#shes the biggest chick magnet ever

[gallonsoblood]

I would like to tell all of u about my newest oc her name is Copper Wayer (Pronounced Copper Wire) and she used to date Suzie for one month and she likes eating cement and cinder blocks

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #11:

Graham Nash's Wild Tales

Graham Nash is the Malvolio of the Dollar Bin. In case Shakespeare's 12th Night is not instantly at your fingertips, here's the run down: Nash/Malvolio spends his existence/the play looking down on all the drunk David Crosbys/Sir Tobys around him. He thinks he's an equal to the geniuses about him (Joni Mitchell is his Viola; Neil Young his Feste) and he's a competitor with the biggest dope in history (Stephen Stills, of course / the Duke Orsino).

Malvolio winds up cross-gartered in yellow tights, sure he's the star of the play. In actuality he's the laughing stock.

Malvolio = Nash. Check them out.

But Wild Tales has more potential than anything else in Nash's oeuvre. Here's a list of why this album should not suck:

The cover photo, taken by the omnipresent Joel Bernstein, gives us hope that this is a concept record about Middle Earth with Nash playing the role of Tom Bombadil's willowy, spaced out neighbor. Look, he even has a book about Ents!

2. The back cover's art is by Joni Mitchell. She must have, inexplicably, still liked Nash on some level. And she sings on one track. Surely, this album cannot suck!

3. Ben Keith is all over this record. Keith is, of course, central to the Fellowship of the Young. He, Briggs, Poncho, Whitten and Nils helped Neil sneak in and out of Mordor time and time again. If Ben Keith plays on a Dollar Bin record, buy it.

4. Joe Yankee plays on this record. (That's Neil Young's nom de plume in the early 70's. Soon Neil would settle on Bernard Shakey instead.) Again, how can this record not be good?

5. This record is from 73. In 71, when Nash put out his first solo record, Nash had reason to think we all wanted to see him in the yellow tights. Deja Vu was fresh, Mitchell had recently tolerated him as a boyfriend and he was the only relatively handsome guy in the world's biggest band. Just check them out.

Listed left to right, there they are in 71: Neil looks like he forgot to do his middle school math homework yet again and teacher will be mad; Greg Reeves looks like he refuses to do any homework, ever; he is working up a mustache instead; Crosby stands before them all proudly, the assistant middle school Gym coach the girls all know to avoid; Stills is a mouth-breather repeating a grade: he wants to do the homework, but knows not how; Dallas Taylor still eats paste.

And then there's Nash behind them all: in 71 Graham clearly thought he was a studly chick-magnet, ready to date multiple high school cheerleaders and make them all cry; plus when he sings "very, very, very fine house" it sounds like he's actually wearing yellow tights, prancing about, praising Jove. Listening to solo music by the guy in 71 seems like a bad idea.

But by 73 Nash should have gained a little perspective. CSN&Y were toast, Mitchell and Young were making timeless music without him and even Stills refused to put his own name on Nash's records (he's listed as Harry Halex on Wild Tales: Stephen Stills not only sucks, he also can't think up fun or even pronounceable fake names. Let me suggest one for you Stephen: Richard Stroker; his friends call him Dick).

And so Nash should have approached Wild Tales like it was his Gettysburg: it was time to charge the enemy screaming, bayonet out. Nash had everything to lose, everything to gain.

Instead, the album is... okay. Side 1 starts with strong promise: Young's rhythm section regulars Johnny Barbata and Tim Drummond lay down a muddy vibe while David Lindley impersonates Neil nicely. Please inform my wife that Lindley's recent look is my new one:

The problem, frankly, is Nash's voice. He always wants us to believe Wild Tales are about to be told but he always sings like he's hawking Cinnamon Toast Crunch during Saturday morning cartoon hour. Stop sounding happy Graham! We hauled this out of the Dollar Bin because we want Acid, Booze and Ass, Needles, Guns and Grass. We do not want laughs.

Prison Song is a highlight, though. The melody swings, Lindley provides swashbuckling mandolin fills and, while I'm not convinced that all the pot dealers then in prison were assuaged by the knowledge that Graham felt for them deeply, I can get behind this song.

But Side 1 ends with two tracks that show what we are missing out on. When Ben Keith wasn't making this record in 73 he was installing street signs in Neil Young's Ditch, making Tonight's the Night. There are echoes of that effervescent vibe in the Nash songs You'll Never Be the Same and, especially, And So it Goes. Young is credited with acoustic piano on the later song, an instrument he plays plenty of on Tonight. And I'm gonna argue right here that Neil plays the electric rhythm guitar as well on this song; if it's not him, it's Ben Keith. And so, musically, the track is a big deal compared to everything else on this record.

But then there's the chorus:

Well there's one thing to try,

Everybody knows.

Music gets you high,

Everybody grows.

And so it goes.

First of all, no one wants to think about Graham sporting a boner during this, or any, song. So that growing line has got to go.

Secondly, listen to the chorus's vocals, and this song sounds like I'm Waiting For My Man rewritten as a Subway commercial. It's now entitled I'm Waiting For My Ham.

Jonathan Richman, who I love, knows better than to try to cover Leonard Cohen. I know not to attend an open casting call for SI's Swimsuit Edition.

But Nash has no idea. He thinks he can rock a two piece; he thinks he is Leonard Cohen. No wonder Neil pretends to be Joe Yankee on the credits.

The album's second side is dull and unmemorable. Joni Mitchell clearly fell asleep while waiting to be cued for her paltry vocals on Another Sleep Song. She sounds disinterested at best.

Last Spring Nash foisted himself back into our consciousness. Stories appeared in the New Yorker, NPR, all over. After Crosby's death, Nash basically insisted that Crosby's last words had been "you're my hero Graham" or something along those lines. In actuality, Crosby's thoughts on Nash for the last decade had been, basically, you ruined my life; eat a sweet one.

At the same time, Nash made a pathetic effort to jump start SN&Y by praising Stills and claiming that Crosby forgave Young at the end. In fact, Crosby had told Neil more than a few times to eat a whole bunch of sweet ones. But no dice Graham: Neil responded to Nash's press push by reuniting with Stills for a benefit show and not inviting Nash. Man, that's low, Neil. Stephen Stills sucks.

Finally, Nash gloried in those same interviews about his love life. After 40 years of marital bliss, he'd recently dumped his wife and took up with a woman younger than most of his kids. The dude is 81, six months younger than my dad.

Someone get me a woody Allen sized bucket. I'm about to throw up; it seems I drank too many Wild Tales.

[viscerax]

Platonic eddie x chrissy? PLATONIC BESTIE

The Truth

Pairings: platonic!chrissy cunningham x eddie munson

Warnings: period typical homophobia

Plot: Chrissy is tired of constantly hiding her real self, and is so relieved when she finds someone to confide in

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Eddie and Chrissy were the most unlikely friendship Hawkins high school had ever seen. Varsity cheerleader with straight A's and a boyfriend on the basketball team, and a 20-something weirdo whos been held back way to many times and spends his free time managing a DnD party filled with mainly a bunch of freshmen, no one really expected them to get along.

Well, there were things people didn't know about Chrissy. They didn't know she was also kind of a freak. Not even Jason knew. They didn't know she liked to listen to metal and rock music, or that she secretly joined Eddie's DnD games, or even that she would smoke pot on occasion to deal with the constant stress and nightmares that plagued her.

But they didn't know her biggest secret. She didn't even know her biggest secret until a few weeks ago, when she found herself blushing and stumbling over her words when a pretty girl began talking to her in class.

Chrissy felt the weight of this secret weigh down on her, almost tearing her apart on the inside. She felt terrible because she was lying to her boyfriend, but she also felt guilty because of the millions of times people told her how wrong that was. How a girl wasn't supposed to like another girl. But Chrissy couldn't help it! Chrissy couldn't help that she was... well that she was gay.

She had to tell someone.

That's where Eddie came in. She had asked Eddie if they could hang out at his trailer after school, and he immediately agreed.

So here they were, sitting on Eddie's lumpy couch, Chrissy leaning her head on his shoulder as they watched some cheap horror movie and snacked on some popcorn.

"Hey, Eddie?"

"Yeah?" The room stayed silent for a moment, as Chrissy fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

"Uhm- well... I think that... ithinkilikegirls!" Chrissy winced as she spat out the sentence so fast, Eddie couldn't even understand what she was saying.

"Woah, slow down, Chrissy! Take deep breaths, and repeat what you said again. Slowly this time, please." Eddie chuckled as he turned his head to face Chrissy's panicked face.

"Uh- well, okay..." she let out a deep exhale before turning to face Eddie. "I think that I... might like girls. Like I'm a lesbian..." Chrissy felt her hands get a little shaky, and she was prepared to get thrown out of Eddie's trailer, although she never perceived him as being the judgemental kind.

Eddie started chuckling, and Chrissy opened her eyes, turning to face him, a confused look on her face.

"Is that it?" Eddie had his typical smirk plastered on his face, and Chrissy felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"U-uhm... yeah. That's it." Chrissy nodded, still confused as to why Eddie was laughing. Was he mocking her?

"Well, thank you for trusting me with that. I'm gay too, so I guess thats another thing you've got in common with Eddie "the freak" Munson!" Eddie let out a boisterous snicker and ruffled Chrissy's hair, and she giggled, swatting his hand away.

"R-really? You are? Uhm h-how'd you find out that you liked guys?" Chrissy had a bright sparkle in her eyes, and suddenly she had another reason to add to her long list of why Eddie Munson was the coolest person in her world.

"You know Steve Harrington? Graduated last year. Total chick magnet." Eddie sighed, resting his hand in his palm, and Chrissy gasped, playfully punching Eddie.

"You mean Steve "Hair" Harrington? No fucking way, Eddie!" Chrissy snickered, kicking her shoes off and sitting cross-legged on Eddie's couch. She felt like a little girl again, gossiping at a sleepover. Except now she didn't have to pretend to like some hot actor or a guy in her class. She could be honest.

"Yeah. He's a total babe! I've got absolutely no chance with him, but he was definitely my first crush. What about you? What girl has gotten your heart?" Eddie smirked and tucked some of his hair behind his ear as he turned and sat the same way Chrissy did.

"Okay well, I doubt you know her but there's this girl, her name is Vickie. Redhead, she's in band. She's so beautiful. I get nervous everytime she talks to me and my heart gets all racey and my palms are sweaty and I think that I really really like her." Chrissy spoke quickly, and Eddie just nodded and listened as she spoke.

"A band geek, huh? Geez, Chrissy! I knew you were a bit of a weirdo but I never thought you'd go for a band nerd!" Eddie teased, lightly pushing Chrissy. Chrissy scoffed, a fake offended look on her face.

"Vickie is not a geek! She is like- the coolest girl i know! And hey, whats wrong with band kids, huh? Aren't you in a band?" Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Well yeah, but that's school band. There's a total difference. I'm not marching around blowing my trumpet in peoples faces!"

"Oh, whatever! Hey, it takes a lot of talent and damn good lungs to play an instrument! And she looks absolutely gorgeous while doing it, so you better shut your mouth!"

Eddie groaned. "Whatever, geek."

Chrissy never knew how relieving it would be to not have to pretend. Shenever knew how comforting it would feel to finally say what she really thought, but now she did. And that was all she needed.

[louiseleblancdiggory]

Speedy one night stand part 2

Part 1 here

“Ok, so do we go over our story again?”

“We did that a thousand times. Relax, they’re not the brightest.”

Aelin smiled, resting her back against the hospital chair. Even though only one day had passed, Rowan was already feeling infinitely better. His wrist still hurt like a bitch, and it would probably remain like that due to the surgery, but the rest was just some small ache.

Differently from the previous day, this morning Rowan had woken up to an empty room. Aelin had decided to go home around eleven, promising to be back in time for them to go over their plan one more time, but a part of Rowan wondered if she was actually going to be back. It wasn’t a usual situation, and now that she knew he was not dying, maybe she wouldn’t feel any responsibility over him at all.

It had worried Rowan more than he liked to admit.

And yet, she had returned today. Just a few hours after Rowan woke up, Aelin walked into his hospital room. She was her bubbly self, walking through the door while oozing so much excitement and brightness that it was like the sun lodged itself in the room. She plopped down on her usual chair, barely bothering to create small talk before jumping right back to what they had discussed the previous night. Aelin wanted everything to go perfect— had said that she had grown up with a cousin who made her quite competitive when it came to pranks.

Forty five minutes later, they had gone over the details twice, flirted shamelessly every now and then, and Rowan had the pleasure of seeing Aelin play the distressed wife in front of three different doctors.

The woman was a devil.

Rowan couldn’t help but smile.

“When do they get here?”

“You’re so impatient.” Rowan grinned, slowly turning his non-shattered wrist. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re impatient?”

“You and my cousin would be such great friends.” Aelin gave him a sweet smile.

“Sounds like a nice guy, then.”

“He isn’t.” Aelin’s sweet— and oh so fake— smile widened. “A fucking asshole, if you ask me.”

Rowan snorted, looking at the door just in time to see five guys turning around the corner and walking in the direction of the room. A diabolical smile grew on Rowan’s lips, and he turned to Aelin who had a raised brow. “Show time.”

Just like the devil Rowan thought she was, Aelin returned his smile.

———————

Honestly, she shouldn’t be this excited.

Tricking a bunch of men she had never seen in her life should not be that high in her list of priorities. And yet.

Part of her wanted to stay at the hospital yesterday, make sure that Rowan was ok during the night. Even though they had just met, Aelin felt a weird connection to him. Not love— because love at first sight is bullshit—, but she definitely cared for him as a friend. But the doctor insisted that there were no chances that Rowan’s condition would get that bad over night, and so Aelin went home.

She could barely sleep, and in the morning she rushed to get to the hospital.

Because of the prank, of course. Not because of Rowan.

And now that his friends were actually there, that the plan was actually in action, Aelin was having some small doubts.

What if they tell the hospital she’s lying? What if that doctor loses her job? What if—

“Rowan!” A blonde haired man ran through the door, followed by four others. Just like Rowan, all of the men were massive. Tall, muscular, and almost sucking all the air in the room with their presence.

They were all so focused on Rowan that none of them even paid attention to her sitting by a corner in the room, and Aelin used that time to transform the smirk on her lips into a loving smile.

“Fucking shit, Whitethorn.” The tallest of them— the only one as tall as Rowan— said. His pitch black hair was tied back in a bun, but some of it fell out of it when he ran a hand through his head. Aelin tried to remember Rowan’s descriptions of his friends, and if she was right, that was Lorcan. “One day alone and you get hit by a fucking truck.”

“Any cool scars?” One of the golden twins asked, a grin on his face. Either Fenrys or Connall, but judging by the personality and Rowan’s description of the twins, Aelin was betting on the former.

“Shut up.” The one with a buzzcut— Vaughan, she recalled— said, hitting the back of the golden twin’s head. “We tried to come as soon as possible when we heard. We didn’t want to leave you alone.”

“Oh.” Rowan said with all the innocence in the world, a smile as sweet as hers gracing his lips. “Of course I wasn’t alone, are you guys insane or something?”

“Huh?” The twins said in unison, looking at each other.

“I came with my wife.” Rowan said, the sentence sounding like a question. He let out a laugh, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Do you guys think she would just leave me alone?”

“Your fucking what.” Lorcan said very slowly after a few moments of complete silence.

Rowan looked so genuinely confused that even Aelin believed him for a second.

“Guys? Ace?” Rowan said, brows furrowing. His eyes then landed on her, and he gave her a smile that was supposed to be loving, but Aelin just thought he looked like a fiend. “Apparently they think you’re cold enough to enjoy your vacations while your husband is at the hospital.”

“I might not be the warmest, but that would have been low even for me.” Aelin said, voice charred with playful sarcasm. As if she was a magnet, all five heads immediately whipped at her direction, faces showing different levels of incredulity. “Hey, guys.”

Aelin had to bite her cheeks to keep herself from laughing. She didn’t know any human being could be that shocked and stand that still. The silence in the room was suffocating, except for Rowan who was smiling broadly now that no one was looking at him.

“Everyone is seeing the hot blonde, right?” The twin— Fenrys, she’d been right. It was just the type of comment he’d do— asked very carefully.

“I’m flattered, Fen.” Aelin said, taking some pleasure in how his jaw dropped when she said his name. She looked at each of their faces, forcing her expression to show both excitement and some confusion. “Guys? Not even a hug? I mean I know you guys are Rowan’s friends but I would expect some better welcome.”

At that, Aelin got up and walked in their direction. She hugged Vaughan and Fenrys at the same time, both as still as two pieces of stone.

She took a step back, doing the same to Gavriel and Connall. Aelin then looked at Lorcan, winking at him. “I know better than to hug you. Good to know that the change in continents doesn’t change the scowl on your face.”

They all just stared at her.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Rowan was near busting out laughing. She walked to his side, feeling the eyes of his friends following her across the room. She bent down near Rowan, kissing him on the lips before stroking his cheek with a thumb. For a split second, they shared a knowing smile, one that would look very loving to whoever was watching, but both of them knew better.

“I’m gonna go check with your doctor what time we can leave, alright? I’m gonna let you guys catch up.” Aelin said, kissing him again.

Rowan nodded, but then his eyes turned to his friends and narrowed slightly. “Sounds good, honey.”

Vaughan soundly choked.

Aelin made her best impression of being embarrassed— not by the nickname, but by the reactions of his friends.

She left the room with a final smile at the five guys, and when her face was not visible to them anymore, she finally opened the biggest grin she had ever given in her entire life.

As she walked down the hallway looking for the doctor, Rowan almost jumped out of bed just to kiss her again if only for the absolute horror in his friends’ faces. He never thought he’d seen any of them that shaken— even Lorcan was shocked.

Using the fact that all five of them were still looking at Aelin’s body disappearing among doctors, nurses, and other visitors, Rowan controlled his facial expressions and turned them to a disappointed scowl.

“What the fuck was that?” He asked when Aelin completely disappeared. “Would it kill for you guys to be nice to her? It was never an issue, what the fuck happened?”

“Bro.” Connall was the first to tear his eyes away from the door.

“Rowan, I don’t know how to say this gently…” Gavriel started, voice calm and cautious as always.

“You must have hit your head really hard because you’re not fucking married.” Lorcan, on the other hand, had no problem just saying what came to his mind.

“What?” Rowan asked, dumbfounded.

“Man, some hot crazy chick is pretending to be your wife.” Fenrys was smiling, but his whole expression screamed terrified. “Holy fuck, some hot crazy chick is pretending to be Rowan’s wife.”

“Haha, very funny.” Rowan said, relaxing. “Is this why you treated Ace like that? A prank?”

“Her name is Ace.” Vaughan said, the only one still visibly shocked.

“Crazy girl name.” Fenrys added solemnly. Connall nodded profusely.

“Her name is Aelin, and you guys know that. We have been together for over a year not, married for a few months.” Rowan was trying so, so hard not to laugh.

The guys looked at each other, different degrees of worry washing they expressions.

“Rowan, you really have to understand that—“

“Understand what?” Aelin interrupted what Gavriel was saying, causing all of the guys to jump and scream.

At that, Rowan couldn’t contain his laughter. He was laughing so hysterically that not even Aelin managed to keep a straight face and started chuckling too.

“What the fuck was that?” Rowan said between laughs, smiling up at Aelin as she approached his bed even though he was speaking to his friend.

“When is his birthday?” Fenrys ignored Rowan’s question, eyes narrowing at Aelin as she rested against Rowan.

“January twentieth-first.” Aelin said, brows furrowing in confusion. “What the hell is this?”

“Favorite color.” Connall dismissed her question.

“Green.”

“His pet’s name.” Gavriel asked much more politely than the others, but suspicion was palpable in his words.

“We don’t have a pet.”

“What is he studying?” Vaughan finally looked more wary than fucking shocked.

“He’s studying to become an engineer. STEM, then? I don’t know, I’m an arts and humanities major. I don’t understand that shit.”

The guys looked at each other again before Lorcan’s eyes dropped on Aelin. “Mom’s name. Ex girlfriend’s name. Favorite movie. Favorite song. Dick size.”

Rowan choked when he heard the last sentence, but Aelin simply smiled. “Anya. Are you talking about Lyria or Remelle? The Godfather and Patience by the Guns n’ Roses. I will not be discussing my husband’s dick size with his best friend.”

“Holy fuck.” Vaughan breathed.

“Give me your phone.” Lorcan said, even more suspicious now.

Aelin raised a brow, but took the phone out of her pocket. She stole a glance at Rowan, but he was just as confused as her.

“Call the first person in your favorites.”

Oh, fuck.

It had been fun while it lasted, and Rowan was about to get his ass beaten by his friends even though he was still in a hospital bed.

But Aelin simply unlocked her phone for everyone to see, went to her contacts and called the second person in her favorites. She raised her eyes from the phone to smile sweetly at Lorcan. “Rowan is the first.”

Lorcan’s jaw clenched minimally, as if Aelin had just passed a test she was supposed to fail. Now, just like the rest of his friends, Lorcan looked expectantly ate the phone on top of Rowan’s legs. Aelin had put it on speaker, and the only sound in the room was their breathing and the dialing sound.

“Hey, babe.” A female voice answered, soft and warm. “What can I help you with?”

“I don’t know, actually.” Aelin raised her face to Lorcan, and she looked so beautiful that the smile that grew on Rowan’s face was genuine. “Why did I call her?”

“Is she married?” Lorcan asked loudly so the girl on the phone would hear.

“What did he say?” She asked anyways.

“Lorcan asked if I am married.” Aelin raised the phone to her lips so her friend could hear her better.

“Uhm, yeah?” Her friend laughed. “Aren’t you married to his best friend for a few months now? What type of question is this?”

Aelin smiled smugly at his friends, and Rowan made his best impression of pissed off husband. In reality, all he wanted was to be alone with Aelin and kiss her for her geniality.

She wasn’t kidding when she said she was competitive when it came to pranks.

“Hey, what’s up, Lys. Is that Ace?” A man sounded through the phone.

“Yeah.” Lys answered.

“Is Rowan ok?” The man asked casually, and even Rowan was surprised by that.

Turns out Aelin had been a few steps ahead of him.

“I’m fine.” Rowan answered, trying to sound casual. “But apparently my friends decided to be assholes even though I’m already suffering.”

Aelin snorted, resting her back against his chest.

“What are they doing?” The guy asked and Rowan could hear the smile on his voice. Even though the voice tone was completely different, the man sounded so much like Aelin that it could only be her cousin since she didn’t have siblings.

“Pretending they don’t know Ace.”

“I would also pretend I don’t know my cousin if I could. Disgraceful woman.” He grumbled. “She must be loving the attention, though.”

“Fuck off.” Aelin snapped at the same time Rowan laughed. She turned her head to him, eyes narrowing with enough emotion that Rowan knew she was being genuine. He just smiled, giving her a quick kiss before turning to the phone again.

“Me and Lys gotta go, but we’ll see you this weekend for dinner, right?”

“Yep.” Rowan knew nothing of it, but now he was knee deep into his lie so backing out wasn’t an option anymore.

“Oh, and Ace, Lysandra says the airline just sent your ticket back to Terrasen to the apartment.” Aedion announced before hanging up, leaving the comment hanging in the air.

Aelin heard sharp intakes of breath, and raised her head to see all men staring at her dumbfounded.

“What?” She asked innocently, resting once again against Rowan. His hand sneaked up to the back of her head, massaging her scalp. Even though she tried to play it cool, her heart was hammering inside her chest— both because of how big the lie had just become and because of Rowan’s touch against her skin. Her whole back was against his side, and Aelin hoped he thought the racing heart was due to the lie, not due to him.

“Very well, Ace.” Lorcan said after a moment of prolonged silence. “We are so sorry for the prank. Why don’t we all go out to dinner to pay you back.”

Aelin was gonna vomit her heart. All the guys looked at Lorcan, and even Rowan’s hand stilled against her hair.

And yet she just forced a smile on her face, nodding her head. “Sounds amazing.”

Rowan’s hand in the back of her head massaged now her neck, reassuring her everything was ok.

But that definitely wasn’t the sentiment on his friends’ faces.

Oh, fuck.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: I’m sorry for such a small update for this story, but I’m trying to write some Valentine’s day oneshots but I wanted to continue this one a little! I’ll probably to a final part three for it sometime!

Tags:

@in-love-with-caramel-macchiato @jlinez @courtofjurdan @firestartsandseneschals @ladywitchling @lexflame @sleeping-and-books @annejulianneh111 @perseusannabeth @linshryver @mu-si-ca-l @camilamartinezdunne @dank-queen7 @minaidss @starborn-faerie-queen @booksofthemoon @loveofbooksandwine @jesstargaryenqueen @bluejaberry @multifandommessblog @yesdreamblog @superspiritfestival @ireallyshouldsleeprn @woollycat22 @julemmaes @claralady @abookishfreak @faerie-queen-fireheart @morganofthewildfire @queen-of-glass @heirofthenightcourt @booksbqueen @heirofthrnightcourt004 @fromthelibraryofemilyj @rowaelinismyotp @fromthelibraryofemilyj

* tags in bold don’t allow me to tag

[malfoys-demigod]

Boy-Magnet - Draco Malfoy x Reader

Prompt: “Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”, “Thank you, it means a lot to me.”

Summary: Being the opposite of a chick-magnet, you attracted many single boys who always tried hitting on you or asking you on a date. These boys all had the wrong intentions, especially Cormac McLaggen who had to be the biggest problem of them all. Draco couldn’t stand seeing his friend/secret crush go through this all. Little did you know, he would give his last fend off, showing that he would be there for you at all times now. 

Word count: 3.6k 

Tagging @the--queen-of-hell

A/N: Ah!! It’s a bit scratchy but this oneshot should do it! Enjoy!

--  “Hey Y/N, you free this weekend?” asked a passerby whose friends started chuckling as they walked past you in the corridors. 

“Nope,” you irritatingly answered and rolled your eyes as you were waiting for your friend Daphne to leave the classroom she just had classes in. 

You checked the time from your antique chain watch, looking at how classes should have ended five minutes ago for Daphne. But then again, she was having Professor Binns’ History of Magic so he would have gone overtime without knowing. 

“Silly old ghost,” you muttered to yourself as you placed the watch back into your sling bag. You were lucky you didn’t have to fill another class like Binn’s into your schedule unlike Daphne who was advised to take History of Magic if she wanted to become a professor. 

“I can agree with you,” came the voice who replied to you. Looking up, you saw Cormac McLaggen walking towards you slowly with his hands in his robe pockets, smirking at you. “Too bad I still have him this year,” his hand pressed the wall, making his body closely face yours. 

“How unfortunate,” you tried sounding as lively as possible. 

The obnoxious boy let out a laugh, thinking you were interested in the conversation he started, pulled up his History of Magic book and waved it in front of you. “I was thinking,” he said looking at the book, “If you could tut-”

Daphne Greengrass was the first one to have forcefully brushed the doors of the classroom you were standing by open, storming out with a sigh of relief as she saw your figure waiting by. 

“Merlin’s beard!,” she boomed, “Thank you so much for waiting, Y/N.” She looked tired as if she slept through the whole class time but seeing that she drew on her arms with her quill meant that she was wide awake, bored out of her mind as she did not want to write useful information from the class. 

When she looked at the person who was closely in front of you, she knew what she had to do as she pulled you by the arm and said, “We have to go! Uh,” she looked down, left and right, thinking of a quick excuse, “The boys want to meet us!” She looked at Cormac who seemed uncomfortable hearing that there were boys who were more valued than his time. “Beat it, McLaggen.” she said as she dragged you away from the scene, going wherever was the farthest from him. 

“The boys, huh? Very specific of you, Daph,” you laughed. Turning left and then turning right, the two of you had entered the Great Hall, the nearest place with the most people to use as a way to hide from ill men like Cormac. 

“Right,” she exhaled from running so quickly. “We’re okay here?” 

“I suppose,” you shrugged, “I actually would love a snack anyways.” 

The two had gone to the ends of the Slytherin table which was the edge facing the professors’ table when they usually had their meals. While you were placing your bag by your side, Daphne had already asked for pumpkin juice and sandwiches from the elves. 

When she was finished ordering, she looked at you with concerned eyes as she placed a hand on your shoulder. “Sorry class took long. I bet if Binns was aware of the time, you wouldn’t have encountered that slimy boy.” 

“It’s alright, Daphne. I just hate how there are still so many ill-minded boys in this school who think they can just claim me as their own. I wish I wasn’t some magnet to them,” you sighed, laughing. 

Daphne nudged your shoulder, shaking her head from left to right. “Don’t ever say that! You’re lucky boys go after a beautiful girl like you, but sadly they go after you in the wrong way. You just need to learn how to defend yourself without anyone helping you.”

“True, but I suppose having a boyfriend would be nice too,” you joked. Daphne rolled her eyes in a joking manner as she drank from her pumpkin juice. 

“Sign me up too, Y/N,” she sighed, “Oh Merlin, why can’t you help me out!,” Daphne looked up to the ceiling, pretending to pray for a miracle. 

While you were laughing your arse off, footsteps belonging to a group were walking towards your end of the table. You only noticed when a body slid into the table, sitting beside you. 

“Gone nuts haven’t we, Greengrass?,” said the voice. 

Daphne and you turned to the right, looking at Draco and his gang who had just arrived with a grand meal through the magic of the elves. 

Your friend nodded, taking in another sip of her pumpkin juice. “Crazy times we live in, Malfoy.”

Draco gave a small nod in return, then looked at you, giving you a friendly warm smile. As he smiled from his mouth, it was also as if his gray eyes were smiling as well. 

“Afternoon, Y/N,” he politely greeted you, “I would have assumed by your childish laugh that you had gone nuts as well, but then again, I can’t picture you going nuts, especially over someone trying to ask Merlin helplessly.”

The whining ‘Hey, I’m right here!’ from Daphne was ignored and spaced out as you were in the zone with Draco’s conversation. 

You smiled as a result of hearing the smooth comment the platinum blonde had given you. Stroking a loose hair strand behind your ear, you shyly looked down. 

“Well, Draco. I’m full of surprises. I could go nuts any minute by now.,” you replied, looking back up as if your confidence had just brought you back alive. 

“Not on my watch, Y/L/N. Besides, what could possibly drive you nuts? You’re one of the most calm people around school. You don’t have annoying people such as saint Potter on your shoulder everyday.” 

Scoffing, you shook your head, denying the things he had just said. That was by far the most untrue statement anyone had ever told you. Your whole life constantly revolved around people trying to hook up with you and trying to fend off those same people. 

“Have you ever seen the countless mindless boys who try asking me on a date?,” you laughed. “It’s not fun to decline their offers.” 

Draco’s face had hardened as he knew what you were talking about. The way he commented how he assumed you didn’t have people on your backs to fend off was all bluffs. He had seen the evil minded boys who had tried to get physically close to you, and he even heard many betting which one would claim you as theirs that he even threatened to hex most of them whenever you weren’t around. 

“Why would you decline them? Surely you’d want to go on a date with someone.”

You tilted your head, “Yes, I would but most of these boys don’t have the right intentions. I can somehow feel it.” 

Draco nodded, understanding what you meant. He took a lowkey angry bite off his sandwich, visualizing the many boys he would often overhear by the corridors. 

“I can assure you that there’s only a few boys with the right mindset,” he stood up, causing his group to stand up as well. He looked at you with careful eyes, “You take care, Y/N. See you back at the common room. Excuse us.” 

You waved goodbye, smiling pleasantly at Draco as he turned around, leading his group out of the Great Hall. Daphne could see the way you smiled at Draco, treating him differently from the rest of the other boys in school. She nudged you in the shoulder again, making you finally turn back to her with a dazed look. 

“I know Malfoy’s.. Well Malfoy, but he’s quite nicer than the rest of the boys in school towards you.” she detected. 

“He seems like it.” you agreed. 

--

Potions class with the Slytherins was a joined class with the Gryffindors. This was one of the many classes that you had with other houses and one of the few that was shared with the Gryffindors. Today was promised by Professor Snape to be an interactive class. 

So aside from the usual potion experiments, Snape informed everyone that today’s experiments would be done in the way wherein he would pick pre-made pairs from his list to do the experiment together. 

While you were hoping to be paired with Daphne or anyone that was willing to let aside the ill-minded questions on their minds to focus on the experiment with you, Draco was hoping to be paired with you. 

Being a table behind you, he didn’t have to look back at you and pray that he was going to be paired with you. He had the chance to look in front of him and watch your reaction when you finally get picked to be with him. 

To kill the suspension throughout the whole classroom, Snape grabbed the list on his desk and stood in front of the class. 

“Greengrass and Zabini.” 

Draco watched as Daphne, your seatmate, pouted and waved goodbye as she moved out of her seat to be with Blaise. He felt like Merlin was in his side as the chances of being paired with you only grew higher. 

“Potter and Granger.” 

Draco rolled his eyes and wanted to throw his head back. ‘Nobody gives a damn!’ he impatiently said to himself. 

“Y/L/N and McLaggen.” 

Draco’s heart felt like stopping as he heard a name that was not his be paired with you. He looked at McLaggen who smirked to himself as he started moving his way to your table. 

“Malfoy and Weasley.”

“Oh, come on!” Ron complained, only for Snape to smack him in the head with his list. Draco was too discontented to see Cormac take the spot he was yearning for that he didn’t even have the emotion to bark at Ron for being his partner. 

Throughout the entire experiment, Draco’s eyes were on the table in front of him. As every second passed, he kept praying that Cormac would somehow get poisoned from inhaling whatever ingredients he could have misplaced, making him run to the Hospital Wing so he could stop looking at you with such puppy eyes. 

Despite being the best potion student of the class, Draco was really off his game. He couldn’t stop paying attention to you that he would single-handedly make little mistakes throughout the whole experiment that Ron started getting annoyed by. Even if Ron wasn’t one of the best potions students, he had to fix the mistakes Draco kept filling in with. 

“Bloody hell, Malfoy. I thought you were the top of our class!” Ron complained as he picked up the ingredients Draco had dropped, assuming that he placed it in the pot. “Why are you so lousy all of a sudden?” 

Draco definitely did not hear a single word Ron had said as his eyes and ears were on you and McLaggen. He was listening to how you were trying your best to be patient with Cormac. He was a mess just like Draco, only to find out that he was always a mess in potions. He wasn’t as keen and smart as Draco in this class - he was far from that. He couldn’t tell which ingredient was which, which made you wonder how he’s been getting by with potions class. 

“Why don’t I do the experiment for us?” you irritatingly suggested. “You can still experience the experiment by observing.” 

“I’m terribly sorry, Y/N,” Cormac playfully pouted, “I’m such a mess when it comes to these things.”

Draco rolled his eyes, muttering to himself that Cormac was indeed a terrible mess in general. He then watched Cormac rest his head on the palms of his hand as he watched you continue with the experiment like a hopelessly in-love puppy. Draco wanted to smack the head of Cormac for being such an annoying person, not doing his job, and looking at you in the way he wanted to look at you. 

“You know, Y/N,” Cormac said, “You’re really good at potions. I bet you do all sorts of talents with your hands.” 

Draco narrowed his eyes in anger, holding the table with such grip as he was trying to compose himself from breaking out and hexing the life out of Cormac. How dare him have the audacity to say such a thing to you! Where were his manners? This was an outrage! Draco couldn’t take it anymore. He looked at you, heavily focused on the experiment that you did not hear the last thing Cormac said. 

“Uh-huh.” was all you said. 

“Do you think you could perhaps tutor me in potions?” Cormac asked, “I know a secluded spot for the two of us in the library.” He wriggled his eyes, expecting that you were going to turn to him and accept the offer gladly. 

“No thanks, McLaggen.” you nonchalantly declined the offer as you were still focused on brewing the experiment. “Pass me the whisk, will you?” 

As Cormac passed the whisk, there was a lingering touch from his hand as he tried feeling the smoothness of your hand for a little longer. You turned to look at a grinning McLaggen as you aggressively took the whisk away from him, removing his touch from you with a disgusted look. 

“You’re welcome.” Cormac sounded as if he depended on the thanks he was waiting for. You just gave him a scoff as you didn’t even bother looking back at him. 

Draco was furious from the inside. He asked himself, ‘How could Merlin bring such a badly behaved and disgusting person like Cormac McLaggen into this world?’ As he angrily chopped more ingredients, he couldn’t stand witnessing monstrosities like this. Then again, there were many boys that probably tried courting you without him there, so the unknown number of attempts that he wasn’t there to fend off made him grow more furious than he already was. 

--

After class, you made your way to the one place where you could easily gather your thoughts. 

The Black Lake. 

If Draco Malfoy claimed the Astronomy Tower as ‘his place’, then the Black Lake was yours. You didn’t have to travel a flight of stairs to gather your thoughts. It only took you a good walk away from the castle to make it to the famous lake. 

The Black Lake was the place where you could distress yourself from the immense workload your classes would give you. It was the place where you could talk to yourself, vent and rant to yourself about the things that bother you. It was the place you could be at for hours. 

There were barely people who normally hung around the lake as they were scared of Merpeople dragging them into the water. It was nonsense. Of course there were merpeople but people had to understand that they lived in the bottom of the lake. Why would they swim to the top-most part of the lake and attempt dragging people down with them?

When you finally arrived at your favorite place, you rested your back on one of the massive rocks by the trees to get a perfect view of the lake. You opened up your Defense Against the Dark Arts book, attempting to learn more things in advance. This class may have not been your strongest class, but it wasn’t the weakest class either. But either way, you wanted to do some advance reading since you did not have anything else to do for the day. 

“Now,” you said, turning to the next page, “Which spell should I learn today?” Your eyes were looking through familiar spells that you either have tried out before or did not interest you. You flipped to more pages, searching for more interesting spells but you ran out of luck. The ones you wanted would have caused mass destruction in a place such as the Black Lake. Also, extreme spells were not allowed to be practiced alone. 

Feeling defeated, you closed your Defense Against the Dark Arts Book and sighed, placing it back on your bag. “I suppose watching the Lake for awhile would suffice,” you said to yourself as you hugged your knees, watching the body of water that the lake had embodied. 

“Perhaps I could be of use for entertainment.” said a voice that had come out of nowhere. 

Surprised by the voice, you had looked left and right to see where the voice might have come from. But there was nobody. Suddenly, hands covered your eyes, blocking your sight and turning everything you saw into darkness. 

“Guess who.” said the same voice that had now whispered into your ear. The thrills that ran along your spine could only mean one thing. Cormac McLaggen. You furiously grabbed a hold of his hands and shoved it away from your eyes as you stood up, turning around to push the playful Gryffindor. 

“What the hell, McLaggen!” you screamed, walking a few steps backwards. 

Cormac cheekily smiled, walking a few steps towards you. “Come on, sweetcheeks. I know you’re just trying to play hard to get with silly old me.”

Your eyebrows narrowed in anger as you have heard the most ridiculous thing from his mouth. “You’re out of your mind. I despise boys like you who think they can just come up to me and act all playful with me. Why can’t you bark up another tree for once?!” 

Cormac pulled you and forcefully pressed you against the nearest tree. He stroked your cheek with his left hand while his right hand was carefully holding you tightly in your waist. He leaned into your ear, whispering, “Because,” he said, “you are-”

“STUPEFY!” casted a voice. 

Cormac’s body had flown off of you and into the ground, ten meters away from you. You exhaled in relief and saw that it was Draco Malfoy who had casted the spell. When he saw that Cormac was unconscious for a second, his eyes went to you. He ran towards you, placing his hands on your shoulder, looking up and down to see if you were hurt. “Are you okay, Y/N? Dammit, if only I had gotten here faster. Merlin’s beard I swear, I already threatened that asshole twice today. If he-”

“MALFOY” Cormac yelled as the Gryffindor tried properly standing on his own. 

Draco saw that McLaggen was almost on his feet. To stall things, he had quickly casted a “Glisseo”, resulting in Cormac to slip and fall on his own bottom as the spell caused him to flatten steps into a slide. Once Cormac fell once again, Draco looked at you with concerned eyes, “My dear, are you sure you’re okay?” 

“I am now that you’re here.” you honestly told him. “He just happened to get in the way, honestly.” 

“Right, well, it’s time I show you what I've been trying to do ever since vile gits like him have been trying to get on you.” Draco said, looking now at Cormac. “Oy!”

Cormac stood up, looking at Draco with sore eyes. 

“Yeah, you great ugly brute! Come at me, Gryffindork!” Draco confidently opened himself. 

McLaggen infuriatingly started dashing towards Draco as if he was a bull that saw Draco holding up a red flag. Before he could jump and tackle Draco onto the ground, Draco did the opposite of lowering his wand and casting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” on Cormac, who began levitating off the ground. 

Your mouth opened with excitement as Cormac demanded that he be let down immediately. Draco’s wand then pointed at the Black Lake which dragged Cormac’s body above the cold-icy lake. When Cormac had realized where he was being placed, there was fear in his eyes as he started whimpering, apologizing and crying. 

“Shall we drench him?” Draco shouted, pretending he was the ringleader of a carnival. 

“No, no, please don’t!” Cormac begged. 

“I think we should!” Draco sounded happy. “And into the water you go!” With that, Draco pointed his wand to the water, bringing Cormac in for a sweet drench. Then Draco abruptly brought him back on air, only for him to place him back on the water. The action of bringing Cormac back down and back up was done continuously for a good five minutes as Draco was amused and entertained by what he was seeing. 

It was funny at first to watch, but five minutes was enough for you. You started to feel bad for Cormac even if he was an awful person to you. 

“Draco?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” 

Draco scoffed and laughed. “Don’t you think he deserves extreme consequences?” 

“True, but I think that should be enough.” 

“In a minute, I’m nearly satisfied with my doings.” 

Seeing that Draco was focused on the punishment he was giving Cormac, you thought of one way that could possibly prevent him from continuing his doings. You walked closer to him, slowly enveloping him with a soft hug. 

Being unfamiliar with such actions from someone like you, Draco without delay, had lowered his wand, resulting in dropping Cormac into the water, possibly sinking him into the depths of the lake as the water that day was extremely cold. 

The platinum blonde had surprisingly hugged you back even softer than expected as he brushed the strokes of your hair. He placed his chin on your head as he closed his eyes, taking in the fact that the two of you were hugging each other. 

“Thank you, it means a lot to me.” you said.

“I promise you, Y/N, that I will always be there for you. Whether it be fending off jokes like McLaggen or comforting you in any possible way, I assure you, I will be there for you. I won’t let you off my sight.”

“That’s good,” you smiled, “I’m going to do the same thing for you.” 

[whereflowersbloom]

Meet me at the horizon

Damian has spent nearly three hours inside the meeting room of one of the biggest companies of the Eastern Coast, Wayne Enterprises, the silence was strong after several hours discussing the approval of new projects, majority of them Proposed by Timothy Drake. Tim was a genius in Computer Engineering and Technologies, currently working with Lucious Fox. He just graduated and was already making money developing enterprise digital assistance apps and what not for the company. Unfortunately the silence lasted less than two deep breaths as the board directors, shareholders, his siblings and even his own father were exchanging goodbyes and handshakes, scheduling the next meeting already. His father had promised to take Helena shopping with Selina. His adoptive siblings stayed in the meeting room, deciding to have a much-deserved break, to catch up with their daily activities.

Damian frowned unconsciously, his head was throbbing with the surge of scenes in his head. The scenes he was so used to see in his dreams for the last nine months, but the last three months have been assaulting him any moment of the day, especially close to his eldest brother Richard. The meeting seemed to have opened a door to these dreams and this talk about opening an office in Jump city was making it worse. Jump City. He had the vague sensation he’d been there before...

Tim, Richard and Duke seemed to be too busy speaking about the next big game of Gotham Knights, the hockey team, to notice his troubled expression. They mumbled something about asking Jason to slow down from his intense sportbike racer life and watch the game all together. Damian didn’t bother listening to the rest, he was attacked by images of that younger version of himself in some kind of flashy vigilante costume fighting criminals.

“We should go to the game this weekend. The girl I’m seeing now, Kori said she was interested in learning about traditional sports. She’s been in Gotham for six months now. She’s very enthusiastic about cultural learning.” Richard suggested with a wide smile to his siblings completely excited. Eyes like wildfire lit with the spark of life. He hadn’t met Dick’s girlfriend but he looked happier than he’s ever seen him in years.

“Are you joining, D or you’ve got a date?” Duke asked with a teasing tone in his sardonic voice.

Damian did not retribute the smile his adoptive brother gave him, trying to mask his still throbbing head. He looked at him, threatening gaze was a subtle warning. He didn’t know why this was happening that day, but the talk about Jump City and Dick’s new girlfriend were just bringing more of those images. Most of them weren’t good ones. Gory, brutal, bloody. He liked more the ones that seemed to joyful. The ones with that girl.

“He barely seem to have time to meet someone. He’s a workaholic.” it was Tim who answered with an amused smile on his lips, masking an exhausted mien.

“At this pace he’s close enough to become a celibate monk.” Duke joked elbowing Tim lightly, who laughed in response.

“I tried to set him up with some girls, but I almost end up with a broken jaw.” Dick shrugged slightly as he told them with details how Damian had turned down Kara Danvers, Tim’s girlfriend’s best friend. Admittedly she was a nice-looking woman but not the one he desired.

Damian decided to ignore the moronic comments about his love life from his siblings.

Storming out of the meeting room without uttering a single word. They knew nothing about his romantic life. Tsk. A breath of fresh is what he required, lost in consuming thoughts about the girl.

People form the company knew him as the extremely professional boss that run his department with an almost iron fist, he was fair though, accepting the situation of people that worked under him, but he didn’t accept people trying to take advantages or lacking in his services. And he was indeed workaholic.

The media knew him as the ‘Ice Prince of Gotham’, the young heir that was always looking serious, with a cold aura around him, with no type of relationships or scandals so far. He didn’t have the bad boy aura like Jason, ‘chicks’ seemed to dig it as Duke would crudely express. He appeared distant of people out of his inner circle. However, women followed him like bees to flowers in order to collect nectar.

It was just his Wayne charm he couldn’t turn off, regardless of the situation. Like his father, Damian just attracted female attention like a magnet. But no girlfriend. He's had the odd fling here and there but nobody has ever really caught his eye and he's incredibly busy he hasn't the time to feel that maybe he's missing out. Until he saw her.

All his time, attention and passion have been poured into his work. Not that he loved it exactly but he's never been one to do things by halves. Of course he made time to spend quality time with his family, after all, little Helena was barely ten years old. Perky and tireless, too smart for her age if he added. EHis youngest sister.

He was also known in the sports world as one of the most skilled people on the art of the traditional sword fighting and martial arts. He didn’t know where this passion for sword fighting began, although he would bet all his money that it had something to do with his strange recurrent dreams.

 Although his life was satisfactory in his personal view, he always felt as if something was missing. He felt as lonely as the teenager in his dreams when the girl was not around him. She was missing.

Why this bothered him so much, he couldn’t find a logical reason that made any sense. It was just a simple dream, and that girl wasn’t much more than that. A dream. But why he felt that way? That need to look around every time he was in a place full of people hoping to get a glimpse of those shinning amethyst eyes looking at him like she did in his dreams with such profound emotion. Or his necessity to look for her around the world as if he was sure he could find her. She was etched in his bones, buried in down his bronze skin, burning in his chest leaving him out of breath. The images were flooding his mind again. More than absurd dreams, they were a recollection of memories...from a different lifetime perhaps.

They had something briefly, he gathered from the persistent dreams. It was intense, passionate. It was only something he could describe as love. But suddenly they parted ways, forced to be away from the other. They lost contact. The images were so vivid. They felt so real. A first last kiss filled with sorrow, powerlessness, genuine affection. It was carved into his mind until he memorized it. That moment. The warmth and scent of her breath put him in an hypnotic daze. Her lips parted softly, and he could taste faint traces salt from her tears when her soft lips pressed against his. He could feel lightning coursing through his veins, as if his entire world had been set ablaze only lasting seconds. Then it was gone. The ghost of a promise of a second chance. He’d grown tired of waiting for her to appear before his eyes. Every damn second felt like an eternity in itself. With every passing moment, his patience waned a little more and his heart sank a little further.

The haunting pain, endless longing, fear of losing her, the regret of leaving her behind first. They were all real. It was a silent torture.

At first, foolishly he believed these feelings would eventually fade and he would no longer be haunted by her phantom presence. Only memories he thought as he closed his emerald eyes. And her pale, heart-shaped, beautiful face flitted across his mind. Damian had spent his entire life being in control. But every time he met her in his dreams, he seemed to lose his grasp on his emotions, his life, and sometimes, even his destiny. He had to find her.

The wind howling through halls of old memories, piercing through solitude, skin and bone until there’s nothing but heavy emotions and melancholy. Walking with a heart that’s taken too many hits, never too fragile but refusing to be held in the hands of another’s that don’t belong to hers. In his chest remained an ache, a longing for what was or could have been. What he let slip.

“I am sorry we did not have time, Raven.” He mumbled almost in a whisper to nothingness. It felt like a heartfelt apology a thousand years too late. Maybe more or less. A lifetime too late. If their hearts and destiny were entwined surely they would find their back to each other no matter what. Damian carried that hope in his heart, always his constant companion. If He were to walk to the ends of the earth and waited for her on the horizon after the sun has set, would she be there? At the point where the land and sky meets. Could they be together once again?

Raven. The girl. He thought of her during the long hours between dusk and dawn, as he ate dinner alone or read next to the window. She was an ever present fixture in his mind and never more so than today. He considered what he might say to her once he found her, but what rational excuse could he offer to a stranger? He doubted she would find comfort in the ridiculous phrases he might string together about meeting in a past lifetime or those dreams. What if she had them too? If it wasn’t some breathtakingly realistic illusion and she was so where in this city or Jump City or anywhere else looking for him. It was silly to entertain such notions, he knew it well. But that didn’t stop his mind from wandering from time to time when he found a poignant passage of poetry that tugged at his heart, or a new book that fascinated him. She loved books how he knew that, he was not sure. What he wouldn’t give to have long days spent indulging their mutual passion for literature, poetry, history and ancient languages.

He’s been walking around for longer than he imagined, looking at his watch it’s last 6:00 pm. It was out of instinct or some magnetic pull forcing his body to look at the flower shop, whatever universal spirit or energy did it. He was thankful. The shop was tiny, a sliver of space between a cafe and bookstore, and would have disappeared into the surrounding stone and woodwork had it not been for the white and lavender exterior. Eyes quickly scanning surroundings. It was exquisite and untamed, thorny blackberry brambles mingle with fresh citrusy kumquats wrapped languidly around overhanging light fixtures for a wild, yet utterly magnificent and unique look. It had a three-panel glass window boasting an avant-garde display of blush dahlias, blizzard hydrangeas, soft purple lilacs, a mixture of green stems and leaves that balanced everything out. He had been here before but never spotted the shop. The shop was definitely new and if Damian hadn’t known this neighborhood so well, the faint smell of fresh paint would have given it away.

Her hair was a deep navy blue sprinkled with white, like starlight in winter. Her heart-shaped had matured beautifully, moonlight skin. She was a flashing star born with striking surreal violet orbs. She was holding astilbe flowers in white and soft pink. She set the flowers on the counter carefully, her fingers hovering in the space around them, like she wanted to guard them, to protect every petal from the possibility of being crushed. As if they were more than blooms of colour, like there were uniquely cherishable aspects to each one that is not present in the next. He could see that type of caring in her. This was his Raven. This can’t be real, Right? The world wouldn’t be this cruel to him, playing mind tricks on him. She was here. O

Damian thought of every slow-motion, heart-stopping, head-spinning scene in every romance movie or show or novel and how he’d always assumed they were stupid, nothing but rubbish. But here he was standing astonished literally staring at the woman of his dreams. Speak with her. Just hear her low and calming voice. That was all his mind would permit him to focus on, the single-minded determination to see her again.

He moved with driving purpose, his legs propelling him to go inside the little store and tell her everything about his dreams, recollection of old memories. The thought crossed his mind so briefly he scarcely dwelt on it, but that was how it had been for him in the months since dreaming of Raven. His pace slowed as he was stopped by the entrance door, opening it slowly, willing his heart to steady the gallop rhythm of its beats. The sun was shining brightly through the shop’s windows, soft classical music played through the serene and scented atmosphere.

The anticipation rushing through his veins felt like burning his tongue on Earl Grey too hot-tea a chilly rainy day, a dry mouth after sleepless night tossing and turning because other side of his bed looked too empty, trees in the park swayed and shuddered by the afternoon air before lighting fractures the sky and shakes earth, like he’s been waiting a million of breaths for this moment. In his twenty-one years of existence never experienced this wild and frantic emotion.

He swallowed around a very dry throat when he let the door swing shut behind him as his short, hesitant strides brought him directly up to the counter. Now they were face to face. Mustering the courage to say anything. Anything that dint make her think he was insane. But when his gaze met hers. Damian found himself awe-struck by the intensity behind familiar amethyst eyes. The stars couldn’t compare. The world and moon would crumble away. The sun would collapse into itself at this dazzling and glorious constellation that she was. Lilac pools hiding something mystic and ancient in their depth.

She leaned in closer to him in such a natural way, raising her head just to meet his. Her smile was sincere and expectant, pupils blown wide, but they’re focused, dark and determined, nearly drowning out the violet glint of her irises. His lips ached to reach for hers in a hungry kiss but refrained. Speechless, heart pounding in chest, peculiar fluttering sensation in his stomach, waiting for her to speak. Finally she took a deep and long breath before whispering. “Hello Damian. It’s been quite a long time.”

I rewrote this and hope you all like it. I can’t find it in me to update stories right now but have this short prompt. Specially written for @chromium7sky @ravenfan1242 @xaphrin @alerialblu @niahti and all my friends and readers. I’m so sorry some of you have been getting hate but we stand strong and together. 💜❤️❤️🥺🥺

@deep-in-mind67 @kallura-juniblade @bourniebna @timid-soot-sprite @deepbreadlover @tweepunkgrl @srose-foxfire

[groovesnjams]

“HEARTFIRST” by Kelsea Ballerini

DV:

It might’ve premiered at the CMT Music Awards, but this is the least country Kelsea Ballerini’s ever sounded: like she and cowriters Alysa Vanderheym and Karen Fairchild tried to rewrite Tove Lo’s immortal “Timebomb” while channeling Kiss-era Carly Rae Jepsen. “HEARTFIRST” is a headlong, heady sugar rush of a song, and while it doesn’t quite rise to the level of either of those comparison points it’s thrillingly irresistible in its own right. And, I can’t emphasize this enough, it’s unquestionably a pop song with the absolute barest veneer of pop-country production. I grew up on Shania and Faith Hill and - most of all - The Chicks, but ever since the latter were blacklisted in the early 2000s there’s been a backlash against “inauthenticity” (always a presence for women in pop country) that’s dominated. Men, preferably white and with ridiculous beards, would dominate both the charts and the awards; women (with few exceptions) were minimized. And even a titan like Taylor Swift was releasing “country versions” of her singles as late as the Red era! But that backlash has slowly developed some hairline fractures: Beyoncé releasing the best country song of the last decade in “Daddy Lessons”, Sam Hunt picking up the banner for least authentic country superstar, finally giving Mickey Guyton a fucking stage. And now Ballerini, whose last song was a stock Kenny-Chesney-featuring ode to her hometown, is releasing something as unabashedly pop as “HEARTFIRST”. On one hand, it’s a fantastically catchy but relatively conventional pop song. On the other, it feels poised to function as a barometer for where the limits of the country genre are in the 2020s.

MG:

Truthfully, I remember back when Steven Hyden was hopping on the old Grantland to let us all know that if we liked rock music it was high time we checked out country, the last refuge of the guitar. I disagreed then that there was ever any meaningful distinction between rock and country (these are just, like, songs, people! verse chorus verse bridge chorus!) and I disagree now that there was ever any distinction between pop and country. The way country operates as its own industry amid the broader music business is just another bit of American exceptionalism and hostile individuality. If we’re finally ready to recognize it’s all the same and it’s all about making money -- great. In that regard -- sounding like a hit song and making the money a hit song makes --  country has struggled for over a decade despite there being a whole host of great songs by clever artists. I don’t think “HEARTFIRST” with its aggressive capitalization (she’s not like the lowercase girls!) and promises of simplicity and blonde, blue-eyed romance is anywhere near as interesting as Carrie Underwood’s massive catalog of murder ballads or Sam Hunt’s openly duplicitous late night voicemails. It’s just fine. The biggest distinction between country and any other style of music is how slow its product development moves. Ballerini has been attempting this mainstream breakthrough for half a decade and now she’s eclipsed by Morgan Wallen whining that Jesus wouldn’t cancel him. It doesn’t have to be that way, it just always is. Unlike The Chicks before her, Kelsea Ballerini isn’t riding on a career best songwriting effort, she’s just rearranging the poetry magnets on her fridge.

[smallfrost]

Motherland already established in this world casual sex is encouraged, sex enhances their powers. To think Raelle and Scylla will not be involved with anyone else after their last scene where Raelle said she regrets ever meeting Scylla.... does that really make sense? Their relationship is built on lies, the show has made that clear. Raelle isn't going to want to be in love with Scylla and Scylla will think Raelle doesn't love her anymore. Them trying to move on and fail could be a great story.

Okay yes, Motherland has done a wonderful job establishing that sex and sexuality should not be shunned or discouraged, that you should embrace it and the power it can provide. But in terms of Raylla, I don’t really agree that this would be a good story and for a few reasons. 

First, Raelle really had no desire at all to be with anyone else all season. It’s not in her nature. Raelle is a ride or die loyal type of chick. During Beltane, I’m sure it would have been entirely acceptable for her to just partake in festivities but she didn’t want to. And you’re not wrong - the relationship was built on lies but there were parts that were real. The love was real. Maybe Scylla didn’t tell Raelle her deepest, darkests secrets, but by the end, she had begun to show her true self - just not the mission she was part of. It is entirely possible that Scylla was being her truest self while around Raelle in the end but was still holding on to the lie of what started the relationship. Because let’s be real... how do you tell the girl you love that what started what you have was a lie, even if what you have is real? I actually think Scylla was super close to spilling the beans before the wedding. The way she wants to respond to Raelle about “where is safe?” but just doesn’t know what to say, or how to say it?

Scylla wants to tell Raelle everything at this point. So I’m sure by this point the manipulation was over, the gaslighting was over. Scylla really did just want to run away with Raelle to the beach. That was all real. 

And second... Raelle still loves Scylla. Does this mean in a romantic way? At this moment it’s for sure complicated. Raelle might be hurting currently, might be trying to convince herself not to be in love, but I doubt that love, that magnetism, will ever go away. She’s hurting now, but with everything that is going on... they already found each other once in a hopeless place... They’re going to find each other again. 

And finally, and this is honestly the biggest reason, there is so much story to tell without them bringing in new people and new love interests. Just because the show is sex positive doesn’t mean characters should be over sexualized for the sake of drama. Honestly, I think both Raelle and Scylla have a little too much else on their minds at the current moment to be thinking about anything but idk, trying to survive? Maybe like... not dying or being blown up? And maybe the show will go with the “have sex or die/need to recharge route” (I mean.... it is a Freeform show... but I feel like they were breaking tropes left and right why stop now?) but I just don’t see that fitting their individual characters with everything that happened atm? 

And like... I don’t want that? So maybe this is me being selfish, but I am so sick and tired of that story line. That trope that has been reused and recycled so many times. Here we have finally been blessed with a beautifully complex set of characters. A set of star-crossed forbidden lovers that are messy and angsty just all on their own, both as individuals and together. The writers just don’t need to add this layer that would really just take away from the bigger story they are trying to tell. It would be lazy story telling if you ask me. I could easily see Raelle and Scylla falling to each other for “power enhancement”, because they have the emotional, electrical and chemical reaction between them that maybe they just can’t ignore. But I would actually be really bored if they bring in the sex with other people for angst trope. Really there is so much story to tell with just our girls as is... I really just want to see them work through their shit together. Because they really need learn to trust each other again and rebuild what they had on a foundation of steel. That would be beautiful. 

[maribatshipper]

Ice Age Chapter 4

Y/N bundles Junior in some blankets so he'll go to sleep.

"Why do you do that?" Diego asks.

Y/N answers, "A couple of reasons. The biggest reason is so he'll be warm. The other one is because I usually end up with my blankets used for keeping me warm on the other side of my bed because I kick in my sleep sometimes. Who knows if he'll do it too?"

Diego shrugs and lies down to sleep. Manny picks up the baby and wraps him in his trunk. Y/N smiles and wraps herself up in the leftover blankets.

"Oh, the triumphant return." Manny frowns.

Y/N looks up to see Sid. She giggles.

"How about a good nights kiss for your big buddy Sid?" Sid asks.

"Shh! He's asleep!" Manny frowns as Y/N stares in deadpan.

Sid frowns, "I was talking to you."

Y/N whispers, "Sorry. Don't think you're Manny's type. You aren't mine either, Sloth."

Sid frowns, "Fine. I'll tuck myself in."

He then tries to sleep on a rock. Making lots of noise. Y/N growls as the noise gets louder.

"Will you stop it!?" Manny whisper-yells.

"Cut it out before I rip your tonsils out through your nose!" Y/N threatens, her voice slightly deeper, scaring the crap out of Sid.

Sid stops and frowns, "Alright, alright. Just trying to relax."

Y/N groans as she tucks her head underneath the covers.

"You know what Diego's going to do, right?" E/N asks.

Y/N nods.

"And you're not gonna do anything about it?" E/N asks.

Y/N mentally replies,  "Nothing to do. He'll come around. Now go to sleep, E/N."

Y/N yawns and falls asleep, feeling safe and secure.

***

Diego opens his green eyes and walks over Junior in Manny's trunk. He goes to take the baby when Sid makes a noise, startling Diego. Diego goes to grab Junior only for him to move slightly, causing Diego to stop, and Manny tightens his grip around Junior. Suddenly, he hears something in the tall grass. He jumps towards the creature raising his claw to strike only to stop and see one of his pack.

"What the?" He whispers.

"Go ahead, slice me! It'll be the last thing you ever do!" The tiger growls.

Diego growls, "I'm working here, you waste of fur."

"Frustrated Diego?" Another Saber asks. "Tracking down helpless infants too difficult for you?"

Diego gets off the other Saber and asks, "What are you two doing here?"

"Soto's getting tired of waiting."

The slightly insane one replies, "Yeah yeah, he said, "Come back with the baby, or don't come back at all!" Hahaha!"

Diego deadpans at the insane Saber and frowns, "Well I have a message for Soto. Tell him I'm bringing the baby. And tell him, I'm bringing... a mammoth."

"A mammoth?"

"Mammoths never travel alone."

Diego replies, "Well this one does. And I'm leading him to half peak."

The insane one smiles, "Look at all that meat! Let's get him!"

Diego stops him, "Not yet! We'll need the whole pack to bring this mammoth down. Get everyone ready. Now."

The sabres run off and Diego lies down next to the bundle of blankets Y/N hides underneath. Y/N is heard muttering quietly. Diego's ears perk up as he listens.

"...because I'm not making-... effort? Verschwinde... You say-... more like others... opfer... crazy about success.... scream inside... feigling... robbed me of strength... look at me... please... I'm scared... will never stop... seht doch hin... chains of lead... miststück... smiles... pretence... lonely... nobody hears it... stummer schrei... can barely breathe... nein... can't ignore it... accept me... feel lost... frozen heart... save me... storm rising... me..."

Diego raises his eyebrows confused. He shrugs and falls back asleep as she stops muttering.

***

Manny wakes up and tightens his trunk, only to feel nothing but blankets. He stands up and stomps over to Diego.

"Where's the baby?" Manny orders.

Diego asks, "You lost it?"

Y/N peaks out from under her blankets and asks, "Where's Sid?"

The connection in the boys is instantly connected as they shout, "SID!"

Y/N quickly packs up the blankets and follows Manny as the boys split up. Y/N's not gonna miss this. She sees the spa pits and Sid in them.

"Found the idiot." Y/N points over to the pit.

Just as they reach the pit, Junior throws some of the bubbly mud onto Sid's face, who then, in turn, grabs Manny's trunk to wipe it off.

"Oi, buttsnack! That's not a towel." Y/N frowns, causing Sid to jump in shock.

"Oh, hey! Hi, N/N, Manny..." Sid nervously smiles.

Manny frowns, "What's the matter with you?" as he takes Junior.

Y/N smacks Sid's head and walks away with Manny.

"I think he has two brains. His first brain got lost and the second left to find it and hasn't come back." Y/N smirks, getting Manny to chuckle slightly.

"Nononono, Manny Manny Manny, please, I'm begging you! I need him!" Sid begs.

Y/N growls, "You're using the infant as a chick magnet. They're only interested in you because you seem like a family guy. There's no other reason. Now go back to the girls without Pinky."

Sid frowns, causing Y/N to raise her fist, ready to punch.

"Alright! Alright!" Sid exclaims as he runs off.

Manny frowns, "Pretty tail walks by, suddenly he moves like a cheetah."

Y/N nods, "Yep." popping the p.

"And that tiger. Yeah, mister great tracker! Can't even find a sloth. What am I? Their wet nurse?"

Y/N smirks as she watches Manny rant to the baby. He puts Junior down on a tree branch, causing him to squeal in excitement looking at Manny.

"What are you looking at, bone bag?" Manny exclaims.

Y/N snickers silently as she sits down to watch and as the baby squeals.

"Look at you. You're gonna grow into a great predator, huh? Don't think so. Watcha got? You got a little patch of fur... no fangs, no claws, your folds of skin wrapped in mush. What's so threatening about you?" Manny frowns.

Y/N frowns, "I'm right here. Look, his teeth will grow in after a few months, so will his "claws". If he gets back to his herd, they'll improve his brain, where he can trap his prey with things in the area."

Suddenly, Junior hugs Manny's trunk, causing him to stop, seemingly hypnotized for a second. He then frowns and picks up his trunk, the baby holding on tight.

"Hey, does this look like a petting zoo to you, huh?" Manny asks.

"How does he know what a petting zoo is?" E/N asks.

Suddenly, Junior pulls out some trunk hairs, causing Manny to scream in pain. Y/N winces as Junior laughs.

"This is one of the reasons I'm never having children." Y/N mutters.

Manny glares, "Alright, okay wise guy. You just earned a time out."

He picks up Junior and puts him higher up on the tree, causing Y/N to roll her eyes. Junior laughs even more, aggravating Manny.

"Oh, you think that's funny? How about this?" Manny asks, putting him all the way to the top of the tree. "You're a little snack for the owls."

Y/N sighs as the baby continues making happy noises.

"You're a brave little squirt, I'll give you that." Manny frowns.

Y/N sighs, "Manny, he's an infant. He doesn't see that being high is dangerous, so he's not scared. He does perceive some things as dangerous, but being high up is not on his danger list."

***

Y/N carries the baby on her shoulders and sees Diego with Sid in his mouth.

Manny yells, "Guys, I thought we were in a hurry."

Y/N scoffs, "Spit that out, Diego. You don't know where that's been."

Diego spits Sid out, suddenly disgusted.

"For a second there, I thought you were gonna eat me." Sid sighs, relieved.

Diego retorts, "I don't eat junk food." getting a laugh out of Y/N.

***

Y/N hugs herself tightly as the snow surrounds them in a sheet of white. She's not used to freezing temperatures. She pulls out her hoodie and a blanket and wraps herself up to warm herself slightly. Manny picks her up and puts her on his back.

"Thanks, Manny." Y/N smiles.

Sid somehow gets left behind. Y/N sees a geyser and points to it, giving Manny and Diego a mischievous smirk. They stop at the geyser waiting for Sid.

"Thanks for waiting." Sid breathes as he sits down on the geyser.

"Three, two, one." The three count down.

Sid is thrown into the air by the geyser and the others walk away.

"Sure is faithful." Manny smirks.

***

Later, Sid and Junior are in a poke war, which annoys both Manny and Y/N.

Manny growls, "Don't make me reach back there!"

Sid argues, "He started it!"

Manny retorts, "I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!"

Sid and the baby continue poking when Y/N says something that stops them both.

"If you don't stop that, I will personally ring both your necks then boil them in a pot!" Y/N growls, her voice getting deeper.

Everyone shuts up, and Y/N's eyes widen. She hugs herself, angry.

"Thank you." E/N taunts.

***

The mammals continue walking until they reach a rock that spits out a red flame and beeps, which then causes a big piece of ice to go right past them, and Y/N stares in shock. The rock then makes another noise, and a green flame comes out.

"Huh. What do you know? Traffic lights are a thing a million years before electricity."

***

Sid throws a snowball at Manny, but it hits Y/N, causing her to fall off Manny's back. Manny and Y/N turn to Sid only to have him point at the baby. She puts her fingers to her eyes, then to Sid in an "I'm watching you" fashion.

***

The group passes by the Stonehenge, causing Y/N to gape.

"Modern architecture. It'll never last." Manny scoffs.

Y/N smirks at the irony of that sentence.

***

Y/N watches Diego as he erases a sabre footprint and makes a human footprint. She's impressed at how accurate it is. Diego points the herd in the direction the print is going.

***

Soon, the herd is on ice, and Sid's skating around like a pro, with Junior on his head. Y/N rolls her eyes as she quite easily skates over to Manny and tries to help him.

"Hiya, Manny." Sid smirks as he skates past the mammoth.

Manny falls over, causing Y/N to roll her eyes.

"Time to put all you've learned from Bambi into practice, huh, N/N?" E/N jokes.

Y/N orders, "Okay, keep your legs firm. You're too wobbly. Okay, better idea, I'll just take you to the snow. Give me your trunk."

Manny wraps his trunk around Y/N's arm and she pulls him, skating towards the snow, off the ice.

"There. Now, I'll help Diego and save Pinky." Y/N smiles.

She skates over to Diego and stops right in front of him, her H/C hair whipping in front of her face.

"Give me your paw before you hurt yourself, Tiger." Y/N smirks.

Diego looks up, trying not to fall, and catches the kindness in Y/N's E/C eyes.

"Alright." Diego nods.

Sid skates past, circling the tiger, "Hiya Diego!"

Diego almost falls, but Y/N grabs his front left paw. She pulls him towards the edge of the frozen lake and decides to show off. She lets go of Diego's paw, then runs onto the ice, controlling her balance quite well. She turns around, ending up skating backwards, waving towards Manny and Diego. Suddenly, there's a crash, and Junior comes sliding to Y/N. She picks him up the best she can without falling and slides to the other mammals, excluding Sid.

"Hey, Sid!"

***

"You're lost, aren't ya?" Manny asks.

Diego answers, "No, I know exactly where we are."

"Ask him directions." Manny orders.

Y/N perks up and sees who "him" is. She falls off Manny in shock after seeing Scrat. She still blames him for 2020.

"I'm alright!" Y/N smiles.

Diego retorts, "I don't need directions."

"Fine, I'll ask him. Hey, buddy. You see any humans go by here?" Manny asks.

Scrat shakes his head, then puts his finger up, saying what he wants to.

Sid smiles, "Ooh! I love this game! I love this game!" He then plays a small game of charades. "Three words, first word. Stomp, no no, stamp, stamp!"

Y/N inputs, "Pack." not even looking at Scrat.

Sid compliments, "Good one, N/N. Uh, pack of long teeth and claws."

Y/N turns to Diego to see him hiding his claws and snickers.

"Pack of wolves, pack of..." Sid thinks.

Manny guesses, "Pack of bears? Pack of fleas?"

Y/N watches as Scrat points at Diego, trying to tell them he saw a pack of sabres, but they're too caught up in guessing to see.

"Pack of whiskers? Pack of noses?"

"Pachyderm?"

"Pack of lies. Pack of troubles. Pack a wallop. Pack of birds."

Suddenly, Diego flicks Scrat away, which only Y/N sees and she busts out laughing.

"Pack of flying fish!"

Y/N laughs, trying so hard not to die laughing, "Birds don't come in packs, they come in flocks! Hahaha. And fish come in schools!"

***

Sid throws another snowball at Manny, and this time, it hits both Y/N and Manny. Y/N jumps down and picks up a whole bunch of snow as she sees Junior point at Sid. She and Manny both throw their snowballs at Sid, but Manny's is so big it squashes Sid. The baby laughs, causing both Manny and Y/N to smirk. Y/N picks up Junior and trudges along the path.

***

Soon a blizzard appears, and Y/N hugs Junior closer so he doesn't freeze and keeps her hood around her head tight. She wraps both her and Junior in a few blankets as they trudge through the snowstorm.

[the-beskar-alchemist]

Billy’s Baby

Buckle up buttercups, because I have a lot of feelings and I can't seem to control my brain's obsessiveness with Billy and his relationship with/mentality towards his little mean machine, so here's a bit of a "Character Analysis" starring a certain Camaro and its mullet-wearing human.

(I want to include some of the other characters, besides immediate family, but I think I'll save that for a headcanon post. More specifically I want to elaborate on Billy/Neil vs Billy/Hop/Joyce in terms of how he is with the car).

Here are some somethings I've noticed:

1) Billy doesn't appear to want to put too much money into anything cosmetic. Basically he's not eager to "pimp" his ride, only maintain the upkeep.  Granted he's probably working on a budget, and that's absolutely my headcanon....but only HALF of it. Do you know what costs more money than parts? Cigarettes.  If he's buying a pack or more a day, that money adds up, he could be spending hundreds of dollars a year, maybe more depending on the brand. I get the feeling that he's not interested in making his car look like a starlet, but he does value its appearance enough to keep it clean.

2) While he's not interested in a Fast and Furious worthy look, he's not eager to do damage on any cosmetic/mechanical level.  Yes in S2 he threatens to run over the boys, but honestly that felt like a bluff to test Max's loyalty to Hawkins (and the boys by default). Repairs (on the surface or below) cost money, which Billy is struggling to get.  He'll keep the fluids check/changed, the tank as full as financially possible, and the car washed, but he's not going to bust his ass to prove a point.  The engine is running, it gets him from A to B, and that's his main goal.

3) This car is a personal thing for him, it's his safe-space, fuck how anyone else feels about it. It's a point of focus for him, or at least one of the top 5 things that gives his life meaning.  It's not THE most important thing, honestly he could live without it if necessary, but he's not eager to part with his baby.  It's something that's JUST his, and no one else's. It's something he can claim that wasn't touched by Neil and has no connection with that deadbeat WHATSOEVER. Basically it's not TAINTED, and he loves that.  While he may bear a few scars from his life with his father, the car is unscathed, and that matters to him.

4) Why yes it is a chick-magnet, why do you ask? It has a V-8 engine that'll scare anyone standing too close when he gives it a nice rev before taking off.  He's done a few burn-outs, donuts, he's street-raced a few times hoping to win so he can get some serious cash, but a wheelie? He's afraid to try, he's heard stories, but the idea of raising up off the ground and feeling the roar of the engine beneath him? Makes his heart race.  When he first got the car people started to notice him, he wasn't "just Billy" anymore, he was Bad Boy Billy with the cool car.  The girls would flock to him just before he climbed inside and gave the engine a spin, they were drawn to the power of that engine more than Billy, but he didn't mind.  It's only when Max climbs into the car that he's reminded why he got the car in the first place, less than a year before they moved.  The girls are a nice bonus, but you can't put a price on freedom.

5) He's a teenager so obviously he enjoys having the option to leave the house if he needs to.  That's always the dream right, once you get your license? The car was only ever meant to be a way to escape, but it inevitably became a moving hotel room during those dark times.  When Neil would lose his shit and put his hands on Billy, forcing him out the door because he "was getting sick of his shit", and Billy had nowhere to go......his baby was the one to give him a place to rest.  Hell if he ever made it out of this shithole he just might live in the car for a while until he got back on his feet. But leaving Max would be the hardest part, because without Billy in the house Neil had to turn to SOMEONE to vent his anger.  But those nights when he curled up in the backseat (the front seat just wasn't that comfortable to lay on), usually with only his jacket to keep him warm, Billy couldn't help but think about the open road that would lead to a place far, far away from Hawkins.

6) While Billy is capable as a self-taught (ish) mechanic, he's not AS incline as he could be. It's not that he doesn't care to learn, he truly does, enough that he's snuck books out of the local library just so he could figure out what the hell was making that racket that one time he couldn't get the car to start. His lack of a teacher is the issue, and Billy sure as HELL won't go to his dad asking for help.  The one time he did, Neil scoffed and snapped back with an "It's your fucking car, you fix it", before shoving past Billy to leave the house.  Billy didn't ask again.  What he's learned was "on the go", purely a trial-and-error situation, he doesn't stop until he figures it out. He once spent HOURS trying to fix the car (there was a blockage in the fuel-line and the car wouldn't stay cranked), by the end of it all he was very tired. But knowing he'd taken care of the problem HIMSELF only fueled his confidence, and elevated him to a kind of high no woman or drug could ascend him. He slept like a baby that night.

7) Where did he get this car anyway? If he's strapped for cash how did he afford it? Well in my personal opinion Billy "earned" the car by working for the previous owner.  When he was still living in California, he went for a walk on the beach, a little further than he usually did.  He came across a beach house, and the Camaro was parked in a shed. He only noticed it because the breeze had caused a corner of the tarp covering it to flap, kind of like it was waving, and underneath a singular headlight caught the light from the sunset and nearly blinded him.  The man that owned it said it was his son's car before, but he died in Vietnam, and he didn't have the heart to drive it.  Long story short Billy worked out a deal to pay off the car little by little.  During this time the old man told him a thing or two about how to take care of it, what oil to use, what wax worked the best, etc.  By the time Billy had the car in his possession, they had to move to Indiana.  His biggest fear was the car breaking down before he could make it there.  He'd enjoyed his time with the old man, even bonded a little, it still hurts to this day knowing he had to leave it all behind.  He had started to really like the guy.

8) Obviously Neil isn't too fond of his son's car, he's complained about it leaving oil stains in the driveway, how Billy parks it at the house, when it's blocked the other cars (it wasn't even close to being in the way, Neil just sucks at backing up).  Neil once backed into the Camaro while leaving the house, and Billy flipped his shit, but Neil wasn't having that. He threatened to have the car towed away if Billy didn't start parking where he "was supposed to". Billy didn't argue at that point, he wasn't sure if Neil would follow-through or not, but a tow was expensive so it wasn't worth the risk.  Of course Neil DOES shut up for the most part, resorting to saving his complaints for his most "unfavorable" moments, why? Because of Max. As long as Billy has a car, Max has a chauffeur, so she's out of Neil's and Susan's hair at least THAT much.  As long as Billy has a car, Max is not their problem, so he'll shut up about it enough to avoid losing that loophole.

This turned out a LOT longer than I'd originally planned, sorry for the length, but I have so many thoughts popping into my head so I'm trying to get them all out or I'll get restless lol.

[starletwriting]

Killervibe Fic Week Day Three: Doppelgangers

Word count: 3111

Notes: Thank you to @thatkillervibe for proofreading!!

Tags: @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath

~~~

“Aw, man! That’s the third mosquito bite I’ve gotten since we got here,” Ralph whined, rubbing his arm where the mosquito bit him. “Earth-31 sucks.” 

“Earth-1 has mosquitos too, Ralph.” Barry said.

“Not this many!”

“Ralph, you can shapeshift,” Cisco said. “Can’t you just… magically make your bug bites disappear or something?”

“No, it doesn’t work that way.” Ralph grumbled. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“It would be impossible.” Caitlin piped up. “Mosquito bites itch because of the body’s reaction to the mosquito’s saliva, which has already entered his blood once the mosquito bites him. Although Ralph’s cells can multiply and allow him to stretch or change his appearance, he can’t take the saliva out of his blood once they’re in there, nor can he stop his body’s reaction to it.” 

“Great.” Ralph sighed. “I have bug spit in me.” 

Cisco stumbled over an overgrown tree root and he would’ve fallen if he hadn’t grabbed onto the tree next to it. The moss and the wet leaves stuck to his shoes as he treaded through the deep forest, and the humidity caused him to sweat, especially in the thick leather of his Vibe suit. Ralph was right. Earth-31 does suck.

“Well, hopefully we won’t have to be here long.” Barry said. “If this is the place that Cisco vibed, then the meta couldn’t have gone far. We can have him arrested and go home by the end of today.” 

“This is definitely it.” Cisco pointed to a tall tree a few yards ahead of them. “In my vision, the meta was standing next to that tree.” 

“How can you tell?” Caitlin asked. “It all looks the same.”

“You see that stream over there? I saw that in my vibe as well.” Cisco pointed. “That tree was closest to it.”

“Well, that’s good.” Barry said. “He should be around here somewhere.” 

“Not to point out the obvious, but this is one thick forest.” Ralph said. “How are we gonna find one guy in this place when the trees are barely three feet apart?” 

“Ralph’s got a point.” Caitlin said. “Not to mention, this forest probably stretches for miles.” 

“Alright, then we’ll split up.” Barry said. “I’ll go with Ralph. Cisco, you go with Caitlin. I can cover ground a lot faster if I run, and Cisco can breach to different parts of the forest. That way, we have much better chances of finding him.” 

Cisco shrugged. “Seems fair to me.” 

“Then it’s a plan. We’ll meet back by the stream in a few hours.” 

Barry grabbed onto Ralph and ran off at super-speed, leaving just Cisco and Caitlin to venture off to the rest of the forest. The two of them continued walking forwards, minding their step as they did so.

“This forest kinda makes me nostalgic.”

“Really?” Caitlin looked at him. “How so?”

“When Dante and I were kids, we used to go exploring in the woods behind our house. We’d find sticks in the woods and pretend to battle each other with them, and then we’d go and find cool-looking rocks to bring home and show our parents,” Cisco said. 

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Caitlin smiled. “I take it you two used to be a lot closer.” 

“We were thick as thieves when we were kids.” 

���What changed?” 

Cisco shrugged. “We grew up. We each went on different paths, I suppose. Dante was the concert pianist, the golden child, the chick magnet. I was his nerdy younger brother, collecting tech magazines and going on for hours about how a computer works. My brother bathed in his glory. I didn’t get any of it.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Cisco said. “I envy you for being an only child.” 

“Actually, it got pretty lonely growing up,” Caitlin said. “I was ten when my dad disappeared, and after that, my mom was distant and obsessed with her work. She hid all her emotions away out of fear. She didn’t want to get hurt again. But in doing so, she only drove me away.” 

Cisco offered a sympathetic smile. “I guess none of us had a normal childhood.” 

“Honestly, have our lives ever been normal?” 

Cisco laughed at that. “No, I don’t think so.” 

“At least we’ve acknowledged it.”

There wasn’t much Cisco could think to say to that, so he decided to let it go. The next few minutes consisted of silent walking, with the occasional warning to the other person telling them to watch their footing. 

“We’ve been walking in one direction for far enough. If he was here, we would’ve found him by now,” Cisco said. “I’ll breach us to the other side of the forest, maybe we’ll have better luck there.”

“You’re probably right.” 

Cisco held his hand out in front of him, and formed a breach big enough for him and Caitlin to walk through. Before they could, however, a figure ran up and grabbed Cisco by the collar of his Vibe jacket, and ran through Cisco’s breach, yanking Cisco along with him. The breach closed the second that Cisco went through, leaving Caitlin  stranded on the other side. 

Once the breach closed, the figure tossed Cisco onto the ground. He had just managed to get himself up in a sitting position when he got his first good look at the man that had grabbed him.

“It’s you!” Cisco exclaimed. “The one I saw.”

“And you’re tracking me.” The meta matched Cisco’s emphasis mockingly.

“You heard us?” 

“It’s not hard to hide in these woods,” He spat. “I can’t have you and your friends following my trail. Fortunately, without you they’ll have a much harder time.” 

“You think I pose the biggest threat?” Cisco asked. “What, cause I’m a breacher?” 

“Exactly.” 

“Well, you’re wrong,” Cisco said. “We have a speedster on our team. He’s who you really have to be afraid of.” 

“Yeah?” The meta gave an unamused, vaguely threatening chuckle. “Well, without their breacher to vibe my location or breach anywhere in the forest, I’m at least safe for now. I can take on this speedster when he comes.” 

Cisco was trying to formulate a witty reply in his head when a long stream of ice came out of nowhere, knocking the meta against a tree. He managed to gather himself in time to run away before anybody could catch him. He was long gone in the trees in just a few seconds.

Cisco stood up, his heartbeat racing in his chest. He turned to his savior with a grin on his face.

“Caitlin! How’d you get here so fast- you were all the way across the forest- nevermind that, though, thank you so much for saving me--” Cisco paused a moment to catch his breath, and furrowed his brow. “Wait. You’re not in your Frost form. You just shot that stream of ice, how are you not Frost?” 

Meanwhile, Caitlin was staring at him like she had just seen a ghost. “Cisco?!” 

Cisco raised an eyebrow. “...Yes?”

“It’s really you?” Caitlin poked his shoulder, as if making sure he wasn’t a hologram. “But… this shouldn’t be possible!” 

“Uh…” 

“Wait.” Caitlin studied him from head to toe. Her expression seemed… disappointed, but not surprised. “You’re from another Earth, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?” 

Caitlin tried again. “Are you from this Earth?”

“No.” 

“That’s what I thought,” Caitlin sighed. “You’re a doppelganger.”

Cisco blinked. “Wait, so that means…” 

“Whatever Caitlin you think I am, I’m not her.” Caitlin- no, not Caitlin- said. “I’m from this Earth. Surely you’ve encountered doppelgangers before, breacher.” 

“Yeah, of course,” Cisco said. “Sorry. My mind is still reeling. A minute ago, I was walking with Caitlin- my Caitlin- on the complete other side of the forest, then I open a breach only to get straight-up abducted by the very person we’re trying to catch, then not even thirty seconds later, I’m saved by the doppelganger of the exact person I was just with!” Cisco gestured wildly with his hands. “It’s been a very crazy 60 seconds!” 

Caitlin smiled. “You remind me of the Cisco of my Earth.” 

“I assume that’s a compliment,” Cisco said. “Unless the Earth-31 Cisco is a supervillain. Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

“It’s a compliment, I assure you,” Caitlin said. “It’s nice to meet you, doppelganger-Cisco. You can call me Caity.”

“Caity?” Cisco raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. “I prefer it to Caitlin. It just fits me better.”

“Alright then… Caity.” Cisco said. “I’m Cisco. From Earth-1.” 

“Earth-1? What’re you doing here, then?” 

“I had a vibe about the meta-criminal here, the one that was just here. We came here to catch him.” Cisco said. “Wait, what’re you doing here? In this forest, I mean.” 

“...Camping.” 

It was an obvious lie, but Cisco decided not to press.

“I need to find my friends.” Cisco said. 

“I’ll help you.” Caity said. “I know these woods fairly well.” 

“You will?” Cisco smiled in his appreciation. “I’d love the help. I recognized the sliver of the forest I had seen in my vibe, but… I’m a long ways away from that now.”

“Of course.” Caity said. “After all, you’re Cisco, even if you’re not the one I’m familiar with.” 

The two of them started walking through the woods, talking along the way. 

“The Cisco on this Earth, what’s he like?” 

“Funny. Witty. Charming.” Caity responded. “He always knew the best way to make me laugh. Oh, and caring. That’s one of his best qualities. There’s nothing more important to Cisco Ramon than his friends.” 

“That does sound like me.” Cisco said. “I guess this Cisco and I aren’t too different after all.” 

“What about the Caitlin of your Earth?” Caity asked. “What’s she like?”

“She’s… beyond words, really.” Cisco said. “She’s incredibly smart, and she’s sweet and loving and kind, and so brave. I can always count on her when I need a friend. She’s helped me through some of my worst times. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” 

“How long have you guys been together?”

The question took Cisco off guard. “What? Oh, no, we’re just friends. Best friends, nothing more.” 

“I see.” 

“So,” Cisco changed the subject. “I take it the Cisco of this Earth is a breacher as well?” 

Caity nodded. “I take it the Caitlin of your Earth has ice powers? You recognized me after you saw my ice blast.”

“Yup.” Cisco said. “Although, her powers work a bit differently than yours.” 

“How so?” 

“When she uses her powers, she gets white hair and white eyes.” 

“Lucky.” Caity said. “I want white hair. That’d be badass.” 

“She is badass.” Cisco said. “You should see her in full-out Frost mode. She could do some serious damage if she wanted to.” 

“You’re pretty powerful, too.” Caity said. “That is, if you’re anything like my Cisco. You can vibe, and breach, and shoot vibe blasts, and-” 

“I’ve met some pretty powerful breachers before.” Cisco said. “I’m kinda the least powerful out of the ones I’ve met, though. I dated a breacher once and she could do wonders with her powers. I’m not like that.” 

“I’m sure you could get better with practice.” Caity said. “How long have you had your powers?” 

“Five years.” Cisco said. “But to be fair, for a long time I was more focused on doing away with my powers than using them.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“When I first got my powers, I thought they were a curse.” Cisco said. “My first ever vibe, I watched myself die. It happened in an erased timeline. My friend, he’s a speedster, had changed the timeline and brought me back to life in doing so. I would’ve had no memory of it ever happening if it weren’t for my powers.” 

“Yikes.” Caity grimaced. “I can see why that would make you hate your powers.” 

“Oh, believe me, I did, at first.” Cisco said. “But… that changed. They grew on me. The more I used them, the more comfortable with them I became. Now they’re a part of who I am. I’d be lost without them.” 

“I always envied Cisco’s powers.” Caity said. 

“I do like that I can go anywhere I want at any time.” Cisco said. “It’s convenient.” 

“The Cisco I knew loved to breach to different places and see what the universe has to offer.” Caity said. “He was always willing to go exploring new places, and his powers made that possible.”

Something about Caity’s tone seemed off with Cisco, but he couldn’t quite seem to place a finger on it until now. The realization left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Caity talked about her Cisco the same way that Caitlin talked about Ronnie. 

“Every time you’ve brought up Cisco,” Cisco said. “You’ve spoken about him in the past tense.” 

Caity nodded slowly, her movements solemn. She was looking at the forest floor, choosing to focus on the moss growing on the tree trunks instead of facing Cisco. 

“For years, Cisco and I were a superhero crime-fighting duo.” She said. “The two of us versus any metas that dared cause trouble. We were practically inseparable. That is, until about two years ago. We were up against our strongest foe yet, a speedster by the name of Eddie Thawne. He was terrorizing people, killing them, all for a sick little game. We managed to stop him, but… Cisco paid the price. He sacrificed his own life to save everyone.” 

“I’m sorry.” Cisco said. “I take it seeing me only served as a reminder of what you lost.” 

“Rather, the contrary.” 

Cisco tilted his head. “How so?” 

“If I can help you, even in just a small way, then maybe it can be my way of… paying my respects to Cisco.” Caity said. “Honoring his memory.” 

“I never thought of it that way.” Cisco said. “Wait, is that why you were in this forest? To help me?”

Caity shook her head. “No. I had no idea you were going to be here. Finding you was completely by coincidence.” 

“Then what were you doing in the forest?” 

“I don’t expect you to know this, seeing as how you’re from another Earth.” Caity said. “But this forest actually holds some significance here. The meta you’re tracking, the one in this forest, I reckon he doesn’t care much about this forest’s meaning, but I do. There’s an old rumor that the spirits of your loved ones can see you in this forest, and that you can venture into this forest to pay your respects to them. It’s sentimental, I know, but I was here because I was missing Cisco. Never would I have guessed that I would run into his doppelganger here, and be granted with an opportunity to actually do something to honor him.” 

“Well, I’m happy to offer that for you.” Cisco said. “And frankly, I could use the help. This forest is huge, and I have no idea where my friends or the meta is.” 

“Actually,” Caity stopped walking and turned to Cisco, like an imaginary lightbulb had just lit up over her head. “This didn’t occur to me before, but there’s a small hill about midway through the forest. Maybe you could breach to the hill and get a higher view point, and maybe you’d be able to see your friends from there?”

“It’s worth a try.” 

Cisco formed a breach in front of them, but when they stepped through it, they discovered that the hill wasn’t empty like they’d thought. Cisco immediately recognized his friends before him, surrounding the hill, on high alert. They watched as the breach closed behind Caity and Cisco, and for a few seconds they were frozen, processing what they saw. 

But then the meta ran up from behind the hill and punched Ralph in the gut, and Cisco realized what was going on. 

There wasn’t time to explain, not now. Cisco shot a vibe blast at the meta, knocking him onto the ground, and Ralph pinned him down with a stretched-out arm until Barry was able to get meta-cuffs on him. Only once the meta was secured did the team take a moment to regain their breath. Killer Frost morphed back into Caitlin, and Ralph stretched his arm back to its normal length. 

Then the team turned to Caity, and Cisco standing beside her. 

Caitlin was staring at her with the most shock. “You’re… my doppelgänger.”

“Cisco told me about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

Caitlin raised an eyebrow in interest. “Cisco told you about me?” 

Caity smiled. “All good things, I swear.” 

“Look, Caitlin,” Cisco teased. “You finally have a doppelganger that isn’t a villain.” 

“You’re one to talk.” Caitlin said. “We’ve met one doppelganger of yours and that was Reverb. Very evil dude.”

“Hey, I’ll take it. At least it’s better than what Harry has to be doppelgangers with.” 

“Which one?” 

Both Caitlin and Cisco erupted into a fit of giggles, like schoolchildren sharing an inside joke. Caity looked between the two of them with a knowing smirk, but didn’t say anything. 

As the team was getting ready to head back to their own Earth, Caity pulled Cisco aside. 

“There’s something else I never mentioned.” She said. 

Cisco raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” 

“Back when Cisco and I were hero partners… I developed a crush on him. For years, I was hopelessly pining for him, and too much of a coward to ask him out. He died before I got the chance to tell him how I feel.” Caity said. “Don’t make the same mistake I did. Tell Caitlin how you feel.” 

“What? But I don’t...”

Caity didn’t say anything, but her expression told Cisco that resisting wasn’t worth the trouble.

“You don’t have to pretend with me.” Caity said. “I’ve been there. After all… I think Cisco Ramon and Caitlin Snow are soulmates in every universe.” 

Cisco took one last look over to where Caitlin was standing with the others. She laughed at something Ralph had said. The sun shined on her face as she threw her head back, and her brown hair bounced ever so slightly. Just the sight gave Cisco butterflies in his stomach. 

He turned back to Caity. “Thank you.” 

Caity smiled at him. “Don’t mention it.”

“Cisco! You ready to go?” 

Barry had called him from where they were standing. Cisco looked over at him and then back to Caity. 

“Goodbye, Cisco Ramon.” 

“Bye, Caity.” 

Cisco ran off to join his friends. He formed a breach set for Earth-1, and waited as his friends all passed through it, Barry taking the hand-cuffed meta along with him. Cisco turned and waved to Caity one last time… then he stepped through the breach, never to return to Earth-31 again.

[katsens-writing]

Please do not repost without permission.

Summary: A girl growing up from the viewpoint of a very special bird.

Content: Kind of emotional. Implied loss/death but quite a bit of fluff too.

A/N: This is another rewrite of a story from my main blog. It is rather unique from my other writing in that it didn’t come from a prompt or headcanon and wasn’t inspired by any movie, book, or show. This story is really special to me. As always, any feedback, questions or comments are welcome!

Word Count: About 5.4k.

~

     I couldn’t tell how old she was when she first came in. She was a little thing, sitting in one of those contraptions humans put their chicks in when they’re too small to move on their own. They came in the Raptor Barn and she looked around from her seat. Feeling drawn in, I peered curiously down at the tiny, wiggly chick. She was looking around from her seat, unaware of my gaze. Even in the dark of the barn, I could see her shockingly light hair, flying everywhere. She turned her head and looked up at me. 

     “Birdie!” She pointed at me with a giggle, her eyes widening. Her flock smiled. Another female chick in her flock that appeared a bit older laughed.

     The only male flock member nodded with a smile. “Yep, big birdie. Hawk.”

     Walking closer to me, the last female flock member squinted at the wall next to me. “A Red-Tailed Hawk.”

     The wiggly chick didn’t seem to hear them. She had already lost interest and was playing with her flabby, pink claws. She may not know it yet, but she will when she gets older. She has the gift.

~

     I saw the chick and her flock again several times before she could move on her own. Two years had passed before she left that contraption. Standing now, she could barely poke her beak over the wood panel keeping the humans from getting too close to our homes, made of wood and wire themselves.

     “I can’t see!” The chick whined a little in frustration. I preened my feathers, pretending not to watch her. Humans come and go; it’s the nature of my home and of life itself. It’s best not to get attached. Yet in spite of myself, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the chick. Her hair was now wilder than ever.

     The oldest female member in her flock came up and chided her. “What do you say?”

     The chick looked up at her with wide, innocent, pleading eyes and asked. “Please pick me up, mommy?”

     Her mother hunched down and gently gripped the chick in her claws. “Ready? One, two, three!” With a bit of effort, the mother carefully lifted her chick up to see.

     “Oof!” She exclaimed.”You’re getting big!”

     She certainly had. The little chick was indeed not a hatchling anymore. I’m not the best at judging human growth, but even I could see the difference.

     The chick giggled, squirming. “I’m not big mommy, I’m four!”

     The other chick laughed. “Yeah, she’s not big! She’s still my little sister!”

     “Ok, down you go!” Her mother grunted, lowering her to the floor.

     “I wanna see, I wanna see!” She cried.

     Her mother turned to the only male in the flock. “Honey? Could you pick her up, please?”

     “I guess,” he sighed with mock reluctance. “But only for a kiss.” The chick giggled again. He bent over and she gave him a little peck on the cheek.

     “Pleeeeease daddy?” She begged with the biggest eyes, blinking them rapidly.

     “Ok!” He replied with a grin before picking her up with ease.

     “Woah!” She squealed as they stood up. She waved her arms up and down. “Look at me, I’m flying!”

     “Careful!” Warned her sister, as her arms swung close to her face. “You almost hit my glasses!”

     Her mother looked down at a round object attached to her wrist. It almost looked like the thing I had on my own leg when I was younger. “We better get going if we’re going to make it home in time to meet grandma.”

     “Aww! Ok...” The chick’s shoulders slumped, dejected. Her father slid her back down to the floor before they walked out the door, claw in claw.

~

     The little chick came in again today, but this time with a different flock, a much bigger one. She barely noticed me as she walked by again with a whole bunch of chicks. There was an older female at the front, leading the group. They looked a lot less like humans and a lot more like ducks, I thought.

     “Ok class, find your buddies!” The leader called. There was a scramble as the flock turned into an excited, buzzing swarm. In spite of all the little chicks, I could easily find my little chick; a bright, almost white flash of hair in the sun running along the far edge of her group.

     She ran up to another female chick and stopped. “Hey, Jenny!” She called. “Wanna be my buddy?”

     The other girl with long brown hair nodded. “My mom can be our chaperone!”

     “And so can my dad!” My little chick chirped. She walked over to her dad and grabbed his hand. “C’mere daddy, c’mere c’mere c’mere!”

     “Honey, hold on!” He admonished, a little exasperated. “I need to get my chaperone badge and I don’t think you’re supposed to be coming over to me yet.”

     “I found my buddy!” I want you to meet my friend, Jenny!” I watched as my little chick pulled her father over to her friend. Her friend’s beak fell open when she looked up at my little chick’s father.

     “That’s your dad?!” The other chick’s mother laughed as well as my little chick’s father.

     My little chick beamed, happy as a cricket. “Yep! He works at the prison!” She pointed to an intricate spot on her father’s shirt. Her father introduced himself to the other chick’s mother. After introductions and chatting a bit, they turned to the chicks.

     “Ok girls,” the other chick’s mother addressed them. “Where do you want to go first?”

     “Let’s go see the penguins!” The chicks squealed.

     “I know the way!” My little chick boasted, proud as a peacock. “I’ve been coming here since I was a baby!”

     “Well, not quite a baby, but pretty close.” Her father laughed.

     “Well, what are we waiting for?!” The other chick questioned. The chicks giggled as they ran off.

     “Excuse me!” Called my chick’s father. She stopped and turned around, trudging back slowly.

     “Don’t run off like that!” He chastised, crouching down so he was eye level with her. “You know better! I know you’re excited, but you need to stay with us, ok? Now, if you run off again, you’ll have to hold my hand. Understand?” My little chick sighed, embarrassed, unshed tears glinting in her eyes.

     “Yes daddy,” she replied sadly with a little sniffle.

~

     My little chick came in again several times after that, each time her normal, usual chirpy self, until one particular visit. She walked in slowly and came up to my home. Her mother walked around, pointing out the different birds and reading about them out loud. I moved to the end of my perch closest to where the humans stand. She looked up at me, eyes wet with unshed tears. I ruffled my feathers. I did not like seeing my chick sad and I did not like how it made me feel.

     My chick? I thought. What is wrong with me? She’s not even a bird! My feelings did not make any sense.

     A soft breeze blew through the barn. Her wispy, light blonde hair gently rose with it, some of it sticking to her face where it was damp. She quietly sniffed and wiped away the tears that had silently slid down her cheeks. Her mother asked her something and she just quietly nodded in reply, keeping her back to her. My self-frustration faltered for a moment, as I realized what she was doing. For whatever reason, she didn’t want her parents to see she was upset. Unfortunately for the chick, she wasn’t that good at hiding it yet.

     Her mother sighed with a hint of exasperation in her tone. “Honey, what’s wrong?” The chick just shook her head quietly. Her mother sighed and turned to her husband, annoyed. “Honey, would you talk to her?”

     He looked over at the little chick and walked up to her. “What’s wrong?” He asked, looking down at his little chick.

     His little chick, I thought. Not mine.

     She slowly looked up at him with big, watery eyes. “I miss her.”

     He wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face in his stomach. “I know. I miss her too.”

     They stood like that for a moment before turning to walk out, claw in claw. As they left, I noticed their flock was short one member.

~

     The next time the chick came in, she was in a much better, happier mood. She walked in and went straight up to my neighbor. She stood there smiling in quiet awe.

     “Look, dad!” She whispered as she pointed to a corner of my neighbor’s enclosure. “That’s a barn owl, just like Soren!” I hopped to the end of my perch farthest from where the humans stand, a little indignant.

     Not her too! I thought. A lot of the chicks who had been coming in lately, even the ones from far away, have been mentioning this Soren bird. One particular chick showed his parents a picture of the bird in a book he brought with him. I caught a glimpse of it as he happily walked on his way out of the barn. I didn’t see the resemblance myself, but no one knows how humans see things. My neighbor didn’t seem to mind though. He was usually asleep when the humans came by anyway, one of those nocturnal types.

     The chick stood there in quiet amazement with a big smile. Her bright, hazel eyes shone and her face lit up with the wonder of the world. In spite of myself, I felt pleased. Her awe and wonder were good signs. Some humans who have the gift aren’t even aware of it, others are aware of it but they either don’t know how, or don’t care, to use it. Then, there are those who have it and don’t even see it as a gift, but as a burden. Those people I rarely see because they tend to avoid animals if they can help it. I remember the last unaware gift holder to come through. He walked through the barn with no idea that all the birds had come to the edge of their perches closest to the walkway. They seemed to follow him around the barn as best as they could. He was completely oblivious with his back to them, talking into a strange device that he held up to his face. He didn’t even notice when the other humans began chuckling as they realized that we seemed to be drawn to him like a magnet. I had no doubt though that this girl would be receptive to the gift. After all, she is my-

     No! I quickly hopped back toward the far edge of my perch, ridiculing myself as I turned my back to her. I hadn’t even realized I had moved forward. I know there’s no point in fighting the draw of the gift, but this was beyond that. I vowed then that I would never show interest in this girl again.

~

     It was easier to keep my vow the next time the girl came. A few months passed and I heard her usual, cheery voice, just slightly muffled. It was colder out this time and much darker outside. Usually, the humans have left before the sun goes down, even the ones who are here every day. All of us had been moved to completely indoor homes, each of us with a window to look out if we wanted to. I preferred to stay under my lamp, nestled in my blankets to keep warm. I could still see a faint, multicolored glow through the window though, and occasionally I could hear music. As the girl’s voice grew louder, I could hear her singing a song accompanied by a faint jingling sound. She stopped singing and I heard her make a comment to her parents.

     “I wonder where they keep all the birds during the winter. I hope they’re nice and warm where ever they are.”

     “Oh, I’m sure they are,” he father replied, reassuring her.

     We are, I thought as I settled in for the night under my lamp, the snow crunching outside as they walked away.

~

     The girl came in again a few months later. The sun was shining so bright it lit up even the darkest corner of the barn. The humans had decided to keep my neighbor in an enclosure outdoors, one in the shade so he would be able to sleep easier. The girl walked right up to the area where my neighbor had been.

     “Aww,” she sighed in dismay, her shoulders drooping.

     Her mother walked up behind her casually. “What’s wrong?” she inquired, more curious than concerned.

     “It says they moved the owl to another spot,” she answered, disappointed.

     “Oh, that’s ok,” her mother replied. “Maybe he’ll be out next time.” She ran her fingers through her daughter’s long, tangled hair. Her eyes glinted mischievously as a smile spread over her face. “You’ve got red in your hair.” I struggled as every feather on my body urged me to turn and look. I would not give in.

     “No, I don’t!” The girl protested. She crossed her arms and stomped her foot in a little huff, in annoyance rather than in anger like I had seen other chicks.

     “Sure you do. Just ask your dad. See honey?” her mother turned to the girl’s father.

     He walked up and looked carefully at his daughter’s hair. “Yep,” he confirmed, tracing one finger along parts of her hair. “Here... and here... some here...”

     The girl stomped her feet in frustration and covered her ears. “La la la la la! I can’t hear you!” She sang in a silly tune. I softly squawked. She was not a songbird, that was for sure. Her parents laughed. She lowered her hands and she crossed her arms, pouting.

     “I do not have red hair,” she insisted stubbornly.

     “If you say so,” her father chuckled, bemused. They all walked out together, his arm wrapped around his daughter’s shoulders.

~

     I was dozing on my perch when a soft shuffling sound woke me up. I opened my eyes to find the girl standing right in front of me. I hopped back on my perch, slightly surprised. It had been a while since she last came for a visit.

     How could she... I blinked and tilted my head, my eyes focusing. Her parents were right. Her light blonde hair was now a little darker blonde, with very noticeable streaks of red.

     She gave me a small smile, her eyes gently sparkling. Once again, I felt pulled in.

     No, I thought, as I hopped farther away. I will not do this. I will not ca-

     “Hi, Tobias!” She whispered softly, her eyes shining brightly even in the early evening sunlight filtering in the barn.

     I froze on my perch. Slowly, I turned my head and looked at her sideways. Tobias? Who’s Tobias? I inched forward toward the end of my perch closest to her and our eyes locked. Her smile widened as I got closer.

     Oh, you precious chick. I gazed at her, entranced, the fondness that I had fought for so long and so hard against creeping in slowly. Then I noticed that she was alone, her flock nowhere in sight. I looked at her and blinked. She was completely unaware that her flock had left. Snapping out of my reverie I quickly moved back to the other end of my perch. I turned from the back to look at her, expecting sadness. Instead, her eyes softened and her smile relaxed a bit, though her happiness did not fade. She moved to the next window to look at my new neighbors, a pair of kookaburras. I kept a close eye on her as she walked around until her flock came and found her. I knew if there was any danger, I wouldn’t be able to do much, but nothing bad was going to happen to her on my watch.

     She’s not my chick, I kept reminding myself as I kept a careful lookout, ruffling my feathers if I felt someone got too close. Not my chick.

~

     The next few times the girl came by, she would come right up to me. For a little while, she continued to call me Tobias, but never loud enough for anyone else to hear. I never found out who Tobias was, but she seemed to like him. Eventually, that name too passed, much like Soren for my neighbor. After that, she just called me her buddy. Each time she came in she would softly talk to me, saying things like I’m such a good bird and I’m a handsome bird. It was a bit silly and definitely repetitive, but I didn’t mind. Humans don’t typically talk to animals, and when they do, it’s usually one-sided.

     One day the girl came in and I was sleeping on the far end of my perch, my beak tucked into one of my wings. I opened my eyes a fraction when I heard someone come to stand in front of me. I saw her standing there, her eyebrows somehow arched and furrowed at the same time. Her eyes were shining softly in the fading, colorful light, but a different kind of shine. Even though my half-open eyes, I could see the concern on her face.

     “Oh,” she frowned. “Sorry buddy, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She whispered. “You get some rest ok? Such a good bird.” I felt a soft warmth as I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

~

     Some time passed before I saw her again. I could hear her coming before she entered the barn. Something seemed different, but I couldn’t quite place it. I waited patiently for her to come in, quite disinterested of course. When her flock walked in, I heard a faint squeaking, almost rodent-like. My natural instincts kicked in, making me turn and look for some small, furry prey in spite of myself. I knew there wasn’t one, and even if there was, I don’t think it would have crawled into my enclosure, allowing me to catch it. What I saw before me was quite unexpected.

     Before me stood the girl and her flock, with another one of those things that humans put their little ones in. Sitting inside it was a little boy chick. He was looking around with big, brown eyes. The girl’s father bent over to let the little chick out.

     “Honey, don’t,” his wife objected, pulling the chick’s seat back. “He’ll walk off.”

     “No he won’t,” he assured her. “I’m just going to pick him up so he can see, then I’ll put him back in.” I heard some soft clicks before he picked the little boy chick up.

     The girl’s mother just sighed, shaking her head. “Look,” she pointed to my neighbors. “Birdies.”

     Just then one of the kookaburras opened his beak and let out a loud, chuckling caw. The little chick quickly covered his ears, his eyes wide in horror. His flock chuckled at his reaction. Once the kookaburra quieted down, the little boy chick looked around. He saw his flock laughing and joined in.

     “Wafum!” He giggled, reaching his arms out toward the girl.

     “See!” She laughed harder, turning to her parents.

     Her mother chuckled a little. “It does sound a little like ‘bathroom’.”

     The little chick kept reaching out for the girl, opening and closing his tiny brown claws. “Wafum!” He repeated, looking at her expectantly.

     The girl smiled warmly at him and held out her hands to take the little chick from her father into her arms. “How about auntie instead?”

     “Unie?” The little boy’s eyes widened innocently, a questioning tone in his babble. “Unie? Unieeee?”

     The girl ran her fingers through his little, dark brown curls as she lowered him back down to his seat. “Close enough,” she smiled.

~

     Pretty soon the little boy chick left his seat with wheels. He walked in one day, holding his auntie’s hand. He was pulling and trying to let go, but she kept a steady grip on his hand.

     “You need to hold my hand, kiddo,” she chided sternly. “It’s either my hand or papa’s.”

     As the rest of their flock walked in, the little chick slipped away from his auntie’s grasp. “Papa’s!” He huffed stubbornly, frowning as he ran quickly over to his papa.

     “Ok,” his papa took his little hand. “But you need to walk. I’m not going to carry you.” The girl and her mother looked at each other with amused, doubtful looks on their faces.

     “I saw that!” Her father shot them an accusing glance. Looking down at the little boy he wagged a finger at him with a mock-serious tone. “I mean it this time.” The girl and her mother laughed as they walked out.

~

     The girl and her flock continued to visit. Some visits they stayed in the barn longer than others and some the girl would come in on her own. During one visit, the girl came in alone with the boy. I was sitting in the middle of my perch when they stopped in one of the barn entryways.

     “You need to be really quiet in here, ok?” The girl turned to the boy. “The birds in here have really sensitive ears. If you’re too loud, you can hurt them.” The boy nodded solemnly.

     The girl walked right up to my home with the little boy in tow. He had grown now and was just tall enough to peek over the wood panels.

     “See kiddo?” she whispered. “That’s a Red-Tailed Hawk.”

     “Ohh,” the boy’s eyes widened, his voice soft. His aunt looked down at him with a little smirk.

     “Want a boost?” she glanced at him questioningly.

     “Yeah,” he reached up to her.

     “What do you say?” she prompted, gently crossing her arms, lifting an eyebrow at him.

     “Please,” the boy sighed, shifting impatiently.

     “And?” His aunt pressed, both eyebrows arching.

     “Thank you,” he sighed again, grudgingly.

     “And?” His aunt grinned, her pitch a little higher as he bent down so she was eye level with the boy.

     The boy grumbled and rolled his eyes as he leaned forward and gave his aunt a little peck on the tip of her nose.

     “Ok,” she chuckled with a grin as she picked the boy up.

     “Wow!” He gasped as he rose up level with my perch.

     His aunt looked at him with a smile, her eyes sparkling. “You like him? He’s my buddy.”

     “Your buddy?” The boy turned to her questioningly.

     “Mmhmm,” she smiled as she carefully sat him back down.

     “Oh,” he replied thoughtfully before his eyes widened. “Well then, the wolf is my buddy!”

     “Come on,” she chuckled as she took his hand, gently tugging him toward the door. “We need to go catch up with grandma and grandpa now.”

~

     The flock’s visits continued for the next several years. Occasionally they would have an additional member. Whenever this happened, the girl would be sure to bring the guest in to see me. I got to see her aunt, her grandma, and her best friend. During one visit, the girl came into the barn alone.

     “Hey, buddy!” She smiled. It faded slowly as she looked me over, her brow creasing a little in concern. “What’s wrong?” I shuffled on my perch.

     I knew she would find out eventually. I walked forward on my perch a bit and she gasped.

     “Oh, my poor buddy!” Tears started to fill her eyes as she brought a hand to her mouth.

     Just then her father walked in. “Come one, hon, it’s time to go!” Seeing her upset, he stopped. “What’s wrong?” he asked with a sigh.

     “Look!” She walked over to her father and grabbed his hand, pulling him back over to me. “He’s hurt!”

     I moved forward on my perch right in front of them. My right wing hung down, sticking out awkwardly.

     “I’m sure he’s fine,” her father assured her. I hopped from my perch to the one right across from it and back. “See?” her father motioned. “He’s fine.”

     The girl folded her arms, upset. “He’d better be. I’m going to be so mad if they let my buddy get hurt!”

     “He’s fine!” Her father repeated, exasperation in his voice. He tried to hide a slightly amused glint in his eye. “Now let’s go, your mother and nephew are waiting.”

~

     The next several times the girl came for a visit she would come right to me, still concerned. She insisted to her parents that I wasn’t feeling good, that I was skinny. They dismissed it, waving her concern away. I can’t say I blame them. I didn’t want to believe it myself then either.

     One day she came in. Ignoring the other birds, she came right up to me, her flock lingering in the doorway. They had learned to not let her come in the barn alone, otherwise, they would never leave.

     “Hey buddy,” she whispered sadly. “I just wanted to see you one more time before I go.”

     Go? I wondered. She sniffed, her eyes glistening.

     “I’m going away for a while, but I’ll be back,” she tried to smile, but her eyes just couldn’t. “You just rest and get better, ok?” Her voice cracked and she sniffed again. “Ok, buddy?” We stood there in silence, the only sound that could be heard was the faint chattering of animals in the distance.

     After a moment or so, the boy walked up to her. The tops of his curls were almost level with her shoulders now. He reached out his hand and gently touched her arm. “Grandma and grandpa said its time to go,” he told his aunt. Brushing away her tears, she nodded, giving me one last look as she followed him out.

~

     A few years passed without any visit from the girl. Her flock would come by often enough, though not as often it seemed. They may have been visiting like they usually did and I just didn’t notice. It was then that I began sleeping more than normal, though I was still in denial. On one visit I do remember, the boy walked up to me.

     “My aunt says hi!” He smiled. I blinked as he skipped away happily.

     Silly chick, I thought to myself.

     Summer came and went, and the number of visits decreased, not just from the girl’s flock, but in general. The autumn breeze that swept through the barn chilled me to the bone. Shivering, I hopped down to the ground underneath my perches. It offered some shelter from the frigid wind. One of the humans that came by every day noticed me sitting down there one evening.

     “Hm,” she frowned. Without a word, she left. A few moments later she came back on the other side of my enclosure with a huge brown thing covering her hand and arm. She laid her hand down next to me and I slowly walked onto her arm.

     “It’s ok. There you go,” she gently soothed. She raised her arm up and looked at me. “We’re going to make you all better.” She closed my home behind me and took me to one of the indoor enclosures. She opened the door and laid her hand down on the floor of my new home. When I walked off it, she turned on the lamp.

     “There you go, buddy,” she smiled. I tilted my head at the woman. I noticed a familiar shine in her eyes that reminded me of the girl. I felt a strange little twinge in my chest. The woman closed the new enclosure behind me softly. “You’ll be back with your friends before you know it.”

~

     Season after season went by, year after year. I was still staying in the indoor enclosure. The humans kept coming to visit me. Each time they came I hoped they would take me back to my old home. I longed for my perches with the sun shining in, warm on my feathers, the soft hay beneath my claws and the occasional little wild bird flittering in. I also longed to see the girl again. Surely she had come back by now, from where ever she had gone. Did she even remember me?

     Several humans came to look at me, each one doing the same as the last. A few gave me some strange looking food, others put stuff in my water. The woman who brought me to this enclosure always accompanied them. She assured me they were just trying to help me get better. In spite of all their best efforts, I didn’t seem to be. In fact, I only grew weaker and weaker.

     One day a pair of humans came with clipboards. They took me out of my new home and took pictures of me. They stretched my wings out one at a time and wrote some things down on a paper. All the while they were telling me I was doing very good and that it was almost done. When they put me back in my home, they turned to each other and said ‘tomorrow’. I nestled into my blankets under the lamp, uncertain of what tomorrow brought.

~

     The next morning, I awoke to the sound of the enclosure door. I opened my eyes and saw the woman sitting down a bowl with some water in it.

     “Today’s the big day, buddy,” she looked up at me and smiled. She closed the door behind her. I shuffled up to the bowl and looked at my reflection. I took a drink of water, thinking about what she had said.

     Today’s the big day. Yesterday the two humans had said something about ‘tomorrow’. What is it about this day? I wondered. I sat down, feeling very tired. I tucked my beak under a wing and settled down into my blankets before falling back asleep.

~

     When I woke up again I was in a strange, cold room, with a bright light shining in my face. I tried to move but I couldn’t. I looked around and saw a few humans gathered around me and a lot of shiny things. One of the humans reached up and shined the light away from me.

     “That’s all we can do,” he spoke. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” The humans continued talking to each other as they put things away. Then the woman walked in, her hands covered with a thin, green material. She thanked the other humans before carefully picking me up. She walked past what I knew was the entrance for the indoor enclosures. I watched quietly as we passed them.

     “You’re not going back in there, buddy,” she spoke softly, a firm look in her eyes. “Not if I can help it.”

     I was confused, but I too tired and weak to do anything. I blinked as we neared the barn I had called home for so long. I turned and looked at the woman. With a soft determination, she opened my old home and gently set me down in the hay.

     “I know you’ll be happier in here,” she whispered softly, closing the door behind me. I sat there and looked at the door for a while, unable to move. I slowly turned my head and looked around. The barn was far quieter than I remembered. A gentle, cool breeze blew in through the barn entrance, sweeping around to each corner before vanishing out the other door. I felt a little shiver as the breeze ruffled my feathers. Somehow it felt comforting rather than chilling.

     I heard the faintest rustle behind me and I turned to look. My eyes widened and I slowly sat up. There before me, barely recognizable anymore, was the girl. I struggled as I moved closer to her, unsure of my eyes. Her eyes shone softly in the fading sunlight, a hesitant smile on her face.

     “Hey buddy,” she whispered. “It’s me. I told you I would be back.”      I blinked in disbelief. It was her. Her hair was short now, only down to her shoulders, a full blondish red. Her eyes though were the same beautiful shade.

     “It’s been so long,” she spoke softly. “I’ve been so busy since school. I got a job on the coast in a zoo. It’s not as big as this one, but it's big! You would love the raptor room there. They have a gorgeous Red-Tailed Hawk, too. Not as nice as you though,” she added with a small chuckle.

     Her laughter faded into a sad smile, her brows coming together in sorrow. “I just wanted to see you one more time. I--”

     A sudden movement caught my eye. The woman looked down, her smile growing again. A bundle in her arms had started wiggling. I tilted my head and watched as she pulled on a fuzzy piece of cloth, revealing a little head. I watched in astonishment as a little chick turned to look at me with wide, innocent eyes.

     “See, baby?” The woman whispered to her. “Birdie.”

     The little chick reached out a hand toward me, eyes shining like her mother’s. “Buddie.”

     “That’s right,” her mother smiled, tears in her eyes as she looked back up at me. “Buddy.” The golden rays of the setting sun lit up the little chick’s shockingly light hair. She yawned and leaned against her mother.

     Her little chick took after her in more ways than one. There was no doubt in my mind that she had the gift too, just like her mother. I looked up at the woman the girl had become, beaming with pride. She’s all grown up now, I thought as I closed my eyes peacefully one last time. My little chick.

[callsign-fox]

Halloween Party (Colby Imagine) Part 1?

It was half past 10 when Y/N and her friends pulled up to the Halloween party. The street was already littered with cars and people decked out in costumes gathered in the mansions driveway. While she was dressed as a circus ringleader, her two girlfriends Chelsea and Avery went with the more revealing Victoria Secret angel costume. Y/N wasn’t the type to show up at a Halloween party in only lingerie, no matter how famous the parties hosts were. According to Chelsea, the house was owned by a group of you tubers known for pulling off elaborate pranks and insane parties.

“Y/N your costume looks awesome!” Avery said, smiling in her friends direction as they walked up to the driveway.  

Chelsea nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, at first I wasn't sure how the costume would turn out but you look sexy as hell!”

Y/N’s cheeks turned red as she tugged on her spanks. “Thanks guys, I’m just not used to showing so much skin.”

“You should do it more often, you can definitely pull it off!” Avery laughed.

Y/N laughed at her friend as they headed into the house that was already packed with people. The music was blaring through the speakers and everyone was dancing to a familiar song by Ludacris. Y/N admired all the colorful costumes as she followed her friends deeper into the house.

“Hey, I see a few of the boys, let me introduce you,” Chelsea said before grabbing her hand and guiding her into the kitchen. She turned around to make sure Avery was still behind her but she was nowhere to be found.

“We lost Avery already, typical,” Y/N uttered.

Y/N’s heart began to race as she walked toward the kitchen. She had never met anyone famous before, but she wasn't even sure if being popular on YouTube actually meant you were famous. Instead of worrying, she tried to calm herself down by singing the words to the song that was currently playing.

“Hey guys! I wanted to introduce you to one of my very good friends, Y/N. Y/N, this is Sam and Corey. They live here along with three other guys, Elton, Aaron and Colby, who I'm sure you'll meet before the night is over!” Chelsea yelled, trying to be heard over the music.

Y/N smiled and extended a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, and this an awesome party!”

“Thanks, it’s one of the biggest we've ever had, and it's not even midnight!” The blonde one named Sam said before taking a sip of his beer.

“Yeah, just wait until everyone’s clothes are off, that’s when you’ll know this party hit it’s all time high,” The other boy Corey said with a smile.

Chelsea nodded as she tapped her foot to the beat of the music. “Corey, where is Devyn?”

Corey rolled his eyes. “She is upstairs still getting ready. I know you're not surprised.”

“No I’m not. Y/N, I’m going to head upstairs and see when Devyn’s coming down, you good?”

Y/N nodded in her friends direction before heading back out to the foyer where Avery was already dancing with a group of guys. She quickly joined her and the two of them danced together to numerous songs before Y/N was ready for a drink.

“I’m going to head over to the bar, do you want anything?” She screamed in Avery’s direction. Avery gestured at her beer and Y/N took that as a yes before heading in the bars direction.

The bar was set up outside next to the pool where a handful of people were hanging out holding red solo cups. The pool was also full of people laughing and talking in high tones to be heard over the music. Y/N laughed at how crazy this party was and it wasn't even 11.

“Can I get you anything?” The bartender asked while pouring multiple shots of fireball.

Y/N smiled. “I’ll actually take a shot of fireball, and a Miller Lite, please,” The bartender nodded and pulled out another shot glass.

“I’ll take a shot of fireball as well, can’t let the pretty girl drink alone.”

Y/N turned to face a boy with messy brown hair and a bright pink pig sitting atop his head. His smile was contagious and his eyes bluer than the sky. Y/N found herself staring and quickly turned her attention back to the bartender.

“You don’t have to worry, I’m not alone,” Y/N told the boy while concentrating on the drinks in front of her.

He smiled. “Are you here with your boyfriend?” Y/N shook her head. “So you came with friends then, do I know them?”

“Chelsea Shaw and Avery Walker, you may know them.”

He nodded. “Ah, I know Chelsea. I’m pretty sure I saw her run off with my boy Brennan upstairs.”

Y/N let out a laugh that the boy found adorable. “That doesn’t surprise me,” The bartender placed two shots of fireball in front of them and each of them picked one up. “My name is Y/N by the way.”

“I’m Colby.”

Y/N smiled. “Cheers!”

Their glasses clinked together and the two of them threw back there shots in one swig. Colby quickly thanked the bartender and handed him a twenty dollar bill before turning back to Y/N. “Have we ever met before? You look oddly familiar to me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I am pretty sure I’d remember you.”

This time Colby laughed. “Why’s that?”

“Well,” Y/N went on.”You’re very sweet, and handsome,” He nodded with a slight blush forming on his cheeks. “And, I’m guessing that pig isn't just for Halloween, something tells me you wear it all the time. I bet it’s a chick magnet.”

Colby exploded with laughter, which caused Y/N to laugh uncontrollably as well. “Aren’t you quite the comedian?”

“I try,” Their eyes locked, and she found herself irresistible to his charm. “Are you from here?”

Colby leaned toward here, closing the gap between them. “No, I’m actually from Kansas. I moved here with my friend Sam about three years ago. We both decided to make the move for our career. We are both you tubers.”

“Pranksters, right? Do you have anything planned for tonight?” Y/N whispered, pretending to be sneaky.

“Nope, we are going prank free tonight!” He admitted while pulling his phone from his pocket. Colby rolled his eyes with annoyance while reading the text that had just appeared on his screen. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Some of the guys need me inside. Can we continue this later?” He mumbled while gesturing between the two of them.

Y/N nodded and before she could say goodbye he was gone.

A moment later Avery appeared outside, her blonde curls were now pin straight due to how hot it was in the house.

“Hey, what’s taking you so long?” She asked as Y/N handed her the beer.

“Sorry, I got distracted. Hope your beer isn’t warm.”

She took a sip and shook her head. “Nope it’s fine. So, who distracted you?”

Y/N’s cheeks turned red, “How do you know it was a person and not a thing?”

“Because you're blushing first off, and second you look amazing I’m not surprised that the moment you’re alone the wolves pounce.” Avery laughed.

“Well, you’re right, it was someone. Colby actually.”

Avery’s eyes widened. “You were talking to Colby? Wow, I assumed he would be locked up in his room with some bimbo by now.”

Meanwhile, Colby stood inside the house with a perfect view through the window of where Y/N and her friend Avery were currently talking. The girl was beautiful, and had a sense of humor that was hard to find. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and not only because of how attractive she was, but because he was terrified of another guy showing up and sweeping her off her feet.

“I ran into Amanda a little bit ago, she said she was looking for you, so I lied and told her you weren’t invited.” Corey reported while spinning the Viking sword in his hand. Colby ignored his friend as he stared in Y/N’s direction. “Colby, are you even listening to me. Who are you staring at?”

He quickly turned to his friend who had a sneaky smile on his face. “What?”

“Isn’t that Chelsea’s friend you're staring at?”

Colby nodded. “Yeah, dude. I can't take my eyes off her.”

“Then why don’t you go hangout with her?” He said, laughing at his best friend who was normally not this timid.

“I don’t know, she is way out of my league.”

Corey laughed. “You're not wrong about that.”

Colby ignored his friend once again. “She is also with her friend, I don't want to interrupt.”

At that moment a familiar guy walked over to the girls and placed his hand on Y/N’s back. Colby’s ears began to heat up and he could feel himself growing anxious. “Who the hell invited Blake? He is such an asshole.”

“At our last party I caught him flirting with Devyn, he is lucky I didn't punch him the face.” Corey added, annoyed at the sight of him.

Blake’s hand moved an inch lower on Y/N’s back which caused her to take a step away from him. She was uncomfortable and Colby couldn't control his anger anymore. Without saying a word to Corey he made his way outside and over to where Blake, Avery and Y/N were standing.

“Hey Blake,” he yelled, not caring that everyone turned to see what was going on. Y/N turned her head to see Colby walking toward her, his bright blue eyes now a shade darker. He quickly wedged himself between her and Blake, happy that he could no longer put his hands anywhere near her. “How’s everything going over here?” Y/N looked down at her feet which told Colby she was very uncomfortable with the situation he had just walked into.

“Colby, hey man! I was just introducing myself to these lovely ladies over here.”

Colby gave him a fake smile before turning to Y/N and her friend, “Hey, Chelsea is looking for you guys, she sent me to find you.”

Y/N finally looked up from the ground and smiled at Colby, “Oh, I was wondering where she ran off to.”

Before Y/N could walk away, Blake swiftly reached for her hand, “ Why don't you guys let her friend know that she is fine. I’ll take care of her.”

Colby couldn't control himself anymore, he was livid. “Blake, just leave her alone. Can’t you see she is not interested?”

Y/N quickly pulled her hand away and stood between the two boys, “It’s fine, I’m fine. It was nice to meet you Blake, but I am going to go find my friend.”

Y/N turned to head into the house, Avery not far behind her. Colby still stood in front of Blake annoyed at the fact he didn't understand the word no. “There is no reason for you to talk to her anymore, and if you have a problem with that you can leave.”

“Relax, dude. I didn’t realize she was already with someone.”

Colby chose not to respond to Blake and continued into the house after Avery and Y/N. He noticed out of the corner of his eye a handful of people watching but kept on walking. When he finally caught up with Y/N, he gestured toward the dance floor and smiled, “Would you like to dance?”

She nodded in response and followed him into the living room where the DJ was set up. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

Y/N enlaced her fingers with his, “For coming to my rescue.”

Colby nodded and said. “It was no problem at all,” before sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest.

[extremedivas]

Top Five Failed Attempts By WWE to Create the Next Trish Stratus.

Trish Stratus, even at her peak, was never something out of All Japan Women, circa 1994. She was a decent worker, although Victoria (now Tara in TNA) and Molly "Nora Greenwald" Holly (two performers she often  feuded with in 2002-2004) were superior to her in the in-ring department. She was over, but never had the connection with fans that, say, Sunny or Lita did in their primes (indeed, after Trish’s brief in-ring return this year, she just disappeared. Fans didn’t seem to notice or care.)   She was never a huge ratings draw like Sable (who in 1999, believe it or not, was actually pulling in bigger ratings than Steve Austin.) In short, Trish was a decent all-rounder, but never excelled in any area (although her heel promos were occasionally very good.) but still WWE brass has placed her on a lofty pedestal.  She was brought into be a trainer for Tough Enough. She’s likely to go into the Hall of Fame next year. Announcers and fellow wrestlers will often lavish praise on her and refer to her as a legend. Why, all the adoration? Well Trish is the only tangible proof management have that they can take a model and turned her into a good performer. It likely justifies their whole attitude to the women’s division: why bother hiring actual female wrestlers (who usually don’t have the looks), when you could just get models in and train them to be good wrestlers? Accordingly, they’ve tried to replicate the Trish experiment since. Even if, as I have noted, the original was probably a bit over-rated anyway. But, nonetheless, they’ve still tried. And, needless to say, most of the results have been a dismal failure. So, let’s have a look at five of the most blatant failures:

5.Ashley Massaro

What She Had Going For Her: She was a rock chick! She was totally different from all the other blond models! Well, okay, she really wasn’t. But the glimmer of personality she showed during the second Diva Search contest allowed her to win and gain the $250,000 contract. Also, Kevin Dunn and Vince McMahon liked her. A lot. This was mainly why she got the WWE spot on the CBS show Survivor, when the company was asked by the show to submit a contestant, even though most thought she would be a disaster and it would be ample opportunity to push an up and coming male star (indeed, Ashley lasted about 1 week and a half before getting kicked off).   

What Went Wrong: Ashley was an atrocious wrestler. Like, unbelievably bad. Sloppy, un-coordinated, injury-prone...frankly, Manami Toyota would have dug up her grave to roll in if she ever saw one of Massaro’s matches. Jenna Morasca even thought Ashley was a crappy women's wrestler and could have put more of an effort in. Massaro also battled personal issues (reportedly, getting sent him from a Raw taping, due to being in "bad shape", which in wrestling usually means only one thing); she also shrunk dramatically in size, prompting worries about her possibly having an eating disorder. No, it’s never a good sign when we can clearly see your rib cages in pictures.  Then there was the small matter of Rolling Stone Magazine outing her as a high-priced escort in their May 2008 issue after an FBI sting operation. Ashley took to her MySpace, vociferously denying the reports and claiming she was contacting her lawyer to demand a retraction. The Rolling Stone writer, Michelle Grigoriadis, stood by the claims that Massaro had worked as a $50,000 a night for a Los Angeles Escort Agency (and denied the theory that Massaro had been mixed up with a Las Vegas model of the same name.)  The magazine never issued an apology or retraction, and nothing was ever heard about Ashley and her legal action again (quite similar to the time Dave Batista dramatically announced he was taking legal action against Sports Illustrated for linking him with steroid use, and then never made another peep about it again).  She was released some time afterwards. Although it probably had less to do with the Rolling Stone story, and more with the fact that management had had it with her.

Where Is She Now: She was apparently in talks to do a reality show with VH1 (isn’t everyone?) The pitch of the show is that unknown MMA fighters would fight in gruelling matches to win the privilege of dating the supposedly stunning Ashley (for some reason, this concept conjured up the memory in my mind of GSP after he won the interim Welterweight title: “No, No, I don’t want this!”)

4.Christy Hemme

What She Had Going for Her: She was the winner of the first Diva Search and a management favourite for some time- they liked her look and her willingness to learn. Indeed, Christy was enthusiastic and worked very hard to get better in the ring. Indeed her first few performances were, for someone with limited training, very good indeed.

What Went Wrong: No-one is quite sure, actually. She was demoted to OVW in late 2005 (in a move that was speculated to have been an encouragement by WWE for her to quit on her own; although, instead,  she relished the opportunity to get better)  She was officially released from WWE in December of that year for what were apparently “budget reasons” (which makes sense: she was making quite a lot of money to not do that much, after all). Although Hemme strongly denied this and said she was more than willing to take a paycut. There were also some bizarre rumours about her and HHH (which were shot down by most reporters; after all, Christy looks way too much like a woman for HHH to be interested.) So, what was the deal? Later, Hemme writing in November 2008, claimed she had quit: “My departure from WWE was on my own terms because I stuck to my guns on my morals and values as a human being. I knew in my gut that it would be the end, but I also knew that carrying guilt for knowingly doing something against what I believed wasn't worth getting ahead. Leaving broke my heart... but doing the right thing is something I will always be proud of." Hmmm.

Where is She Now: Earning a huge pay check in TNA to do something that only mildly resembles ring announcing.  

3.Kelly Kelly

What She Had Going for Her: Signed at 19 when Johnny Ace spotted her photo in a bikini magazine (prior to that the only wrestling match she had seen was Andre vs. Hogan at Wrestlemania III)   Kelly was probably far too young when she got called up in 2006, but she is, nonetheless, an enthusiastic performer and well-liked backstage (It’s been noted that Randy Orton got a ton of heat for his criticisms towards her in his infamous interview with Arizona's Real Rock Radio Interview, because of her popularity in the locker room). She worked hard to get better in the ring and was given the divas championship after she won a title match in the fan voting for the interactive edition of Monday Night Raw. She even cried when she won her title(presumably because she was happy, not because she was distressed at being burdened with the ugly thing.) Also, she can count Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn among her biggest supporters backstage.

What Went Wrong: She’s deathly afraid of the ring ropes, for a start. She’s also had some absolutely atrocious matches (Notably with Brie Bella at Money in the Bank) as champion. Also, in recent times, she’s become far more well-known for her turbulent love life than she has for any of her in-ring contributions. In the past, she’s been romantically linked with Dolph Ziggler, Andrew “Test” Martin, Chris Jericho and Batista (who admitted that, shockingly, he found the girl was dating “immature”, apparently not realizing that’s what happens when you date someone young enough to be your daughter.) It was all this that apparently inspired Orton’s harsh remarks last month.

Where Is She Now:  Still hiding in fear from the ring ropes, I assume. Also: shooting Randy Orton evil glares if she spots him backstage at a taping.

2. Candice Michelle

What She Had Going for Her:  Former fetish model Candice worked hard to improve her in-ring skills after joining WWE in 2004. Eventually, her hard work paid off and WWE rewarded her with the title at the notorious WWE Vengeance in 2007. Oh, and Vince liked her. A lot.

What Went Wrong: While she improved a lot as a wrestler, she still wasn’t that great. She was never particularly over either. Of course what really killed her career was broken collarbone in a late 2007 match with Beth Phoenix, an injury she was never able to fully recover from. She also committed the ultimate diva infraction of Not Being In Totally Perfect Shape and was released soon afterwards. After her release, she put up an incredibly gracious goodbye note on her official WWE blog, thanking the McMahon family and everyone else at WWE for everything they had done for her. It was rather coldly yanked from the site an hour later.

Where Is She Now: She got married to a doctor and had a daughter called Aki-Anne (almost as bad as a NXT name, isn’t it?). She can occasionally be found on the convention circuit, but appears to have moved on from wrestling for the most part.  

1. Melina

What She Had Going For Her: Upon her debut, former beauty queen and Tough Enough contestant Melina Perez gained notice for her wrestling talent, presence and mic skills. Indeed, many predicted that she, along with her on and off screen boyfriend John Morrison, would become a major star in wrestling. Also, Mick Foley was a big fan. And Batista. And Bret Hart (who, in something he will probably never live down, once called her the "best wrestler in the world".)

What Went Wrong: Where to start? She was a heat-magnet for a start: shortly after her debut, she got sent to wrestler’s court in Australia for being rude to the other women and hitting on the wrong people (in their infamous shoot, Paul London and Brian Kendrick noted that she cried the entire time, and they thought the whole thing was awkward, needless and a complete waste of time) She apparently got into a catfight with Sharmell at one point, too. Melina’s erratic behaviour eventually got her and Morrison sent over to Raw. Later, she was kicked out of the locker room by Lita for her attitude. She was often compared to Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, who was also known for being a handful backstage during her run. She also allegedly got Brooke Adams fired for daring to wear furry boots, like she did (for her part, Brooke denied the story on Twitter, but acknowledged Melina was extremely difficult to be around in WWE, calling Melina a "rude, fake b****.")

More recently, Melina convinced herself that Trish Stratus had “stolen” her spot at Wrestlemania and instructed Morrison (who really does need to grow a pair) to give Trish the cold shoulder, bringing down an avalanche of heat on herself and Morrison. She also suffered a fair amount of injuries, including a torn ACL in early 2010, which seem to have affected her wrestling too: She has went from being a decent women’s wrestler to being as bad as the rest of the models turned wrestlers. Even if Ariane from Tough Enough claimed she had a five star classic with Alicia on Superstars once. And, worse still for any diva, years on the road and bad plastic surgery have also taken their toll on her looks: Melina has went from being a pretty girl to looking a bit like Michael Jackson.  In such a cosmetic business (even the always- thin Maria Kanellis once claimed she had been dragged into WWE offices and told to lose weight) this likely doesn’t bode well for her future in WWE.  

There’s also the strange behavior: the odd tweets, the strange Youtube videos, her new work-shoot persona (as for whether the angle is any good, let’s put it this way: she’s no CM Punk) and, of course, the skittles. Don’t forget the skittles. You know it’s never a good sign when Michael Cole (who is usually receiving instructions from Vince McMahon) refers to you as a “wackjob” on air (as Cole did last Monday) and it has nothing whatsoever to do with your on screen character.

Where Is She Now: Still munching down skittles and bossing Morrison around, I guess.

[thedorkomen-blog]

The Bounty Snatchers: Ch 1 Pt 2

Nick and Trey were frozen for a moment, staring up at the little girl who had made their team complete. As soon as they realized how dire the situation was, they immediately forgot their argument and jumped into action. Neither one of them told the other what they were planning on doing, they just knew by some sixth sense how the other was going to act and reacted accordingly.

    Shouldering his rifle, Nick took out running, determined to get Melanie down from where she was. He made a beeline straight for the wall of the two-story building, focused solely on getting her down. Trey paid no attention to Nick and rushed over to stand under the girl, planning to catch her should things go south. Nick ducked down, trying to make himself smaller to increase his speed because speed would be a vital necessity to accomplish what he was planning.

Maintaining speed, he tapped the inside of his wrists together, which initiated the atomized soles of his boots. This made them become seemingly magnetized to the brick wall as the atoms momentarily merged. Right as Nick was nearing the wall, he leaped, landing on the wall and running up it instead. He raced up until he reached the lip of the rooftop, hurling himself over the edge and de-atomizing his boots. Glancing over, a smile spread across his lip as he found himself just off to the side of where Melanie was being held.

He moved towards her, some part of his brain so focused on getting the girl to safety, he forgot about the Seeker who had initiated the attack in the first place. That is, until a sudden force slammed into his stomach, sending him reeling as he doubled in on himself. Struggling to his feet, he tensed up, trying to regain his senses. The Seeker lashed out, but this time Nick was prepared and dodged out of the way, wary of his surroundings once again. Because at this point, Nick was fairly certain he knew who they were dealing with. This was The Shadow Man himself, and Nicks team had just landed one of the biggest bounty heads on the market.

Melanie screamed as she was flung about, the struggle only scaring her more. Her high-pitched voice seemed to be bothering the Seeker, or at least annoying him, and Nick wasn’t sure how much longer the Seeker would hold on to her before hitting that breaking point and just throwing her over the edge so he wouldn’t have to hear her anymore. Trey watched from below, panicking because, while Nick and Melanie were in the thick of battle, all he could do was stand underneath them and wait for things to go wrong. There was no way either of them would risk Melanie falling to her death. That wasn’t how The Bounty Snatchers operated.

Nick unshouldered his rifle and swung it like a bat, desperate this time to make any kind of physical contact with the person that was holding his teammate hostage. He landed the blow, hitting the Seeker hard enough that a crunch resonating as Nick broke through what he assumed were ribs. A high-pitched scream emitted from the Seeker and he dropped Melanie in an attempt to save himself.

Nick cried out as Melanie went over the edge, her screams echoing off the walls as she fell. He whirled around and unhooked a flash-bang bomb from his belt. Pulling the pin out with his teeth, he hurled the grenade at The Shadow Man, hearing a scream emerge from his direction as it went off. There was a loud crash as The Shadow Man slammed into what sounded like pipes and concrete. A voice cursed loudly, and Nick paused momentarily, breathing harshly as he stared at the clearing smoke. Then he stalked towards the guy who had just hurled one of his teammates over the edge, bending down and yanking the burned mask off him.

    Or rather, her.

She glared up at Nick from the tangle of limbs and pipe, disdain and hatred smoldering in her gaze. He stared at her in shock before he regained his composure and merely blew her a cold kiss. He cuffed her to a bit of piping that worked into the buildings plumbing system before walking towards the edge. He didn't know if he wanted to see the remnants of whatever happened after Melanie went over the edge, but at the same time he knew he had to honor his comrade.

Peeking over the side, he saw Trey clinging to Melanie and making sure she was okay. He glanced up at Nick and smiled shakily, giving his leader a thumbs up and making Nick slide down into a sitting position as he recollected himself.

                    ***

    Once he had gathered his wits properly, Nick phoned the Bounty Headquarters to report and claim their bounty. “Hello, hello! Yes, siree, this is Nicky-boy. Hmm? No, I’m not wasting your time! Warden, you wound me. Actually, I’m calling about that mighty large bounty of The Shadow Man. Of course, I’m being serious. I had that other guy, too, he just got away. Hmm? No!! Why would I ever waste the time of a man with such a high status as yourself, Mr. Warden Man? I am a hard-working civilian, a bounty hunter, in fact. Now then, why don’t you and your boys come on down and get the wonderful man. We’ll gladly take the bounty off your hands, of course.”

He smiled and nodded until the call was over. Then he turned his gaze to Trey and Melanie, who had joined him on the rooftop to keep their bounty-head company. “Alright boys and girls, our friendly Warden is dropping by to pick up this naughty little girl. They, of course, won’t give us the bounty until they have her in their custody. But that’s okay, because she’s stuck and going nowhere, so we’re fine.” Melanie tugged on his shirt-tail, causing to turn his attention to her. “Hmm?”

“Does this mean we’re having supper tonight?!” Her eyes were wide and hopeful, and Nick grinned back at her, happy with the answer he could give her.

    “In fact, little lady, it does. Food in our stomachs and gas in the tanks, we’ll be out of this dump in no time!”

                        ***

    Later that day, after they’d claimed their bounty, they finally left the waste planet and, for the first time in a while, ate a decent, fulfilling meal. They were sitting in the commons of their airship, eating and watching The Bounty Head Headquarters Channel, a tele-broadcasting channel made specifically for bounty hunters by bounty hunters.

    “And today,” started the red-haired hostess in a skimpy green outfit, her eyes sparkling and energetic. Her southern accent was warm and sweet, a thing that made her a prime option for this part. “We find out that that whopper of a bounty, The Shadow Man, was caught. However, after the hunters who captured him-I mean her- left, she got loose again! Word is that her last words were a warning to those bounty hunters. To the boys who caught her, my heart goes out to you. I really do hope you’ll be found in at least three pieces, otherwise you won’t be eligible for a decent burial service!!” The blonde pouted her lips and shook her bouncing curls. “Good luck and remember: Bounty Hunters are the best Hunters. See you next time on The Bounty Head Headquarters Channel!”

    Nick cut off the TV and groaned, not even wanting to bother with the whole situation anymore. “Great, now we got a psychopathic murderer on our tail. Hey, Melanie, how bad does this look?”

    Melanie jokingly closed her right eye and squinted her left, a small smile playing at her lips. “Looks pretty bad, boss.”

    They all laughed, unbothered by the warning because how could The Shadow Man even find them now.  Nick shook his head, looking at Melanie incredulously. “Well if that crazy chick is still in that dump, we’re safe. What’s she gonna do? Hitchhike until she finds us? C’mon, let’s see what new bounties are up.”

                        ***

As they all headed to the computer, a head looked over the edge of the wing, space suit fogging up as the girl’s breath obscured her vision. She smiled menacingly and held on tightly, waiting for the moment when they would land.

    The Shadow Man would have her revenge, and there was nothing that could stop her.

[artificialqueens]

Twist Of Fate - Ch08 - (Trixya) - katyahzamo

A/N: The time has come, squirrel friends, to finally see a tiny bit of Trixie’s side of the story! There will be one more Trixie POV until the end of the fic, so enjoy it while you can and let me know what you think!

A reminder: Trixie is a hairdresser and Katya is a struggling photographer slash yoga instructor. Lesbian AU. Read the chapters on AO3 and/or come hang out on my tumblr katyahzamo. Comments are welcome and encouraged!

Trixie Mattel used to read a lot of romance novels growing up. Living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by endless fields that stretched for miles, there weren’t many other things to do during summer months, when school was out and the heat reached its peak, forbidding her to walk through the tall grass hours on end.  Instead, she would sit on the small porch, propped up by pillows she’d bring down from her bedroom, and read one shitty romance novel after another, bought in grocery stores for a dollar or two.

It used to be the only thing that transported her somewhere else, away from her alcoholic stepfather and the poverty her family endured for years on end. The romance novels have always been painfully straight and extremely cliché – but Trixie wasn’t complaining. She’d read them, and reread them if she ran out of pocket money to buy new ones, and daydreamed about running away one day to have an adventure of her own. Her favorites were those that included love triangles, a woman stuck between being infatuated with two men, choosing one and leaving the other broken-hearted. She loved them because she thought them to be fiction – no person could love-love two people at the same time, right? It was stupid.

Many years down the line, Trixie Mattel stopped reading romance novels, when empty fields got replaced by Bostonian buildings, streets and little cafés, and she started working and began worrying about real problems, like paying rent, eating regularly and keeping herself hydrated. The romantic part of her never died, however, even though she had issues with keeping herself in relationships for too long. At first it was because the internalized hatred and shame for who she was, endless attempts at dating men that didn’t work out, women who were emotionally unavailable and those who called her emotionally unavailable. Later – it was just a lack of time and energy, and determination to go far in life with her hairdressing career.

When Katya walked into her life in her mid-twenties, Trixie was instantly enamored by her charm, wit, and the perfectly white, broad grin that always seemed genuine and warm. First time she found out Katya loved women, Trixie found herself fantasizing about going to candle-lit dinners with her, kissing in the dark movie theatres and dancing with their fingers intertwined. The fantasies never stopped, even after finding out that Katya was in a serious relationship, despite herself, and always secretly hoped there would come a day when they would break up and Trixie would get that chance. She often indulged these fantasies, especially lying in bed at night and staring at the ceiling, even though she knew it was never going to happen. No one could ever love two people at the same time.

Getting an offer from Berlin had come in the right moment, when her attraction to Katya became almost unbearable, words always at the tip of her tongue and ready to spill over the edge. It was also a sign from the universe that keeping to her career was the best thing she could do for herself at that moment in time. Kim and Bob had practically jumped up and down after hearing about the opportunity Trixie has gotten, and shut down every doubt Trixie had about moving. It was exactly like she’s told Katya all those years ago: there was nothing tying her to Boston, and she was far from home anyway.

The life in Berlin had been easy – and fun, despite her horrible, broken German and shitty sense of direction. The city itself, huge and full of history, made her fall in love at first sight. Not staying in contact with Katya , while something she berated herself over for the first two weeks, became a blessing in disguise since she could finally move on. People, especially at the salon where she worked, made her feel like home and took her out to gay bars every chance they got, happy to have a lesbian American among them. Foreigners are chick magnets, her co-worker would say, you’ll be drowning in German pussy in no time.

It was funny then, or maybe a little ironic, that the first girl she would get a gigantic crush on was an American DJ, and a famous one to boot. They met one cold winter night while Kim was visiting, and told her that the new girl from Honey Salon, Adore, invited them for a party in Berghain, Berlin’s biggest nightclub. When Trixie saw Pearl for the first time, she decided that her type were definitely fit blonde women with pale eyes and a beautiful smile. Talking to Pearl would turn out to be the easiest thing in the world, even in the light of the following day when they went out for coffee. When they kissed in front of Trixie’s apartment later in the evening, Trixie felt butterflies in her stomach for the first time in forever.

It took her a long distance relationship with Pearl, who was almost always on the road, to make Trixie realize that long distance relationships are hard, maintaining solely on FaceTiming, talking over the phone and counting days until the next time they would see each other. Still, Trixie was very proud of herself for having a functional romantic relationship, even long distance, and Pearl always made it easy even though she wasn’t a romantic type. Soon after that Trixie realized that she felt lonely in Berlin, with all of her friends and her girlfriend living one ocean away and the city being now familiar enough, all the thrill of novelty gone. When she found herself crying over her morning cup of coffee in her empty apartment on a Sunday morning, Trixie decided it was time to go back.

There were many things that Trixie expected to stay the same in two years of her absence: that small coffee shop at the end of the street where Honey Salon was, the delicious ribs in a restaurant close to her apartment, Latrice’s beautiful booming laugh and lovely sunsets over Boston’s townhouses.  What Trixie didn’t expect to stay was that dumb smile of Katya Zamolodchikova that walked into the salon on the first day she came to visit her friends and beg Latrice to let her work at least part-time.

Talking to Katya felt… the same and different at once. The two of them were still the same people with the same sense of humor and mutual understanding no one but them shared; but now with different circumstances. Trixie soon found out that the absence makes the heart go fonder was unfortunately horribly accurate, even though she now had no reason to fantasize, even after finding out that Sharon was out of the picture. Pearl was in the picture now, and Trixie was in love, and loving two people at the same time was impossible. Right?

When Trixie wrote I Know You All Over Again during the worst week of her life, saying goodbye to her favorite aunt and crying in Bob’s arms for hours. When she wasn’t crying, her old guitar was in her hands, Bob by her side, picking at the guitar strings until something that made sense finally came out. Trixie was certain that it was about no one in particular, and just a little bit about Pearl. That was at least what she told herself for the entire week leading up to Adore’s and Bianca’s party. She knew she’d made a mistake telling Adore that she wrote a new song the moment Adore brought it up in front of everyone, but decided to perform it anyway. Only after she’s seen Katya sitting across from her, another girl’s hand in her lap, and that dumb grin on her face, did Trixie realize there was no point in pretending anymore. Loving two people at the same time was impossible, but over the past three weeks it’s not been Pearl that she’s been thinking about all the time, not Pearl she wished was with her back in Wisconsin, not Pearl she wanted to show off to her homophobic family. She loved Pearl, yes, but not like she loved Katya.

That is why she’s on the balcony now, getting fresh air away from the loud music and the laughter of her friends, feeling like she’s betrayed absolutely every single person that cared about her. When she hears a voice behind her, Trixie is quick to wipe her tearful eyes and laugh bleakly at the choice of words that Katya used, transporting her to two years back when she’d ask the same question.

Penny for your thoughts?                            

There is no way that Katya remembers that night of her farewell party when Trixie almost kissed her on three different occasions, right?

Trixie turns around to meet her eyes with Katya’s, noticing a very little smudge on the edges of her lips and smiles, hoping the balcony was dark enough that the other doesn’t see her red eyes that still prickle uncomfortably. Trixie swallows and then shrugs casually.

“I’m thinking how horrible my singing must have been to make you run before I was done.”

Teasing Katya is one of the easiest things in the world, especially when it’s rewarded with this gorgeous laughing that sounds like a squirrel fighting for air. It makes Trixie laugh too, the knot in her throat loosening.

“Bitch, it wasn’t your singing! I don’t have to explain my bowel movements to you, do I?”

Trixie scrunches her nose in Katya-you’re-gross kind of way but she’s still laughing.

“Maybe that’s exactly what I want, Katie.”

“You’re a disgusting, vile human being.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

They laugh again but then Katya comes to stand next to her, arm propped on the railing, head tilted up a little bit since Trixie is wearing heels and she is most definitely not.

“Okay, how about this: your song is really good and your voice is amazing.”

Trixie feels her cheeks heat up and she has to look away. Since when was Katya this open with complimenting her? Diffusing the situation in her head, Trixie clears her throat, ready to fish for more.

“Oh but I fully know that.”

“You do? Good. Okay—“ Trixie watches Katya raise her index finger and presses it to her own chin, pretending to be thinking, glasses on top of her head making her messy hair even messier. Trixie wants to tuck the stray strands so badly, but doesn’t think her own heart can bear it.

“Let me try again: I think that you’re talented in everything you do and you’re seriously underestimating yourself.”

The tone that Katya uses when she says that is as neutral as if she’s talking about the weather, but Trixie has to blink once, twice, the corners of her mouth twitching into yet another smile. The knot in her throat is back, however, and when she opens her mouth to speak, nothing comes out. Instead, her eyes fill with tears and she exhales shakily pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Trix?” The last thing she needs right now is Katya coming even closer to her, but she’s there anyway, fingers wrapped around her wrist comfortingly, and Trixie flinches at how cold Katya’s skin feels.

“I’m fine I just- your fingers are really cold.”

“Trixie-“

Next thing she knows, Katya is pulling her into a hug, one of the tight ones Trixie always hoped to get more of, and her own eyes close shut when she leans her cheek on Katya’s shoulder.

“I got you, it’s okay.”

“I’m getting mascara all over your dress.”

“That’s why I always wear black dresses.”

“In case girls decide to cry on your shoulder?”

“Yes, and to keep up with my bat aesthetic.”

That makes Trixie hiccup, then laugh, before she pulls herself away and wipes the tears from under her eyes, grateful she didn’t go with heavy makeup today.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine I just— this week’s been a lot.”

Katya nods thoughtfully and rubs Trixie’s upper arms before she fishes for cigarettes in her pocket – of course Katya’s dress would have pockets - and asks Trixie if it’s okay if she smokes, to which Trixie nods, still finding it hard to speak.

“Your aunt?” Katya asks again when she exhales smoke in a direction opposite of where Trixie is standing.

“Yeah, and… other things.”

“Yeah?”

Trixie wants to tell her all about it. She wants to tell her how fucked up she is, and how bad of a person she is, how her girlfriend is in this very house downstairs with all their friends and all she can think about is stepping closer to Katya and kissing her. How she doesn’t deserve someone like Pearl, or Katya. Trixie wants to tell her how a part of her wishes she never went to Berlin because she’d have been there when Katya and Sharon broke up. She also wants to tell her how the last thing she wants is to hurt Pearl whom she loves and who has been nothing but great to her, but how her heart goes insane every time Katya is around. She wants to tell Katya other things, even more personal , and wants to tell her just how irrationally she’s in love with her, even though they still don’t know a lot of things about each other.

And yet, she doesn’t.

“I’m just tired, and I don’t really know what I want anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s kind of a long story, but just, you know, general things. Work, life, being back in Boston…”

“Having a hard time readjusting, huh?”

“Kinda, yeah. And the girls at Honey are great but recently I’ve been thinking about opening my own salon but I don’t have the stability to, you know, mentally or financially.”

Katya nods along, and the absolute understanding Trixie finds in her eyes makes her want to cry again.

“A wise woman once told me: follow your gut and stick with it.”

“Was the wise woman you?”

Katya laughs, and Trixie finds herself smiling again.

“No! But I’ll tell you this: I believe that everything you set your mind to, Tracy, you can achieve.”

“You really want me to start crying again, don’t you?”

“Wet my shoulder baby one more time.”

The shriek-laugh leaves Trixie and eventually Adore finds the two of them laughing loudly together, both having long forgotten what exactly it was they have been laughing about.

Pearl goes home with her later that evening, and as they climb up the stairs to her small apartment, Trixie still thinks about Katya leaving with Kameron little before them, trying not to feel too bitter about it. Her own emotions aside, Katya has absolutely every right to move on from Sharon, and it would be selfish to feel betrayed or sulk about it. After all, Pearl is right next to her, with her arms around her, mumbling about how tired she is and how she can’t wait to get into bed.

Trixie watches her take off her clothes and go into the shower, and does the same once Pearl is out. Feeling mentally and physically drained, Trixie snuggles into Pearl under the covers in her king-sized bed that’s more than big enough for the two of them.

“I’m going to miss all of those bitches when I leave.”

Pearl’s voice is low and rumbling with her lips pressed to Trixie’s forehead, Trixie snuggled into her embrace and arm slung around Pearl’s bare, toned stomach.

“I’m going to miss you.” She adds, and Trixie looks up to find her blue eyes searching for hers, feeling a whirlwind of emotions from the night, from the week, from this moment, tearing her apart from the inside.

“I’ll miss you too.” Trixie finally croaks out, and she’s not lying. These past couple of weeks has been the longest she and Pearl have spent together, and Trixie’s gotten used to having her around. Waking up with Pearl and going to sleep with her has been her favorite part of the day, because she loves the feeling of being protected and safe, and loves having Pearl’s arms around her. She wishes, with all her heart, it was enough.

“You smell so good.” Pearl says then, and her lips are already leaving small, lingering kisses down Trixie’s face and her jawline. Once her teeth find Trixie’s neck and bite down playfully, Katya temporarily leaves Trixie’s mind. All she can think about are Pearl’s lips and Pearl’s hands running down her sides and fingers digging into soft flesh of her waist under her T-Shirt.

“Yeah?” She breathes out, scooting closer, suddenly hungry for physical touch, Pearl’s touch, always so attentive and knowing of what Trixie wants and needs.

“Mhmmm.” When she sees Pearl smile and trail kisses down her bare stomach, her long fingers pushing Trixie’s underwear down her thighs before she settles between them, Trixie thinks she can make this work. Maybe she has been wrong all these years. Maybe it was possible to love two people at the same time after all. She will think about what to do about that realization tomorrow.

.

.

.

Trixie is thankful that Kim is back on Monday, and they embrace tightly in the middle of the salon. She requests every single detail from the New York seminar, and Kim has just finished talking about how Brianna got food poisoning from one of the small delis when customers start pouring in. Without having to say anything, Trixie knows Kim wants her to talk about Adore and Bianca’s party, because Kim and Bob are the only people who knew about her liking Katya back then, two years ago. It has been the only thing that kept her sane through everything. Neither of them know about Trixie’s realizations now, because saying them out loud would mean that it’s true, and Trixie is not ready to admit it to herself just yet.

Luckily for her, Kim is a really good reader of people.

“Come on, Trixie, I know you’ve been dying to tell me about the party all morning.”

They finally manage to sit down hours later, for lunch, and Trixie knows she doesn’t have a lot of time before their next appointments walk through their door.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell you Kimberly, it was a housewarming party. Alcohol has been drunk, songs have been sung, we’ve all been roasted by Bianca at least once, Katya and I talked twice…”

“Katya was there?”

“Yeah, you know how much Adore loves her, of course she was there.”

“That must have been awkward, huh?”

“A little bit, yeah, but not too much. She hugged me on the balcony after I started sobbing right in front of her so that was fun.”

“Why were you sobbing?”

Trixie suddenly feels like she’s in a dark room, set up for interrogation. She feels she might as well tell her best friend about it, since mulling over the situation alone during the weekend did not help at all.

“Everything just hit me at once, and I am just so confused Kim-“

“So you still have feelings for her, huh?”

Kim asks the question with her eyebrows slightly raised, slurping on her noodles, and Trixie feels her heart swell. Kim Chi was never a judging type when it came to serious things, despite her jokes and judgment on every other occasion.

“I- I don’t know. I literally don’t know. It seems like those two years in Berlin did nothing to help me forget her. I feel like a dumbass.”

“And Pearl is in the picture.”

“And Pearl is in the picture.”

Trixie pokes at her own noodles unenthusiastically, sighing with a groan.

“I wish I had your problems.” Kim says then, and Trixie gapes at her with a scoff and an incredulous look on her face.

“Bitch!”

“Bitch nothing! You have these two gorgeous women fighting for you and you’re here being useless, complaining-“

“Katya isn’t fighting for me; I don’t think she even sees me like that.”

“Trixie please, she was here the first day you were back-“

“She didn’t know I was back, Kimberly, you’ve seen how surprised she was. And it doesn’t matter anyway; she went home with Bianca’s cousin that Adore invited only to hook them up so…”

“Oh. That sucks.”

Trixie half-shrugs, half-nods, shoving the fork full of noodles in her mouth. They both chew in silence for a couple of moments before Kim speaks up again.

“I still think you should talk to Pearl. This isn’t fair to her.”

“I know. I just don’t know how to bring it up. I think I’ll do it after their photoshoot thing on Friday.”

“Good idea. Oh! Speaking of which, I don’t think Brianna is going to make it for that.”

“Still sick? Yikes.”

“Yep. Adore will probably ask you to fill in, so just a heads up.”

“Why can’t you fill in, Kim? Katya and Pearl are both going to be there.” It’s futile to say that her pouting does not work on her best friend.

“I can’t, they will need a hair person and I do make up. But even better! You can look and them both and decide which one you wanna bone for the rest of your life.”

“Kimberly!” Trixie laughs loudly, splattering her noodles everywhere.

“What? It’s a win-win! And I’m not cleaning up your shit. You’re on your own.”

.

.

.

Kim was right, Adore does storm into the salon on Tuesday morning, begging Trixie to help her out with the photoshoot on Friday, and Trixie does not see the way of turning it down without seeming suspicious. Adore, despite being a stoner who talks slowly, is incredibly smart and intuitive, and Trixie could have sworn she gauged at least some of the feelings Trixie has for Katya. And, Adore being one of Pearl’s best friends, is definitely the worst person to get suspicious right now, since Trixie wants Pearl to find about everything from her and not anyone else. That is why she promises Adore to be there on Friday, and spends the rest of the week between preparing for it mentally and helping Pearl pack.

Pearl is busy enough not to notice the shift in Trixie’s behavior, or at least that’s what Trixie wishes, with her getting increasingly jittery about Friday and genuinely not knowing how it will all end. A large part of her hopes  in vain that whatever she felt during these past couple of weeks have just been emotions intensified by the loss of her aunt, and not something that could potentially change her life, make her lose Pearl and fuck up her friendship with Katya. She’s a mess, and she needs time she doesn’t have to process just how much of a mess she is.

When Friday finally rolls around, Trixie and Pearl go to the agency together, and Katya is the first one to greet them in the hallway, giving them both tight Katya hugs and looking much less tense than when she’s seen them at the party. Trixie wants to ask her about Kameron, but they barely get the chance to talk to each other for majority of the day. Katya, on the other hand, looks at Trixie with a newly found wonder Trixie can’t place, crinkles around her eyes she’s earned by constantly laughing, and Trixie finds herself wanting to know every single thing that makes Katya tick.

Watching Katya and Pearl work together is an… experience, and she cannot tear her eyes away when Katya runs to Pearl to fix strands of her puffy blonde hair or talks to her with her arms flailing all over the place. Pearl, being herself, feels absolutely unfazed by Katya’s chaotic energy and the way she bursts out laughing at whatever Katya says makes Trixie’s nerves spike. After talking to Kim on Monday, she knows that she needs to do something about this stupid situation, but now, looking at the two of them laughing when Pearl made a funny face and flipped Katya off, Trixie knows that at least one person will end up hurt. Love sucks.

Katya runs up to her during one of the breaks, begging her to do something with her bangs that keep falling into her eyes, and Trixie spends fifteen minutes laughing at the stubborn blonde strands, attracting curious glances from all of their friends. Katya watches no one else but her, murmuring jokes and egging her on even more, and Trixie swears that no one, not even Pearl, exists around them for a hot minute. Selfish.

Once the individual shots are done, the group shots follow, and Adore and Trixie watch the entire thing unfold, standing just off the side where Katya was kneeling and shouting instructions at the girls and Michelle is sitting and watching it happen.

“Katya’s insanely talented, man.” Adore comments, her arms folded, her and Trixie’s bags half-packed besides their feet. It’s the last set of the day, and Michelle promised to buy them all dinner afterward.

“She is, she’s always talked about how she wanted to be a photographer when I met her.”

“Oh yeah, you’ve known each other for a long time, right?”

“Three years, more or less. Violet brought her to the salon one day and she just kept coming back.”

“Until you left?”

Trixie looks over at Adore, and Adore’s looking at her with an expression Trixie can’t quite read.

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t really keep tabs on my American customers once I moved.”

“Uh huh.” Adore nods and looks away and at the girls again, and Trixie can’t help but feel a little bit uneasy.

“Is everything okay, Adore?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

It’s the first time Trixie has noticed a tiny bit of hostility from an otherwise chill Adore, and it makes her heart sink. She knows, she knows, she knows. It’s unsure how Adore knows, but it’s the only thing that would explain this behavior. Trixie opens her mouth and closes it again, and they don’t speak again until the set is done and everyone is doing a group hug and Trixie is painfully aware of Katya’s arm around her waist from her right.

Trixie and Pearl don’t stay for dinner, since Pearl’s plane is at 4 am, and Trixie is the one taking her, so they need time to get her all packed up. When they finally zip up the second and final suitcase hours later, Trixie can feel the heart in her throat and when Pearl comes to hug her, she knows that this is the time to make a decision. If she stays silent, she will take Pearl to the airport, kiss her goodbye, and they will be back to their long distance relationship until November.

It could be enough time to figure out her feelings, Trixie thinks in one fleeting moment as she hears Pearl’s heart beat under her cheek, but then remembers Kim’s words and how unfair it would be to the girl that has been nothing but kind to her. If they stay together, it might take weeks, months, even years until her feelings for Katya fade, and Trixie doesn’t know if she can bear kissing Pearl one more time with Katya on her mind. If they break up now, and Katya doesn’t like her back, Trixie will have to live with the consequences and it’s nothing less than she deserves with getting herself into this situation. And if Katya does like her, somewhere down the line… that scenario scares her as much as it excites her. That thought alone makes the final decision that much easier.

“Pearl?”

“Yeah babe?”

“What time is it?”

“Five minutes after midnight.  Do you want to go eat something? We still have time.”

“Sure. But uh…”

“What’s up, Trix?”

“We should talk.”