short of breath, over the loud noises.

“You don’t even knooow” You hiccuped. "Don’t even know how, how happy I am that you’re back!” Carol showed off her dimples in response, her droopy eyes briefly making eye contact with yours.

“All that sweet talk, it’s gonna make me-” Before she could finish, a teammate shouted out your name. The two of you stopped dancing and turned your attention to where it was coming from, and you could see Veronica running towards you, trying her best not to fall.

“Engie, I’ve been looking everywhere for your ass!” She handed you a drink.

“I, I’ve been here the whole time, daaancing, and having fun, and dancing.” You took it and slowly moved your body to the rhythm of a new song, glancing at Carol, whose expression turned sour.

“You’re lucky, Jennifer called a meeting or somethi-”

Denning interrupted her. “Engie? What’s, what’s the story behind that?” She looked at the both of you.

“Riiight, okay, so it’s this whole thing, it’s actually quite funny...” Vee took a sip of the alcoholic concoction. “It’s ‘cause Y/Ns position on our team is, uh…”

“Central midfielder.” You swept in, and Veronica nodded her head. Carol snatched your cup, gulped the whole thing down, and chipped at her nail polish, barely any of the blue left anymore.

“Ohhh, yup. And then, uh, central midfielders are called engines or something, I don’t remember why, but uh, well, it’s just this soccer thing, and it just stuck.” Someone gagged, and a girl backed away as she loudly complained, Seriously? On my shoes?!, the crowd next to the blonde humoring her.

“Good to know, Veronica.”

Vee widened her eyes, and her jaw dropped in shock. “Yo, holy shit, we got an, uhh, medium on our hands!” She looked around for others’ reactions, but you drowned her out as Carol leaned in closer. 

“Y/N, I need some fresh air.” She whispered.

“Alllright. Vee, we’ll see you around!” 

“You’re friends with a fucking medium, dude!” Veronica exclaimed, waving, as you and Denning sloppily walked out of the room.

Even though it was cold outside, many of your classmates took the party to the backyard with a set-up of a few cars and a bonfire. You could see Amber making out with her boyfriend on the grass and Gina smoking weed out of an apple. There were more people, but at this point, your vision blurred everything into an impressionist painting. You took deep breaths, attempting not to vomit with each one, and slowly sat down, holding onto Carol.

“Shiiiit, my world is spinning around and shit.” You lain down, staring into the sky and tree crowns.

“Same, me too, but it’s kinda sweet.” She sat down and lit up a cigarette.

“So, what cigarettes do you smoke, hmm?” You giggled.

“Here, maybe you can guess, hmm?” She leaned over, her hair hovering over your face. She put the cig in your mouth, and you took it into your fingers, taking a drag. Carol sat back down, awaiting your answer with a grin.

“Weeell, hm, I’m going to guess, Newports?” You turned to the side, looking at her.

“Nuh-uh. Sorry, Engie. Pall Mall’s, the menthol ones.” She shrugged, and you rolled your eyes, scoffing. After a short pause, the both of you burst into laughter, enjoying each other's company, accompanied by fire ambiance and gusts of wind. You could stay like this forever, just you, Carol, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter against the world. There was something special about this moment, but you couldn’t exactly place a finger on it. You stared at the backdoor and noticed more and more people coming, all of whom were chanting Zach! Zach! Zach! Denning took her cigarette and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, still facing you. With more people walking out, you could make out said Zach, covered in sweat with his shirt off, and his muscular buddy carrying a keg.

“Fuuucking hell, a kegger?” You sighed, and Carol turned her head back around.

“Dude, dude, ‘I’ve never seen one of these in real life, only heard about it from Barb or movies.”

“I kinda don’t like ‘em, kinda grosses me out.” The group had set up the keg and began hyping up Zach. LET’S FUUCKING DO THIIIS!, animalistic yelling broke out.

“Come on, let’s see this insanity. Maybe we gonna get lucky, come on. And maybe he’ll puke on his precious tight-ass jeans or somethin’.” Carol cracked up just at the possibility of it happening, and you couldn’t lie that you’d enjoy that too. 

She helped you get back on your feet, and you dashed towards them, trying hard to keep your balance. You squeezed to get in front of the circle that formed around the keg. Rachel and Veronica waved at you, and you waved back at them, Carol unable to control her guffawing.

Chris took Zachary by his legs and held him up, and the drinking game began. Zach! Zach! Zach! Zach! People cheered on, someone else kept count of how many times he chugged it down. After around 20 chugs, Zach pulled away from his friend and fell on the keg, everyone laughing at him. He collected himself quite quickly and stood up, pumping his fists in victory as his buddy patted him on the back to the sound of applause.

“So, WHOOO WANTS TO GOOO NEEEXT?!” He announced, pushing his friend around like an ape.

“Fuck it, I’ll do it!” Ronica exclaimed. Rachel said something to her, trying to hold her back, but she nudged her and walked over to the keg anyway. People around her were gasping or cheering her on, including you and Carol, too intoxicated to be aware of how bad of an idea it would be.

“Alright, Vasquez!” Zach smirked at his posse. “Let’s give our soccer star a biiiiig standing ovation. LETS FUCKING GOOO!” His hyping-up skills worked, and everyone started clapping.

“This one is for the mythical, uh, mythical medium with Engie over there! Uh, also, go Scorpions!?” Vee smiled and pointed at Carol, and the whole routine went down again; Zachary held her by the legs, people chanted, and someone counted her gulps. 

“Zach, enough!” She cried out, spitting out the alcohol. He put Ronica down, and she immediately fell on her knees next to the keg, her shirt, and chin covered in sticky malt ale. Your smile faded, and you picked at your face. Carol glanced at you and chuckled, but stopped the moment she had a longer look at you.

“How many?” He asked. 

“Uhh, like, 16?” The crowd started booing, and Zach made misogynistic remarks, acting like a clown to entertain his other douchebag friends.

As soon as Veronica started vomiting, you and Rachel ran towards her, meanwhile, everyone else realized that shit got serious, had their final laugh and left her alone. 

You stood behind Vee, holding her hair back, as Rachel went to the kitchen for water. No one was saying a word, with Carol awkwardly stuck in the middle of the whole situation with nowhere to go or no one to talk to. Your teammate brought the water and gave her sips while you comforted Veronica. The worry was so overwhelming that you didn’t realize that Denning left, only noticing after Rachel pointed it out. 

You were drunk, confused, cold, and stressed out.

“Shit, shit, shit. Rachel, uh, I’ll help you take her to the bathroom, but, uh, I need to look for my friend.” You got up, almost stumbling, and everything started spinning again. You swallowed hard, holding back the stress as best as you could, as a heavy pit feeling grew in your stomach.

“Sure, don’t worry. Let’s get her cleaned up.” Clearly, Rachel was sober, or just slightly tipsy, able to handle the situation maturely. The two of you carried her under your arms, your eyes lingering around in an attempt to find Carol; she wasn’t in the living room, dining room, hallway, or kitchen. You thanked Rachel once again for taking care of Vee, and you stumbled around the house. 

The intoxication reached its peak, the world around you fading to obscurity, your view narrowing to one point. Your heart sped up, to the point where you could feel your veins pumping blood into it. Everything moved so fast—way too fast, while your body was stuck in slow motion as you held onto walls, staggering. 

Every time you tried to ask someone if they had seen Carol, the bass thrummed into your eardrums, each time more and more overwhelming, leaving you without an answer. You walked into the living room once again, this time full of dread and fear. You bumped into people, mumbling apologies here and there, getting nasty looks from those who noticed. The ringing in your ears drowned out everything else, the thick smoke felt like being underwater for too long, and you weren’t sure if you would make it to the backyard at this point, but you pushed through. Some people might have asked you if you were fine, but it didn’t register at the time.

Finally, you slid the glass door, and just as you stepped outside, a chill went down your body, and you wretched on the ground, your legs wobbly. 

You felt slightly better now, but too weak to walk, and still all you could think about was Carol. What if you passed by her but just didn’t notice? You weren’t ready to go back inside, currently, it seemed like the worst idea. The music outside was loud enough. 

You sat down, further away from the vomit, and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. The cold air hitting your face gave a sense of relief, and you grabbed the weeds, pulling them out from stress. Soon, patches of grass formed around you, and your palms were filthy with dirt and pieces of grass stuck to them. You stood up, ready to continue looking for Carol. You ran towards the bonfire, falling now and then, hoping that somebody was still around. 

“Gina! Gina! Oh my god!” You panted, and she looked at you concernedly with bloodshot eyes.

“Heeey, what’s up?” You could feel people staring at your disheveled self, but it didn’t matter. You won’t even remember this tomorrow.

“Uh, have you, you seen a girl here? Or somewhere, well, she has these big glasses. Really big glasses, and, uh, a blue flannel, and maybe she also has a beanie on, oh, and she smells like ci-” Gina cut you off.

“Hey, chill.” She put her hand on your shoulder. “Yeah, I saw her somewhere around here, I think she went in that direction.” She pointed to a large tree.

“Oh god, thanks a lot!” You yelled and sprinted in the direction Gina gave you, trying your hardest not to barf or trip again. You could barely hear the music anymore as the figure sitting under a tree got clearer and clearer with each step you took. 

“Carol, hey Carol!” She didn’t say a word but raised her head. The moment you reached the tree, you immediately slid down next to her, your heart and head pounding, still sitting in silence.

You weren’t sure what was happening or why she wasn’t saying anything, but you felt slightly better knowing that you had found her. What if something bad happened and she was too stunned to say anything? Here it was again—the ringing in your ears and a pit in your stomach.

“Are you alright?” 

“Oooh yeah, I’m fucking dandy, fuckin’, feeling amazing.” Carol scoffed in an exaggerated, high-pitched tone. You drew your eyebrows together, eyes darting around.

“Did something happen? Something bad?” 

“Oh, right, right. Yeah, it kinda did. Like, you know, someone threw me to the curb. You know, and it’s funny, ‘cause it was the same person that, hmm, invited me here.” She paused, widening her eyes, smiling insincerely. “And it’s hilarious, ‘cause she knows that I don’t know nobody here.” She gesticulated aggressively, slurring her words, and lit up a cigarette. You were so out of it that it took you a while to realize that Carol was talking about you.

You jerked your head back, staring at her. “What’s your damage? I, you saw Vee, she needed help. And, and you could’ve helped too.”

“And you could’ve stayed with me, Y/N! What if something happened to me too?” She took short, aggressive drags, puffing the smoke in your face. “And, and, your other fuckin’ friend was there, you don’t need a fucking team to help a wasted girl.” 

“Oh, you know what? Fuck off! She’s my friend, not some wasted girl. And, and friends, friends take care of each other, and that’s what I did!” You spoke up, standing up too fast, leaning against the tree. “Well, also, now, now you fucking know how it feels to be abandoned, or, or neglected, ignored, whatever the fuck without a word!” You kicked at the tree and groaned, storming away. Carol stood up as well and followed after you, not letting the argument go.

“Oh, what the fuck do you mean now?” She caught up to you, her warm alcohol breath close to your ear.

“You know what I fucking mean!” You stopped walking and turned to face her, yanking the cigarette out of her hand. 

“Oh, no. Please, please enlighten me, Engie.” Carol crossed her arms and flared her nostrils.

“You know, Care, you basically decided to drop out of my life without saying a word when we were kids. I called you, I called you, I called you, I called you and you never fucking answered!” You pointed the cigarette at her, your voice strained and breaking from all the yelling. The wind messed up your hair, and you took a drag from the cig. 

“Oh, come the fuck on. It wasn’t that serious.” She snickered, shaking her head. “My mom just changed the phone number one day and didn’t tell me about it, that’s it. It’s not that fucking serious!” She snatched the cigarette away from you and put it out on the ground.

“That’s, that’s one bullshit of an excuse, color me impressed! You knew my phone number, you knew my sister’s phone number, the house phone number—I even fucking wrote them down in your journal! I know when you’re fucking lying, and you’re fucking lying!” You shouted at her so loudly that you could feel your neck tendons poking out. The immense anger made you sick to your stomach, and your eyes started watering, even though you tried your hardest not to cry. You had a feeling that all of this, it wasn’t a good idea, but you were too drunk to make good decisions.

Carol’s eyebrows were twitching, and she made direct eye contact with you, stepping closer. “You know what? Yeah, okay, I am fucking lying.” Her breathing grew faster. “I stopped calling ‘cause, because, it was fucking pointless anyway, but you, you wouldn’t fucking get it.” Her voice trembled as tears started forming. “All you reminded me of was my childhood, when, when Barb and I still got along before she became a bitchy attention whore! Before that fucking brat, before Debbie swept in and took over the family!” Carol took off her glasses and brushed away the tears with shaky hands. You tried to say something, but she continued. “You, you only care about what you experienced, but what about me? WHAT ABOUT ME?! Do you have ANY idea how lonely it was? Every time, every time without fail, whenever I’d make a new friend, it all went to shit in the end anyway, because Debbie would come in fucking it all up because we had to move again for her stupid fucking competitions!” You didn’t know what to say. Carol hid her face in her palms, letting out a creaky scream that turned into wailing. “Meanwhile, meanwhile, you were here, with your friends, going to summer camp... While I was probably just... You probably forgot about me.” Her jaw was shaking, and she kept on staring at the ground, tears falling, exhausted from the emotional outburst. 

“Carol, no, no. Wait, how could I ever forget you? I’m, I’m serious. You were my best friend, Carol. I always, always kept you in the back of my mind!” You chewed on your lip and picked away at a scab, turning your head away, crying quietly. “I thought about you, like, I thought about you a lot. I missed you so much, I promise, I’m not lying. I missed you.” You faced her again and she looked up at you with puffy, bloodshot eyes, chapped and quivering lips, before walking away without a word. 

You wanted to tell her that she should wait up or just shout her name, but you just stood there, like a coward, unable to move, staring off into the distance with tears smearing mascara all over your face.

Did you really fuck everything up so suddenly? Just god knows how many hours ago you danced with her, lied down on the grass, grinning from ear to ear, and now, possibly, your last interaction with her was a stupid drunken argument that fell out of proportion. You’ll have no one to blame but yourself if she won’t want to talk to you ever again.