#otp: heart eyes howell

[itsmemothmom]

Dan: Can you just have heart-eyes the entire game?

Me:...i don’t know dan...

I just...

don’t....

know...

[the-aesthetic-eccentric-blog]

[autumnawoke]

Youtube knows what’s up

[dippiptit]

[txegukie-blog]

too much heart eyes

[coolimogene]

[myphanposts]

lookie lookie

[another-snape-story]

In the Darkness

Chapter XXII

Downhearted, engulfed with hatred for himself, Snape was sitting in the dark of his quarters, fingers tracing the curves of a fancy vial he twirled in his hands. A bottle of firewhiskey prepared to be uncorked long ago, seemed now to be forgotten.

Blueish moonlight seeping through frozen waters of the lake illuminated a part of the room reaching the wall where extinct fireplace breathed cold and chilliness adding an unpleasant feeling of despondency to the surrounding. His black frock rock thrown carelessly over the armrest of the sofa, Snape hoped physical discomfort would at least partially replace excruciating pain within his soul. No matter how hard he knocked at your door, how desolately he pleaded to open it, you didn’t answer. Snape was sure you had no desire to see him. If only he knew you were looking for him in the meantime.

You’ve never been to his private chambers – even approaching that part of the corridor made you feel uncomfortable, as if you were violating his privacy. But you just couldn’t leave it like this! You had to talk to him…

Realizing the misery of your predicament, drained of every feeling or emotion – you’ve cried too much to be capable of any – resigned with the worst outcome, you dragged along the passageway to try your luck at the last steppingstone which would predetermine your further relationship with the man.

Snape’s heart sank as he saw you at his threshold. Eyes locked on his, you stood motionless not daring to enter. Words stuck in your throat; you seemed to forget how to breathe.

Snape stepped aside.

Uncertainly, you trudged past him.

“Where have you been?” you asked quietly, “I’ve been searching for you everywhere…”

Your question baffled him – Snape would imagine it otherwise. The only thing he wanted was to fall on his knees before you and beg for forgiveness.  

“Dropped in ‘Hog’s Head’ for a drink,” he answered down in the mouth.

“I returned after you a few minutes later…” disappointed, you reverted your glance. Snape couldn’t expect that. If he found it probable you would return, he would surely stay there for as long as it’d take, even if he had to wait an eternity!

“Forgive me, Sev?” you turned to him all of a sudden, your eyes emitting the anguish of a mental agony. “Forgive me being an ungrateful bitch…”

Pain and despair now visible on his face, Snape dashed towards you. “No! That’s me who should apologize. You’ve been through hell, and I…”

“And you never left my side,” you smiled weakly, a tear rolling down your cheek.

“I hurt you. I didn’t mean that,” he whispered taking you into his hold. “It was a mistake. I am a mistake. My life is a mistake…”

“Don’t say that!” you pulled away to look him in the eyes. “You’re the most wonderful human being I’ve ever known! Don’t say you’re a mistake…” your voice cracked. “If it is me who made you think so…” you cried, too distressed to hold back, “…I will hate myself for the rest of my life…”

A storm of emotions raging in his soul, Snape rose shaky hands to your face. Lacking on confidence, he was afraid to touch you considering this gesture too intimate to be permissible, yet desire was stronger than reason.

Your skin so soft against his fingers, he gently wiped your tears putting so much delicacy into it, as if you were the most fragile thing in the world to fall apart at a slightest contact. Although physically you remained solid in shape, on the inside you appeared a real mess. Clutching at him, you sobbed still cursing yourself for your outburst at the station, yet immensely happy to be in his arms, relieved he didn’t reject you. “I’m so sorry, Severus… I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be,” his voice as gentle as his touch, he caressed your face losing himself in the depth of your eyes. Yet he was so close that a tiny bend of his head was enough for your lips to come together. Looking at him, you felt all the tension disappear straight away – for a split second you fully relaxed once you realized what was going to happen.

The world spun around as his lips touched yours, hesitant and insecure at first, but growing more resolute inasmuch as he sensed you were kissing him back; on the spur of the moment, you could no longer feel the ground under your feet – you could no longer feel anything but a euphoric feeling expanding your chest.

Dissolving in his embrace, you kissed him selflessly, with all love and tenderness you’ve been harboring for this man since your nature trusted him long before your mind could too. Snape held you tight melting into the warmth of your side, unwilling to ever let go, since it might be his only chance to relish your affection he craved so bad.

“We can’t,” he breathed out as your lips parted.

Your mind still floating in the air, it took you a second to comprehend his words. “What? Why?” Delighted glint of your eyes faded all at once.

“I’m not a good party for you,” the words seemed to hurt him more than yourself.

“Let me decide!” you couldn’t believe he was backing down – now – when he made you happier than ever once in your life.

“Just look at me!” he spoke out of heart. “I’m not worthy... You deserve better. The best! And I... What can I give you?”

“Sev…”

“Although you are the one and only thing that matters to me and brings sense to my life... although I’m going to protect you at all costs… I just can’t drag you into all this shit I’m involved in without breaking your heart with the terrible things I did and certainly will do. You wouldn’t bear it if I tell you, neither would you tolerate silence or lies, which I want to tell you the least! I want to be honest with you, but truth might kill all the good feelings you have for me and... You shouldn’t have grown with any kind of empathy for me... I can’t understand how it happened, why you...”

“You’re right,” you didn’t let him finish, cupping his face and gently stroking his jaws. “I don’t know what you’ve done, but I know what you’re doing here and now! And I don’t see a bad guy behind these eyes,” your thumbs softly traced a line along his eyebrows, while you reached out for his lips giving off your soul through the kiss. Your tenderness disarmed him – too weak to abstain from pleasure of your soothing touch he couldn’t help conceding into your will. “If you think some unpleasant fact from your past, which I believe you have a plenty, would scare me away,” you pressed your forehead against his, “you’re damn wrong!”

“You have no idea who I actually am!”

“You’re the man I love,” you whispered, “and that’s just enough for me. Even if you are the Dark Lord himself.”

“I served him,” he confessed louringly knowing he might lose you forever, but his words didn’t seem to frighten you.

“Yes, that’s what I thought,” you smiled lovingly, looking him in the eyes and stroking his hair.

“But how did you…” Snape’s brows twitched in utter disbelief.

“That night, when you told me you did really bad things, remember?”

Of course, he remembered.

“You can talk to me anytime once you’re ready. I want you to know I’ll always be here for you – to listen or to share silence... I won’t leave you, whatever you say...” you wrapped your arms around his neck clinging to him with your whole essence. “Don’t push me away... Severus, please... Together we can handle everything…”

His hands landed on your sides and made their way along your back to squeeze you tightly and never let go. You felt his breathing on your skin as he let out a peaceful sigh, once his head found place on your shoulder. 

“Could you possibly light the fireplace?” a playful voice resounded in semidarkness of a cold and poorly lit room.

“I believe I could,” answered the deep one.

“And some candles would be nice.”

<<< Previous Chapter • Next Chapter >>>

Tag: @diaryofafan17 @yul-is-sparkling @fullmoonshadowwrites @forthehonourof @amywright @redrehab @space-helen @fluffymadamina nadiigh @theworldisugly-22 @lukaerith-morningstar @sighsinkhuzdul @67-chevy-baby @rustypotatospork @aquila-leo @dandyrua @majusketch @sevyythebeanqueen @writingmi @s00nhi @pinkininja @shizuethedragon @chocolattefrog awkwardaxelotl @bionic-otp @samnblack @sailorstupidsblog @purpledragonturtles @xwaterproofx @lokistann @psycho-howell @planetmystery @lovelyravenkite @taschaschwarz @grimrapper11 @xpissbabyx @lullabylike green-forest-dreams brujaporfavor @severuslovebot moonflower81 @yourbadnightmare @cyber-cry-baby @fandomfrickomg @azzle417 @primavera-allegoria @scarletflavour garsiri04

[carewyncromwell]

hella delayed reaction but skdfjasdlkfa BOYFRIENDS JACOB AND ASHE PIRATE AND SIREN COMBO ARE MY NEW OTP I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

*sniggers like an idiot* This message made me draw some stuff, so if y’all didn’t want a diversion from the next part of the POTC AU...too bad! You’re getting some AU!Duncan/Jacob, so deal with it.

Okay, so first things first -- Duncan (later Duncan Ashe) and Jacob Cromwell Roberts (later Black Jack Roberts) first collided after Jacob was “impressed into service” (A.K.A. kidnapped off the merchant ship he was on and forced to be his captors’ navigator or die) by pirate Howell Davis. While trapped on board on the Rover for the next two years, Jacob would (like in the old days trapped on the Revenge with his sister Carewyn) sing to pass the time. Most of the pirates didn’t mind too much as Jacob, like Carewyn, has a great singing voice, and honestly, there isn’t much to do to entertain oneself on a pirate ship.

As luck would have it, one day, Jacob’s singing caught the attention of a merman swimming by the Rover, who was startled by the sound of the voice and stopped momentarily to suss out whether it was another merman or not. He pretty quickly deduced that no, it was just a human male with an unusually attractive singing voice. Duncan probably would’ve tried to take this opportunity to lure the human male into the water and eat him, but considering he was alone and the ship was stuffed to the brim with nasty-looking pirates, Duncan decided it probably wouldn’t be prudent to do so. So instead he shadowed the ship for a while, thinking to follow it back into waters where more merfolk swam and, once there, attack the ship properly with reinforcements.

While following the ship, however, it seemed like every time Duncan came up to the surface, that one human male was always singing, and it was always in such a pained, aching sort of voice. This of course didn’t trouble Duncan exactly -- it was good to know that this human wanted something so much and that Duncan would therefore be able to figure out what he wanted and use it to lure him into his waiting jaws easily -- but as he followed the ship and listened to this young man’s voice in comparison to the others’ on board, he suddenly got the weird feeling that this human was...different, somehow. And so he situated himself on the ship’s anchor and listened a bit more carefully.

Merfolk have a pretty good ability to read the hearts and attitudes of humans just by being close to them, and although Duncan couldn’t get close enough to completely suss out what this human wanted, he got the feeling that his emotions were strong -- not just the sorrow and pain, but the resilience and determination, as well. The human was also very amusing, frequently running circles intellectually around the other men on the pirate ship and making Duncan bite back laughter. At one point Duncan even overheard an argument between the human and the pirates on-board where he demanded to be set free and mentioned his sister, insisting that she needed him and saying he would do anything if they’d just let him return to her. Considering that merfolk in general are not family-oriented (with a few lone exceptions), the level of passion in which this human spoke of his sister startled Duncan. He was more than used to people lusting after gold or flesh, but he’d never heard anyone speak so selflessly before -- being willing to lay down his own life not for himself, but for someone else. It was a stupid thing to say, Duncan thought, considering these pirates clearly had no reason to listen to him and him emotionally lashing out wouldn’t likely help anything...and yet, all the same, Duncan found himself drawn all the more. And so when the ship entered merfolk-inhabited waters...Duncan did not strike. Instead he left and found a meal elsewhere, but never forgot the ship called the Rover and the young man with the wonderful voice.

Over the next year, Duncan kept his eye open for the Rover. It zipped back and forth across the sea often enough, so it didn’t take long for him to figure out their route. There were several points he considered speaking to the human, or maybe even singing himself so he could hear him, but he always reminded himself that he didn’t know what good it would do. Sailors still by and large fear and distrust merfolk (though they often presume they’re all mermaids, not men), and Duncan had no way to help this human escape his circumstances whether he wanted to or not. He no longer wanted to lure him off the pirate ship with promises that weren’t true.

Once, while Duncan was following the Rover, the ship got locked in a huge sea battle, forcing the merman to dive deep below the waves to escape the cannon fire. When he emerged, he was shocked to find that his human had actually been made Captain -- “Captain Jack Roberts,” they called him. Duncan finally had a name -- and when he followed the ship all the way to its destination of Port Royal, he thought it would be the last time he would ever see him again. Duncan fought with himself about whether or not to approach “Jack,” but in the end, he lost his nerve. His heart broke when he saw his human leave the ship at a run, as if he never wanted to look back.

You can imagine how shocked and delighted Duncan was, therefore, when his “Jack” returned to the ship. The delight was short-lived, however, when Duncan learned the reason “Jack” had returned was because his precious sister was gone and no one knew where she’d disappeared to, so he was determined to search the seven seas until he found her again. Duncan could sense immediately that there were tensions aboard his ship in response to this, but “Jack” didn’t seem to -- he was too focused on finding his sister to give much care to anyone else’s thoughts on the matter. Duncan cursed the stupidity of this wonderful, bizarre human.

As Charles Cromwell later told Carewyn, Howell Davis’s old First Mate Patricia Rakepick decided to spark a mutiny on board the Rover and claim its captainship for herself. Rather than maroon Jack as per the Pirate Code, she determined (correctly, may I point out) that if he were left alive, he’d be more than smart enough to find a way off the island and be a thorn in her side later -- and so in a particularly brutal move, Rakepick shot him in the back with her pistol and pushed him overboard into the raging waves. In alarm Duncan, who had still been following the Rover, dived to retrieve Jack, covering the young man’s mouth with his own in a deep kiss to give him the ability to breathe underwater long enough that he wouldn’t drown while Duncan swam him away from the Rover.

Duncan eventually found a small island where he could pull Jack ashore. Knowing Jack was in bad shape and yet he had no way to help him on his own, Duncan made the risky and brave decision to leave the water, taking on human legs and stumbling into the closest town butt-friggin’-naked begging for help. The townspeople quickly gave him some clothes and Duncan then led them back to the beach where he’d left Jack, who dipped in and out of consciousness as Duncan lifted him into his arms and carried him to the closest doctor. Once his human was tended to, the two finally met face-to-face for the first time and exchanged names -- the human introduced himself as Jacob Roberts, or Jack, while Duncan introduced himself as Duncan Ashe, taking his last name from the contents of the ashtray in the parlor of the doctor’s home.

It wasn’t long after that Jacob made his deal with Davy Jones to steal the Rover back from Patricia Rakepick and the East India Trading Company, which officially branded him a pirate and set him on his quest to both find Carewyn and locate Charles or Blaise Cromwell so as to satisfy his debt with Jones. Duncan was and is the only member of Jacob’s crew who knows both about his deal with Jones and his backstory, and over the years, Jacob told Duncan all about his sister, Carewyn, and what a saint she supposedly was. Jacob constantly insisted that Duncan would love Carewyn when they finally met, which Duncan couldn’t help but doubt, considering that he found Jacob to be a rare exception among humans -- as it turned out, when they finally did, Duncan was amazed to find Jacob was right.

To this point, Jacob still hasn’t put two-and-two together about what Duncan really is, and Duncan hasn’t felt much desire to tell him, even though there are points he wishes Jacob could know that he really did save his life, and not just by pulling him out of the water. Nevertheless, Jacob did eventually figure out how much his First Mate really meant to him in the midst of the seven years they sailed together (yeah -- this guy is a brilliant scholar and captain, but when it comes to people, he really is an absolute idiot), and once he did, he was pretty forceful in making sure Duncan knew it too. By then, Duncan was more than willing to reciprocate, given how long he’d kept his feelings to himself -- so now Black Jack Roberts’s relationship with his First Mate Ashe is more than common knowledge among the crew. Anyone who would even think about underestimating either man because of this, however, is pretty quickly disillusioned when Duncan tosses them overboard or Jacob decides to dangle them by the back of their shirts off the bowsprint for a day or two.

[its-a-booknerd-thing]

Heart eyes Howell and Love eyes Lester

[drawingtheseaonacuttlefish]

Friendly reminder that Edward 2nd of England probably had a male lover. Seriously, they're like a medieval Phan. Historians throughout the ages have argued over whether or not they were lovers, but I think, in reality, that many of the medieval accounts denying their Homosexuality were probably false or misguided. Oh, the parallels! @danisnotonfire

[the-fandoms-home-blog]

OKAY SO.....

I understand..... Dan’s a bottom, so, naturally, he would stare more often.

BUT HOW ARE WE NOT TALKING ABOUT LOVE-EYES LESTER OVER HERE

AHHHHH

[phan-tasmic]

Heart Eyes and Love Eyes

[thewritingstar]

I would ask you 1-100 but that's a huge request and doubt you'll do it, UNLESS🤔🙃

UNLESS....

1. Name- Deanna or as everyone knows me, Star

2. Nationality- American

3. Age- 19

4. Birthday- April 5th

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign)- Aries

6. Gender- Female 

7. Sexuality- Bi/Pan (im fine with either)

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)- Dark brown hair, greenish eyes and body of a 12 year old boy

9. What do you/did you study?- Animation

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have?- I work in an ice cream shop just as a job but i wanna be an animator or writer for shows

-

11. Your birth order- Youngest of 2

12. How many siblings do you have?- One

13. Do you have good relations with your family?- for the most part

14. How many friends do you have?- I would say I have about 8 close friends and then just a ton of other friends

15. Your relationship status- single but accepting applications 

16. What do you look for in a SO?- usually a pulse and good hair 

17. Do you have a crush?- kinda but also no

18. When did you have your first kiss?- haven't yet :(

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?- prob meaningful

20. What are your deal breakers?- smoking and drugs and how they treat others

-

21. How was your day?- well i just woke up so i guess good. 

22. Favourite food & drink- Raspberry iced tea/Vanilla Lattes and Chowmein or burgers

23. What position do you sleep in?- either on my side or stomach. Im usually curled up in a ball so prime cuddle position...just saying 

24. What was your last dream about?- I think it was about cake..

25. Your fears- bugs and the overwhelming thought of me being a failure

26. Your dreams- being someone where others can be inspired by 

27. Your goals- to live a life with no regrets (i know typical right?) but also have a successful career. 

28. Any pets?- 2 doggos 

29. What are your hobbies?- drawing, painting, writing, video games, reading 

30. Any cool places in your area?- kinda but you gotta drive to them so not really 

31. What was your last awkward situation?- me stuttering over my words at work

32. What is your last regret?- idk 

33. Language/s you can speak- English and barely any French 

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.)- hell yeah

35. Have any quirks?- i can make a guinea pig noise and can stand on my head for a while. 

36. Your pet peeves- having my neck being touched and mouth breathing

37. Ideal vacation- Any disney park

38. Any scars?- only mentally 

39. What does your last text message say? “Shes being a big girl and taking 5 classes.” 

40. Last 5 things from your search history- im to lazy to check but prob youtube or fics

41. What’s your [device] background?- Phone background is a painting from a museum and my computer is a bunch of Nintendo items

42. What do you daydream about?- being a voice actor or a pirate 

43. Describe your dream home- one that looks like a castle

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion- I was raised Catholic but i really dont practice it anymore. I think it its a beautiful thing and alot of good comes from it, however i dont like it when it is used to harm others or defend evil people

45. Your personality type- So i took a test based on the 16 different ones and I am an Advocate type which apparetnly is very rare and less than one percent of the pop are it. https://www.16personalities.com/ heres the link if you wanna take it!

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done- I used to suck on batteries as a child

47. Are you happy with your current life?- for the most part 

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life- Snorkeling in Hawaii (which i almost died), Crystal Cave tour and donuts which i hate

-

49. What does your wardrobe consist of?- hoodies and graphic tees 

50. Favourite colour to wear?- black

51. How would you describe your style?- comfortable and sometimes i look good 

52. Are you happy with your current looks?- ye

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?- I want blue hair one day 

54. Any tattoos or piercings?- have my ears and now my nose pierced but i do want tattoos in the future

55. Do you get complimented often?- usually for my hair and i find it happens often 

56. Favourite aesthetic?- Gothic and pastel 

57. A popular trend that you dislike- crop tops 

-

58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with?- “Good Night Moon” by Go Radio

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like.- My Little Pony and Sofia the First songs slap

60. Favourite genre?- pop punk or pop 

61. Favourite artist/band/genre? -Panic!, Taylor Swift

62. Hated popular songs/artists?- I wouldn’t say hate but im not really a fan of Billie Ellish, maybe i need to sit down and really listen but its just not my jam. I think shes a cool person and i love watching her on tv and what she stands for. By i hate Drake and Chris Brown for sure. 

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5- Head above Water, Happy when im sad, Love bug, Casual affair, I believe. So Avril Lavigne, Jonas Brothers and Panic!

64. Can you sing or play any instruments?- Im not the worst singer but im also not fantastic and i can’t play

65. Do you like karaoke?- sometimes

66. Own any albums?- like cds then yes

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations?- not anymore

-

68. Favourite movie/series?- Any disney or pixar 

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc- YA like adventure books 

70. Your fictional crush/es- oh here we go. Juvia and Gray (Fairytail), Catwoman, Danny Phantom, Captain Hook and Regina Mills and Henry (Ouat), Steve (stranger things), Riddler (gotham) and Molly Hooper (Sherlock) and prob more. 

71. Which fictional character is you?- prob a mixture of Momo and Deku from My Hero and Honey from Ouran 

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so. Am I a shipper? ha. aight Gruvia, Nalu, Gajevy, Jerza, Kiribaku, Kacchacko, Todomomo, tododeku, LadyNoir and the love square, Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, The powerpuff girls and the rowdyruff boys (respected partners) and like five thousand others

73. Favourite greek god?- Hades and Persephone 

74. A legend from where you live that you like- literally nothing from where i live

75. Do you like art? What’s your favourite work or artist?- love art and i cant just pick one

76. Can you share your other social media?- i mean you can follow me on twitter at StarsnShortcake but all thats there is my shitty tweets and interactions with my friends and Voice actors lol

77. Favourite youtubers?- Mikes Mic, Macdoesit, Twamiz, Larri, Dan Howell, Amazing Phil, Jenna Marbles, Shane Dawson, Steph Inc, Garret Watts, and like a ton more

78. Favourite platform?- Tumblr or twitter

79. How much time do you spend on the internet?- too much

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite?- I love anything Nintendo

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts)- Kingdom Keepers, Suicide Notes and the Selection Series to name a few

82. Do you play board/card games?- Yes

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema?- nope

84. Favourite holiday- thanksgiving for the food

85. Are you into dramas?- ye

-

86. Would you use death note, if you had one?- haha ye

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?- no racism, sexism, homophobia and legal marriage everywhere. Also that no one goes hungry and everyone has a nice place to live.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?- probably 

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be?- a hot demon

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death?- I turn into a goddess

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?- ooo Celeste is a cool name 

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week?- hmmm Tara Strong 

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo- either the stars or the black heart or the fireworks

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true- Ive never eaten a chicken nugget, I can do the splits and I have cat

-

95. Cold or hot?- hot

96. Be a hero or be a villain?- oooooo um im a sucker for villains

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?- Rhyme

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time?- Shape shifting, i could be a plant

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?- bold of you to assume i would wanna live forever

100. ….. or …..?- :0

--

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ANON CAUSE IT TOOK FOREVER. 

[jungleboy-cruise]

Get someone that looks at you like Dan and Phil look at each other

[spellcastersjudgement]

hmmm 22 with hornets?

this was the baby froot’s second favorite ship growing up (fusionship was the otp at the time) so i am always am happy to contribute hornetshipping to the fandom 

#22: a kiss in a rush of adrenaline 

“Crowler is such an ass for doing this.” 

Bastion, though not given to speaking ill of professors, was inclined to agree. “Being promoted to Chancellor has certainly inflated his ego beyond repair,” 

Alexis leaned her elbows on the seat in front of her, the freshman occupant nervously looking over their shoulder and scooting forward in the chair. The arena buzzed with anticipation, everyone speculating on who would be dueling in the first official match of the year. Bastion remembered being in Jaden’s dorm room, listening to him talk about the party in their room tonight, the ‘squad’ as Jaden was so fond of calling it, planning to squeeze into their broom closet of a room and drink until the sun came up. Chazz had busted down the door, looking even more irate than usual, screaming about being roped into a duel with some snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears freshmen that were clearly beneath The Chazz. 

Bastion thought it was all rather adorable. When the black-haired boy was angry–more than his constant simmer of anger, because if it was the default state was it really worth mentioning?–he blushed the lightest shade of pink and spit out swear words that weren’t words per se, but left no one in any doubt of the sentiment behind them. When Bastion had dueled Chazz freshman year, had been on the receiving end of one of those rages, it was impossible to take him seriously. 

He was just too cute. 

“If Zane were here still Crowler would’ve pulled his ass into publicity stunts instead of actually teaching him,” Alexis laughed, rolling her eyes, picking at her nails. “We’re the top dueling school in the world, why do we need all of this publicity?” 

“Perhaps the fact our academic programs are gaining more attention than our dueling program,” 

“Well fuck, that’s good isn’t it, B?” Alexis snorted. “I’m tired of friends from high school getting up my ass about going to Card Game College,” 

“I don’t disagree. Remember who’s in charge here though,” Bastion watched as the seats filled. It was obvious who was a freshman because they sorted themselves into clumps of color, unaware that the dorm hierarchy was little more than a formality to most people. “Chazz will certainly provide a good show, no doubt. That’s why Crowler must have picked him,”

Though Chazz Princeton claimed to be no-nonsense, his theatrics when it came to, well everything in his life, belied him. The yelling, the trash-talking, the self-given nicknames, the chant–all perfect for the new chancellor’s half-baked plan to bring press to Duel Academy, not to mention his family name always raised eyebrows and turned heads. And Chazz, for all of his ranting that this was “totally lame,” had parked himself in front of the toothpaste-spattered mirror, stole Jaden’s hairbrush, and after painstakingly ridding it of what he called “Slacker DNA,” preened in front of the mirror, making sure every strand of his hair in place. 

“Stupid, stupid Crowler,” he’d muttered, picking at a pimple on his cheek despite Bastion’s insistence he should leave it alone. “He doesn’t–he doesn’t even know what fucking cameras to use, which side is my good side! I bet he didn’t even get a real opponent,” 

Bastion, though he barely was able to reign in the impulse, did not take the opportunity to tell Chazz he looked exquisite from any side. 

Pining was a strange feeling, Bastion reflected as Chazz sprayed himself with air freshener. Or rather, he held his arms out and instructed Jaden to spray him, turning in place, smelling more like alcohol than Pumpkin Spice but better than anything else in the dorm. His black coat swished as he turned, and Bastion enjoyed the way his eyes fell closed, the way he stood up onto his tiptoes to twirl, akin to a sarcastic dueling Disney princess, not that Chazz would appreciate the comparison. Bastion had felt bad as soon as the thought crossed his mind, but he chalked it up to the fact the brain chemicals that caused one to feel ‘love’ were messing with him. 

Those same chemicals were causing his heart to beat faster and excitement to bubble up as Chazz, or The Chazz as he so preferred, strutted into the duel arena, chin held high and his typical scowl on his face. On the other side of Alexis, he could hear Jaden leading the cheer of “Chazz it up,” finding himself soon cheering as well. The group of freshmen in the row in front of them looked over their shoulders, sharing confused glances with each other at how the majority of the student body seemed to know the chant. 

“Look at that,” Alexis stopped chanting to lean over to Bastion and point at the person walking in to the other side of the duel arena. “He’s so small–is he really old enough to be at college?” 

“Syrus is only five foot two, it’s not unheard of,” 

“Syrus also gets handed the kids menu when we go out,” Alexis said. “And at least Syrus got the proper uniform size. That kid’s drowning in his damn trenchcoat,” 

Bastion only ever seen three people wear Obelisk blue trenchcoats in his time at the academy, and one of them had swapped theirs out for a ratty black one that had gotten him in trouble several times before the professors realized he could give a flying fuck about the dress code. Zane and Atticus, the top students at the school before their graduation this past spring, had made trenchcoats synonymous with high level dueling ability, which was ridiculous because they had never set out to do that. Bastion could attest, as the number-one ranked student (academically, that is, Jaden was the best for dueling of course), that a trenchcoat would not have helped him. And it certainly wasn’t doing any favors for this runt of an opponent, who was surreptitiously looking down at his feet, making sure he didn’t step on the hem. 

“Chazz it the fuck up!” Jaden jumped up, waving around a Duel Academy water bottle that most certainly did not contain water. 

The Chazz saw his roommate–actually, plural now because Syrus was leaning heavily against Jaden’s side, taking a sip from the same water bottle and slurring the words of the cheer–sticking up his middle finger with a glare so intense Bastion would’ve shrunk under it. Jaden laughed, of course, and Syrus shouted obscenities that Bastion never thought he would hear out of his mild-mannered friend. 

“Sit down, you slackers,” 

The phrase was so distinctly Chazz that Bastion was surprised the vice chancellor was now speaking, his voice booming through the microphone, contrasting his small size. He was also wearing a trenchcoat. Bastion would have to write some formula detailing the height of a person (or lack thereof) and how likely they were to wear such a ridiculous thing. 

Chazz would be excluded from this formula, of course, because Bastion was almost as fond of his coat as he was of Chazz. He couldn’t have his feelings taint his findings.  

“The trash-talking is limited to the participants. If certain members of the audience can’t keep their mouths shut for the duration of the duel, I will personally see they are punished,” Bonaparte continued, nearly tripping over the cord of the microphone. 

Jaden and Syrus sat down, but that didn’t stop Syrus from much more quietly saying choice words. 

Whatever was in that bottle, Bastion might need to ask for some. 

“Welcome to our first official match of the school year: Chazz Princeton versus incoming freshman Reginald Van Howell–the only freshman to make it in to Obelisk blue this year and the pride of his dueling prep school!” 

“That just means he’s a carbon copy of Chazz at the beginning of last year,” Alexis rolled her eyes and crossed her legs, leaning back in her seat like she was already bored. “Chazz is gonna wipe the floor with this little shit,” 

“He better,” Jaden popped in. “if he loses I owe the guy down the hall a hundred bucks,” 

“You don’t have a hundred dollars to your name, Jay,” Alexis said. 

“All the more reason for Chazzy-Spazzy to win,” Jaden said, tipping more of god-knows-what type of alcoholic beverage down his throat. “That’s gonna be our beer money for tonight,” 

This time last year before he knew how incorrigible Jaden Yuki was, Bastion would have admonished him for betting money he didn’t have. He didn’t waste his breath this time. “If Chazz wins, be sure to buy the higher-quality liquor from your supplier,” 

“Bastion, why do you always have to make it sound like I’m buying heroin or something? Also I totally will because I don’t wanna hear his constant bitching tonight,” Jaden sat back in his seat. “Duel’s starting, duel’s starting–here’s hopin’ I didn’t just fuck us all over tonight!” 

Chazz drew his first card, and Bastion was hopeful as well. Hopeful that Chazz would win not so Jaden wouldn’t land himself in trouble with whoever was this year’s designated bookie for the Slifer dorm, though it would be preferable for their alcohol fund to increase by a hundred dollars, but so he could see the elusive Happy Chazz, akin in rarity to Bigfoot. He would smile, a genuine one, not a sarcastic or mischevious smile that Bastion also loved, and he would laugh and not complain about Jaden hugging him and sometimes, just sometimes when Bastion would congratulate him, the black haired boy would say ‘thanks, Bas.’ That nickname, which was used my all members of the friend group (with the exception of Alexis who could never get a picture of a fish out of her mind when she heard it), sounded different coming from Chazz, made his heart swell and his brain short-circuit, and he would be lying if he said he weren’t desperate to hear it. 

The duel was a quick one. Jaden only had time to make it through three cycles of “Chazz It Up” before Reginald’s life points hit zero, the freshman looking like his parents had just been murdered in front of him given the horror on his face at losing to a Slifer. Bastion rather enjoyed watching freshmen learn that the colors one wore didn’t always directly correlate to their dueling abilities, but he was now more focused on following his friends out of the crowd to get to Chazz, congratulate him on his victory, and maybe, just maybe satisfy his selfish desires to see Chazz smile. 

Jaden and Syrus were already embracing Chazz from both sides, laughing and wobbling on inebriated legs, Jaden shouting that he was buying them Goose tonight and Chazz agreeing with him instead of shoving him off. Alexis shooed them off of Chazz long enough to give him a one-armed hug. 

Chazz hadn’t seemed to notice Bastion yet. As the Ra stepped toward him, ready to offer his own congratulations, the black-haired boy looked over toward him, his eyes widening the slightest bit as he ducked out of Alexis’s hold, closing the distance between them, smiling. Bastion was confused for a moment, his words never making it out as the Slifer’s arms closed around his neck, lips smashing ungracefully against his. 

Bastion had not even allowed himself to fantasize about kissing Chazz. He had only recently come to terms with the fact he’d been pining for the better part of a year, and it would probably take until graduation for him to allow himself to consider the possibility that Chazz would return his feelings. Now, as Chazz’s arms tightened around his neck, his lips moving against Bastions, skinny frame pressed against Bastion’s muscular one, he had to consider the possibility that he was hallucinating. It was possible that something in Jaden’s dorm room had been left over the summer and rotted to the point toxic fumes were permeating the space, infecting his brain. 

Determined to see if he was hallucinating, Bastion forced his arms to relax the slightest bit from how they’d been tensed up in surprise, he hugged the black-haired boy to his chest, squeezing the slightest bit too tightly on accident, a gasp breaking the kiss as Chazz caught his breath. 

They were both standing there, in the middle of the duel arena, with hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at them. 

“Uh, um–good job,” Bastion said eloquently. 

“Yeah, uh, thanks,” Chazz said, face bright pink, the remnants of a smile on his face. 

“God fucking damn it!” 

The shout came from somewhere to Bastion’s left. An irate Slifer boy at the top of the stadium seats shouted again. “Do you know how much fucking money you cost all of us?” 

“You bitches owe me twenty-five dollars apiece!” Jaden laughed, nearly falling over. 

Chazz’s face went from serene to incensed, pushing away from Bastion to chew out Jaden for placing bets on his love life. 

At least they’d have even more money to spend on the party tonight.