#plus its one of the few stories I do without a question prompting

[wordsarelife]

hiii !!! i really love your writing style, and i'm just obsessed with your account in general, i'm just wondering how you started writing?? any tips for beginners? i'm trying to start writing more, but i can't think of a scenario, or i get stuck at some point. any help is appreciated 😭 thank you !!! mwah !! 🫶🏻

hello my love, please excuse my late answer. first, thank you so much for the compliments, you're the sweetest!!! i've been writing basically all my life and i think whats most important for writing is inspiration. i spent so many years reading fanfiction and thinking about topics i would like to read about, just to notice that no one had written them yet so i tried to fill that space myself, with a lot of failing lmao.. but at some point i realized that it's just as fun to write as it is to read other people's stuff.

when i start to write something, i always make sure i'm passionate about the project. i start by imagining scenes that i would love to read about myself, decide on a taylor song i want to use, which does generate even more inspiration and search pinterest for aesthetics and more insparation.

i know what it's like getting stuck while writing (ask the thousand unfinished wips of books i tried to write), but sometimes i try to just write anything, even if its rubbish at first, at least you wrote a few more words.

or just think about the least expectable answer to a simple question and keep in mind that every answer reflect your characters personality. if you let your character answer something unexpectably it might turn the conversation into a different direction. and different is good, it's fun and sometimes you just feel what could be right for the story, without knowing it before. but if you need help to come up with a concept, try to look at blogs on here, who provide prompts or funny quotes to start your story off on.

one of my favorite creators is @creativepromptsforwriting (she also has great tips for writing, far better than any i could give you)

and just to emphasize what i said before, i'm going to show you what i mean by wiriting a little scene between theo and pixie from my series don't blame me:

example quote: you look good

so, to accurately write this scene, you should think about your characters personality, but also the relationship between them.

so it could be like this:

theo: you look good

pixie: thank you

and that would be it. but this conversation doesn't fit either their personality nor their relationship, and a great plus is also that it would be a longer interaction if you let them react differently:

theo: you look good

pixie: what are you trying to do right now?

theo: i don't know, genius, maybe compliment you?

pixie: well, don't expect to get one back, i wouldn't want to inflate your ego any further

theo: aren't you just a ray of sunshine...

pixie: complementing me again huh?

theo: sure...

so this is what i would come up with on the spot and i hope i could help you a bit, but this is mostly what i do when i write and then i just keep writing honestly. what i can tell you is that it will be easier the more you write, you get a feeling for it eventually. so in simpler terms: don't stress too much for perfection (had to learn that the hard way) just write and see what happens and just keep in mind that any word you write will help you to get better at writing, so nothing has to be perfect from the get go. i mean, has anyone ever sat down at a piano and just started playing?

good luck on your journey, i wish you all the fun at writing!!! ❤️

[nenamatic]

Open Ai started a big storm on March this year. They introduced new version of ChatGPT! Now it can access the world of internet. In order to use this ability , ChatGPT plugins were released earlier this year. This is for users with as ChatGPT Plus subscription. This subscription cost 20 dollars per month. It offers fast response time and access during peak times. ChatGPTplugins provide wide range of data from its third-party partners and the web. I picked some best Chat GPT plugins for you. You will find some of them very useful and helpful. Let s start! Image by Franz Bachinger from Pixabay Prompt Perfect In this article, we will discuss Prompt Perfect, a powerful ChatGPT plugin that enables users to create perfect prompts for AI chatbots. If you are unable to create prompts of your own, Prompt Perfect will be of great assistance. To begin, you must enter the question you would like to ask Perfect the AI bot. In this example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a 300-word story about watches. Ensure that you include the word "Perfect" before the prompt. After this, the plugin will modify the entire prompt to provide a highly accurate prompt to ChatGPT. This will enable the AI chatbot to provide precise and pertinent answers to your question. Furthermore, the program is plug-and-play and does not require any additional input. Open Table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03xOSadhyIk OpenTable is one of the best ChatGPT plugins we've tested, making it easy to book restaurants while you're away. It's designed to make sure customers make reservations quickly and easily, so all you have to do is give it the info you need, like your date and time, and the number of people you're expecting. It'll then take all that info and search for the restaurant you're looking for. The links it gives you will give you the reservation info you already have, so it's a really effective plugin for booking restaurants. Wolfram Although it may be quite technical for a few users but the Wolfram ChatGPT software is on top because of its capabilities. Based on advanced information, Wolfram allows ChatGPT users to use advanced calculations, math as well as real data to resolve all kinds of questions. Instead of having to deal with only simple math issues, you could ask Wolfram for help with more complex issues including creating a family tree and so much more. It even can show when it is date time live, something that only ChatGPT is able to do. So, take a chance to test Wolfram to find out which function is most effective for you. Zapier Created specifically to remove and simplify workflows that aren't needed Zapier is among the best ChatGPT plugins for professionals at work and marketers. In simple terms, Zapier enable users communicate with more than five thousand different applications for work without having to do additional steps. Here are incorporated all popular applications like Gmail, MS Outlook, Slack and many others. All users have to do is make an initial connection and then approve certain actions. After that you are able to write complete emails or send detailed Slack messages from ChatGPT. Zapier will then work together with ChatGPT.When I asked it to write an email draft Zapier created the action in a matter of minutes and then let me send it. Try it if you're too inert to launch the mail program. Argil AI ChatGPT , for a long time, was primarily an automated chatbot that has only dabbled in AI. But, with the help of many of these excellent ChatGPT plugins, it's able to perform a number of things now. One of these plugins is Argil AI which is a great option to add to chatbot. Utilizing Argil AI, users can create images directly within ChatGPT. All one has to do is choose the plugin, and then give details of the image they would like it to create. The description could be extremely vibrant to allow for a wide various reasons. After you've completed the prompts, just hit return and sit back while the image is created.

In a matter of minutes, Argil AI will make stunning images that the customer can download. Users can also build an entire collection and earn money by using this method. Kayak If you want to plan your trip by using ChatGPT ,Kayak is on the top. Kayak enables users effortlessly book hotels and flights and also get recommendations on travel for their travel planning needs. Previously, you need to put information about your tripe. You have to provide destination, arrival, time of depart... Once you have completed this, Kayak will show you the way where are flights available at your current location. The output gives the total cost, anticipated delays and layovers, most-used airlines, and much more. After you're satisfied with your choice, you can ask ChatGPT to create links, and Kayak will also do it. Stories Maybe you love to read other people's work . It is great! However, sometimes, you'll need to make the stories of your own. Stories is among the most effective ChatGPT plugins that allows you to create stories in the literal sense. The plugin is inventive and demand a prompt. After that prompt is provided, Stories begins to produce an amazing story. But the most appealing feature is the fact that this plugin summarizes its text and images inside an old-fashioned book. The images too are generated by AI and nicely placed next to the text. You can flip through the pages by clicking . You can also purchase an original hardcover edition of your story if you want. Be aware the fact that they are mostly artistic in nature, and therefore they may not be the perfect cup of tea for everyone. However, you should take a look at this ChatGPT plugin. Image Editor You use image editing a lot? You need help on this matter? If you're looking for a simple editing tool to meet your requirements The Image Editor plugin deserve to be among the most effective in ChatGPT. The Image Editor is able to provide a variety of functions that include cropping, resizing blurring or turning the image. You have to supply the URL for your image to the software in order to upload it. Once you have done that, just make request to Image Editor. Although its functions aren't immense you can easily perform basic editing with one of the most effective ChatGPT plugins. LikeWise Do you love podcasts? Maybe you have one? Well, this plugin is something like podcast searcher. Like any other plugin, LikeWise makes use of the database of its own to look up podcasts. You can find all sort of different styles and moods. Just make a highlight depending on your desire and very quickly the result will come. Within a few moments, LikeWise list up podcasts you may be attracted, and also provides hyperlinks to the same. Be aware that some of them could be paid. However, anyone who are looking for recommendations for podcasts ought to take a look at this ChatGPT plugin. There s An AI For That This ChatGPT tool is my top pick because it's basically a complete suite of tools. It's like an AI with a huge database that has all the tools you need in your life, from basic Image editors to PDF convertors and more. All you have to do is ask the AI what you need and it'll give you a list of options - I tried this with Image generation and the plugin gave me a great result. Check this plugin, it is breathtaking! There 's an AI for that Show Me ChatGPT can help its users out with more than just recreation - it can also help them out with productivity tools. One of the best of these is Show Me, a plugin that lets ChatGPT create real-time graphs of all kinds. Show Me needs to show a basic concept for users to see. Based on my own experience, I asked the program to show the concept of Wabi-sabi using a Mindmap. Both ChatGPT and Show Me work together to make it easy to draw a visual and text diagram of the concept. So next time you're looking for a quick way to draw a diagram, use Show Me! Questmate Forms If you are

looking to create forms and infographics for more than just educational purposes, Questmate is likely to be one of the most advantageous ChatGPT plugins for you. The AI-powered program is capable of quickly and efficiently creating a variety of forms for you. While this can be done with Google Forms, it can be a time-consuming process. With Questmate, you can fill out your specific requirements as small or as detailed as desired. ChatGPT will connect to the plugin and create a comprehensive form that can be opened in a separate window. For the first time, Questmate Forms has responded to our request quickly by creating a simple form. Submitting your form to one of their most efficient ChatGPT plugins is now possible. World News ChatGPT's database is limited to 2021, even though it is based on the latest GPT-4 Large Language Model. This limitation is outdated, and while we have always advised users to not rely on the bot for information delivery, it appears that this is no longer the case. As a result, the new World News plugin has become one of our most popular plugins, as it is able to deliver news in a timely manner. It is easy to use ChatGPT to access the latest news from around the world, providing users with a pleasant overview. This plugin is based on the world, and is capable of displaying news in multiple languages and source links. While it is not useful in the traditional sense of the word, World News is an essential tool for those who wish to stay informed. Conclusion-Best Chat GPT Plugins It is all for now. I hope you liked this article. For sure, Ai will grow and expand further...Sky is the limit! Certainly, we can expect new and innovative plugins in the future. Choose from the list, there is something for everyone! If you want to learn more read my other articles -9 Best Ai Tools For Great Developer - 7 Best Free Ai Art Generators-Midjourney Alternatives - 21 Top ChatGpt Plugins You Should Know

[bridgyrose]

Weiss’s hand glowed and runic glyphs ran over Ruby’s arm as she tried to heal a cut. “I told you to be careful.” 

“You could’ve given me a warning about turning the training up.” Ruby winced as her wound sealed up. “The grimm I could handle.” 

Weiss rolled her eyes and pulled away from Ruby once she finished. “You have to be ready for more than just grimm. Its a wonder you didnt manage to cut yourself in half with the way you handle that blade.” 

“I handle it just fine.” Ruby moved her arm a bit and looked over at Penny. “How did you manage to avoid getting hit anyway? Its almost as if you could see everyone’s movements before they happened.” 

Penny smiled and sat down. “That is because I can. I am an and-” 

“You cant just tell everyone about that,” Weiss hissed out. “She’s not supposed to know.” 

“But she is going to be with us for a while and she will probably find out eventually anyway.” 

Ruby looked between the two curiously. “Find out what?” 

Weiss sighed and stood up. “Fine, tell her, but I’m going back to the dorm.” 

Penny nodded and focused on Ruby again. “I am an android designed to help protect people from the grimm. Unlike you, I do not have any special powers, but I can think fast enough that I can predict the most likely route a combatant will take. I have been accurate more often than not, which lets me avoid getting hit.” 

Ruby went quiet as she looked Penny over, still not quite sure she believed what she was hearing. Of course androids werent exactly a huge secret, Atlas had been developing combat drones that are near the equivalent of humans, though Penny seemed different. As she felt Penny’s hand on her arm, the synthetic skin felt like regular human skin. Her eyes moved the same way, she wasnt as rigid as the drones that patrolled the borders of the cities, even the way she handled her weapon was more human than mechanical. “Why would you need to hide that? That sounds amazing!” 

“The general wants me to hide it because he is afraid of what people will think. Most people in the kingdoms are not very happy about letting mechanical beings protect them from the grimm. But more importantly, I am different from the others. Unlike other robots and drones, I do not run off dust. I am the first android to have a soul.” 

“I see why Ironwood would want you to hide that.” Ruby slowly stood up and walked around Penny, still not believing what she had been told. But the closer she looked, the more she could see the truth. While her joints were mostly invisible, a close inspection did reveal doll-like joints that allowed her neck, shoulders, knees, even her fingers to move just like a humans. Thin lines separating skin from either side of the joints were all that gave the signs, nearly invisible to anyone who looked over her. “But you still dont look like an android.” 

“Weiss says the same thing.” Penny stood up and mimicked a human cracking their knuckles, mechanical clicks coming from the joints in her fingers as everything locked into place. “That no matter how much of me is mechanical, the only real part of me that matters is my soul. That having one makes me just as human as her and anyone else.” 

“That doesnt sound like the Weiss that was just training with us. Between the yelling and calling me a dolt, it almost felt like she was disappointed in me.” 

“She has had a rough childhood from what I understand.” Penny motioned for Ruby to follow her as she started to make her way out of the training room and back to the dorm. “Between the White Fang attacking her family’s company and trying to uphold her grandfather’s ideals, she has not had a lot of time to learn how to get along with others. But I think she likes you. She has only called you a dolt and didnt try to attack you like she normally would others.” 

Ruby sighed and followed Penny out of the training hall and into the empty, white hallway to make her way to the dorm. Her eyes looked around the empty halls, still not used to how bland it made everything. “And you both want to go to Beacon? Why wouldnt you stay here if its close to home?” 

“Same reason you came here instead of staying in Vale.” 

“I… didnt exactly have a choice,” Ruby admitted quietly. “Professor Ozpin told me coming here was a requirement for me to apply to Beacon. Something about wanting to make sure that if I was skipping a couple years that I had to make sure I had the best people making sure I was ready for the jump.” 

Penny nodded a bit. “I want to go since it is the only way father will let me see other kingdoms. Atlas may be my home, but if I am going to be protecting others, I want to see what I will be protecting.” 

“And Weiss? What’s her reasoning? From the sound of it, she has it made here.” 

“Because she wants to get away from her family.”

“Why though?” 

“That is for her to explain.” Penny stopped at a door and pressed her hand to the scanning pad next to it. The door opened up to another, plain white room with metal walls and beds that looked more like shelving for humans than sleeping quarters. The only sign that anyone lived in the room was the pile of clothes that sat at the foot of one of the beds and a set of desks that housed all the dust and replacement parts Weiss and Penny could need.

Weiss looked up from the desk she sat at and sighed. “About time you both got here. Ruby, take a seat. Penny, grab the test scroll so we can find out what Ruby needs to go over.” 

Ruby nodded and sat down as she listened to Penny practically run down the hall as her footsteps echoed from the metal flooring. “I thought we were going to be going over what I’d be skipping.” 

“And we will, along with everything else that you dont know or fail at.” Weiss looked back down at her weapon as she started to mess with the revolver, spinning it to make sure it was secured tightly. “If I have to do this, then I’m going to do it right and make sure you dont fail out.” 

“If you dont want to help me-” 

“It doesnt matter if I want to or not.” Weiss placed her rapier back onto the desk with a rough *thump* as she looked up at Ruby, scowling. “However, in order for me to convince my father to let me go to Beacon, I have to do this. There’s nothing I’d rather do less than teach someone who hasnt earned the right to go to a huntsman academy.” With a heavy sigh, she stood up and started to make her way back into the hallway. “Make yourself comfortable. When Penny gets back, you’ll take a test on the test scroll. It’ll take you a few hours to get through.” 

Ruby nodded and moved to one of the beds as she waited, trying to get comfortable. A sigh left her lips once she was alone and she closed her eyes to let her mind wander. This was going to be a long three months.

Prev

[pianostarinwonderland]

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐭?

This has been a post I have been wanting to do for a while, but due to low motivation, I never got around to doing it. In fact, I wouldn’t have tackled this topic had I not received this ask:

Normally, I answer asks directly, but because this has been something I wanted to write for a long time, I decided to format it this way. To the anon who sent this to me, thank you for this question, and I hope this finds its way to you. ❤️ 

Before I begin, be warned that the post will contain major spoilers for chapters/episodes 1-5, so please, if you don’t want your own journey through Twst to be ruined, please scroll past this post.

All translations are from shel_bb’s Youtube channel, unless stated otherwise. Please check them out for translations on the main story and some of the event stories of the game. 

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧...

The title of the post may seem odd to you. After all, to most players, the dorm leaders have gone through Overblot because other characters cause something to the next dorm leader (vice dorm leader in the case of Scarabia), leading them to Overblot. That’s why the Overblots occur, isn’t it?

To an extent, yes. But if you ask me, I disagree.

Yes, the previous dorm halts the plans of the current dorm and gives stress to the dorm leader, prompting them to act out and overuse their magic. While the overuse of magic will definitely bring one to the point of Overblot, there is another factor involved: negative emotions. According to Crowley in chapter 2–4, negative emotions greatly speed up the process of Overblot by accumulating more blot at a faster rate. It is this particular factor, the negativity of emotions, that I will be tackling in this post. While I do agree that the previous dorm has a hand in the Overblot of another, I don’t believe that they are the reason as to why the Overblot itself occurs, but rather, I believe that the Overblot occurs because of the last thing that happens before said phenomenon.

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐭

First, let’s go back to what blot is and what it does to mages. Blot, according to Crowley in chapters 2–3-4, is ‘wasted material’ accumulated from the use of magic. Once accumulated within the body, it does great damage to the mind and body of a person. The magical pens are used to accumulate the blot of a magician so that it does not build up in one’s body. Blot can accumulate faster if the mage has more negative emotions in them. 

Vargas touches upon this topic in chapter 1–3 of the Vargas Camp event, saying that the blot may accumulate within the mage’s body and soul if they use magic without a pen or anything else that will store the blot for them. Even small amounts of magic will already tire out the mage. 

As for Overblot, Crowley stated in chapter 2–4 that “the amount of mana a person has varies from person to person, but aside from very special cases, the difference doesn’t really affect the maximum blot a person can tolerate... That means people like Rosehearts, who have a lot of mana, have to be exceedingly careful about how much blot they are accumulating.” 

Laying out these definitions, we can see why all the dorm leaders (plus Jamil) have undergone Overblot, at least on the aspect of overuse of magic. They are occasionally described to be powerful and being in a class of their own (examples being Ace and Deuce being easily defeated by Riddle in chapter 1–22, Jack’s comment about Azul in chapter 3–22 after fighting him and the twins, Kalim remarking that few people in the school can defeat Vil in a fight when he challenged Epel in chapter 5–37). 

You may be wondering about Leona, who only used his magic towards the end of his chapter, and why he even underwent Overblot. I wondered that too until Vargas spoke about the blot accumulating in the body should there be no medium to store the blot. It’s entirely likely that Leona simply did not have his staff or magical pen, and since his unique magic is deadly powerful, combined with the suppressed feelings he held over the years, it was easy for him to fall into Overblot. The same goes for Vil when he only used his magic on the food Ace, Deuce, and Grim ate and on the apple juice he nearly gave to Neige. 

So now that we have covered that portion of the reason why the dorm leaders underwent Overblot, let’s get to the real part of this post. From here on out, I will also be referring to Overblot as OB. 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐭

A huge factor in the OB is the intensity of one’s negative emotions. As we all know, the previous dorm has a hand in causing stress to the dorm leader, causing the conflict that leads him to overuse magic. While he would be doomed to OB by reaching or surpassing the maximum permissible amount of magic he can handle, I think that all of the OBs could have been delayed or even averted completely if certain things that occurred right before the OB were not said or done. 

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐮𝐥

Let’s start with the first dorm who OBs, Riddle Rosehearts. As we all know, he upholds the rules of Heartslabyul to an extreme point that he is seen as a tyrant by the students of Heartslabyul. This is due to his upbringing in his mother’s home, where he is forced to obey every single strict rule she imposed on him or else a punishment follows. It’s clear that such a childhood has affected him for the worse. 

What triggered Riddle’s anger and overuse of magic was Ace punching and scolding him. That part is clear. But it isn’t the sole reason why Riddle succumbed to OB. If anything, the scene that causes the Overblot is the one right before the Overblot, particularly the scene where Trey overwrote Riddle’s magic with his Doodle Suit. 

What happens in that scene is that Riddle proceeds to attack the Heartslabyul students with the rose trees, but those turn into card suits by Trey. His own unique magic, Off With Your Head, which Riddle uses to punish his dorm, is overwritten as well. It’s this scene that gives Riddle the most stress, not Ace scolding him. Why so?

This is the conversation that unfolds in chapter 1–23:

Riddle: Huh...? Trey overwrote my magic... ? Does that mean your magic surpasses mine? Trey: There’s no way that’s the case. Riddle, calm down a bit and let’s talk this out. Riddle: So you want to tell me I’m wrong too? Even though we’ve been upholding these strict rules this whole time? I’ve been enduring and enduring and enduring this whole time! I... I don’t believe you! ... I am... I am!! Absolutely definitely correct!!!

What’s happening here is that Riddle is in absolute disbelief that Trey overwrote his magic, something that he seemed to have not known was possible until that moment. Therefore, he jumps into the conclusion that Trey’s magic is stronger than his own. Now why does this distress him this much?

Let’s step back into chapter 1–22, where Ace and Deuce lost against Riddle in their duel:

Riddle: Huh, it didn’t even take 5 seconds. And you thought to challenge me with those skills. Aren’t you embarrassed? This just proves that rule violators are always wrong, just as mother said.

What’s been seen here is that Riddle thinks that strength in magic determines who is right. It seems to be a cultural thing, at least within the school, that those who are stronger are those who must be listened to (this is made explicit by Vil during the flashback scene in chapter 5–41, saying that the weak are obliged to listen to the strong in the school). Because Riddle beat Ace and Deuce, who are saying that enforcing even the absurd rules is an incorrect way of doing things, to him, that just means he’s right, and they’re wrong.

With this in mind, the fact that Trey’s magic overwrote Riddle’s means that, in Riddle’s mind, Trey is stronger than him. That means if Trey is telling him that what he’s doing is wrong, he is right in saying that and that all this time, Riddle’s way of ruling is wrong. 

If that’s the case, this means that everything he’s gone through all his life, all the sufferings he tolerated from his mom, were all in vain. You may have noticed that I italicized the sentence ‘I’ve been enduring and enduring and enduring this whole time’. This is because in that sentence, he’s referring to his childhood. That he’s been enduring and enduring and enduring all the rules in the house and the emotional abuse of his mom by conforming to what she says so that he can make life as bearable as possible for himself.

Furthermore, it doesn’t mean much when it’s coming from Ace and Deuce because to him, they’re only underclassmen who barely developed their magic. Coming from Trey, however, hurts more because not only has he helped him enforce the laws of the Queen of Hearts, he’s Riddle’s childhood friend. He’s seen Riddle’s suffering ever since. And he never bothered to tell him until now that what he's known all his life is wrong and that his suffering was in vain. 

His one source of happiness, which was playing with Che’nya and Trey, was taken away from him just because he didn’t follow the rules, and this frustrated him, saddened him. And he forced himself to live without them because if he tried to sneak out and seek them out, who knows what his mom can do to him?

And by being told that he is wrong, it means that his mother is wrong, and that means that he didn’t have to undergo such suffering. It means that he could have lived a better life. It means that he was a victim of abuse.

That scene attacks the core issue of his life that brought him unhappiness, and because of that, he ends up succumbing to OB.

𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐰

Moving onto the Savanaclaw chapter, Leona Kingscholar is the next one who OBs. Leona is the second-born prince of Savanaclaw, and he loathes this because everyone in the palace nitpicked his every flaw, no matter how hard he worked to be noticed and admired by them. Due to this, he lost motivation to work hard, and now, he lives a slovenly lifestyle.

Unlike Riddle, Leona doesn’t care about the rules and in fact, would break them to attain victory. He does this by using Ruggie to intentionally harm other players who were supposed to play in the Magical Shift tournament while the other Savanaclaw members hide Ruggie from being seen. Eventually, they plan to cause a stampede in the actual ceremony that would harm Diasomnia and its prefect, Malleus Draconia. 

Leona becomes dismayed, however, when it was found out that Diasomnia was safe, thanks to the efforts of Yuu, Grim, and co., so much so that he chose to give up victory. This scene triggers the negativity inside of him, reaching to the point that he uses King’s Roar and attempts to turn Ruggie into sand. Of course, Heartslabyul stops him, and Riddle collars him, effectively halting King’s Roar. 

Now, we know that Leona’s current trauma is due to his frustrations as a second-born prince and that just because of that, no matter how hard he works to become more talented and pleasing to those around him, everyone will nitpick his every action. He can never be ‘number 1′ in anyone’s eyes, and because he sees his efforts as futile, he might as well just give up, just like how he gave up victory when he found out that Malleus Draconia is well. Part of this frustration is also the fact that Leona feels misunderstood by those around him, which is seen in the dialogue between him and his brother in 2–27: 

Leona: The first born really has it easy. Even if all you do is laze about sleeping or sing all day, you can become king. Farena: Leona... you are intelligent. Certainly, there are things you can do for this country even if you can’t become king.  Leona: If becoming king was something achieved with intelligence, I would have no shortage of motivation. 

Though Leona often mentions becoming king, it doesn’t seem like it’s the royal throne that he seeks, or he would have resorted to backhanded methods towards his brother and his family. Rather, what he seeks is to be king in the sense that he is accepted, that his efforts and talents are finally acknowledged by everyone around him. That’s the kind of number 1 that he wishes to have, to be at the top where everyone can not only acknowledge him but also praise and accept him. He wants the kind of adoration that Farena has, he wants the high praise that Malleus receives. He may talk about wanting to be king or wanting the throne, but really, he just wants acceptance and praise for everything he’s done.

Riddle and Jack have expressed disappointment in Leona when he gets collared, which evidently annoys Leona. 

Jack: Leona... I... I...! I wanted to get into this school because I looked up to you! Where has the Leona I admired gone to?! Leona: Don’t just shove your dreams onto me... so annoying... Riddle: I may not have the right to say anything, but I can’t stand to look at you right now. Confine yourself to your room and cool your head for a bit! Leona: ... What do any of you know? Preaching on and on, just like my brother...

However, though their words may have annoyed Leona, they don’t actually hurt him enough to cause an OB. If anything, Riddle’s collar should have been a preventive measure since it inhibits the use of magic. 

Rather, the cause of Leona’s OB was Lilia’s words to him. In chapter 2–26, this is what he says:

Lilia: Hmph. Men like you are much more suited for that collar than a crown. Listening to a royal lion of the savannah talk like this is appalling. You appear to be lamenting about how you’ll never be king due to natural skills and order of birth, but you live slothfully if you aren’t rewarded. If things don’t go according to your expectations, you become petty and find fault in your retainers. To become a king as you are... the thought of you becoming a competitor to our Lord Malleus makes me laugh. Even if you are able to defeat him, as long as you hold that rotten grudge in your heart... you will never become a true king!

And this is Leona’s response:

Leona: Ha... haha... Ah, you’re right. You are precisely right. It’s like you said. Hahahaha! I can never become king... no matter how hard I work...!

Unlike Riddle and Trey, Leona and Lilia don’t appear to have any sort of relationship past being in the same year level. But it doesn’t matter anyway because although the way he phrases it is harsh and frankly painful, Lilia is right. He points out Leona’s suffering while pointing out his flaws: that he lives lazily if he isn’t rewarded and that he finds fault in those who serve him. Due to those things, he can never be ‘king’, he can never match up to Malleus Draconia, he can never be number one. 

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞

So moving on to chapter 3, we have Azul who OBs next. He was bullied as a child for being an octopus merman, and this caused him to suffer from deep insecurity. This doesn’t mean that he sat there, tolerating the things they said to him, however. Instead, he rigorously studied magic until he unlocked his unique ability, It’s A Deal, and he uses this magic as revenge against his bullies. 

Now we know that the cause of Azul’s distress in chapter 3 was Leona turning his contracts –– which are the products of years of hard work –– to dust. This pushed him to think irrationally, leading him to think that he can take everything back by stealing the abilities of the people around him. At the speed at which he uses magic to steal the talents of others, it’s a wonder that he didn’t go into OB right away. After all, even Leona says that that sort of magic quickly accumulates blot. 

It was possible that the OB could have not taken place had Floyd not made a certain comment. 

When Jade, Floyd, and the others return to the dorm in chapter 3–33, Azul asks Jade and Floyd to let him get their magic because he lost everything. Jade scolds him to stop because using It’s A Deal without a contract in place is dangerous. Floyd, however, says:

Floyd: Umm, y’know, you’re way lamer right now than you ever were before. 

It’s a simple sentence, nothing else added afterwards. However, Azul’s response seems to indicate that he takes this to heart:

Azul: Ah... is that so? You’re aware that I’m a stupid clumsy octopus that can’t do anything by himself. So I’m going to keep taking until I’m the best version of myself I can possibly be. A beautiful singing voice, powerful magic, everything belongs to me! Give it all to me!

What makes Floyd’s comment hit deeply is that he, along with Jade, know Azul the most among the characters in the game. Floyd and Jade have been with Azul since right before middle school. They were first intrigued by his magic circles and spells written on shells, and eventually, they were the ones to find out who had caused one student to get his girlfriend but lose his voice and another to have beautiful hair in exchange for their fast swimming ability. From there, they accompanied him and chose out of their will to help him, and even to this day, they remain by his side. They didn’t care that he was an octopus merman; they found somebody who is interesting to them and decided to tag along. 

We do see that Azul places his trust in the twins. In the Octavinelle commercial, there is a scene of the trio in the beginning of the commercial, Floyd on the seat, Azul by the desk, and Jade holding one of his golden contracts. 

Azul is protective of those contracts to the point that he doesn’t want anyone to touch them. We see this in chapter 3–22, both in the scene where he uses electricity magic to electrocute Yuu and co. when they touched the contract and, more explicitly, in the scene where Floyd’s Bind the Heart sends a cauldron flying to the safe containing the contracts. Later on in chapter 3–30-31, we see Azul panic when Leona and Ruggie take hold of the contracts. But in that scene, he lets Jade, who knows best what can happen should any of the contracts get destroyed, hold those contracts. Floyd being in the same room also indicates a level of trust because most likely, Azul would discuss the things in the contracts, details that he wouldn’t spill to others because he’d be planning what to do with those contracts so that he can benefit from them. 

Yes, this is from a commercial and not from the main story, but the commercials are meant to advertise the game’s story, so taking details like this into account would help in learning about the characters’ relationships with each other. 

Aside from trust, Azul does show that he cares about the twins. It’s not something that he explicitly shows since his past bullying + businessman self makes it hard for him to open up with these kinds of things, but in chapter 3–33, when the twins return to the dorm, this is what Azul says to them:

Azul: Jade, Floyd, aaah, you’ve finally come back to me. Those bastards went and destroyed all of my precious contracts. So please, give me your strength too, give it to me!

Note that in the beginning of the chapter, Azul does not even go so far as to ask the others he stole from, and this evidently causes them to collapse. When he talks to Jade and Floyd, however, he tells them of the situation and instead of taking their magic right away, he begs them to give it to him. He wants their consent first before extracting the magic from them. It’s likely that even in an unstable mindset, he still ensures that they aren’t injured from his rampage and asks them for their magic. 

On the twins’ side of things, specifically Floyd, we can see that Floyd does show trust in Azul. 

Some of the evidence of Floyd’s fondness towards Azul include his fishing pole having a purple octopus bait in his Vargas Camp outfit and him telling Epel, Riddle, and Vil that Azul isn’t weak and proceeding to describing his true strength when the three of them called him weak. However, the biggest evidence is that he calls Azul by his name, making him one of the only two people (Jade being the other one) to be called by name while the others are given nicknames. This is seen in his Lab Coat lines, where he says, and I quote: "Why don't I give a nickname to Azul? 'Cause Azul is Azul." (TL by @mysteryshoptls​​). This can possibly indicate that he’s almost as, if not, just as close to him as he is close to Jade to know him as who he is instead of what type of sea creature he associates with him. It’s further noted that in the flashback, Floyd in middle school called Azul as ‘tako-chan’ first, but at some point has taken to calling him Azul. 

Knowing that the twins do hold importance to Azul and have been with him for a long time and that the same may be true in return, Floyd calling him ‘lame’ carries a lot of weight. Since it’s coming from someone who’s known him for a while, that comment serves to reaffirm Azul’s insecurities: that he’s a stupid clumsy octopus who can’t do anything by himself, and to him, that is “lame”. And that’s why he’ll continue to take and take magic for himself so that he can be the best version of himself that he can be, up until he falls into OB.

𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚

Jamil is the fourth person to OB in the main story. He and his family have been serving the Al-Asims for generations, and ever since he was born, he was always tasked to take care of Kalim. He’s naturally gifted, but he could not show off his talents because he’s forced to make Kalim seem better by downplaying his abilities. This frustrated him, so much so that he hypnotized Kalim and made him into a cruel dorm leader to overthrow him from the position and cause his eventual expulsion from the school. 

That failed, however, when Azul and Jade exposed Jamil’s true intentions to Scarabia through a livestream from Azul’s phone that was supposedly public (soon revealed in chapter 5–10 that it was a phone call to Jade’s phone). He was forced into a position where he couldn’t talk his way out of it as Azul’s hypnotized state is hard proof of what happened between Azul and Jamil. Understandably, his true plans being exposed stressed Jamil out to the point that he resorted to commanding Azul to restrain everyone, only for that part to fail on his end as well when Azul broke free of the magic. 

But when Kalim came in, in denial that Jamil betrayed him, that’s when things started to go down. Taken from chapter 4–31, we see Jamil truly starting to lose it in the conversation that follows:

Kalim: They’re lying, right...? You’d never try to control me. Lately, there’ve been times I feel like I’m having an out of body experience and losing track of time, but... that’s just ‘cause I’m dozing off or, like, anemia, right? I can pass right out anywhere. You’re always getting after me about it. That’s right? I’ve just been dozing off, yeah? Manipulating me or trying to throw me out. You’d never do that, right? Jamil, you’re the only one... You’re the only one who’d never betray me, right? Because we’re best friends? Jamil: laughs  Kalim: H-hey, what’s wrong? Jamil: ... That’s exactly it. For as long as I can remember... your idiotic carefree friendly attitude... I’ve haaaated it!! You flit about without a care for the crap you put me through! Your smile is utterly repulsive. I’ve had enough! It’s no use trying to sugarcoat things. I’ve wished every single day for you to just disappear. 

Following these words, he starts hypnotizing the Scarabia dorm and commands them to kick out Kalim and Octavinelle, causing blot to quickly accumulate inside him.

Now, it’s clear that Jamil holds resentment towards Kalim. Having to spend his entire life catering to the nearly impossible demands Kalim gives him (such as preparing a whole banquet the day before), lowering himself to make Kalim look better, and protecting him from any poison or bullet to ensure Kalim’s survival would cause resentment to grow. But he doesn’t actually hate him. 

One of the best pieces of evidence for this is in near the end of chapter 4–38, where Kalim tells everyone to enjoy the party. 

Kalim: Okaaay, the party is back on! Get that food out and that music playing! We’re going to have the best holiday ever!  Jamil: He really... never changes. 

Though the text does not show it, in the game, when Jamil speaks, he smiles.

Even if Jamil showed exasperation earlier when Kalim got excitable, here, he smiled, indicating that somehow, he doesn’t hate him. 

I say that that moment is one of the best evidences because there is another scene that can imply that Jamil doesn’t actually hate Kalim, nor is Kalim the sole reason why Jamil has always been under stress. Though he blames Kalim for everything wrong in his life, truthfully, the real culprit is the kind of upbringing he had and the kind of system he was born in. 

And this is shown in the last scene before his OB.

The funny thing is, despite Kalim being the one who caused Jamil to finally lose it, he wasn’t the last person who says anything to Jamil before the latter succumbed to OB. No, the last person to speak to him before the OB is Jade.

In chapter 4–32, as Jamil continues controlling the people around him, Jade says:

Jade: Jamil, you mustn’t. If you continue using your unique magic like this, you’re going to exceed safe levels of blot...! Jamil: Shut up! Don’t order me around! I won’t listen to anyone’s orders ever again! I’m going to be free!!

Prior to that, Kalim does talk to him, saying:

Kalim: Jamil! Stop already, I get it! You can be dorm head, and I’ll go home... Jamil: Huh? Come again. The spell that binds me can’t be released just like that... as long as you exist in this world, Kalim!

At that point, he’s already used enough magic and bottled up enough negativity that he could possibly OB from the stress of having Kalim existing. But instead, it only pushed him to use his magic more. If you listen to his voice in both conversations, notably, Jamil’s voice is much louder and angrier when he was shouting at Jade than when he was shouting at Kalim. 

Let’s take note, Jade and Jamil don’t often interact. Mostly, their relationship consists of being wary of the other. But Jade’s words triggered Jamil more than Kalim seemed to trigger him seconds prior. Jade’s intentions may have been out of concern, but he’s essentially telling Jamil to do something, and Jamil is tired of being told what to do. 

Yes, he’s tired of Kalim, but more than anything, he’s tired of doing what people tell him to do: the Al-Asims telling the Vipers to serve them in every way, his parents telling him to make Kalim look like the better one, Crowley telling him that Kalim is in the school because of the donations the Al-Asims gave to the school. And all of them expect Jamil to understand. But who is there to understand him?

Kalim may have been a huge part of the problem, but he isn’t the problem. The problem is that he’s been obeying people all his life, and he’s done with it.  

𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐞

Vil is the fifth person to OB. Ever since childhood, he has dabbled into the acting world and has risen to fame. His main insecurities come from the issue that he’s always type-casted into villain roles since it means he never gets to stand on stage until the end. Furthermore, as a child, his villainous acting was so convincing, many kids bullied him for it. What worsens things is that Neige, another star who rose to fame as well, often gets the roles Vil wants and always claims the title of the ‘most beautiful’ according to the Internet. 

In the VDC rehearsals, based on the reception that Neige’s performance received vs Vil’s, Vil feels so hopeless over the fact that they may not win that he resorts to using his UM to poison Neige using the apple juice from Epel’s family business. However, he’s stopped by Rook, who nearly drinks the poisoned apple juice when Kalim comes in. 

Unlike the other OBs, Vil’s OB is special, and I’ll explain that in a bit. But first, let’s focus on what even started the events leading up to the OB.

It’s clear that Rook and Kalim at least catalyzed the chain of events leading up to it, as seen in chapter 5–62. First, let’s look at the dialogue between Rook and Vil:

Vil: Rook. Why did you try to drink it? I’m sure you knew you wouldn’t be all fine and dandy if you drank that. Rook: Because I wanted to trust you. You, who works more earnestly than anyone else and is always aiming for even greater heights. And trust that you wouldn’t do anything foolish that would tarnish your beauty... But at the same time, if you really had put a curse on that apple juice, then I wanted to try it. The taste of a poisonous fruit from one who is driven mad by their fixation on beauty.

After that dialogue, the screen shifts to Vil’s expression, where his face darkens to indicate that Rook’s words have deeply affected him.

We know that Vil is someone who puts in actual effort to reach the top. He doesn’t utilize backhanded methods to get to where he is now, and in fact, he frowns down upon it. This is seen in his Beans Day personal story, where he takes down the Octavinelle students who tried to trick him to giving them his beans shooter. More importantly, he doesn’t like using backhanded methods because not only does he aim to be the most beautiful, which includes inner beauty, he also wishes to not be seen as a villain anymore. He’s always been type-casted as a villain, and due to that, he always works hard to not be seen in such a negative light. From intense beauty regiments to harsh training, Vil did all those things, so he can attain the beauty he wants and the leading role he wishes to have.

We also know that Rook is the one who knows Vil the most. In Vil’s Lab personal story, Rook even notices that Vil gained weight by noticing the shape of his jawline. As such, Vil takes his word seriously. 

Therefore, it already brings a lot of shame to Vil to be told that he was trusted to not do anything dishonest and cruel, and it’s even more dismaying to hear that he was so obsessed with his self-interests that he’d stoop to such actions to achieve his goals. Adding salt to the wound is someone whom he relied on and who knows him the most pointing out those things to him because to him, it means that he really screwed up. 

Then we have Kalim’s words next:

Kalim: Hey Vil, do you have any idea how stupid the stunt you just tried to pull is?! “We have to put on a show that makes all who come after us look like nothing but potatoes.” Isn’t that what you told us?! Those were your words, but... 

I’ve made a post about Kalim’s anger in this scene and have remarked in there that his anger is shocking because it’s not every day that you get to see that. 

Kalim being the one scolding him might have wounded Vil’s pride even further. If it had been, let’s say, Leona, Vil would probably deck him on the spot and call him out for the Magical Shift incident. But as we all know, Kalim is always seen to be smiling and helping others out. He’s usually never seen angry, aside from the times he was hypnotized, and his dorm members have said that Kalim has always been there for them. Furthermore, outside of the main story, we know that Kalim is part of the so-called “Light Trio” for his usage of light magic in battle and is based on the Sultan, a ‘hero’ character. 

Where am I going with this? What I’m saying is that Kalim, a person that Vil knows as someone happy and kind (and we know as someone who’s based on a hero character), scolding Vil for his actions worsens things because this makes Vil realize that he’s literally being the person he didn’t want to be: a villain, and he’s being confronted by someone with the traits of a hero. 

Now, I mentioned that Vil’s OB is special. Why so? See, despite the things I said about Rook and Kalim above, neither of them are the ones who really pushed the button for Vil’s OB. Their words may have caused Vil to lose it, but they weren’t the true trigger for the OB. In fact, they even tried their best to reassure and comfort Vil, as they say (in the same chapter):

Rook: Roi du Poison... you could never be ugly!  Kalim: That’s right! Besides, neither Neige or Rook ended up drinking the juice! You haven’t hurt anybody yet. So Vil, come back to your senses...

Rather, the one who triggered the OB is Vil himself. After Rook and Kalim’s attempts at comforting him, Vil lashes out, saying:

Vil: Silence! What could you possibly know?! Even if everyone around the world forgives me, I will... I will never forgive myself!

It’s right after this scene that all the ink starts coming out of Vil’s body. The reason why Vil’s OB is self-inflicted is because Kalim and Rook were already helping him by reassuring him that no one was hurt due to his actions. He had the option to regain control over his emotions, but he chose to lash out. It’s evident that he did listen to their words, from the phrase, “Even if everyone around the world forgives me”, but when he said, “I will never forgive myself”, it shows that he’s so full of shame of himself that he can’t believe any reassuring words that people around him would say to him. It’s the shame from feeling so ugly that causes him to push out everyone away from him and eventually pushes him to get rid of everyone so that only he could be the “fairest of them all”. 

This is what makes Vil’s OB special because with the other OBs, there was a clear outside force that pushed the buttons to trigger the OB. With Vil, however, though external forces also catalyzed the chain of events that would lead up to the OB, it’s Vil himself that chose to push away anything that would have helped him regain sanity, thus causing himself to fall into OB. 

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

Though the previous dorm leader contributes to the OB of the next dorm leader (or vice, in Jamil’s case), they aren’t necessarily the ones who trigger the OB, but rather, other characters were the cause of the OB itself. I want to say that I’m not forcing my thoughts onto you with this post, and really, there is a lot of ways you can interpret all these scenes. I’m simply presenting my argument on who really is the real trigger of any of the OBs. 

If you make it up to this point, congratulations to you because this is rather long (12 pages on Google Docs with 5.5k words), and I hope this helps you in any way. 

[cclightroast]

Hi!! ✨✨

I loved the Kotallo fic 😭. I had just gotten his quest where he asks Aloy for help with an arm and i went right to tumblr to find some fics of him . I think he can be very sweet its just hard for him to express it.

A one - shot idea i had was maybe he wants to spend a day out of the base and takes Reader for some machine watching, telling Reader stories of his past . I thought it was a cute idea!

Have a good one ^^

MACHINE WATCHING

When I tell you I ran to my laptop when I saw this! First of all, thank you so much! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my first Kotallo fic! That quest had really sealed the deal of my feelings for him lmao, and the lack of Kotallo content really pushed me out of my comfort zone to post these. I think I'll get the hang of his personality soon, so I apologize if he seems OOC!

~~~~~~~~~

Being cooped up in the base all day was no one's idea of a fun time, well, except maybe for Beta. But for you and Kotallo, base was usually the last place the two of you wanted to be. Not that it wasn’t cozy, it just wasn’t what you were used to.

Plus, you missed nature. Despite the blight taking over and machines attacking everyone who comes within seeing distance, it was beautiful seeing the machines roam and do what they were programmed to.

Kotallo knew this, and even though he tended to keep to himself, he decided that a day out of the base would be good for both of you, at least that is what he told himself. In reality, he just wanted to see you smile.

He had found you directly outside the base, standing over the cliff’s edge, watching the wildlife below. You didn’t seem to mind the morning chill or the snowflakes landing on your skin, and if you did, you never showed it.

The sound of the door opening caused you to look over your shoulder, your expression lifting slightly. “Kotallo,” you began, turning back around to gaze at the sunrise, taking notice of his footsteps getting closer. “Today’s a beautiful day so far. You can hear the machines and creatures so clearly.”

The Marshal hummed, stopping in his tracks once he had made it beside you. “Follow me.” Without another word he began descending the mountain side, and with a raised brow, you began to follow.

By now, you knew how he worked and understood that he was a man of few words, so his short demands never bothered you like they used to when you had first met him. He waited for you at the base of the mountain and only started walking again once you were by his side.

“What adventure are you taking me on today?”

You noticed his lips lilt slightly before returning to his usual brooding expression and thought you were going to get a silent treatment the entire way until he finally answered. “We’re going machine watching.”

“Oh? Are we finding some to hunt?” he never got enough training, so you figured he was going to scope out machines to fight. “No.”

Eyebrows furrowed, you stopped, prompting him to turn and face you. “No?” you questioned, “Just... watching?” he nodded, turning back around.

After standing still for a moment, you shook your head and jogged to catch up to the Tenakth warrior, following him in silence until you reached a meadow of wildflowers on top of a hill. He made it to the edge of the hill and crouched down before waving you over to him.

The meadow was absolutely beautiful and had yet to be touched by the blight, but what was even more stunning was the group of Lancehorns in the fields below, grazing away at the soil. You kneeled next to him and for the first little bit you both sat in silence, you admiring the machines, him admiring you.

“Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful.” You turned to him and felt your cheeks heat up once you saw him already looking at you.

“I knew you would enjoy seeing the machines in a more... peaceful environment.” Chuckling, you nodded in agreement and soon the two of you fell into another comfortable silence. Though this one didn’t last nearly as long as before. Kotallo had startled you out of your trance, “When I was a child, after my parents had died, I spent a lot of time watching machines from a distance.”

The revelation shocked you. In all honesty, he always seemed like the type to train nonstop as a child. “Really?”

He nodded, his focus returning to the Lancehorns. “I always wondered what their purpose was and how they worked, so I would watch them and try to learn from them.”

Humming, you turned to face him completely. “Did you have a favorite machine to study?” He hardly ever spoke of himself and his past, so you were determined to keep him talking about it. Anything to hear him speak.

“Yes, you’re looking at them. There was always an abundance of them in the nearby forest, so they were the most convenient. And... they had a beautiful song.” he held his finger to his lips in a shushing motion, moving your attention from him to the Lancehorns that were now communicating back and forth. Their calls to each other sounding like a melodic chorus.

The sound brought a smile to your face and as you faced Kotallo you saw that he had a smile pulling at his lips too. You reached your hand out, gripping his in order to get his attention, before whispering. “It’s amazing.”

He squeezed your hand in return and the two of you listened as the Lancehorn’s sang their song and grazed until the group finally moved on and the sun began to set behind the mountains.

“We should return to base.” he stood up, reaching out to help pull you to your feet. “I had fun today, and I hope you’ll tell me more about your past whenever you feel comfortable.”

“I didn’t think you would be that interested in my past.” he spoke honestly, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. “Of course I’m interested in your past. I’m interested in you. Every part of you.”

Kotallo’s eyes widened slightly at your bold statement but hid it behind a smile. “Perhaps I’ll indulge you... if you beat me in a game of strike.”

Smirking, you dust yourself off and begin to back away from the marshal. “Well, all right then, let’s get to it.”

“So eager to lose.” he chuckled, following behind you. “No, Kotallo. Eager to win. Even if it means I have to get tips from Erend just to be able to hear your stories.”

“Hm, we shall see.” You didn’t realize but at that moment, Kotallo decided to purposely throw the game of strike. Just to see the smile on your face.

[peakyblindersxx]

whiskey buisness - john shelby x reader (part 2 of ?)

read part one here!

a/n: hey loves! i'm finishing up school rn, but i had to get this out and i'm about to start working on a tommy request immediately after i upload this. anyways, i'm so excited to post this series, it's incredible and i can't thank my bestie @stxdyblr-2k enough. she is a fucking genius :)

prompt: you can't get john out of your head. lo and behold, here he is.

warnings: fluff, mentions of smut, angsty af, soft john (ugh my heart)

Despite your best efforts, you'd been unable to stop yourself yearning for John Shelby. Your pokey flat now often lay empty; you were far too busy to mope at home due to your career as a personal assistant to a local solicitor who was allied with the Shelby's, attending rallies and lectures with Ada and the drunken nights you'd spend at various mansions, galleries and club openings with the "razor chasers" you'd become friendly with due to their refusal to leave Ada alone. Yet still, in those odd seconds of calm you seized over a cigarette, the first seconds after a bump of Tokyo, when you carefully applied your makeup, styled your hair or bathed, you'd think of him. The way the pads of his fingertips felt on your skin, how he’d muttered in your ear how pretty you looked.

But this was different to when you were dreaming about John at 15; he was no longer the allusive older brother of Ada who had a string of beautiful girls on rotation. He wasn’t a fantasy anymore. He was true flesh and blood, and for a moment he had wanted you.

It would be delicious if the whole situation hadn't left a bitter taste in your mouth. Of course you came back to Brum to only immediately fuck it up. The first night, and already you were so close to ruining everything? Looking back, now that you were so close with Ada once more, now that you knew who John had grown to be, that night was cringe inducing. Luckily, no one had seemed to catch on. Luckily, you thrived in the Small Heath rumour mill once again. All the gossip about you was mainly about your substance use, the lads you were seen curling up with outside nightclubs, your intelligence, your helpful nature, sometimes your questionable politics but that was all. John's was far darker, stories of blood, death and gasoline. Recently, the tales of his conquests had quietened, but only due to the lurid delight taken by the factory workers in talking about the recent blinding of some poor fucker who'd crossed the wrong person. Obviously, a lot of the detail had to be exaggerated for shock value and to boost the Shelby status, solidifying them as notorious throughout Birmingham city and its rural surroundings. There were murmurs everywhere about the violent John Shelby: ruthless, cocky, vengeful. It seemed impossible that the same man who cracked shit jokes just to see you smile, kissed you with so much desperation, and prioritised getting you off first could cause such harm without an ounce of guilt or shame to slow his swagger.

Whispers of war were far more constant, but then again, people would say anything for a reaction. You didn't bring it up with Ada. You refused to (openly) partake in mindless gossip on principle, yet you were hungry for information about him.

***********

You'd long forgotten whose wedding you were at. Some loyal blinder, a close friend of the Shelby's, the occasion calling for a large white marquee to be built onto one of Tommy's gardens, fully staffed with the best chef and service team money could buy (from a London restaurant at short notice; when Finn told you the extortionate figure Tommy had paid, your jaw had dropped). The cake, dress and decorations were stunning; you weren't sure exactly what the groom had done for the Shelby's but you could only assume the worst for what they'd splashed out on him.

However, thinking like that only spoilt your night: you'd realised at your fifth club takeover, now you repeated it like a mantra constantly. You'd quickly learnt every excess the Shelby's granted to those outside their circle were due to some perceived sacrifice for being associated with them. Well, that's what you chose to believe after John had sent a junior blinder to your office with a bouquet, the Monday morning after he turned you down. So, it was best to smile and take the shit, get paid, and get out as soon as possible. You were to keep your head down until then.

Yet, keeping your head down was difficult tonight. Ada had treated you to a shopping trip to London for the occasion this morning, Arthur forcing the junior blinders to tag along next to you on the train and trailing less than two metres behind you for hours. You missed the days when it was just you and Ada. It was far more simple without the stares whenever the two of you stepped out. Ada had gotten used to it, she'd devised her own methods of being completely alone; complex plans involving leaving a window open, knotting sheets into a rope and twisting her ankles. Not that she minded, she reckoned the suffocation of being a Shelby was much worse than a few bruised ankles.

You were wearing a clingy emerald green dress from some fancy French boutique you couldn't even pronounce, the diamond necklace sitting along your collarbone and the jewels dangling through your ears were on loan from Ada. You felt eyes unpicking you the moment you entered the after-party. Your arm was linked through Ada's as per usual, she looked equally stylish in a peacock blue number that set off her eyes, her delicate features perfected with makeup.

You'd quickly found your gaggle and began drinking and dancing the night away. Whispers about snow arose from your table, people disappearing to the toilets to rail a line on the bathroom counter, then to the dance floor or to the lap of the poor fucker who'd hold back their hair while they vomited in just a few hours. At least the Blinders were polite about it. Isaiah would kill them if they weren’t. You'd let your arm be tugged on various bathroom trips, treated among your group like secret missions although you weren't entirely subtle about it.

What you weren't aware of was across the marquee, you were being watched by the three men in your life who you'd never want to see you in this state: the Shelby's.

"Looks like Finn's taken your spot, John." Arthur yelled in John's ear over the loud music, gesturing to the youngest Shelby sat at the table next to you who was staring up at you in complete adoration as you chatted across him to Michael, seemingly arguing with him. By the looks of it, you were winning.

John pulled a face at Arthur. “Fuck off, old man. That'll never happen. Finn’s too young for her." He immediately regretted the words that had fallen out of his mouth, revealing far too much for his comfort.

"It's not impossible."

"He's just not right for her, yeah?"

"And you are?"

John didn't bother to bless him with a verbal response, instead flipping him off and downing the rest of his whiskey. "It's not like that."

"What's it like then? Because from where I'm sitting, it's pretty fucking clear, John." Arthur slurred, glass of whiskey sloshing onto his sleeve.

"You're too gone to even know you're chatting shit." John sneered, standing up, "I'm off for a smoke and some fresh air. Try not to fuck anything in my absence, both of you."

His brothers cursed him out as he left. John took a second to figure out his route, purposefully having to cross your path, gesturing for you to follow him subtly. He was surprised you came trailing after him, telling Michael that you weren’t done yelling at him and you’d be back. When you were both only metres from the marquee, he knew you were fucked. You were instantly bored, begging him for a cigarette, which he lit for you, shaking his head at your state.

"You're a fucking mess, love." He said, mouth sloping attractively to one side.

"Takes one to know one, John-boy. Where are we off to, then?"

"Somewhere fucking quiet, can barely hear myself think. Plus, you need to sober the fuck up, lass." He said, softly, as he walked across the dew soaked grass. You followed, heels in hand, holding your dress up as not to ruin it. He sighed, taking the shoes from your hands and wrapping his blazer around your shoulders, linking your arm through his for stability. He kept the distance respectful, but there wasn’t any denying the thick tension in the summer air between the two of you. Ahead, there was a small stone bench sat at the foot of one of Thomas' manicured gardens, and John offered his hand to help you sit. You made small talk and caught up on each other's lives, and you noted John only seemed to glow when you asked about his kids. He talked at length, the drink seemingly unhinging his jaw. There he was again, the John you knew and had admired for so many years. You could sit here forever, watching his blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight. Yet, it just wasn’t meant to be. You wished you could stop time just for a bit, give you enough moments to memorize the freckles on his skin.

"You know the night I first came home?" The alcohol and snow had loosened your lips. You were teetering on the edge of your boundaries, but you couldn't care enough to hold back.

"The night where absolutely nothing happened?" He joked, raising an eyebrow at you, cautious that you'd randomly brought it up in your state. "Sweetheart, this can wait."

He was warning you. For a second you managed to bite your tongue, but curiosity tipped you over the edge.

"But something nearly happened, right?"

"Y/N. Don't." He warned, his tone icy, suddenly distancing from you, hiding between an emotional boundary which he didn't wish to explore.

"John, it's just us. Can't we even talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, though. You were off your face then, and now. That's fine. We know where we stand. It can't happen."

"I wanted to. I do want to."

"You don't. Trust me. You need a nice lad who'll marry you and look after you. Just need to keep your nose clean long enough yeah?" He teased, trying to lighten the mood, blue eyes begging you to move on.

Your head turned to face him, your face contorting in a mixture of confusion and irritation. "You don't get to tell me what I want or need. The last thing I want is to marry any lad, nice or not."

"I didn't mean it like that, right? Look, I just meant you deserve better than Shelby scum. You're going places you know? Don't settle for Small Heath." John responded with a pained sigh. He didn’t want to get into it with you; not here, not like this. He'd thought about it, naturally. You were constantly on his mind, yet only problems ever seemed to appear, never solutions. It was best for him to avoid you. Why the fuck did he drag you out here? Horrible idea.

"Your family isn't scum. Where the fuck did you get that from?" Your face was screwed up in genuine rage. "I-"

"Y/N, fuckin’ leave it."

His face had hardened completely now. He'd snapped at you. His voice hadn't raised, it was just the power he spat his order out with. You held up your hands in mock surrender, pointedly taking a cigarette from his front pocket and light it silently, not saying a word.

"Why are you so bothered, anyways?" He asked, breaking the silence like you knew he would. John always had to ask questions.

"Fuck off with that, John. I'm not in the mood."

"What do you mean?" He looked completely lost.

"We nearly had sex. Just sex, nothing else right?"

John remained silent.

"Would it be the worst thing in the world?" You asked, your voice wavering. It was hard enough to get the words out, let alone imagine the response.

"You're far too wasted to chat about this, love."

"John, I’m not-"

"I'm serious. You're fucking mashed like my brothers aren't you? Like all those other fuckers in there." He sounded genuinely angry. In the glow of the sunset he looked so much younger, so hurt and lonely. Why hadn't you noticed before?

He turned to you, eyes widened and shocked at his own outburst. "You're not the only one gone yeah? Ignore me, I'm fucked, sorry."

You reached out your hand and linked your fingers through his in silence, the warm evening wind ruffling your hair and dress, blocked from your skin by John's suit jacket which was wrapped around your shoulders. Not that anyone would notice or care. As long as Ada wasn't with you, you could disappear for hours without any alarm. There you sat in the tranquil last few moments of the day, your hand linked with John's, both beyond tipsy. You weren’t thinking properly but it felt right. You felt safe. You didn't want to have to return to the chaos of the party, to have to catch up on who your friends were currently trying to screw. None of that seemed to matter anymore.

Was it too much to ask for something to be simple? Maybe you didn't have to fuck him. Maybe just these small moments were enough. You laughed at the thought when it crossed your mind; neither you nor John were known for consistency or stability in relationships, you being admittedly rather inexperienced, only having been with a few men, and he had his fair share of escapades. But he was just so different. You wouldn't admit that he'd gotten your attention in any way than purely sexually (which surprised you to admit) and for fun, but you genuinely enjoyed his presence.

He was right though. It wasn't a good idea at all to hook up. There was far too much baggage for both of you to make it worth it.

Just once?

You glanced over at John. He rolled his eyes at you, but the edges of his lips were slightly upturned, his dimples faintly peeking through his defined cheeks.

Just once couldn't hurt.

***

The sky was streaked with shades of gold, amber and blood. John could feel the friction from your knee barely knocking against his, the pressure putting him on edge. In fairness, he had drunk heavily, and that's what happens when you let your guard down around beautiful women. He couldn't believe you had told him you wanted to have sex with him still. He'd chalked the whole situation down to a drunken mistake that would have progressed into a far more significant drunken mistake. Ada would never forgive him if he went for another of her mates. Especially Y/N. No matter if he said that Y/N could be different, that you wasn't just another conquest. But who'd believe him?

Far better to keep his mouth shut.

Far better to play safe.

As you were called back to the party by the gaggle of girls John vaguely recognised from hanging off the arms of other blinders, he realised (despite his state) that you were right. Having sex with you wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. In fact, it might be one of the best.

Just once?

He watched your figure disappear back into the marquee, waiting for you to turn back and look for him. You do. He would have done the same if it was him.

Maybe just once wouldn't hurt.

***

to be continued!

[seiyasabi]

Momma’s Boy

(This is a Yandere Severus Snape x Hufflepuff! Female Reader story :)) Sorry if this is too OOC!

TW: Bullying!, unhealthy feelings!, manipulation!, Mommy kink!, face sitting!, creampie!, Femdom!, consensual sex!, etc..

Please proceed with caution!)

A wide hand smacks his books from his hands, casting everything onto the cobblestone floor. A soft sigh leaves the blach haired man’s mouth, as he slowly looks up from his belongings, to see a smirking Sirius Black. 

“Watch where you’re going, Snape-boy,” The four males let out ugly laughs, eyes filled with mockery. Severus says nothing, moving to pick up his things, only to be stopped by James. 

“Don’t think that we’ll let you off the hook that easily,” The brunet’s glasses gleam with a dark delight, making the bullied boy gulp in fear, “We’ve seen you creep around that cute hufflepuff- what was her name again?” He pretends to think, allowing a grinning Peter to take over. 

“Yeah, you’ve been creeping around that cutie, (Your Name), for far too long. We’ve noticed you following her like a kicked puppy,” Remus shoves Severus into the wall, causing the 6’1 (1.85 m) man to hit it harshly. 

“Don’t think we haven’t noticed you telling her lies about us,” Confusion is clear on the tall man’s face, causing all four of them to scoff, “She refuses to hang out with us, because she claims we harass you! That’s not true, is it, Snape-boy?” 

“I-well, uhm-”

“I-well, uhm,” James mocks, a knowing grin on his devilish features, “Don’t be nervous, we won’t hurt you.”

“Well, you lot haven’t been too kind to me these past few years,” More scoffs echo off the cobblestone walls, making the tall man feel small. 

“That’s not true, and you know it. We’ve been joking around with you, because we’re friends, aren’t we?” Remus reassures condescendingly, “Plus, friends tell friends when they’re wrong. You’re wrong for pursuing (Your Name), because Remus, here,” He slaps the dirty blond man on the back good-naturedly, “Liked her first. So, having you around, writing in your creepy notebooks about her, will no longer be appreciated.” 

An angry flush covers Snape’s pale cheeks, “It-it’s not like that! (Your Name) is my friend, please don’t make me-”

“Make you? We never make you do anything. We’re just suggesting you leave her alone, unless you want us to take matters into our own hands.” 

Sweat beads on the brow of the black haired man, as he tried to look around for anyone willing to help. No one besides the five of them are in the hall. 

“No,” The four raise a collective eyebrow at his disobedience, “No, I won’t stop being friends with (Your Name). I don’t care what you do to me.”

“That’s sweet, really, but I’m going to have to change your mind,” Remus snarls, his hands balling into fists. In a swift motion, the dirty blond man starts to punch at Severus’ face and chest. The tall man doesn’t have time to put his hands up, getting wailed in the head and torso multiple times. 

The blond’s friends jump in as well, quickly bringing their victim to the floor. Their kicks and hits are rapid paced, disorienting him relatively quickly. He curls into the fetus position, trying to protect his head, luckily stopping their punches. 

His assault continues for a few moments more, before he’s dragged to his feet, and held against the wall by the collar of his shirt, “Are you going to leave her alone now?” 

Snape shakes his head, blood dripping down his face, entire body aching, “No, I won’t. I let you lot walk all over me for far too long. We’re in our last year, why are you acting as if we’re first years?” 

Remus tightens his grip around his collar, teeth bared like an animal, “That’s the wrong answer.”

The blond raises a fist to punch him once more, only to be stopped by a familiar voice. 

“What are you doing?” Your concerned voice rings through the hall, along with your running footsteps. Hurrying up to the group of boys, you start to shove at Remus, trying to break his hold on your close friend (crush), “Let him go! Are you crazy?” 

Your friends are seen down the hall, looking at you in both surprise and slight disdain, “(Your Name), stay out of their business. Once they settle it, everything will be fine-”

“You can’t honestly think that I’ll let them hurt Severus! He’s our friend, and-”

“Stop standing up for him, he’s a total creep. The Marauders are doing you a favour-” You block out what your friends are saying, continuing to push at the blond’s hands. 

“Stop it, Remus! Just leave him alone!” He quickly pulls away, causing you to sigh in relief, only for you to be the one pinned against the wall. Your friend is being held by the blond’s lackeys, holding him back from helping you. Your other friends watch on in horror.

“Why must you always get in my way, Love? I’m trying to teach him a lesson,” You wrinkle your nose in disgust, trying to wriggle out of his grip. 

“Don’t call me that. Just leave Severus and I alone. I understand that you have taken a liking towards me, but that doesn’t excuse your horrid behaviour. If anything, it makes me dislike you! You’re nasty, big headed, crude, and mean for virtually no reason! I don’t understand why you and your friends act this way-”

“He doesn’t deserve your affection!” He blurts out without thinking, his grip on your wrists tightening, “He hangs around you like a dark shadow, he makes everyone around him uncomfortable-”

“I think he’s cute,” You snap out uncharacteristically, “In fact, him following me around is harmless; you following me around, on the other hand, is very harmful. People are afraid to talk to me because of you, and he’s one of the only people who stayed being my friend. I don’t want to hear you talk badly about him, when he has made my life better than it was before.”

Remus releases you after a long moment of silence, a hurt look on his handsome features, “Fine. Stay with the freak if you want to, just don’t come crying to me-”

“I won’t. I won’t seek you out, ever,” The blond motions towards his friends, prompting them to release your friend. You hurry to the dark haired man, cupping his face with soft hands, “Are you alright, Severus? They didn’t hurt you too badly did they?” His lip trembles, signaling oncoming tears, prompting you to turn towards your friends and wave off their concern, “It’s alright, you guys go to class, I’ll take him to the nurse.”

They stalked off, Remus constantly looking back at you. Unfortunately for him, all of your attention is on a certain tall man. 

“Come along, Sev, let’s go to the nurse,” He shakes his head as he sobs uncontrollably, “No? Well, I can’t let you stay battered… Do you want to go to my dormitory? I’ll heal you there,” He nods, allowing you to half-drag-half-pull him towards the Hufflepuff dorm. You’d picked up his things and set them in your satchel, before heading off. Many cast the Slytherin man questioning looks, but quickly realised who was helping him. You’re known as one of the kindest souls at Hogwarts, so it’s not too unlike you to help the freaks of the school. 

Once in your room, you help him sit on your full size mattress. You share the room with only one other girl, leaving two empty beds between the both of you. Luckily, she’s out of the room, most likely at her boyfriend’s dorm room. 

Sitting beside him, you quickly pull out your wand, “This might feel a bit weird, but I promise I’m helping,” You murmur a healing spell to yourself, watching as his skin becomes smooth and even toned once more, “There we go! Good as-oh no, why are you crying again? Did it hurt?” 

Hearing your distraught voice, he tries to comfort you whilst bawling his eyes out, “Nu-no, no, you du-did nothing wu-wrong,” He throws his arms around you, bringing you into a tight hug, “It-it’s just… You treat me so well, and-and I love you so much-” He cuts himself off to hide his face in your neck. Oh no, he just accidentally confessed!

You giggle to yourself at his shy behaviour, and run a hand through his messy hair, “It’s because I love you too, silly,” When you say that, Severus practically feels his soul leave his body. His Darling loves him?

“You-you love me too?” Nodding against him, you cuddle him sweetly. You rub his back reassuringly, rocking him slightly. 

“Yep! I’ve liked you for the past few years, but I never had the courage to confess,” He raises his head, looking at you with watery eyes. 

“Really?” When you nod, he can’t help himself, “Can I- Can I please have a kiss?” 

“Of course!” You lean forward, giving him a sweet peck. Severus practically creams his pants at the feeling of your lips on his. Seeing his bright red face, you frown a bit, moving his hair out of his face, “Are you alright? Did I make you feel uncomfortable?” 

“No! No, it was nice,” A dreamy smile crosses his handsome features, as he leans in again, “Can I please have another one?” Smiling, you nod, smooching him softly once more. 

This, in turn, turns into a whole makeout session. You slide onto his lap, making it easier for you to reach his mouth. Your new seating arrangements allow you to feel his hard cock under your ass, a small smile quirking its way onto your lips, “Are you excited, Sevvy?” You hear a small whimper in response, causing you to giggle, “Do you want me to help you?”

“Please?” Instead of responding, you start to grind against his clothed cock. Your panty clad cunny is directly against his fly, your skirt just barely covering your ass. Grabbing his hands, you place them on your hips, their massive size making you feel secure. Severus whines at your grinding movement, hips bucking into your own. To silence him, you give him an open mouthed kiss, your tongue dominating his own. 

Drawing away from his mouth, there’s a long string of saliva connecting you both together. Using a manicured finger, you break it, and bring it to your mouth. Your tongue darts out, licking your shared spit off seductively, “Do you want me to fuck you, Sevvy? Wanna be inside of me?” 

“Yes! Yes, please!” You run a hand over his clothing clad chest, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Okay, Baby. Do you want me to suck your cock? Or do you wanna eat me out?” His hands grip at the fat of your hips, drool practically dripping from his gaping mouth. 

“Let me eat you, please,” Snape begs, bucking slightly into you. You cup his face with both hands and grin, pinching his cheeks teasingly. 

“Okie dokie, Sevvy. Lay back for me,” He drops back like a corpse, flopping haphazardly on your, surprisingly comfortable, mattress. Unzipping your uniform skirt, you slide it down your legs, tossing it on the other side of your bed. Your cute boyfriend gasps at the sight of your thong, never seeing one before. Chuckling at his shocked reaction, you quickly strip yourself of your blazer and dress shirt, exposing your lace bralette, “Do you like what you see?” 

His head practically snaps off his neck with how fast he nods, “You look so… so beautiful, (Your Name). I feel so lucky to see you this way,” A dark blush coats your (skin colour) cheeks, as you look away a bit shyly. 

“Thank you. Will you let me see you undressed?” He squeaks out a ‘yes,’ prompting you to practically rip off his slacks, dress shirt, and blazer. Only in his drawers, your heart jumps into your throat. His broad shoulder and lightly muscled abdomen look wonderfully full, and the very apparent bulge in his boxers make you lick your lips hungrily, “Are you ready to eat my pussy, Sev?”

“Yes, please sit on my face,” You gawk at his out-of-character words, but do as he asks. Slipping your panties off, you scoot forward, placing your bare cunny on his awaiting maw. He helps you settle on him by wrapping his arms around your (Size) thighs, relishing the feeling of your fat being squished between his forearm and bicep. 

Because he wrapped his arms over your legs, he is able to part your pussy lips, giving him easy access to your throbbing core. He gives an experimental lick to your slit, making your legs tremble. Now knowing that he’s doing something right, he dives in like  a man starved. His teeth lightly nip at your engorged clit, all whilst his tongue dips into your dripping hole. A squeal leaves your lips, signaling the pleasure you’re currently feeling. 

Gripping his head by his hair, you throw your head back in pleasure, “Ye-yes! You’re doing so well for me!” He keens at your praise, increasing the speed of his ministrations. Though you can tell that he’s a virgin, he’s exceeding your expectations by a long shot. Lightly grinding against his face, more moans and whimpers leave your throat, your entire body becoming rigid as your orgasm approaches. With one last well placed suck, you’re cumming into his open mouth. Your juices run down his chin and splash against his cheekbones, causing Snape’s heart to practically beat out of his chest. You’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

Moving off of his face, you pat him on the head affectionately, “Did I do good?” He wipes some of your juices off of his mug, before slurping them down. 

“You were amazing, Sevvy. Have you done this before?” He shakes his head no, making you coo softly, “You’re a natural! Such a good boy.”

“Thank you, Mommy,” It’s like his entire body took a screenshot, with how still he became. He must have thought you’d be disgusted… but you aren’t. Instead, a small moan leaves your lips, before you bring him up into a hug. 

“My Baby Boy likes calling me Mommy? You’re so adorable,” You reach down to his cock, pulling him out with a tender touch. His tip is a dark pink, his precum dripping down his thick length. A large vein runs up the underside of his circumcised prick, and you can’t wait to sit on it, “Is it ok for Mommy to sit on your pretty cock, Sevvy?” You slip him between your cunny lips, grinding down on his length, and mixing your liquids together. 

“Ye-yes, Mommy! Please, please fuck me!” Taking him in one hand, you guide him to your opening, before pushing his tip inside teasingly. His whimper causes a gush of your slick to coat his length, helping you ease down him, until your pelvises touch. You can feel his dark, trimmed pubic hair rub against your cunny, making you squeeze down experimentally, “You-you’re so tight!” 

Smiling at him coyly, you reach behind you, and unclasp your bra, letting your perfect tits jiggle enticingly. You toss it aside, before grasping Severus’ hands, and guiding them to your breasts. He immediately squeezes, loving the feeling of them in his hands. You let out a small whimper, moving your hips in a circular motion, ultimately grinding him against your cervix. 

“Can I move, Pretty Boy?” Groans of pleasure rattle his chest, as you start to suck dark hickies onto his pristine skin. 

“Yes! Yes!” Giggling, you quickly lift your hips almost off of his cock, before slamming down harshly. Both of you groan in pleasure, signaling you to increase your pace. Moving at lightning speed, you start to bounce rapidly. Tits jiggling in the Slytherin boy’s hands, you bring him into a heated kiss. 

You swallow down his desperate whines, your hands pulling at his unkempt locks. Juices dripping down his cock, both of your thighs are quickly covered by your essence. His abdomen rubs against your clit with every bounce, bringing you closer and closer to your release. 

Breaking from the kiss, you suck on the skin of his throat, before speaking, “You’re so big, Sevvy. My pussy can barely handle how thick you are,” His hips meet yours, hitting your cervix harshly. A loud moan escapes you, “Fu-fuck! You’re so good for Mommy! Come on, Darling, meet my movement, and you can cum inside.”

At your words, he starts a breakneck pace, meeting your every movement with a mighty thrust. Your hands reach up to pinch his pretty, pink nipples, making him falter in his movements. 

“Mommy! Mommy-you feel so good! Please let me cum inside!” Increasing almost impossibly in speed, you feel yourself quickly hurtling over the edge. 

“Gu-go ahead! Mommy wants you to cum with her!” With one last sitting movement, the both of you orgasm harshly. Your back arches almost painfully, as you feel him fill you to the brim with thick, hot cum. Your own juices squirt out, coating the both of you in a sheen of white sperm and a glossy cunny juice. 

Severus face plants into your chest, practically drowning in your perfect teats. Whilst catching your breath, you run your hands through his hair, loving how silky the strands are. 

“You did well, Sevvy. You were so good for me,” You fully embrace him, as he buries his head further into your plush chest. 

“Th-thank you, Mommy, I’m glad I was good enough for you,” Bringing his face up to your level (wish is relatively hard, because he’s tall), you smile sweetly at him. 

“You’re always enough for me,” Kissing him on the forehead, you cuddle into him for a while longer. 

While you’re content and happy, Severus is over the moon. 

The girl he’d pined over for years is finally within his grasp! He’d have to write this moment down the moment he gets to his dorm! 

He’s just one step closer to stealing her away the moment they graduate. Hopefully, you’ll still be the homemaker he knows you’re meant to be, even if you’re a bit angry at him at first. 

Wrapping his arms tightly around you, he knows that you’re the only one for him. Hopefully, you think the same, too.

[undertale-data]

[Image Description: an Undertale chat box that has “MINOR CHARACTERS and NPCS” in its center. Next to it is a radar and a line chart from the Dating Hub. End I.D.]

The depth and variety of NPC characters in Undertale is an amazing quality of the game.  Many Undertale fans have grown attached to minor characters that may not even have any speaking lines.  The goal of this section of the survey was to showcase the love fans have for the broad cast of loveable background monsters, and see which of these monsters stand out the most.

If you participated in the survey, you may realize that the NPC and/or minor character question was the only question that was completely free-response.  This allowed for a very wide range of answers—a total of 126 distinct NPCs were listed by responders. However, this freedom meant that some responders were unsure of which characters counted as minor characters.  Often in their responses people would ask if their character counted as minor.  This question was especially common among those who picked Burgerpants, Temmie, Muffet, Gaster, and Grillby.  This seems to be a testament to these characters’ popularity in fandom.  Though most of them only have a few lines at most, their fans consider them a major part of the game.  More fans may enjoy these characters, but not have listed them because they did not consider them minor enough.

On the other hand, there were a few responses for characters such as Chara, Asriel, and Sans, who would not count as minor characters for the purposes of this survey.  Though Chara and Asriel may not appear for long, their story is integral to the plot of the game.

This brings us to our methods for processing the responses given about NPCs and minor characters.  Characters that were not minor (Chara, Asriel, etc.) were removed from the responses, as were characters that do not belong to Undertale canon (Deltarune-specific characters and Undertale AU characters).  Each response was transcribed by Ficus Licker to create a standardized tally of votes.  For example, responses that listed “the bunny who runs the shop in Snowdin,” “the shopkeeper bunny,” and “bunny shopkeeper” would all be listed in the graph and word cloud as “Snowdin Shopkeeper.” Some responses for specific NPCs were consolidated into their major grouping.  For example, Gaster Follower #2 was lumped with “Gaster Followers” in the data; in contrast, “Bob” was listed separately from the other Temmies.  If a responder described a character but did not know their name, the character’s name was counted, as far as we could understand who they were referring to.  There were a few specific bunnies without names that were described and may have been listed simply as “bunny.”  The names chosen for the survey were either the characters’ names as listed on the Undertale Wiki, or the most recognizable abbreviation (“small gap bird” being substituted for “bird that carries you over a disproportionately small gap.”

Without further ado: the top 25 Undertale NPCs (under the cut)

[Image Description: a horizontal side graph titled “TOP 25 FAVORITE UNDERTALE NPCS.” From top (least) to bottom (greatest): Scarf Mouse, with 25 votes; Mad Mew Mew, with 30 votes; everyone, with 32 votes; Onionsan, 33 votes; Naracat Jester, 37 votes; all dogs, 43 votes; Lesser Dog, 43 votes; Nice Cream Guy, 46 votes; Woshua, 46; Annoying Dog, 47; Froggit, 49; W.D. Gaster, 53; Fuku Fire, 54; Small Gap Bird, 58; Heats Flamesman, 61; Snowdin Shopkeeper, 62; Muffet, 63; Napstablook, 78; Gerson, 80; Riverperson, 81; Shyren, 93; Grillby, 110; Temmie, 143; Burgerpants, 148; and, finally, Monster Kid, with 169 votes. End I.D.]

After all the data was compiled, Monster Kid was by far the most popular NPC according to the responses.  This may be because they fit in that “sweet spot” where they are not popular enough to have a large and vocal fan following, so fans consider them a minor character, while still being very memorable.  Some fans still asked if they counted as a minor character.  The prompt did not specifically ask for what fans like about the minor character(s) they picked, so there is less information on why Monster Kid is a fan favorite.  Of those who did give a more detailed response, some of the highlights were mentions of them being baby, being a good friend, and being cool.  Here is one fan’s response about them for reference:

“I like Monster Kid! they're such a fun character and I like how we journey with them in Waterfall for a while. their idolization of Undyne is adorable and pretty nice, i like how he was quick to defend us (the player) during the pacifist and neutral routes where in we help him up, meaning that even if faced against their idol, they will defend their friend rather than let her harm them, plus i find it pretty cool that they become a fan of Papyrus at the end of the Pacifist route, and it also makes sense knowing how nice and positive the guy is.”

It would be impossible to go into this much detail about the other popular NPCs, but the next top four favorite NPCs were Burgerpants, Temmie, Grillby, and Shyren.  Shyren in particular was more popular than we had expected. Hum hum hum. 

Another interesting sidenote is that Gaster only had 53 votes (2.0% of responders), despite appearing in 13.2% of Undertale fics on AO3 at the time this was written.  From this contrast, we hypothesize that many people did not think to pick Gaster as a favorite NPC due to his status as a major character in fandom.  A few responders who chose “I don’t care for any of the main Undertale characters” mentioned Gaster in their explanation, lending more weight to this theory.

It has been inspiring to see the amount of love that fans have for each minor monster in Undertale.  I do not know if there was any NPC, named or unnamed, who did not have at least one vote. 

(Even Jerry.)

[Image Description: a lumpy wordcloud with no definied shape. The text is all capitalized, and is colored blue and green. Some of the most visible words are: Monster Kid, Burgerpants, Temmie, Grillby, Shyren, and Gerson, which represent the most common NPCs that responders chose to list. End I.D.]

View the full NPC results in table format by clicking here.

[aristobun]

‘ Tulliver— ‘ her breath catches momentarily as she spots him walking further down the road toward her. ‘ What are you doing here? ‘ she breaks the silence, which in turn breaks the smile on his face as she asks such a question.

It seemed her voice was filled more with malice than kindness and happiness, though if he remembered correctly, their parting had not been on such good terms. They had heated debates a lot in the past and both said things they wish they hadn’t, but one of those moments turned into Tully storming out of their shared apartment and disappearing out of her life for almost four years without so much as a phone call.

Helene was someone who could absolutely hold a grudge for the rest of her life is she wanted to and though she was very bitter toward him now, the sight of him caught her off guard enough to prompt nerves. She remained seated on the steps at the front of her property and did not budge, even when he opened the gate and took another few steps forward.

‘ You not happy to see me, duchess? ‘ he tries on the charm, a little at a time as he notices how abrasive she is being with him at the moment and he almost wants to tell her off.

‘ The last time we were together, Tully, you called me a spoiled brat with a flower complex, ‘ she seethed these words, hissing at him and standing from her perch to head back indoors.

Tully was hot on her heels, though, muttering under his breath about saying the wrong things when he gets mad and no way at all did he mean anything he said. He closes the door behind them and follows her through to the kitchen, still listening to the constant rambling she’s got going on regarding his temper and how he needs to shape up and sort it out already.

‘ Darlin’ .. you know already I don’t ever mean the shit that comes out when we’re fighting. I never have, but you’re not all innocent here either, if I remember right. You called me a wannabe Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, who is wonderful in his own right.. but, Hel, I’m not an interior designer, ‘ he snarks, scoffing a little at the fact she would even suggest it.

‘ Tully, you paint and decorate houses for a living. Just because you don’t wear the fancy suits and talk all campy doesn’t mean you’re not an interior designer. Most people prefer the term, plus it ties everything together nicely in my opinion, ‘ she claims, finding him a cider from the fridge.

Tully accepts the drink with a forced smile, trying to adjust to the title but figuring it would always make him feel superior when he actually believed himself to be the opposite. Paint and Plus sounded like a better option to him.

‘ I think we’re getting a little off track here, Hel. How about we discuss these last few years and see where we’re at, ‘ he pipes up, breaking the rising tension that always went down with the pair of them and he figured it was a zodiac thing.

Both of them are fiery and neither backs down from a fight, so he chose that moment then to stop it in its tracks before he’d have to leave once more. Given the trip he had taken to get here, he didn’t much feel like doing that. New York to England was one hell of a trip he didn’t fancy taking twice in a day.

‘ Fair enough. I’ve set up my own little florist by the shore and I’m now living here in this two bedroom house about fifteen minutes from my old man. I kept getting visits for a while from that jackass Joel even though we broke up years before you and I even met.. and whenever he showed up he beat me and sometimes took money.. and I have a dog, Pippin, ‘ she rants the bulk of her life story at him before hitting pause.

‘ Helene— ‘ he begins, stepping forward and cupping the side of her face with his hand, ‘ I’m so sorry you’ve dealt with that. Never understood men who can do that so effortlessly and not beat themselves up over it.. I hope he’s long gone now, ‘ eyes shine with fresh tears as he almost weeps for her.

The woman leans into the touch as though she’s been missing it all these years and, truth be told, she has, despite the fights and the bickering. She knew that Tully never would strike her no matter the circumstances and as she stepped further into his space, she lifted her arms to wrap them around his frame, feeling his own tug her closer and breathe in her scent.

‘ Where is this dog of yours? ‘ he asks, breaking the silence to figure out why the house was so silent.

‘ My best friend, you remember Col? She’s taken him out for a walk for me. I’ve only been home about 20 minutes so she stops by everyday before 4pm to take him to the park, ‘ she answers, smiling fondly at the change of subject. ‘ So, what about you? Do you have your own place, a dog? ‘ she adds.

‘ I’m still in our apartment back in New York, ‘ he admits, that familiar sheepish look dancing across his face as she laughs and pulls him in for another long embrace. ‘ No dogs, never did get around to that.. but I did have a hamster for a month or two and then he passed. His name was Cookie, ‘ he chuckles.

‘ I’m sorry about Cookie, I bet he was fun. I had a hamster when I was little.. used to run around her cage like lightning and whenever I would let her roam the room, she was just as fast. I think their little hearts give out far too soon from all that fast paced living they do, ‘ she laughs a little at the idea.

‘ Yea.. much too fast for their tiny little bodies, ‘ he agrees, his calm and collected attitude rubbing off on her now as he sees she is relaxing more in his presence. ‘ Helene.. would you have dinner with me? ‘ he asks, bracing for a resounding no.

‘ Of course I will, Tully, ‘ she offers, blushing a soft hue of pink and just about having enough time to catch her breath before he pulls her in once again, only this time, he moves in for a kiss instead of an embrace and she reciprocates.

[leopardmask-ao3]

10 Weeks of Celebration for 10 Weeks of Hermitcraft Prompt List

Week 3: Hermits Behind The Craft

This one got a little out of hand in terms of sticking to the prompt, lol. The prompt this week is "Hermits Behind The Craft"; in a visual medium, this was intended to mean the hermits in their IRL lives, but the vast majority of us writers don't write about the IRL hermits - just their characters. So my original intent was a c!hermit backstory... and then I decided well maybe just A Story with some exposition about backstory... and then this happened instead.

Read it on ao3 or

Hypno stirred awake with a groan. He was slumped in a chair, with his hands bound uncomfortable behind him. He struggled to lift his head and look around.

"Hello, admin."

Hypno squinted, still dizzy from the scuffle that had knocked him out. A strand of hair fell in his face. "...What?"

"You are an admin, aren't you?" his captor asked. "You have the admin-issue communicator to prove it. Doubtless inherited, or more likely not-so-freely given, from a predecessor."

"What are you talking about?" Hypno strained against the rope around his wrists. The way this guy was talking meant he knew about Hypno's powers, too. And Hypno was missing his coat. If they had that, and had searched it well enough to find his communicator, then that meant they also had-

His captor just gave a slight laugh at Hypno's increasingly frantic struggles. "You want your tools back? You'll get them - once you show us how they work."

Hypno tried to calm his breathing. They had his pocketwatch! He had to get it back, for his own sake if nothing else. This guy couldn't use it the way Hypno did, at least; there was really nothing special about it to anyone else but Hypno. He had had it for many, many years. He knew every etching in its surface, the way it clicked open and shut, its exact feel in his hands. Even just touching it kept him grounded in reality when he was pushing at people's minds and intentions and they were, whether knowingly or not, pushing back.

But it wasn't the source of his power. That was innate, and couldn't be taught to his captors. Which was a relief, but also a worry. They wouldn't get their wish of absolute psychic control over others... but if they didn't, they weren't likely to let Hypno have his pocketwatch back. Or let him go.

"What do you want with my stuff?" Hypno asked. He had a decent idea of their plan, but he wanted as much information as he could get. Plus, it might give him some extra time to make a plan.

"Well, the same thing you use it for," the captor replied. "Ruling a place and its people absolutely. All control, no conflict. An admin who can tell his people what to do and they will do it without question."

Hypno barked out a short laugh. He couldn't help himself. These people actually thought that Hypno was... some sort of mind-controlling dictator? Just because he had his psychic abilities and because he - along with a few other hermits - shared some admin responsibilities so that Xisuma didn't have to handle it all himself? "Wow. You've really got your information wrong about me. How did you even manage to find me?"

While his captor talked, Hypno gradually pushed at his power. It would be very hard to use it subtly without the focus of silver, and easy to lose sight of what was needed without his grounding, but he could use it this way. "Maybe I can still help," Hypno finally told the man, deliberately holding eye contact. "Why don't you untie me, and show me where my things are, and then we can get started, okay?" Come on...

The man's eyes dulled a little. He frowned, apparently unsure about his next action. "Yes, we'll do that," he said after some delay.

"You trust that I won't run away." Yet.

"I... trust that you won't run away."

The man walked around behind Hypno's chair and started working at the knot in the rope around his wrists. Hypno had just felt it start to loosen enough when the man suddenly stopped. "Wait. You-!"

Hypno lunged forward, pulling himself free. He whipped around and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the captor, who had just started to angrily rise and give chase, toppled to the ground, asleep.

Hypno swayed slightly, shook his head to try to clear it, brushed his hair away from his face again - his bandana must have gotten lost in the scuffle that had gotten him here - and hastily looked through any drawers and cupboards he could find in the room. Neither his watch nor his communicator were in them. Of course they weren't; that would be too risky.

He cautiously opened the door onto a hallway. A guard stood outside. Their eyes widened as they saw him, but before the alarm could be raised, they were lost in Hypno's gaze. Hypno stood still for a moment, trying to remember what he was doing without losing the guard.

Oh. Right. "Do you know where my stuff is? Little grey box about the size of a hand, and a silver pocketwatch?"

The guard paused, then nodded.

"Tell me where they are."

The guard directed him to a doorway just around the corner. Hypno thanked them, snapped his fingers again, and watched the guard crumple like a broken marionette. He rounded the corner to see another guard outside an otherwise unassuming door.

Snap. Sleep. Hypno was about to step over the guard when something caught his attention. "Wha- hey! You took my coat!"

He knelt down, his fatigue almost tipping him over, and quickly stripped the long coat off the sleeping guard. Yup, this was definitely Hypno's - he recognized the secret pockets. He shrugged it on, pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes again, and half-staggered into the small room beyond.

The number of compartments to search wasn't many, but it felt overwhelming, and it didn't help that they were blurring and doubling the longer Hypno stared. He took a deep breath, reminded himself what he was doing, and started searching.

His hand landed on a cool, familiar silver object. Hypno let out a long sigh and grasped his pocketwatch as though it were a lifeline, running his thumb along the chain and over the intricate engravings.

He had to get out of here. 

He was still fatigued from having to use his powers in big, unfocused bursts, but at least Hypno was a little more grounded now, his thoughts a little more clear. With another minute of searching, he found a door to the outside. On the way, he fumbled with his communicator long enough to set a homing distress beacon.

When he got there, the mental exhaustion suddenly hit him hard. There was a big wide world outside the building he had been kept in, and his friends would find him soon, but in the meantime, what could he do... except let his legs carry him as far away as he could?

Hypno held out his pocketwatch in front of himself and started swinging it, as if using it on someone else. But instead, he started following its motion, watching his reflection move back and forth... back... and forth. Staring past that stupid piece of hair into his own, tired eyes. If his mind wasn't up to the task of escape, he could just... shut it off for a while. "Keep moving," he murmured to himself, putting power into his words, but turning that power inward. "Keep going this way as long as you can. Until a hermit finds me."

A bucket of water splashed onto Hypno's face.

"Ghapfthuh-" Hypno flailed and sputtered awake, finding himself looking up at a bearded, worried face. It was... it was... oh, gods, had the ungrounded psych attacks messed him up that much? He fumbled instinctively for a specific pocket in his coat.

"It's there, don't worry," the person above him said, obviously relieved. "I'm sorry, I know you aren't big on people touching it, but I had to handle it to make sure it was somewhere you could find."

Hypno pressed the watch into his palm and stared at it. Focusing on it, its weight and texture, the way it bent reflections. He saw the reflection of the other person in it, and recognized him. After a few moments, Hypno sighed and looked up again, this time with a smile. "xB. You guys did find me."

"Of course we did, dude. We weren't just gonna leave you there, especially once your distress signal went off. We had to bring you home."

[cryingoverafictionalcharacter]

Prompt: Veritaserum is one of the most powerful potions in the wizarding world, a few drops able to make the one who takes it to reveal their deepest secrets with no hesitation. So of course Fred and George learn how to make it for a prank, however it quickly backfires when they test it out on Y/N, who happens to have a crush on the older Weasley twin.

Warnings: swearing? Kind of angsty for like two seconds, That’s it really.

A/N: Sorry I haven’t written in so long, finals are kicking my ass and I barely have time to myself anymore. That being said, I hope you enjoy! This idea has been rattling around my brain for a while.

You sat in the Gryffindor common room, sipping hot coco and enjoying the rare silence as you read a book. You had just gotten to the end of your chapter when a pair of red haired boys walked in, interrupting your solitude.

“Hello Y/N” George greeted you, sitting in the open spot next to you, George following his movements on the other side of you.

“What do you want?” You asked, not looking up from your book. You could tell by Fred's’ tone that he was planning something, and you had no interest in being a part of it.

“Now dear Y/N, why do you think we want something from you?” Fred asked, having a very similar expression to his brother.

Instead of replying you simply gave Fred a look as if to ask ‘do I look stupid?’ Fred got the message and his face shifted from a fake casual look to a smile.

“You know us so well” He laughed, causing you to shake your head and close your book.

“Unfortunately” You sighed, putting your book to the side to give the boys your full attention.

In fact, you did know the twins well, almost better than they knew themselves. You had met them in your first year, and when you were sorted into Gryffindor, the three of you became inseparable, in fact, you were one of the only people who were able to tell them apart. However, you couldn’t deny that you and Fred spent a bit more time together, whether it be in class or on the quidditch pitch, you were constantly making each other smile and laugh, and you knew you could tell him anything. Well, except for the fact that you also happened to have a massive crush on him since fourth year. That would remain a secret.

You watched as the boys moved to sit on the couch across from you, now facing you with a similar smile on their faces.

“We have what could quite possibly be, the best prank in Hogwarts history” George said, trying to sell you on their idea, which you still haven't heard.

“What would you say” Fred started “if you could ask Snape any question you wanted. Anything from test answers to the color of his underwear-”

“Eww” You interrupted

“Exactly! The blackmail potential, the humiliation, the revenge. What would you say?” George finished looking at you.

“I would say you’ve both lost your marbles. Snape hardly speaks let alone confesses those types of things” You said

“But what if... We had a way to make sure he did” Fred asked.

You finally put the pieces together, your jaw dropping to the floor. “How did you-”

“Snape has a book of rare spells and potions” George started

“And we checked it out for the weekend” Fred finished.

“So you stole it” You stated

“More like borrowed, for educational purposes” Fred argued

“Its all set up. We’ll sneak it into his pumpkin juice before class, spread out the word and by second period tomorrow, we’ll have gotten revenge from all the torment. All you need to do, is make sure the potion works” George said, making your eyes widen.

“I’m not taking that!” You practically yelled. You trusted the boys to not ask you any questions that were too personal, that being said, there was still a lot of room for embarrassment, or for the potion to go completely wrong.

“Oh come on Y/N, worst case scenario it doesn’t work” George defended, but Fred could tell you still weren’t convinced.

“Hey” Fred said, leaning forward and gently grabbing your hand, squeezing it comfortingly “I promise we wouldn’t ask if there were risks that could hurt you”

You were to focused on containing the butterflies that had erupted in your stomach from Fred’s touch to notice how George looked between the two of you, or how he suddenly seemed to have an idea.

“Ok fine” You said, causing the two boys to cheer, before George turned and dug out a small glass vial from his bag.

“Two drops should do the trick” George said, adding a few drops of the liquid into your drink from earlier. 

You picked up the drink and eyed it, considering backing out but the thought of finally getting back at Snape for humiliating you, and so many others took over. Taking a breath, you finished your drink and set down the mug.

“How long until it starts working?” You asked after a few seconds, not feeling any different.

“It should take effect immediately” Fred said, looking at you for any sign of discomfort or change in mood. “What’s two plus two?”

“Four” You said

“You need to ask better questions than that! Something to prove she can only tell the truth” George said, turning his attention back to you “How old where you when you had your first kiss?”

“Fourteen” You said, surprised at how the words seemed to tumble out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“What’s your most embarrassing story from Hogwarts?” Fred asked

“I once accidentally called Professor McGonagall mom in front of the entire class in first year... fuck you weren't supposed to know about that. Stop asking embarrassing questions you git!” You yelled at the older red head, who simply laughed and shook his head.

“No, I think this is quite fun actually” He said, before George continued.

The questions went on for a few minutes, asking you things from what your favorite color was, to the worst date you’ve ever been on, but finally, the two red heads seemed convinced.

“Alright, it seems like its working” George started, but the glint in his eye showed that he wasn’t quite finished yet. “Who do you have a crush on?”

You couldn’t cover your mouth fast enough. You couldn’t think to run away before the name was tumbling from your lips. You couldn’t do anything but sit and watch in horror, as you answered the question.

“Fred Weasley”

The room went dead silent, the only sound coming from the clock in the corner of the room. 

“Y/N I-” Fred started, but you stood up and ran out of the room before he could say anything else.

“I knew it!” George shouted with glee once you were out of earshot, causing Fred to whip his gaze to glare at his brother.

“George what the fuck!” Fred yelled, anger evident in his voice.

“What? You’ve been pining over her like a sad puppy for over a year. Now you finally know” George defended, watching as his older brother quickly stood to follow you.

You had ran as fast as you could, weaving through students and running through corridors before you finally found yourself sitting at a hidden spot by the black lake, finally letting the tears you had been fighting go.

You had liked Fred since fourth year. You had been yelled at in front of the whole class, and were so humiliated you skipped the rest of the school day. Fred had found you, and talked with you all day, making you laugh and smile, not leaving until you finally felt better.

Ever since then your feelings grew. This last summer, you had spent the summer at the Weasley’s and found it a bit hard to sleep one night. You had gone outside to watch the stars, and Fred had joined you. You spend hours talking about life, your futures, your friendships, and at one point, he had looked at you in a way that made you wonder if maybe your feelings weren't one sided. Now you could see that wasn’t the case.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching you. Without looking up, you already knew it was Fred. You were now sitting with your knees pulled into your chest, your chin resting on the tops of your knees as you looked out at the water.

“This spot taken?” Fred asked, motioning to the spot beside you. You didn’t answer, just shook your head, giving the boy permission to take a seat next to you.

“The potion should have worn off by now, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it anymore” Fred said softly, as if not to spook you.

“You don’t have to do this you know” You mumbles, still refusing to meet Fred’s eyes, who were now looking at you with confusion.

“Do what?” He asked

“Try and make me feel better. I know were friends and everything, but I know you don't feel the same way, and I’d really rather just be alone then pretend everything is ok between us.” You said, trying not to let anymore tears fall.

Fred heard these words and felt his heart break. Fred, unknown to you, had also shared your feelings. Your smile could light up any room. You were so unconditionally kind to everyone you met. Your laugh was his favorite sound, and he had made it his goal to try and hear it as often as possible. He had been trying to drop hints, flirtatious comments, or small gestures, and that one night at the burrow, where you were under the stars, he thought he had finally made it clear how he felt. Apparently not, and he didn’t want to waste any more time trying to be subtle.

“See, now I know the potion isn’t working anymore” Fred chuckled, causing you to look at him with a confused expression.

“What?” You asked

“I do feel the same way” Fred said softly

“Fred... you don’t have to say it if you don't-” You started

“Hold on” Fred interrupted, digging through his pocket and pulling out the same small vial from earlier, before tilting his head back and taking a swig. “Now ask me”

“Oh my god, Fred I-” You asked.

“Ask me who I have a crush on” Fred said simply.

“Fine... Who do you have a crush on Fred?” You asked quietly, almost afraid of what the answer would be.

“Y/N L/N” Fred answered, like it was the easiest thing in the world. 

“You do?” You asked, a smile forming onto your lips.

“Yes” He replied, a smile growing across his face as well.

“Well why do you like me?” You asked, a hint of teasing to your voice.

“Well, you’re beautiful, you’re the funniest person I’ve ever met, you are so kind to everyone you meet, you’re super smart, you have a great ass- wait fuck that wasn’t supposed to come out” Fred said, about to continue but you kept him from going on by finally closing the space between you and pressing your lips to his.

Fred responded instantly, smiling into the kiss before moving his hands to your waist, while yours went to hold his face. You stayed like this for a moment, moving in sync with each other before finally pulling away for air.

“Told you I liked you back” Fred said, making you laugh before re connecting your lips but only for a moment.

“So I’m the funniest person you’ve ever met?” You asked.

“Yes... hey not fair!” Fred complained, making you laugh once again.

“Ok ok fine” You said, allowing Fred to reconnect your lips once again, before breaking away again.

“You think I have a great ass?”

“Yes- Y/N!”

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

A/N: Hiiiii! I hope you guys enjoyed! I’ll hopefully be writing more in the future since the school semester is slowing down a bit, but until then check out my other work if you want or leave a request. Thank you all for reading!

[dianapana]

SH Day 9 – Never Have I Ever

@sasuhinamonth

Rated T, Modern AU, OOC

Oof , for this one ideas just wouldn't come to me, so once again I looked through older stories I never finished and found this one which I thought fit to a certain degree. I didn’t really wanna go the normal route of the game itself, so I just interpreted the prompt as a new experience. I hope you enjoy, ~Love, Dia

It wasn’t uncommon for people to randomly sit down at his table, especially if those people were girls. They’d stumble onto the seat and act like it was all an accident, like they didn’t see him and thought the table was empty, or that they tripped and ‘landed’ on the seat. Other times they’d ask if they could sit because there were no free tables anymore, granted this last excuse happened to be true once or twice, but usually, it was just a lie and the two would sit in awkward silence for a few moments staring at each other with a number of empty seats all around.

However, the person sitting across from him was a girl he saw around the diner quite often, urgency written all over her face. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, but the situation didn’t faze him at all, thus he continued eating, putting 2 French fries in his mouth and slowly chewing, waiting for her to state her reason and purpose.

“I need you to pretend we’re here together” Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. “My ex just walked in and I’m not in the mood to deal with him. If I’m here with someone, in this case you, he’ll either leave me alone or he’ll at least leave sooner.” His eyes moved to a guy that was just walking to the counter still obvious to his ex-girlfriend. “Please…” her eyes were begging him to help.

Sasuke sighed and pushed his milkshake her way. “It’d be strange if we were here together and I was the only one that had ordered something” Her pale eyes lit up like Christmas trees.

“Thank you so much. I’m Hinata by the way” She gave him a genuine smile. He nodded her way.

“Sasuke. I’d shake your hand but that would look strange since we’re supposed to be here together.”

For a second, silence fell over their table but Hinata started giggling at what he just said, her laugh could have also been intertwined with nervous laughter for it was a little too loud for Sasuke’s own liking, either way, he couldn’t help but smirk her. Naruto would freak if he saw Sasuke talking to a stranger, a girl no less, and not only that, but he was actually putting in the effort to help her and maintain a conversation. He had never willingly had a conversation with a stranger before.

Sadly Hinata’ sudden laughing fit turned the attention of a white-haired guy, also known in Sasuke’s head as the girl’s ex, to them. The said guy looked their way, moment in which Sasuke noticed the myriad of feelings showing onto his expression, he seemed to go from hopeful to confused to slightly irritated and then settle for putting on a fake smile and strolling their way.

“Hinata, long time no see, how are you?” The ex-boyfriend looked at her and gave Sasuke a not-so-subtle glare. He took in their table before raising an eyebrow and immediately asking another question, essentially cutting Hinata off before she could answer his first question. “Matcha milkshake? I thought you hated those”

“Oh, I used to yea, but I think they changed the receipt here. I tasted one sip from when Sasuke ordered one last time and it was pretty good, so today I wanted to see for myself” She said smoothly and took a big sip of her, well…his milkshake. “And I’ve been pretty good. How about yourself?” She smiled way too sweetly at him.

“Uh…can’t complain” He took another second to examine them again. “Well, I was actually thinking maybe we can get together and have dinner sometime next week?”

“Dude, you don’t ask out a girl when she’s already out with another guy, that’s just fucking messed up” Sasuke said, without actually meaning to his voice got deeper and he glared at the ‘ex-boyfriend’. He didn’t care that he and Hinata weren’t there together for real, it’s a universal rule you don’t ask out a girl if she’s there with a date, that’s just a douchey move.

Hinata was grinning at him from behind her hand, her eyes glittering with amusement. Sasuke had to admit something to himself, the strange girl was pretty, but she was even more beautiful while she smiled.

“Chill dude. I didn’t think this was a date” he said raising his hands as if trying to say he meant no harm. “I mean who the fuck brings a date at this shitty diner” He whispered under his breath, but both Hinata and Sasuke heard him and their moods turned pretty dark. Sasuke’s instinct was the punch the guy’s lights out, another new feeling he hadn’t experienced, at least not because of a girl. He is usually in control of his emotions and rarely loses his cool.

“Sasuke wanted to go have a sweet picnic in the park near my house, which was so thoughtful and sweet, but sadly the weather didn’t agree with him because it started raining. That’s when I remembered how I wanted to taste the milkshake, so I proposed we came here to wait for the rain to stop.” Sasuke had to admit, her lying skills were top-notch, her story had a natural flow to it, she composed a strong and believable narrative with pretty much no holes, her delivery too added to its credibility, fot she spoke with such ease. Hinata reached for his hand that was on the table and squeezed it while spreading her web of lies. Sasuke noticed the ex-boyf rolling his eyes, and a part of him felt utter satisfaction from the jerk’s annoyance.

“Whatever. I gotta bounce anyway. See you around” He turned and started walking out the diner without waiting for a reply. Sasuke snorted when he noticed that the ex didn’t even purchase anything. He was lost in his own world of trash-talking the guy but was got distracted by the petite girl in front of him that whispered not so quietly “I fucking hope not.”

“Well, that was fun.” He smirked at her. “Let me guess, bad break-up?” Hinata sighed and ran both hands over her face.

“The worst. It was a set up and we went on a few dates which were fine I guess, but I just didn’t really want a relationship at the time, or at least not with him. Either way, the break-up itself took like 3 hours cuz he just wouldn’t accept it.” She took another sip of his milkshake and gaged. “Oh god, I forgot how awful this tasted.” She said more to herself, it didn’t take her a full second to turn beet-red.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry this is yours. I d-didn’t mean to drink from it, it just happened. Let me buy you a new one” She got onto her feet but Sasuke grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit back down.

“Don’t worry about it. You barely drank any”

Had he been in his right mind he’d tell the girl to buy him extra fries too for the trouble and then he’d tell her to scramble. But for some reason or another, he didn’t want her to leave just yet. He pulled the glass back to him and drank from it just to prove to her everything was fine.

“I don’t understand how you can drink that. It’s not even sweet” Her nose wrinkled in disgust, Sasuke didn’t throw the world ‘cute’ around easily but she looked adorable.

“I hate sweets. So, this is perfect” Her jaw dropped, she looked like he had just said he hated puppies and his mother. Hinata blinked a few times, closed her mouth and opened it to say something, closed it back again. She looked genuinely confused, like someone that hated sweets wasn’t meant to exist.

“I-I don’t understand. How can you hate sweets? T-They make the world a better place. Don’t tell me that after a shitty day you don’t go home to eat a gallon of ice cream with a dozen of cookies because I will not believe you”

Now it was his turn to gag just thinking about the amount of sugar in the ‘snack’ she described. His reaction repulsed her.

“Oh wow. I’m perplexed. I had no idea people like you existed”

The fact that she said it with straight face made him believe she honestly didn’t think that what he said could be true, which for some reason he found extremely funny.

“Huh, you learn something every day.” She said with a smile, it seemed she had gotten over her confusion and found the whole conversation quite as amusing as he did.

A waitress came over to take Sasuke’s now empty milkshake glass.

“Would you like anything else?”

“Could you please bring me a veggie burger and a blueberry lemonade? And some fries too” She ordered and it relieved him that she did, he hadn’t had a lunch companion besides Naruto in a while.

“I’d also like some fries and another matcha milkshake”

“I’ll be right back,” The older woman said and left right away. When he turned back to the girl before him, she was staring at him with a small smile on her lips so he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I was sure you’d tell me to leave, or tell the waiter you’d like the bill and left yourself.” She put both of her hands on the table and played with her bracelet. “I’ve seen you around the diner. You’re not the…most welcoming face here and I’ve also saw you get up and leave on multiple occasions when someone sat at your table”

Her cheeks were a shade or two darker and she didn’t look at him but rather looked at her fidgeting hands. She was embarrassed for admitting she noticed him way before this encounter, she was nervous that she had crossed a line. What she said was true, he knew he wasn’t the nicest person but he did genuinely enjoy her presence, also he’d been in a number of situations where he would have liked someone to pretend to be there with him so he’d escape an acquaintance or a fangirl. Plus, the very same day Naruto told him he should do an act of ‘kindness’ a day or his karma would turn bad. He didn’t believe in the nonsense his blonde friend talked about, but when she sat down she looked in so much distress even he didn’t have the heart to tell her to leave.

“You’re right, But, you looked frightened, I’m not heartless,” He said in a neutral voice and Hinata blushed even redder. His lips twitched upward. Where did her confidence and acting skills go?

“I-I-I didn’t mean you are heartless…just…umm, uh” she was at a loss of words.

“It’s fine. You didn’t offend me” Hinata looked up at him relived.

“I didn’t? Oh, that’s really good, because I didn’t mean anything rude by what I said” her shoulders relaxed and her blush faded, not completely she was still a bit flushed but not quite as red as before.

“Since you knew there was a chance, I’d leave why did you sit here?”

Her smile softened a little. “Have you ever seen a person and had the urge to talk to them? For them to be your friend? I don’t mean to sound creepy, but every time I saw you here, I always wanted to talk to you, I just never had the courage. I guess the situation gave me the opportunity to do so. And I’m quite glad because, I don’t know about you, but I’m having a pretty good time talking to you” her cheeks flared even redder with each confession, for some reason admitting her thoughts in front of him was embarrassing. “Oh, just so you know, I’ve never done this before. I just had a pretty bad day and didn’t want it to get worse by having to be in his company for long.”

Their talk continued for a while longer until finally, their food arrived. The older waitress placed their orders on the table.

“There you go. Enjoy your food”

“Thank you” Hinata nodded at the waitress with a smile.

“I have one more question.” Sasuke said as Hinata took a sip of her lemonade, but gestured with her hand for him to go on. “What happened? When he was here you were a very smooth talker, but when you thought you offended me you seemed to be drowning in your own words”

Her blush came back and Sasuke decided he quite liked how she looked with it. She played with the tips of her hair, rolling it onto her finger. “W-when I was little, I was extremely shy, I couldn’t even look at strangers, my parents entered me in acting classes in hopes that I’d get over it. It didn’t really go as planned. I’m a lot better now, obviously but I still get anxious easily. Even so the acting classes did help me, when I’m in a crisis I seem to calm down and I’m able to collect my thoughts” She looked a bit over his shoulder in deep thought. “It’s like a defence mechanism but it doesn’t always work. Case in point when I o-offended you, which I’m sorry about again”

“I see…also you didn’t offend me, I told you this before. You only stated your opinion, which was true by the way”

She smiled at him once more and they started eating, it wasn’t complete silence, they made small talk asked about normal things, hobbies, friends, school and all that. Once they were finished and Sasuke asked for the bill since it was getting pretty dark and the rain finally stopped, he noticed her playing with the bracelet again.

“Something wrong?”

“Huh?” she looked up at him confused.

“You were fidgeting your hands like you did before when you were nervous. Is something bothering you?”

Hinata opened her mouth. They had spent about 2 or 3 hours together and he was able to pick up some of her habits already. He did seem like the type of person that paid attention, he was quiet but observing. Without meaning to she associated him with one of those old people from the park that sit on a bench and watch everyone pass by, like they don’t belong to this world, they just witness it, they are watchers that see the smallest details.

He didn’t know what she was thinking about, but her smile was beautifully tragic, she seemed sad, or at least contemplative.

“I was just thinking how much I enjoyed our…lunch? Dinner? And was wondering how awkward it would be to…a-ask for your number m-maybe?”

He also liked when she stuttered a little. “I don’t see why not. I enjoyed myself as well”

If only Naruto saw him give his number to a girl, the blonde would never let this slide, which was also why he’d never tell his blonde best friend about the petite blue-haired girl that made his ordinary day a little bit extraordinary, she proved that sometimes doing things you’ve never done can have a good end result, in this case talking to a stranger and pretending to date led to a pleasant evening and hopefully a friend and maybe more.

[nenamatic]

Open Ai started a big storm on March this year. They introduced new version of ChatGPT! Now it can access the world of internet. In order to use this ability , ChatGPT plugins were released earlier this year. This is for users with as ChatGPT Plus subscription. This subscription cost 20 dollars per month. It offers fast response time and access during peak times. ChatGPTplugins provide wide range of data from its third-party partners and the web. I picked some best Chat GPT plugins for you. You will find some of them very useful and helpful. Let s start! Image by Franz Bachinger from Pixabay Prompt Perfect In this article, we will discuss Prompt Perfect, a powerful ChatGPT plugin that enables users to create perfect prompts for AI chatbots. If you are unable to create prompts of your own, Prompt Perfect will be of great assistance. To begin, you must enter the question you would like to ask Perfect the AI bot. In this example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a 300-word story about watches. Ensure that you include the word "Perfect" before the prompt. After this, the plugin will modify the entire prompt to provide a highly accurate prompt to ChatGPT. This will enable the AI chatbot to provide precise and pertinent answers to your question. Furthermore, the program is plug-and-play and does not require any additional input. Open Table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03xOSadhyIk OpenTable is one of the best ChatGPT plugins we've tested, making it easy to book restaurants while you're away. It's designed to make sure customers make reservations quickly and easily, so all you have to do is give it the info you need, like your date and time, and the number of people you're expecting. It'll then take all that info and search for the restaurant you're looking for. The links it gives you will give you the reservation info you already have, so it's a really effective plugin for booking restaurants. Wolfram Although it may be quite technical for a few users but the Wolfram ChatGPT software is on top because of its capabilities. Based on advanced information, Wolfram allows ChatGPT users to use advanced calculations, math as well as real data to resolve all kinds of questions. Instead of having to deal with only simple math issues, you could ask Wolfram for help with more complex issues including creating a family tree and so much more. It even can show when it is date time live, something that only ChatGPT is able to do. So, take a chance to test Wolfram to find out which function is most effective for you. Zapier Created specifically to remove and simplify workflows that aren't needed Zapier is among the best ChatGPT plugins for professionals at work and marketers. In simple terms, Zapier enable users communicate with more than five thousand different applications for work without having to do additional steps. Here are incorporated all popular applications like Gmail, MS Outlook, Slack and many others. All users have to do is make an initial connection and then approve certain actions. After that you are able to write complete emails or send detailed Slack messages from ChatGPT. Zapier will then work together with ChatGPT.When I asked it to write an email draft Zapier created the action in a matter of minutes and then let me send it. Try it if you're too inert to launch the mail program. Argil AI ChatGPT , for a long time, was primarily an automated chatbot that has only dabbled in AI. But, with the help of many of these excellent ChatGPT plugins, it's able to perform a number of things now. One of these plugins is Argil AI which is a great option to add to chatbot. Utilizing Argil AI, users can create images directly within ChatGPT. All one has to do is choose the plugin, and then give details of the image they would like it to create. The description could be extremely vibrant to allow for a wide various reasons. After you've completed the prompts, just hit return and sit back while the image is created.

In a matter of minutes, Argil AI will make stunning images that the customer can download. Users can also build an entire collection and earn money by using this method. Kayak If you want to plan your trip by using ChatGPT ,Kayak is on the top. Kayak enables users effortlessly book hotels and flights and also get recommendations on travel for their travel planning needs. Previously, you need to put information about your tripe. You have to provide destination, arrival, time of depart... Once you have completed this, Kayak will show you the way where are flights available at your current location. The output gives the total cost, anticipated delays and layovers, most-used airlines, and much more. After you're satisfied with your choice, you can ask ChatGPT to create links, and Kayak will also do it. Stories Maybe you love to read other people's work . It is great! However, sometimes, you'll need to make the stories of your own. Stories is among the most effective ChatGPT plugins that allows you to create stories in the literal sense. The plugin is inventive and demand a prompt. After that prompt is provided, Stories begins to produce an amazing story. But the most appealing feature is the fact that this plugin summarizes its text and images inside an old-fashioned book. The images too are generated by AI and nicely placed next to the text. You can flip through the pages by clicking . You can also purchase an original hardcover edition of your story if you want. Be aware the fact that they are mostly artistic in nature, and therefore they may not be the perfect cup of tea for everyone. However, you should take a look at this ChatGPT plugin. Image Editor You use image editing a lot? You need help on this matter? If you're looking for a simple editing tool to meet your requirements The Image Editor plugin deserve to be among the most effective in ChatGPT. The Image Editor is able to provide a variety of functions that include cropping, resizing blurring or turning the image. You have to supply the URL for your image to the software in order to upload it. Once you have done that, just make request to Image Editor. Although its functions aren't immense you can easily perform basic editing with one of the most effective ChatGPT plugins. LikeWise Do you love podcasts? Maybe you have one? Well, this plugin is something like podcast searcher. Like any other plugin, LikeWise makes use of the database of its own to look up podcasts. You can find all sort of different styles and moods. Just make a highlight depending on your desire and very quickly the result will come. Within a few moments, LikeWise list up podcasts you may be attracted, and also provides hyperlinks to the same. Be aware that some of them could be paid. However, anyone who are looking for recommendations for podcasts ought to take a look at this ChatGPT plugin. There s An AI For That This ChatGPT tool is my top pick because it's basically a complete suite of tools. It's like an AI with a huge database that has all the tools you need in your life, from basic Image editors to PDF convertors and more. All you have to do is ask the AI what you need and it'll give you a list of options - I tried this with Image generation and the plugin gave me a great result. Check this plugin, it is breathtaking! There 's an AI for that Show Me ChatGPT can help its users out with more than just recreation - it can also help them out with productivity tools. One of the best of these is Show Me, a plugin that lets ChatGPT create real-time graphs of all kinds. Show Me needs to show a basic concept for users to see. Based on my own experience, I asked the program to show the concept of Wabi-sabi using a Mindmap. Both ChatGPT and Show Me work together to make it easy to draw a visual and text diagram of the concept. So next time you're looking for a quick way to draw a diagram, use Show Me! Questmate Forms If you are

looking to create forms and infographics for more than just educational purposes, Questmate is likely to be one of the most advantageous ChatGPT plugins for you. The AI-powered program is capable of quickly and efficiently creating a variety of forms for you. While this can be done with Google Forms, it can be a time-consuming process. With Questmate, you can fill out your specific requirements as small or as detailed as desired. ChatGPT will connect to the plugin and create a comprehensive form that can be opened in a separate window. For the first time, Questmate Forms has responded to our request quickly by creating a simple form. Submitting your form to one of their most efficient ChatGPT plugins is now possible. World News ChatGPT's database is limited to 2021, even though it is based on the latest GPT-4 Large Language Model. This limitation is outdated, and while we have always advised users to not rely on the bot for information delivery, it appears that this is no longer the case. As a result, the new World News plugin has become one of our most popular plugins, as it is able to deliver news in a timely manner. It is easy to use ChatGPT to access the latest news from around the world, providing users with a pleasant overview. This plugin is based on the world, and is capable of displaying news in multiple languages and source links. While it is not useful in the traditional sense of the word, World News is an essential tool for those who wish to stay informed. Conclusion-Best Chat GPT Plugins It is all for now. I hope you liked this article. For sure, Ai will grow and expand further...Sky is the limit! Certainly, we can expect new and innovative plugins in the future. Choose from the list, there is something for everyone! If you want to learn more read my other articles -9 Best Ai Tools For Great Developer - 7 Best Free Ai Art Generators-Midjourney Alternatives - 21 Top ChatGpt Plugins You Should Know

[charming-charlie]

Washed Away pt. 5

Title // Washed Away pt. 5

Pairing // Evan Buckley x Reader

Warnings // Mentions of death and a missing kid.

Summary // Who knew hanging out with Buck and Christopher for a day would lead to a life or death situation?

Word Count // 2.5k

Prompt // Hi! Can i request a fic where you were with Buck & Christopher when the tsunami hit? They could be dating or crushing on each other. If nothing comes to mind, then it’s completely fine to ignore this request! Have a nice day!’

Author’s Note // This is the final part of the Washed Away series. || Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4

Tagged List // @aprildecker-blog​​​ @coffeewithoutcaffeine​​​ @daddysfavoritesexkitten​​​ @chenfordlove​​​ @comeasyoudar​​​ @carnationworld​​​ @averyhotchner​ @evanbuckos​​

The sun had set. The day was over, but that doesn’t mean the situation is. You and Buck had been wading through the water for hours, heading to the last place someone said they saw Christopher.

Exhaustion was starting to settle in. You were sore all over too. It felt like you just finished running up and down a flight of stairs non-stop while carrying a bookbag full of weights. Your shoulders hurt, your legs felt like they were going to give out any time soon, and your body was so dehydrated from soaking up and drinking in a lot of saltwater that you pretty much felt delirious.

Finally, civilization was within reach.

A makeshift help spot was set up near the bakery where you and Buck were headed. Water bottles were being passed out and you reached out to grab one. How could something so common look so precious, like it was made of gold?

You twisted off the cap and downed half of it in three big gulps and handed the rest of it to Buck. He finished off the water, nearly gasping for breath by the end. He was exhausted too. You didn’t even know how long you two were walking and the little help was most appreciated.

The people around you looked worse for wear. You couldn’t imagine the struggles they went through to try and save themselves or what their story could be. You were sure it was similar. Everyone lost someone or something in the tsunami and you knew it was going to be hard to get over that.

Then again, did you really want to?

The whole event gave you a new outlook on life and appreciate what you have. You didn’t appreciate your job enough, but you were grateful now. You were a school nurse and you realized you love those kids that you looked after. You loved Christopher, having seen him and checked on him many times thanks to his worrisome father, and it would break your heart to never see that little boy again.

Now is not the time to think about those things. You didn’t know for sure. Let’s not focus on the what ifs.

For a moment, Buck swore he saw Christopher. He saw a little boy clinging to the leg of some woman, and he let out a relieved sigh, only for his eyes to play tricks on him. It wasn’t Christopher at all.

“Mister, are you okay? You’re bleeding,” a nearby passerby said, and Buck glanced down at his hand.

Sure enough, he was.

There was a cut of some kind, and the two of you didn’t even realize it. You frowned, mentally kicking yourself and cursing yourself out for not realizing Buck’s injury. The ex-firefighter sat down, looking worse for wear and you grabbed his hand carefully while examining it.

You ripped off a strip of your shirt to use as a bandage and Buck’s eyes sort of glazed over. Due to his adrenaline, he probably wasn’t feeling any pain.

“What am I gonna do?” Buck whispered as you tended to him, “how am I gonna tell Eddie?”

You said nothing, because you knew whatever you did say wouldn’t exactly be helpful. However, you were there. Side by side, you were there with Buck and Christopher today and everything Buck did was for that little boy. You never seen someone care so much the way Buck does. He has such a good heart and for once, you were hoping against hope that things would work out in his favor. He didn’t deserve this.

After a bit of a break, including some water to get both of your heads on straight, you two were back to the grind. This time, you didn’t have to walk for long.

There was an old mall or hospital, you couldn’t be sure, that somehow turned into a makeshift triage center not too far from where you and Buck were. The two of you practically dashed over to the building and its tents, being careful since there wasn’t a lot of strength left between you.

Buck was looking in the beds, glancing around for anyone that even remotely passed Christopher. You hijacked a few clipboards, searching for Christopher’s name anywhere you can but you both came up empty.

“Eddie dropped Christopher off with me,” Buck began talking to you and you could hear the defeat in his voice. It sounded like he was fighting the feeling of giving up, but he was on the cusp. “He thought it would get me out of my apartment and… out of my head. And you know what I did? I brought him to the pier. I had him, I kept him safe. And then the three of us were on top of the ladder truck and the water receded, and for a moment I felt like I got this. I had you, I had Christopher, and we would be fine. And now Christopher is gone. We checked everywhere. And now I realize I failed. I’m a failure no matter how you look at it.”

You could hear your heart cracking as you listened to him, and you knew nothing you said would change his mind. He was beating himself up over this situation. He did everything he could, and he was still handed the short end of the stick.

Finding Christopher at the makeshift hospital was the last bit of hope he had and now it was gone. You could see the defeat that wavered in his voice and how it hid behind his eyes.

And if that didn’t help the situation, there was Eddie Diaz, tending to a few patients himself. He wore blue latex gloves, had the navy fire uniform on, and was directing a few people into the hospital. Buck nearly choked back a sob as the realization of what to do next was hitting him faster than a wall of bricks.

He had to tell Eddie, and you were going to be right by his side when he did.

However, Buck dashed behind a white tent, pulling you along with him. Turns out he wanted to hide instead of face Christopher’s father.

“Buck,” you said slowly. Your voice was hoarse from lack of water and from shouting Christopher’s name all afternoon with Buck. You felt like your vocal cords were ripped to shreds at this point, but you soldiered on. Now was not the time to accept defeat. “You have to tell him.”

“How?” Buck answered as he looked at you. His hand slowly slipped into your own, and you squeezed his fingers tightly. “How do you tell your best friend that you lost his son?”

“He’s his father. You have to tell him that Christopher is missing,” you said, knowing this was the only chance he had right now.

Buck shook his head, not wanting to hear it. “No, I need to keep looking for him. I need to find him.”

One of your hands instinctively went up to the side of Buck’s face, caressing him lightly. You still couldn’t believe the man in front of you wasn’t giving up just yet, even though maybe he should. You hated the train of thought you were currently on, but Buck was exhausted, and he lost some blood. Plus, it didn’t help that he was severely dehydrated, much like yourself. The two of you were in no condition to continue searching. You probably wouldn’t make it if you tried. You both needed to rest up and regain your strength.

“Buck,” you heard the voice before you saw who it belonged to and your head whipped around to see Eddie. The man was heading outside to continue helping and he looked a bit surprised to see his best friend standing there. Then his eyes fell on you, and the look of surprise seemed to double. “Nurse Y/N, what are you both doing here? Are you okay? Wait, where’s Christopher?”

There was no time to prepare a giant speech. Eddie Diaz was right there in front of you both, and it was now or never. You let go of Buck as you turned to face the father of one of your favorite patients, ready for what was about to happen. This was a conversation you were dreading, and you couldn’t imagine the internal conflicts Buck must be going through as he mustered up the courage to say what happened.

“Eddie…” Buck interjected in between Eddie’s many questions, and the army vet stopped talking.

For a moment, the two best friends stared at each other, like Buck was hoping Eddie would get the hint without saying anything, but you knew that would be the cowardly way out. If there was one thing you learned today, it was that Buck was not a coward. Not now, not ever.

“Me and Christopher… we were at the beach, and I swear to you…” Buck was choking on his words and you squeezed his hand again for support.

Eddie was nodding, trying to understand, but the look on his face was heartbreaking. It was like if he didn’t hear it, it wouldn’t be true.

“I tried… and I just… but I… Eddie, I just don’t know how to say it. Um, he… he um…” Buck couldn’t get through it. He was stumbling over the words and Eddie’s eyes were brimming with the threat of tears as Buck tried to get the words out.

What made it even worse was that Eddie couldn’t even look at Buck. The army vet was looking behind his best friend, like he needed to avoid eye contact with what Buck was saying.

“Christopher?” Eddie questioned softly, like he needed clearance on what Buck was saying, but your gaze followed Eddie’s. A woman had stepped off a truck, carrying a small child. Your heart almost stopped, and you pulled on Buck’s arm to get him to stop talking.

Eddie slowly walked past you and Buck, and he approached the woman. Slowly, Buck turned around to follow Eddie feeling like this was Eddie’s way of coping with denial.

“Christopher?” Eddie called again, and like music to your ears, you heard the little boy shout for his dad.

The woman was carrying Christopher the entire time, bringing him to safety. Tears exploding out of your eyes once you realized what was going on and you stole a glance at Buck. Buck looked elated, like he was about to cry from relief as well. Christopher was alive and in Eddie’s arms, and there was no greater feeling than that.

“Buck, what happened to you?”

Suddenly, the fire crew of Station 118 popped into view. You didn’t know them personally, but you could venture a guess who from all the stories Christopher was told you during his visits to your little office at the school.

Captain Bobby Nash stood in front of the two of you, and he looked deeply concerned. He looked back and forth from you to Buck before asking, “Are you two okay?”

However, your exhaustion was caving in, along with Buck’s. The two of you practically collapsed to the floor and the fire family scrambled to hold onto both of you. That was the last thing you remembered, passing out next to Buck in the arms of his old crew.

It took a while, but the city was in clean up mode. You and Buck had a nice, extended stay at the hospital, hooked up to fluids and oxygen before given a clean bill of health. You were discharged first, since Buck had some lacerations that needed stitching up but the two of you texted nonstop while he regained his strength.

You went back to your job as the nurse at the elementary school, although you also became sort of a guidance counselor to the kids. Turns out, when you were checking for lice or fevers, they needed someone to talk to and you could just relate to them in a way. You were a familiar face in all the chaos, someone they needed to hold onto in order to make sense of things.

Christopher’s appointments never stopped either. In fact, they seemed to be increasing, only because Christopher wanted to talk to you and hang out with you.

“Honestly Eddie, he’s doing fine,” you spoke to Eddie on the phone about his son. You were sitting at your desk, making your daily calls to parents and Eddie Diaz was no stranger to the phone calls. “He’s in good spirits. Nothing is wrong with him, he’s pretty perfect.”

“You know, I never got to thank you,” Eddie’s voice crackled in your ear, “for what you did. Christopher told me how you and Buck saved him, and you have no idea how much I appreciate that.”

The two of you hung up, although there was promises of talking tomorrow. Talking to Eddie was a recurring thing in your life at this point, and you could use the stability.

“Knock knock,” a head peeked into your office, “these came for you.”

The secretary opened your door and placed a bouquet of colorful roses on you desk. There was a white card attached, looking strikingly clean in the middle of the rainbow of flowers.

You pulled off the card and it only said two words.

Come Outside.

Curiously, you stood up and grabbed your stethoscope, draping it around your neck. You never went anywhere without it now, and you weren’t sure what kind of situation you were getting yourself into. You rounded a corner and pushed open the heavy steel door that led to the front of the school. There, standing in all his glory, was Evan Buckley with the most beautiful smile you had ever seen.

“Thank you very much for the flowers,” you said as you smiled at him in return. “Why didn’t you tell me you were out of the hospital. I would’ve sent you some breakfast or something.”

“That’s part of the surprise. So, surprise!” Buck said happily as he approached you.

You just smiled at him, letting his arms snake around your waist as he hugged you tightly. Your arms draped around his neck and it felt so good. It felt familiar.

As you pulled away, you were greeted with something else. Buck, with no hesitation whatsoever, leaned in and captured your lips in a sudden and welcomed kiss. It was all you wanted, all you were waiting for, and you let yourself melt into his arms as he kissed you with such force and determination, you knew you would be a puddle of goo by the end of it.

“Let me take you out on a date,” Buck whispered against your lips, his lips brushing over yours with each and every word, “a real one this time. Just me and you.”

Your heart felt like it would leap out of your chest and you couldn’t manage to bring any words out. Instead, you nodded as you leaned in to kiss him again.

This was all you wanted. You’ve never been happier. You finally had the moment you wanted with Buck and now, a date on the horizon. With your luck, it would be the first of many, you were sure of it. There was no way you were going to let this man go, ever.

[smolgloves]

13! "what if i didn't catch you?!" (if you're still taking prompts ofc!!)

So this turned out longer than I thought lol. Also I wanna give a shout out to @obwjam because I wrote this based on a prompt she did for a star wars au she did awhile back. I have it reblogged below.

FORCE WIELDER

Many borrowers think living in the jedi temple is reckless and dangerous. They say the jedi can sense a borrower deep within the walls, plus, most jedi keep their living quarters in pristine condition, but after living within the walls for months, Ahsoka figured those stories were just a myth. The jedi are hardly in their rooms, making it easy to just grab stuff when needed. And while a lot of the jedi were neat freaks, there was one jedi who usually had a messy room…

Ahsoka could never remember his name but it was something along the name of Sky guy. He was a human that loved to tinker on gadgets in his spare time. There were all sorts of screws and scrap metal lying around, also out of all the Jedi, Sky guy was the one who was least likely to ever be in his quarters. 

Sky guy wasn't scheduled to be back for another few days, so Ahsoka knew she had plenty of time to borrow some stuff she needed for a new ascension cable she was working on. 

So she made her way through the air vents until she reached Sky guy's room. She had the vantage point to see the entire room. On the nightstand by his bed, Ahsoka could see some scrap metal lying around. Perfect for what she needed! So the tiny Togruta used her primitive grappling hook to make her way down to the floor. After unhooking it, she made a dash to the nightstand and climbed her way up it. 

~~~ 

Ahsoka spent hours working on that ascension cable, trying to get it to work. But for some reason, it didn't want to shoot out! Ahsoka was so preoccupied that she almost didn't hear the door open. Immediately, Ahsoka dropped her stuff and jumped off the nightstand. She tucked and rolled once she hit the ground and dashed under the bed. 

Black boots lazily entered the room and began walking over to the desk, but Sky guy only took about three steps before he stopped. 

A feeling of dread washed over Ahsoka, telling her that Sky guy knew she was here. He turned over and headed over to the nightstand, Ahsoka backed further into the shadows. She knew she had to get out of this room. 

"What's this?" Sky guy muttered. 

Drat! How could she have been so stupid and leave the grappling hook on the nightstand?! Ahsoka had to weigh her options, could she slip by undetected to the door? No, he was already too close, even if she was as stealthy as she prided herself to be, he had the high ground and would spot her a mile away. The only other option would be to get to the air vent. But it was so high up, even if Ahsoka jumped from the desk there still wasn't a confirmed chance she'd make it to the vent even if she jumped! 

But it was her only option as Sky guy was already kneeling down to look under the bed. Ahsoka slipped out from the bed and made a dash to the desk. Fortunately, Sky was still examining her previous hiding spot but it wouldn't be long before he would wander over to the desk. She channeled all the energy she could to jump up to the top of the desk, then made a break for it. 

"Huh?" Sky guy had finally stood up and turned towards the desk. He knew of the little borrower now. But Ahsoka had already leapt up in the air by the time he saw. She was practically flying to the vent at this point, just a little further and she would be home free!

But suddenly, she stopped. A feeling of weightlessness flowed through her body, Ahsoka was floating in midair! She glanced over at Sky guy who had his hand stretched out towards her, his blue eyes staring right at her. Then a force seemed to push her towards him, a sense of dread formed in Ahsoka as his fingers curled around her once she got near. Once his fist closed around her, she knew she was as good as dead. 

Sky guy stared down at Ahsoka, his brown brows furrowed as if he was trying to examine her. "You're just a kid." 

"And what about it?!" Ahsoka snapped. Fear was fading and being replaced with anger. She began throwing punches at his fingers, hoping by some miracle he would drop her. 

But Sky guy just sighed and walked over to the desk and sat down. He immediately deposited the little borrower in front of him. "Now don't mo-!" 

But Ahsoka already made a break for the edge of the desk again, this time she would make it to the vent above her! However, a gloved hand slammed down in front of her and she crashed into the palm. Surprisingly, he didn't try to grab her again, instead he let her skitter back away from hand. Ahsoka looked up at him, who had an annoyed look on his face. 

"Nice try, but You're not going anywhere, I have a lot of questions." 

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "And who says I got answers?" 

"You know, you're pretty snippy for someone who's not even five inches tall." He chuckled. "Which I gotta say, I didn't know Togrutas could be borrowers." 

"You… know about our kind?" 

"Well not much... the jedi temple doesn't have a lot of information about your species." Sky guy explained. "But I'm pretty sure you're the first borrower that was reckless enough to live in the temple." 

"It's not like it was hard!" Ahsoka spat out. "I've been taking things from your room for months and you just noticed!" 

"Because you got reckless." Sky guy held his hand above her to show the faulty ascension cable. 

"That's mine, give it back!" She demanded. 

"Gotta say, you made quite a good replica of the Clone troopers' ascension cables, but I'm sure you needed it for that jump you tried to do." 

"It wasn't working." Ahsoka gritted her teeth. "It's not like I needed it, anyways." 

"Didn't need it?!" Exclaimed the Jedi. "Do you even realize how far that fall is for your size! What if I didn't catch you?!" 

"I would have made it!" She snapped.

Sky guy responded with a scoff. He was doubting her abilities and that only made Ahsoka's blood boil more! 

"You think I haven't fallen from heights greater than that?! But I've always managed to land on my feet somehow!" 

Sky guy raised a brow. "What do you mean by somehow?" 

The borrower shrugged. "I'm not sure how to explain it, anytime I've fallen, I just have a feeling that tells me the best step to surviving the fall." 

Sky guy pondered on her words before his eyes slowly widened. "You're force sensitive!" 

"What does that even mean?" 

"Listen, as soon as I walked in my room I felt a presence. It was like a little voice telling me you were in here, and I bet you did too!" 

"That doesn't mean anything!" 

"Oh, yes it does! You're strong with the force!" 

"I think you need to update your borrower history, Sky guy! What you think is 'the force' is actually just borrowers learning how to maneuver." 

"Alright Snips, maybe you're right. Borrowers are just durable creatures, but you know what isn't durable?" Sky guy smirked as he dangled the ascension cable over the edge.

"Dont!" 

He released his fingers and the contraption descended to the ground, Ahsoka shouted and reached her hand out, she felt something powerful flow through her as if she was connecting her reach towards her cable. Instead of it hitting the ground and breaking, it floated in midair, and then slowly made its way to her feet. The energy drained from her and Ahsoka fell to her knees. "That was exhausting!" 

"You need training, little one." He said. "I should report this to the council." 

"No!" Ahsoka gasped. "I refuse to be known by anyone else!" 

"But you can't just run around without control over your powers." Sky guy explained. "If the wrong people got a hold of you, it could be very bad." 

"Please, don't tell anyone about me!" Desperation was in her voice. 

Sky guy pondered on her words for a moment, then a sigh escaped his lips. "Alright, I won't tell anyone…  but only if you let me train you." 

"Are you serious?" 

"You don't want to be known, and you'll be taught by the best Jedi Knight in the galaxy." He flashed her a smile. 

"I don't know…" 

"How about I help you fix your ascension cable too, and give you anything you need to make other gadgets."

"Anything?" 

"Anything." 

Part of Ahsoka told her to run and not trust him. But she was immensely curious about her newfound powers. "I suppose a lesson or two wouldn't hurt." 

"Great!" Sky guy exclaimed. "We'll get started tomorrow, but can I ask for your name… unless you don't mind being called Snips?"

"It's Ahsoka!" She scoffed. 

"Well I'm Anakin Skywalker, but typically a Padawan addresses a teacher as master." 

"Don't push it." 

Anakin chuckled. "You should rest now, regain your strength for tomorrow. I can place you on the bed if you'd like." 

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't feel comfortable being grabbed." 

Anakin nodded. "Then hold on, and I'll find something to sleep on." 

He left the desk but Ahsoka had already laid her head down. Fatigue had taken over her body. Who knew that the force would be so psychically and mentally draining, but maybe with some training, Ahsoka could be as powerful as Anakin Skywalker.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Making memories - a Chenford fanfic

For Chenfordficweek2021 - as described by @therookiebook

Instead of a fic a day for chenford fic week I decided to just write one incorporating as many prompts as possible. This is because when I read them a few just connected in my head and then I had way to much fun seeing how many I could kinda incorporate. Some of the quotes aren’t word for word but the lines are inspired by the original prompt.

*Note: my beach fic was also inspired by this prompt list but I got antsy and posted it early so if you haven’t read it, you can check it out.

Main prompt: Road Trip

Other prompts:

July 11th- 

"Is that you...singing? Since when can you sing?" 

"I wish we could stay like this forever." 

Fight 

"You're comfier than a pillow." 

July 12th- 

With Child(ren)- theirs or not

"I fucked up."

"Where have you been?" 

July 13th- 

"You're crushing me." "I can't breathe with you on me." 

"Stay here." 

"What do you want?" 

July 14th- 

"I'm calling the police." "We are the police." 

"Don't move." 

"That a new dress?" 

Sweet tooth

July 15th- 

Locked out (Car/house/station) 

"Stop hogging all the blankets." 

"Why are you bleeding?" 

"Make me." 

July 16th- 

Shopping together or for the other 

Getting lost

"Is that my shirt?" 

Under the stars

July 17th- 

Competition 

Tears 

"Why are you so late?" 

When Lucy arrives in role call and hears she’s partnered with Tim for the day, she’s excited. When she hears they are to wear civvies and take Tim’s truck to surveil a suspect, she’s confused. And when said suspect drives further and further out of LA and they are instructed to keep on his tail, she’s annoyed. If she didn’t know better she’d think some writer designed the assignment purely because it was convenient for their story. Nevertheless, this is her life: crashing at a random hotel nearly nine hours from LA, after finally being relieved of surveillance detail, by the local sheriffs department, at 2:30am. The plus side is she’s being paid overtime, not only for the late night but also for the commute back to the city tomorrow. The down side is despite being exhausted she twists and turns all night unable to get comfortable in the strange environment. So when Tim knocks on the adjoining door between their rooms at 10am she’s already been up for a few hours. She has written a journal entry in her notes, preordered drinks for them to pick up at Starbucks and spent more time than she’d like to admit on google maps and various travel sites researching their trip home. She has also found time to plunder the continental breakfast and is currently demolishing a strawberry danish and a cinnamon bun. This earns criticism from Tim, whose plate carries sausage, eggs and an orange.

By 11am they’re on the open road again, coffees in the console between them. The small talk they had been making since they left the hotel had slowly died out so now they sit in comfortable silence. That is until Lucy reaches over to turn on the radio. 

“You know how I feel about car radios Chen,” Tim warns in his best TO voice. 

“Even off shift?” Lucy scoffs, and continues to press the on button and turn the volume dial up. Nevertheless, nothing happens.

“Looks like it doesn’t work anyway,” Tim states as he continues to hold the volume down button on the steering wheel, unbeknownst to Lucy.

“Fine then I’ll be the radio.” “You like Lady Marmalade, right?” She’s referencing Tim’s LA CLEAR security answer but she doesn’t wait for his reaction or reply before beginning to belt out the opening lyrics.

As she sings his initially surprised expression, morphs to shock and then awe. 

“Since when can you sing?” he asks when she finishes.

She just shrugs, looking down at her hands as they begin to fiddle in her lap.  

“Now I wish the radio really was broken,” Tim states as he turns it on and music starts playing.

Lucy shoots him a quick death glare before turning her attention back out the window.

---

By noon Lucy’s singing quietly along to the music (causing Tim to reevaluate his opinion on car radios) when she suddenly sneezes then freezes as her eyes go wide.

“Ah, can you stop at the next place with a bathroom?” she asks bashfully.

“We haven’t even been driving that long can you hold it?”

“Find me a bathroom or your truck will be covered in blood,” Lucy says, her tone conveying urgency.

“What? Why are you bleeding?” Tim asks, confused.

“If you don’t know why I, a woman, would be bleeding and thus need a bathroom then the public school system failed you.”

 “Oh, ah, right, sorry,” Tim stutters, “I think there’s a small town at the next exit.”

“Thank-you,” Lucy replies clearly relieved.

“Do we need to find a drug store or do you have what you need?’

“Ya, if you could find a drug store.” She’s fiddling again, unable to shake the feeling of embarrassment even though she knows, rationally, she has nothing to be embarrassed about.

Several minutes later Tim’s pulling into the drug store parking lot and Lucy’s unbuckling her seat belt to run in. But as soon as she stands up Tim’s voice stops her.

“Wait Luce.” There’s a tenderness to his voice especially when he uses the new nickname that stops her more than the instruction itself. “I think we’re too late.” 

Lucy looks down at the seat she just vacated to see its center now decorated with a dark red stain. A matching stain is present on the butt of the long yellow dress she’s wearing. 

“Of course,” she spits as she tries to fight back tears that are already running down her cheeks.

“That a new dress?” Tim questions awkwardly, caught off guard by the sudden display of emotion.

Lucy lets out a choked laugh as Tim flounders to find something helpful to say.

“I ruined your truck, I ruined my dress and now I have to walk around the drug store with a giant stain on my ass,” Lucy sniffs.

“Hey Lucy, everything’s going to be okay.” He reaches across the console to put a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll go in and get what you need.”

She stares at him surprised and unsure. The idea of him buying her tampons and pads and, she realizes, new underwear seems uncomfortably intimate.

“So, ah, what do you want?”  

Because she has no desire to walk around the store with a giant blood stain on her butt she gives him her order, eyes down, face turning redder by the second.

He just nods and returns a few minutes later with three grocery bags and immediately hands them to her.

Inside she finds much more than she requested. The first bag contains two chocolate bars, two bags of candy, and two bottles of water. The second holds 6 different packages of assorted pads and tampons.

“How much blood do you think someone loses on their period,” Lucy teases.

Tim gives a small shrug. “I didn’t know which kind you wanted.” 

Inside the third bag Lucy finds a bottle of Advil, a package of wet-wipes, a spray bottle of stain remover, a new package of underwear (simple white cotton), a pair of black tights and a box of black garbage bags. 

“What are these for?” she asks holding up the garbage bags.

“They didn’t have any shirts so I thought we could make some head and arm holes and-“ he stops talking when he sees Lucy’s unimpressed expression. “I know it’s not ideal.” 

“Good thing I already have that figured out,” she says holding up a plaid button up. 

“Is that my shirt?” He had taken it off as soon as he got in the car, since like usual he had a henley underneath, and thrown it into the back. Lucy must of retrieved it while he was in the store. 

“Please,” she says fixing him with those puppy dog eyes. “I promise I won’t get blood on it. Well, I’ll do my best. Please don’t make me wear a garbage bag.” 

He laughs. “I forgot I had that. I guess I didn’t need these.” He takes the garbage bags from her and is about to throw them in the back when Lucy speaks up.

“Actually I’ll take one,” she says ripping the cardboard and freeing a single bag. She proceeds to rip a hole in the top of the garbage bag and pulls it over her legs like a skirt. Then she puts Tim’s plaid shirt on overtop. Tim is watching her with raised eyebrows.

“What? It’s just temporary. I promised I wouldn’t get blood on your shirt.” She puts everything she needs in her bag and goes into the bathroom to clean herself up. When she returns Tim is just finishing cleaning the blood off the passenger seat. 

“I would have done that.”

 “It was no trouble.” “Here spray some of this on your dress before the stain sets,” Tim offers as he hands her the stain remover.

Lucy does then drapes her dress over the backseat.

“Ready to go,” Tim asks.

 Lucy nods and by 1pm they’re back on the road.

 ---

By 2pm they’re both hungry and decide to stop for lunch. The place they choose is a fast food joint connected to a gas station. It’s busy. Probably because it’s the only place to eat for miles around. While they wait in line to order, Lucy goes to use the bathroom, only to find another line just as long. She decides to try the gas station bathroom instead, telling Tim that she’ll be right back but if he gets to the front first he knows her order. He goes to argue but she’s already gone, which is probably a good thing since he has no rebuttal, considering it’s the truth. 

A few minutes later Tim has their food: a veggie burger with extra pickles and fries for her and a burger and fries for him, but she still isn’t back. He wanders over to the gas station to find her standing in line at the register. 

“Put the candy back Chen.”

“Make me,” she says shaking the bags as she holds them by her shoulders.

Tim reaches for them but Lucy moves to evade his grasp. “Too slow,” she teases.

“You’ve already had two pastries, one bag of candy, a chocolate bar and a frappa-cappa-crapacciuno or whatever.”

“It was a chai tea latte and you know it.”  

“It was more sugar than anything and we still have more candy in the car. You’re going to give yourself diabetes.” 

She shrugs. “It’s not a road trip without excessive amounts of junk food.” 

“It’s not a road trip. It’s a commute home.” 

“It’s whatever we make it,” she says as she taps her card to pay for the candy. 

They find a state park a few minutes up the road and unpack their lunch at one of the picnic tables. They talk as they eat, familiar banter flying across the table. As they near the end of their food Lucy is animatedly telling a story about a recent arrest. She has a french fry in one hand and as she gestures, a little too aggressively, a glob of ketchup flies off the end of the fry and right into Tim’s face. 

She sinks down a little in her seat and covers her mouth to try to suppress a laugh.

“Did you just throw ketchup at me Chen?” he glares as he slowly removes the offending condiment.

“Not on purpose,” she giggles.

“If you start a fight you better be prepared to finish it,” he says as he rips open a package of mustard and squirts it at her.

Although it has poor projectile power a small amount lands in Lucy’s hair. She looks back at him mouth wide. “That was on purpose. That’s assault. I’m calling the police.”

“We are the police,” Tim deadpans as he rips the top off another mustard package.

“You wouldn’t” Lucy warns as she opens a mayo.

Then words are abandoned as condiments fly. They go through 5 ketchup, 3 mustard, 2 mayo, 1 bbq sauce, 1 ranch dressing, 1 aioli and 1 pepper packet before they both surrender. In fact the only packets left untouched are the hot sauce and salt. Both their faces are covered in assorted condiments. Most that had been scooped off the picnic table and smeared directly onto their target when it became clear the packets could barely project their contents a foot. The only one that was truly an effective weapon was the pepper which successfully gave Tim a sneezing fit. 

As they sit back down to finish the last bit of their lunch Lucy picks up a fry and runs it along Tim’s cheek then throws it in her mouth. 

“Not bad,” she says as Tim makes a face of disgust.

When the last fries are gone they throw out their garbage, wipe down the picnic table, then turn their attention to themselves.

“It’s a good thing I bought these wipes,” Tim says as he passes one to Lucy. 

She laughs as she takes it and begins to wash her face. 

“Did I get it all?” she asks when she thinks she’s done. “Because you didn’t,” she adds as she reaches up to wipe the side of his mouth.

He’s startled at first then his expression morphs into something she can’t quite read but something that makes her linger just a little longer than strictly necessary. Then she steps away and climbs into the drivers seat and by 3pm they’re back on their way.

---  

By 4pm Lucy’s in the middle of a seemingly endless monologue about the bachelor franchise when she looks over to realize that Tim is fast asleep. She would be insulted but instead she sees it as an opportunity. She starts to take every turn she can. Whenever she comes to an intersection she turns on to the smallest street. By the time Tim wakes up, about half an hour later (of course he would have is body trained to nap the ideal more than 20, less than 40 minutes), they are in the middle of nowhere. She waits until he’s fully awake then slams on the brakes.

“I’ve been shot. Where are we, Tim?” she demands in her best Tim Bradford voice. He looks out all the windows to see nothing but ranches then back at her, confusion clear on his face.

“Did you get us lost just so you could prove a point?” His tone an odd combination of annoyance and amusement.

“We’re not lost I’m taking the scenic route.” 

 “I’m pretty sure the scenic route is supposed to run along the ocean not through the desert in the middle of no where.” 

“We’re not in the middle of no where we are North of Martinus Corner at the intersection of Cross Rd and and Lockwood Jolon Rd,” she brags. 

“Great you know where we are. Do you know how to get us back onto the main road?”

“It’s not all about the destination, you know, It’s about the journey,” Lucy offers. “When’s the last time you did something just for the fun of it.”

“We go for a hike or a walk along the beach with Kojo every weekend.”

“I know I’m fun to be around,” she teases, “but that’s an errand, Tim, the dog needs exercise.” 

“I see your point but what are we supposed to do in the middle of ranch land? You want to go cow tipping?”

“We won’t be in ranch land for long,” Lucy replies, but half an hour and at least twenty turns later they’re still surrounded by fields and livestock.

“Will you admit you’re lost now?” Tim asks.

Lucy sighs, “Fine, can you please google map how to get to Route 1”

“We were on 5.”

“5’s the freeway. 1’s the scenic route,” Lucy explains. “the one that runs along the ocean.”

Before Tim can bring up the app they’re emerging into a small city centre. As Lucy continues down the main street she excitedly points ahead. 

“Let’s go bowling,” she says indicating the bowling alley sign.

“I thought you wanted to go to the ocean.”

“We can still take the scenic route home, after we go bowling.”

Tim sighs.

“Come on let’s have some fun, make some memories,” Lucy encourages.

“You’re not going to take no for an answer.”

Lucy shakes her head and happily pulls into the bowling alley parking lot.

Several minutes later they have their bowling shoes on and their names entered in the computer on lane 4. Tim goes first and immediately gets a strike.

“You want to put money on this game Chen?” he asks cockily.

“Lucky shot,” Lucy replies. “I’m not betting money but if you win I’ll let you pick the route home but if I win you can’t complain when we take the scenic route.

“Deal,” he says shaking her hand.

Lucy goes next and gets two gutter balls in a row. “Why didn’t we get the bumpers?”

“The bumpers are for kids.”

On her third throw she throws the bowl with two-hands after swinging it between her legs.

“Speaking of for kids,” Tim teases.

“Don’t argue with results,” she counters as her ball connects with the pins.

They continue going back and forth, Tim using the classic one-handed bowling throw and Lucy trying a different technique each time. She tries sitting down and pushing it down the lane, pulling out the ball slide meant for toddlers, standing backwards and throwing the ball between her legs but eventually settles on the two-handed granny throw. 

By half-way through the game Tim’s score is double Lucy’s and he starts to get cocky. He throws with his eyes closed, on one-foot and after spinning in a circle 10 times. 

3 quarters through the game the black lights come on and they laugh at each others teeth glowing in the dark. The disco lights and music follow. Then Lucy who had been giggling and joking around all game suddenly becomes serious. 

“I have two more turns and I really want a strike,” she states. She has a couple spares on the board but strikes remain elusive. Tim on the other hand has three.

“Can I show you? he questions handing her a ball.

He initially tries to coach her through the throw but she isn’t catching on so he steps behind her, puts his hand over hers and leans into her back as he guides her through the motion. The ball knocks over all but one pin but Lucy almost misses it because she’s looking up at Tim. He lets go and steps back.

“You think you can do that on your own next turn?” he asks shaking the huskiness from his voice.

She nods. Tim bowls, then it’s the moment of truth as Lucy throws her ball imaging Tim’s arm along hers, guiding it. The bowl rolls straight down the alley where it connects with the pins and knocks them all down. STRIKE flashes on the computer screen as Lucy jumps for joy then right into Tim for a celebratory hug. He’s initially surprised but is able to catch her and himself before they fall over. He spins them around as she laughs and he’s suddenly really glad Lucy made him stop.

With that the game is over. Tim’s still ahead but the margin had narrowed. They return their bowling shoes and head out to the truck.

“Fine you win this time, we can go back to the interstate but I want a rematch. I’m thinking mini-golf or the arcade,” Lucy says as she pulls out of the parking lot. 

“Nah, go to the 1,” Tim says as he starts to read the directions off his phone.

Lucy looks at him quizzically but doesn’t push her luck. By 6pm they’re driving along the ocean.

---

By 7pm, although it’s not that late, it’s already dark. That combined with her lack of sleep the night before is making Lucy sleepy. When she yawns for the third time in less than 20 minutes Tim suggests they switch drivers. Lucy happily obliges pulling into the next rest stop. During the day it would have a beautiful view of the ocean but now all one can see is darkness. The only evidence of the ocean’s presence being the rhythmic, crashing of waves against the base of the cliff below.

They pull into the abandoned lot; Lucy takes her time backing into a spot, mostly just to annoy Tim and they both get out, reflexively closing their doors behind them. As they pass each other Tim holds his hand out for the keys. 

“I just left them in the ignition,” Lucy explains. Tim looks over to the truck then back to her a look of defeat on his face.

“Your doors lock automatically, don’t they?” Lucy asks rhetorically, “I fucked up.” 

They try the doors just in case but sure enough they’re locked. 

“Well it could be worse,” Tim offers much to Lucy’s surprise, “at least it’s not running.” “I’ll call Angela and see if I can convince her to grab the extra set of keys from my house and come meet us but its going to be a couple hours.” 

Lucy nods. “Thank-you and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Tim shrugs, “we’re making memories remember.” Then without another word we walks away from her as he hits a button on his phone and puts it to his ear. The conversation doesn’t last long. Angela obliges but insists that Tim now owes her one. He thinks she still owes him a couple from everything he did as her man of honour but decides now isn’t the time to bring that up. When he hangs up he finds Lucy has lowered the tailgate of his truck, where she now sits. She’s shivering, arms wrapped around herself, but she’s smiling as she looks up at the sky. 

“You can see the stars here,” she explains hearing him approach, “away from the lights and smog of the city.” 

Tim climbs up into the bed of his truck and removes a stack of old moving blankets from the storage box he keeps in the back. 

“Angela’s on her way but in the meantime we should stay warm.” He wraps one around Lucy’s shoulders. Then lays the rest on the floor of the truck bed. 

“Good thing I left these in after helping Tamara move last weekend.” He shimmies his way in-between two layers then taps the spot beside him, inviting Lucy to join. She climbs in beside him eager for more warmth. With the sun gone the temperature had dropped fast. 

Lucy pulls up an app on her phone and hands it to Tim so he can identify constellations for them while her hands and arms stay hidden under the blankets. Then they lay down and look-up at the stars. Tim uses the app to find constellations, points them out to Lucy, then reads the story about them provided by the app. Meanwhile Lucy snuggles deeper and deeper into the blankets. Tim stops in the middle of the story he’s reading about the the swan constellation as the blankets are pulled off his torso. 

"Stop hogging all the blankets,” he complains pulling them back.

“Sorry, I’m freezing,” she confesses. 

He pauses for a second clearly debating something internally before opening his arm out to the side. “Then come closer,” he finally says. 

She hesitates for a second before slowly moving to snuggle against his side. The possibility of warmth far outweighing any awkwardness she’s feeling. She rests her head on his chest. She can feel his heart racing to match her own and can’t help but smile to herself.

“Better?” he asks once she’s finished squirming around trying to maximize her view of the stars and the amount of body heat she’s receiving from him.

”You're comfier than a pillow,” she confirms, nodding. 

Tim doesn’t respond just wraps his arm around her shoulders. He continues to point out constellations and read the stories in Lucy’s app. 

“None of the constellations actually look like their name sakes,” Lucy says after a while.   

“You have to use your imagination.” 

“I could use my imagination to name my own constellations.” 

He shrugs. “Go for it.” 

She finds a cluster of stars that vaguely resembles a duck. She points it out to Tim then makes up a story about a duck that joined the LAPD and saved the city from a gang of geese. When she’s finished she turns to Tim,. “Your turn.”

He gives her his best ‘not happening’ look but he’s met with those pleading brown eyes that hold more power over him than he’ll ever admit and caves almost instantly.

He points out an X made of stars. “That is where the space pirates buried their treasure.” Lucy looks up at him expectantly. “The end,” he finishes.

“That’s your whole story? One sentence.”

“I’m not as creative as you.”

“Then tell a real story,” she says, “here I’ll go first.”

She points to a jumble of stars. “That is Caligula’s toy chest,” she says then proceeds to describe in great detail all the filthy, horrid things she had seen the day he taught her the DEAR method.

“Why would you tell me that?” he asks when she is done.

“Now you share my pain.”

Tim laughs and points at four stars arranged in a rectangle. “That is the phone that was used too much at work.” He spends his entire story essentially mocking her for always being on her phone. Lucy would be annoyed or insulted but the amount of detail he remembers about the completely benign things she has done is kind of sweet and a little exhilarating.

She next finds a ’surf board’ and tells the story of a weekend getaway with some collage friends that ended with a black eye, a broken board and a lot of great memories. 

Tim follows suit finding a ‘football’ and telling the story of a particularly memorable championship game during his high school career. He’s half-way through his story when he interrupts himself. “You're crushing me,” he tells Lucy who is draped over his torso. “What are you even doing?” I can't breathe with you on me."

“I’m tucking in the blanket so our heat doesn’t escape,” she says as she pushes the edge of the blanket under Tim’s side along the length of his body. When she’s done she rolls off of him, cuddles back into his side then tucks the opposite blanket edge under herself. 

When Tim finishes his story they continue to go back and forth, learning more and more about each other each turn. Lucy tells stories from the time she spent travelling and working odd jobs, from her time as a psych major and her time in the academy. Tim talks about his family, his time in the army, and his early years on the force and with Isabel. 

He tells her about a colleague who despite being a great cop made the mistake of using his radio near an explosive and paid for it with his life. He is the reason Tim baby powder bombs every Rookie: so no other good officers will be lost because a critical piece of information was taught so dryly that it couldn’t possibly be recalled under pressure. 

She tells him about her ring as she twirls it around her finger. About how she found it in her grandma’s dress-up chest when she was six and it immediately became her favourite item. How every time she played dress-up the ring was part of the costume, whether she was a princess or a ninja, a cat or a witch, a clown or a police officer. How unlike her parents, who always thought she’d follow their career paths, her grandma always told her she could be anything she wanted. How when her grandma passed away she had found the ring again as she helped her parents pack up her things. How she had started wearing it to feel closer to her. How as she looked at the ring day after day she heard her grandma’s voice in her head:  “You can do anything you put your mind too,”  “the sky’s the limit,” “do what makes you happy.” How that made her realize she was not where she wanted to be and led to her decision to quit her Master’s program.  How her parents had chalked it up to grief and tried to use psychoanalysis to convince her to return. How that had pissed Lucy off and led to her applying to the LAPD. How she had continued to wear the ring as a reminder and motivator during her training. How much it had meant to her to have it returned. How now it not only symbolizes her grandma’s belief in her, but also Tim’s and her own. How it continues to give her strength.

As Lucy talks Tim rubs circles on her back as if connecting the stars that constitute Lucy’s ‘ring’ constellation. 

Just as she finishes she excitedly points up. “Look a shooting star!”

“Make a wish,” Tim advises.

“I wish we could stay like this forever.” She surprises herself by how quick and confident that comes out. She hadn’t even thought about it, but it is true. In this moment everything is perfect. She is no longer cold. She is warm and happy in her little burrito with Tim: wearing his shirt, listening to the ocean, surrounded by stars. 

Lucy half hears Tim name a constellation “the best boot I ever trained” and start to tell a Coles notes version of their story but she’s already falling asleep.

She wakes up some time later to Tim shifting beside her. 

“Don’t move,” she groans still half-asleep.“

“Ange is here Luce. It’s time to go home.” 

“Am home,” she mumbles before falling back asleep.

Tim manages to free himself from Lucy and the blankets. He shuffles out of the back of the truck and walks around it to meet Angela who is just getting out of her car.

“Where have you been,” Tim asks. 

“Driving.” 

“I mean, what took you so long?” 

“I thought you might be enjoying your alone time with Lucy more than you’d admit, so I didn’t rush.” 

He wanted to argue but he couldn’t. “Thank-you for coming.”

She shrugs. “Honestly, when your baby refuses to sleep anywhere but a moving car a 4 hour drive is not as inconvenient as it sounds.”

As if to prove her point the infant starts wailing from inside the vehicle.

Before Angela can move Tim’s opening her car door and removing his god child from the car seat. He holds the baby to his chest and starts rocking him. As the baby continues to scream and Tim continues to rock, sway and bounce, Lucy emerges from behind Tim’s truck seemingly woken by the crying.

“There’s my favourite little guy,” she coos as she approaches. “You’ve gotten so big. Next time I see you you’ll be taller than your Uncle Tim,” she continues as she rubs the baby’s back. Despite all the attention the baby continues to fuss.

“He’s hungry,” Angela explains. “Give him this,” she continues handing him a full bottle, “I pumped on the way here.”

“You pumped while driving?”

“It’s called multitasking.”

Tim takes the bottle and offers it to the baby who immediately begins suckling. While the baby drinks Lucy goes back to Tim’s truck and grabs some blankets. She gives one to Angela, drapes another over Tim and the little boy and wraps herself in the last. 

Over the next half an hour Tim and Lucy work together to feed, burp, and change the baby before putting him back in his carseat, all while his mother watches with a very amused expression. When he’s buckled in they say their goodbyes, thank Angela again, then head back to Tim’s truck, which is now unlocked.

By 10pm they are back on the road. They spend the rest of the drive cooing over baby Evers and talking about their own theoretical future kids. While conveniently avoiding any mention of theoretical future spouses or co-parents.

By midnight Lucy is just getting home. As she walks through the door she sees Jackson on the couch watching TV. 

“Why are you so late?” he asks turning towards her.

“Long story.” 

“Is that Tim’s shirt?” 

“Longer story.” 

“Aha,” Jackson says giving her a knowing look.

She just rolls her eyes and goes to get ready for bed. She falls asleep almost immediately and dreams of sweets and stars, babies and bowling and a life with Tim.