#see its very possible we just need davey's help

[nulab-2024]

There are a few posts on here about Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, having a terrible voting record. People say the same about Rory Stewart, an ex-Tory, now most known for The Rest Is Politics podcast with Alastair Campbell.

I think people are too stuck on voting records. We need to remember the role of whips, and the consequences of disobeying them. Several Labour MPs, including Zarah Sultana, were recently suspended from the Labour Party for voting in favour of removing the Two-Child Benefit Cap.

While some people have supported their voting against their party, as the MPs are being true to their own beliefs or perhaps following their constituents' views, this display of division weakens parties as we saw with the Tories over Brexit, or with Labour and its split between the centre-left (Keir Starmer) and the further left (Jeremy Corbyn). This is probably why Starmer suspended his MPs - he can't afford for his party to look any weaker.

Getting themselves suspended is not going to help these rebel MPs remove the Two-Child Benefit Cap. They are now much less likely to be put in key positions under Starmer when they return, from which they could have had more of an influence on this matter and others.

While you may not agree with voting for things you believe to be wrong, you can surely see why people like Ed Davey, Rory Stewart, or even Nick Clegg felt that they had to do that. Davey and Clegg obviously did not want to raise university tuition fees - it was against what they had promised! But they had to compromise this in order for the government to continue to function and to show a strong, united front. They likely believed that it was better for the country for them to stay in power, to block as many austerity policies as they could, even if they lost on tuition fees.

I think we should be more sympathetic to UK politicians' voting records. We shouldn't write off the Lib Dems because of the coalition - coalitions are a very Liberal and very Democratic concept, where as many voices as possible are listened to, instead of just having one party in power - and this makes it clear why Nick Clegg entered the coalition, despite knowing he would have to concede things to to Tories. What do you think?

[who-is-shades]

raz dnd 5

back to senna having a bad time!

teya helps senna sit in a chair. senna asks for ice and the weird servant brings some over and senna puts it on her neck. dorf asks senna if shes ok and shes doing better and they talk a little. dorf says hes a famous wizard! (naturally)

parsley goes to talk to the robots! 'sup'. parsley doesnt trust dorf so he doesnt wanna go in the mansion.

dorf goes up to teya and asks if she needs anything and shes just like nah. senna gets up and says she feels better. parsley asks zen whats androids name but he is denied lol. the twinx is on the loose.

senna compliments the mansion! dorf talks about the spell lets him design it himself hes so proud. senna asks for a tour if possible! floor 1: big comfy living room like place. floor 2: giant library with lots of books and shit. senna and teya are fuckin excited. teya wanders off to look at the books and dorf says he has necromancy tomes. he mentions hes fought several lichs.

dorf points out the books hes written! senna grabs one and begins reading lol. teya finds a book about liches! it talks about how liches become immortal and that liches are usually evil. teya thinks its sad lol.

3rd floor! big dining room and kitchen! senna asks for lobster tail! teya is still full from breakfast lol. dorf claps his hands and a butler shows up with the food! senna calls dorf cool lol.

parsley is still just pacing outside lol.

4th floor! magical floating doors? guest rooms! cool! senna calls all this impressive. teya says 1 bedroom is bigger than her house. 5th floor! bath place. saunas. its fuckin massive! ghost masseuse!

6th final floor! dorfs personal quarters! artifacts and shit. theres fuckin sans' head lol. he gagged him hes shut up forever lol. teya waves to him. dorf calls him davey and hes a lich? senna walks over and pokes the magic eye and it sparks me lol. she asks dorf how he beat him and how evil he was.

back outside now pog! senna tells parsley that dorf has killed several liches and that hes lacking lol. and that he has the head of a lich just in his house. now onto the fish people!

we see some giant mushrooms blocking the path! senna warns to be careful disturbing them cause they might release spore clouds. dorf summons a battle axe! he swings and gets knocked back! senna catches dorf! were under attack!

im being a little lazy with fights lol. teya firebombed 2 of them and killed them. the last mushroom spored parsley and teya and their freaking out. senna is just....trying to deal with the last mushroom to cure them. dorf is also a badass lol. parsley thinks im attacking his sister wtf. senna asks dorf for suggestions.

senna walks toward teya. she thinks she surrounded by mushrooms and thinks senna is a mushroom zombie of tori wtf. teya fuckin sets herself on fire to get rid of the mushrooms?! at the last second she sees senna but cant stop the fireball.

parsley doesnt even bother to not get attacked by the mushroom since he thinks its his sister. 'sis' yells at him and asks why he left her alone. (LORE YEAHHH) parsley is sad about this sadge.

dorf goes to attack the mushroom instead cause wizards cant heal lol. he firebolts it! parsley sees his 'sis' fuckin explode. thankfully senna has a spell to cure this illness. parsley is back to normal. parsley is fuckin crying. senna tries to calm him.

zen hits android for being a dick lol. teya is dead so senna has to rez her lol. she still has no heartbeat?! she finally wakes. senna feels for teya's pulse, its very very slow wtf. senna slaps a hand over her mouth but calms herself and tells teya she had a very bad nightmare.

senna helps teya and puts her arm around her shoulder. parsley went to sit in a tree. zen tries to speak to him but hes silent. dorf also tries and he insists hes fine. teya notices shes not in pain weird. senna asks dorf to let teya rest in the mansion. she also asks if parsley wants to come but he stays quiet so she leaves him. zen follows us! and android, slowly.

zens eyes glow yellow for a moment? omg level up?! were all healed! senna touches teyas wrist again. the pulse is normal weird but good. she tells teya shes just glad shes ok. teya is super hungry! senna notices teyas stomach growls and laughs and takes her to the dining hall. dorf summons stuff he likes to eat, big potato stew! senna eats some jello!

WHEATLEY FINALLY COMES OUT OF EEBY DEEBY! hes being examined by like doctor warforged to figure out why they keep dying lol. gods there too lol. he made improvements to him. (level up hint hint) hes warped in front of the mansion doors.

a servent tells wheatley his friends are waiting for him. zen and android are in there too. zen is glad hes back. wheatley is taken to the dining hall. space core is yelling and confused about how they got there. senna is glad to see them! senna pets spacecore on the head. he leaps out of wheatleys hands and pokes the portal but it does nothing.

dorf asks where wheatley went but hes not sure either. teya finishes eating yay. senna asks wheatley whats bothering him. he says god told him were emotionally fucked up lol. senna tries to disuade him but dorf fuckin jumps in lol. we tell him about the giant talking trees and mushrooms.

senna keeps saying everything is fine but wheatley is not convinced. dorf fuckin snitches. 'teya exploded! but shes fine now.' teya is worried greatly about dying lol. wheatley starts patting her looking for injuries. senna informs wheatley we met aa lich! (sans!)

dorf fuckin brings the skull down here wtf. space core gets left in dorfs room lol. dorf explains a lich to wheatley. senna holds the skull lol alas poor yorick. spacecore keeps trying to stack books to reach the stars but he opens a secret room on accident. they ignore it lol.

dorf notices and goes to get spacecore. wheatley says he wants to try some of his artificer infusions. wheatley says he wants to study teyas sending stone to make his own. teya agrees. suddenly a message comes through telling teya her medical checkup is due hmm.

dorf asks if teya has health problems. senna leads wheatley away and explains it was a private message. also she tells him weve been calling parsley spingledorf the fairy.

senna walks back over to teya. dorf offers to get some tools to look at this energy shes emitting. teya is uncertain. dorf goes to get them and comes back. he sounds worried. he asks to speak to teya in private. (they fuckin go into a private call lol)

they come back and tell us everything is fine. teya gives wheatley the stone again. senna quietly nods at teya. wheatley hands the stone back. teya is quiet. wheatley needs rocks so dorf summons some rocks for him pog. dorf fills the room with fake space lol. senna asks teya to 'space dance' with her lol. spingledorf is the ultimate wingman lol the stars push us together and were dancing on a moon and shit. (teya mustve gotten really bad news wtf did they talk about-) teya gets zapped and now is wearing a dress like stars.

(wheatley finishes making his stone lol) the moon turns into a crescent moon and makes teya fall into senna lol. everything settles down. we head back downstairs. wheatley asks zen to send him to god for a sec. (we've been fucking with addi all session xD punishment for being too gay to play dnd) zen cant take wheatley back but he can send the stone to lil bro.

senna goes outside to check on parsley. (teya keeps using sending wtf is going on stop being sneaky let me in!) parsley has cooked and eaten a rabbit.

[jack-kellys]

lay it on me bro: the devil’s inside (you opened the door, you gave him a ride)

((for reference it’s the opening line of “my eyes” by the lumineers))

you are so. we are so 🤝

send me a fic title and i'll think up a fic!

what's funny abt this title is that it goes a lot with what jac just posted. @we-are-inevitable and @roideny were talking about for... a while in the discord its this

anyway this is going to be like an au of the bfu au but also thats irrelevant.

essentially, jack is having the worst possible go at life. he's just been fired, his girlfriend dumped him a week before, rent is due soon, and his roommate is depending on him. everything is coming to a head all at once, and during the typical 3am panic attack in his room, jack swears something... answers him?

hey, do you need some help?

there is no one in his room, he thinks. he thinks, until a shadow shifts in his vision, toward him, and a face resides in it. not a clear one, mostly white shapes within the black expanse in front of him. rather round, friendly eye shapes for a creature of darkness.

"um," jack stutters out, "like, i'm having a panic attack, and seeing things–"

oh that's horrible! the wide eyes and shapeless form... says? jack can hear it- him, he has... a really sweet, soft voice actually. you aren't seeing things, though. i'm here. i'm here to help, just reach your hand out.

fuck it, it couldn't hurt, so jack's shaky hand reaches out. and it disappears from view? he thinks, at least, until something holds it and the waves of panic raging through his body simply lapse against the shore. his breathing evens, his head levels out. he's calm.

"cool..." jack breathes out. "thank you? thank you. it did help, um, can... i have my hand back?"

can i have your name?

"jack."

no, your name.

"it's jack, dude- thing..guy."

it's not. can i have it?

"it is, man fuck off–"

the calm is ripped away, the panic sets his heart in motion too suddenly, and his lungs can't take in air.

"fuck, fuck, it's cisco," he gasps out. "oh my god, it's cisco. stop."

and he does stop, and the shadow smiles, and jack can see his hand again because the shadow isn't holding it anymore.

thank you, jack, he says, and the shadow looks friendly again. i'll see you later! i'm happy i could help.

"what the fuck," jack breathes out. "what even is this? are you?"

oh, i'm davey. look, i have to go, but i'll be back later, so no need to miss me too much.

and then it- he's gone, and jack is left calm in his room at 3:15 in the morning.

basically jack's energies are so, so shit that they attract david, a demon, and jack gives davey his name, so basically davey is going to have a very very fun time with his personal little human and protect him from time to time. so instead of getting sent a guardian angel, jack gets sent a demon literally because his energies are so sick and twisted to the point where davey is like. someone must have literally cursed you as an infant, the occult must have gotten a hold of you, because your spiritual levels are so, so awful.

but also i think he can have dangerous magical connections as a treat

jack being a magical mystery is a concept i have thought about a lot, and idk if this is rly how i'd end up doing it, but i think it'd be kind of funny. like if jack was abt to be hit by a car davey's voice would go OH MY GOD WATCH OUT and possess jack, move him out of harm's way in time, and release him.

[hhuta]

here is what they made before

[pondergraves]

The Campbell Cruise au (Davey and Jaspers time on the cruise)

Kinda just a quick explanation of this stuff along with a bit of extra info. It's not super far off from the actual show it's kinda just a few bits are switched up and its on a cruise instead of at a camp. Once again some of this might change but for now this is how it is. Also still very bad at explaining stuff. Also I am tired.

I'll write some info about their childhood and possibly stuff leading up to when they get in contact with eachother again sometime soon.

Cerfew:

Kids aren't allowed out on the ship past 10pm while the adults are allowed out till 11pm. This is so that after 11 anything that needs to be cleaned up can be and so nobody is snooping around and getting into trouble (Also the lights are quite dim at night so it can be hard to see which isn't exactly the safest).

How Jasper dies at the end for 2 minutes:

Davey snuck into Jasper and his parents cabin asking him to come with him to look around after curfew. Jasper obviously said no until Davey called him a square. Jasper tried to make the excuse he was only going with him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

Mr. Campbell while getting ready to take a boat out to get a safe that fell in the ocean the year prior catches them out past curfew and decides to take them with him to help him out.

He refers to it as lost treasure to keep their interest but Davey is having none of it.

After awhile of silence while they rowed to their destination a dolphin swims up near their boat.

Jasper points it out and Mr. Campbell says they're friendly creatures so Jasper took out a twinkie he happened to take with him and held it over the water for the dolphin.

The dolphin not only got the twinkie in its mouth but also Jaspers arm. He starts thrashing around trying to get his arm free and yelling for help which freaks the dolphin out and it pulls Jasper out of the boat and into the water.

Mr. Campbell does not stop rowing despite Jasper literally getting pulled into the water saying that he'll be ok for a few minutes and that they're almost there.

Davey takes Campbell's GPS and chucks it in the water explaining that they need to save Jasper.

They turn the boat around and don't see anything as it's quite dark and Jasper is underwater.

Davey remembers Jasper mentioning his LA Gear light up shoes at one point and starts looking for any blinking lights in the water surrounding them.

Once they see the lights from Jaspers shoes they make their way over. Mr. Campbell jumps in and kills the dolphin; putting it and Jasper in the small boat with them. They start heading back to the ship since Jasper is very much unconscious and there's only one member of the crew that knows how to administer CPR. Good ol Gregg coming in clutch.

Once they get on the ship Jasper says bye bye to the funky world and dies. Epic. Anyways his spirit leaves his body and he follows Davey and Mr. Campbell to Gregg's cabin where he's finally given CPR. Jasper starts panicking thinking he's actually dead for good but is pulled back into his body after almost a minute. After being brought back his several bites and scars are taken care of and he's taken back to his cabin where Campbell tells his parents Jasper fell over a railing while breaking curfew and was attacked by a dolphin.

We love leaving out information and avoiding taking any responsibility.

Jasper was too shaken up to bother bringing up the truth for awhile(his parents didn't believe him when he did bring up that Mr. Campbell took him an Davey out on a boat when it happened an Campbell tried to leave him) and Davey was gifted a Keychain from the gift shop and saw the whole thing as a lesson from Mr.Campbell.

A falling out between friends:

Between Daveys new found constant positivity and him believing every lie he was fed by Mr. Campbell; even praising the man that tried to leave him for a safe as he learned thanks to Davey talking about his pov of the whole ordeal; it was hard to be around him especially with the frequent nightmares and consitent hatred for Campbell and his scuffed cruise.

Of course he cared about Davey and it was nice to see him getting along with and overall treating his mother better but he wanted Davey to see things for how they really are. With the growing annoyance of him also came a growing concern of how things would turn out if Davey continued to idolize Mr. Campbell. So on the last day when they were asked to go to a part of the ship that was off limits to get something for him Jasper saw an opportunity to get dirt on him and not only show Davey the truth but possibly get the cruise shut down.

Jasper runs off and finds a room with a bunch of different signs and stickers saying not to enter and Davey chases after him telling him he shouldn't go in.

They both end up going their separate ways. Jasper gets pictures using his parents disposable camera but when he goes back up on the deck to meet up with his parents he trips and the camera slides off the ship and into the water.

When he gets to his parents Davey and his mom are already gone since the ship has docked and everyone's leaving.

Fun lil bits of info:

• The safe fell into the ocean after Campbell loaded it up onto a helicopter and when it tipped the safe slipped out since it wasn't secured in any way.

• Campbell Cruise was supposed to be called Campbell's Cruise but Mr. Campbell forgot the S.

• The bandanas David and Jasper wear are shirts Jaspers dad bought them from the gift shop.

• Jasper was constantly anxious and on edge for the rest of the cruise cause he'd occasionally hear or see spirits.

• Jasper has an extra scar on his chest from when Mr. Campbell was attacking the dolphin cause he missed a swing with his knife and got Jasper with it since he couldn't see well.

• The dolphin was stuffed and mounted on a wall in the crew members lounge.

[an-actual-angel]

Pairing: Connor (RK800) x Reader, Collin (RK800-60) x Reader, Richard (RK900) x Reader

Summary: The year was 2082. 44 Years after the android revolution. Things have turned south for humanity. Androids now rule the world, leaving humans to be considered as mere animals. While some Androids still have a general disdain for humanity some have taken to the idea of keeping them as “family pets.”You, born in captivity, specifically bred to be the perfect pet happen to get adopted by the RK brothers.

Chapter Description: Part 2 of your eventful day out with Collin.

(If anyone wants to be added to the tag list, either dm or reply to this post <3)

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_____________________

Chapter 28 - The Lost Boy

Your name: submit What is this?

The Incident with Collin's ex had left a bitter taste in your mouth for most of the day. You clenched your fists anytime you thought back at how she and her friends had berated him. Part of you wanted to bring it up again to Collin but it seemed like he had enough of talking about her for today. You didn’t want to annoy him with it. Perhaps you could try again some other time.

Collin seemed a little annoyed by it but it didn’t seem to have shaken him up too much, he was quite happily scoffing food into his mouth, upon finally making it to the café you both had planned to visit. You watched him amused, your hands clasped around the warm porcelain coffee mug as you blew into the brown liquid, still too hot to drink. For a being that didn’t need food, Collin sure could put it away quick. You thought it was cute though.

“So,” You began to speak, removing the white mug from your lips. Collins eyes flicker up to meet yours.

“I kissed Connor this morning.” You felt weird telling this to Collin but you knew if this was going to work, open communication would be essential.

“Finally, took you both long enough.” He laughed, sitting back in his chair. “So, who’s the better kisser me or Connor?” A sly grin formed across his face.

“Definitely Connor.” You quipped, copying his go to wink.

“Lies.” Collin rolls his eyes.

“Okay, I’m only messing. You both are well, really great.” You shrug with a small giggle. You don’t think you could choose a favourite.

“Just admit you like me better, it’s okay I won’t tell.” Collin's foot brushes against your leg as he teases you. You raise your eyebrows to him in a mocking way as a response.

“I’m only kidding.” He chuckles before taking another swig of his drink.

When you both had finished your food, you set off into the city again, your hand linked around his arm as he leads the way.

“So, the museum then?” Collin asks, a little too unenthusiastically for your liking – making you stop and think.

“Why do I feel like your pandering to me?” You ask, pulling back on his arm slightly.

“Huh?”

“It’s just the museum doesn’t seem like a very ‘Collin’ thing. It’s not your style.”

“Hey, are you trying to say that I’m not smart, sophisticated and cultured?” He fakes being insulted, making you giggle slightly.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Yeah, I know,” he smiles. “You got me. Connor suggested taking you there.” He holds his hands up in defence, accompanied by a smirk.

“Well, I want to do something that  you  want to do. Not what you think I want, or Connor thinks rather. This is your last day off. What do  YOU  want to do?”

“Well, I could think of a few things” he grins, moving his hand lower down your back with flirtation. You bump your shoulder into him in response as if you’re telling him to grow up. Not that you would mind getting a little bit more intimate  with him – it was just that you actually wanted to go do something that he would enjoy.  That didn't involve getting frisky.

“Oh, I’m sure” you laugh it off. “But what do you actually want to do? Well, besides, drinking, partying and orgies.”

“Hey, I’m no longer a single man, No orgies for me, anymore.”

“Anymore?”

“Forget I said that.” He snaps back, pointing his finger towards you.  To which you just laugh, you cant tell if he's joking or not but... hey, you don’t judge.

But wait, what did he say? The realisation only dawns on you now.

“So no longer a single man huh?”

“Well, I was assuming by now… Y'know.” He shrugs blankly at you, like an idiot.

You shake your head and chuckle. “You telling Richard I’m your girlfriend doesn’t count as asking me out. You have to do it properly.”

Collin stops walking for a minute and plays with the sleeve of his leather jacket. LED flashing a sickly yellow for a moment, clearing his throat – even though he obviously did not need to – he starts to ask. “Uh, Will you -“

“Shouldn’t we wait for Connor?” You interrupt him.

“I can ask for the both of us.”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“That’s a shame.” He responds even though he clearly seemed relieved that he didn’t have to ask you alone. Even though he pretty much knew what your response was going to be he was still nervous. Maybe it was too soon.

Most couples date for a few months before they make it official but you had been friends for such a long time now, does that make it okay? Where you weirded out by the power dynamic? Was being with two different people too much? Did you feel pressured into this relationship?

Collin's head felt like it was spinning, he tried his best to hide it behind his smile. Hopefully, he could maintain the blue of his LED, if he really focused he could keep it blue. – something he taught himself to do a few years back. It took a lot of concentration but it was possible.

“Anyway.” Your voice pulls him back into reality. “Back to my main point, before we get side-tracked again.” You turn to look at him, finger poking him in the center of his chest. “What do you want to do today?”

“Shit, I don’t know.” He looks around with a clueless expression. Apart of you wonders if he’s ever eve been asked this question before.

“Maybe we could go to the park? Oh!” his face sparks up for a moment. “I have a Frisbee in my car.”

“Sounds great!” You chime back. Smiling at how enthusiastic he had become over a Frisbee.

Both of you had spent a good few hours in the park. Just walking around, playing Frisbee and talking the biggest load of nonsense. You even got to meet some nice dogs, which is always a bonus.

Because it was just you and Collin, you both got some horrendously unhealthy, greasy food from a food truck but damn it was good. You both had a laugh at the thought of what Connor would say about it. The hours had passed way too quickly. Soon it was time to head home, but something stopped you, the sound of a child crying.

You almost sent Collin into a full-blown panic when you had disappeared out of his sight to go investigate it. Thankfully he spotted you before you had fully immersed yourself into the trees to seek the kid out.

Collin approached you in a light jog to keep up only to find you down on your knees talking to a small weeping boy. A human boy.

Before Collin could complain about you running off you had reached out to pull Collins hand down in order for him to be crouching to talk to the little boy as well.

“He lost his family.” Your face turned to Collin.

Collin briefly let his LED slip back to the yellow colour he had been trying so hard to hide that day. Immediately it caught the kid’s attention.

“I don’t want to go to the pound!” he blurts out, tears filling up his eyes. “Davey said it’s scary there.”

You hush the little boy before offering him your hand. “You won’t have to go near that place, I promise.”

He slowly places his tiny little dirt-covered hand in your own. You stand to your feet and help the little boy up.

“Can you help?” You whisper to Collin.

His lips go thin for a moment as he thinks. “Not without taking him to the pound to get his chip checked.”

Your eyebrows turn up in worry, not wanting to break your promise to the kid. “isn’t there something you can do?”

“Well, human matters aren’t in my division of work. I can’t do anything but Richard might be able to pull some strings.”

“Are you serious?” You wince at the thought of getting Richard involved.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for even suggesting it but he does have the city in his pocket basically.” He grumbles, scratching the back of his head. “He’s got connections, he could get a chip scanner sent out here. We wouldn’t even have to leave the park.”

“That would be preferable.” You sigh. “Would he even agree?”

“Only one way to find out.” Collin lifts his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call him, you walk the kid around the park, see if you can find his family anywhere.”

You nod and take the child’s hand again, following Collins instructions.

___

You had no luck finding the child’s family. The sun was starting its descent, painting the sky with shades of pink and orange clouds.

“It looks like ice cream.” You smile down at the little boy’s observation. “What’s your favourite Ice cream?” You ask, in an attempt to keep the child entertained.

“Strawberry!” He perks up in glee.

“I’ve never tried strawberry ice cream before.”

“What!” The Child almost seems offended by your confession. “Lady, you haven’t lived.”

“Is that so?” You giggle.

“He’s got a point.” Collin was quick to quip back.

The three of you were standing outside the park gates, it was closing up soon. At the rate this was going you would either be forced to take the kid to the pound or back to the apartment. Neither of which was ideal and would probably scare the poor kid out of his wits.

Finally, a familiar sleek black car had pulled up beside you. The doors swing open to reveal Richard, stepping out with a small white device in hand. the child’s hand wrapped tighter around yours as Richard came closer. You couldn’t blame the kid, Richard did look intimidating as hell as he approached, like some type of vampiric villain.

“Arm.” He ordered, hand extending out to the boy which cause you to grimace in response. Richard noticed immediately. With a roll of his eyes, he then squats down to the boy's eye level. He holds his hand out again and asks in a more gentle tone.

“May I please see your arm? I need to scan it so that we can call your family.”

The little boy looks up to you with curious eyes and you nod to him, placing your hand on his shoulder. The boy reluctantly rolls up his sleeve and offers his arm out to Richard.

With a small beep from the device, you had the families contact details. The lady – his mother, sounded like she was in hysterics over the phone. It didn’t take too long for her and her partner to show up, thanking and praising you all for finding their boy. When they had left you made brief eye contact with Richard and thanked him. He simply nodded and got back into his car.

---

Upon arriving home you had to fill Connor in on the eventful day you both had. He seemed just as pissed as you were about the whole drama with Collins ex. He was very proud of the both of you as well as a little shocked at Richard – and his willingness to help - with "the case of the lost child."

Thank goodness that all got sorted. I thought we were going to have to bring that poor kid home with us. That would be so bad.”

“No it wouldn’t, you were great with him.” Collin's hand grazes against your arm.

“Well, I meant it would be scary for the child. Being without his family.”

The Boys both nod in agreement.“I guess kids are lucky that way though.” You sigh. “Android couples always want to adopt little kids, raise them, treat them like their own. Probably only humans that get to experience family life. For some reason, I wasn’t good enough for that.”

Both of the boys go silent.

Oh jeez, you didn’t mean to dump all of that on them in the middle of a casual conversation. Will you ever learn when to stop talking?

“I’m sorry you never got to experience that.” Connor eventually speaks up breaking the silence.

“It’s okay. I'm sorry I shouldn’t have gone off of that tangent. I’m pretty lucky now though. I have you guys, you're both pretty great.” You smile, placing your head on Connor's shoulder and placing your hand on top of Collins.

“And were both grateful to have you.” Connor says placing a kiss on the top of your head. The three of you sit quietly for a while, Connor resting his chin on your head and Collin stroking his fingers down your hand, playing and rubbing on each one of your individual fingers.

While the room was silent you had your suspicions that Collin and Connor where communicating with each other via their minds. That weird mind communication that androids could do with other androids within their proximity. You can usually tell when this happens because Collin sometimes forgets to hide his facial expressions when he does it. Also, their LEDs slightly waver when they communicate this way.

Finally, Collin chooses to speak out first. “So I suppose now is as good as time as any.” He begins.

You adjust yourself to sit up slightly while still leaning against Connor.

“Y/N.”

“Yes?”

“Will you be our girlfriend?”

Collin looked so serious, almost worried that you’d say no. Connor, on the other hand, seemed pretty calm, casually playing with a lock of your hair. You leaned back to look at Connor.

“What he said.” Connor smiles back teasingly.

“Well, I'd have to think about it. You turn back around and look down at your nails before a smile cracks across your face. “of course I will dummy.” You giggle before leaning up and pressing a small kiss against Collin's lips. Connor rubbing small circles on your arm, waiting for his turn. When You and Collin both pull away from each other Connor reaches up his hand to guide your face towards him, stealing a kiss as well.

You hoped every moment could be this sweet.

___

Chapter 29 - Our Time is Running Out

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. What on earth possessed him to go out of his way for a human? That little minx, the cruel temptress had him wrapped around his finger.

He could have kept his pride, refused. But the thought of you upset with him (even more so than you already were) was completely unbearable.

So here he found himself, on a Sunday night, travelling across town, calling in a favour from an old acquaintance just so that he could borrow his chip reader. And for what? Some lost human that you had came across in the park? While you were on a date with his brother?

Richard was disgusted at himself.

Oh how he tried to pull back from you, to forget, to move on. But to no avail. Your laugh, your smile, your scent. It was frivolous. You had taken over his mind like a virus to his system. Oh, how it made him loath himself for feeling this way.

“You will be the death of me.” He sighed looking down at the chip reader sitting in his passenger seat.

You wicked thing.

He hoped the drive would at least clear his mind, help him keep his cool for when you meet again. He found it hard to control himself recently. He had never had this problem before. Perhaps he could only blame himself. He played with fire, allowing himself to get close to you. Now it was time to suffer from the burns.

Why did you have to kiss him, why did he allow it in the first place? It was stupid the whole thing! You were a human. It was unheard of. The only reason he adopted you was to prove a point to Connor, how did this all get so messed up? Maybe he was too arrogant. He was sure at the time that this would have been the best way to get through to his brother, not drive them apart. He wanted to save Connor from his own delusions. But what happened instead was unthinkable.

Richard caught feelings for the human.

The android and the human? It sounded ridiculous.

He braced himself as he drove closer to the destination, not long now. He was just going to get in then get out and try his best to avoid eye contact. Then he saw you. Looking as beautiful as ever, the wind delicately sweeping between your hair. Standing outside the park gates with his brother and a small little boy.

Wait, It was a child that was lost?

Richard pulled his car up beside the gates. He shook his head taking in a deep breath – which he didn’t need – before finally grabbing the scanner and stepping out.

When your eyes fell on him he felt his thirium pump start to rattle in his chest, he tried to ignore it as he approached the three of you. Swept up in his own thoughts he didn’t notice the little boy beginning to cower behind you.

“Arm.” Richard ordered the boy.

He was confused for a moment, why didn’t the child comply? But then his eyes briefly caught yours. You didn’t look pleased.

Shit.  

He looked down at the boy then finally realised . Oh. He’s scared?

It’s okay, play it off…

He then knelt down. He could see the boy was still unsure of him so Richard reached out his hand and asked in a gentle tone. “May I please see your arm? I need to scan it so that we can call your family.”

When the boy finally offered his arm, Richard took it and scanned his chip, trying to hide his own shaky uneven feeling from showing in his movements. In an instant, the screen on the device flashed with the boy’s information.

Richard stood up, grabbing Collin’s phone straight out of his hand. He pressed the phone against the screen and gave it back to Collin.

“It should be ringing his family now.”

Collin nodded before holding the phone up to his ear. He moved a little bit away from you, Richard and the boy to speak to the family.

Although, the three of you could hear whoever it was – a female – blubbering down the phone.

You and Richard stood in silence while Collin talked on the phone.

“Don’t worry your family will be here soon.” Richard heard you whisper to the small boy. If his heart could combust it would have at that moment. He didn’t know how to deal with this. How to deal with you. He hated this feeling.

The minutes you waited for the family to arrive felt like hours to Richard. He stood with his arms crossed in silence while you and Collin kept the little boy entertained.

When the family finally arrived Richard was so relieved, he could finally leave. He supposed sure, it was good the child was returned home but mainly he wanted to get the fuck out of this situation as soon as he could.

After the family had given their thanks and praise to the three of you, Richard was on a mission to get back into his car as fast as possible. Before he reached for the handle, he did make brief eye contact with you.

You thanked him. He didn’t know how else to respond so he just nodded in return.

Getting back into his car he watched as you and Collin walked away – presumably to Collin's car – holding hands with each other. Richard cursed himself under his breath before driving off.

___

The next day Richard immersed himself fully within his work, something he usually did when his emotions got in the way. Emotions were so messy. he knew he had to return home soon, something he wasn’t looking forward to. His brothers were usually sat about cooing after you, the human, in HIS house. Maybe his karma was finally catching up with him.

When he arrived home it was quiet. It dawned on him, Collin was back to work again. it was probably just him and you in the apartment at the moment. His initial reaction was to run into his room or office to avoid you but a voice in his head said, ‘no. this is enough. No more hiding.’ He had to talk to you.

Gathering whatever courage he had he straightened himself out before heading into the livingroom. There you were sat cutely curled up in a ball on the couch. Your eyes lazily made their way towards him.

“Hello.” Richard spoke stiffly, trying to look as stoic as he could.

“Hi.” You spoke softly.

Okay, she doesn’t seem too annoyed with me…

Richard knew he had to be careful with his words around you. He knew you wouldn’t eat up the bullshit that he fed to everyone else in his life, no. You were different.

“So, you’re dating my brothers?”

“Yeah.”

“Both of them?”

You nod again in response. Richard bites his lip and sits down on the couch opposite you.

“I acknowledge that we had a rough patch and I apologise for it.” Richard begins speaking looking down at his hands. “I guess I just didn’t realize what we had was over.”

“We had something?” You asked. Richard's face looks up at you in confusion, not understanding what you meant.

“You see, I might be mistaken but I thought in order to ‘have something’ you would have to have, I don’t know, an element of respect for each other? Y’know treating your partner or person of interest as a person or an equal.” You spat back at him.

“It’s more complicated than that, I-” Richard tried to explain himself before you cut him off.

“Listen.” You begin. “I know you have some weird God complex so you can’t wrap your head around it but Connor and Collin treat me like a person. They care about me.”

“I care!” Richard stands up, his eyebrows turning upwards as his voice raises slightly.

You scoff a little. “Do you? Or are you just saying that to get your own way?”

“This is just, all very new to me.” Richard tries to explain further, holding his hand to his chest. “It’s difficult. You’re a human and my people they-”

“Oh grow up.” You finally stand to your feet and begin to walk away from him.

“I’m sorry!” He blurts out, causing you to stop. You turn to him and notice his LED now red.

“For what?” You ask. Maybe a glimmer of hope for him caught in your eyes.

But Richard doesn’t speak. His mouth fumbles around like he’s trying to catch his words but he says nothing.

“Hmm, I thought so.” You sigh and turn back to walk away. Biting your lip you shake your head. He doesn’t care, he’s just trying to control me again.

You will suck the life out of me ~

_________

Previous Chapter | AO3 | Next Chapter

Notes:  This chapter was heavily inspired by Muse's song 'Time is running out.' Shout out to AO3 user @DarkBlueChocolate for the chapter idea!

Taglist: @connorsdimple​ @crushedtincan​ @clussysposts​ @iris-suoh​

[all-theimaginess]

We’re Inevitable - Part Four

Fandom: Newsies Pairing: eventual Davey x reader Word Count: ~1,500 Tag List: @races-cigar @theresagoodchanceicouldfly  @the-navistar-carol @tillthyendofthyline  A/N: Hey everyone! I’m back from the void. I hope you all like this new chapter. Please let me know what you think. I would love to hear it. Sorry for its delay 

Part One + Part Two + Part Three  

The world seemed to freeze in the time that it took you to comprehend what Race said. Composing yourself, you spoke with a slight sense of urgency, “What do you need me to do? How are we gettin’ him out?”

Race took the cigar out of his mouth and fidgeted with it for a moment. “There ain’t nothin’ we can do right now. With the strike started, Synder’s on alert. He’ll be waitin’ for one of us to spring Crutchie.” With his free hand, he adjusted his hat. Visibly conflicted, Race pursed his lips before putting his cigar back in his mouth.“I hate it, but we needs to lay low. The safest place for him is the refuge.”

“Does Jack know?” Your mind was running a million miles a minute. If Jack knew, then he would more than likely be making a plan to save Crutchie.

You could see the feeling of defeat flood his expression. “I’m not for sure, but I think so,” he said with a frown, “There’s another thing I had to tell ya. I tried to find Jack, with no luck.. He wasn’t at his penthouse or the lodging house. I thought he might be here, but...”

Davey’s back straightened and you wiped your clammy hands on your skirt. Jack wouldn’t just disappear without making sure that you were alright, you were sure of it. “You woulda heard if he was taken, right?”

Race nodded, “Yeah, but I ain’t heard nothin’.”

You looked over at Davey to see how he was taking things. It looked like things were stewing in his mind while he stayed calm and connected. “If he knows and hasn’t been caught, maybe he just needs some time to cool off,” you suggested, glancing around the space the three of you were occupying. “He’ll come around, just give him a little time to think.”

“I’ll let you know if I smell smoke.” Race retorted

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

“Morning Gentlemen,” Katherine greeted, “Would you get a load of these glum mugs... Could these really be the same boys who made front page of the New York Sun?”

All of the boys jumped out of their seats to see the proof. You slowly stood with a genuine smile, and walked over to the side of the center table. ‘Newsies Stop the World,’ You heard Mush proclaim. It’s a catchy title, and Katherine had made good on her promise just like she said she would. The boys’ exclamations all made you smile even bigger.

Racetrack eagerly showed you the paper when he got his hands back on it. They really made the front page, and above the fold. You smiled down at the photo which had you between Davey and Racetrack. Your smile lessened when your gaze fell on the Jack in the picture.

‘Just give him a little time.’ That was what you told Davey and Race before they left Medda’s the day before. You wished that Jack could be here to revel in this with the rest of the newsies of Lower Manhattan. He would’ve loved it. You smiled back at Race, not wanting to spoil anyone’s moment.

You made your way next to Davey as you heard Albert telling Katherine what he heard. “Ah the Delanceys are spreadin a story, that he took it on the lam first sight of the cops.”

You openly frowned at this, of course that’s what the Delancey’s would do. Anything to discredit the cause.Then you saw Les dart forward, “Jack don’t run from no fight.” The confidence that Les had in Jack made your heart swell, and you couldn’t help the smile that you gave Les as you and Davey gently usher him away from Albert.

After a few minutes, Race strutted over to you. Davey and Les were animatedly talking to other newsies while you sat on one of the tables taking everything in.Your focus quickly turned to the overly confident Racetrack Higgins.You smirked, “Well, well, well, if it ain't one of the Kings of New York himself. I’m honored.”

Racetrack chuckled warmly, “The honor is truly mine,” he then paused to give an over the top bow. “I just came to see what a lovely girl like you is doin’ sitting by her lonesome. And, to see if I could offer you some company.”

“How noble,” you smiled and patted the spot next to you on the table.

Race smiled and hopped up onto the table, positioning himself very close to you. As he turned his gaze to you, he noticed that your attention was across the deli, on Davey. Race pondered this, his eyebrows furrowing for a second. He then trained his expression to one of nonchalance and  took the cigar from the corner of his mouth. “Davey, huh?” He asked, leaning into you slightly.

You froze, “I got no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh, sure. I saw you two at Medda’s. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. I’ve known you a long time, and you’se gonna have to lie better than that if you wanna keep this from your brother, assuming he don’t already know,” he replied knowingly. There was something in his expression that you couldn’t place.

You shook your head. “He doesn’t. To be fair though, things have been a little crazy around here.. I thought I’d tell him after the strike, or when I figured out my feelings and Davey’s, but now no one knows where Jack is.”

Race put his arm around you. “I know, It’s been a crazy time for all of us. Things are changing, possibly in our favor. We’ll find Jack, it’ll all work out,” he reassured. There was a momentary pause before Race continued,“You deserve to be happy Thimble, and he would be lucky to have you as his girl. Any of us would.” Race looked away for a moment before returning his gaze to you. “Besides, I’m almost certain Davey-boy over there has been watching us,” he gave you a knowing smile. “Or more likely, you.” His grip around your shoulders tightened slightly.

You smiled and leaned into him more. “Thanks Race.”

“You’se welcome.” Race said with a bright smile, pulling you into a hug and putting the cigar back in the corner of his mouth with a smirk. He leaned back slightly, bracing himself on his hands. “Well, are you’se gonna go talk to him?”

You started to maneuver yourself off of the table. “Actually, I should probably get back to the theater. I have some costumes that need mending.”

Race nodded, “See ya later, Thimble.”

As you said goodbye to the other newsies, Davey politely excused himself from a conversation with Finch with a, ‘meet you there,’ and made his way to you. “On your way to Medda’s?” He asked, continuing after you nod, “The circulation gate’s gonna be opening soon. I think the fellas and I are gonna go down there and see what’s goin’ on. Wanna take a detour? And then of course, I could walk you to Medda’s."

You thought for a moment, “I would like that,” you grinned. A little detour wouldn’t hurt. Besides, you would take all of the time with Davey that you could. Davey seemed to relax with your answer.

It was a short amount of time before Davey spoke again, “So, I got a question for you.”

Your heartbeat raced with the possibilities and you tried to remain calm. “And what would that be?”

Davey looked across the street, avoiding your eye contact for a moment. “I’m curious, and you can tell me that it’s none of my business, but.. Uhm, what’s the story between you and Race?”

You blinked at him in non comprehension for a few seconds. Your brain scrambled for information as you and Davey continued to walk. How could you explain your relationship with Race to him? Racetrack was one of your best friends, who had also been your first crush, and your first kiss but that was half a year ago. It didn’t end up changing anything, so what’s past is past.

“Race and I?” You pause for a second, “We’re just close friends who have known each other a long time.. Why?”

Davey shrugged and looked away, “I was just curious, like I said. He heard anything about Jack?” His facial expressions were still partially guarded.

You shook your head as the “The World” gate soon came into view. “I’ll wait by the gate for you,” you said right before you reached it.

Davey turned to you once more and leaned in slightly. “I won’t be too long, alright?” You nodded and leaned against the gate,watching as Davey and the other newsies lined up for papers.

Davey ended up being close to the front of the line. His expression was serious as he eyed Wiesel. Many of the boys were waiting in anticipation to see what would happen next. As Davey drew closer to Wiesel, you noticed Davey and Wiesel’s expressions both change slightly. Then, Davey nodded defiantly to the other newsies and walked away, not looking behind to see a lot of newsies follow him.

[penzyroamin]

Food and sharing food continues to be a recurring motif in “tied together”. What was your thought process around that? How do you see that connecting to some of the central themes and concepts in the story as a whole? (And, if you would like to go into this, how do you see food and sharing food playing out in the messy au where David will also be cooking but in a completely different context/power dynamic?)

HAHAHAHA! I CAN FINALLY TALK ABT THIS WITHOUT SEEMING LIKE F SCOTT FITZGERALD BEGGING PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT THE GREAT GATSBY WAS!!!!!

okay. im calm now.

so for a couple years now i have deeply and secretly loved the concept of food as a symbol for community. i didnt use it in fic for a long time for a variety of reasons. one, it just never really felt right. two, my love of this symbol is very much connected to my southern-ness, and while im sure many people have just as strong, if not stronger connections between food and community, i didnt really know if people reading my stuff would Get It or connect w it.

i finally decided to use it for tied together for two reasons. first, this is my most definitively southern fic. ive written other fics with Humid Small Town Energy but this is my first that i really let myself go “fuck it. crawfish boils. hurricanes. middle aged women with crushes on jim cantore.” as such, it felt like if i was going to go for this symbol at any point, it needed to be with this fic. the second is that due to Pandemic and also living across the country from the majority of the family i grew up with, i have been kind of starved of community experiences as of late. i wrote tied together entirely during a period when i havent spent time with anyone besides my immediate family, so i was really thinking about community and the nature of it and how fucking badly i wanna have a massive meal with people and hence... this symbol

with the background of my decision to include it covered, let’s get into how it appears in tied together!!

in chapter one, the majority of food’s appearances are... impersonal, if that makes sense? its all premade, whether its drive-through stuff, tv dinners, etc etc, and he doesnt know the person who made it. its also worth pointing out that around the time jack and his mom stop sharing meals is the point they become disconnected from each other. essentially, that’s the disconnect from community throughout jack’s early life

davey comes around and it. is pretty obvious from the start that, through this symbol, he is the Literal Embodiment Of Connection To The People Around Him. food was a really key way for me to show just how connected he is to his community-- he’s constantly cooking for other people, working for battalion, helping people get good food, contributing recipes to little cookbooks. the end chapter also nods to this in the scene w his family where esther mentions he made her teach him to cook for a group, and the conversation afterwards where he mentions that he wouldn’t be comfortable with people paying him to make them food or making food for strangers. cooking for other people is essentially davey’s way of nurturing the community around him and becoming closer with people, so to make food in an impersonal way goes against everything he knows about food and sharing it. the interactions he has through food represent the larger relationships and interactions he has within his community. juxtaposed to jack, he’s built this little world around him filled with people that he loves and cares for, even if that does lay a heavy burden on him at points. if i ever write something delving deeper into davey in this au, i’ll elaborate further-- but, essentially, davey’s role as The Provider of food for the people around him was a real stand-in for the way that he feels both within his family and his larger community.

think of it this way-- in all the scenes we see with davey cooking at a large event-- i.e., the crawfish boil-- he’s always pushed off to the side by that. there’s usually someone talking to him or checking in on the food, but he’s not able to be engaged in the larger hubbub and discussion of the party because he’s busy. it’s in providing food for people and sharing that with him that he gets fulfillment out of the experience. in his family, we see that davey is a little bit isolated. he was growing up at the exact time when mayer’s alcoholism was getting worse and hitting its peak, and he left before mayer ever really managed to get very far into recovery. his time in their house, essentially, was a lot of heavy lifting and few moments of solidarity and joy. he loves his family, of course, it’s just a very labor-intensive process. and then, of course, he has a similar experience to what a lot of southern marginalized people feel-- this intense need to care for and better your community when your community very frequently doesn’t care for you. davey has absolutely zero capacity for apathy in this au, and it definitely shines through with this whole dynamic. he works SO HARD to care for people, even if he isnt always able to fully enjoy being around them and being loved by them

and then, of course, you have the way davey and jack interact through this motif-- davey teaches jack how to cook, gives him a cookbook, invites him over for meals, etc etc. sharing that with him essentially represents welcoming jack into his community as a whole, and giving him a place there. jack mentions davey “clearing a spot at the table” for him, and that’s both literal and figurative.

additionally, while davey uses food as a way to bring jack into his community, jack also makes davey a little less isolated. in a lot of the scenes in chapter 5, theyre cooking together, in a very domestic, symbiotic sort of way. i wanted this to demonstrate how jack relieves some of the burden davey puts on himself and exists sort of Within davey’s bubble rather than just reaping the benefits

i also wanted to illustrate with this how jack repairing his relationship w food keys into this. obviously we have the disconnect that he has early on where his unfamiliarity w what he eats and who makes it represents a larger disconnect between him and the people around him, but jack does also absolutely use food as a coping mechanism and a crutch. not to get, again, TOTALLY gatsby here, but he’s chasing that sense of community and belonging and understanding in the wrong places. it’s once he begins to actually make food for himself and understand the process of it and be able to carry something through to completion that he’s able to actually Enjoy food, yknow? i wanted that to mirror the way throughout the earlier parts of his life that he tried to kind of slap up temporary relationships and make do with that. 

side note about jack and food: jack has undiagnosed adhd (and some vague comorbidities rip) in this au, and his experiences with it i preeeetttty heavily lifted from my life and my special brand of fucked in the head. (for those of you who don’t know, carb and sugar cravings are a symptom of adhd, hence why food is often a coping mechanism for us fhskdhs). cooking and baking are processes that have REALLY helped me get a handle on myself-- it gives me an outlet for movement and stimulation, and its something that i can carry through till the end and get an actual end product that i can recognize and benefit from. plus, real time consequences if i let something do whatever for ten more minutes! so thats another element i added to the way that jack builds healthier coping mechanisms over time-- he moves away from food as a crutch and instead develops a new form of CREATING that gives him an outlet and a feeling of productivity

those are some Vague thoughts. i will probably elaborate in the future!

now, for the messy au, rather than food symbolizing community, i chose to have it represent vulnerability.

a quick review: jack married rich, and davey is jack’s new wife’s cook. on his wife, dorothy’s part, i wanted this to shine through in this squeaky clean, pristine image that a lot of rich people try to craft. she never cooks for herself, never pays much attention to davey, never draws attention to him. in essence, she is creating as few weak spots as possible-- she refuses to be vulnerable to the people and the society around her.

with davey, however, his and his family’s livelihood depends on him cooking for this woman, and later for her and her husband. he’s forced into this position of extreme vulnerability and weakness by his financial situation, and cant really regain his sense of privacy or self because of that. its also a point in this story that he has very little time or wherewithal to cook for his FAMILY. so, his job forces him into a vulnerable situation with complete strangers who hold an upper hand over him but denies him the opportunity to be vulnerable with his own family, only reinforcing this idea that he is the protector and the provider and as such cannot have weak spots and cannot, under any circumstances, break

it also really highlights the difference between jack’s relationship with his wife vs with davey and smalls-- all the scenes of he and dorothy eating together are in grand, fancy rooms, with a certain amount of pomp and circumstance and dignity attached. with davey and smalls, though, he’s usually in the kitchen, having conversation, enjoying their company, helping them with menial things. that’s an environment that he’s used to and comfortable with, the kind of relationships and interactions he grew up with, while the stuffiness of his life and interactions with dorothy are entirely less vulnerable and close

that’s just a brief overview, but its something to look for when i finally finish the fic! it definitely started as a very soapy sort of thing, but my damn instincts pushed me to delve deeper into the characters and their relationships and the fucked-up-ness of it all. so, here we are

i really hope this helped!!!! this is not organized AT ALL so please tell me if there’s anything else you wanted to know or any details you noticed

[willowistic22]

also 76 with belmerttons? (theres no pressure tho 💖💖)

I did this right after i finished school lol. Took me two days but i got it done at the end yey!! A little long than the other drabble requests i think but das ok bcs i’m kinda proud ngl. Also be warned mentions of blood and stitches (bcs the prompt said ‘i think you need stitches’ but it’s not too serious dw) but that should be it. Anyways, maybe this is to make up for wrenching your heart out with that angsty belmerttons cardigan songfic i wrote awhile ago hehe :D

Closing requests for now bcs i got a few i need to focus first before i’m good to reblog a different prompt list

“Elmer, I really don’t think this is such a good idea” Buttons called out from the bottom of the ladder.

“Don’t worry, I got this!” Elmer called out, not bothering to look away from his task. 

It was time for them to change their living room light bulb. Neither of them has experiences in it but Elmer stepped up. Buttons didn’t want him to, in fear of him falling over. But they were about to have a date night later in the evening since they’ve been really busy with their jobs. And it wouldn’t be perfect without a functional lighting system. 

Elmer utilizes the natural light source entering their windows to replace the light bulb. Despite it all, Buttons is still worried for Elmer’s well being. He doesn’t have the best balance in the world. 

“Elmer, honey, please, just come down we’ll call a professional electrician to get it done-” 

“Buttons, we don’t need to waste a couple of useless bucks just to have someone change our light bulb!” Elmer protested, not letting Buttons to finish what he wanted to say earlier. 

With that answer, Buttons removes himself from the living room with an eye roll and a sigh. To which, Elmer just sighs quietly seeing his negative attitude like that. But Elmer’s still persistent in doing this on his own. Besides, the box has given him enough instructions to change it on his own. 

But that’s not what Buttons is worried about. The fact that Elmer can slip and fall at any moment scares him. And he has always been slipping and falling for the longest time Buttons knows that man. 

Okay, maybe I’m being too mean to him. Buttons thought to himself, getting a hold of his breath as he leans his weight on the kitchen counter. The porcelain counter top is cool against his skin, giving him a sense of calmness he needs. Buttons picks himself up and gets himself busy in the kitchen. 

“I got it!” Elmer shouted from the living room, “See Buttons? We could do this on our-” 

Elmer’s voice started to get shaky, followed by a loud crash to the floor. Buttons drops everything and runs to the living room. He sees the ladder Elmer previously used on the floor. But his main focus is Elmer, lying on the hardwood floor whilst groaning in pain. 

Buttons rushes to the scene, crouching next to Elmer to make sure he’s okay. For the most part, he is. Maybe a little disoriented from the fall. No surprise there. But that doesn’t stop Buttons from being extra sure of it. 

“Elmer, are you okay? Does anything hurts?” Buttons asked quickly. He scans up and down his body to find nothing out of the ordinary. Well, maybe there’s one thing. 

“Oh, God your hand!” Buttons pointed out. His right hand was torn, blood almost covered the whole thing. The tear was probably because he fell in a weird position and the skin got caught with the rickety ladder. It may not be bleeding out quick, but he’s still losing quite a lot of blood. Buttons runs back to the kitchen to get a towel to try stop the bleeding. 

He wraps the towel around the nasty cut. Elmer grunts out in pain as Buttons tightens the towel. A painful thing to be ringing in Buttons ears, knowing that it’s coming from Elmer. But Elmer’s still fine. Buttons help him slowly sit up to get Elmer’s concentration back. 

“Nothing else seems injured” Buttons exclaimed after doing a quick examination, “Let me see your hand again” 

It was painful to move it, just as he suspected. But Elmer pushed through the pain to let Buttons take another look at it. Buttons tries his best to lift the towel just enough for a quick peak but not too much it causes too much pain. Though his gentleness, Elmer still groans through gritted teeth. 

Buttons can see the cut in all its horrifying glory, the blood seeping out the towel since the bleeding has’t stopped. Buttons places the towel back and looks at Elmer, giving him a look that tells him just how bad it is, “I think you need stitches” 

“‘You think’. Meaning you’re judging through a medically-untrained eye” Elmer twisted the reality. And yes, Buttons is no doctor. But any dumbass can tell you Elmer desperately needs stitches. 

Buttons scoffs and rolled his eyes before emphasizing, “You need stitches” 

“No, I don’t” 

“Yes, you do” 

“No, I don’t” 

“Yes, you do” 

“No. I don’t!” 

“Yes. You do!” 

“Buttons!” 

“Elmer!” 

Elmer, indeed, needed stitches. 

He sits quietly on the hospital bed after the nurse attended to him. Feeling the tension between the couple, she exited the scene as soon as possible. But the doctor had stayed, seeing that these two are his friends. 

Buttons has his arms crossed on top of his chest, one foot tapping furiously as he gives Elmer the stink eye. Elmer tries his best to ignore it. He had learnt his lesson but Buttons can’t help but stay angry at him. 

“So... you’re going to have to make it to your appointments...” Davey tried to ease out the tension between the two. His voice is the only thing Elmer tries to focus on, rather than the furious feet tapping made by a certain brunet. 

“Davey, is there anything you can do to make my husband stop looking at me like that?” Elmer asked, slightly looking at Buttons direction. But the stink eye was still very much present. 

Davey takes one good look at Buttons, still unmoved from his anger. As a doctor, he can do many things that have saved other people’s lives. But saving his friend from this mess is unfortunately not one of them. He looks back at Elmer and quickly replies, “No” 

“What did I told you about changing the light bulb on your own?” Buttons asked, tone laced with nothing but rage. 

Elmer slumps his back, looking down sadly to the stitches he just got, “Not to...” 

Buttons furiously nods at the response, smiling with a hint of anger behind it. He twirls around and walks towards the waiting room. From the way he walks, Elmer can tell he’s going to hear it from Buttons once they get back home. 

Davey sits on the bed next to a sad looking Elmer, patting his back lightly to cheer him up, “Speaking from experience of giving Jack the same look...” 

Elmer looks at his friend, a glint of hope flashing over his honey eyes. 

“...best to stay on his good side for at least six weeks” 

[crutchie-with-a-y]

Seize the Day to Social Distance-Javid-Too much TikTok

Seize the Day to Social Distance is going to be my series of quarantine fics, I think. This is a Javid fic so I hope you enjoy! And hmu with any quarantine fic requests. Hope y’all are staying safe and home! Take care!

“JPEOVI JPOWIENFHIUH EIUHOIEWFHPWEOIFJ PWMEVIJOIJO INVPJEW!” Davey’s alarm clock blasted through the quiet of him and Jack’s bedroom, scary the living daylights out of his partner. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAH!” Jack dropped his phone and rolled off the bed, landing with a large thud. Davey pulled himself up and slapped the alarm with one hand as he rubbed his eyes with the other. 

“Are you alright?” he asked Jack, stretching against the bed frame. 

“Why the hell do you have an alarm set for the middle of the night?” Jack asked, still laying on the floor. David leaned over the side of the bed towards him and squinted. 

“Middle of the night? Jack, its seven am. I have a Zoom meeting in thirty minutes.” Jack immediately shot up from the floor, his eyes wide. 

“You’re kidding. It can’t be morning.” Jack shook his head back forth with the eyes of a teen about to be murdered in a horror movie.

“Um, no?” Davey swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, walking over to the closet and pulling it open. 

“Oh my GOD!” Jack screamed and ripped his earbuds out of his head and threw them with his phone across the room like they were about to explode. Davey spun around, holding a hanger with a dress shirt and slacks on it. 

“WHAT ARE YOU SCREAMING ABOUT?” Jack gripped his hair with both of his hands and screamed again. 

“AT LIKE ELEVEN I WAS LIKE, “YO’ ILL WATCH A FEW TIKTOKS AND HIT THE SACK AND I WAS UP WATCHING THEM ALL NIGHT!!!!” Davey burst out laughing, turning back into the closet to grab a tie and begin to head out of the room. Jack stared at him with a gaping mouth. 

“WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING??? I WAS WATCHING 15 SECOND VIDEOS FOR EIGHT HOURS STRAIGHT!” Jack stepped back to lean against the wall, still clutching his hair. Davey paused at the door to look at him, still laughing. 

“It’s just so funny! On Monday you told me you were going to go to bed early and then ended up staying up all night working on a cartoon piece that isn’t even due until Saturday, then you went to bed at 4:30 in the evening on Tuesday and got up at one am to paint the dining room table yet again. Then you worked on that until dinner and then at dinner I showed you a picture of some painted air masks and so then you were up till 6 am painting ours and sewing some more to paint. And THEN you slept until noon and then we had dinner and I went to bed at ten and you came in a bit later....and here we are.” 

“And your point is?” Jack scoffed at him. Davey smiled and shook his head. 

“You arts kids and your sleep schedules.” He kissed his partner’s forehead and went and got in the shower in their apartment’s bathroom. Jack sighed and finally brought his hands down from his air to rub his eyes. Eight hours! He couldn’t believe it, and he was so mad at himself, not only for staying up all night, but because he obviously wasn’t spending much time with Davey. Determined to make it up to Davey and himself, Jack stepped out of their room and into their apartment kitchen. He started a pot of coffee and began to look around for something to make for breakfast, opening different cupboards and opening and then reopening the fridge. He wasn’t really getting any inspiration until he opened up their spice cabinet to see a sealed jar of cinnamon. He felt a light bulb light up over his head and grabbed the jar. CINNAMON ROLLS! Davey loved cinnamon rolls. He climbed on top of the counter where the recipe box that Davey’s parents had given them, filled with many of their son’s favorites, including:

“Pecan cinnamon rolls. Perfect.” Jack took a mental picture of the ingredient list and then began diving back into cabinets for the things he needed to surprise his boyfriend with one of his favorite foods, looking up and smiling when he heard Davey singing loudly from the bathroom. 

Davey had just started gotten to the Part of Your World Reprise in his shower cover of the Little Mermaid soundtrack when he heard his phone vibrating from the bathroom counter. He shut off the shower and leapt out to grab it, horrified when the clock read 7:35, and the call was from his boss. 

“Hello, Mr. Jackson, Sir.” He held his breath as he waited to hear a voice on the other end, trying to dry himself off with one hand. 

“Hello, David, where are you? Are you able to do this presentation right now? Do we need to reschedule?” James Jackson, Davey’s boss asked quickly, a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. 

“No, no, I’m sorry, sir, just some computer difficulties, I’ll be on in a few minutes. I’m sorry, I should have called to let you know. My bad.” Davey wanted to smack himself, he couldn’t believe he took so long in the shower. 

“Indeed you should have. Well, see you in a few. Be quick.” And with that, he hung up and Davey bit his lip in frustration, still drying off. He grabbed his dress shirt and stuck his arm through one sleeve, opening the bathroom door to call to Jack. 

“Hey, Jack.” He said sheepishly, fishing for his tie behind him with one hand while the other held the door open. Jack poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled. 

“Yes, Princess Ariel?” Davey blushed and almost burst into giggles, but he was too stressed to be playful. 

“Could you, um, set up my laptop and open Zoom? I’m late....” Jack didn’t need an explanation, he didn’t make fun of him, he knew by the look on Davey’s face this wasn’t the time. 

“On it.” He jogged into the living room, but peaked his head back around before Davey could close the bathroom door. “Also, blow dry your hair real fast.” 

“I don’t have time.” Davey slid his tie around his neck as fast as he dared. 

“He’s going to notice that it’s wet and figure out that you were in the shower.” Jack pounded the password into Davey’s keyboard. Davey nodded. 

“Okay,” He shut the door and slipped into his pants as he pulled the blow dryer out from underneath the sink. He turned the heat as high as it would go, taking no longer than thirty seconds to dry his hair as much as possible. When he was as close as he could be to satisfied, he dropped the dryer and dashed out of the bathroom, where the sight that met him made his heart melt. 

Jack was pulling the spoon out of a large cup of coffee, evidence that he had just mixed in a single teaspoon of sugar, the way Davey liked it. He gestured to the laptop sitting on the dinner table, extra cushions propped up in the chair in front of it, and smiled. A stressed grin pushed across Davey’s face as he ran into the diningroom, delicately taking the cup from Jack as he went. His boyfriend followed him, combing his hair with his fingers as Davey quickly typed out the meeting ID. Jack stepped to his side and leaned down to kiss his forehead. 

“You look cute.” He stepped back around the table into the kitchen, sticking a sticky note to Davey’s monitor as he went. And just as the call was answered and Davey’s impatient superiors’ faces began popping up on his screen, he read the sticky note. 

You got this babe! :)

“Alright, yeah, talk to you later! Sorry about the delay.” Davey nodded towards his webcam. 

“Yes, please let us know next time you’re running late. Good Bye.” And with that the call was over and Davey collapsed against his keyboard. He wanted to cry. First he was late to the meeting. Then his slideshow wouldn’t work so he had to do his entire presentation from memory, and he was pretty sure he’d left out some key points. On top of that he had his glowering bosses looking very bored and annoyed the entire time. 

“Heyyyy,” Jack walked back around into the dining room, pulling up a chair next to his partner and wrapping his arms around him. “You’re okay.” Davey pressed his face into his shoulder and sighed loudly as Jack slid his fingers through his hair. 

“Yeah, I guess.” Davey half sat up so he could talk to his boyfriend, while still being wrapped in his arms. Jack looked at his red-rimmed eyes. 

“That bad, huh?” 

“Yeah.” Davey rubbed his nose and they sat in silence for a minute. “He’s even more of an asshole when you’re not with him physically.” Jack burst out laughing and Davey allowed a light chuckle, which grew into a window shaking cackle. Once they had calmed down, Jack rubbed Davey’s cheek and smiled. 

“You gonna be alright?” he asked. Davey shrugged and nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” They sat in silence for another minute. 

“Ya know, I’m sorry that my sleeping has been whack and I haven’t really been like...present I guess. I know you’ve been really stressed and I haven’t been very helpful. I can’t imagine having more than a single drawing to do every week.” Davey laughed and shrugged. “I’ll get back on a mostly normal schedule...and delete TikTok as it seems to be melting my brain.” 

“You’re good.” Davey chuckled. “I just can’t wait until this is all over.” He said, gesturing broadly to the small apartment they’d been stuck in for the last month. 

“Me too. But until then...” Jack’s phone started buzzing and he stood up quickly. He jogged into the kitchen and pulled the oven open, releasing a wonderful aroma into the air as he pulled out a medium-sized pan and held it up towards Davey. “CINNAMON ROLLS!!” 

[mar-bluu]

How do you reckon Elmer and Buttons would react if Lucy got pregnant? Can just imagine how excited Elmer'd be, calling everyone like "im gonna be a grandad!"

Akdksoske ohmygosh okay!!! (This is gonna be my long, and incomprehensible ramblings, sorry!!)

So! One day Elmer's sitting in the kitchen eating his breakfast when Lucy walks in and just throws up right in front of him. Elmer's like "oh okay that's nice, you do that, yeah right in front of my toast, okay" and Lucy just walks out and leaves him to clean it up. So Elmer finishes up his toast and cleans up Lucy's mess when Buttons walks in. Elmer's like "Lucy threw up just before but i cleaned it up, so be careful, the floor might be wet." And Buttons goes "huh, she threw up yesterday as well." So they're a little concerned but chalk it up to her probably eating grass. The next day, however, when she throws up again, they're like "okay something might be wrong, let's take her to the vet" so they bundle her up in the car and drive down to the vets, Elmer's quietly freaking out because all he can think of is the absolute worst, and Buttons is trying to keep him calm, saying that its probably nothing as he tries to stay calm as well.

They pull up and head inside. As theyre sitting in the waiting room, Lucy throws up again, so the lady at the desk is like "okay, we should probably look at that like, now." So Lucy's brought into a side room and Buttons explains that she's been off her food and vomiting for the last few days. So the vet's like "is she spayed?" And Elmer and Buttons look at each other like "is she??" So they say that they're unsure and the vet's like "okay, well we're gonna do an ultrasound real quick" Lucy's whisked off to the back room for an ultrasound and now, Elmer's f r e a k i n g out. "Buttons, she could've eaten something really bad! What if she's been poisoned? Did we remember to give her her heartworm tablets? Did we check her for ticks!?" And Buttons is trying to stay calm and reassure Elmer, and theyre both too busy worrying about Lucy to notice the vet coming back. She opens the door to the two of them panicking, and just sets Lucy down on the examination table, waiting for Elmer and Buttons to notice. Lucy sits on the table with her tail wrapped around her paws and meows loudly. That gets their attention, and the turn to the table, holding each other's hands nervously. "Well," the vet starts "Lucy's gonna be just fine." Elmer and Buttons share a look of relief. "But," they begin to grow nervous again "you might wanna consider kiddie proofing the house, cause Lucy's gonna be a mama"

The two of them are completely silent, staring open mouthed between the vet and their cat, who stares proudly back. "What?" The vet just nods, giving Lucy a scratch behind her ears. "A mother of seven, actually. Or at least thats how many i can see." Buttons squeals excitedly as Elmer tackles him in a hug "we're gonna be grandparents!!" The vet laughs along before stepping them through the pregnancy process. She walks them to the counter and gives them a card to an all-hours house call vet who can help them if they're worried about or during birth. They thank the vet and bring Lucy home.

The second they got inside Elmer's on the phone to everyone telling them the good news as Buttons lectures Lucy about running off and getting pregnant. Everyone's so happy for them (especially Davey who's a big cat person, though he doesn't often show it and Mush who comes over as soon as possible with extra cat food and bedding) and Buttons and Elmer spend 110% of their attention on Lucy and making sure she's comfortable ("pregnant cats are called queens, Buttons, we should treat her like one!" "She has three beds stacked on top of each other and enough food to last her a life time, i dont think she needs another cat-box" "fine, but we need to get her a "world's best mum" cat bowl!")

Anyway! One morning at about 2:40 am Elmer wakes up to Buttons shaking his shoulder. "It's happening!" "What?" "It's happening!!" "Wha- oh, oh!" He springs out of bed as Buttons dials the emergency vet. Elmer sprints through the house, finding Lucy huddled in a corner, washing her fur. Elmer kept his distance, not wanting to annoy her, as he tried to keep his excitement quiet. Not too long after that the emergency vet arrived, following Buttons into the room. He said there wasnt a lot he can do, as Lucy seemed to be handling it very well, so they sat there and talked about Lucy, if this was her first litter, how well she'd been dealing with the pregnancy etc. They waited there for an hour and a bit, cooing over pictures of the vet's own kittens, before Lucy gave birth to the last of her kittens. The vet monitored Lucy for another half hour or so before heading off, ("make sure to take them to the vets within a week or two for a wellness check") and Elmer and Buttons move in closer for a look at the newest additions to their family. They count the kittens, finding another 2 the vet missed, and excitedly snap pictures and send them to their friends. As they continue to melt over the kittens, they notice that while a lot of them have the same black and white colourings of their mother, a few of them were a pretty orange, that looked suspiciously like the ginger cat who lived down the street. Buttons made a mental note to have a stern talking to with him the next time they saw him.

Already Elmer's thinking of names for the kitties, sending options to the groupchat (only Race is awake and his suggestions include Professor Cheeseball and Sir Meatball Daggertooth, which he reads out to Lucy who doesn't look too pleased with them) Buttons had already picked a name for one, Tigger, which they settled on giving to the biggest ginger fluffball. They settled on Gizmo for the kitty that looked like a little clone of his mum, then waited for the others to wake up and help (Race is officially banned from naming anything after suggesting Moldy Stink Rat) Elmer and Buttons sat on the couch and watched Lucy with her new babies, wrapped in each others arms, as they fall asleep listening to Lucy meow softly to her kittens.

After about three months, the kittens were all named (Tigger, Gizmo, Oreo, Luna, Willow, Sunny, Marmalade, Cedar, and after lots and lots and lots of pestering from his human counterpart, the last one was named Jack) and had their appropriate vet work done. Davey appointed himself as godfather and was over any time he could ("where are my babies? I want to see my babies!" *scoops up Gizmo* "And how's mama Lucy going?") Mush and Blink would come and visit them frequently too, always bringing little toys and things for the kittens to play with. Cedar had taken a real shine to Mush and Blink, and would always go running towards them whenever he heard their voices. (Elmer and Buttons had a feeling of who they wanted to give Cedar to when the time came) Jack couldn't come over as frequently as the others but would constantly text Elmer and Buttons for updates on Cat-Jack, and had a picture of his kitty twin in his wallet and would show it off proudly to anyone who asked.

Unfortunately come month 4, Buttons and Elmer had to make the tough decision of giving away their precious babies. Lucy was just as upset as the two of them, but they couldn't keep looking after all of them, they'd already lost a pair of shoes, two pillows and several cups and glasses. So they needed to make sure the kitties went to the best of homes. Naturally Davey offered to take two (Oreo and Marmalade), Katherine took Willow, Barney adopted Luna, and Albert got Sunny. Elmer and Buttons asked Blink and Mush if they wanted to take Cedar, but they were slightly hesitant as they didnt want him to be overwhelmed by all the other animals (though they seriously had to restrain themselves from accepting right away) So Elmer and Buttons held onto him (tho they had a feeling that in a month or so he'd be living on the farm) Jack obviously adopted mini him, and Gizmo and Tigger stayed with Buttons and Elmer

Every month or so, they would all organize a meet up together, usually at Buttons' and Elmer's house so Lucy could see her babies again, and have kitty hangouts. Lucy, Elmer and Buttons miss the other kittens a lot, but they're happy knowing that they're with good families and good homes :)

Also Lucy definitely got spayed after bc they couldn't deal w the heartbreak of giving away kittens again, and also to help keep kitties off the streets, and the cat from down the road got a very stern talking to

[1899-newsboy-strike]

Exploration - Modern Javid Imagine

Requested: Any javid in those fancy pockets of yours? 

Warnings: heated make out, almost borderline smutty but not quite

Summary:Jack helps Davey understand his feelings.

———————————–

Davey and Jack never knew each other until high school. They’d always gone to school together for a while, but never actually spoke until they were both fifteen. It had been in a class Jack transferred into, getting sat next to the awkward teenage boy. Jack had always been sure and proud of his sexuality, but Davey had no clue how he felt. Both boys became great friends very quickly. It had been about a year into their relationship when Davey realized he started to have possible feelings for Jack. He didn’t understand the feelings at first, but it all changed with the help of Jack. He could remember when he told Jack like it was yesterday. 

Both boys were hanging out, not talking about much. “Jack? Can I talk to you about something?” Davey asked nervously pulling Jack’s attention to him. “Yeah?” He asked looking up to face Davey. “Um… I think… how…” Davey was trying to find the right words to say, starting to get flustered. “Take your time, there’s no rush.” Jack explained, his full attention now on Davey. “How did you… know you were gay?” Davey asked looking Jack in the eye. “I just knew. I liked this boy when I was seven and I figured out what it meant not that long after, maybe a couple years. Why?” Jack asked, partly knowing but not wanting to push Davey into talking about anything that would make him uncomfortable. 

“I think, um… I think I like you? I’ve never felt like this toward any other guy, I’m confused.” Davey admitted putting his head in his hands. “Hey, it’s okay to be confused Davey. There’s no need to feel bad. Have you ever liked a girl?” Jack asked placing his hand on Davey’s shoulder squeezing it reassuringly. “No, but I’ve never even kissed anyone. How am I supposed to know for sure?” Davey asked looking up to Jack desperate for answers. “Everyone’s different. I knew before kissing anyone. Some people need that experience to be sure and others don’t.” He explained making Davey sigh and nod in understanding. 

“So you think you like me huh? We can try and figure out how you mean it.” Jack explained blushing a bit thinking about the possibility that Davey might actually like him. “How?” Davey asked frustration evident in his tone. “Is it okay if I touch you?” Jack asked and Davey nodded with no hesitation. Jack slowly scooted closer to him, slowly slipping his hand into Davey’s. “How does this make you feel?” Jack asked, subconsciously rubbing his thumb over Davey’s knuckles. “Nervous.” Davey blushed looking down making Jack laugh slightly. “Good nervous or bad nervous?” He asked going to pull his hand away but Davey’s grip firmed up. “Good nervous.” Davey whispered glancing up to see Jack’s reaction. 

“You always make me feel good nervous.” Davey admitted quietly. “Jack, can I kiss you?” He asked making Jack’s heart race. “Yeah if you want.” Jack nodded looking up at Davey when he scooted even closer. Davey leaned in, hesitating long enough for Jack to feel his warm breath fan over his lips. Jack didn’t dare move, giving Davey every chance to back out of it if he wanted to, but then didn’t seem to be the case once Davey’s lips met Jack’s. A small gasp came from Davey, chills running through his body.  He had no idea what he was doing, yet it felt so right. A part of him had relaxed, and let whatever happened happen. Once Jack was sure Davey was comfortable, his hand made its way to cup Davey’s cheek. 

Jack deepened the kiss, a small content noise coming from Davey. He soon pulled away for air, but before any words could be spoken he quickly reconnected their lips taking Jack by surprise. Davey’s body had a mind of its own, his arms wrapping around Jack’s neck pulling the boy closer to him. Jack climbed onto Davey’s lap without a second thought both of their minds foggy with want. Jack bit Davey’s lip earning a small whimper from him. Jack’s kisses trailed down Davey’s face teasing at the jawline before he fully started leaving kisses along Davey’s neck. 

Davey couldn’t help but grip onto Jack’s shoulder tightly, the foreign feeling overwhelming his senses. Davey was squirming slightly under Jack, pleasure running through him slightly. Jack nipped every now and then earning breathy gasps from Davey and smiles from himself. He didn’t dare leave marks, but that would soon become a problem for later. He couldn’t get enough of the small breathy noises Davey was making, craving a lot more. He was desperate to find Davey’s sweet spot and to hear a moan from the boy underneath him. Without realizing it, his kisses on Davey’s neck became sloppy, fast, and wet, determined to hear the noise very soon. 

At the same time Jack had found Davey’s sweet spot he had accidentally ground down onto Davey’s noticeably growing length, earning a confused but pleasure cry from the boy beneath him. Jack stilled his movements going back up to leave a sweet kiss on Davey’s lips before resting his forehead on his. “Sorry, got carried away.” Jack laughed awkwardly, both boys panting. “It okay, I liked it.” Davey explained shyly. “So do you know now?” Jack asked jokingly earning a laugh from Davey. “Yeah, I definitely like you.” He smiled up to Jack. 

“So what does that mean for us now?” Davey asked. “Whatever you want. If you want us to be together now we can, but if you don't, that's okay too.” Jack explained moving hair out of Davey’s forehead. “Do you want to be with me?” Davey asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Yeah I do. Have for a while actually.” Jack admitted caressing Davey’s cheek. “Do you?” He asked. “Yeah, more than I thought I ever would.” Davey nodded making Jack smile from above him. “Well congratulations on your first boyfriend.” Jack joked pulling Davey in for another kiss. Davey couldn’t be bothered to care about the joke, smiling into the kiss, not believing how the day had just took a turn for the best.

[klaineharmony]

“Defend” snippet

Hi all - I have been failing miserably on the 300x3 lately - school has been keeping me so busy that I hardly know which end is up. However, I wanted to share this little bit of writing with you - I wrote it ages ago, way back toward the beginning of when I started “Defend.” I know some of you love my Kath and Davey, and so this is to give you another little taste of them. :

He could see that Katherine was nervous; she was twisting her hands in a way that was rare for her and almost shaking in her agitation.

“Katherine,” he said softly, taking her hands in his own. She looked up at him, then quickly looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. “What is it?”

“I - ” Katherine began, then stopped. “Why is this so hard?” she said, frustrated, blowing out a breath through pursed lips. 

“You know there isn’t anything you can’t say to me, or at least I hope you do,” David said seriously. “You accepted my biggest secret with a grace and compassion that I didn’t think was possible. Your love and trust are precious things to me, tei-yerinkeh, and I don’t take them lightly.”

Katherine shook her head, a reluctant smile forming on her lips. “David. You are an extraordinary man, darling. I do trust you; of course I do. I just hope you think as highly of me when this conversation is finished.”

She arranged herself on the bed with him, sitting so she was facing him but not disturbing his leg. He didn’t let go of her hands, rubbing his fingers over hers reassuringly. She met his eyes this time, letting out another breath before she started to speak.

“What do you expect of me . . . as a wife?” she asked carefully, and David almost let go of her just from the shock of the question, but he checked himself and tightened his grip. She was terribly serious, he could see, and there were more layers to her question than just the obvious.

“What makes you think I expect anything of you, dear one?” David said gently. “I want you to be you, and for us to be what we are.”

Katherine nodded, but then bit her lip, clearly trying to find another way to phrase what she wanted to ask. “What I mean is, do you expect to be .  . . intimate, with me? Do you want children? We haven’t really talked about it, and I . . . it occurred to me some time ago that we should. It was one of the things I was pondering yesterday morning on the roof, but I had been thinking about it for a while.”

“I know what you meant, ” David answered, still gently. “I meant it, too. I don’t expect anything of you. I’m not the sort of person to expect anything from a wife, as if I were owed something for having married you.”

“Well, and it’s -” Katherine flushed, stammering as she tried to finish her thought. “I know it’s not - not the same for us, as it is for you and Jack - but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t want children - want them with me, even. I think - I think I want them too, but maybe - maybe not yet,” she whispered, and David was even more shocked to see tears shimmering in her eyes, threatening to fall as she took a shuddering breath. “I just - my work is so important to me, David, and I can’t do that and be a mother - or if I can, I haven’t figured out how, yet.”  

“Katherine, sweetheart, come here,” he said, distressed on her behalf. She was clearly assuming the worst about several things (or if she wasn’t, she was still afraid of the answers he might give), and it hurt him terribly to see her so fearful and conflicted. He sat back against the pillows and then pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her and letting her head rest on his chest. She curled into him, seeking reassurance, but she was tense, and David ran his fingers through her hair, trying to help her relax.

“Listen to me, Katherine Plumber,” he said softly. “I do not and will not ‘expect’ anything from you, when it comes to this. I would never, ever ask you to give up your work; it’s such a part of who you are. I would love to have children someday - your children,” he added, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I can’t think of anything more amazing than little curly-haired versions of you.” 

Katherine gave a little laugh that was half a sob, tightening a hand into the material of his shirt. “The curls would be just as much your fault as mine.”

David chuckled. “But before anything else, that has to be something you want. If you decide that it isn’t, that’s fine. I will be married to the best reporter in all of New York, and I will celebrate every victory with you until we are old and gray, just the two of us. If and when you decide that it is something you want, I would be honored to father children with you. But I will never ask you to give up your profession or your autonomy, tei-yerinkeh. I will never give you orders; I promise you that. We decide these things together.”

“Thank you, darling,” Katherine whispered. She turned her head and placed a kiss on his breastbone, and he felt a few warm tears land on his shirt. “I am so glad that you exist, and that I found you.”

David kept up his finger-combing of her hair, as he could feel that most of the stress had left her body. “And in the meantime, dear one, we don’t have to do anything. Whatever feels right and comfortable for us both, that’s what we’ll do. Different in kind, but similar in degree, remember?”

He felt Katherine smile. “That very clever phrase was mine first,” she said, and David chuckled again. 

“It was, but it’s a good thing to remember,” he said softly. “My relationship with you is its own entity, and none of this is about better or worse, less or more. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that we can all do this - but if we do, we have to think of all of these relationships as equal.”

They were quiet for a few moments, and David focused on the feel of Katherine’s hair against his fingers, and her breathing as it evened out and the emotional anxiety that had so clearly been tearing at her began to ease. 

“Were the men your father tried to pair you with really so awful that they would have just demanded these things of you?” he murmured. The very thought disgusted him; he couldn’t imagine so callously destroying all of the light Katherine brought to the world

Katherine’s muscles stiffened again, but only slightly. “Not on the face of things,” she admitted. “But it was always, ‘Oh, of course you can write after we have children,’ or, ‘We’ll have a nanny, so you can scribble as much as you like,’ or, “There’s no harm in you writing around our social obligations and when you’re not taking care of the children.’ They never took me seriously, never cared about what I wanted or when I wanted it. There were a few who thought they could order me into being a ‘normal’ wife, but Father was usually smarter in his attempts than that,” she said acidly. “The sad part is, if he could have convinced me to marry one of them, the law would have been on my husband’s side.”

“The law is wrong,” David said, tightening his arms around her. “You’re a human being, Katherine; no one should ever be able to treat you like you’re . . .” Words failed him; the only appropriate ideas he could come up with were too nauseating to say aloud.

“Something to be used?” Katherine filled in, her voice tight. “I promise you, David, there are plenty of men, my father included, who think they can order everything in the world to their liking, including the women.”

“I know,” David sighed. “I’m familiar enough with your father’s . . . way of operating that I know he wouldn’t hesitate to order you into being miserable. I know they exist, dear one, but I can’t . . . I can’t imagine treating another person like that, much less treating you that way. You have such a big heart, tei-yerinkeh, and so much determination to change the world. I don’t want to stop you from changing it; I want to help you do it.”

“And that, David Jacobs, is why I love you,” she responded, stretching up to kiss him softly. “Among many other reasons.” She settled back onto his torso, and David waited a minute or two before venturing another question.  

“Katherine - why were you so afraid to ask me about this?” he said carefully. “Why on earth would you think I would think less of you as a result of any of this?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Katherine said tremulously. “I suppose . . . I keep expecting to reach your limits, whatever those may be. And that’s not at all fair to you, I know,” she added hastily. She  found his hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing hard. “You’ve never been anything other than wonderful to me. But I keep worrying that . . . at some point I will be too much, or not enough, not be what you needed or expected. I’m not exactly what most men want in a wife.”

“Well, you’re what I want,” David said firmly, tightening his arms around her again. “And whatever my limits might happen to be, you haven’t found them yet. Kath, I love you because you are you; do you understand that? I love you because you love your work, because you want to make a difference, because you are one of the smartest, most caring, most insightful people I have ever known.”

[what-stop-the-presses-rly-means]

Anonymous

Davey Jacobs x gender neutral reader modern au

Warnings: slight swearing

———————–

I sighed as I doodled little flowers in my notebook. It had only been two hours since my shift started, but it felt like ten. When I applied for this job at the campus library I was thrilled. I would get to work with books, be in a quiet and calming environment, and I could work on homework in my down time. What I had not been prepared for, however, was the sheer amount of boredom I’d be feeling. I did the reading for my classes and got a jumpstart on my research paper. There weren’t many people in the library today so my job was to sit here and wait. Now I just wanted something, anything remotely exciting to happen.

As if some deity had answered my prayers, a familiar boy walked through the front doors. I watched Davey make a beeline over to a shelf, face looking determined. It made me smile. Whenever he was on a mission, it was like nothing else mattered, he focused solely on the task at hand.

I met Davey when I first started working here a couple months ago. He came to the library almost every day for one reason or another. At first it was just offhand comments about the books we were currently reading or whichever classes were kicking our ass. After a while, the conversations lasted a little longer and became a little more personal. (I learned that he is the third generation of his family to go to this school, he’s switched his major four times because he’s so unsure what he wants to do and he’s afraid to let his family down if he picks the wrong one, and that he has a younger brother that he absolutely adores.) And now, even though it hasn’t been said out loud, I would call us friends. Sure, we haven’t talked outside of the library, but that was fine, I liked it this way.

Thinking he’d probably take a while, picking the perfect book, I leaned over my notebook again. This time, as if my hand had a mind of its own, I was doodling hearts all over the paper.

Then a soft voice startled me out of my reverie. “Excuse me, Miss. I’d hate to distract you from the work you’re so incredibly invested in, but I’d like to check out a book.” I looked up at Davey, who gave me the most charming smile, and couldn’t help but smile back.

“What? And actually do my job? Who do you think I am?”

He laughed. “Careful. Draw one too many hearts and someone might accuse you of being in loooove.”

I rolled my eyes. “And wouldn’t you just love that? Is your life so devoid of anything exciting that my possible love interest is entertaining to you?”

“You know very well that both of our lives are devoid of excitement. Why do you think we spend so much time in the library?”

“Rude! I happen to work here. What’s your excuse?” He blushed a little bit.

“Books can be exciting. They’re full of adventure and action. The most incredible stories come from places like this.”

I reached out and patted his shoulder. “That’s all fine and good, but just make sure you don’t use that line on anyone else. They may not appreciate it as much as me,” I laughed.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, can I check out this book so I can walk away from you and never come back?”

“Oh honey, you could never leave me if you tried. But yes, you can check it out.” He kept his hands behind his back and raised his eyebrows expectantly. “Okay, let me guess.” I narrowed my eyes at him and pursed my lips, pretending to think. This was a little game we played every time he selected a book. I guessed correctly about half the time. “I’m gonna guess you picked out a book for AP Literature because you’ve been worried about your grade in that class. Shakespeare, obviously. And I’m gonna go with Romeo and Juliet. You know the story, of course, but you’re gonna spend hours trying to ‘read between the lines’ to fully understand the story before you write your paper.”

He gave me a bewildered look. “How… did you know that?” I leaned back with a satisfied smile.

“Because I know you and you’re not too hard to figure out. Some people like to use the power of seduction to impress people. I like to use the power of deduction.” After a moment, the smile dropped from my face. “And now that I’ve said that out loud I realize how dorky that sounded so I take it back. Also, I saw you walk over to the Shakespeare section so it wasn’t a difficult guess.”

Davey let out an uncharacteristically loud laugh, earning a shush or two from the few people studying. He blushed again and put the copy of Romeo and Juliet on the counter.

“You know, a lesser man would’ve said you cheated. But I’ll give you this one.”

I scanned the book. “Ah, but a greater man wouldn’t have been so predictable to begin with. You know everyone in your class is gonna write about this play, right?”

He put the book in his messenger bag. “Yes, but by the time I’m done I’m going to know the ins and outs of Romeo and Juliet so well, you’ll think Billy Shakespeare wrote the analysis, himself.”

“Well, I hope you’re right. See you tomorrow when you ultimately decide to use a different book.” I wiggled my fingers at him in a wave. He rolled his eyes good naturedly and saluted me.

“Yeah, yeah, see you then.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but the next day was even slower. There were more people in the building, sure, but everyone was doing their own thing. No one wanted to check anything out. To make matters worse, Davey hadn’t come in today. He might be staying away to make a point that I don’t know him that well and that he will stick with the book. But even so, he sometimes came in just to talk.

I needed to calm down. He’s probably busy, like every other student around here. He doesn’t owe me anything. I hadn’t realized just how much I relied on his little visits. It was weird to depend so much on a person that I didn’t even know outside of work. Were there some legitimate feelings there? Maybe. I hadn’t really thought about it. He was just the cute guy that talked to me about our shared interests. And made me laugh. And was really sweet and funny and charming. Oh crap.

Well, it didn’t matter either way. He definitely didn’t feel that way about me. I was just someone he could have a nice conversation with before he left to go on and do bigger and better things. All I do is go to class and sit in this chair, waiting for someone to say more to me than, “I’d like to check this out, please.” He probably had a bunch of genius friends who write novels and discuss politics. They probably have exciting, fulfilling lives day-to-day. What’ve I got?

So it’s settled. In the span of five minutes I’ve discovered new found feelings for my non-friend, and then squashed them down as soon as I knew what they were… And I wonder why all I’ve done since I started college was go to class and then the library.

My shift was almost over so I cleaned up my station and walked over to the book return to put away the last of them before I left. Down at the bottom, underneath a large dictionary, was an envelope.

“What the-? Did someone think this was a mailbox?” I picked it up and turned it over. My breath hitched when I saw my name written on the front. Looking around, as if the sender was still going to be around, I sat back down and opened it. Inside was a nice piece of stationary and the handwriting was neat, as if the person took the time to put some care into writing it:

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear-

Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.

So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows

As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.

The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand

And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.

Did my heart love till now?

Forswear it, sight,

For ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”

That was it. No explanation, no name, nothing. Were they talking about me? It was obviously addressed to me. This had to be a prank. That’s the only explanation. Some asshole saw me sitting here like some lonely loser and thought they’d have a laugh, seeing me gush over some anonymous love letter.

I was about to get up and throw it away, but I couldn’t. What if, by some small miracle, it was real? What if someone actually quoted this declaration of love to me because they actually like me? Could that happen? In real life?

I carefully folded the paper back into the envelope and placed it in my bag as I got up to leave.

—-

I had read and re-read the note a hundred times since yesterday. I still couldn’t believe someone took the time to write it all out and give it to me. I discovered it was a passage from Romeo and Juliet and my mind immediately went to Davey. But there was no way… right? He barely knows me and besides, he probably has a bunch of intellectual girls knocking down his door to even think about me. No, it couldn’t be him. Could it?

“What are you thinking about so hard?” I jumped a little in my seat.

“Do you make it a habit to sneak up on me at work?”

Davey smirked. “All I do is come to the check-out counter and use my inside voice. It’s not my fault you’re probably harboring some big secrets that make you act guilty.” I narrowed my eyes at him a little, deciphering whether or not he was joking.

“What kind of secret would I be hiding?”

He looked a little taken aback. “Like… you want me to guess? Is this our new game? Okay. Hmm. You’re really an undercover assassin that’s been hired to murder anyone who has a late fee?” I furrowed my brow at him.

“I’m gonna go with no. But good guess.”

“Okay, fine, let’s see. Last I saw you, you were doodling hearts in your notebook. You’ve been daydreaming more often. And you’re dressing in a nicer fashion.” I glanced down at the outfit I spent forever picking out this morning. “I’m gonna go with: You have a crush on someone.” I blushed a little, at which he smirked. “You’re not the only one who’s good at deduction.”

I cleared my throat. “Don’t get too cocky just yet. You’re wrong. Actually, you might be able to help me with something.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the envelope and handed it to him. “This was given to me yesterday. Well, I mean, I found it. What do you think it means?” I watched him open the letter and read it, looking for some kind of… something on his face. When he was done, he looked up at me.

“You mean, like, you want me to translate what it says?”

I gave him a bored look. “No… I looked it up on Google, I know what it says,” I mumbled. “I mean, what does the whole thing mean? Why would someone just give that to me?” He handed it back to me with a small smile.

“I’d say I was half right before. Someone has a crush, but it’s on you.”

I gave him a skeptical look. “How can you be sure? There’s no explanation. Just a few lines from a play.”

“I’m no expert, but if someone wrote on and on about my beauty, albeit through the words of Shakespeare, I wouldn’t take it lightly.”

“Okay, but what do I do about it? It’s not like I can return the favor. I have no idea who they are.”

“Just give it time. Maybe they’ll send more.”

“Oh, wipe that smug look off your face.”

“I will when you stop blushing.” I leaned over and hid my face in my arms. “Oh, don’t be like that. It’s cute, in a way.”

I waved him off without looking up. “Just go away and do whatever Davey’s do when they’re not in the library.”

I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “So, drinking unholy amounts of coffee while nitpicking every paper I write because I’m a perfectionist and ultimately stressing myself out so much that I imagine running away to live in the Shire? I’m not scheduled to do that ‘til six.” I couldn’t help the smile that graced my face.

“Actually, I see you running more toward Hogwarts than anything,” I say, looking up at him.

He smiled. “Then I’d just stress over my magical tests.”

“Hey, at least they’d be about magic, instead of algebra or the history of the printing press.”

“Fun fact about the printing press-“

“And I’m leaving you now!” I got up to put some books away as he laughed behind me.

—-

It’s been over a week since I received the note and I had actually started to forget about it. I had given up the little hope that I had allowed myself to feel that I’d receive any more, after the first couple days. Now the note was lying at the bottom of my desk drawer back in my dorm instead of on me at all times. It was time to stop living in my fantasy world and get back to reality. Though it was ironic to think such things when I spent half my time in the library, surrounded by fantasies and did little to stop myself from daydreaming. But baby steps I guess.

I walked in a few minutes before my shift and saw Katherine, my coworker, talking to her boyfriend.

“Hey now, this is work time, not flirty time,” I laughed as I walked behind the counter to set my stuff down. “Hi, Jack.” The man leaning on the counter tipped his hat at me. Katherine turned to me, smiling.

“Oh, so you’re allowed to flirt with Davey damn near every day, but I can’t talk to my boyfriend?”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Wait. Davey Jacobs? You got the hots for my boy, Davey?” I was in the middle of taking off my jacket and paused, looking over at the two of them.

“Yes, Davey Jacobs. No, I do not have ‘the hots’ for him. He just comes in and we talk.”

Katherine scoffed. “You’re being modest. He only comes in when you’re working- I once even saw him walk in, see it was me behind the counter, and leave- and you guys make googly eyes at each other the entire time.”

Jack’s smirk could cut glass. “Oh, I am gonna give him so much shit for that. That’s adorable! I’ve noticed he’s had more of a spring in his step lately. I left my clothes on the floor the other day and he didn’t even lecture me. He’s got it bad.”

“Okay, you’re both crazy, which means you’re perfect for each other.” I grabbed Katherine by the arm and lifted her out of my chair. “Go off and be crazy together now, and leave me in peace.”

“So you don’t want this letter that was left for you in the book return earlier?” She waved a small envelope with my name on it in front of my face. My eyes widened and I’m ashamed to say I lunged at it. She pulled back, laughing.

“First, admit I’m right, then you can have it. You owe me. It’s been killing me, not opening this all day.”

I sat back. “I’ll admit that you have been right in the past and that your powers of perception are brilliant at times, so it’s no wonder you think that you’re right this time.” Katherine glanced at Jack, who shrugged.

“I think that’s the best you’re gonna get.” She sighed and handed it over. It had the same neat handwriting. I was nervous to open it, especially in front of these two, but my curiosity outweighed any nerves. Just like the first one, this note was written on stationary and folded with care. With trembling hands, I unfolded it:

“But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore.”

“Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places.”

Again, that was it. No signature, no reasoning for the word choice, no trace of who could have sent it. I let out a sigh and looked up at my little audience.

“Well?” Katherine asked, exasperated. I just handed the paper over to them. “A quote from Harry Potter?”

“The Order of the Phoenix,” Jack clarified. We both gave him weird looks. “Hey, I read! What do you think it means?”

I shook my head. “No idea. The first note quoted Shakespeare and now this.”

“Wait, hold up,” Katherine interjected. “This isn’t the first one you’ve gotten?”

“I mean, it’s only the second. They’ve been anonymously placed in the book return.”

Katherine squealed a little. “Oh my god, you have a secret admirer!” A loud “SHHH!” came from behind her. “Oh, shhh yourself!” She turned back to me. “What are you gonna do?”

“There’s nothing I can do! I have no idea who’s sending them.”

“I’ll bet I can hack into the security footage from the camera outside to see who’s been putting things in the return.” Jack and I gave her bewildered looks. “Hey, I can hack!”

“You don’t need to risk expulsion on my behalf. It’s probably better I don’t know.”

“Let me see the note again.” I handed it to Jack. He ran his fingers around the fancy border of the stationary and a wide grin split across his face as he handed it back to me.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. You’re right, we’ll probably never find out. Anyway, we should probably let you get to work. Come on, Katherine.”

“But-“

“Come on.” He put his arm around her and started walking toward the exit. As he opened the door, they almost ran into someone.

“Oh, hey, DAVEY!” he said exaggeratingly loud. “FANCY SEEING YOU HERE!” Davey stared after them as they left. I groaned as I pulled out my notebooks.

“What was that all about? Did Jack say anything to you? Anything weird? I mean, more so than normal?”

“I don’t even know anymore,” I said as I looked down at my history notes that I had no intention of studying. “He’s always been weird, and he’s dragging Katherine down with him.”

Davey chuckled. “Yeah, but they seem happy. Love, however weird, is in the air. Embrace it.”

“Speaking of that…” I hesitated. Should I talk to him about it? He wasn’t too helpful last time, but his heart was in the right place. Screw it. I pulled out the envelope. “Guess who got another anonymous note? I swear, at this point they seem like clues for a scavenger hunt or something.” I handed it to him. He opened it and scanned the words pretty quickly.

“Hmm, not as eloquent as the last one, but still a fairly sweet message. Why do you seem so upset about all of this? Someone has reminisced about your beauty and compared you to the feeling of love. Isn’t that a positive thing?”

“It is. But I’m afraid to fall too deep into this. There are too many variables that could cause a negative outcome. What if they get to know me and I’m not like what they admired from afar? What if they’re wrong for me? What if it’s a creepy old man? What if it’s a prank and I’m falling right into their trap-“ Davey caught my hands that I had been flailing around and held them gingerly.

“Hey, calm down. In order: If they’re admiring you from afar, then they’re just going to be even more enamored by you once they get to know you. If they’re wrong for you, no harm no foul. But it would be their loss. If it’s a creepy old man, just let him down gently. And if that doesn’t work, call the cops. And if it’s a prank, though I doubt anyone would be so cruel, I’ll kick their ass for you.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “I always pegged you as more of the wise wizard than the knight in shining armor. But I’ll take it.”

“Hey, I’m no Dumbledore.” He gestured to the note. “But I’ll take that as a compliment. Anyway, be honest, what do you think of this person?”

I sighed. “I don’t know how to feel about them. How can I feel anything about someone who leaves me quotes from books? I don’t know anything about who they are other than the fact that they read and that they apparently find me appealing.” I laughed. “Which should be enough when I think about it. If I had any less self esteem, I’d be theirs in a heartbeat. I just wish they’d be a little more personal. Put themselves on the page. No, what I really wish is that they’d introduce themselves, but I’ll settle for just a little more personalization. That way I’m not just running through the million questions in my mind about them. I have enough to worry about with classes and studying, I don’t wanna have to worry about this too.”

Davey smiled at me sympathetically. “And you deserve that. If someone cares this much about you, it’s the least they could do.” He squeezed my hands, which were still in his.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

—-

Over the course of the next month I’ve received two more notes. They’re always the same: my name on the envelope, fancy stationary, and a passage of some sort. Nothing else. The third note was by Edgar Allen Poe:

“There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion.”

And the fourth was from Through the Looking Glass:

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently.”

They were all centered around love and beauty. That was the only common theme I could find. I spent countless hours reading them over and over again, trying to find a link between the authors or a hidden message. I found nothing.

It’s been another two weeks since the last note. This time I really started to worry. Was it really a prank? Or did they just lose interest? I shouldn’t get so worked up about a few pieces of paper that really could mean anything. Like I told Davey, I have more important things to worry about.

I was eating lunch under one of the big trees on the quad with a few friends from class. But I was thinking too hard to actually touch any of my food. I turned to the blond boy sitting next to me.

“Race, you’re a guy, right?” Race paused, sandwich halfway to his mouth, as his eyes darted around for a moment.

“Uh, last time I checked.”

I leaned in closer. “So would you say you understand the ins and outs of how guys flirt or try to get attention from someone they like?”

“I guess so.” He set down his sandwich and gave me his full attention. “What’s up? Has a guy been giving you mixed signals? Because if that’s the case, he’s probably not doing it on purpose. We’re not that complicated.”

I laughed a bit at that. “Kinda? Not really mixed, per se, more like not giving enough signals… sorta.” He gave me a questioning look, so I continued. “I’ve been getting anonymous love notes, if you can even call them that. Just nice quotes from books with no other information. What does that mean?”

Race smirked at me. “Ah, Jack did mention that you got yourself a little secret admirer. Now, this is a little out of my wheelhouse ‘cause I’m more of a straightforward kinda guy.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You hit on me the first day of class.”

“Yes, and you shot me down in a very cruel manner while I was vulnerable putting myself out there. I’m still waiting for an apology.”

“All you said was, ‘Nice ass, what’s your name?’ and I told you, ‘I know, and none of your business.’”

“Yet one week later we were friends. So you gotta admit it kind of works.”

I punched his shoulder. “We’re getting off track here. Am I wasting my time hoping that something could come out of this?”

“That depends on how you look at it. From what I can tell, this mystery person is the only one who can pull the strings on this little thing you guys got going. So you can wait for them to grow some balls and reveal themselves and do what you will from there. Or you can take all of this at face value and accept the compliments, let them brighten your day a little, but move on afterwards. Because you’ll drive yourself crazy if you try to get involved. It’s basically just a waiting game at this point.”

I nodded as I took it all in. “Thanks.” He placed a hand on my shoulder.

“No problem.”

“When did you get smart?” He used the same hand to push me over, making me laugh. I pushed him back.

“Hey now, no violence. Save that for someone who really deserves it.” Jack sat down next to us and turned to Race. “Oh, it’s just Racer. Yeah he probably deserves, it. Continue.” Race flipped him off and went back to eating. Jack looked down at the book in my lap.

“Seriously? You’re reading during your lunch hour? Don’t you get enough of that from class and work?”

“Shut up, this is a good one.”

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “You sound just like Davey. You know, he’s been constantly reading. Every time I see him he’s got his nose in some poetry book. Either that, or practicing calligraphy. I swear, he’s an immortal being from the 1800’s or something.”

“Don’t hate. Some people happen to like the arts. It’s no different than you and your painting.”

He gasped and put his hand on his chest dramatically. “How dare you compare my favorite pastime with your nerdy nonsense! I am not one of you!”

I scoffed and looked back down at my book. “Yeah and you also read Harry Potter so you’re not far from it.”

“Circling back to what I said earlier, go back to beating each other up. You both deserve it.”

—-

It had been a long day. I was ready to go home and sleep for as long as possible before I had to get back up and do this all over again. It was just one of those days. I haven’t talked to Davey in forever because he was busy with schoolwork, and my other friends seemed busy with their social lives. I only really talked to Katherine, but it was only in passing as we switched shifts. But that’s how things go, I guess.

I was about to head out as I heard a faint thud come from behind me. Something was dropped into the return, but it was lighter than a book.

“No… It can’t be…” I peered inside and, lo and behold, there was another envelope. I gently picked it up and read my name. Making a quick decision, I stuffed it into my bag and walked back to my dorm. I’d gotten a bunch of these already, so why was I so nervous to read one now?

I walked in and quickly locked the door. Shucking off my coat and shoes, I sat on my bed and placed the note in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I opened it. Something caught my eye, something new. There was a sticky note on top of the folded note:

“Sorry this took so long. I wanted it to be perfect.” For some reason this made me even more nervous. The mystery person had never spoken directly to me like that before. Willing my hands to stop shaking, I unfolded it:

You don’t notice that you play with your hair when you’re nervous. But I do.

You don’t think people will like you if you talk about books. But I do.

You don’t realize your laugh is the best sound anyone could hear. But I do.

You don’t see how much you’ve changed my life. But I do.

You don’t think anyone notices you. But I do.

You don’t know that you deserve to be loved.

But I do.

I slowly lowered it onto my lap. Did they… did they write this? About me? For me? I had no words. I had said I wanted a little more personalization to these notes, but I never expected this.

My phone buzzed next to me, making me jump. When I saw the caller ID I answered.

“H-Hey, Kath. What’s up?”

“Hey, I don’t have much time, but I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“Jack? I’m doing fine. What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure everything is good, see if you’ve gotten any more notes. Did you just so happen to get another note today?”

I furrowed my brow. “Uh, yeah… How did you know that?” I could practically see the giant smile on his face. “Just a guess. I definitely didn’t see a particular person put an envelope in their bag and walk with purpose in the direction of the library earlier. Not at a-“

“JACK KELLY!”

I pulled the phone away from my ear as Katherine screamed. There was shuffling on the other end before I heard Katherine again.

“Sorry about that. He stole my phone when I went to the bathroom. Don’t listen to him.” She paused. “Though I do really hope you are getting something out of those notes. And I hope they reveal themselves soon.”

“What are you guys talking ab-“

“Got to go, bye!” And she hung up. I glanced back down at the poem. The poem written about me. The poem written by someone who seems to know a lot about me. The poem that was incredibly sweet and from the heart. But who wrote it? Who’s been sending these notes? Who cared this much about me?

I thought back on the last month. I went over all the information I had about this situation in my head, including my friends’ weird behavior. And then my jaw dropped.

—-

The next morning I got up bright and early to go back to work. I waved to my other coworker as they left and got settled. I hadn’t been sitting for more than two minutes when Davey walked up to the counter.

“What are you doing here so early? You never come here in the mornings.”

“Hello to you, too. Wow, you haven’t seen me in days and the first thing you do is question why you’re seeing me now? That hurts. You wound me.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Hello, Davey. I’ve missed you. My days were unbearable without you. Please never leave me again,” I said sarcastically.

“Damn straight. But if you must know, other than to see your beautiful smile, I’m here to grab a book before I head to my business lecture. I need something to read while I’m not paying attention.”

“Woah, you’re gonna blatantly, premeditatively ignore a lecture? What’s gotten in to you?”

He gave me a little smug smile. “I don’t know, just learning that there are more important things than worrying about grades.” I gave him a disbelieving look. “…Also, I read ahead in the textbook so I already know everything that’s going to be said.”

“Now, that I believe. What are you checking out?”

“What, you’re not going to guess?” He looked at me expectantly with his hands behind his back.

“Sorry, my head’s been all over the place lately. You win this game for once.”

His smile dropped. “Why’s that?”

I fiddled with my hair for a moment. Huh, I do play with it when I’m nervous. “I got another note from the mystery person. You know how I said I wanted them to be personal?”

“Yeah.”

I looked up at him for a moment, and then just handed it to him. He carefully unfolded it and took his time reading. When he looked up, he seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

“What did you think when you read it?”

“Well, it’s definitely an improvement,” I laughed. “It made me feel special. And it made me feel appreciated and loved. Like I wasn’t just some nerdy student who spends their time reading and doing schoolwork. Like I was someone worth knowing.”

He gave me a small smile. “You seem to really like this person now. Does this mean you’re divorcing me?”

“It’s already been filed. Expect the papers in the mail in 3 to 5 business days.”

Davey clutched his chest dramatically. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to go on without you. Who will give me a hard time when I try to act cool? Who will make fun of me when I get too nerdy?”

I scanned the book he dropped on the counter. “I’m sure Jack will have that covered, don’t worry.”

“Yeah, but he’s not you.” I looked up at him. I couldn’t help the blush that spread across my face but I didn’t dare break eye contact. All traces of joking had left his face as we looked into each others’ eyes.

I cleared my throat and held the book out to him. “Here. You’re gonna be late, and you still need to order your morning coffee before you go to class.”

He blinked a couple times. “You think you know me so well.” He accepted the book, making our fingers brush and my heart speed up. “And you kinda do.” He smiled brightly. “See you later.” Giving me his signature salute, he walked outside.

I watched through the window as he opened the cover of the book, eyes widening, followed by a small smile. No doubt reading the note I placed inside:

I thought about what I should write over and over again. I couldn’t decide which book or poem to quote. I wanted to match your eloquence but nothing came to mind. So I’m writing down my current thoughts. We’ve got a lot in common. We both love books, we make the stupidest puns, and we get super stressed when it comes to schoolwork. But we are also both really bad at expressing how we feel straight and outright. So one of us is going to have to break the cycle. Why not me? I really like you, David Jacobs. There, I said it. You don’t need to decode this note, there’s no hidden meaning. So why don’t we cut the crap and skip ahead in the story to the part where we’re finally happy? (Though you can still send me poems. I really do like them.)

Followed by my phone number and a little message at the end: Now THAT’S how you leave a love note!

[shyeehaw]

Children of this Land: Ashes to Bone

Supernatural AU - Chapter I

I would like to thank @shethenightwolf , @famderlinde , @kaziklubaby  and @crabby-abby for bearing with me and helping me with my first long fic, hope yall like it <3

This is the story of your birth, my son. It’s an adventurous one, filled with love, but also great sadness and loss. It speaks to us as well, children of this land. We know no home, and neither do you. The same land that created us now is doing the hunt.

The wooden wheels were rolling, and that hellish sound kept screeching on their ears, a sound so cruel that reminds them why they are moving in the first place. A feud as old as time, ignited by the most primordial motive: food. Then, finally, a dead man lying on the road.

When on the run, there’s no time to feed, as fugitives don’t get any rest. Time unfolded as a yarn, and Hosea’s eyes were kept glued to the small portrait in his hands. They had infuriated too many people, both gangs and law. Still, the strong scent of the corpse got them jumping out of the wagon, facing its empty eyes. Dutch approached the dead man, assaying the state of his own skin over the new one. Fresher, better. A grip around his wrist and a screech of the harpy’s throat; That’s how they knew it was an illusion, a trick. There weren’t enough roads to put distance between the Driscoll's and the Van Der Linde gang. And now, as the evening shadows and he sits on his ragged tent, Dutch watches his sons as they heal, with growing hunger.

The flames licked Abigail’s legs, and still, she wouldn’t wish to be anywhere but there. It was a flesh-eating blaze consuming her feet, her core. Yet, the only hurtful sting was their piercing gaze. Her agonized figure was a reason to cheer, to chant, around her, hearts full of hate gleamed like burning coal. Their indifference allowed her to once more, feel the depths of cruelty. What they couldn't wrap their minds around was judged, and tonight, Abigail was the defendant.

She wouldn’t scream, wouldn’t give them that satisfaction, raising her chin up, Abigail breathed the smoke two or three times, the crescent moon as her single witness.

“We are gathered here tonight to send this whore back to her Master’s arms”, said the Cleric, holding a cross against her direction, “Begone, foul creature! Leave us, good people, free of your bewitched venomous words.”

The crowd cheered, oblivious to the ferocity of the fire, as she was reminded, once again, of how she was used, tricked. It was a savage world, and still, Abigail was no more inhuman than those who smiled upon her burning body.

“See! She won’t even deny it! Promiscuous! Sorcerer!”, those were the words used by simple-minded men to describe women who owned themselves, who dared to be free, only to have their freedom sworded by their hypocrisy. Speaking softly to the flames, she asked them to be done, to consume her. Ash and bones. Rolling her head back, and her eyes even further, Abigail chanted a last time, the old forgotten words folding her tongue in a familiar way, praying to whichever God birthed her to claim her soul. She embraced her fiery fate.

Red, carmine -  the vivid colors flashed through their collective mind. John was the first, howling at his packmate to stop, something wrong in those woods.

“What are you fools stopping for?”, Bill stomped his hoof, “Dutch is waiting on us!”

With a growling sound, Arthur followed John, his bent legs opening way between the dense forest.

“Ahh shit!”, Bill turned around, chasing the two immense shadows by the night. A smoke scent filling their lungs.

It was a sorry scene, indeed. Those creatures, those humans, once again burning what they couldn’t understand. Out of sight, out of mind.  How long until is us burning, John? the thought invaded his mind as if was his own. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, spreading quickly, bristling his fur. John jumped at the nearest peasant, munching on his torso, breaking bones.

“You goddamn idiot!”, Bill was furious, his horns now glazed on dripping blood, making his way through the crowd. And how they screamed, running in circles only to meet Arthur’s massive open jaw. Marston, you idiot! Dutch will geld us, those intrusive thoughts were buried under his primal goal, an instinct hard to refuse.

Fire shook his claw-hand as an agreement, John Marston slashed the ropes, freeing the witch’s body from the stake. She was alive, breathing. Barely.

Retreating to the camp, John was the one carrying the sorceress’s burnt body, his nose flaring to the smell. We should hurry, those Driscoll demons are still after us, he looked at his brother -  blood on his fur from the confront, humans and their damned guns, their own way to feel powerful. The night was as silent as death, just the sound of crickets guiding the weird party home.

“Absolutely not!”, Dutch said taking a single look at the wounded girl, “As far as we know humans are burning their own under the accusation of witchcraft. No!”. He left the tent in a hurry, only to stumble upon Hosea, who seemed very much concerned.

“What’s going on here, Dutch?”, He peeked through the open tent flaps, where Ms. Grimshaw avidly worked, the girl seemed like a rag doll compared to how big and feathery Ms. Grimshaw was.

“Is she a witch?”, Hosea asked.

“We reckon”, said Arthur, his beastly shape now a bit more under control.

“Dutch, we can’t just send her away! Are you so caught up with Colm and his demon hierarchy that you missed the news?”, Hosea looked at Ms. Grimshaw, as asking for her to back up his stories, “Night folk are gone!”

“They had it coming for them, going around attacking people.”

“And how do we feed again? We need to eat, and soon! Or we ain’t healing.”, Hosea crouched beside the girl, placing his hand with a cautious gesture on her forehead, “Saint Denis is just about the same, vampires being hunted down. Towns are being watched day and night, Dutch!”

“That’s exactly why I say to take no more folk, we have bad as it is!”

The gang was already used to seeing the pair arguing like this, Strauss was barely lifting his milky white eyes from his newspaper, watching their discussion with a detached interest.

“Alright Hosea! we’ll have her if she pulls her weight! And if she’s not some human mistook for one of us.”, he said putting a saddle on The Count, “Now, we need to tend to the urgent matters, these wounds! Strawberry?”

The face of his partner turned blank by the absurd proposition.

“Jenny, Mac, Davey… I miss them too, you know? They were fine people. But we can’t go looking for revenge, Dutch, Colm’s army is growing as we speak, I thought we was going to lie low”, Hosea said, placing his hand on Dutch’s shoulder, “I would rather we go to Valentine.”

His dark eyebrows furrowed, that livestock town was like going back to his origins, feeding on farmers and travelers. Still vexed, he nodded just to humor his partner, like he did so many times.

An eternal life granted them a non-verbal communication, much like John’s and Arthur. More than that, they merged into one. Hosea became more ambitious and lively, Dutch learned to consider risks, put others needs along his own. What one did the other was there to complement, like a synchronized dance, opposites, but working together. And how far they came, finding friends along the way, watching them turn into family.

As Ms. Grimshaw and Strauss helped them packing things to get to town, John stood still beside the girl, wondering what was her name, and if it was possible from the top of her slumber, to have cast a spell on him. People would soon start wondering why he wasn’t back to his original form, since there was no longer danger around. But the fear that was haunting him had nothing to do with something that could be fought using his teeth.

“Mister? What is you called?”, a crooked lady asked Dutch.

She was the only one still wandering through those muddy streets, stopping right on her tracks when she saw the man’s face. A frightful sight, they must have been. In a group of four, they walked in pairs, the wolves behind, as shadows enlarging the danger on the careless steps of the first two, who walked sure that nothing there could kill them. Except for each other.

“Aiden O'Malley is the name, my lady”, he said with a flourish, old ways never really died. Hosea glared, doubtful, at his partner.

“I’ve seen you before… but no, not with that name, I would recall.”, said the crone, her white tuft of hair escaping from the scarf. She looked so old her memory was doing a favor by still working.

“You must have mistaken me for someone else ‘mam, excuse me.”, a collective sigh and the group left, entering the dim-lighted alley on the right.

With a single gloved hand, Dutch raised the glass window, leaving enough space for him and Hosea to slither in the warm home. Gesturing for the boys to stay behind, they began their millenary ritual, plucking breaths as fruits from a tree. Glowing yellow eyes and fluid movements would never be seen by those who quietly slept. And if they were… their skin would become his.

But Hosea never liked that, the ugly crawling feeling he got when harvesting an innocent skin, no. He and then, Dutch pledged to only take the skin of those who had not done it right.

Still insatiable, drinking the slumbered breath, they heard footsteps. It was not unusual to find a restless human walking around their houses, but sharing a concerned look, the pair hid, mixing their silhouettes with the shadows.

“Who's there? Face me, ya cowards!”, the high-pitched voice floated across the room - disembodied.

With caution, Dutch draw his gun, human or not, a bullet would always slow it down. And the trigger was almost pulled when an almost toothless smile greeted him. And then headbutted him to the floor.

Gliding across the room, Hosea placed his barrel against the thing’s head.

“Easy boy! We are the same as you.”, he spoke slowly, trying to hold the creature still.

“Oh no, that’s my way of saying hello! Hello there!”, he pushed Hosea. And in a blink of an eye, the trickster vanished, leaving both men looking around, in a neurotic state. “Now ya see me!”, he resurged sitting on a chair, “Now ya don’t!”

“Alright! We are leaving!”, Hosea declared, having his sentence finished by Dutch, “We didn’t know this house was guarded…”

“Guarded? eh, not really. Folk here give me only musty bread and milk, that’s nothing if they want to count on me mighty protection.”, the red-head swung his legs from the bed, getting up on a jump, “ Give me beer, whiskey, would’ya? Back in Ireland, I was a fucking king! Know what? Eat them, I don’t care”, he spoke too fast, leaving Hosea’s ears buzzing.

“Ireland? So what are you? Leprechaun…?”, he asked, making his way to the door.

“Pff, ya american creatures! I’m irish so I can only be those fools? Nah, I’m a Clurichaun! Related to those famous bastards, yeah, but way better.”, he said, stuffing his chest as he followed them around.

“Alright, nice to meet you, mister. Goodbye now.”, Dutch said, meeting the inquisitive eyes of John and Arthur.

“I’m Sean!”, he said shaking their furry hands, unbothered, “Say, can I join ya fine fellers? It’s awful boring in that old house.”

Dutch was about to protest, but it took just Hosea dismissive gesture for him to not be bothered, for what he saw of Sean, he had the attention span of a puppy, and would be soon off their hair.

“Great, so as I was saying…”

With their ears filled by the heavy accent, in the length of one street, the gang learned all fae hierarchy, their taste for music and booze. When Arthur could swear his arms were going through the transition just to grab the boy’s neck, they stopped.

“Alright boys, keep your eyes open. Dutch and I are coming in.”

It’s hard to draw a clear distinction between good and bad, with that thought in mind, Hosea signaled to his sons to get working on the jail’s door. Arthur slashed the fragile doorknob, his paws kicking it open, their jaws clenching to the sound. The wolves and Clurichaun kept their guard outside the door, as the couple entered, greeted by moldy walls that held a quiet interior, where all prisoners snored just as much as the deputy on charge. All but one.

“Ay! What’s going on”, a whisper was heard, “Mary-Beth! Wake up!”

Dutch quickly found the source of it. The murmuring pair was sitting at the cold tile floor, ash crosses draw on their foreheads. His eyes lingered a bit on the man’s tied burnt hands. Sharing a look, Hosea and Dutch understood what that meant.

“If I were you, I would look away.”, Dutch said, much to Hosea’s displease.

“No need, sir. We both seen things that would shock you.”

“That I doubt very much.”

Squeezing through the bars, Dutch crouched on the asleep prisoner's chest, his long fingernail slicing the flesh, separating muscle from skin. He did that with precision, with a bored look of who committed this atrocity thousands of times, like he needed it to survive.

“Sir, you seem kind enough. Would you help us getting out of here?”, the soft voice of the girl pleaded to Hosea, “They… burned my tent, and I might be next.”

Ignoring the conversation, Dutch kept slicing.

“I…Of course, my dear”, he glanced at his partner whose frown was getting worse by the moment, “John, Arthur get over here and open this cell would you?”

Struggling but a moment with the lock, the two were free, rubbing the crosses off their heads.

“And then what Hosea? Are we keeping two more mouths to feed? We don’t even know if they are like us!”, Dutch was no longer keeping his voice low, which made Sean fidget with anticipation of that deputy’s sleep being interrupted.

“They clearly are! Look at their markings!”, his voice was firm, “We can’t leave them behi-”

The words were concealed under a freezing scream, one so excruciating and cold that sent shivers down their spines. Dutch’s sloppy movements as he argued caused the man to keep screaming, his skin being ripped off. It was like watching a stagecoach crash, in slow motion but yet unable to stop it.

An iron net, and guns. Hosea’s liquid fear, filling his eyes like never before, unable to move. Among the warning bell sound of the town, he searched for the portrait that he could swear it was on his pocket. He had but a moment to undo that, and failing to find it there was nothing left but to say goodbye.

But not Dutch, his nails went through the throat of the closest policeman, as his sons fought against the others. The girl, Mary-Beth, was unlocking a chest, weirdly enough grabbing a guitar and untying the hands of the man with her.

“There’s no point, my dear…”, Hosea talked above the confusion, “Take them and go, please. Do this, for me.”

With a second chime from the bell, Valentine was filled with it’s citizens. An angry mob following them, There wasn’t enough time for goodbyes. Fugitives don’t get to say “I love you” back. Their furious steps cracked the glass of the picture, Dutch’s smile immortalized beside a beautiful lady.

“I told you I knew you, mister.”, the crone said, accompanied by his old friend. His red mustache and unmistakable black hat. On top of that, the fiery sword embroidery stitched on his cassock.

“Hello, Dutch.”

[journeysintowebcomics]

Homestuck Liveblog #186

UPDATE 186: Political Assassination

Last time John finally got that tooth off his chest, and Jake agreed to give his endorsement to Karkaroni. Now what will happen? Let’s see.

Has it been days since Jade has been sitting on that couch, levitating and with her eyes completely black? Given everything that has happened in the meantime it sure feels like it has. Roxy’s getting worried, she tried to call Rose but she didn’t respond, so instead he goes for the next option she has: Dave. Who immediately brags about working to stop Jane from screwing up everything. The words ‘neoliberal austerity measures’ are unsaid but they’re like an echo when Dave talks about the presidential campaign, I bet. He’s busy handling Jake’s endorsement speech.

ROXY: i guess in the grand scheme of things

ROXY: shes just takin a sort of nap

ROXY: but its one HELL of a nap bro

‘one hell of a nap, davey, shes been blacked out for, like, a week’

It seems the troll candidate is more popular with the trolls and the carapacians than with the humans and consorts. How don’t they have more consort supporters? Hopefully Jake’s endorsement will change that.

ROXY: lmao dirk just texted me about this

ROXY: somehow he found out about jade did u tell him

DAVE: uh no

ROXY: he just said make sure she gets lotsa daylight

ROXY: that itll help with the “exorcism she needs”.....

ROXY: and also to say hi to calliope for some fuckin reason??

DAVE: thats weird

Well that makes clear what the best course of action is: don’t open the windows nor place her anywhere in the daylight. If Dirk’s advice will help with the exorcism she needs – to get Dead Calliope out – then it’s a bad idea. I’m enjoying this epilogue much more with Dead Calliope controlling the narrative, thanks.

It’s alarming Kanaya isn’t picking up either. Could Dirk have gotten rid of her? I sure hope not! Kanaya has done nothing wrong and deserves to stay alive, what with being the professional when it’s about troll reproduction. She better still be fine and kicking!

DAVE: i gotta give karkat some emotional support

DAVE: since gettin jake on our side was a pretty huge fucking bonanza for us

DAVE: which has almost equal probability of winning us the election as it does blowing up in our faces depending on this speech he gives

DAVE: so we gotta like

DAVE: concentrate here?????

DAVE: instead of jerking each other off all god damned day for the rest of our lives

DAVE: (im just joking we dont actually do that)

ROXY: oh

They don’t do that, much to Jade’s disappointment, I bet. Either way, it’s speech time!

The struggle to take control of the narrative is a petty squabble, says Dirk, taking the high ground by offering Dead Calliope a way out. Buddy, pal, friend, you can’t take the high ground and then insinuate Calliope is ugly as sin. That is petty.

Apparently everybody thinks Dave loves Karkaroni, and although I believe that too, it’s fine if Dave never comes to terms to that. The guy marches at the beat of his own drum, he’ll be fine. This kind of thing can’t be forced on him. Speaking of things that can’t be forced, Roxy wants to know how Dave came out to everyone else as not straight. Oh dear, Roxy, I don’t think Dave ever did that. You’re asking the wrong person – unless you want the answer to be ‘deny it for like eight years now’.

He’s not really denying it right now, though. Maybe he did come out to the others and I didn’t find out until now. He’s not comfortable enough with rapping about ‘boning dudes’ in middle of a stadium where so many people can see him, but he’s not running away from the question. Way to go, Dave! I approve character growth!

Somehow Dave has this entire spiel about all the steps of admitting not being straight. On what phase are you, Dave? Inquiring minds want to know. I’d paste the entire thing here, because it’s pretty good stuff, but it’d feel like I’m applying filler for the sake of applying filler, so I won’t.

Dirk really doesn’t want a conversation about gender. Personally I have to agree because, even though this is great for development and I appreciate all of Dave’s steps, this is kind of a random place to shove this in. Pretty bad place, really. It’d have been great at a different moment.

Horrendously invasive of Roxy’s deepest personal thoughts.

...uh, Dirk, you know what else is horrendously invasive? Taking over the narration and manipulating people around. Also the assimilation plan, that’s more than horrendously invasive.

Okay, this is going for long enough.

DIRK: Do you even know where I am right now?

DIRK: Do you have the slightest idea what I’m up to?

the prince is laboring under the delusion that he has been the least bit subtle in his intentions. he currently stands beneath the carapacian bell tower, poised to climb to the top. he holds the long, red sniper rifle that once belonged to roxy, brandishing it openly and boldly. he seems mysteriously oblivious to the fact that holding a long rifle in broad daylight somewhat tips one to the fact that he soon intends to shoot someone from a great distance. he also seems unaware of the fact that i know perfectly well that the top of this tower has a clear, long-range view of the stadium, allowing any competent sniper a clear shot of whoever happens to be standing at the podium as they give a speech. as jake english is about to do.

he also doesn’t seem to realize i have anticipated his attempt to assassinate his own friend in order to advance his political goals, and that i am prepared to take measures which make this impossible.

It really sounds like Dirk’s getting ready to shoot, he’s up at the right place and has a view of the stadium where Jake will be, but...I don’t know, ever since Roxy said Dirk messaged her about keeping Jade in the sunlight for ‘an exorcism’ I have been feeling uneasy, and now that this all was said just now, well, I kind of suspect Dirk may try to shoot and kill Jade. It sure would free her of Dead Calliope’s control and possibly give him back the control of the narrative. It’s a possibility, no?

Somehow the next few paragraphs resembles a schoolyard roleplaying fight. ‘You can’t reach the top of the stairs because...your feet feel really heavy’ ‘really? Then I can fly’ ‘and then the bell came crashing down on you!’ ‘I cut that stupid bell with my sword!’ ‘not fair!’ ‘yes fair!’.  It’s endearing in its own way.

DIRK: He wonders out loud, “what is this, amateur hour”?

DIRK: The Dead Cherub then humorlessly narrates, “why, yes. yes mr. strider, it IS amateur hour. and i’m the amateur here, for throwing a huge bell at you. i would like to humbly apologize for my amateurism.”

no i don’t.

DIRK: Sure you do.

I’m having fun with this part, guys, I really am! This is great.

This is over when Dead Calliope, trying to stop the focus on Dirk and his increasingly petty narration, turns the attention back to Dave who must still be explaining to Roxy the intricacies of coming out to their friends. I see keeping a show in a standstill is a Strider family trait.

DAVE: well lets just say internalized whatevers are kind of like an onion

DAVE: theres lots of layers

DAVE: they suck on pizza

DAVE: and trolls have to get their stomach pumped if they eat them

That has got to be the most contrived simile Dave has said in recent history.

Dirk continues saying very clearly he’s about to shoot Jake, and the more he states that so bluntly the more I suspect there’s something else going on.

‘Xenophobe’ and related words are starting to stop looking like a real word. It just has been said so many times.

Everything is making Dave feel like something’s wrong – undoubtedly Dead Calliope’s influence – so he gets in the path of any potential bullets, protecting Jake with his own body.

and despite dave’s quick and well-justified action, what is also unbeknownst to him is that the sniper no longer poses a threat of pulling that trigger. because everyone knows that for all of the prince’s shortcomings, he would never expose his beloved brother and son to the risk of a heroic death.

DIRK: You’re absolutely right.

DIRK: I would never do that.

DIRK: I’d never kill Dave, no matter what I felt the stakes were. I’d never hurt him either.

I’m pretty willing to bet taking over Dave’s self doesn’t count as killing or hurting him, therefore it’s fair game. Dave would be pretty unhappy to know what Dirk’s doing, anyway. The narrative reveals what’s in the sniper rifle are not bullets, they’re tranquilizers. It’d be a non-fatal way of keeping someone out of the way for a while. The second thing Dead Calliope got wrong, though...

DIRK: Yes. You’re right about the tranquilizer.

DIRK: But there’s one more fact you’re not aware of.

DIRK: Which is that I never intended to aim for Jake at all.

Well then! Turns out I may have been right about that he intends to shoot Jade. He must feel really confident about it if he can announce it aloud after aaaall the charades he did to fool Dead Calliope. Is it Jade, Dirk? Will you tranquilize Jade and pretty much put her to sleep – non-fatally?

Dirk spins in what must be the tiniest bell tower ever, given he only has to spin to change direction and be able to aim somewhere else, and gets ready to shoot. All Dead Calliope can do is freeze Dirk’s finger on the trigger, but he thought ahead and made the rifle to be voice-operated. All he has to do is say ‘fire’. Which he does! Game over for Dead Calliope?

Pretty good aim, hitting a vein from all this distance. Jade indeed has gotten tranquilized, and I’m pretty sure given this isn’t the first time Dirk uses tranquilizers – he uses them in TV – it shouldn’t be too hard for anyone to realize this is Dirk’s orangey shady hand making the moves.

The insult against Jade is uncalled for, Dirk. But yeah, the result of all this is that Dirk is once again back in control of the narrative, which makes me sigh with exasperation. I really liked Dead Calliope’s narration more than Dirk’s, so I’m not looking forward to this change.

Roxy drops to her knees by the couch, pulls the dart out of Jade’s neck, and tries to shake her awake. But it’s no use. That’s a heavy dose I gave her. Could be out for weeks. Maybe months? Can’t have any cherubs messing with my business on this planet. At least not until I’ve taken my leave. But Jade’s gonna be fine. Don’t worry about that.

So...she’s pretty much in a coma. Could be worse, could be worse. She could be dead. This is barely better.

Cherubs are fuckin’ weird, I’ll totally concede. Still not sure what makes them tick. What they idealize, what they really want. It all comes across to me as a little cloying. Perfection to them is a sweetness beyond comprehension. Sugar so potent it’s poison to us. To our bodies, to our souls. Like the place she was operating from was a realm of self-construction. A bubble of pure, phantasmal confection.

Well, I for one have had enough of that goddamn toothache. I’m back in the protein saddle, motherfuckers. I’m clacking my tongs, and the charcoal is hot.

Now who’s hungry for meat?

Does that mean the candy epilogue is all Dead Calliope’s influence seeping through instead of Dirk’s? It could be interesting to see what kind of thing she does to the world. Although...given the effects of the trickster lollipop and how ‘sweetness beyond comprehension’ is perfection to them, it’s bound to be nightmarish. I’m actually looking forward to that!

Speaking of meat, holy shit. You just look more fucked up every time we come back to you, don’t you, John?

You’re a disgraceful mess right now. Covered in blood, mysteriously sticky, bruised all over your arms, legs, and neck. Terezi practically raked rows into your back. You catch sight of yourself in the rearview mirror. You’re kind of embarrassed by what a postcoital train wreck you look like when all she’s got is mussed hair. And you should be embarrassed. Seriously, it’s like you were mauled by a wild animal. Jesus, don’t either of you have any shame?

Ah. Okay then, good for them, although I’m pretty concerned. Such a physically intensive activity can’t be good for the guy with a gaping hole in the chest and the troll who still must be half-starved. I won’t be surprised if these two just pass out and die anytime soon. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems things are awkward now between these two. Maybe it was all a spur-of-the-moment move.

You sit together on the hatch, like when you first met up days ago. Terezi crawls into your arms, and nuzzles right up against your chest so you have no choice but to hold on to her. You would have done it anyway if she asked, because you’re a total sap. The kind of guy who no doubt thinks banging a girl in a car is some deep, soul-shattering experience that bonds you for life. Yeah, John, you do think that. You think that you and Terezi are basically married now.

I can’t tell if he really thinks that or if Dirk’s funneling those thoughts into him. The line between what the character feels and what Dirk wants them to feel is pretty blurry by now.

After all this, Terezi gives up on looking for Vriska, so this is a prime moment for her to fly by and find them. She doesn’t, though, and John proposes Terezi to go home with him. Can they even go home? John is so tired it’s possible they can’t – which he really should have thought about before doing said physically intensive activity. Nobody to blame but yourself, John. Seriously, you have an open wound and bled like four liters of blood. You’re as good as dead.

He feels the urge to lie down and sleep, which is a pretty bad idea given the situation. Terezi rouses him up, so instead he decides to give this a try and zap back home. Hmmmm...if he’s so tired right now, it’s possible the act of zapping home will drain whatever energy he has left, so I’m not...very optimistic about John’s chances of survival. Would this count as a heroic death? Can you die from a heroic death if you die like two weeks after the offending injury is made? If he dies from exertion after having sex with Terezi that doesn’t count as a death because having sex with Terezi is neither heroic nor just, no? Oh well.

Back in the stadium, the inexistent assassination attempt may have given Karkaroni a push in the polls, and Dirk spends quite a while brandishing Jake like a piece of meat. Really, can he be treated as more than a flat character whose only non-flat trait is his posterior? Jake’s nervous and fidgets around, so much Dave and Karkaroni show concern and offer to cancel the speech and/or the campaign. It seems our favorite presidential troll still doesn’t like the idea of having leadership, he’s ready to throw the towel anytime. Jake insists he can do it, so he starts!

I don’t remember Dirk being so outright antagonistic in Homestuck. It’s making me pretty uncomfortable, I have to admit. It feels kind of out of nowhere, just like Jane’s sudden xenophobic inclinations are. What was Hussie thinking when he wrote all this? What was his intention?

Jake’s getting pretty nervous and I can’t tell if he’s getting stage fright or if Dirk’s influencing him to be nervous. The latter is a possibility, no? Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what’s going on.

Why don’t you have a good, long think about that, Jake.

Is this really the time for a good, long think? Jake muses to himself, actually putting a finger to his chin like some public domain clip art picture of a befuddled guy. If the crowd is confused by his rapid-cycle mood changes, they don’t show it. Jake’s got a bit of a day-drinking problem, which has been slavishly documented in the global tabloids. That’s how you avoid responsibility, isn’t it, Jake? You can fool your fans, but not yourself. The truth is that there’s a canniness to the act. It’s partially cultivated. You’re stupid, but you’re not nearly as stupid as you pretend to be.

JAKE: What in the devil was i thinking coming here?

JAKE: Why did I...?

JAKE: I came here to...

... slide the biggest knife any motherfucker ever wielded directly into your friend Jane Crocker’s back?

She loves you, Jake, more than anything, and you toyed with her heart. And you would have guiltlessly toyed with her “kettle drums” too had it not been for a bit of divine intervention, let’s decide to call it.

Sigh. That’s...that’s all I can do with all this. Sigh and keep reading. Third time I’m scrolling through the epilogue a tad faster than I should. It’s pretty much an entire page of gaslighting. Nothing really worth delving into, mainly because it’s pretty uncomfortable to read such a thing. Dirk’s being the abusive ex, pretty much. Nothing really worthwhile.

JAKE: I love dirk!

JAKE: IM IN *LOVE* WITH DIRK!!!

 And to love Dirk is to obey him.

You know, there are a few reasons why I’m thinking of liveblogging these epilogues. I’ll explain them later, but right now I may as well say a word of two: the epilogue is competently written. The events in it are interesting, and the interactions are raw and full of emotion. It’s all pretty unpleasant to read, which makes it a bit novel, like swallowing bitter medicine. It’s pretty good, in a technical way.

But it simply doesn’t work with Homestuck characters. It just doesn’t.

Anyway, let’s continue scrolling down to the end of the page and go to the next.

I was right in that zapping back to Earth C would take what was left of John’s energy. He barely can give three steps before he falls down, so it’s all up to Terezi now. She wants to bring John to Jane, so she can revive him. I don’t think she has revived him before, so it should be a good idea. It’d be better to bring Jane to John, though.

It doesn’t matter. This isn’t a wound you can recover from. It’s Game Over this time: no healing, no afterlife, no cosmic clock proclaiming your sacrifice as Heroic. The poison needling through you is antithetical to narrative relevance. You’re not dying, John. You’re being erased. Cherubs don’t fuck around. We’ve both been learning that the hard way.

Oh, nevermind, it’s something not even Jane with her life powers can fix. I wonder if, once John is erased, nobody will remember him. That’s what happens when there’s no place for you in a narrative, no? Hmmm...

John already know he’s irreversibly going to die, and tells Terezi not to waste her time, that he was dead the moment Lord English bit him. Which is true, given this poison. Then he says he was dead the moment he woke up that morning, which...I suppose is the depression talking.

You died the moment you made the decision to go meet your destiny. You would have lived if you made the other decision, under a certain definition of the word “living.” You might have even lived until the end of your immortal life span, as shitty as that sounds.

So he’d have lived for the rest of his life if he had decided to do nothing. Makes sense. This may have been for the better, given Lord English needed to be defeated, so it’s time well-spent. It’s rather unfortunate it involves John’s death, but...in a way I saw this coming. Pretty tragic outcome, and given this epilogue has been chock-filled with a lot of tragedy and pessimistic scenarios, it only made sense this would happen.

It’s dying words time! Terezi is really affected because she really cares for John, and also they had a ‘emotionally significant sexual encounter’, so she’s even willing to listen to all the sappy stuff John will say in his deathbed. This is bound to be rather emotional! And the fact he can’t even think of something appropriate to say in his final moments is what makes it emotional because this isn’t how he imagined this would go. He can’t even think of quotes from his movies. Terezi offers to tell everyone John Egbert said some cool stuff in his final moments and make everybody believe it somehow, so instead John goes straight towards the sappy and tragic. There he goes!

JOHN: i think... i really lo—

TEREZI: DONT YOU D4R3

JOHN: i... r-really lov—

TEREZI: DONT YOU D4R3 FUCK1NG D13 ON M3 1N TH3 M1DDL3 OF 4 LOV3 CONF3SS1ON!

TEREZI: 1 FORB1D 1T!!!

JOHN: but... i...

JOHN: i...

Then John dies in the middle of a love confession.

Love confession on the deathbed! It’s like this truly came from a movie, haha. Terezi is devastated, so much she can’t even bring herself to cry properly. Once she confirms he’s dead, she ponders what she should do now, alone in the world John wanted to bring her to. She doesn’t have anything else to do, so after a moment – and at Dirk’s behest – she takes John’s corpse in Dad Egbert’s wallet and starts walking.

It has been a month already. Jane won the election after what I figure was Jake’s endorsement speech for her, so that’s that. Terezi has been rather lost this whole month, and nobody has seen John Egbert – instead of saying he’s dead -- so I suppose she hasn’t told anyone he’s dead. Rose has been missing the entire time and Kanaya has been pushed around by Dirk’s machinations to keep him distracted while he keeps Rose locked away somewhere, both mentally and physically, I figure. All in all, it’s a pretty grim outlook for everybody in Homestuck. Also, Jade is still in coma. Terezi goes to visit her, perhaps to tell her what happened to John?

Dirk continues being so salty Roxy’s experimenting with her gender, apparently. Aren’t there a million other things to deal with, pal?

Roxy is very glad to see Terezi, and she takes Terezi thinking she’s Dave as a compliment. She also compliments Terezi, giving her some heartache because it makes her remember the time she spent with John. It may have been a few hours, apparently. Time works in mysterious ways up there in paradox space!

The reason Terezi is here is because she feels John would come here, and she’s right, I bet. John would want to check on Jade as much as he can, so now that she’s carrying John’s cadaver around, she feels she should handle this all herself. It’s also confirmed she hasn’t told anyone John is dead.

ROXY: back when jade first got all effed up callie saw somethin and it made them freak out

ROXY: it took me weeks to convince them that it was safe to come home

ROXY: but now we got the opposite problem and they arent leavin the house at all

ROXY: they stay home all day with the blinds drawn paintin some weird ass shit on the walls

TEREZI: WH4T?

ROXY: its not as bad as it sounds i promise

ROXY: some of it is like

ROXY: weird and violent??

ROXY: like lotsa nasty purple blood and um

ROXY: nudity????

TEREZI: >:?

ROXY: yeah yikes

ROXY: but MOST of it is cute stuff like... various combos of all of us being happy and gettin married and shit

ROXY: anyway thats kept callie kinda busy

ROXY: so it was hard as hell to convince them to let me come see jade at all

ROXY: its like theyre traumatized

ROXY: and they think ill drag whatever possessed jade back into our home with me

So the end result for Calliope is that she’s traumatized. Seeing a dead version of herself possessing Jade must have really rattled her. As I said, this is all pretty grim for everyone in Homestuck, goodness. Although...part of me wonders if her current state is partly because of Dirk’s influence. He’s petty enough to mess with the living Calliope’s head as a ‘take that’ for Dead Calliope.

Someone tries to contact Terezi through her phone, she’s not sure who it’d be. Perhaps Dirk? He did show a preference to sending messages to his former friends and acquaintances. As if things weren’t awkward enough for Terezi, she’s asked if she knows what happened to John. Terezi, you can’t keep this under wraps forever. Sooner or later you have to tell everyone John died because of injuries in Lord English’s fight.

It seems Terezi can hear Dirk perfectly even when he’s talking in the narration, I suppose it’s because of her aspect. Oh, be careful with the stuff you say, Dirk! She’s also willing to whisper stuff to address Dirk, even if it gets odd looks from other people. On the other hand, this kind of leaves her more vulnerable to Dirk’s machinations, no? Part of manipulating people is responding to what they say, so with some luck this won’t go belly-up.

Once the conversation is over Roxy leaves and Dirk exposits Terezi still feels guilty about hiding John’s death from everyone, and she can’t even confide in Dave because of mistakes she did as a teenager in another timeline. It’s the curse of having the Mind aspect, isn’t it? Knowing what the choices cause. All of Dirk’s exposition bothers Terezi enough for her to tell him to scram, and he refuses to do so.

Come on, Terezi. You don’t belong here. You know you don’t belong here.

Do you feel threatened by Terezi, Dirk? Is that why you’re trying to push her away? I don’t think Terezi has anything that could be particularly useful against Dirk’s plans, so I’m not sure why he’s bothering to mess with her like this. She even points out they barely have crossed words.

Okay, I believe he feels threatened by her in some manner because he tries to convince her to join him in...some place. More like he wants her out of Earth C. He even offers to let her take John with her, which is why I’m sure he made her pick up the corpse, so he could manipulate her by using John. He finally leaves her alone with her thoughts, sure he managed to convince her enough. We’ll see.

Stopping for now!

Next time: next update