#she's based off of a little desk buddy i have | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

imaginesig · 6 months ago

Text

“I was enchanted to meet you”

Kimi Antonelli x Norris!Reader

SMAU + Written parts

You’re Lando Norris’s little sister (18) and a spark flares up with a notable F2 driver (18) , how does everything go down?

Bonus: “I had the best day with you today”

I wanted to state that as I’m writing this I am 17 years old, on top of that I am an American. I do not know how to be 17/18 as a Brit so I did a bit of research but I’m not 100% confident. I gave Y/n an internship bc I assumed she’d be at the end of her secondary schooling. Sorry if that’s wildly off base.

~~~

A laugh erupted from my chest as a balled up sucky note made contact with Kimi’s forehead. I quickly grab my takeout lid to block his response attack. Only when I heard the ball make contact with the plastic did I relax my shield. On the other side, Kimi laid out on my hotel bed in sleep pants and a racing sweatshirt. His messy curls barely moved as he laughed. The soft light of the hotel lamp illuminated the scene like some kind of dream.

In here, it was a dream. No pressure, loud engines, cruel media, or annoying deadlines tainting the scene. It was authentic; our looks to each other were obvious, no sneaky glances.

In one smooth motion I moved from the desk chair to the opposite side of the bed from him. Propped up on my side, I mustered my best reporter voice, “So Mr. Antonelli, you've touched down in beautiful Barcelona a few hours ago and are gearing up for the weekend. The Spanish Grand Prix is known for its special conditions: corners of varying speeds, high chance of tyre wear, and many openings for overtakes. How confident are you in the car for this weekend? Any good strategies in the works to take advantage of rough tyre conditions the other teams will face?

Kimi and I laughed so hard we both turned red, “Well Ms. Norris it looks like someone’s done their homework.”

“It is my job” I shrug, “I also just love turn 9. I quite literally look forward to it every year.”

“Of course you love the hard one,” Kimi pulled his arm out from under his weight and fell into the bed.

“No sir, you have to go. Dont get comfortable,” I said.

“Y/n” kimi whines.

“No,” I laugh, “you need to go back to your own room.” With a huff and a few more comments Kimi is reminded of the reality outside of the hotel room, one where he has to return to his own room and wake up alone. With a hug and kiss, Kimi is on his way and I turn back to start cleaning up. Next to the takeout trash, my work bag also lays unpacked. I fall into a steady rhythm of tidying before bed while my mind wanders off to my secret relationship.

Kimi and I got together right before this season started. We met last season at a couple of different Motorsport events and spent the season getting closer. Then we spent the offseason working through the new depth added to our friendship. And now, we’re navigating unforgiving media who might not take our relationship too well and potentially ruin it.

With a yawn I finish up my task and head to bed. I go to turn off my bedside lamp and notice a goodnight message from Kimi.

~~~

yn_norris

liked by kimi.antonelli, landonorris, user1, and 918,289 others

yn_norris: Barcelona, you have kept me busy 🥴

tagged: no one

Lilyzneimer my busy bee!! Best gp watch buddy ever, you always keep me updated with the top info 💖💖

yn_norris love you sm 💖💖 thank you for letting the teammates sister join you

user1 my fav intern 😍😍

user2 she always delivers 👏👏

user8 and grinds until the end everyday

landonorris wow I don’t even get shown, I’m hurt

yn_norris I completely flooded my stories with celebrations and you when you won. This is my moment

landonorris proud of your work always!!

yn_norris🫶🫶🫶

martagarcialopez19 pleasure to be interviewed by you!!

maya_weug lovely panel❤️🏎️

hamdaalqubaisi_official women in motorsports forever!!

user3 I love how Y/n and Lando always have 2 comment threads with varying emotions under every post

user4 KIMI IN THE LIKES???

user5 he stays in her likes

user6 tbh most of the F2/F1 academy drivers are, between her being Landos little sister and covering them the most with her job/internship they’ve gotten familiar

user7 exactly, even her and Ollie Bearman have reported they talk and could consider themselves in a friendship

user8 Abbi Pulling and Hamda Al Qubaisi have been known to hang out with Y/n apart from the track

~~~

It was a beautiful sunny day in Barcelona, Spain. I was so thankful I was able to take a few remote work days so I’d be able to stay another day and explore. It all worked out perfectly because both my brother and his teammate invited me to join their exploration and Kimi was able to get a late flight.

With the sun shining and birds singing I made my way down a less crowded street and was met by my boyfriend snapping photos of the scenery around him. I decide to quicken my pace and give him a hug.

“Hello there,” he says surprised. A chuckle escapes his mouth once he’s turned around to reciprocate the affection.

“Hi,” I smile. I look around as he pulled back and saw the iconic kissing mural surrounded by greenery, “wow.”

“Pretty right,” he says.

“Beautiful,” I gush,”let’s get a photo.” Kimi nods and I set my phone up to record a video to screen record to screen shot from since there was no one around at the early hour.

“How do you wanna pose?”

“Let’s kiss and really be that couple, you know,” I joke.

“Come here then,” the warm air and slight breeze made the moment feel like a fairytale. The world melted away as I enjoyed the sweet kiss. For a moment it felt like we were out to the world. But when the kiss ended, I felt disappointment that no one has seen us. Part of me grew restless with the secret keeping, “I found a really cute place for breakfast I think you’ll like it.”

We walked hand in hand down the quiet streets, passing by locals going through their morning chores. Soon enough we arrived at a small restaurant and were sat outside. Concealed by aged buildings, the place itself was low traffic and gave up peace of mind.

“Smile,” I look back towards Kimi from the surrounding scenery to see him holding up his camera. We took a couple of different shots before returning to conversation.

“I had the weirdest feeling earlier,” I start. Kimi looks a little concerned, “when we took that kissing photo I wanted someone to see. I wanted our relationship to get out.”

“I’ve been feeling the same way. It’s been and is so nice to have our little bubble, but part of me just wants to be and not worry about the when and where.”

“Exaclty my feelings. I’m glad we’re talking about this, let’s let the idea sit for a little while longer and then we can come up with a plan. I’m scared to rush into an announcement and not be ready for the outcome.” Kimi agrees and we fall into other topics of conversation over breakfast. After we go to an outdoor market and look around. I purchase some trinkets for other interns at the office who cover other sports. As the air slowly got hotter, Kimi’s time with me got shorter. Eventually it was time to take him back to the hotel to take a ride to the airport. We said our goodbyes and he promised to call me when he landed.

I quickly traveled to the lunch spot my brother informed me to meet the group at. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the scenery, taking cool photos, and just enjoying each others company since extra days like this were scarce.

Too soon the sun went down and our activities ended. Back in my hotel room I worked in the soft lamplight and prepared for my flight back to reality tomorrow.

~~~

oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, lilyzniemer, user91, and 928,827 others

oscarpiastri: pro tip: never explore with the Norris siblings, they’ll make a scene everywhere

tagged: lilyzneimer, landonorris, yn_norris

yn_norris ummm this is embarrassing you seemed to have misspelled “Y/n thank you so much for the adorable pic of me and Lily! Thankfully your skill is far superior to your brothers so I was able to post one”

landonorris you twat

yn_norris I mean he didn’t post yours so…

oscarpiastri that’s it I’m getting a restraining order on you guys

landonorris we only made a couple…

oscarpiastri yea bc Y/n was only with us a few hours

user1 LMAO THE BIKE PHOTO

user2 they were ready to square up

yn_norris I kicked his ass

user2 OMG SHE REPLIED

user3 everytime I see a Y/n and Lily interaction it always gives little and big sis🥹

user4 omg ikr!! It makes me so happy that even though her bio sisters aren’t able to be with her 24/7 she has someone at gps and such

user5 what I wouldn’t give to explore the world with this group

kimi.antonelli

Liked by user4, yn_norris, olliebearman, and 819,728 others

Kimi.antonelli: Barcelona, beautiful as always 👏

tagged:no one

olliebearman 💪💪

Prema_team glad to see the weekend allowed for relaxation 😎

user1 happy with the results this weekend!!

user2 ok scenic shot

user3 Kimi is coming for Y/n with the digital camera effect

user4 I wonder why it’s only on the last photo tho?

user5 maybe this is where she was when she wasn’t with the McLaren boys…

user6 ok grandma get back to bed

Yn_norris

liked by kimi.antonelli, carlossainz55, abbiepulling, and 718,828 others

Yn_norris: España, mi amor

Tagged: lilyzniemer

oscarpiatri so glad my gf make the post and I didn’t

yn_norris cry me a river

landonorris who took the first pic you don’t have any friends other than me 🤨🤨

yn_norris choke

carlossainz55 always love your love of Spain 🇪🇸♥️

yn_norris with every bit of my heart!!

Riabish gorgeous!!

abbiepulling travel looks gorgeous on you

yn_norris 💋💋

user1 she ate this up

user2 first pic >>>>>

yn_norris posted a story!

Caption: I get door dashed coffee even when he’s thousands of miles away 🫶🫶

Replies:

landonorris

who what when where why

idk, it’s coffee for those of us who don’t have the energy of a seven year old, this morning, my office, bc I’m loved

wdym “idk”

Y/n are you soft launching?? Your own brother doesn’t get to know before Instagram

I have a plan no fear

🙄

Kimi.antonelli

I’ve discovered you can special order a message or simple drawings through the app too

I can see that

so be prepared, there’s so much more where than came from

as much as I love this and would love to see what you come up with, I can get my own coffee

not happening

lmao ok

Not my hill to die on

I love you

I love you too, have a great day

Oscarpiastri

your bother is pacing

Lmao good

Let him squirm

Yes ma’am 🫡

~~~

The smell of exhaust fills my senses and V6s roar across the track. Lando and I were currently camped out in the Prema garage with our eyes glued to the screen. We let out a few comments and had mini conversations throughout.

When Kimi’s car cross the finish line the enter building jumped up. As the crew and engineers all ran out to the baraxade. I decided do lead Lando over where the podium is interviewed before the cool down room so we don’t interrupt team celebrations. We stand meters away so we don’t bother anyone but I still might be able to sent Kimi a thumbs up and a wink.

“I didn’t know you two got so close,” Lando mused as we still admits the buzzing padock.

“Well you know through other friends I’ve made from tagging alone to events and races with you we were bound to meet, especially with him being Ollies teammate this season,” Lando nods at that. “So how are you feeling about your race, the home ones always a big deal.”

“I’m super excited, but the nerves of potentially messing things up are there,” he confesses, “I want to win really bad.”

“Call it reporter’s gut but I feel-“ suddenly I was cut off my someone yelling my name.

“Y/n!” Kimi is sprinting over to us. So much for not making a scene, I think.

“Kimi! You did it!” I yelled back. Soon, he was a meter away and not stopping. I was grabbed along with him and brought a couple steps away as he slowed down. Before I could even comprehend the previous action, Kimi let out another victory cheer, grabbed my face, and kissed me in the middle of the paddock. The adrenaline and joy from his win charged the kiss from both ends. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. All those kisses in hotel room or hidden corners of the world were put to shame, this was the kiss. I was so focused on the moment that I didn’t remember that there were eyes on us everywhere, including the eyes of my brother.

“Y/n- I- What!” Lando stuttered with wide eyes. He still stood in our previous spot and seemed to be stuck there. After a moment of staring back, I realized my hands had come up to rest on Kimi’s biceps.

I quickly jumped back before turning to look at Kimi again, “Hey, I’m so proud! We can catch up and all that later. Go do your media stuff, I love you.” I wave him off and walk back to Lando, “before you say anything we need to talk privately.”

Once we find a quiet place I begin explains everything, “And that’s brings us up to now. We had a plan to slow launch and then during that time we hoped to tell family and close friends before anyone else. I swear this weekend was the one-“ he cut me off.

“Y/n don’t worry, I can tell the adrenaline got to him,” he smirks, “I know the feeling well.”

“Ew, ew Lando please stop there,” I cringe. “Are you sure you’re not mad? It wasn’t supposed to come out this way, especially not to you.”

“I’m fine. Granted I only saw a few seconds of that this relationship is but any man who’s gonna come running to you after a race before even heading to a mandatory interview or cool down then he’s a good one. Also you can’t fool me, your eyes lit up and you forgot I was even next to you when he showed up. I’m happy for you,” Lando pulled me into a bear hug.

“I love you Lan.”

“I love you too,” he pulled back and added,” but mum might be so give her a ring before she finds out.”

We both laugh before I FaceTime the family group chats for round 2 of explaining.

~~~

f1updates

Liked by user82, user282, user1, and 173,827 others

f1updates: After his first F2 win, Kimi Antonelli kisses Lando Norris’s little sister in the middle of the paddock! Videos from multiple sources have been reposted on our Twitter account.

tagged: Kimi.antonelli, yn_norris

used1 WHAT

user2 this was not on my 2024 bingo card

used3 after watching the videos it was right out of a romance movie

user4 the way he sprinted to her while ignoring everything else

user5 lando’s face killed me

user6 he was just as shocked as we are

kimi.antonelli

liked by yn_norris, user43, prema_racing, and 918,828 others

Kimi.antonelli: maiden win anyone??

tagged: prema_racing, mercadesamgf1, yn_norris

yn_norris “where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me” 🤭🤭

Kimi.antonelli ❤️❤️

landonorris 😑

yn_norris fuck off

prema_racing that’s our boy 👏🏆

User1 KIMI IS A RACE WINNER

user2 anyone else absolutely die when he kissed her

user3 yea I think Lando almost did

user4 Y/n’s comment 😭😭

carlossainz55 the last pic 🤨

danielriccardo so it is true

landonorris OF COURSE ITS TRUE A VIDEO HAS BEEN TRENDING ON TWITTER

Carlossainz55 honestly I couldn’t understand half of what you were saying but he could be worse

landonorris mate.

danielriccardo I say shovel talk before his next race see how he celebrates then

yn_norris no no no yall are done scheming in my boyfriends comment section

~~~

The British Grand Prix had been a rollercoaster for the younger Norris who sat in the coverage of the McLaren garage watching the race. Kimi and I had sent a few messages about the race but since Lando lost his lead during his pit in lap 40 I have been zoned in. I’ve been praying since Lewis passed that something would happen, that by a miracle Lando would regain his lead. Unfortunately as the laps dwindled, Lando lost time between the winner and in lap 49 Max had successfully overtaken him. Sighs and cuss words could be heard all throughout the building. My head fell into my hands as I watched the race though hooded eyelids, weight down with sadness.

When the race was over I slowly took the same path Lando and I had taken yesterday towards the media area. I flashed by badge once again and found a stop on the r of the action. Eventually, Lando made his way to Jensen and completed his interview.

“Hey,” I said empathetically as I pulled him into a hug. “I know you hate this and I know you’re upset. Lando, you hold yourself to the highest standard imaginable, but please know you did great. Third place is still a handful of points and now you’ve gotten more experience so you and the team can make better calls in the future. This wasn’t a race that you could predict, you had to roll with the punches and you did. I’m so proud of you and now I have a new trophy I can steal for my future apartments decor!”

Lando let out a loud chuckle before he hit me on the head, “you’re not getting my trophies you muppet.”

“That’s what you think,” I fired back before he pulls me into another hug, this one more playful than the last. I waved him off to the cool down room and said a quick congratulations to Lewis before heading to get a spot with McLaren for the podium ceremony.

~~~

landonorris

Liked by yn_norris, user3, mclaren, and 819,928 others

landonorris: Silverstone I love you, my sister not so much ❤️ congrats on the win @/lewishamilton, we’ll review, do better, and come get you next time 😜

Tagged: lewishamilton

yn_norris I cried real tears @/lewishamilton

yn_norris you fought hard, it was entertaining race. Love you to the moon and back🫶🫶

landonorris love you to the moons and back twice 🫶

user1 HELLO?? THIS IS TO SWEEET

used2 with no warning either 😭😭

yn_norris also for the record I did nothing

Kimi.antonelli ok now I said I was sorry

user3 why war McLarens strategy all messed up this week

Kimi.antonelli great driving today 💪

landonorris 😑

yn_norris lando try that again.

landonorris ��

user4 you still did great!!

user5 lmao the jab at Y/n 😭😭

yn_norris

liked by danielriccardo, olliebearman, user88, and 198,828 others

yn_norris big weekend :)

tagged: landonorris, kimi.antonelli

landonorris big weekend? BIG WEEKEND? THATS ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY??

yn_norris I mean a lot happened

danielriccardo I think that trophy was kissed better than you

yn_norris 🙄✋

Kimi.antonelli love you ♥️

yn_norris love you too ♥️

user1 her and Lando 🥹🥹

olliebearman thanks for the support on your off weekend 👏👏

yn_norris anytime care bear

user2 “care bear” IM CRYING YN YOU CANT DO MY MAN LIKE THAT

user3 the McLaren flag slays so hard

kimi.antonelli

Liked by yn_norris, landonorris, used928, and 727,828 others

Kimi.antonelli: I owe an apology to Y/n for ruining our soft launch on a whim, Lando for doing it front of you, and my family for not telling you guys sooner. But that’s all besides the point because I can finally say LOOK AT MY GIRLFRIEND

tagged: yn_norris

yn_norris omg I love you ♥️

Kimi.antonelli I love you more ♥️

user1 the uppercase at the end he’s so cute 😭😭

user2 you can tell he’s so excited

oscarpiastri so does the Barcelona photo prove that’s who Y/n was with that morning?

landonorris no shot they snuck around right under my nose

Kimi.antonelli no comment

yn_norris not my fault you’re an idiot who doesn’t ask enough questions

landonorris oh just you wait for my questions now

Oscarpiastri oh look now you’ve opened Pandora’s box y/n

carlossainz55 I guess I like you

Kimi.antonelli that’s comforting?

Carlossainz55 be happy it’s not hate

yn_norris he’s a tad bit overprotective

danielriccardo you’ve got balls kid, I respect it

Kimi.antonelli thank you 😁

user3 pls not this summoning all of Landos old teammates

user4 guess he’s not the only one they’ve grown attatched to

landonorris this is cute ig

Kimi.antonelli I’m taking this as a win

yn_norris don’t act all grumpy on main

yn_norris

liked by Danielriccardo, user817, Kimi.antonelli, and 817,828 others

yn_norris: “this night is sparkling, don’t you let it go”

tagged: Kimi.antonelli

Kimi.antonelli fav taylor song 🫶🫶

yn_norris see aren’t you glad I made you listen to it

user1 Kimi is an Enchanted stan???

landonorris wtf is that last picture

yn_norris 🤷🏼‍♀️

user2 I love them so much 😭😭

User3 she dedicated Enchanted to him?? Girlie is in deep

Carlossainz55 does he make you happy?

danielriccardo this is is a very important question

yn_norris very 🥰

landonorris cancel the plans guys

Kimi.antonelli I’m scared

yn_norris

Liked by lilyzniemer, user4, carlossainze55, and 981,828 others

yn_norris: he’s family approved ☀️😌

tagged: Kimi.antontelli

Kimi.antonelli Aunt Y/n 😍

landonorris absolutely not

danielriccardo I’m watching you

carlossainz55 stop right there

yn_norris do you guys always materialize in time to ruin the fun 😒

oscarpiastri 👶🚫

yn_norris OSCAR YOU TOO???

Landonorris take that helmet off her now, Uncle Lala’s is the only one allowed

yn_norris possessive much

user1 I can never tell how Lando feels about Kimi

user2 right mixed signals much? He bullies him in insta comments but openly supports him irl

user3 speaking from personal experience, that’s just him being an annoying older brother

lilyzniemer the matching outfits 🥰🥰

abbiepulling they are too cute!!!

yn_norris I love you both 🫶🫶

#f1 #f1 imagines #f2 #f2 x reader #formula 2 #kimi antonelli x reader #kimi antonelli imagine #kimi antonelli #formula 1 smau #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 imagines #f1 imagine #lando norris #lando norris x reader

596 notes · View notes

cevansbrat0007 · 8 months ago

Text

The Do-Over

Summary: Everyone deserves a second chance, including jerks like Bounty Hunter, Ari Levinson. Takes place directly after the events in Hello, Duchess.

Warnings: Mature Themes, Ari Being A Menace, Bucky Barnes, A Deep Love of Clark Bars, Light Groveling, Bickering, Discussions of Grief, Threats of Violence, Gentle Manhandling, Brief References to Negative Body Image, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: Special thanks to my creative consultant, @curls-and-eyeliner. Part my Sweet Renegade Series. Semi-proofread, not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

An annoyed Ari takes a pull from his cigarette as he listens to his friend and fellow combat vet give him shit all the way from his office back in New Mexico. As soon as this was over, he was going to ditch this empty parking lot to find himself an ice cold beer and a goddamned steak.

He was officially ready to put this day behind him. But first he needed a decent dinner.

“So let me see if I’ve got this right.” His friend begins, now that he’d finally stopped cursing up a blue streak. “Do you really mean to tell me that you took our best lead, which just so happened to be the perp’s girlfriend, and fucked it all to hell?”

Okay, but just because that’s what happened doesn't necessarily mean that it was actually his fault. He’d just been a little off his game.

“Hey Buck, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re beginning to sound as dramatic as Rogers.”

“Steve would never fuck-up something this big for us.” He could practically hear the man flipping him off.

“I’m telling you this girl would’ve cut off Golden Boy’s balls and fed them to him for breakfast, okay?” He takes another puff, flicking some of the excess ash out his driver-side window. “Trust me.”

“Hold on.” An exasperated Bucky sighs into the receiver before placing the phone on his desk to speak to whoever had just walked into his office. He hoped whoever it was had better news than he did, otherwise he feared his old war buddy might have an aneurysm.

Sometimes he got the impression that Sergeant James “Bucky” Barnes was wound a little too tight.

The silence drags on as Ari contemplates getting out of his car to stretch his legs. It’s another several minutes before Bucky is back on the line, and this time he sounds positively exhausted.

“We can’t afford to lose this one, man. Westbrook might be a piece of shit, but he’s an expensive piece of shit. So while I don’t care how you feel about the girl, you need to make things right. She could have some valuable intel.”

“Yeah, I know.” His mood darkens as he flicks the cigarette onto the pavement. As he watches it hit the ground, he finds himself wondering if it was finally time to quit the cancer sticks altogether. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about it before.

“Besides, what do you care if she was Westbrook’s fuck buddy?” Ari’s treated to the sound of his friend unwrapping something that sounded suspiciously like a candy bar. There was only one person who was known to keep that stuff at the office.

Which meant that shit had better not come from his personal stash, otherwise Bucky Barnes was a fucking dead man.

“I don’t.” Ari growls, sucking on his teeth. “And that had better not be a Clark Bar you’re eatin'.”

“Hate to break it to ya, pal. But based on what you told me earlier, it kinda sounds like you might.” There’s an unmistakable sound of a grin in his voice, which irks the bounty hunter to no end.

“And I think it’s finally time you got your hearing checked, old man.” He growls back, although his words lack any real fire.

“As for your precious Clark Bars,” he continues. “See, normally I’d pass on ‘em. But Pixie’s been on a health kick lately and she threw out all the junk food. So, I’m desperate.” Bucky gives an exaggerated groan. “Plus, she has no idea about your stash.”

“Jesus.” Ari grumbles, firing up his engine with the intent to head back to the house he was currently renting. “I really wish you two would just suck face already and get it over with.”

“Mind your fucking business, Levinson.”

“Then keep your filthy hands off my fuckin’ Clark Bars, Barnes.” There’s a heavy sigh on the other line, prompting Ari to roll his eyes. All he wanted was for this conversation to fucking end.

“Look.” Bucky grunts. “You bring down this Westbrook fucker and I’ll buy you a goddamned case of those stupid bars. Alright?”

“You got yourself a deal.” Turning on his truck, Ari slowly heads for the exit as his stomach begins to rumble. Maybe he’d track down some shrimp to go with that steak.

“And fix whatever it is you fucked up with that bookstore broad while you’re at it.”

“I’ll do my best.” He grimaces as his mind treats him to images of you threatening him with your taser. “But if that little spitfire puts me in the hospital you’re footin’ the bill.” And with that, Ari hangs up the phone.

As of now, he was officially done for the night.

A Few Days Later…

You’re sitting on the floor of your stockroom when you hear the tinkling of bells signaling the arrival of a customer. Groaning as you rise to your feet, you wipe your palms on the fabric of your pants and head to the front of the store.

Business had been unusually slow today, so hopefully this patron - whoever they were - would be in the mood to buy something. As you were driving in this morning, you’d briefly considered holding another sale. Maybe it was time for another book fair. That seemed to be pretty popular the last time you’d done it.

You’re in the middle of making a mental note to reach out to the local librarian when your eyes land on the absolute last person you wanted to see standing in your lobby: Ari Levinson.

Not this guy again.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He says, offering up an unapologetic shrug as he takes in the sight of you in your form-fitting yoga pants.

Apparently you’d spoken out loud. Perhaps if you kept doing it, the man would eventually get offended enough to leave. Wishful thinking at its finest.

When the intruder realizes you don’t plan on speaking again, he decides to take advantage of the silence by doing something completely unexpected.

“I just dropped by to, uh…” He takes a deep breath, rocking back on his heels. “Apologize for how our last meeting went. While it wasn’t my intention to insult you, I know that I did.” One big hand comes up to massage the back of his neck. “Just wanted to offer that, for whatever it’s worth.”

“Oh. Wow.” You reply dumbly, crossing your arms over your chest. For whatever reason, you got the distinct impression that he didn’t make apologies often.

“You’re right, sweetheart. I don’t.” His lips turn up in an awkward grin as he takes a step toward you. “But a real man knows how to own up to his shit, which is exactly what I’m doin right now.”

“Okay.”

Mouth suddenly dry, you go to take a step back, only to find that your legs no longer work. Next thing you know, Ari is in your space, his boot clad feet are now mere centimeters from your well-loved sneakers as he towers over you.

He holds out his hand as a gesture of goodwill, silently imploring you to take it. Your eyes lock with his as yours moves on its own accord – almost as if you’d been entranced.

Your hand feels so small and delicate in his grasp. And for a second, you wonder what it might be like to lace your fingers together. How it would feel to hold onto him so intimately for just a few seconds longer. You sneak a glance up at Ari, only to watch as his pupils dilate, his nostrils flaring just slightly. It’s enough to let you know that you’re not the only one affected.

“You think we might be able to try this again?” His deep baritone washes over you like a balm. “You have my word I’ll do a much better job of, uh, keeping myself in check.”

Yanking your hand away, all you can do is nod. Part of you almost wished the man would go back to acting like an asshole. At least then you would know how to handle him. This so-called charming and apologetic Ari was a different beast entirely.

“I–” You swallow thickly. “Yes, that’s fine.”

“Thank you for your kindness.” His easy smile has the nerve to do funny things to the butterflies in your belly. “And while I would hate to do anything that might spoil this good will, I would like to ask you a couple of questions right now.”

Instantly suspicious, you open your mouth to deliver a curt “no”. However, having already anticipated this, Ari is quick to amend his request by promising not to be too invasive. He also insists that he’ll follow your lead.

“If at any moment you want to stop, we’ll stop. You have my word on that too, darlin’.” He surveys the room, absentmindedly scratching at his jaw. “You good with me ensuring we have a little privacy?” Again you nod, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Because at this point, it just didn’t make sense to kick the man out. Especially not when he seemed to be taking great pains to be respectful. You could only hope that he’d appreciate your cooperation enough to go bother someone else when you were through.

Maybe it might be worth leading him back towards someone who’d actually appreciate his attention. Someone like your would-be frenemy, Charline Marshall.

Seemingly encouraged by your response, the invasive bounty hunter hustles towards the door so that he could flip your sign from open to closed. And, unbeknownst to him, it also gives you a chance to begrudgingly appreciate just how good his ass looks in his Levi’s.

Alright. So maybe you’d hold off on feeding Ari Levinson to Charline and her disciples – at least for right now.

“You know.” You cough, needing to give yourself a moment to recalibrate before you said or did something dumb. “I actually just remembered that I needed to fix a couple of things around the shop during my lunch break.”

An unruffled Ari simply smiles and winks back at you. “Thought you said you believed in your ability to multitask?”

You resist the urge to stick your tongue out at the smug bastard. Because he was right. You absolutely had said that. And then he’d had the gall to fucking listen.

“Fine.” Shooting him a glare, you head over to the counter and toe-off your shoes.

“Appreciate it, darlin’.”

Just like last time, out comes his pen and tiny notebook. He flips it open to a new page before giving you his full attention. Meanwhile, you’re now hellbent on acting like he doesn’t exist.

“How long have you owned your shop, Baubles & Quills?”

If you were to look in his eyes at that moment, you would’ve seen them shining with genuine inquisitiveness. Almost as if he actually wanted to get to know you.

“A few years.” You reply, bracing your hands on the flat surface of the desk. “I spent a large part of my childhood here, buried amongst books. My uncle left it to me when he passed. But I’m sure you already knew that.”

Taking a deep breath, you send up a silent prayer to the Lord asking him not to let you fall before hefting yourself onto the counter with all the grace you can muster.

“Maybe.” Ari concedes while jotting something down on his notepad. “But it’s different coming from – just what the hell are you doin’ woman?!”

“Checking out this light fixture.” You huff as you work to steady yourself.

“Any reason you couldn’t do that from the ground?” The bounty hunter surprises you by sounding more than a little stressed.

Confused by his response, you manage to spare a quick glance in his direction. Although your unlikely companion looks less than happy, you fail to fully grasp the nature of the problem.

“Because I couldn’t quite tell if this whole panel was out, or just the one little section.”

“Alright, well…” He drags an agitated hand through his already messy brown locks. “Now that you’ve seen it, how about you come on down from there?”

“Oh my goodness, Levinson.” An exasperated chuckle bubbles its way from your throat. “It’s just the counter. Save the freakout for when you find me on the flippin’ roof or something.”

“You’re standin’ on the damned thing wearin’ nothing but socks. It’s like you’re askin’ to fall.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.”

“How the hell is my expressin’ concern about your safety bein’ dramatic?”

“Next question, buddy.” You have to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing at the affronted look on the bounty hunter’s gorgeous face.

Ari forces himself to take a breath before attempting to return back to the task at hand. “I have it here that your Uncle is the late Lenny Barstowe. He was, by all accounts, an upstanding pillar of this community.”

“He was.” You agree, bending down to grab the duster resting near your feet.

“You say he was your uncle, and yet you two don’t share the same last name.” He frowns when he notices your slight wobble.

And for the tenth time in almost as many minutes he finds himself wondering why the fuck you didn’t hire someone to take care of shit like this for you? Hell, give him a ladder and a free afternoon and he’d handle things himself.

“Wow. Nothing gets past you.” You sniff, trying to fight back a sneeze as dust goes flying. “They teach you those observation skills in private detective school?”

“Sure did.” Ari snorts without missing a beat, tucking the pen behind his ear. “First thing on the syllabus, in fact.”

“Thought so.”

“So glad we cleared that up.”

You can’t stop the small thrill that courses through you when you notice the newfound tick in his jaw. If you weren’t careful, you could find yourself growing addicted to that little zing in your blood. To that tiny spike in your pulse you felt every time you two sparred.

“But if we could go back to your uncle, I’m sure losing him had to be hard – what with him being your only family.” He takes a turn fanning himself with his notebook. ”Was your friend, Martin, there for you during that difficult time?”

That particular question actually makes you pause and reflect. You’d been so lost in grief back then, which is part of the reason it had taken you so long to claw your way out of that dark hole. And, if memory served, you’d done that majority of that clawing on your own.

“I’m sure he was around, Mr. Levinson.” Your answer sounds cagey, even to your own ears. “But I pretty much wore my grief like a sweater back then. And if I’m being honest, those first few months after losing him were nothing but a miserable haze.”

“I know the feeling.” He murmurs as he scribbles on the page.

“Look.” You blow out a breath as you attempt to gauge the distance between the desk and the ground. As of this moment, you officially regretted not grabbing your step stool. “I don’t know where Martin is or who he’s running from. All I know is that he was scared, but he refused to tell me anything more, okay?”

“Did he ask you for money?”

“Yes.”

He’d also called you too. And while you choose to keep that little detail to yourself, you figure there was no harm in telling him about the money. At the time you’d had no idea you were potentially aiding and abetting a criminal. Or maybe you just hadn’t wanted to believe it.

“And did you give it to him?” The intense look in his beautiful blue eyes has you suddenly feeling foolish.

“Yes.”

It’s that one word, spoken barely above a whisper, that leaves Ari shaking his head. His gaze drops to the ground as he works to rein-in his temper. You have no idea what a struggle it is for him to do so – because he’s not upset with you.

If anything, you’d just given him one more reason to run that slippery motherfucker into the goddamned ground.

“How much did he get you for?” Even though Ari has calmed himself considerably, his tone still comes off harsher than he intends.

“Almost $500.” You tell him, your face hot with embarrassment. “I suppose I should’ve asked more questions. You probably think I’m an idiot for –”

“It’s okay, darlin’.” He swiftly interjects, not wanting you to get upset. “You’re doin’ so great bein’ honest with me right now.” Unsure of what else to do, he tosses his notebook aside in favor of reaching for your hand. “I know this shit ain’t easy.”

“I think I’m done for now.” You tell him, doing your best to avoid looking at your now joined hands. God, he really needed to stop doing that. “Please.”

“Okay.” He readily agrees as his thumb strokes along the ridge of your knuckles. “Then we’re done.” You watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallows. “Are you gonna let me help you down off the counter before you kick me out?”

“It’s okay. Don’t want you to hurt yourself.” You mumble as you busy yourself with trying to figure out the easiest way to sit and scootch your way out of your current situation.

The last thing you needed was this man accidentally throwing out his back over some misplaced chivalry.

To his credit, Ari decides to ignore your feeble protests. “C’mon and let me help you.” He repeats, gesturing for you to step towards the edge of the counter so that he can grab you by the waist. “And then I’ll be on my way.”

“Really, I’m fine.” You attempt to swat at his hands, which doesn’t actually work.

“C’mon, darlin’.” He assures you gently. “Just trust me.” The next thing you know, you’re suddenly being lifted into the air. “I got you.”

“Ack – I’m too heavy!” You squeal, immediately caught off guard by the way your legs briefly dangle in the air. Try as you might, you honestly could not remember the last time a man had picked you up.

Your heart speeds up as he effortlessly sets you down on your feet, allowing your body to slide down the solid wall of his chest. Instinctively, your hands fly to his biceps in an effort to steady yourself.

“Thank you.” You’re suddenly having a hard time breathing around this man. “But you really shouldn’t have done that. You could’ve hurt –”

“Sweetheart, you ain’t nothin’ but a feather.” Ari rumbles, his hands still resting firmly on your hips.

“Somehow I doubt that.” You whisper, knowing that you should demand that he let you go. Except your body is too busy buzzing to actually cooperate.

“Happy to prove you wrong any time.” While you suspect that he hadn’t really meant to say that, his smile is full of promise. “But right now, I’m afraid I’ve gotta head out.” Although it still takes another second for him to release you.

Not that you’re complaining any. Which deep down you know could spell trouble for you.

Before he leaves, however, Ari reaches into the front pocket of his jeans to hand you what looks a lot like a business card. “What’s this?” You mentally smack yourself in the forehead the moment the question leaves your mouth.

“My card.” He responds as he now heads toward the door. “That’s my cell, just in case you need it.”

“Oh.”

“Call any time, day or night.” Ari’s gruff, no-nonsense tone goes straight to your core. “You remember somethin’ about Martin? Call me. You lookin’ for someone to stand guard while you lock up at night? Call me. You need to hear a friendly voice in the dark? Fucking call me.”

His offer takes you by surprise. So much so, that you’re temporarily rendered speechless as you clutch the stiff piece of paper in your palm. While you weren’t sure if you’d ever take him up on his offer, you could certainly appreciate his generosity.

“Thank you.” You rasp, your teeth going to nibble at your bottom lip.

“Any time, Duchess.” His head dips politely as he exits through the front door. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

And just like that he was gone, which meant you could finally breathe normally again. Strange butterflies once again fill your belly as you take your time examining the card your bounty hunter had left behind. While you weren’t sure if you’d ever call him, you decide it’s worth tucking into a zippered pocket in your purse before getting on with the rest of your day.

Little did you know that you would come to need that tiny piece of paper sooner rather than later…

END

Sweet Renegade Series Tag List

@katymae12344

@identity2212

@hisredheadedgoddess28

@blackhawkfanatic

@jamneuromain

@queerqueenlynn

@pono-pura-vida

@daykrisr999

@jamneuromain

@ninacutebee16

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@emerald-writes

@gh0stgurl

486 notes · View notes

trevorsgodmother · 11 days ago

Text

𝓦𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓶𝓮… (C.S 🌧)

A/N: This fic is based off the Fratboy!Chris x Shy!Reader AU, made by @sturnioz I'll also be using Kitty and Matt's relationship. Based off this ask

Warnings: Swearing, jealousy, suggestive, lowkey degrading (not sexual tho), toxic!Chris POV: Second/ third person Summary: Kitty is about to go on a date with her boyfriend, while you're stuck doing homework...

Kitty bursts into your room, still putting an earring through her lobe piercing. She looks more done up than usual, in a black knee-length dress, stilettos and dark red lipstick. Her eyes flick from you at your vanity to Chris on your bed. "Hey Y/N, I'm going on a date day with Matt, and probably will be back around 7. You'll be ok?" I raise an eyebrow, and Chris speaks up. "Damn, a date for the whole day? He's whipped." Her eyes narrow at him, and you intervene to prevent the two from having their 50th argument of the week.

"Where are you guys going?" You ask. "Well, first we'll head to a beachside restaurant, then we're watching a movie in a drive-in theatre." Chris snorts. You smile, but your chest feels heavy... "That sounds really fun!" "Yea, and completely cringe" Chris adds, rolling his eyes. Kitty shoots him a glare, but her frown disappears as a car beeps outside. You notice the smile creeping onto her face, the joy in her eyes, and wonder. How it would feel like to go on a date with Chris, be romantic, do couple-y stuff... but there's no way he'd ever want to

After Kitty leaves, you get up and stretch. Chris smirks. "Now that we're all alone..." HIs voice is low with a suggestive lilt to it. He leans against the headboard casually, his arms crossed behind his head. Normally, you'd be more than happy. Just to be close for a little longer. But your best friend's date, no matter how excited for her you are, left your spirits dampened. "Actually, i was hoping to catch up on some homework..."

His face immediately drops, and he sits up while looking pretty annoyed. "Seriously? Homework? We have the entire house to ourselves, multiple hours, and you want to be a little nerd and fuckin’ study?" His words sting. You know he's just frustrated and horny, you tell yourself it's not your fault. But as soon as Chris gets up and storms outside, slamming the door shut behind him, memories of Kitty and Matt being the perfect couple flash through your mind.

You sit down at your desk, and the tears start. They drip onto your long-forgotten homework as you just wonder, for the second time in an hour, of Chris being the textbook boyfriend, going on little dates, cuddling in bed, and not leaving angrily if you want to study. Instead, he would sit with you, helping you out even if he doesn’t know anything, or maybe just sitting there with anything other than lust or passiveness in his eyes. Maybe care, maybe love. Those were big maybes, but as your sobs worsen, you can’t help but yearn for something from him.

But you knew. Even through all the wishful thinking, you knew. It wasn’t possible. Chris didn’t do relationships, and you knew what you were getting into as soon as you became his hook up buddy. Just a body, something for him to use when he was hard, or annoyed, or just plain bored.

You knew. But regardless, you still stayed. You still hoped. And that was your fault if you got hurt.

You knew.

Taglist: @hearts4werka @m00nl1ghts1vt @stvrnzcherries @spaghetti835928383 @pvssychicken Dividers by @issysh3ll and @bernardsbendystraws <3

-Ropitipop 👁👅👁

☞ Masterlist

#sturniolo triplets #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo fandom #sturniolo x reader #the sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #chris x y/n #chris x reader #chris sturniolo x reader #christopher sturniolo #rop'sfics #rop'sblog

52 notes · View notes

inkdemonapologist · 10 months ago

Note

Thoughts on the BatIM books not being canon?

Originally typed up an answer based on the one TheMeatly tweet about creators being given “freedom to make things their own” when telling stories in their world, and that the games decide the canon. I thought that “the books aren’t canon” would be a bit of a reductive takeaway from that – like, I read it as the idea that the books don’t determine the canon, and aren’t beholden to some grand future plan to make sure they fit with the games, so they aren’t a trustworthy predictor of what’s going on in the games and in the case of contradictions, the games win. Like, the books can’t be counted on for theorycrafting, but that doesn’t mean Buddy or Abby are “noncanon” Bendy characters – just that they’ll never intersect with the games. But recently Mike Mood tweeted that “if it’s in a book, it’s not canon” pretty directly, so I guess Adrienne has just been writing a Bendy AU all this time??? Lmao.

I still think this is sort of not surprising after BatDR. Before BatDR actually came out, I was advocating pretty enthusiastically for little references to book characters – I know this was sort of controversial at the time, because people were worried about the idea of making the books “required reading” and references you don’t get if you don’t READ UP ON THE LORE – but I don’t think this would be necessary. If you give Dot an audiolog that’s like “I may just be an intern here in the writing department, but even I can tell there’s something fishy going on. I’ve got to investigate. Wally’s always losing his keys in [hint for the player], I bet I can find them” then if you’ve never read the books, that audiolog tells you everything you need to know, isn’t tangled up in any Book Lore, introduces the character as if she’s new, while also being a fun chance for the book readers to be like YOOOO MY GIRL IS HERE. Even just a schedule that says Joey has a meeting with Abby Lambert, or Ms. Lambert’s name on a desk somewhere in the art department, or a couple of animation cells on desks with characters from Crack-Up Comics, would be a fun wink to the book readers EVEN IF you want the canon to not be tied up with the books. Heck, you’ve got the non-audio-log memos in this game, you wouldn’t even have to give book characters a canon voice.

But, when BatDR had NOT ONLY no acknowledgement of the books, but also….didn’t even seem to be going in the same direction? I think the writing was sort of on the wall --

-- the people writing the games aren’t taking the books into account and the books aren’t going to be referenced here. The only question was whether the books were written with the plans of the games in mind and… I’m gonna be real. The idea that the Bendy franchise doesn’t really have Plans as such and so the books are just guessing and theorising, but the games reserve the right to go off in a completely different direction if they want to is, uh, not that surprising either. Bendy and the Ink Machine has never really seemed like a thing that had a grand plan, to me, it was just fun to pretend that it did – and then when the books were actually GOOD, it sold the idea of trying to puzzle that world together even more.

So there’s a cynical part of me that’s annoyed about this being mentioned now, you know, after 3-4 different books have been purchased by fans who were interested in learning some lore while waiting for BatDR, and now that BatDR’s out it’s like “oh, well, we’ve never felt this was CANON canon” when before it wasn’t really sold that way. If this has “always” been true, then all the “is Joey gay” questions could’ve been so easily dodged by admitting that the books were doing their own take rather than determining canon, but that fans are free to accept that interpretation. Adrienne answered one AMA question about what would become of Dot in a way that implied she didn’t know, as if she’d created this character who now existed in the world and it was up to the creators of that world to determine her fate. All of this combined with that one clarifying tweet about how EVERYTHING IN THE ORIGINAL BATIM IS STILL CANON before BatDR’s release creates the picture of intentionally selling on original BatIM’s love of theorycrafting and lore-collecting because that’s what would keep fans engaged. Either they were carefully Not Mentioning that the books aren’t canon during a time when they needed the books to sell, or the decision to treat books as “noncanon” is more recent than TheMeatly claims.

But despite my complaining, I do think this is like… wise. BatDR makes it clear that writing a Mystery With Deep Lore isn’t really what they want to do with this franchise now, if it ever was, and so now that BatDR has done reasonably well they can go ahead and admit it. If they want to be able to just hand a comic project to some comics people and not have to collaboratively run every design through their own art department to make sure it’s one they’d be willing to use in the games if that character ever appears, then it’s nice to go ahead and tell fans point blank that these designs are an interpretation by a third party, not The Canon, and should be treated as such. I think it’s not a bad way to run things, to give these other creators freedom to do their own thing with the material.

But, well, as for me and my feelings… I liked the books. I got into this franchise backwards, from a fansong and fanfiction that made me care about characters from a game I’d neither played nor watched, and then finding the concept of Sammy’s ink addiction in DCTL compelling even if I’d only heard bad things about DCTL at the time – I started writing Taste of Ink in hopes of getting this out of my system so I could move on, haha. And then Illusion Of Living came out, this incredible picture of everything I wanted from the franchise, and unfortunately nothing else has ever quite measured up. Maybe that makes sense; a lot of Bendy fans had a hard time getting through TIOL. I think I wanted a different franchise all along, and back when there wasn’t any new content in the True Game Canon, it was easier to play out the thing I wanted in the leftover ruins of this one. But then the original creators came to restore those ruins, and it was a cool thing they built, but it wasn’t anything like the ruins I’d had so much fun in anymore. I’m… genuinely proud of how much I contributed to this fandom, and so thrilled that people have enjoyed what I made here. If you weren’t following me a couple of years ago I really do recommend looking back through my blog because I made A LOT OF CONTENT………. Early on I got an ask of “does ur back hurt from carrying the entire bendy fandom,” which obviously I couldn’t post because there were definitely other creators carrying it with me, but tbh there were very few of us back when I fell face-first into this obsession and I have to admit that ask gives me some warm fuzzies to this day, haha. Like, there was a little stretch of time when the version of BatIM that I imagined helped to keep the fandom afloat! But it, like the books, was never the direction that the franchise was going to go. The BatIM I loved was was collectively dreamed into existence by people who found that game’s premise compelling.

I still love Bendy. I don’t think I ever will stop. This franchise made such a huge impact on me for reasons that are still KIND OF MYSTERIOUS LMAO. I still care a LOT about this world and these characters, but I don’t know if I’ll make much more canon-adjacent fanstuff here. Cthulhu AU is giving me the human batim content I crave and several of the AUs I’m involved in have sort of become their own thing. Maybe someday I’ll figure out how to capture whatever it was in BatIM that took over my brain so intensely for more than 3 years, but I don’t know if I’ll find it in the franchise anymore.

#i know you have questions you always do #bendy saltposting

57 notes · View notes

sagesolsticewrites · 2 months ago

Text

Pyaar Dosti Hai • Part 2

We get a glimpse into the home lives of Benny and Vika as they begin navigating this post-war world… and, perhaps, a new friendship.

Word count: 4.9k

Warnings: mentions of PTSD, some negative self talk, I think that’s it? Please let me know if I missed anything!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

@winniemaywebber @blakelysco-pilot 🫶

Masterlist | Part 1

Benny wakes with a groan, stretching out across the pristine white sheets of the hotel bed. There’s a rustling down by his feet, accompanied by a similarly satisfied whine, that he knows to mean Meatball’s awake too.

“Mornin’ buddy.”

He sits up slowly, reaching down to scratch between the husky’s ears as he takes in the room, sunlight now streaming in through the windows, softened by the sheer curtains draped over them.

It’s a fairly small room, somewhat crowded with the dresser, a small armchair, a lamp, and an electric fan arranged around the room, the small dining table and two chairs crammed into a corner next to the sparsely stocked bar. But something about it was… homey. Comfortable. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but something about this place makes him want to stay just a little bit longer.

A sudden jingling wrests him from his thoughts as Meatball stands, stretching and shaking his head as if to clear the sleep from it before leaping off the bed and looking at his owner expectantly.

”Right,” Benny nods through a yawn, glancing at the clock on the nightstand, “We’ve got a train to catch.”

He strolls slowly through the halls of the hotel, not having had a chance to appreciate it properly the night before. Soft gold carpet cushions his steps, the burgundy walls decorated with simple paintings of nature, forests and jungles and greenery contrasting nicely with the warm tones of the interior. Sunlight streams in through windows on either end of the hall, lit the rest of the way by golden lamplight. It’s no Ritz-Carlton, but it’s a cozy place, and he can tell the work that’s been put into it is no small thing.

Meatball’s ears perk up as they near the lobby, and Benny pulls him to a halt just inside the hallway as a voice reaches his ears.

“Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me,

anyone else but me,

anyone else but me…”

Turning slowly around the corner into the lobby, he’s met with a sight that has his heart doing odd fluttery things in his chest: Vika, singing softly to herself in the deserted room as she flips intently through paperwork at the front desk.

Her dark hair is tucked away behind her ears, gentle waves spilling over her shoulders in contrast to the drab grey of her dress, brown eyes scanning idly over the words and numbers before her as a ballad spills effortlessly from her lips.

He scarcely dares to breathe, lest he interrupt this impromptu performance, but it seems Meatball has other plans as the husky trots further into the lobby, collar jangling as he tugs impatiently at his leash.

Vika’s focus is pulled from the ledger in front of her, the song on her lips coming to an abrupt halt as she looks up to see Benny and Meatball lingering just inside the lobby.

Clearing her throat, hoping the embarrassed flush she feels rising to her cheeks isn’t too visible, she plasters on her best, politest customer service smile.

“Good morning, Benny, Meatball.” she adds, her smile turning a touch more indulgent as the husky walks a bit faster towards her, “Did you enjoy your stay?”

“We did,” Benny grins, hefting his bag higher onto his shoulder as he approaches the desk, room key in hand, “This is a real nice place you’ve got here, Vika.”

“Thank you,” she smiles, an odd feeling of validation filling her at the praise. It’s also nice, she notes fondly, that he waits for her to take the key, placing it gently in her hand— unlike some other customers who just shove it across the desk towards her.

“So… Andrews Sisters fan?” He ventures after a moment.

“Hm? Oh,” her smile turns shy, just a touch embarrassed as she turns back from placing the key back in the cabinet behind the desk, “Yes. That one’s been stuck in my head since yesterday.”

“There are worse earworms, trust me. I’d much prefer that to hearing Bucky sing Blue Skies for the tenth time in one night.”

“Bucky?”

“Ah… Major Egan. Served with us in the 100th.”

“He sounds… interesting.”

“He is,” Benny chuckles, “But whatever you do, don’t mention Blue Skies or the Yankees around him. He’ll be insufferable. And lord help us if there’s a band around for him to commandeer.”

“Noted.” Vika nods with a little mock salute, adding, “Not the best singer, then?”

“He’s… enthusiastic, that’s for sure. Much better pilot than a singer, though.”

A flicker of a smile crosses Benny’s face, though a shadow seems to have fallen over his demeanor, and Vika’s eldest daughter fix it fix it fix it instincts spark to life.

“I wanted to be a singer when I was little,” Vika finds herself saying.

Why is she telling him this? Juliet is the only one outside of her family who’s ever heard her talk about it, but something about Benny makes her feel… at ease, like she can let the perfect immigrant daughter mask slip the tiniest bit. And this feels like a safe topic, one that might bring that sunny smile back to his face.

“Silly dream, I know,” she scrambles to add nonetheless with a little laugh, “I’ve always loved music, but the hotel was always a more practical option. And I love helping my parents.”

“Well I for one think you would’ve been an excellent singer,” Benny smiles, “But seeing as you’re the one who helped Meatball and I get a place to stay for the night, I'd say the hotel is working out pretty well too.”

“You and Meatball are welcome anytime,” Vika grins.

“We might be back sooner than you think— at least I will be, anyway.”

“Oh?”

“Job hunting,” Benny explains, “Haven’t found anything in Philly yet, so I’m bringing the search to the city.”

Vika goes to reply, but before she can wish him luck or ask what kind of jobs he’s looking for, the side door opens and an older Indian man walks in, dressed in his usual suit and simple red tie.

“Good morning, beta— oh! Good morning, sir, how can we help you?”

Vika’s father slides in behind the front desk, his greeting to his daughter cut short upon seeing Benny.

“No need, sir, I’m just checking out.”

“This is Benny DeMarco, Papa,” Vika says, “He’s a friend of Juliet’s fiancé.”

Her father’s worn face brightens almost instantly at the mention of Vika’s dearest friend.

“Oh, a friend of Juliet’s! Pleasure to meet you, sir.” He extends a hand over the desk, “I’m Jashvant, owner of this establishment, and—” Vika can’t help the fond smile as he adds proudly, “—Ruthvika’s father— oh, who is this?!”

“Meatball, say hello.”

Meatball barks a greeting, and Mr. Patel laughs.

“Very nice to meet you as well, Meatball! One moment— Vika, I think we still have some treats in here from when Varnika tried to sneak in that stray, yes?”

Vika’s cheeks burn as her father digs through the drawers, chattering all the while to Benny about how one of her cousins tried to sneakily adopt a stray dog that had been seen outside the hotel one chilly winter.

“It was so sweet, my Vika singing lullabies to that little puppy…” her father sighs as Meatball eagerly accepts the proffered treats, “I keep telling her she needs to do more with a voice like that, but—”

“I’m perfectly happy here, Papa,” Vika gently cuts in, “Benny has a train to catch, we don’t want him to be late.”

“Oh of course!” Mr. Patel blinks, then smiles, “It was very nice to meet you, Mr… DeMarco, yes? Come back anytime.”

“Very nice to meet you as well, sir,” Benny grins with a respectful nod, then throws up a small wave in Vika’s direction, “Bye Vika.”

“Bye Benny,” she beams, waving in return, “Bye Meatball.”

“Kevo saras manasa. Shun te jaldu pachho avashe?”

“Bolo English, Papa!”

(“What a nice man. Will he be back soon?” / “Speak English, Papa!”)

Benny catches snatches of a conversation as he slips out the door, recognizing the soft voices of Vika and her father, but not the language. Still, there’s no mistaking the fondly exasperated tone of Vika telling her father something she’s no doubt had to tell him many times.

Which reminds him…

“No running off this time, alright?”

Meatball, who had been eagerly straining at his leash, lets out a disappointed huff, but obediently falls back to Benny’s side.

The train ride home is largely uneventful, even with Meatball peering eagerly out the window at the passing scenery. Benny rests his head against the window, watching the green blur of the landscape, and lets his mind drift back to the night before.

“You’ve been looking at her like that all night and you expect me not to notice. Talk to her, Benny.”

Val’s voice was utterly unamused as she glanced pointedly over at Vika chatting with the other girls at the table.

“I don’t know what to say,” Benny admitted, determinedly not looking at Vika in his periphery, “I just…”

“Make something up!” Val huffed, impatient but not unkind, “Just say something to start the conversation.”

“I’d love to get to know her,” he’d said after a moment, his voice soft, “But I don’t want to scare her off. Or… I don’t know, bore her? I don’t really have much going for me right now, Val.”

Former pilot, no job to speak of… he still had nightmares about Bremen and his time in the Stalag. Not exactly ideal boyfriend material.

“Don’t say that, doll.” Val frowned, switching abruptly to English, “I’ll spit in your eye.”

His lips had twitched up into a smile at her defensiveness on his own behalf.

“Thanks, Val.”

“Anytime, DeMarco,” Val smiled, just a shade softer than her usual grin.

“But I swear,” she pinned him with a mock glare as she plucked her French 75 from the bar, “if you don’t at least try to talk to her before the end of the night…”

He held his hands up in surrender, lifting one into a quick salute.

“Yes, ma’am.”

With a final smile at Ev, Val drifted back to the table, which had erupted into cheers and laughter at something Vika said.

Something squeezed in his chest, seeing Vika light up under the girls’ attention.

She was pretty when she smiled like that.

The simple thought popped into his head so quickly he hadn’t even realized he’d thought it until it was already drifting to the back of his mind.

Even worse, it was followed by a fantasy of him being the one she bestowed that bright smile upon.

He shook his head to clear it, knocking back the rest of his drink in the hopes it would knock some sense back into him and gesturing for another.

He couldn’t bring himself to try and talk to her. Not yet.

Not long after, Olive had drifted over to the bar in search of a refill.

“So… Meatball brought you right to her?” she’d said, gaze flicking over to Vika then back to him.

It had taken him a moment to figure out what she was talking about… but Benny supposed Meatball had led him right to Vika in a way.

“Running into a girl because of that dog… sound familiar?” Olive smirked.

“Don’t say it…” Benny groaned with a good natured eyeroll, knowing exactly where this was going.

“Second time’s the charm?” She singsonged, hazel eyes twinkling.

Now that she’d mentioned it, he did see the similarities between his meeting Vika and how the sound of Meatball’s barking had led Olive back in time 70 years to land at his feet on the hardstand at Thorpe Abbotts.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet, Ol.”

She’d frowned at his tone shift.

“What do you mean?”

He kept his gaze fixed on the lacquered wood of the bar.

“Bremen…”

He forced the word out quickly, quietly, lest the other boys hear. The last thing he wanted was to bring the mood down at such a celebratory occasion.

“The Stalag… I’ve got a lot of shit to work through before any girl would want to come near me.”

Olive’s frown deepened, a concerned furrow appearing in her brow.

“Of course you’ve got shit to work through, Benny,” she’d said gently, “we all do. We just made it through a war, for goodness’ sake.”

“But,” she continued, “that doesn’t mean we can’t try to start something new while we do. It doesn’t have to be romantic yet; it’s just making a new friend.”

“Been a while since I’ve done that,” he’d said with a halfhearted chuckle, letting the burn of the whiskey down his throat float him past Olive’s use of ‘yet’.

“Just try,” she said simply, “I can already tell you two will get along just fine— already are, judging by the way you two walked in here chattering away.”

And she drifted back to the table, settling back into her seat next to Vika and leaning down to give Meatball a scratch under his chin.

Sighing, Benny focuses lazily on the passing landscape once more.

No matter how much he’d enjoyed his brief time with Vika— no matter how inexplicably drawn to her he felt— he had to turn his focus back to himself. He needed time. He needed the nightmares to stop. He needed a job.

But first, he needed to get back home to let his mother fuss over him some more.

She was waiting for him on the porch of their little house when the taxi pulled up, and he could already feel the familiar bustling energy of a house filled with his siblings— not dissimilar to the buzz in the air on the hardstands before a practice flight.

“Have you eaten yet?”

The familiar greeting— more common than “hello” in his family— would normally make him roll his eyes, assure his mother that yes, he had eaten, and would she please stop fussing so much?

But now, after everything… each time she asked, he just smiled, assuring his mother that if she made it, he’d eat it.

It wasn’t just that he was getting used to proper meals again after a year and a half of subsisting on watery broth, wilted vegetables, and whatever minuscule amount of meat they could scrounge up (taking care not to think about where exactly the meat had come from after the rabbit incident). Each bite of a warm, home-cooked meal from his mother made him feel that little bit closer to who he was before the Stalag, before Bremen.

His mother ushers him inside after a long hug, grumbling under her breath about how he was too skinny, still too skinny.

“So? How was the party?” She finally asks as she piles a plate high for him, Meatball tracking her every move with wide eyes.

“It was good,” he says, “It was good to see everyone. Brady seems… really happy, and Juliet’s just as sweet as he said she was.”

She cocks an eyebrow as the plate is set in front of him, eyes raking him up and down.

He freezes for a moment, unsure of what the sudden inspection is all about.

“You met someone there.”

“I… sort of, I guess? I—”

“It wasn’t a question.”

He presses his lips together in an attempt to hide the smile at her familiar breezy deadpan.

“Was she nice?”

He progresses to biting the inside of his cheek to hold back the wide grin that wanted to explode onto his face at the thought of Vika, of telling his mother all about her.

“She was,” he says finally, reaching down to pet Meatball as he casually acquiesces to her interrogation, “She was one of Juliet’s school friends. Her parents actually own a hotel upstate, that’s where I spent the night. Nice place.”

“What’s her name?”

Ruthie. Ruthvika.

“Vika.”

His mother’s expression remains impressively steady at the unfamiliar name, though something like surprise flickers behind her eyes.

“Well,” she says, lips twitching up into the smallest of smiles, “I look forward to meeting the girl who’s captured my boy’s heart.”

“Ma!”

Heat rushes to his face, embarrassment flooding his body.

“We’re not— we’ve had two conversations, it’s not— she doesn’t—”

“Whatever you say, dear,” she nods, sounding profoundly like she wasn’t believing a word he said.

“What’s this I hear about a girl, little brother?”

He turns towards the far-too-gleeful voice of his older sister with a roll of his eyes.

“There’s no girl, Marge.”

“Tell that to the blush on your face,” she giggles, gesturing with a finger to his burning cheeks.

“Margie…”

She must detect something in his voice— a pleading, a desperation for this topic to be over and done with— because her smile softens, and she ruffles his hair as she moves past, like she did when he was a kid.

“Don’t let Ronnie hear,” is all she says, eyes flicking up to where their youngest sister’s room would be, “she’ll never let you hear the end of it.”

“Yeah, I’ve gotten enough of that already,” he says, eyes flicking to his mother, who’d resumed her place at the stove.

“It’s a crime to want my son to find a nice girl and settle down?”

“I don’t wanna rush anything, Ma.”

“And,” he adds, brushing past his mother’s raised eyebrows, “I’d like to at least have a job before I settle down.”

“Still no luck?” Marge asks sympathetically.

“Not here,” he shrugs, “There were a few things that looked promising in New York, I might head up there to see about some of them.”

“Near where this Vika is?”

“In the city, Ma.”

His mother finally notes the hint of genuine frustration in his voice, and turns to him apologetically.

“Alright, alright…” She says, visibly softening. “Your father might have a few things for you to do until you can take a look at those jobs.”

Benny smiles, slipping a bit of food down to Meatball so the husky would stop whining under the table.

“Thank you.”

The next few weeks are occupied by busywork courtesy of his father, a clothing designer, and occasionally assisting with the business side of things at Merit Clothing Company. Sooner than he’d imagined, though, he was back in the city with interviews scheduled and— to his mother’s dismay— apartments to look at.

“Apartments?” She blinked when he’d updated her on his plans.

“Ma, the ride into the city is well over an hour from here” he’d said gently, “It’s fine for a visit, but not for my commute every day.”

She’d nodded in understanding, though he could see a shadow cross her face briefly.

He understood. He’d been home only a couple months now, and the idea of leaving again was more than a little terrifying.

“But hey,” he’d said as he pulled her into a hug, injecting his voice with a light, teasing tone, “If I don’t get any of those jobs, I’m all yours for who knows how long.”

“None of that, Bernard,” his mother chided, giving him as stern a look she could while still keeping the embrace of her son intact, “If they don’t hire you they’re all fools, and I wouldn't have wanted you working there anyway.”

Her brusque encouragement had prompted a laugh, and Benny gave her a final squeeze in thanks.

“Vika!” Ranjan Patel calls to her daughter, “You remembered to tell Rahim Uncle—”

“About the broken faucet in 217, yes!” Vika calls back, her voice softening as she re-enters the kitchen to continue helping her mother with dinner.

“And—”

“Yes, and the problem with the light in 109.”

“And you—”

“Yes, I got the laundry done for 104, 115, 207, and all the rest,” Vika recites, mentally checking off the rooms as she speaks. “You don’t need to remind me, Mammi, I know how to do this.”

Her mother smiles, and opens her mouth, but Vika beats her to it.

“And I made sure Khalen and Nikhil got their homework done.”

Not that they’d made it easy, she thinks.

She’d helped all of her cousins with their homework, as usual, but she knew her mother would be asking about Priya Auntie’s sons in particular— the boys were getting to the age where they refused to listen to anyone about anything, even their favorite cousin.

”Thank you, beta,” her mother nods, “I know your auntie will appreciate the help.”

“Of course, Mammi.”

Vika tries not to think about how Priya Auntie— one of her mother’s dearest friends— had insisted her sons skip their chores at the hotel “just this once” so they could have some time to themselves until Vika came to help them with their schoolwork— a phenomenon that seemed to happen more and more often. Never mind that Vika had never gotten such luxuries when she was in school; she’d come home and it was either homework or chores right away, no leisure time for her.

But as usual, the boys in her family were held to a different standard.

Vika’s ears perk up as music begins to drift in from the living room. Her eyes shoot to her mother, pleading, praying… dinner was almost done, anyways, and she’d worked so hard today…

“Go ahead,” her mother says in Gujarati, waving her off indulgently.

“Thank you!” Vika squeals, wiping her floury hands on her apron before casting it off and racing to the living room.

“I was wondering when you’d find your way out here,” Vika’s father chuckles from his place at the record player as she tumbles onto the couch next to him in a decidedly unladylike manner.

“What are we listening to today?” Vika hums, trying to see the writing on the worn record sleeve in his hands.

“Guess,” her father says teasingly.

“Papa…” she whines, “Just tell me!”

He just shakes his head.

“I’m surprised you didn’t know it when you ran out here,” he says, “It’s one of your favorites.”

At that, Vika properly tunes in to the music, and beams.

“Heer Ranjha!”

One of her favorites, indeed.

She hums along for a moment, singing softly to herself until her father speaks again, having settled next to her on the worn sofa.

“Have you shown this one to Juliet yet? I think she’d like it.”

“Of course she would, it’s our Romeo and Juliet.”

Exchanging a smile, they fall silent again, listening along to the tale of Heer and Ranjha; how the two meet when Heer’s father offers Ranjha a job herding his cattle, and Heer is mesmerized by his flute playing when she finds him in the fields after his work. How the two fall in love and meet in secret for years until Heer’s uncle catches them and forces her to marry another man— one better suited for her class than Ranjha, who is left to wander heartbroken, eventually becoming a hermit and wandering the land until he finds Heer again. When he does, the two return to her parents, where they agree to their marriage— only on the wedding day, Heer’s uncle poisons Heer with a sweet, as punishment for her behavior. Too late to save her, Ranjha eats what’s left of the poisoned sweet and dies by her side.

A wide range of emotions— sorrow, joy, wistfulness— are still reverberating through Vika after the song ends when her father breaks the silence in the room.

“Do you have any thoughts on getting married, beta?”

“I—” Vika blinks, “What?”

“Sorry, sorry,” he says hurriedly, sensing the hint of alarm, “I’m not trying to rush you, Vika. I was just wondering. I know your mother has her own ideas for you—”

Her mother’s ideas involve an arranged marriage, similar to the one between herself and Vika’s father.

“— but I…” her father continues, dark brown eyes gentle, “I would like to see you get to fall in love. Not how your mother imagines it, with love growing after the match, but… like it is here, in this country. Where young people find a connection, and it blossoms into something beautiful.”

Vika’s heart aches at the thought— she wants that, she wants it so badly. She yearns for what Juliet has with John, for that easy camaraderie, that spark.

“I think I want that too, Papa,” she admits quietly, leaning into his rail thin frame.

Then, hyperaware of her mother just in the next room: “But if an arranged marriage is easier…”

Sure, it wouldn’t be ideal, but surely she’d be able to form a friendship at the very least with whoever she’s matched with, and wasn’t friendship the foundation of romance?

The corners of his mouth turn down in sad understanding, but he nods.

“I just want you to be happy, my Vika,” he says softly, patting her hand, “no matter what.”

Vika smiles, unsure of what to say to that. She doesn’t like seeing her father sad, but as she’s frantically flipping through responses trying to find one that will fix the solemn mood he’s fallen into, her mother’s voice erupts from the kitchen, calling them to dinner.

And that’s the end of that.

A week later, Vika’s eyes drift to her watch for what feels like the thousandth time that day, groaning internally when she sees she still has half an hour until Priya Auntie comes to relieve her.

Today’s been painfully slow— something she’ll be looking back on longingly during the next rush, she knows, but right now all she is is bored.

She glances around the desk once more, but no: all the paperwork is done and organized, and there’s only so many times she can dust the furniture in the lobby.

She officially has nothing to do but stand here for the next thirty minutes.

A bark yanks her gaze up towards the front doors, and she couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face if she tried.

“Benny!” She blinks, surprised to see her friend (are they friends? she wants to be) step inside, Meatball beside him as always.

“Hi again,” Benny says as he approaches the desk with an easy smile.

“Um… welcome back,” she says with a soft laugh, “I know you said you’d be back sooner than later, but…”

“Three weeks a bit sooner than you were expecting?” He teases, and Vika does not pay any mind to the little skip of her heart at the sparkle in his eyes. Absolutely not.

“I’ve got some interviews lined up in the city,” he explains, adding that he’ll be on the lookout for apartments while he’s there.

She nods, wishes him luck, but something nags at her… he knows how far their hotel is from the city, doesn’t he?

“I heard you give excellent discounts,” he says, winking so she knows he’s teasing, “And Meatball missed you.”

As if on cue, a bark comes from just below the desk, and Vika leans over to see the husky’s tail wagging a mile a minute.

“I missed you, too,” Benny adds almost shyly as her attention returns to him.

He… missed her?

Maybe they were friends.

“You’re sure he didn’t just miss the treats?” Vika asks, smiling as she reaches for the bottom left drawer.

“It’s good to see you both.”

She hopes he can hear the sincerity in her voice, see it in her gaze as it returns to him once Meatball’s happily taken the treat dangling from her fingers.

There’s a quiet moment, a soft smile passing between them, until Benny clears his throat, shifting his gaze to the desk briefly as he adjusts his hold on his bag.

“I probably should’ve called to check if you had any rooms available before I got here, but…”

“We do!” Vika says, a bit too quickly as she produces the familiar piece of paper. She goes through the motions, asking how long he’ll be staying and checking a ledger periodically as she scribbles a few things before turning it to face him. “Same room as last time… if that’s alright.”

“It’s perfect,” Benny smiles, moving to sign, but then—

“Wait…”

“Is something wrong?” Vika frowns, “I can find a different room if you’d like—”

“No, it’s not that,” he assures her, “It’s just— you know I was teasing about that discount, don’t you?”

He pushes the paper back towards her, pointing to the price

“Friends and family, remember?” Vika reminds him, sliding the page back to him, adding as he opens his mouth to protest, “I insist, really, Benny.”

“Well… thank you,” he says graciously, if reluctantly, switching topics.

“Any recommendations for a bite to eat around here?”

“Oh!” Vika blinks, before listing off a few places nearby, mentioning that the diner just down the street is one of her favorites.

“I…”

She hesitates, but then plows ahead.

“I’m done with my shift in…” a quick glance at her watch, “twenty minutes, if you’d like me to show you? Only if you want to, of course.”

The way Benny’s smile widens at her suggestion brightens the whole lobby.

“I’d love that,” he beams, “Um… just let me get settled in,” He gestures to his bag, “And I’ll meet you back here?”

Vika nods, doing her best to contain her own smile.

“See you soon.”

She can’t resist calling his name just once as he goes to find his room, key in hand.

“Yeah?” He calls, Meatball turning back at the sound of Vika’s voice too.

She smiles.

“It really is good to see you again.”

Benny smiles.

“You too, Vika.”

#… I told y’all it was a slow burn #👀🤭#benny x vika #oc: vika patel #oc: ruthvika ‘ruthie’ patel #pyaar dosti hai #benny demarco x oc #masters of the air #mota oc #mota x oc #benny demarco

17 notes · View notes

chiiyuuvv · 1 year ago

Text

970 • TAGLIST — @eun-luv , @soul-is-a-strange-kid , @yuniniverse

Based on a true story!! But erm.. i met a cute girl that was younger than me, no love interest involved irl haha

Thinking about..

Annual bring your child to work day, the countless parents in your mothers job forcing their kids to come with them for the day, accompanied they didnt have any exams

Although you weren't exactly thrilled, you tried to have a positive attitude, greeting each of your mothers co-workers with a smile although youve never seen them before

Your mother makes you sit next to her near her desk, and you can feel your positivity shrink by the minute, sinking into your chair with your arms crossed, boredom invading your being

She notices and decides to send you off with the other kids in a vacant meeting room, ushering to take your bags and meet some new, potential friends

And your positivity comes back! Marching to the little meeting room on the other side of the elevator with such pride, stopping at the vending machine to get a little snack to share with your buddy

You open the door, expecting a little huddle of teenagers when youre only met with one, sitting in the back corner with his chin prompted up by his hand

He seemed bored before, but when the door opens his head slowly turns, his eyes widening and sparkling and a wide grin stretched onto his face

Youre still standing in the doorway so you awkwardly step in the small room, closing the door timidly

Although you felt like energy could burst through your heart, you felt nervous, giving the boy a small smile as he sends back his signature eye smile, inching towards your flushed figure to stick out his hand

He introduces himself. His name was shotaro, hes pretty sure your parents know each other and might even be friends, and hes super excided to meet you.

An unfamiliar feeling pings your heart as you find him enduring; the way he never breaks eye contact, the smile thats covering his face, one of his hands twiddling the bottom of his shirt while the other one rubs your soft skin. You wanted to put him in your pocket and run away

After introducing yourself, you feel a faint mutter on how pretty you were, your ears stinging red as you try to bite back your smile

After getting lost in each others eyes, he gives a shy smile, scratching the back of his neck before sitting you down at the meeting table, joking on how this was an interview for a new job, and you had to tell him 10 things about yourself

Despite feeling a little childish, you love his sense of humor and how he thinks, talking about some of your interests, like dogs, for example

He almosts falls back into his chair when he hears that, his mouth moving faster than his brain as he rambles about how much he loves dogs, joking on how he is one himself

He jokes around some more, talking about how you've been accepted to the job, the only thing you need to do is give him your number and you'll be starting tomorrow

Wait what?

His eyes widen at what he just said, multiple apologizes leaving his mouth and how you didnt have to give it to him, but its too late, you already took your phone out of your back pocket. How could you turn down the cute boy?

Now its his turn to be flushed, holding back his smile and suddenly getting quieter, just hoping you didnt hear his loud heartbeat, or didnt notice the blood rushing up to the tips of his ears and some painted his cheeks

The door opens again revealing one of the workers, asking the two of you to set up the table so everyone can come to eat some pizza before continuing with their work

And boy did shotaro take that seriously, shooing your hands away since the fork wasnt on the right side, or how the chair wasnt pushed in all the way

But its all lighthearted, small 'yah's leaving his lips because you were messing up the plates on purpose

He almost chases you with a plastic spoon

After setting up the plates and joking on how this was a tea party, you sit back in your seats, learning more and more about yourselves as the tired employees make their way into the small room

The pizzas here and you all make your plates, deciding to sit next to each other as you eat

But as your eating, you could feel shotaros eyes on you, so you turn your head, shotaros quickly whipping to the other side of the room as he takes a bite out of his salad, his red ears giving him away

And you feel your heart flutter, a shy giggle leaving your lips at how cute he was

The rest of the meal finishes smoothly, tossing your plates in the trash while finishing your previous conversation, when your mother announces that youre leaving early

You watch as shotaros smile drop, giving him a guilty glance as you drink the rest of your soda

You can tell hes disappointed youre leaving, but tries to shake it off, opening his arms to welcome you in a hug goodbye

Wait what?

Before he can retreat, youre running to his figure, your arms around his neck and his circling your waist, rocking you back and forth as you stay in his warm embrace

Your head lifts up from his chest only to be inches away from his face, his staggered breath fanning your lips as you stare for a while, lost in each others eyes again

Your mother snaps you out of your trance, shotaro quickly letting go of you as he gives you a wave, his face redder than a tomato with a growing smile

Your mother teases you on the way back home ♡

66 notes · View notes

winniemaywebber · 6 months ago

Note

[ comfort ] for Olive (for the kiss prompts), please.

(I really enjoy reading your MOTA stories, BTW!)

hi, nonnie! thanks so much for the request (prompt list here! inbox is open) and your sweet words!

As soon as the Red Cross Girls had heard Colonel Harding - Chicky, as they liked to playfully call him - murmur to Red over their morning coffee that “the time is almost upon us,” they knew they'd be in for a rough week. It was as if the mood on base had shifted, the girls feeling like they were walking through clouds of tension every moment they were around the men.

It's Saturday morning, a day off for the girls, which they'd usually spend walking around the village for a change of scenery. Helen would then retire to the hut, writing to her mom and other family members while Val and Olive would go visit their men, if only to bring them a coffee and a sweet nothing whispered in their ear to pass the time. On this particular Saturday, they're holed up in their offices, the air stuffy from constant cigarette smoke plumes that clouded both offices - a sure sign Ev and Dougie were present, the pair of them taking to chain smoking through the long hours crouched over paperwork, sat in an uncomfortable wooden chair, planning for the biggest mission of all: the invasion of Europe.

Val and Olive wave Helen off with a friendly kiss on the cheek, they both pour a coffee and grab a candy bar from the Clubmobile for the fellas before making their way to their offices. They split off with a wink; Ev sharing an office with Rosie and Dougie sharing his with Croz. Ev had basked in the decision, telling Val and Olive as much in a hushed voice in the club one evening.

“I definitely lucked out with Rosie as an office mate. He's great, so level headed and together. Unlike our nervous buddy over there,” he pauses, nodding towards Crosby who was downing whiskey like it was going out of style. “He's all over the place.”

That much is proven the second Olive walks into the office, wafting Lucky Strike smoke from her face as she enters. She places the first coffee and Hershey bar on Harry's desk, the anxiety wreaking havoc on him as he hunches over the phone, speaking in hushed tones.

The second, she places in front of Dougie, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

“Hey, sugar,” she says.

“Hi,” he croaks out, not looking up from the mound of paperwork stacked on his desk. There's a moment of awkward silence, the tension rising in the air as Olive clears her throat.

“So,” she starts again. “It's Saturday! Shall we go for dinner with the Blakely's? Maybe stay the night and have a cuddle?”

“Not tonight, Olive. Busy,” he sighs, him using her whole name causing her breath to stutter a little. Her heart starts pounding so loud that she can feel it in her eardrums, her hands beginning to get clammy. She casts her mind back to the last few days, recounting every interaction and wondering if there was one that irked him, one that maybe had pissed him off. She comes up empty, her mind racing at thousands of miles an hour.

“O-okay,” she says, trying to take a deep breath and feign togetherness. “So, just a drink at the bar–”

“I said I'm busy, okay?”

Olive takes a step back, surprised at his tone. The step back is almost muscle movement, knowing it's best to protect herself when a man gets angry. She'd been on the other end of Kyle's rants too many times to understand that.

“Are you mad at me?” she squeaks, her eyes involuntarily filling up with tears.

“For fuck sake, no, I'm not mad at you,” he replies, finally looking up from his desk, his body turning in Croz's direction. “Crosby, quit whispering into that damn phone and go to bed!” Forehead now leaning on his hand, he goes back to what he was reading moments before, mumbling to himself as he turns the page over. “What the hell is a Subaltern anyway?”

A soft rap on the door comes before it opens, Val poking her head in. “Everything okay?” she asks softly. “I heard shouting.”

Before anyone can answer, she's let herself in and crossed her arms, that all too familiar brow furrow coming into vision at the sight of Olive’s pale face. “I'm waiting,” she says, turning to Dougie who is turned away from her. Olive hears him take a deep breath, her fingers rubbing together in nervousness, the skin burning as she repeats the action over and over to try and steady herself. He stands slowly, Olive quickly beelining for the door and pushing past Valencia.

“Ol? What–” she hears her say, before she loudly asks, “what did you do, James?”

—

Sitting outside of the Red Cross hut, knees to her chest as she tries to focus on breathing, she feels a presence appear above her. Valencia stands tall, yet relaxed before shifting her skirt to sit down next to her.

“You'll be happy to know he still has kneecaps,” Val says casually, lighting two cigarettes and handing one to Olive. “And he is alive. But he did tell me what happened, and I sternly reminded him that he shouldn't talk to you like that.” She holds her close, their free hands clasped together. “I've never seen you like this. Not even when you two fought all those months ago. What's all this, doll, hm?”

“It's so silly,” she squeaks out, closing her eyes in embarrassment. “I know he wouldn't physically hurt me but…it's angry men. Men who get angry.”

“You're gonna need to give me more than that, girly.”

“My ex, Kyle,” she winces, the mention of his name causing bile to rise up in her throat, so much so that she can almost taste it. “He was so angry. The smallest things I did set him off…I was on the other end of an angry man's hand for a couple of years and now, the second a man gets angry. I don't know,” she takes a deep drag of the cigarette. “I believe they call it self preservation.”

“And I'd call it ‘I'm glad that asshole is seventy years in the future, otherwise he'd have no kneecaps, elbows or ears.’” Olive giggles, breathing out and relaxing into her friend. “From what I can gather, this mission is huge. So huge that even I can't know yet, and Chicky is usually fine with getting me knowledgeable. Dougie is just overwhelmed. Ev just handles it better because he's paired with Major Level Headed Rosenthal. Your guy is with the man who couldn't find France because he couldn't stop puking, who is so anxious that I'm sure he'll end up worrying himself into anemia.”

“Yeah,” Olive sighs, smoking the last of the cigarette. “Still shouldn't have spoken to me like that, though. He could have said he was overwhelmed.”

“Olive, look at me,” she says seriously, holding her chin in her hand. “He is a man.”

Olive tries her best to keep a straight face, but drops it the second Val breaks into roaring laughter. As she opens her eyes again, she sees James making his way over in a Jeep.

“I'll leave you to it,” Val says, squeezing her hand as she gets up.

“Thanks, Val,” Dougie says, sitting in the spot she just left.

“I'm sorry, Ollie,” he says, holding her head on his chest and kissing her hair. “I'm just–it's a little overwhelming. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I was outta line.”

“So you're not mad at me?”

“Jeez, no,” he reassures her, lifting her chin to have her look at him. “I could never be mad at you.” He kisses her gently before holding her again, squeezing her close to him.

#ask answered #prompt list #winnie writes #oc: olive lewis #oc: valencia dirosano #honeysuckle rose #james douglass #james douglass x oc #Olive & Dougie #masters of the air #mota

18 notes · View notes

defire · 9 days ago

Text

Ghost of Seattle Chapter 48

Content: gang war, guns, killing, reverse used-as-bait situation

"I miss barbecues..." "We have a stove." "It's not the same."

Buddy stared out into the snow, but it was getting so dark, she couldn’t make out the bridge very well.

Amherst saw Ghost's signal first. He waved at Buddy, motioning her to go ahead.

Chest tight, Buddy led her group forward, gripping her pistol hard.

Her group was about thirty, and they fanned out to take small buildings around a car-ridden crossroads.

"Behind us!" Someone shrieked. A Guard sentry.

Instead of turning to fight, the Guards ran straight toward the Shiver barricade.

Gunshot started up on the opposite side of the road as the Guards rammed up their force against it.

Buddy hollered,

"Go! Get em!"

And ran forward with her pistol ready to use clubbed. She had to keep some bullets for saving Ghost later.

That might've been a mistake.

"Now! Full face!" Guards turned 180 degrees in an organized rank and opened fire on Buddy's group.

She cursed and crouched down behind a trailer.

She saw her slower people getting shot down. She adjusted her grip on her pistol.

Guard marched up right through the dropped Shivers. A guy saw her hiding and swung up his rifle. She knocked it sideways, aimed and fired at his gut. She always closed her eyes last-second, but she still hit.

She got up to her feet since she'd been made anyway, and swung on the nearest guy. The Guards surrounded her, while Shivers crouched at the ready for the tide to turn.

Boom. The Guard to her right fell. Boom. Another one. It was the .54 that Amherst's best friend used. Amherst's people had gotten in place.

All near the hotel where they were supposed to hide, gunshots popped out. With excited cries, Shivers jumped out of the shadows, many leaving black blood spots on the damp snow. Still energetic, somehow.

Buddy got a hard knock in the back of the head and spun around, slamming her pistol into the head area. She was closing her eyes as it hit.

"Come on!" She yelled to her people, striding away from the battle. She turned and swung her gun around behind her, and shot the closest guy in the chest. Then she retreated.

Another wave of gunfire crackled out from the second story, dropping the Guards fast. They hesitated as they were picked off, reduced to a half of their force now. Screaming and firing randomly.

"Take cover!" Someone yelled.

Eagerly the Guards dropped to hide between cars.

Buddy and 18 Shivers made it into the lobby, gasping in pain, and laughing.

Amherst had their backs.

Shivers high-fived each other, jostled Buddy in a friendly way.

Guards were trapped between Shivers on all sides.

Good. Now to wait for the order to stop the attack, once Merc called them off. He should call the Guards off once he thought he was getting his precious son back.

Then Buddy and her crew would fuckin raid that base, get Ghost plus some revenge, hopefully, and fuck off.

Buddy snapped back with a stinging on her arm.

"Shit," She said. It dripped blood.

She rooted around in the front-desk's drawer. Papers, files, a deep one--some cloths, and something cobwebby--she cursed "shit!" And yanked back, hitting her elbow on a cabinet.

"Fuck. The fuck was that."

She squinted, but saw nothing.

She reached back in and gently felt at it. She pulled out a couple cloths, then the soft thing.

It was a delicate scarf. She tucked it around her neck. It was warm and soft, like a faraway home you can never have again.

"Fuck yeah."

Tag list: @joyjoygorl @cepheusgalaxy @little-rat-dragon @turtlesnap1

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Kindle book: Masterpost: Next:

#gang war #female protagonist #gang fight #survivor fiction #gang whump #abuse survor #fun fact #buddy was 6 when the bombs hit #whump writing #whump book #hurt/comfort #badass female character #whump readers

7 notes · View notes

beerecordings · 10 months ago

Note

Hey, regarding Bluegle and Eric’s little self-defense lessons—there’s a YouTuber I watch called Footless Jo, and she has a below-the-knee prosthetic, and she does jujitsu specifically without her prosthetic on, so that she can always defend herself regardless of whether her leg is cooperating. And I thought it would be kinda cool if Google did days where he trained with Eric legs-on and some days legs-off, or with different configurations of crutches or prosthetics or mobility devices, cuz ya gotta cover all your bases.

that is really cool. I suppose since Eric is missing both legs below the knee that would be self-defense from a seated position? maybe I can look into that

here's a sneak peek from later in the story since people have been interested, although I still don't know if I can finish the story:

“I'll kill you if you ever tell anyone this,” Google whispers, tucking his hair behind his ears and trying to stimulate breathing steadily. “I'll show you trepanation up close and personal.”

Ippy just laughs. His hands are warm on Google's kneeplates. “Okay,” he says. “Tell me anyway.”

He means to say something like, “I'm having a cognitive malfunction” or “my emotional processor is out of control,” or “yesterday I looked at a stupid Francisco Goya painting and decided that I hated it, that it was revolting and awful and I didn't want to see it again, and how can that be when I was made to know but never to understand?”

But what comes out is just fear.

And he says, “Edward, do you think the darkness would get rid of me if I stopped being useful?”

The clock on Iplier's desk ticks softly by. The air conditioner kicks on in the next room over and cool air filters down through the vents. The stress ball under Google's fingers has burst, and he just sits, and waits, for Iplier to speak.

He has dark eyes and a kind mouth. He's grown his beard out heavier than Mark's and he's wearing his lab coat even though there's no one to see right now but his friend.

“I don't know,” he says finally, reaching out to adjust the glasses fallen down on Google's nose.

They've never lied to each other once in their lives. Not on purpose, anyway.

“I don't know if he would throw you out.”

They sit together for a long time yet.

“But I wouldn't,” adds Iplier gently. “No, shut up, let me be here, okay? I wouldn't throw you out, Google. So you focus on figuring this out. On finding out who you want to be. And I'll be right here when you need me. Okay, buddy?”

Google sighs. “Don't call me buddy.”

Iplier ruffles his hair and makes him growl. The doctor laughs and Google manages not to smile, reaching out to shove gently at Iplier's chest, where his human heart beats fragile beneath twelve pairs of thin white ribs.

“Everything's going to be okay,” says Ippy, and Google, in an act that he knows is pure human, chooses to believe him.

9 notes · View notes

here4kpopfics · 2 years ago

Note

Congratulations!! If I may, I’d like to request a SVT drabble with the following prompts:

“Stop being a fucking prick.” “Come here and make me.” 😆😮‍💨🤤🫶🏽

This could not be anyone other Jeonghan.

again no editing bc *lazy daisy*

Masterlist | AskBox | Coffee?

yjh x reader | teasing | 642 words | pg15 but really 13 but eh | Jeonghan's a little shit but i reversed it bc why not

“So, Jisoo in accounting said you had a thing for me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You know Jisoo loves to gossip and make shit up.” Jeonghan’s whispers quickly.

“True, but her bullshit is usually based on some truth, right? Which means…”

“Which means nothing.” He snaps but even in the darkness, you can see his face flushing.

“Oh my god. You’re blushing!”

“No I’m not!” Jeonghan yells, but his words are quickly cut off by your hand covering his mouth.

“Don’t be too loud, or they’ll find us.” You warn with a smirk, removing your hand after a second.

“If they find us, the game will be over and I can be away from you. I love that idea!” His face lights up in the darkness of the coat closet where you two had separately decided to hide during a very drunken game of hide and seek at a work party.

Your hand covers his mouth again a second after you see him take a deep breath. He’s about to let out a muffled scream when you both hear Stephanie’s obnoxious heels click on the floor. And just like that, both of you have that desire to win instead of fighting that kicks in.

Jeonghan pulls you closer to his body, turning you both around, as he steps you both further back into the closet. One hand on your lower back and the other on the back of your head to keep you safe. Or to muffle you against his chest. You’re not really sure with him.

You both stay dead silent while you listen to Stephanie stumble around, giggling at nothing, as she checks under desks and inside what you think sounds like cupboards? She walks by the coat closet, pausing for a moment to rebalance herself. You push yourself further against Jeonghan’s chest, trying to cover your breathing, as if she’s some supernatural monster with perfect hearing.

When she finally stumbles out of the room, you both wait an extra few seconds before he almost violently shoves himself off of you, his back about to hit the closet door if he hadn’t caught himself in time.

“Fucking hell, Jeonghan, what was that?!”

“You were too close! Personal space is a thing ya know?”

“Oh I’m sorry you’re silly schoolboy crush is making you uncomfortable to be near a woman.” You bite back, watching him open the closet door to make sure the coast was clear.

“It’s not…I’m not…” his words stumble over one another as he looks down at the floor, trying to figure out a reply.

“One day you’ll form words, buddy. One day.” You roll your eyes, fixing your dress, when he lets out a frustrated groan.

“Can you just stop being a fucking prick for once?”

You look up at him, shock written across your face for a brief moment before a smug grin replaces it. You casually lean against the back wall of the closet, meeting his gaze.

“Come here and make me.” You dare him, thinking he’d just walk out of the closet and leave you there.

But Jeonghan is not a man to back off from a dare, especially from the woman he’s had a crush on for months. And especially from the same woman that annoys him to no end and who he desperately wants to shut up.

He closes the closet door, locking it from the inside, and surges forward, a hand grabbing your face, the other pinning one of your wrists behind you.

“You are the most annoying woman I’ve ever met.” He growls, his eyes on your mischievous grin.

“And yet you like me.” You tease, your free hand grabbing his waist.

“And yet, ” he pushes you further against the wall, “I like you.”

You don’t get a chance to respond when his lips meet yours.

*mwah*

#kelly posts #kelly writes #drabble requests #yoon jeonghan #jeonghan #yjh #jeonghan x reader #yoon jeonghan x reader #jeonghan x y/n #jeonghan drabble #jeonghan drabbles #seventeen drabbles #seventeen drabble

74 notes · View notes

pxnsneverland · 1 year ago

Text

Hellfire Lost | Eddie Munson x oc (part 4)

plot summary: Juliet Henderson has had her fair share of excitement fighting otherworldly monsters in the Upside Down with her brother, Dustin, and his friends. She's ready for her senior year to be a peaceful and pleasant time spent cheerleading and hanging out with her best friend Chrissy. However when Chrissy mysteriously turns up dead and her unlikely outcast crush Eddie Munson is suspect #1, she finds herself back in the fight along with the rest of the Upside Down squad facing their biggest threat yet. Will Juliet and everyone be able to stop dangers of the world below Hawkins and clear Eddie's name? And what happens when the monster starts targeting someone a little closer to home?

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

pairings: eddie munson x oc

word count: 2316

warnings/notes:

Chapter 4

I drove myself, Max, and Dustin to Family Video, a video shop where you could rent vhs tapes to watch at home, after running out of the house, rejecting Mom's pleadings for us to remain at home since there was a murderer on the loose. We rushed up to the counter, where Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley were working. I'd known Steve since he was on Hawkins High's basketball team, and the previous summer I'd met Robin while working at Scoops Ahoy with both her and Steve, which led in my learning about monsters, a Russian plot, and a telepathic girl who could flip cars with her mind.

Dustin was the first to come up to the counter. “Steve, how many phones do you have?”

Dustin's haste caught Steve off guard. “Two, why?”

“Technically 3 if you count Keith’s in the back,” Robin said.

“That’ll have to do.” Dustin rushed over the counter, knocking numerous tapes to the floor, triggering yelling from Robin and Steve. Max and I used the back door shortcut via the little side entrance behind the counter.

“What are you doing?!” Steve screamed.

“Setting up base of operations here.”

“Base of what?” Dustin sat at the computer behind the desk and started typing. Steve shook his head, frustrated. “Get off of that!”

“No, I need it.”

“Need it for what?”

“I need to look up Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers.”

Steve was wearing an odd look on his face. Was it a feeling of resentment? “Right. Your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game?”

“Yes. I never said that!”

“Girls, stop it!” By grasping Steve's sleeve, I brought his attention to myself. It was as if he had just recently become aware of my worries. It softened him. “Just let him go, Harrington.”

“You’re encouraging this?!”

Robin started collecting the fallen tapes. “Looks, guys, normally I wouldn’t mind your antics but this is Saturday, our busiest day here.”

Dustin totally ignored it. “Okay, Robin, I empathize but this cannot wait!”

I let go of Steve and looked at Robin, who had sensed my anxiousness. “We need to find Eddie.”

“Why?”

Steve placed his fists on his hips. “What the hell is going on?”

Dustin started searching for Eddie's buddies' phone numbers.“Will you please fill them in while me and Max do this?”

Robin joined in on the distress. “Fill us in on what?”

I started telling him and Robin about watching Eddie and Chrissy leave together, how odd Chrissy had been behaving, Max seeing them go inside the trailer and the lights afterwards, Eddie driving away, and the news this morning. They both listened closely as the narrative proceeded, their expressions covered with fear.

“It should be case closed then. I mean Chrissy was in Eddie’s trailer and they were together,” Steve eventually said.

“Eddie didn’t kill Chrissy,” Dustin said for the umpteenth time today.

“Then who did?” Robin questioned.

“I don’t know,” Max admitted.

I backed up against the counter. “But we have to find Eddie before the cops do. The lights Max saw…the flickering and then the screaming…” Everything sounded very familiar. “I know we thought all the portals to the Upside Down were closed but…what if they weren’t?”

After hearing it aloud, everyone realized what it meant. There was no longer any hiding in the Upside Down or in possessed bodies. Whatever it was this time was openly killing people in public. This time, there was no Eleven to stop it.

It was a full-fledged manhunt to find Eddie. We were all on the phone, calling and searching for anyone he might have come into contact with, but each call came up empty.

“This is ridiculous,” I groaned as I hung up the phone on yet another pointless call. “He couldn’t have just disappeared off the face of the earth. Someone had to have helped him.”

“Maybe he’s just wandering around in the woods somewhere,” Robin speculated.

“With the whole police force looking for him? No, he had to have found somewhere to lay low.”

Max turned to face us after hanging up the phone. “I think I might have found something. They say Eddie gets his drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick.”

“Okay,” Dustin said, “So who is Reefer Rick?”

“That’s the thing. No one knows.”

“Where does he live?”

“No one knows that either. He’s more of a legend than someone people actually know.”

I bit my thumb's nail. The longer we waited, the more likely it was that the cops would find Eddie before we did. And I was concerned about him. The image of him smiling at me with that nervous grin from the day before stayed with me.

“I bet the cops know who he is,” Steve suggested.

I'd never wanted to hit Steve over the head with anything more than I did right then and there. And that was saying a lot. “That’s your suggestion? Go to the cops. The cops that are hunting down Eddie for murder.”

“I mean, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer, I guarantee you he’s been busted at some point. Means he’s probably in the system. And I think, at this point, they should probably be filled in on what’s going on.”

To avoid strangling him, I lifted my hands and balled them into fists. “Out of all times, Steve, do you really have to give into the dumb jock stereotype now?!”

“You think Eddie’s guilty don’t you?” Dustin mused.

“Hey, I believe in innocent until proven guilty and all that constitutional shit.” However, the tone of his voice indicated that he believed Eddie was responsible for the crime. Maybe he wanted him to be guilty. I recall Steve being a member of the "let's pick on the freak" club in high school. “I just, you know, I don’t think we can rule it out.”

“You want Eddie to be guilty, don’t you?” I came out and said it, which surprised everyone, especially Steve, who was quick to defend himself.

“What? No. Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson? I could care less if he was guilty or not. Actually why do you seem to care so much?”

I could feel the blush on my cheeks before I could stop it, but I maintained a stern expression as if I could ignore it. Why was I so concerned? Because I had feelings for Eddie, the same part of me that had kissed him in that abandoned classroom. A part that became increasingly difficult to deny the longer we went without finding Eddie. But I couldn't bring myself to admit it. Not in front of Steve, who would relentlessly tease me about it, or in front of Dustin, who might see it as a betrayal.

It was Robin who brought us all back into focus, as if she had suddenly realized something.“Maybe we don’t need to know Reefer Rick’s name.” She pushed Dustin out of the way of the computer and began typing the name 'Rick.' “The selection here is huge which means it’s super overwhelming for people. And everyone’s information is right here.” When she pressed the enter key, the screen displayed a list of people with the first name 'Rick.' “12 Ricks already have accounts here.”

I embraced her from behind. “Robin, you’re a goddamn genius.”

“I try.”

“That’s still a lot of Ricks,” Max remarked.

I agreed by nodding. “True. But enough to look through.” Especially given the limited time we had.

So we spent some time looking through the various Ricks, judging their recent rentals, trying to find our guy, until we came across a Rick Lipton who appeared to have rented the entire Cheech and Chong filmography. I smiled, relieved that we had finally made progress. “We found our guy.”

“Lipton?” Max inquired.

“Spelled like the tea,” Robin confirmed, “2121 Holland Road.”

That street sounded familiar. “Holland Road? That’s out by Lover’s Lake.”

“Middle of nowhere.”

“It’s a perfect place to hide.”

“Let’s go.” We were all out the door and on our way to Lover's Lake.

It was already dark by the time we arrived at Lover's Lake. Reefer Rick's house was typical of those in the area, a small cottage-style structure built on the lake's shore. Remote and quiet, eerie but peaceful. However, from the outside, the house appeared completely abandoned, with no lights on inside or outside. We got out of our cars and approached the front door, flashlights flashing. Dustin rang the doorbell, which I knew would not work. He kept pounding on the doorbell, as if it would magically summon Eddie.

I swatted away his hand from the doorbell. “Cut it out. Who answers the doorbell if they’re hiding from the cops?”

“Or maybe that settles it and he’s not here,” Steve speculated.

Dustin turned away from Steve and yelled, “Eddie! It’s Dustin! We just want to talk, okay? No cops! We just want to help!”

“Shut up! Do you want the whole lake to hear you?” I had to resist the urge to cover his mouth with my hand.

We tried tactic number two, shining flashlights through the windows to see if we could detect any movement. We couldn't come up with anything, so Dustin began banging on the door. I rolled my eyes, wondering how this kid survived the supernatural encounters he had. I was beginning to lose hope when Max called us.

“Hey guys?” she asked.

We all gathered around her to see what she had discovered. A boathouse on the water was located a short distance from the main property. An even better place to hide. We made our way over to the boathouse, looking through the windows but seeing nothing more than what we had seen in the main house. Unlike the main house, the door was open, so we went in for a closer look. It looked like any other boathouse, crammed with junk and stinking of fish. The boat was covered in a tarp and bobbing up and down in the water on the open ended side of the boathouse.

“What a dump,” Steve exclaimed as he looked around.

“Didn’t realize your boathouse was so clean, Steve,” I remarked, knowing full well that he didn't have one.

“Ha ha, very funny.” He grabbed an oar from the wall and began slashing at the tarp that was covering the boat.

“What are you doing?” Dustin muttered.

“He might be in here.”

“So take the tarp off.”

“If you’re so brave, you take the tarp off.”

“You’re a bunch of kids.” I took the oar from Steve. “What are you going to do if he is in there? Stab him with an oar?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Hey, look over here.” Max shone her light on a table in the corner covered in discarded food wrappers. “Someone was here.”

“Maybe he heard us,” Robin added, “Got spooked and ran.”

“Don’t worry. Steve will get him with his oar.” Dustin's sarcastic smile was visible even in the dim light.

“I know you think you’re being funny, Henderson, but considering everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times—”

“Exactly! And your weapon of choice is an oar?” I threw the oar to the ground, but the loud noise it made was drowned out by Eddie leaping from beneath the tarp and pushing me up against the wall with a broken bottle pressed against my neck. I screamed as my back collided with the metal wall, but I didn't have time to be concerned about the sting. Everyone was stunned and frozen, taking great care not to make any sudden movements. Eddie looked at me with a stern face but fearful eyes, as if he had no idea who I was in his survival instinctual state.

Despite my heavy breathing, I tried to keep my voice calm. “Eddie…”

“Whoa, whoa! Eddie! Eddie! Stop!” Dustin held his hands up, indicating that he meant no harm. Everyone else was holding their breath as well. “Eddie! It’s me! It’s Dustin! That’s Juliet. You know her. My sister, remember?!”

Eddie had turned to face Dustin while he was speaking. Eddie looked at me as if he was seeing me for the first time when Dustin said my name. His face relaxed, and his eyes returned to the big brown puppy dog eyes I remembered. “Juliet…”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, ignoring the strange looks I was getting. I was just relieved he was alive and, by the looks of things, physically okay. “Thank god you’re alright.”

He returned the embrace. His entire body was trembling. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” I let go of him while still holding his face in my hands. “What the hell happened? What’s going on?”

Eddie backed away from me, shaking his head and leaning against the wall. His eyes were distant once more, as if he were trapped in a bad memory, which he could be. Dustin approached me and placed his hand on my arm to ensure that I was okay. I nodded, and he moved over to Eddie, who had collapsed on the floor.

“Eddie.” Dustin knelt until he was eye level with Eddie, who refused to look at him. “We just want to talk. Okay?”

I knelt down next to Dustin. “We just want to know what happened.” I put my hand on his forearm, and he turned to face me. I smiled at him, small and reassuring.

His eyes were filled with tears. He sniffled. “You won’t believe me.” When I took one of his hands in mine, he squeezed it as if he needed something to hold onto, something to ground him.

“Try us,” Max prompted.

Except for the sound of the water's current rocking the boat, the room fell silent. Eddie finally told his story after a few agonizing moments.

Stay tuned for part 5!! Click HERE to view!

15 notes · View notes

burnwater13 · 1 year ago

Text

Concept Art by Ryan Church, The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 4, The Siege.

“The Hydian Way”

“The Nothoiian Corridor”

“The Lipsec Run”

“The Corellian Trade Spine”

“The Rimma Trade Route”

Din Djarin said the names of the various hyperspace lanes, routes, paths, ways, corridors, spines, and runs and Grogu pointed to them on a map. It was tiring work, but he knew it was worthy. His dad was trying to teach him how to travel around the galaxy in safety.

“Show me the route you would take to get from Nevarro to Tatooine.”

Hmmmm. That was a good question. Nevarro was in the Nevarro Sector, sort of near the Hydian Way, which was fine if you wanted to go to Corellia and then eventually end up at Cantonica, but it wouldn’t get him to Tatooine directly. Nope. He’d have to take it to Darknell and the switch over to the Triellus Trade Run. That would get him all the way there!

He traced the path for his dad and grinned at him. Take that Din Djarin.

“That’s a good path kid. But it’s kind of slow. What other way could you take?”

Then Grogu noticed that he could take the Corellian Trade Spine to the Corellian Run and go to Tatooine that way. He traced out that path and turned to look at the Mandalorian.

“Good choice. I don’t know what it is about Corellians Grogu, but they find the shortest, fastest path between two points that shouldn’t be possible. It’s what makes them Corellian.”

Grogu filed that little piece of information away for future use as they continued the lesson in astronavigation. That they were doing this lesson in the cabin, with his dad sitting on the floor with the star map projector and Grogu running around to trace the various paths made it seem a little surreal. But at least they weren’t stuck in that classroom in the Nevarro City school.

Grogu could tell, based on the school’s layout, that it had been a cantina or tavern or drinking establishment of some sort before they added the instructor droid, the desks, and the display panels. The place still kind of smelled of sour ferment, at least to him. He supposed it was a sign that the people of Nevarro City were becoming more civilized. Keep the ferment in the new cantina and use the old one for a school. It made a sort of sense.

Unlike his dad, Greef Karga, and Cara Dune dumping Grogu there and then going off on an adventure without him. He had complained to his dad about all that before, but he still didn’t think that Din Djarin took his objections seriously. After all, everything had worked out in the end. His dad hadn’t been injured. An Imp lab had been destroyed. He discovered that he liked those blue treat things. He called them sweet discs, but he knew they had about a thousand names, which was funny.

A starship was a starship. Everything after calling it a starship was really about telling you all it’s little details. Freighter, dreadnought, scout, fighter, yacht, they were all starships first. Same thing with speeders and blasters and footwear for that matter.

But these sweet discs were called all sorts of things. Crisps, rounds, discs, petals, twinkles… it was amazing. And they weren’t different kinds of sweet discs either. They were all the same kind. If they included some special ingredient they were the special ingredient plus disc, petal, twinkle, whatever. If they were stacked with a filling, they were still discs, but they were called stacked filled discs, like the ones he took from the boy at school.

When his dad took him back to Tatooine, he had asked Peli where he could get some of those delicious filled discs and she looked at him like he was babbling in a language she couldn’t understand.

“Listen, Grogu, buddy, we have a lot of things here in Mos Eisley, but I’ve never heard of filled discs as a kind of food. And if I haven’t heard of it, it doesn’t exist.”

“He’s talking about sweet filled twinkles or sweet filled rounds… I forget what you call them here.”

The Mandalorian tried to explain to their favorite mechanic.

“Oh! Why didn’t you say so. What color does he like? I prefer the green ones myself, but everyone has a favorite.” Peli recognized one of the descriptors, although Grogu never figured out which one she used.

His dad said, ‘the blue-green ones’, and Peli told them where they could get some. They had been delicious and at that shop they had called them crisps. Sweet blue filling crisps, to be precise. Grogu had found that very funny.

On their way back to Nevarro, they had spent a day on Corellia. Apparently there was a noodle shop there that his dad liked. The shop was really more of a diner and the Iktotchi woman who ran the place had a voice like gravel, but when Grogu asked her what they called sweet discs on Corellia, she became very serious.

“Well, you know handsome, I call them treadles because that’s what my mom called them. But on Corellia you’ll hear them called almost anything. Crisps, rounds, petals, tiny cakes, and of course twinkles. Only kids call them twinkles here. If an adult did that we’d laugh ourselves sick at them. Except if the adult was your Mandalorian dad. But since your dad is a Mandalorian, I’d ask him if he wanted fire stacks. Have you had them before? We have a great recipe for them. Straight from Ordo.”

Before Grogu could say another word, his dad ordered some fire stacks and asked for a caf.

“Hey hon, I’ve got some rooms designed for Mandos, if you want to eat there. Then you can take off your helmet and eat in comfort. Nice and private and I always knock before I enter.”

“Thanks. This is fine. They call them twinkles on Ac Vetina. Mandalorians call them energy chips.”

Ahh. The things you learn when you travel were far more interesting than what you learned in a classroom on Nevarro.

#calendar prompt a day #the mandalorian #grogu #din djarin #cookies

8 notes · View notes

endermahn · 2 years ago

Text

IFHY.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 (Not made yet)

Plot: Wenclair fic but Wednesday and Enid don’t make up ep 8 and Wednesday goes insane after that scene.

Author note:

There are some quote references (for example “drip [coffee] is for people who hate themselves and have no real purpose or meaning.”) so it’s like a little Easter egg thing I wanted to point out.

it’s emotion is based off of Tyler the Creator’s song “IFHY”. (Also a bit of method writing for the sleep deprived Wednesday parts)

IDEA FROM AN EDIT BY “emmamyerswife1” ON TT

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mention of Blood, Knives, detailed-ish Description of death, Major character death, OOC Wednesday, slightly out of character Enid(??), LOTS OF SWEARING! (Later on) Co-dependancy basically, Wednesday is a psychopath Wednesday with psychopathic tendencies. And descriptions of Gore

(Platonic Ejax, they’re basically “you’d do that for me?” “If you keep the creepy [girls] away” and they’re platonic dating gossip buddies)

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT encourage this behaviour, it’s just a fic, if you do feel like this, I urge you to seek help, it ISNT a healthy coping mechanism and can hurt you and who you feel this way for!

IFHY - Tyler the creator

What I listened to while writing:

(Feelz -LIL PEEP)

——————

3rd person Wednesday POV.

5 days after the fight.

Papers are scattered across Wednesday’s desk, she had long given up trying to sort them into piles. Her “monster attack” pin board had been covered by pictures of Enid, past notes from her in class, anything that she could get her hands on.

Despite Enid’s side of the room being filled with everything Enid, it remained untouched. She never crossed the line between their room unless she were to go to the balcony.

“Thing.” Wednesday’s eye bags have since grown deeper, more carved into her face than before, making her look like hell on drip.

After a couple seconds the Hand comes scurrying across the floor and up her desk.

“Any news?” Her voice sounds groggy and distant.

None the less, thing understood and began to tap wildly. Wednesday immediately shot up, forgetting all the aching in her bones telling her they need rest.

“What? Theres no statistical way that could happen, Ajax doesn’t even like her, she doesn’t even like him..” Her words floor out of her mouth fast, but his taps go faster.

“Slow down, I cant understand you when you tap that fast.” She deflated a little, her eyes getting heavy again. Thing tried to tap slower and take his time, but it’s hard when it’s such big news.

“They’re dating..” Wednesday slumped in her chair. Her hand lets her face rest. she sighs heavily. She rubs the back of her neck and hesitantly gets up. Thing disappears just as fast as he appeared, taking great care not to distract Wednesday’s ticking mind.

She walks over to her Enid board and fishes behind all of the papers and things taped to it, grabbing a picture of the Monster’s victim.

She inspects the specific cuts, the oosing, thick blood. Each and every bruise. She notes down how each happened, how effective each was.

She grabs more.

She inspects more.

She formulates a Plan.

——————

7 days after.

She had collected all of the necessary equipment, taking extra care to get it all from various different places and to have thing collect others since the people occupying Jericho have exactly 0 idea concerning the existence of the Body-less hand’s connections to her.

She packed her bag with everything she needed this year, everything she needed when she planned to run away and stuffed it under a loose floor board, ready to go and available. She tripple checked it was in place and didn’t look off from any specific angle.

Next, she made her way out of the door, scanning one more time to make sure she hadn’t left anything out, anything that could potentially get her caught early in the game.

Lastly she shut the door. Not locked incase Enid came back. in need for something, of course.

Wednesday briskly walked across the school, arriving at Yoko’s door.

The ravenette rapped 4 times on the door then waited less than patiently for it to return the gesture by opening.

She heard shuffling, then a bang which only heightened her concern and impatience, getting slightly aggravated as she silently cursed Yoko out for, who she presumed was Enid, most likely falling.

“Yeah?” Yoko answered, eyes still occupied with whatever was happening behind her. She then turned and her body language changed. She became more closed off and stopped slouching, attempting to tower over, and in result intimidate Wednesday, not that it would ever work.

“Wheres Enid?” The gloomy girl couldn’t hide the desperation in her voice, she was to tired.

“Shes not in, Wednesday.” Yoko emphasised Wednesday’s name, having a grit in it.

“I heard her fall, im not gullible, Yoko.” She shot a glare that could be passed as her usual death inducing glance recently, giving she same amount of venom back.

“Really?” She questioned. “Because you sure as hell believed she would forgive you in a day.”

Ouch. She glared at Yoko, clenching her jaw.

“Yoko, let me in, I need to speak to her.” She looked at Yoko and saw her decision was made. “Please?” This was a pathetic attempt, she thought to herself. How could she ask such a person for assistance when they weren’t letting her near Enid?

“Wednesday..” Yoko rubbed the space between her eyebrows and sighed. Suddenly the air got thicker. Stale. Then the Ravenette’s heart dropped. “She.. doesn’t want to see you.”

“What?” Wednesday asked this with a genuine humour. A smile didn’t grace her face but it was pretty damn close. She had to be joking and it was a funny one, at that.

“Enid doesn’t want to see you for a while..”

“A while? How long?”

“.. I dont know.”

Her voice raised a bit, getting more threatening. “What do you-“ Wednesday took a deep breath, let the shiver travel down her spine and tried again. “What do you mean she doesn’t want see me.”

Yoko blinked a couple times, a little fearful of the seething girl. “She said she doesn’t wanna talk to you, she doesn’t want to see you, Wednesday.. go away..” She hesitated with the last part, it slightly croaking out.

Luckily for Yoko, she couldn’t say anything with Enid most likely listening in if she wanted any chance of talking again, she had to play it smart. Even if that meant swallowing her anger and acting polite. But even that had a bite of venom in it.

“Thank you, for your time. Please notify me if this changes.”

And with that the door closed. No reply back or wave, nothing. Just shut in her face.

——————

8 days after the fight.

Wednesday had decided. It was finally Friday and 8 days was enough. 8 days without sleep was enough. 8 days worrying about the wolf was enough. 8 days without enid, was enough.

She had grabbed the bag from the floor boards in a rush, she had prepared everything. His schedule, his dorm, the routes teachers take for patrol at night. She was ready.

And this time it wasn’t going to be an dirty stain of “attempt” on her record.

They had a bathroom in the dorm due to it being an old principal office, so that was enough for her to get changed in. Luckily it was on her side of the dorm, so she hadn’t any need to go over there and disturb anything, to disturb her touch.

She slipped on the ghostly mask and gown and made sure to cover any possible identification on her so it was full proof. She made sure to put all black on, all black shoes were prepared, all black socks, the whole lot.

The only non black clothing item was the mask, the mask that would haunt whoever came close to Enid, whoever tried to take her away from Wednesday’s safe arms.

After hiding all of this, slipping on comfortable shoes that enhanced her height, and switching on the voice changer, she made her way.

After many winds and turns, many close calls with Weems, and any sleep deprived teacher who had signed up, or been forced to sign up to the night patrol and many students who decided that when Wednesday was crossing past their door was the perfect time to go see their friends, she was there.

Mr Petropolus’ dorm.

Having his schedule on hand, all curtesy of thing following him around the grounds from the day Enid left until just yesterday, she knew right now he was preparing for a date. Specifically a date with Enid.

The shower ran loud, her pressing her ear up to the door was enough to know he was there and he was going to die tonight.

She attempted the door once, supposing he would be dumb enough to leave it open, which surprisingly he wasn’t.

She let out a heavy huff, lifted up her mask enough to be able to see, and got out the lock picking tool, working away for a couple seconds until she heard a safe “Click!”

She slipped on the mask again and made her way into his room.

Her heard burned with rage, anger, jealousy. Enid’s things were scattered around his room, nail polish, magazines, random hideous drawings.

Why were these not in their room? Why weren’t they in their rightful place?

She picked up one of the drawings and folded it neatly, then putting it in her pocket. For planning, of course, she had to pin it on the board, it was the only right thing to do with it.

Then Wednesday’s attention turned to the sound of the shower. Her anger still blazing a path towards him, towards that door.

She took another deep breath, then let her jealousy grip at her heart strings.

“Mr Petropolus will only turn her heart to stone sooner or later” she muttered to herself. “So better to eliminate the chance than have her be as cold as the rock her turns others into.”

And with that she easily unlocked the door. She quickly closed it behind her, locking it again.

And how did Mr Petropolus not hear all of this? He was in his own world, phone blasting music that was loud enough for him to hear but no one outside to complain. When he was like this it was always still. With no roommate it was easy to get lost in your own little world, to get lost in your own head and not notice someone else entering it.

It was perfect. It was as if he has planned it himself. As if he set himself up. As if he wanted this just as much as her.

Wednesday moved slowly to the shower, creeping slowly, ready. She had everything with her, her bag was left lazily in the room, which may be a hinderance if blood were to splatter. It would leave a very specific spot in the wall. A bag shaped space..

But then she moved the towel from the mirror a couple feet away, the blue towel being placed carelessly on the floor.

Under the mask she delighted in how easy it was going to be, but similarly she felt a twinge of disappointment. If it was an easy kill, why kill?

For her.

She wanted to see his face as she punished him for something he didn’t even know he did, took Enid away.

He had to have planted the idea of her being a bad friend in her mind, it had to be him. He was running his mouth about how she was a killer, so why not make the rumours true? Why not kill him and make him right about one thing?

But those thoughts had to be saved for a later time.

Right now, she had to make sure the first place he looked was the mirror.

And so she threw something at the sink and hid behind the shower’s oddly placed wall.

“The fuck?” He stopped the music and stuck his head out of the shower.

Wednesday’s heart rate sped up slightly, the excitement building up as she heard him move around.

Then a shriek solidified her heart’s rate, every feeling making her breathe, her lungs finally feeling full for the first time in 8 whole days.

All she could think is about how Enid would surely come back to her, crying at the loss of her late boyfriend, how she never should have left and how sorry she was.

She revelled in those words. She could almost hear them. Almost.

She peaked from the side of the shower’s wall and saw the boy had made himself into stone, perfect.

The ravenette in the ghost outfit shimmied side ways to pick up the towel and wrapped it around him, not wishing to see any of him if it wasn’t smashed to bits or bleeding out in the woods alone and cold.

She then turned off the shower. attempted to pick him up. No use.

“Fuck” she muttered. “Still causing me problems until death.”

She then went to grab her backpack.

“My pocket mase, prehaps, Petropolus? Maybe a chisel? Maybe my hammer, that hasn’t gotten much use lately..” She smirked at the thought of his eyes growing larger at each of the suggestions on how she was going to kill him.

“Stone is easy to crack, easy to break.” She said, taking a relieved breath.

Every time she thought of killing him, she breathed deeper and felt lighter, knowing this would mean Enid would come back to her.

“Of course i could always take you out to the woods and finish you off, but of course you had to weigh the same as Sisyphus’ boulder. Each time i get closer to her, you have to restart my progress, dont you? Then you miss the date, break her heart-“ She had started to speak faster and spill more information.. but it didn’t matter, did it? “Every one time you hurt her, I think of a thousand ways to kill you. You think im not prepared? You think you’ll survive? You think you’ll get justice? Ill be found? Then you’re just as stupid as you let on, and ill enjoy killing you just that much more.”

9 notes · View notes

reanimationstation · 2 years ago

Note

Hey hey!

I'm sorry for this weird question but can you please say how you'd describe Henry Stein (Batim) personality wise? /gen

I have hard time understanding personalities

And because of this,i don't know what to say about him outside of him being animator/Joey's ex business partner and Linda's husband.

I know about all bendy content (read and played by myself)

I can note that Buddy has strong sense of justice and i can note that Audrey is disorganized based on her desk from prologue being a total mess.

But i struggle with Henry really badly. It's feels like a huge shame

oh my gosh dont feel bad at all!! henry, despite being who we play as, doesn't really have that strong of a personality.

based on the games, he seems like a very resolute man. i mean, walking around the same studio for endless loops has got to be tiring. he just seems like a guy who when he has a job will get it done however long it takes. probably patient as well, going off of that.

he also seems very friendly, not in a particularly outgoing way, but just that he seems like he gets along with people easily. like with buddy, and allison and tom, even though they held him prisoner for a while. easygoing, i guess.

i'd also say he's full of hope. maybe not as much as some of the other characters, but enough to not completely give up when hes captured by the keepers. he keeps on thinking about the end reel, and even tells audrey about it when she talks to him

he's creative, we can see that through his love of drawing, and intuitive, shown throughout BatIM's gameplay. he's got a bit of humor, a little dry, but its there in some of his dialogue/golden ink messages. and of course, he's resentful towards joey (but he doesnt seem to show much anger, at least outwardly), with some of his golden ink messages and especially his audio log from BatIM. he's frustrated, but he seems to be keeping it to himself.

i haven't read the books so im probably missing a few things from there, my bad.

overall, i'd say hes a mildly boring, pretty average guy in most aspects. and boring isnt a bad thing! he just doesn't have a very strong personality, which is perfectly ok. he just doesnt really show much emotion or what he's thinking.

i love henry, he's one of my favorite old men.

#henry stein #if anyone else has any thoughts on henry please feel free to add on #im not a henry expert and im going off of memory #batim #batdr #victors internal monologue #and of course deriving from canon i have my own characterization of henry but i stuck to canon for this answer

10 notes · View notes

paldean-ranger-brandy · 1 year ago

Note

Hello yes I’d love a Hal and Brandy interaction! Maybe Hal’s on a research trip to Paldea and they’re just having some downtime/swapping Ranger stories

//Hal, my buddy Hal! Hal time. Let's go. @pokebiologisthal Quick note: This is in response to my 100 followers event. Requests for character interaction ficlets are now closed. I'm sorry the last few are coming out so slowly - it's been tough getting onto my actual computer lately.

Brandy was having a, frankly, uncharacteristically productive day. She had finally caught up on her mission reports, organized meetings with 3 different ranger stations to discuss their concerns about paradox pokemon, and she had less than 50 unread emails in her inbox. At a certain point her base leader, Joel, swung by to peer over her shoulder at her work.

“Well I’ll be, Grovehurst,” he commented, adjusting his glasses as he leaned in to get a better view of the screen. “Is that a double-digit number in your inbox? You’re really getting the hang of riding a desk, huh?”

Brandy paused at this, and seemed to snap somewhat out of the focused state she had been in. She, too, looked at the shockingly low (43) number of emails she had left to reply to. “Shit,” she said. “You’re right. I gotta slow down. If I get too good at this head office is gonna start coming by to take a golf club to my kneecaps anytime I’m late with a report.”

“No, they won’t. But I wouldn’t worry about it, your shift ends in a half hour anyway. Maybe you’ll make this the day you actually go home on time, hm?”

“Eh, nah. I’ve got nothing to do tonight, and my apartment is too depressing to do anything other than sleep and eat in.”

Just then Brandy’s musings were interrupted by the buzzing of an incoming text notification. They glanced at their phone to see a text message from their friend Hal.

‘Hello Brandy, I’m sure you’re quite busy but I wanted to let you know that I will be in Paldea for the next few days and was wondering if you’d be free for us to get together for a little hang out :)’

Brandy grinned, leaning forward in their chair to respond.

‘HELL YEAH I AM’

‘You’re free tonight. I get off in half an hour, take a taxi to Tagtree Thicket.’

‘There’s this hangout spot by the river. We’re going to have snacks and drinks there.’

They sent the final of the three texts to Hal and, without waiting for an answer, put their phone down. She gave Joel a playful flick on his nose, who was clearly trying to sneak a peek at her phone screen. “Scratch that last,” they said. “Mark your calendar in commemoration. Today is the day I was productive with my paperwork AND left on time. Turns out I do have plans tonight.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That evening found Brandy and Hal sitting underneath by the river that cuts through Tagtree Thicket. There was an assortment of ciders, beers, soft drinks, fruits and veggies, crackers, homemade jam, and a small bit of cooked meat bits that Brandy refused to disclose the source of, but which Hal very strongly suspected might be murkrow. The two were talking back and forth in Fiorean, though Brandy seemed to be getting notably frustrated.

“It’s nice to see you, Brandy,” Hal said, speaking slowly and making sure to enunciate each word.

“It is happy to see you.” Brandy replied, their accent very heavy.

“’I’m’ happy to see you.” Hal corrected, smiling a bit.

“Bah, this is embarrassing.” Brandy gave up, switching back to Galarian. “Wait, do you speak Hoennese?” She asked, switching to her own native tongue.

“I speak just a little bit of Hoennese.” Hal responded, prompting a laugh from Brandy.

“Oh, that was very formal. Don’t worry about it, let’s just stick to this. But man, I used to be nearly fluent in Fiorean. I’m gonna practice some with Joel, you’re gonna be so impressed next time we talk.”

“Speaking of – I can’t believe Joel is here in Paldea with you. The four base leaders in Fiore just seemed so…established.” Hal relaxed back against the tree, twisting the cap off of one of the ciders.

“You think? The only other leader I ever met there was Spenser, and honestly he was a bit of a ding dong. The only thing I know about the other two is that there was some kind of scandal around Cameron and weed, and that Elita was a massive bitch who wouldn’t let her team go to the holiday party.” Brandy cracked open her own drink, the sound of which seemed to summon Michael out from behind a bush. The mightyena happily trotted over, wasting no time in sniffing out the spread of food around them. “Hey bud, not too much. Hal and I gotta eat. Hal, I don’t suppose you have a buddy Michael can play with?”

“Hmmm…” Hal pulled out a pokeball, which immediately caught Michael’s attention. He bounced up and down out of a play bow, excitedly waiting for Hal to release his soon-to-be friend. “I have Jet, but I don’t think Michael is going to…enjoy Jet. Long term. The little guy can be a bit much.”

“Pfffft.” Brandy waved him off. “No such thing. Trust me. Michael has boundless energy for playing. He is without bound, completely.”

“Okay,” Hal said, and then quickly retracted his hand when Michael began impatiently nipping at the pokeball. “Hey, hey! Easy. Here you go.”

The ball was opened, and in a flash of light a small dreepy appeared. Jet made eye contact with Michael, and then froze. Michael was similarly stock still except for a slowly wagging tail. The still silence was held for one beat, and then another, and then without warning Jet exploded out and away from the group. Michael was hot on his tail, yipping excitedly and chasing after the zig-zagging dragon.

“See? They’re fiiiiine,” Brandy said, turning her attention to the poochyena puppy in her lap. “And now lil Mac doesn’t have to worry about her annoying big brother.”

“Sure, sure. We’ll see how long that lasts.” The two seemed to be having a blast at the time, at least. Hal turned his attention back to Brandy. “Anyway. I can’t believe Elita was still doing that by the time you got there. I thought she got enough flack for it that it was just that first year.”

“Wait…were you there for her first year as a base leader?” Brandy asked.

“Yes? That was my first year as a ranger up in Wintown.”

“Hal, I was there for that first year. Her and Joel got promoted at the same time. Are you fucking kidding me?” Brandy was clearly excited now, gesturing with the bottle in her hand and giving Hal a playful slap on the shoulder.

“Wait, so we were rangers in Fiore at the same time?”

“We were! Holy shit, we could have even been friends back then if Elita wasn’t an actual massive cunt!”

“Wow I- well, I wouldn’t use those words exactly, but that is something to ponder. If not for her pettiness and insistence on running drills all year long, we could have had history.” Hal absent-mindedly runs his hand through his hair, apparently preoccupied by thoughts of this alternate timeline.

“Man, I made out with so many people at that party.” She smiled slyly, giving Hal another playful shove. “Coulda been you.”

Hal’s face immediately reddened. “I- well you know- you don’t- we didn’t…” He didn’t seem to quite know what to do with that information. Thankfully, Brandy cut him off with a laugh.

“I’m just teasing. Wanted to see how easy you blush.”

“Well, I hope you’re pleased to have your answer.” Hal muttered, taking a sip of his cider to compose himself. “Even still, that is so strange to think about.”

“Eh, don’t think on it too hard, bud. We’re both here now.”

“Yes, I suppose we are.”

#ooc post #100 followers event #pokebiologisthal #//gee robby why do you get to post 2 written pieces in one day #//it's because im behind on them sowwy

4 notes · View notes