#soupy rants | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lillaydee · 26 days ago

Text

The Unlucky One Part 3

Joel Miller (No Outbreak AU) / F Reader

When it comes to love, Lady Luck seems to have lost your address. After being left at the altar without so much of an explanation, you decided love is no longer something you are interested in. Not even meeting an unlucky-in-love-himself Mr. Grump could change your mind.

Right?

Let me know if you want to be tagged, or if you want to be removed from the tag list.

WARNINGS: Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Soft Joel (The Last of Us), Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Hurt Joel (The Last of Us), Grumpy Joel (The Last of Us), Jealousy, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Idiots in Love, unlucky in love, Child Abandonment, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us)

@peelieblue, @vickie5446, @harriedandharassed, @lovefreylove @martuxduckling @kikookii

SERIES MASTER LIST

Part 2

---

When you got to your room, Maria came bounding towards you, looking a bit guilty. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt like going out? I wouldn’t have said yes to Tommy.”

“I want you to have fun, you goose. You’re on holiday. I, on the other hand, needed a reason not to think about being dumped, so…” you lifted the many, many, many filled bags you had brought back with you.

“Ooh!” she squealed, looking far too excited to help you with your shopping. She cooed at the souvenirs, asking you if you could take her with you the next time you go. She blabbered on about random stuff as you changed, following you around the suite, even talking at you through the semi closed bathroom door as you peed and showered, all the while with a strange smile on her face. It was all a bit odd. Finally, you sat in front of her and asked her point blank – what’s going on, Maria?

“Well, Tommy’s brother didn’t join us. I heard he went out today. And he sent a picture of some fried rice to Tommy, the place looked suspiciously like the place you sent the soupy thing from. You have something to tell me?” she couldn’t even keep her face straight.

“No.”

“Oh, come on… it’s me… you were out with him, weren’t you?”

“No, I wasn’t. We were at the same place. But I was not ‘with him’. We just happened to eat in the same restaurant. Different tables.”

“Oh…” she said, looking a bit defeated.

“I don’t even know the guy’s name, Maria. He’s just someone I happened to share a dinner table with yesterday, and a car with today.”

“You know, I can ask Tommy about him, make sure he’s not a loon? Do you know his name? Does he know yours?” You rolled your eyes at her. “He’s so good looking, though. And so quiet. You know what they say about the quiet ones…”

“Maria…”

“I’m not asking you to do anything crazy… maybe, hang out with him a bit. He might help distract you from everything. And you know, we have like five more days here. Who knows?”

“Maria, I love you, but… less than a week ago, I was supposed to get married to who I thought was the love of my life. I still don’t know what happened. I haven’t even heard from him. And you saw how his family left. They were furious. I don’t even have the slightest comprehension of what it was that I did wrong. No one would tell me anything. I’m so lost it’s insane. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am on what was supposed to be my honeymoon. Heck, I don’t even know if I’m single now. He ghosted me. I have no idea if he got cold feet, or he just needed more time, or he’s completely done with me. Am I even single? I don’t even know that! I don’t want this whole thing to come back and haunt me.”

She watched as you ranted, a clear sadness written all over her face. She got up after a while and called someone on the room phone, ordered food for the room and the two of you had a slumber party, watching movie after movie. At one point, you asked her why she was spending her vacation in the room with you. She should go have some fun with her long-haired southerner, while she still could.

“Nah babes,” she said, tucking your hair behind your ears, “You’re my ride or die, I’m staying here because you need me here right now. He can wait.”

“What if I need you here all the way ‘til we have to leave?”

“Then see you whenever, Tommy. Been nice knowing you!” she said, tipping an invisible hat at the door, earning her a kiss and a hug from you.

Really, at this point, you had no idea what you would’ve done if she hadn’t agreed to come with you on this trip.

The two of you talked over the TV, argued about who’s right and wrong in the movies, laughed ‘til you both couldn’t see, and cried in each other’s arms until both of you fell asleep, far too early for a holiday.

You were awaken by the pinging on your phone.

3.45am.

Andrew.

You sat up so quickly Maria woke up from your movement. Her confusion quickly turned to concern at your expression.

You had been texting or calling him multiple times since the wedding. Begging him to call you, text you back, at least let you know why. You deserved that at least. It felt like you sent him hundreds of texts those first three days. He blocked you. You used your Dad’s, Franks, Maria’s, his family’s phones to text him, Kyle texted him on your behalf, Ethan too, they all got blocked as well. You were so confused.

You were a great partner, you treated him like a fucking king. You paid your half of the mortgage and bills, despite only free lancing, you had a job that kept you busy, sometimes busier than him when certain times of the year came, and still, the meals in the house was all your doing, be it ordering or cooking, you ironed his clothes for him, gave him massages at night, scheduled his appointments for him, you even packed his fucking lunches. And he ghosted you without an explanation. You were not even worth that to him.

By the third day, when his family left in a huff for whatever reason, you got the picture. He believed you had wronged him in a huge manner, and his family believed him. If he had simply gotten cold feet, they wouldn’t have been that angry at you. His sweet, sweet mother wouldn’t have practically ripped the heirloom ring that was on your finger. His father wouldn’t have spat at your Dad, calling him a failure of a man, unable to even raise a daughter right. Even if his sister seemed apologetic and looked a bit sorry to leave you like that, she didn’t have the power to say anything, seeing as everyone else was so determined to get out of there as soon as they could.

But without a definite answer from him, you hoped.

So you decided not to harass him anymore, believing that he would get back to you when he was ready. You packed your bags and left for Bali that evening, thinking that you would call him when you came back, and God knows you needed a vacation after the whiplash that was your supposed wedding day. Surely, he would’ve cooled off by then. And if he hadn’t, you had to believe that when the time was right, he would let you know. And when you had more information, the two of you could work out the details of where your relationship would go from there.

Surely?

But his text, that single text he sent you on the third day on what was supposed to be your honeymoon, was not what you expected at all.

“Having fun in Bali with that very single friend of yours? Don’t think I don’t know what you guys are up to. I know she would’ve persuaded you to fuck someone by now. I should’ve known. You didn’t even try hard to reach me, or find me, did you? Three days? That’s all the trying I deserve from you? Well, looks like I’m right about you. This is all the confirmation I need. I want you out of the house before the end of next week. I’ll even make the process easier for you. Hope he was worth it. Goodbye.”

Maria pursed her lips together reading the text. Your insides felt cold. Hollow. You were having a hard time digesting what you had just read.

So there was a supposed man he thought you were involved with. Who? And he ghosted you. Blocked you. And suddenly he was the wronged one? He was the one who wasn’t being coaxed enough? Begged to enough? It’s your fault now? For trying to give him some space?

Who was this guy? This was not the Andrew you fell in love with.

Maria’s hand on your shoulder snapped you back to reality. “You okay?” she asked.

You nodded, jumping a little when the room phone rang. Your wake up call for the hike. You got out of bed to get ready, Maria asking you where you were going.

It was a mark of how serious your face looked at that point that she didn’t even make any sly remarks about you going for an early morning hike with the Grump. She walked you to the elevator, hugging you tight, telling you to call her if you need anything. You just nodded at her as the doors closed.

**********

When you got to the lobby, the Grump was already there, staring at his phone. Something was off with his demeanour, you could tell, even from the back. He seemed bothered, saddened, hardened. You had an accidental glimpse at what he was looking at, an Insta Story of a… party? When he realized you were passing him, he quickly turned the phone off and joined you to wait for Pak Rahman, who was due any minute.

“Morning,” he greeted.

“Morning.”

And then the two of you were just quiet. Each in your own thoughts. Even as Pak Rahman pulled up, the two of you quietly greeted him and got in, buckled up and the ride went smoothly without any small talks from the two of you. It was as if the two of you knew to leave each other alone, mulling in your own worries, and completely understood the unspoken assignment.

After a short 30 minutes’ drive, probably so due to the lack of traffic, Pak Rahman pulled up at a small parking lot in a small village. There were maybe another car or two there, but no tourist busses. He gave both of you a hiking stick and a head torch, asking the two of you to stay close to him. He was casually dressed in his slacks and some sandals, a simple bag slung on his shoulders, while you and the Grump looked like typical tourists, complete with hats and boots and gloves, not to mention backpacks laden with bottled water, snacks and towels.

The trail was not a difficult one, it wasn’t even a long one, maybe 30 minutes of steady incline, but even before sunrise, the humidity got to you and the Grump. Pak Rahman was patient, waiting for the two of you to catch up, hardly out of breath as you and the Grump were steadily breathing heavier and heavier as you went along. The Grump stayed with you, offering you a helping arm every now and again, asking you if you were okay once or twice, but other than that, he was quiet.

When you got to the top, you each took a spot of your own, away from each other, drinking from your bottles, waiting for the sunrise. You didn’t have to wait long, before you could even finish that second bottle, the sky lightened, the black turned to deep, dark blue, before turning greenish, then yellowish, tinged with the slightest of pink, before the orange hues of sunrise blossomed from the horizon, clear and unobstructed from the top of that small hill.

It was magnificent.

It was so quiet up there you could almost hear the sun say hello.

So quiet, your thoughts soon became so loud, you couldn’t ignore them.

You could’ve been here with him. The man you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. Suddenly, you realized that you didn’t know how he would react to this. You had no knowledge of what this man’s preference would have been. Would he have enjoyed this? He didn’t even want to walk the farmer’s market with you. You always went alone. He went with you once, but the sight of the crowd made him change his mind, and he waited in the car for you instead.

Your holidays had been in cities. But when discussing the honeymoon, he asked you to surprise him, which in turn, surprised you. So you chose Bali, going all out to make it the best honeymoon you could have. Now that you thought about it, he might not even like Bali. He didn’t even want to go to your Dad’s beach house. When you did, he stayed at the house.

So why the fuck did you choose Bali?

God, did you even know him?

Suddenly you felt stupid. You actually thought you were happy. You thought he was the man of your dreams. It took that text this morning, those cruel words from him for your rose-coloured glasses to come off. Cause while you thought you were happy, he thought you were with someone else. And he was so shady about the whole thing you didn’t even know who he was talking about, what evidence he had.

You didn’t have that many friends. The happy life you thought you had was his – his friends, his family. And now, when you go back home, you would be alone. None of the gang you used to hang out with had contacted you since the wedding. You had no idea if they knew the whole story, but if they did, they clearly believed him and was taking his side, or if they didn’t, they didn’t care enough about you in the first place to check on you.

And right now, you couldn’t decide which was worse.

You were brought out of your own thoughts when you were having trouble breathing. You were practically sobbing, alone by the tree you had chosen to hide yourself from others. The sun had come out now, the view so glorious, you decided to put Andrew and your failed attempt at happiness at the back of your mind for now and enjoy yourself. Not like you were going to come back anytime soon. You wiped your face clean, finished your water, and got up to see the Grump doing the same from his chosen tree.

Like yours, his face told a story. His eyes were red, his face rather splotchy. You handed him a wet wipe, which he gratefully accepted, thanking you, before cleaning his own face and finishing his water.

“You okay?” you asked him, tentative in your tone, unsure if he wanted you to notice his state of mind.

He nodded a little, “You?”

You nodded.

“Ready to go?” Pak Rahman asked.

“You know any good breakfast spot?” the Grump asked him, and he happily nodded, leading the way down.

By the time you got back to the car, you felt a lot better. The Grump did too, apparently, laughing with you on the way down as he told you about the little frog that kept him company on his lap as he watched the sunrise, only realizing its presence when the sun was fully up.

“You should’ve kissed it. Maybe it was your soulmate in disguise,” you said, as he guffawed at the thought. Pretty sure it was poisonous, he said.

Breakfast was delicious, and Pak Rahman smiled as he went off to get the car, having noticed that the two of you were eating off each other’s plates as if you had done so your entire lives.

**********

On your drive back, you noticed one of the soap shops you had googled, and begged Pak Rahman to stop, only to find that the shop wasn’t open for a few more hours. We could come back later, the Grump said to you, as if it was the most natural thought to him, that the two of you would return together, and not you alone. He seemed to have clocked your thought and quickly backtracked, telling you that his brother and your friend could join you, he was sure they would like to see the town a little bit too?

And that was how the four of you ended up back at the shop after having the most amazing lunch by an actual paddy field in the middle of what passed as downtown Bali, your tummies too full to even stand straight, you and Maria were basically leaning on each other as you entered the shop. The two men went to another shop, one that sold furniture, of all things, and stayed there for quite a while.

Now that you knew you were not going back to that house, you decided that you were going to buy all the soap you wanted anyway. Maybe you’ll find another place that had an amazing bathroom, and you could fill that little bathtub Ethan got you with all these amazing smelling soaps. You took one of every colour and smell you could find, not to mention lotions and shower gels and oils. You were going to be surrounded by this nice vacation at your new home if it was the last thing you did.

When Tommy and the grump returned, they were a little taken aback by the weight of your shopping bags, Maria quickly explaining that you were a soap hound, joking how easy it was to shop for you. Soap. And you would be happy. The men dropped off your shopping with Pak Rahman before going with you and Maria to sight see a little bit, Tommy and Maria walking ahead of you and the Grump, looking very comfortable with each other.

You found a shaded spot by the beach Maria and Tommy were drawn to, the Grump sitting with you, handing you a cold bottle of water.

“I want to thank you for this morning,” he said. You looked at him, perplexed. What did he mean? “You could’ve pried, but you didn’t.”

Ah… he meant the splotchy face and the wet wipes.

“Thank you for not prying on me either,” you said. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way.”

“You didn’t,” he said, shaking his head a bit. “I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?”

You shook yours.

“When are you leaving?” he asked.

“Sunday.”

He nodded, “Friday,” he said, when you looked at him questioningly.

You didn’t know why, exactly, but it made you feel sad.

“I can’t be away too long. This trip was… spur of the moment. Needed to get away,” he explained. “Turns out, I couldn’t get away if I tried,” he mumbled, looking away, taking a drink from his bottle.

“I know what you mean.”

He looked at you, eyebrows raised.

“Same old, same old, came here to be free off certain things back home, but with technology… home came right with you.”

“Tell me about it.”

The two of you were quiet for a beat.

“Listen, I was wondering if you would spend some time with me tomorrow? Before I leave Friday? I have a feeling my brother and your friend are going to be busy,” he said, raising his chin at your friend, who was now busily lip locked with Tommy.

You snorted, shaking your head a little.

“Sure, why not?”

“I’m Joel, by the way, Joel Grump,” he said, offering his massive hand to you.

Why not? You were single now, right?

“Aria, Aria Grump.” You shook his hand, and the two of you said hi to each other, remarking on the similar last names, laughing as you did.

“Light dinner tonight? I’ll make the reservations,” he said.

Sure, why the hell not?

The two of you enjoyed a some light dinner at one of the bars at the hotel that night, your best friend and Tommy busy somewhere else. The bar had a live band, and seeing as it was still early, played some slow rock and old classic songs. You and Joel somehow managed to avoid talking personal life stuff, sharing music preferences and memories of your youth listening to the songs your Dads listened to.

Heck, you two were comfortable enough to sit side by side with your shoulders touching, swaying together to the gentle music, speaking into each other’s ears, his beard and moustache giving you goosebumps as he did.

Such a difference to that first night you spent with him.

He walked you to your room, telling you he will see you at breakfast, and you closed the door realizing that you were very much looking forward to his company the next day.

**********

You woke up to a text from Maria, telling you that she was safe, was alive, and that she would see you Friday – as in, after Tommy had left. You laughed, shaking your head a little at your friend’s obvious crush on Tommy. Well, at least one of you was having a nice vacation.

You had breakfast with Joel, taking plates of different foods from the buffet, sharing them with him. You didn’t know why, but you felt very comfortable very quickly with him. He wasn’t pushy, was gentle, kind, and funny, despite your nickname for him.

Pak Rahman, reliable as ever, took you to another part of town today. You and Joel walked around, him holding the massive umbrella Pak Rahman had supplied him over your heads. You had lunch together, again, unconsciously sharing your meals together, before perusing more shops to spend your money in, him pointing out the different hand made soap shops along the way, patiently following you with a basket while you tried hard to refrain from buying everything your eyes landed on.

You found a massage spot, where they apparently gave very good foot massages. Although reluctant, Joel agreed to get one with you, cringing next to you as the tiny lady massaged his feet with powers beyond his imagination. At one point, he was so taken aback by the pressure the lady had used on him he grabbed your hand for support, his forehead sweating from pain, letting go of your hand only when the massage was over, sulking good naturedly as you laughed at him.

“Give me a break,” he pouted, “It’s my first massage ever,” he said.

“You cannot tell me that did not feel good.”

He cringed slightly, his shoulder raised, but finally conceded that his feet, which had been hurting from the hike and all the walking around Bali, did feel a lot better. But he drew a line when you suggested a head and shoulder massage, blushing a little. He shook his head as you paid for the massages, mumbling to himself that it took travelling to Bali for him to find someone convincing enough to make him try a massage, and he didn’t even get to pay for it.

The two of you spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company before going back to the hotel. You two actually walked into the lobby laughing, hearts light from a fabulous day spent together. Pak Rahman told Joel he would be waiting for Joel at 9.00am to take him and his brother to the airport, and for you to just call him if you needed a lift anywhere.

And just like that, your smiles were wiped off your faces, and your hearts felt heavy again. The elevator ride to your suite was quiet. You wanted to cry.

Silly woman, you didn’t even know him. He could be a psycho, for all you knew. You lived with Andrew for three years, and you had just found out how petty he could be. Let’s not delude yourself to think this Joel Grump could be any different. And with your luck, he could be gay for all you knew.

He walked you to your door, placing your shopping bags just inside.

“Well, any chance I’ll see you at breakfast?” he asked. You may have been imagining it, but there was a hopeful tone to his question.

“Maybe,” you said, nodding.

“Okay,” he said. “See you then?”

“Okay.”

And with that, he turned around and left, his own shopping bags flung over his shoulder.

**********

You stood with your head on the door for a while. You didn’t want to say goodbye to him. But what were you supposed to do? You didn’t know him from Adam. But your heart kept telling you to go to him, get his number, his last name, anything. Anything that didn’t mean goodbye tomorrow.

‘Are you crazy?’ your mind screamed at your heart. ‘You just broke up with someone. You were supposed to be on your honeymoon. And if things go bad, what then? If he knew where to find you, what the fuck were you going to do to get away from him?’

‘But he could be nice,’ your heart coaxed. ‘Not all men are bad,’ it said.

‘And mothers and sisters are supposed to be selfless and loving but look at ours. With our luck, he might break our heart tonight.’

You peeled yourself away from the door, taking the shopping bags into your room, depositing them on the bed and went in to take a shower. When you came out, clad in a bathrobe, you tipped one of the bags’ contents onto your bed, and a slew of coconut shell ashtrays and keychains fell out.

Wait a minute, you didn’t buy these.

They must be Joel’s.

You should return them.

‘But you didn’t know where his room was. Just the floor,’ your mind said.

‘There are only so many rooms on each floor. Try them all!’ your heart defended.

‘Or you could just return them to him at breakfast tomorrow. Or better yet, leave them with the reception, they’ll return them,’ your mind supplying more logical excuses for you to not give in to your heart’s desire.

Yeah, you could just go down to the lobby and ask the reception to return them to him.

So you quickly got dressed, spritzed some perfume on, you never know, you didn’t want to smell bad in the elevator, and walked out of the room.

As you entered the elevator, your finger automatically pressed his floor number. Oh well, might as well, your heart said, but you could feel your mind banging its head on the wall.

The elevator door opened, and you stepped outside, only to come face to face with Joel, who looked freshly showered, holding a shopping bag in his hand.

He looked flustered, “Erm, I took one of your bags by mistake,” he said, offering the bag to you.

“Yeah, I came to return one of yours,” you told him, offering it to him, feeling yourself turn red.

As the exchange happened, your fingers brushed, and he took a step closer to you.

Fuck he smelled so good.

Fuck, you smelled so good.

And just like that, both of you surged towards each other, shopping bags banging on your backs, lips locked, devouring each other, as he backed you to his room, growling frustratedly as he tried again and again to unlock the door with his card, to no avail.

“That’s your credit card,” you said, licking his neck.

“Fuck!” he almost screamed, producing the right card and finally opening the door.

The two of you laughed as you stumbled inside, him kicking the door shut, immediately backing you towards the bed, both shopping bags discarded on the floor.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked, “I’ve never done this before, not with a practical stranger,” he continued, before asking again if you were sure.

You could only nod before your lips found his again. Fuck, he’s a good kisser. The two of you fell on his bed, hands tearing at each other’s clothes, before he stopped and looked you in the eyes. By the time he kissed you again, the urgency of the situation was gone, gentle, slow kisses took it’s place, as your hands caressed each other’s bodies, nice and slow.

‘What are you doing?’ you mind screamed.

‘Oh, lighten up, he’s hot and we’re on holiday, besides, it felt right,’ your heart protested.

Oh, fuck it. You only lived once, you thought, as his kisses moved from your lips to your neck, your eyes closed at the sensation, enjoying what would become your first one night stand.

**********

You woke up to Joel spooning you, his breaths slow and steady on your neck.

Fuck last night was amazing. You could say, without a shadow of a doubt – that was the best sex you’d ever had. 'Which one exactly? The first one, the second? The third?', your heart asked, while your mind rolled its eyes. All of them, you thought. All of them was the best sex you’d ever had, all better than the last.

You turned to face him, and he very quickly engulfed your entire body in his arms, nose unconsciously nuzzling the top of your head as he did so.

Why did you feel so comfortable with him? Took you months to be comfortable enough with Andrew to sleep with him, going back to your own rented apartment night after night to sleep. And yet, here you were, just, cozy and at home in this stranger’s arms.

And you were going to savour it.

He asked you if he could have your number last night, but you said you needed to think about it. He gave you his card, which you placed on your nightstand face down without looking at it, giving in to his caresses for round three.

His phone rang, and he quickly turned to get it off his nightstand, unaware you were awake. You saw the lit up screen in the darkened room.

It was a FaceTime request, from ‘Tess’, a picture of a beautiful, smiling woman accompanying it.

Your heart stilled. You closed your eyes, pretending to still be asleep as he got up, turning his head to look at you as he quickly extracted himself out of the bed as gently as he could, wrapping his bathrobe around his middle, answering the call as he made his way out to the balcony.

“Hi Baby,” he cooed, as he slid the balcony door closed behind him. "Yeah, I'm up. I miss you," you heard him mumble just as the door closed shut.

Fuck. He had someone waiting for him at home. A Tess. A Tess whom he missed. A Tess whom he called Baby.

You had never gotten dressed so quickly in your life. You heard him laugh with this Tess from the balcony, making your heart clench. You picked up the shopping bag, making sure it was yours, and looked at the card he gave you, still face down on the night stand, deciding to leave it.

Just as well.

You couldn’t help yourself from peeking through the slit in the curtain as his laugh became clearer and clearer, crooning a soft, delicate bye to this Baby of his, telling her he loved her. You saw a gorgeous woman on his phone screen, laughing along with him.

You couldn’t stand it anymore. You picked up your shoes and ran out, taking the stairs up to the next floor for the elevator, lest he caught up with you, feeling stupider than you had ever felt in your entire life, and that was saying something.

‘I told you so,’ your mind chastised.

Yeah, mind, yeah, you did.

---

Part 4

#joel miller x reader #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #joel miller x you

39 notes · View notes

lottiecrabie · 1 year ago

Note

you think that when they strat dating she gives up control 🤭

oh that’s a very interesting question! (here she goes🙄✍️) i believe that she does give up control, but it’s probably a rarer thing. i can see her as more submissive, but tbh i struggle seeing him take on a dominant role, so i think it’s probably a strange mix of the two. i don’t believe he’s doing anything that includes degradation or violence towards her, just cos he’s a little noodle boy and he wouldn’t want to. but, you know, after he gains sexual confidence, he could bend her over the desk.

i actually intended on adding a block of dialogues where she talks about how she does actually want to surrender after the whole ‘pet under the desk’ bit. (it started like ‘Your brain is soupy enough to run your mouth. “I want—” You start, but lose your guts. He hums, showing he’s listening. Your heart races against your ribs. “Sometimes, I want to, like— I don’t know, lose control.”’) i didn’t end up including it because i felt like it convoluted the dynamic of the story and was an unnecessary add-on to a one-shot, but the knowledge still Exists in my mind palace.

since the characters have a lot more layers in my head, especially reader, the idea of her relinquishing control makes a lot of sense. i’ve said that she’s kind of a bitch and a mean girl (with all the love<33 i adore evil women<3), and i’ve hinted at her having the instinct to destroy and ruin and self-sabotage. i think her ‘mean’ behavior is in parts due to that self-destructive instinct and her lashing out (i haven’t really decided on a reason why, maybe her parents that ‘pretend they don’t exist’). although she is confident and has an ego, i see her as having some self-loathing about her personality and her incapability of Not hurting people.

anyway, that was all a big rant to say that i think her desire to lose control comes from wanting to not have to listen to that instinct and be able to step away from it. i also think somewhere in her she wants to be ‘punished’ for it, hence why she would want to be dominated (though, again, i don’t think tutor!matty could do punishments). anyway, it would all in all be an interesting dynamic for them! pretty secretly meaningful and touching

#you know it’s bad when you ask an innocent question and crabie adds the Read More #tutor!au #ask

36 notes · View notes

ophidianoccultist · 2 years ago

Text

Serenity

Garreth Weasley x GN!Reader

=====================

hi this is a short little fluffy thing for 🎉weasley wednesday🎉, hope you enjoy :) also i dont know if scotland gets soupy but i need to write and rant about how fucking hot it is where i am so shhhhh

Prompt: It's peak summertime, and you and Garreth are in the Forbidden Forest gathering potion ingredients. But the heat is overwhelming, so you take a break in a creek you come across.

Word count: 584

Walking outside in the heat was like walking straight into a bowl of soup. It was thick and humid, the air seeming to weigh more than the trees themselves, and making anyone walking out in the open feel like sinking into the ground to escape the sun. Garreth and Y/N were certainly feeling the mid-August heat as they trod through the forest collecting toadstools and fluxweed and other tidbits they came across for his asinine potion experiments. They both walked carefully over the roots and mossy stones that littered the ground of the Forest; one could never be too careful when venturing through. The pair also carried mildly heavy sacks with them, the weight of which only made them sweat more.

Merlin, the sweating.

Y/N sat on a large root to rest, and started fanning themself to cool off. The two had already undone a few buttons on their shirts and loosened their ties, but when it was this hot outside, there was nothing much else one could do. Their hair clung to their face and their clothes clung to their bodies, and they had even considered at one point heading back early. Garreth sat down beside his friend and took a long breath before complaining:

"Merlin's beard, I feel as if I'm about to melt. And you don't look any better than I do, Y/N."

"Oh come off it, Weasley, I always look better than you do."

Y/N snorted, but what had said was true. The two were drenched in sweat and drowning in the grating sound of cicadas to add to the ambience of it all. The two sat for a moment before Y/N heard water running and stood up to look around. Not too far off behind them, was a decently sized creek, which looked cool and crisp and oh, so enticing.

"Hey Garreth?"

The ginger pushed his hair back and looked up at his companion, who was pointing over at the creek. They simply exchanged a grin as they set their supply sacks down and jogged over to the creek. It was just deep enough to lay down in without inhaling water, but that was good enough for them. The two laid down on their backs across the hard, but cool stones as they enjoyed the sensation of the fresh water lightly rushing over them. Y/N closed their eyes, taking the time to absorb and take relief in the atmosphere. The tepid water, the gentle sound of it rushing by their heads, the sound of nearby frogs that had the same idea as them. The sound of the croaking frogs was quite soothing, until one landed right on Y/N's face. That definitely pulled them out of their relaxed state.

"Eugh! Am I not already slimy and gross enough right now?"

Garreth sat up and looked down at his friend, with a grimace (and also frog slime) plastered across their face. He giggled before gently saying:

"Here, let me get that for you..."

He cupped some of the clear, cool water in his hands and gently let it pour over Y/N's face, using his thumbs to wipe away the sticky substance. When it was all cleared away, Y/N opened their eyes and stared up at the best friend, smiling. Garreth may be a goofball and a klutz, but he was brilliant to have around at times like this. The tenderness and care that he showed could make someone fall for him...

#weasley wednesday #garreth weasley #garreth weasley x reader #garreth weasley x mc

26 notes · View notes

caelumsnuff · 2 years ago

Note

genuinely curious! can you explain why you think sam and darlin’s personality got nuked? thanks!

Thank you for the ask!

I don't know how to order this so it may end up being a little word soupy, and a lot of this may be repetitive and reminiscent of things ive said before.

TLDR; The amount of fluff that has been inserted into their story line did not and has not provided optimal chance to display uniqueness of their personalities because a lot of Erik’s fluff is generic comfort content. Cuddling, sleep aids, along with some Spicy audios here or there doesn’t provide enough room for personalization to differentiate them from other characters. Plus both of them seeming pretty OOC in some parts of these most recent videos. You gotta Put Those Guys in Situations, ones in which their personalities have more room to bloom.

word soup below the cut

I think the basis of their personalities in the beginning are actually really good. I find them towards the beginning to be interesting and complex, but as the "story" went along i feel like they lost of what made them interesting in the first place.

Sam was this distant member of the Solaire clan who knew healing magic, southern cowboy with the typical southern sass and stubbornness. Darlin started out as very mysterious, very stubborn also, estranged lone wolf searching for an old blood vampire who hurt a human friend of theirs, and what do ya know! It's the same vampire that attacked Fred and Bright, Sam's progeny, they're intertwined in this really wild way. We start uncovering a little bit about them, Sam's turning, more about Darlin's history all that. And for a slow burn romance, their relationship moves forward really fast, which in itself isn't the worst thing in the world! That's chill, they're bonding over shit.

But the whole meeting thing, the reason they really bonded in the first place, is Quinn. And we saw what happened with him, pushed aside, solved as an afterthought. Like, Darlin's stubbornness was written away very quickly (which i've complained about a lot here, the whole "friendship heals all" speeches and all) as well as Sam's own stubbornness and sass. The way that they were done makes it seems like it's because they got in a relationship, but your personality doesn't tone down when you get in a relationship. You don't stop being so sassy or stubborn bc of a relationship, and if you do it doesn't happen that quickly. Nor does it happen because of other people ranting to you.

A major part of the reason it comes off that way is because of the amount of fluff that was inserted into their story. Which isn't in itself a bad thing, but redacted's fluff tends to be stereotypical comfort content, which gets a little.... formulaic and repetitive. It's not that it's bad, but its all his fluff is very much the same, just with different characters. And when you write the same thing over and over with very little changes, you kinda erase a lot of what makes these character's unique.

Like idk, i feel there's ways to make fluffy content that shows off a character's personality. I think Vincent's recent date video and Gavin's recent studying video are really good examples! They had so much personality in those videos! And there were ways to do this with Sam and Darlin, and honestly the Quinn arc ending like this was a major missed opportunity to show off their characters even if it's not necessarily fluff content.

Idk, i really hope this makes sense?? I'm sorry if this is incomprehensible word soup, but if you go look in my pinned at the sam and darlin links you should find more of what i've said about them.

#ask #anon #god this is kinda a mess asdfads

6 notes · View notes

channoticedmeuwu · 4 years ago

Text

should I make ramen or no

#im gonna dry the water dont feel like soupy today #kai's grand rants

5 notes · View notes

soupy-girl · 4 years ago

Text

Everything about Sarah's performance of Barbie Girl was simply immaculate. Courtney and Kimmy being backup dancers and singers, Damien slowly going insane, Sarah's vocals, THE CAMERAWORK. ALL GREAT. Anyway, it was the most underrated song (at least from what I've see, there's some stream left still).

#Sarah Whittle #Kimmy Jimenez #Courtney Miller #Damien Haas #Let me tell you it was certainly A TIME #Smosh #Smosh twitch #Soupy talks #k rant over

36 notes · View notes

phantomposting · 2 years ago

Text

A Wish is Worth a Thousand Words AU Prompt

Tw: injury and brief mention of dissection

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

This is another late night 4am au prompt rant so please excuse any typos or improper grammar cause my brain is so very soupy but I've had this concept in my head for months and thought I should share

In this au Danny and Dick are brothers separated at a young age most likely due to the Graysons just being unable to take care of another child at the time so Danny ends up being put up for adoption. Dick is the older brother but was young enough when Danny was born that he had no memory of ever having s brother.

Eventually Danny is brought onto Dick's radar while he's still a Robin. Maybe some incident occurs where Bruce wants to look into the Fentons or something which leads to the discovery and Dick is absolutely devastated that he never got to know his brother. So he does the only rational thing. He books it to Amity Park and slowly tries to work up the courage to tell Danny that he's his brother. With his research and steak out he discovers how terribly unsafe the Fenton's home is and wishes he and his brother were never separated lucky for him and not so lucky for everyone else a certain ghost genie hears this wish and grants it.

Now that they've never been separated Danny is one of vigilante's of Gotham by his brother's side. He and Bruce are really close due to processing the trauma of their parent's deaths in similar ways and life seems happy for them.

However Clockwork is scrambling. Without Danny becoming Phantom the timeline is doomed. So he has to get to work remedying the situation Desiree caused. Clockwork manages to rescue the Sam and Tucker from the previous timeline before they are completely erased and strikes a deal with them. Assist him in getting Danny to become Phantom and they get to stay in this timeline and live out their lives in peace instead of getting destroyed.

Sam thinks the task is simple enough find Danny, work up trust, tell him the situation and he's sure to help. But they stumble across a problem. Danny is doing well timeline. He's happy and healthy and loved without constant threat of dissection or getting attacked by those who should be protecting him. Sam doesn't have the heart to ruin that for him. Tucker on the other hand would feel bad but also it's for the greater good right? So they spend their time planning and learning things about this Danny. They pose as students in his school and become his friends. They also befriend Dick aswell. Slowly but surely they devise a plan to tell him but it actually never happens. Danny is injured in a fight one night and Clockwork uses this to his advantage taking the kid with amnesia and dumping him in Illinois. Sam is pissed but clockwork says its for the best and doesn't give her a chance to argue.

So Sam and Tucker continue their lives in Gotham. Meanwhile this timeline's Sam and Tucker befriend Danny in Amity and Danny becomes Phantom.

In Gotham Dick is left absolutely devastated. He won't rest until he finds his baby brother and brings him home safe and sound. But more and more time is passing and things are seeming less and less hopeful. Eventually tho Dick discovers an article about Phantom and what does he see? Sam and Tucker with this ghost that looks like his missing brother. But how? Sam and Tucker are here in Gotham with him. How are they in Illinois? Only one way to find out he goes to Illinois.

In Illinois he bumps into them and casually talks with them and they have no memory of him, but they definitely are Sam and Tucker. Things are getting weird and not adding up but then bam ghost attack! Eventually this leads to Robin finding Phantom injured in an alleyway and they talk. Robin helps Phantom by patching him up and tries to figure out if this is Danny which it clearly is!

The rest of this fic would probably be brothers getting to know eachother again, confrontations with Clockwork and Sam and Tucker and learning to accept what had occurred and manage time along with reconnecting with Bruce aswell. All in all lots of room for angst and found family stuff :D

#danny phantom #dp x dc #batman crossover #dp au #dick grayson #danny and dick are siblings #timeline shenanigans #im so sleepy

118 notes · View notes

comfy-sofa · 2 years ago

Text

Should I do an episode rant today? I think I'm just gonna reblog others instead.

Edit: I have too many thoughts going through my soupy brain right now so fuck it RANT TIME

Ok, I had a theory for episodes 6-7 that Livio would appear but not Razlo as a sort of test subject. He fails his mission, gets called back by the EOM, and the next time we see Livio he'll be bigger/buffer and THEN we'll see Razlo. Well, I was right that the EOM would get him I guess...

Seeing the return of the animation for Wolfwood/Livio's memories is always good, give me more. Plus the fact that we're slowly getting some memories from Livio is good

RAZLO I SEE YOU BITCH I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUUUUUU AGAIN he even looked like he had his older design too! PLEASE I BEG

Also when it comes to the L/R's mask, I'm starting to think the purpose is to suppress BOTH L/R making them easier to control and manipulate. Like the moment that thing breaks completely is when we get to see Razlo in action

I honestly like that Vash is a lot more physical/combat based in this. I feel like it adds to his "life is sacred" mindset and allows him to have more control when it comes to being in fights (I hope that makes sense)

WHERE IS BRILLIANT DYNAMITES NEON???? ORANGE IM IN YOUR WALLS also Kite isn't here either kinda missed the banter between him and Vash

That little photoshoot with the bad lads and Meryl was funny/cute more moments like this please

Also for this scene I was kinda confused on why Vash was inside the sandsteamer. I kinda have theory that he was going to the old control panel so he can stop the steamer that way but got sidetracked with Meryl and Roberto being there. So he decided to protect them first and get them out of harms way (I knew you cared about them Vash<3)

Legato just being a drama queen and just activating a WHOLE ASS CANON??? Speaking of the Canon WHY THE FUCK DOES THE STEAMER HAVE A CANON??? I'm at a loss with this one y'all

ZAZIE DOING BUG SHIT YESSSSS. If they fuck up L/R Zazie is going to be my new favorite (lol they always were)

I'm sorry but it's probably due to how serious everything was for the past 6 episodes why do they think they can carry this (once again) LARGE-ASS CANON??? Honestly, it made me laugh (no wonder Vash's prosthetic cracked like sIR)

THE PLANT...I kinda have mixed feelings on. While I like the design and how it unfurled itself (I guess...you can say...that plant bloomed...) but I was kinda hoping for a bit more y'know? Who knows maybe there's more to this version that we haven't seen yet

THE PLANT MARKINGS ON VASH 100/10 GOOD SHIT. And Meryl's reaction to it? Perfect now you know why ya boy looks the way he does (like y'all the markings are beautiful please I NEED MORE)

Speaking of Meryl YES BBYGIRL STAND YOUR GROUND, plus thank fuck they talked about Jenora Rock and Tonis losing his arm. Like please let Meryl have her character development so people can see that this girl is ALSO IMPORTANT TO THE STORY

Ok, I think I got everything. I'll edit if I forgot something but I'm looking forward to the next episode! I am scared of which backstory they're gonna use for Vash and Knives and please let it be me TriMax because the 98' anime one was one of the few things I despised.

3 notes · View notes

and-there-were-words · 4 years ago

Text

A Spider Life: Foundation Stones (Chapter 04)

First if all, huge thanks to @firekitten830 and her amazing annons for so many tasty HCs that inspired me to take the pen into hands to begin with. I’m still feeling the writing juices strongly, so expect more chapters during this week. Also headcanon heavy chapter ahead!

---

Taking place during “Dumpling Destruction”, the rest of the Spider Gang blissfully unaware of a potential soupy doom.

Goliath understood that sometimes, certain tasks could not be solved with brute strength but instead required more finesse and stealth. Now that Huntsman was out on a mission, someone else seemed to grow a little more comfortable to be social. (Wordcount: around 1290)

---

Ever since the disaster that had been the New Year’s festival, the strong spider had not left the tunnels of the Silk Web Cave. Mostly because he didn’t need to, but it wasn’t like he really cared to do otherwise either. It was great to be back home, and there was always something to do. He didn’t understood much of modern technology, he couldn’t be of help in that regard – still feeling so out of touch since he had woken up. So instead, Goliath made it his own little side project to repair and rebuild the old walls. There was a sense worry why the place looked so jagged and crumbled, but he felt like he would open an entire can of worms if he was to ask his Queen about it. Maybe another time when she felt like she could relax again.

Heaving rock after rock, pushing away boulders and slowly but surely the foundation stones became visible. Warmth filled his chest when fond memories came flooding back. The small palace they had created here, the few buildings they made as their base of operations – times when things had been more simple. When the Queen was able to just lose herself in her weaving, creating one masterpiece after another. When Huntsman wasn’t as overzealous to find the next adrenalin kick. Things had been so tense ever since… that day, Goliath feels, before they had to hibernate and left their safety in the Spider Queen’s hands. Basically leaving her all by herself for how knows long.

Something in the air shifted ever so slightly, so putting his own somber thoughts to the side, Goliath turned his head to find the source of it. The smaller man was watching him rather intensely, not saying anything as he just stood there with hands in pockets. He did call himself Syntax, right? The newest addition to the team, even though he didn’t knew how the scientist had joined prior. Their Queen didn’t mention it at all, this was just how things were now, and they had to simply accept that fact.

Huntsman had still been furious. After the first night, the hunter had pulled him aside and started his angry rant. In all honesty, Goliath had kind of zoned out after a minute and just let his buddy vent his frustration. He himself didn’t see any problem with this. Sure, maybe Syntax didn’t look quite right, maybe he was smelling like a human. But the more the merrier, right? The Queen had been rather picky of whom she wanted within her clan, so each new face was a joy. And it only meant that Syntax must bring astounding abilities to the table to have her favor.

Only now did Goliath notice that they still stared at each other in complete silence. The scientist hadn’t even coughed as much as a word, as if he was waiting for something. Goliath blinked a little bit before offering a small smile. “Can I help you, buddy?”

That got a twitch out of the other man, now looking ever so slightly flustered. Whatever Syntax had been waiting for, this clearly hadn’t been what he expected. He looked around, seemingly a little nervous, obviously trying to buy himself some time to mull over words. “What are you doing here?” A simple question, there was no bite behind it. Just curiosity.

“I am trying to repair the old palace. Wanna help?”, Goliath offered, stepping ever so slightly to the side, so the other had a better view on the foundation stones he had been uncovering. The scientist gave a little snort, tilting the head with a toothy grin. “Doubt I can lift any of that.”

Ah. Right, there was that. It already escaped Goliath’s mind that the man seemed to be lacking the physical strength or the skill in web manipulation. He thought about it without really thinking about it, if that makes sense, only to simply shrug. “That’s alright. I don’t mind if you just want to hang out either.”

That brought another flinch out of Syntax, as if he had been hit against the shoulder a little too strong. Now radiating a slight air of unease. Goliath raised a brow at how jumpy the other was. However to his satisfaction, the scientist moved closer, settling down on one of the smaller rocks. With that settled, the strong spider returned to his self given task. The only noises now filling this part of the cave, were his own grunts and heavy breathes, as he moved rubble to clear the place.

“Why aren’t you using any of your web? I know you’re capable of making them.”, it took Goliath a second to register that Syntax was talking to him again. Deciding this was a good moment to take a break anyways, the strong spider sat down, leaning against the cave wall. It was good that the scientist finally had found the courage to ask some questions he clearly had on his tongue for a while. Goliath had noticed ever since they met up in the city streets, but it wasn’t uncommon that everyone always seemed to forget how perceptive he was in the end.

A small smile appeared on his lips as he spun a few strings of silk between his fingers. Creating a little funnel. “My webbing is too thin to be used for such tasks. Is just something that’s in the family, you know?”, he pulled his fingers further apart, at some point the silk simply tearing. “Ain’t enough to weave clothing either, but that’s more of a me problem, I guess.”

Syntax had his brows raised at this revelation, first trying to find any sign that Goliath was simply messing with him, before looking back at the torn threads. It was endearing to watch how the gears in the scientist’s head were turning, trying to connect knowledge he had gathered by just watching before. He was almost hesitant to voice his next question, as if fearing that he was overstepping boundaries. “But Huntsman’s… you two are not related?”

He couldn’t help himself but burst out in a short laugh. Syntax's nervous twitching signaled him not to laugh for much longer. “Oh hell nah. Huntsman is from a complete different family, as is the Queen. What do people call it? Found family? It doesn’t matter where we are from, it’s the trust that makes our bonds strong.”, Goliath explained without a second thought. At that, the scientist seemed to deflate, almost curl up on himself. Ah, that had been a little tactless… considering how everything was standing between Syntax and Huntsman, this was obviously a bit of a sore spot. And a way more complex problem that needed careful entangling. For another day though.

Goliath scooched a little closer towards the small man. Raising some new strands of silk, offering them to Syntax. “Wanna try it yourself?” For a moment, he feared that the scientist wouldn’t move at all, or worse, just leave. But eventually, small hands picked up on the threads carefully, looking a little lost of what to do next. Goliath leaned in, giving him instructions on how to create a small woven square, while providing material if needed. Syntax almost seemed to beam at the simple creation, though he was quickly hiding it behind his more professional mask again.

“If you have any more questions about the stuff, feel free to ask.”, Goliath hummed, pleased when Syntax slowly nodded, mumbling a low: “I will… prepare a list.” It wasn’t much for now, but the strong spider still felt good that new foundation stones had been layed. Maybe it wasn’t too bad that they all had to rebuild their lives in some way or another.

#goliath is the emotional brain of group you cant change my mind #doesnt mean he is super empathetic but more so than other demons #lego monkie kid #lmk goliath #lmk syntax #lmk spider queen #lmk huntsman #headcanon

27 notes · View notes

heyitssmiller · 5 years ago

Text

Chop It Like It’s Hot

Chapter 2: Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

@lumosinlove Thank you for your lovely characters! This has been so fun to write. :)

Hope you guys enjoy!

Chop It Like It’s Hot Masterlist

Leo took one look one look at his co-star slumped at a table in the break room and changed his trajection to include a stop at the coffee machine. “Morning, Dorcas.”

“You’re not allowed to talk right now.”

He laughed under his breath, pressing the espresso button and opening the fridge to look for any non-expired milk products. “Talking is a big part of our job, you know.”

“Does it look like I’m on the clock right now?”

Leo hummed noncommittally, stirring some whole milk into the coffee before sliding it across the table to Dorcas. “Rough night?”

She grabbed the mug and took a tentative sip. Her shoulders relaxed fractionally and she let out a relieved sigh. “I forgot that you actually know how to make office coffee taste good.”

“I’m offended that you doubted me.” Leo took the empty seat next to her. “Now what happened?”

Dorcas looked down at her hands wrapped tightly around her mug, expression carefully neutral. “I broke up with her.” She laughed humorlessly. “I knew it wasn’t working for a while now, so I don’t understand why I’m so upset about it. Our schedules never lined up and we never really saw each other anymore. So I figured it was best to do it now instead of dragging it out.”

Leo knew she wasn’t one for physical affection, so he just sat by her side. “Still hurts, though. She was a big part of your life for a while now; it’s ok to be upset about it, no matter what the circumstances of the breakup are.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re going to be ok. Might not feel like it right now, but you’re as tough as they come.”

“Relationships are shit.”

“Breakups are shit.” Leo corrected gently.

“You know, sometimes people just want to feel like shit for a while. You don’t have to try and fix everything all the time.” She said, but her voice was teasing instead of accusatory. “How are you not emotionally exhausted all the time?”

“A lifetime of practice and sheer force of will.”

Dorcas laughed and shoved him away. “You suck.”

“If you want someone to just rant to, I can definitely make room for that tonight. You can experiment with your cocktail recipes, then get unbelievably drunk off them and trash talk all night.”

“You just want free drinks.”

“Consider it payment for the coffee and pep talk.” He said, rising to his feet. “Come on, we should get to the studio.”

She smiled and followed Leo out the door. “If there’s one thing guaranteed to cheer me up, it’s watching other people fail spectacularly at cooking.”

Dorcas got the cue from the director and started their cooking segment. “Recruits, today I’ll be showing you how to make perfectly-done mashed potatoes, and chef Leo will be teaching you how to make bone-in ribeye. Make sure you’re taking notes – you can use those when you attempt to recreate this dish later today.” There was a frantic flurry of movement as everyone took their notepads out and tried to find their pens.

“All right,” Leo grabbed a large slab of ribeye from the ingredients counter with both hands and heaved it onto the front table. Several recruits flinched back while others looked sick at the sight of their meat actually resembling the animal it came from. He bit back a smile and picked up a butcher’s knife.

God, he loved this job.

“So we’re just going to cut these and then you’re going to take a towel and just basically tear this portion of the meat off in one big piece. You see that? Then we’re going to add oil to a hot pan and drop the steak in.” The sizzling sound of the Maillard reaction filled the room. “We’re going to be basting this with thyme and half a stick of butter once the meat is cooked.”

A frantic whisper of “What the hell is basting?” rose up as Dorcas took over the lead, starting by bringing water to a boil and then waiting for it to reduce to a simmer. Leo watched as several of the recruits’ eyes glazed over, completely lost as Dorcas peeled potatoes in quick, practiced movements.

Leo recognized Logan’s voice as it carried from his spot in the crowd. “Do they have a medic on this show?”

“I hope so.” Finn murmured back.

“Our steak is done now. See the color on that?” Leo grabbed the steak with a pair of tongs and held it up for the recruits to see. “Now for our sauce. Have you guys ever flambéed anything before?”

“Lo, is that French?”

Logan’s microphone just barely picked up his little chuckle. “Yes.”

“Its literal translation means ‘flamed.’” Leo supplied, watching fear develop on their faces and trying his hardest not to laugh, biting his lower lip in the process.

This was only going to end badly, in a glorious blaze of fire.

“We’ve never had a disaster happen on the show flambéing something. Let’s try to keep it that way.” He grabbed the bottle of cognac at his station. “I’m going to take all of this cognac, add it to our pan with the sauce, and light it.”

He grabbed a lighter, flicked it on, and lightly touched it to the surface of the alcohol. Pink-red flames sprung from the pan, causing several of the recruits to shout and step back in alarm. “We’re just going to let it sit and burn off that alcohol.”

Dorcas grabbed her pan and added shallots to it. “I’m going to start getting my shallots sautéed, and –“

“Shallots?” A recruit asked, confusion etched on her face.

“Yes.”

“What are those?”

Dorcas turned and grabbed a shallot from the counter behind her. “This is a shallot.”

“Oh, so an onion.”

“No.” Dorcas said plainly, grabbing a hand mixer to blend her potatoes, butter, and cream. “Once the shallots are cooked, I add them to the potatoes and mix it all together. Then all you have to do is plate all this and you’re done.”

Leo grabbed his saucepan and spooned some out. “Don’t forget to add your sauce on top of the ribeye.”

“Now it’s your job to recreate this dish on your own. You have an hour to complete this challenge. And your time starts… now!”

Chaos ensued. Knives were waved around haphazardly, chopping skills were slim to none. One recruit was still trying to turn the stove on, while another had grabbed a pan that definitely wasn’t going to be big enough for a ribeye steak.

Leo shot Dorcas a horrified look. “Did we go too fast? I thought we explained everything pretty well, but now I’m not sure.”

“That’s just the way of this show.” Dorcas said with a shrug. “We need to see what level they’re on and what their strengths and weaknesses are before we can really start teaching. It gets better when we’re allowed to get out there and help them.”

Finn and Logan had cut off their own ribeyes first and were headed back to their stations. “Oh god I don’t remember anything they showed us.” Finn stressed, putting his ribeye directly onto the pan without any oil.

Logan looked down at his thyme and butter, seemingly at a loss. “Just look at your notes.”

“I can’t read it. You know I have terrible handwriting. Look,” he flipped his notepad around to show Logan. “That’s all I wrote down.”

“Does that say goat?” Logan asked, not bothering to strip the leaves of thyme off the stems and just throwing the entire sprig of herb into his pan.

Finn turned it back around squinted. “Maybe?”

“I like your smiley faces, though.” Logan said, pressing a quick kiss to Finn’s cheek. The redhead smiled broadly.

“Thanks, baby.”

Dorcas hummed by Leo’s side. “I forgot they’re together.”

“Yeah,” Leo absentmindedly fiddled with the bracelet around his wrist. “Must be hard. Hockey’s not known for being accepting.” He tried not to think too much about his memories of locker rooms, judgmental eyes, and the slurs of his own teammates from years ago.

A shout from one of the recruits snapped him back to attention. The recruit was halfway across the room from her on-fire sauce and refusing to go back to her station. Leo sighed. “Flambéing was a horrible first lesson.”

“Maybe. But it sure is entertaining.” Dorcas raised her voice to be heard by the contestants. “Don’t leave pans on a stove unattended, please!”

“Let it rain!” Finn shouted, throwing salt into his pot of cooking potatoes. Dorcas cackled joyously as she watched.

“How much salt are you going to put in there?” Leo called, eyes wide.

Finn repeated, “Let it rain!” as if it were an actual answer.

“I think he just put a cup of salt in those potatoes.”

Dorcas was wheezing now, hunched over as she laughed.

“Laugh now, but we’re the ones who have to taste that.”

She instantly stopped laughing. “Oh shit.”

“We’re definitely going to need those drinks tonight.”

***

Logan’s dish was up first. Leo looked down at his steak and fished out a thyme stem, holding it up for him to see. “When you’re working with thyme, you really need to just use the leaves. When the stems are cooked they get really tough and can be like swallowing fish bones when they’re like this.” He cut into the ribeye and took a bite. “But your steak tastes really good. It’s perfectly cooked and not too dry.”

Logan flashed them a blinding smile (that might have left Leo a little speechless, but he wasn’t planning on admitting that anytime soon).

“The potatoes have a good consistency, too.” Dorcas added when Leo didn’t say anything else. “Good job, Logan.”

After several raw steaks, burned steaks, and soupy mashed potatoes were tasted, the dish both of the chefs were dreading the most appeared in front of them.

Finn’s potatoes.

Dorcas looked to Leo, then met Finn’s eyes. “Now, I haven’t come across many things I’m genuinely afraid to eat. But these potatoes…”

Finn laughed good-naturedly. “Yikes.”

Leo’s eyes bulged as he tried the potatoes. “I think I’m dehydrated now.”

“I think I have a water bottle somewhere, if you want it.”

“I’m tempted to take you up on that.” Dorcas said, voice strained. “In the future, go light on the salt.”

In the end, they had to eliminate the contestant who gave them burned steak and didn’t serve mashed potatoes at all. The directors called cut shortly after that and people visibly relaxed, chatting with friends while the cleaning crew came through and started dealing with the mess. Leo felt like he should probably help with that; there sure was a lot to clean. The crew would be here until midnight at this rate. So he grabbed a disinfectant spray and a rag, turning to start wiping things down and almost running right into Logan as he did so.

“Hey, chef!” Finn said from his spot next to the brunet. “Have your taste buds recovered yet?”

He laughed with a shrug. “I have a feeling they’ll be messed up from now until a month after this show ends. That might be for the best, anyways.”

“Why in the hell did you sign up for this?” Logan asked, head tilted in confusion. “You’re forced to eat awful food and watch a bunch of amateurs destroy this kitchen. Seems more stressful than anything.”

“I mean, watching you wave around that knife today just about gave me a heart attack-“ Finn interrupted him with a loud burst of laughter, causing Leo to smile as he continued, “But it’s fun teaching y’all. It’s a good change of pace. Doing just competitions gets old after a while.”

“Yeah, especially if you win all of them.”

Leo felt his cheeks heat up. “Not all of them.”

“Most of them, then.” Logan amended. “Don’t sell yourself short; you’re really good.”

“So are you guys.” Leo stammered a little, trying to think of the right words. “I – I just wanted to say it’s really cool that you’re both raising so much awareness for the need for diversity in hockey. It’s going to make a world of difference to a lot of people.”

I wish I’d had someone like the two of you to look up to when I was growing up.

He played with his bracelet again. It wasn’t a secret that he was gay – he’d talked about it a few times on various shows and competitions he’d participated in. That was one of the best things about the cooking industry. It didn’t matter who you were or what your secrets were; as long as you were a good cook, most people didn’t really care. Leo had realized at a young age that, no matter what he ended up doing with his life, he wasn’t going to hide any part of himself. He’d done that dance before, and he didn’t care to relive it any time soon.

Finn smiled, throwing an arm around Logan’s shoulders. “Well, thanks. It hasn’t always been the easiest, but we’re happy.”

Leo resolutely ignored the strange pang in his chest at those words. It wasn’t fair of him to be jealous. “I’m glad.” He glanced around and noticed the progress the crew had made. “I should probably go. We’ve still got a lot to do before we head out.”

“Do you guys need any help?”

Leo couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Seeing that you made most of this mess, maybe we should have you clean up,” he teased Finn, who pouted. “But no, we’re fine. Thanks for the offer, though. Y’all have a good night.”

“You too!” Logan called over his shoulder. He leaned over to whisper something to Finn, who threw his head back and laughed.

Leo turned away and started wiping down the nearest counter.

***

Post-Episode Interview

Leo: *gives the camera a pained look* Is cooking really this hard for people? I want to get out there and help them so badly, but I can’t. We’re supposed to just observe for this challenge.

The video switches from Leo talking to footage from the earlier challenge: Leo grimacing and taking an aborted step towards a recruit getting his face way too close to the fire. Leo looking on in horror as another recruit wields a knife incorrectly and nearly loses a finger. Dorcas laughing as a recruit tries to grab her potatoes out of a pot of hot water with her bare hands while Leo reaches out and grabs onto the edge of the table with a white-knuckled grip. “Oh god, this isn’t safe at all.” Dorcas ruffles his hair, standing on her tiptoes to do so. “Poor rookie. You get used to it.”

*Back to Leo in the interview room, pinching the bridge of his nose*

Leo: My hair will be completely gray by the end of this show.

#lumosinlove #Sweater Weather #Coast To Coast #finn o'hara #logan tremblay #leo knut #o'knutzy #chop it like it's hot

214 notes · View notes

the-writer-nerd-ro · 4 years ago

Text

Part 1 of my HDL birthday fic. The other part will be out in the next few days

Birthday Plans

D: Any fun plans for today?

It was seven in the morning and Dewey was sitting in the cockpit of the Sunchaser on his birthday. Della was bringing coffee but Dewey was still a little tired. There was a different kind of tiredness that had settled in his bones as he thought about spending his birthday away from his brothers. He didn’t expect either of them to be awake but he thought he would shoot them a text before he started flying.

H: I wish. I have a bunch of tests tomorrow so I have to study all day today. But tomorrow after my tests, my friends and I are going out for belated birthday drinks.

D: Tell the bartender it’s your birthday and get free belated birthday drinks

H: I’m not going to lie, it’s against the JWG

D: You’re 24. You’re not a Junior Woodchuck anymore.

H: You’re right.

H: I’m a Senior Woodchuck.

L: Do you guys ever sleep???

D: It’s 7 AM

L: Yeah, it’s 7 AM, you should be asleep

D: What are your plans today, Lou?

L: Boyd is visiting after I get off work and we’re going to spend the rest of the day together

H: Aww, adorable.

D: Sappy

L: Anyway, what are you doing today, Dewdrop?

D: Doing a flight with mom and then cake with some of the fam later

H: Have fun, eat a slice of cake for me.

D: Will do

L: Your present should be in the mail. Yours too, Hue.

D: You didn’t have to get me anything

L: Yeah, but I feel bad that we can’t be together today. It feels weird.

D: It does feel weird

H: I miss you guys

Dewey set down his phone, blinking back tears. He hadn’t wanted to get emotional this morning but he was having a hard time holding it together if Huey was throwing around, “I miss you,” and Louie was commenting on how weird things were.

To avoid addressing his emotions Dewey found a gif of a dancing baby that said happy birthday. That was enough to start a gif chain that moved them away from heavy emotions.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Della asked, offering her son a cup of coffee, and taking in his bummed-out expression.

“Yeah, just texting Huey and Louie.”

Della nodded somberly, “It’s hard being apart from them, isn’t it?”

Dewey was trying his hardest not to get choked up.

“I shouldn’t be so dramatic. They’re just a few hours away, and we’re meeting up in a couple of weeks after Huey’s done with finals.”

“But today’s your birthday. It’s okay if you miss them extra hard today. Your feelings are valid.”

“It’s our first birthday apart,” Dewey whispered.

“I know how hard that can be,” Dell said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

“Mom? Does it get easier?”

“A little. But the time apart makes the time together so much better. And you get to do one barrel roll in the Sunchaser on your birthday.”

“I should get to do 24 barrel rolls because it’s my 24th birthday.”

“Don’t push it, buddy.”

Huey had a coffee and an English muffin (toasted, lightly buttered) and was one flashcard away from a breakdown. He was exhausted, which was not the way you wanted to spend your 24th Birthday.

Everything was always happening all at once. Huey probably wouldn’t have remembered it was his birthday until Dewey had texted him earlier. He’d fussed about lying to an imaginary bartender but had had no qualms lying to his brothers. There were no friends taking him out for belated birthday drinks. No one here knew him intimately enough to know his birthday.

Texts would roll in all day from the family and friends who he desperately missed, wishing him a pleasant day and asking him about his fabricated plans. He was almost in tears every time he furthered this delusion that he had people here, that he was not just a loser alone on his birthday. How pathetic would that be? When Dewey was with their family and Louie was with his boyfriend. Huey’s chest ached about the fact he was the only one alone.

Fenton was the only one who called him out on his lie.

F: What’re you doing for your birthday, Huey?

H: I have to study today but I’m getting drinks with some friends tomorrow.

F: Oh, nice.

F: So you finally made some friends over there?

Huey wished that he hadn’t ranted to his mentor about how incredibly difficult it was to find time to make friends.

H: ...No

F: So who are you drinking with?

H: Nobody

F: Drinking alone, then? Maybe call a car to get home.

H: I’m not drinking alone

F: So you just lied to me?

H: Not just you?

Fenton stopped responding for a few minutes and Huey felt devastated. He hadn’t wanted to lie to his loved ones but he hadn’t wanted them to pity him either. And now he had to deal with guilt on top of all the exhaustion.

F: So you’re all alone on your birthday?

H: I guess I am

F: I see why you wouldn’t want to talk about that

F: But you didn’t need to lie

H: It’s too late now, I already told everyone that I’d be drinking with friends tomorrow.

F: Well, I don’t have any plans tomorrow. Team Science reunion?

H: Team Science reunion

Huey felt a bit better about his birthday, grateful that Fenton had reached out. He still missed his brothers though. He decided to text them both one more time today before he went back to studying, though he decided to text them separately this time.

H: Have a safe flight, Dewey.

D: Thanks, bro. Good luck studying

H: Thanks

He decided to text Louie later since he’d been tired and he wasn’t fun to talk to when he was tired. And then, swamped with studying, he promptly forgot until dinner.

H: Hey! I hope you had a good day at work and that you and Boyd have fun today. A responsible amount of fun.

L: Lol I’ll tell Boyd that the arson is canceled

H: No arson, but you could still probably make S’mores. Boyd’s really good at that.

L: I get it, you’re both Senior Woodchucks. Hey, do something nice for yourself today, okay? Don’t just study yourself to death.

H: ...Okay. Thanks, Lou

“Who’re you texting?” Boyd asked, already making himself comfortable on Louie’s couch.

“Huey. He told us to have fun. And to not commit arson.”

“I wasn’t gonna commit arson on purpose, were you going to commit arson?”

“Well, it’s my birthday, and you did bring cupcakes and candles.”

“Mm, those are more fun if you blow them out instead of letting them burn. How’s Huey doing anyway? Fenton just texted me about him.”

“I’m afraid he’s overworking himself,” Louie admitted, “But that’s just Huey’s nature. I'm not especially surprised.”

"That's the vibe I got too. Fenton asked me if I wanted to go get drinks with him and Huey tomorrow so that he doesn't have to be alone."

“Whoa,” Louie said, eyes widening.

“What?”

“Huey must’ve lied about having plans with his school friends tomorrow.”

“Aw. Well, you would’ve done the same thing. Huey probably just didn’t want you guys to worry. A classic Louie move.”

Louie frowned deeply.

"Hey, babe, do you ever get the sense you're doing the wrong thing?"

"Elaborate?"

"Well, I took this internship, to you know, pull myself up by my bootstraps. Be my own person."

"I'm really proud of you for that."

"Yeah, well… Being my own person sucks. I've always been one in a set of three. And it feels like recently someone ripped the "Do not separate" sticker off and I hate it."

"Hm… Do you want to come and get drinks with me tomorrow?"

"Getting wasted won't help. I've tried and alcohol doesn't fill that hole."

"I know, I've carried you home before. But I mean do you want to go get drinks with me and your brother? We could surprise Huey."

"Hey… That's not such a bad idea. I need to make a call."

“I’ll light your cupcakes on fire,” Boyd said cheerfully.

“No fair, starting the arson without me,” Louie laughed, as he pulled up the texts from the morning and tapping on Dewey’s number.

“Oh, hey! Hey, Louie, hold on, guys Louie’s on the phone, we gotta sing again!”

Louie laughed, cringing a little in anticipation of the awkwardness as his family began a staticky and muffled rendition of Happy Birthday.

“Thanks, guys, means a lot to me. Dewey, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure, sure, let me just step outside,” A moment later Dewey’s voice came back, “What’s up?”

“Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Uh, not sure, why?”

“Well, it seems like Hubert lied about his birthday plans. Apparently, there were never any friends he was gonna go drinking with, so Fenton decided to drop by and he wanted to bring Boyd and Boyd thought it was a good idea if I tagged along. So what if we surprise Huey? He’s been working really hard at med school- hell, we’ve all been working really hard. What do you say?”

Dewey was silent for a minute and then Louie heard a laugh (Or was it a sob?) on the other end.

“Man, I’ve missed you guys so much. I’d love to do that. Let’s set something up, mm-kay?”

“Yeah. Boyd! Text Fenton and tell him that me and Dewey are gonna come surprise Huey, we’ll figure it out from there.”

“Okee dokee,” Boyd said cheerfully, putting an alarming amount of candles (probably 24) in one cupcake.

“I have to go, Dewey, I’m afraid that Boyd is about to set my apartment on fire without me, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow! Enjoy your fire hazard and your boyfriend.”

“Those are the same thing, Dewey.”

“Then enjoy your fire boyfriend. Boyfire? I dunno.”

“He is pretty fire, isn’t he? Bye, Dewey.”

“Bye!”

“Boyd if you light that you’ll coat that cupcake in so much wax it’ll be disgusting and that’s just a waste of a good cupcake.”

“Then I’ll eat that one. I’m an android I’m not as picky about what is and isn’t cupcake.”

“Sometimes, fortunately not often but sometimes, you remind me so much of Dewey that it’s terrifying.”

“Do you still love me?” Boyd asked, squinting a little and laser lighting the candles. As Louie had assumed it quickly became a soupy, fiery mess.

“More than words can express,” Louie said, capturing Boyd’s lips in a kiss after extinguishing the cupcake.

“Did you make a wish, baby?” Boyd asked, holding Louie close by the hips.

“I don’t need to, everything is going to be okay. In fact, I think that everything is going to be… Perfect.”

“Happy Birthday…”

#ducktales 2017 #ducktales fanfic #aged up hdlw #hdl #happy birthday hdl #huey dewey and louie #louyd #huey duck #dewey duck #louie duck #della duck #fenton crackshell cabrera #boyd gearloose

29 notes · View notes