#steamroller wheels

[burgerking-offical]

alright here’s a compilation of all the skarloey engines

[lavampira]

suddenly being in the mood to tank most of my rouls after not really playing much all week is kinda funny to me but everyone was so cute and cheerful this afternoon that it was a fun time !!

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest.

Got You Good, Kid

Day #15 - Let's Talk About That | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Smoking, Mentions of Unplanned Pregnancy, Eddie Being a Bit Lot of a Dick | POV: Gareth | Pairing: Gareth/OFC (Off-Screen), Background Steddie | Tags: Modern Day Setting, Road Manager Steve Harrington, Eddie and Gareth are BFFs, But Gareth's Keeping Secrets, So They're Fighting, Fucking Interviewers, Fucking Paparazzi, Fucking Eddie

Gareth adjusts the mic on his collar. Beside him, Eddie's fidgeting, Jeff is texting and Goodie's head is tipped back like he's sleeping or counting the ceiling tiles. 

It's the usual press junket. The same ten questions they all answer, over and over again. It's a goddamn bore. 

"One more question," the journalist says. 

She turns her iPad towards them. It's a picture of Gareth, standing on a sidewalk, a lit cigarette in his hand.

Yeah, he smokes when he's stressed sometimes, sue him. 

"Any comment?" 

Eddie leans forward, looking more closely, "Yeah. Don't smoke, kids."

Everybody laughs, and Gareth thinks that's it, until the reporter swipes to the left and another picture fills the screen. Eddie's not looking at the screen anymore. Now, Eddie's looking at Gareth.

Steve comes in out of fucking nowhere, "No comment. We're done here."

And they are. The room is cleared, and they make a quiet trip back to the hotel. 

Only after the door closes, does Eddie wheel on him.

"What the fuck is going on? Did you get a girl pregnant, and what? Just not tell any of us?" 

Gareth quickly looks at Steve, and Eddie doesn't miss the flick of his eyes.

"Oh, you're fucking kidding me. Steve knew? Before me?" 

And Gareth can't really determine if Eddie's mad that he's gonna be a dad or that Steve knew before he did. 

"He's Steve. He manages everything. I was waiting until the tour was over to tell you."

"Are you with her?" Eddie asks. "Is this why you've been bailing on us?"

"We're taking it slow," Gareth answers. He likes her. Could love her. But they agreed to focus on this first.

"Yeah, looks real slow to me."

"And I haven't bailed. I haven't missed shit."

"Eddie," Steve says, trying to rein Eddie in before he's too revved up.

Too late.

"How goddamn stupid are you? She got you good, kid."

Gareth clenches his fists, instantly mad, because that's not true. Not at all. He doesn't think this was some scheme to baby trap him and milk him for money. Corroded Coffin is famous, but they aren't so rich and famous that he'd be a mark for that kind of plotting. 

He had a one night stand, and she got pregnant. She told him. They made the decision together to proceed.

"That's not fucking true. The condom didn't work." 

"That's convenient. She probably poked holes in it."

"Well, it was mine, so..."

Eddie just stares at him, before finally saying, "Mark my words, because you're definitely getting an 'I told you so' when you're nothing but a checkbook and never see this kid."

"Eddie," Steve warns, and Eddie turns on him.

"And you? Not telling me."

"It wasn't for me to tell," Steve says, calmly. Because Eddie can't ruffle Steve's feathers, not like he can Gareth's. Steve won't allow it. There's no steamrolling of Steve Harrington by Eddie Munson.

"She looks like she's about ready to pop! How long have you known?" Eddie demands. 

Gareth's known for months. He just didn't know how to tell Eddie, because Eddie would be worried about the tour, the album, and everything else that affects Eddie. 

Gareth knows Eddie loves him, but Eddie still thinks he's a kid that needs tending to, even if that hasn't been true in years. 

"A while."

"Where does this girl even live?"

"She's a woman. We're both over thirty, yet you're acting like I preyed on a groupie."

Steve interjects, "I'm in contact with her dad, he's a lawyer. We're getting the parenting plan hammered out so Gareth can co-parent."

"Co-parent a kid from where?" Eddie repeats.

"Omaha."

"Omaha. That's great. Convenient for us all." 

"Well, it's centrally located," Steve offers. They both ignore him.

"She probably sold those pictures. No paps were in fucking Omaha."

"I think it was probably a fan…" Steve trails off, trying to bring reason to an unreasonable fight.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Eddie. I can't unring this bell."

And, honestly, he doesn't want to.

"You were smoking near her. Good job, dad."

"Did you see her when I was smoking? Fucking no. Because she wasn't there yet. Goddamn. You judgmental asshole."

Eddie huffs dramatically, "This is a fucking mess. If Steve wants to help, that's fine. But I'm not."

Gareth nods as Eddie storms off, and he'll come around. Gareth can't have a kid Eddie won't have anything to do with.

This'll blow over. It has to.

But Eddie's still mad. Weeks later. After the show, Steve's waiting with a smile, "You're having a baby. Wheels up in an hour."

"Oh shit," Gareth says, "too early?"

"No," Steve says, "just unwilling to consult the tour schedule. Already rude, just like you."

Gareth laughs, and runs towards the dressing room to shower. He passes Eddie without a word, but tells Jeff and Goodie the news.

Eddie pretends he doesn't hear, and Gareth can't dwell on the fact that he's losing his best friend. Has maybe already lost him. 

His daughter is coming, no matter how Eddie feels.

And an hour later, when Gareth is climbing the stairs of the borrowed private plane, Steve is the one behind him. Jeff and Goodie, already on board. 

The plane is crawling across the tarmac, when Goodie speaks, "Hey, wait, there's Eddie."

Sure enough, Eddie's on one of those little carts, being shuttled by airport staff, arms waving.

They must radio for the pilot to stop, and Eddie eventually slides into the seat next to Gareth.

"So, we're having a baby," Eddie says, and that's enough of an apology for now, because he needs Eddie.

There's a beat, and then Eddie asks, "Are you sure it's yours? You've never been early a day in your life."

Gareth laughs, "I'm sure. She must get that from her mom."

Eddie smiles, "We're having a girl?"

Gareth nods.

Eddie leans over and kisses Gareth's head, "Sorry, I'm late."

It's okay. Gareth thinks he's right on time.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇

Notes: Lord, I think one was edited and changed and fiddled with the most to stay at 1000 words but say everything I wanted to say. Take away ten, add twenty-seven. Rinse, repeat. There was a whole flash-forward at the end that just had to go for word count reasons. But just know. It works out, for all of them. ❤️

[dorkydiaz]

☆ makes me wanna touch you, keep me from dying ☆ ⤷ steamroller by phoebe bridgers + buddie remake -> @lgbtqcreators event fourteen — growth

[image description: 6 square gifs of Buck and Eddie from 911 with lyrics from Steamroller by Phoebe Brigers. gif 1: from season 4 episode 13, colored blue, Buck gets splattered with Eddie's blood. The text reads, "In the darkness, I feel your fingers" gif 2: Eddie stands across from Buck and stares across the distance that separates them, Buck is colored blue. The text reads, "They don't touch me" gif 3: Eddie reaches across the pavement toward Buck. The Text reads, "But there's a danger." gif 4: from season 6 episode 13, Eddie looks on Buck playing poker softly. The text reads, "Part of me wants you" gif 5: from season 6 episode 11, Eddie looks distraught as he leans on the other members of the 118 after Buck has been wheeled away in the ER. The text reads, "But most of me needs you" gif 6: from season 6 episode 12, Eddie stands in his kitchen talking to Buck about recovery, he looks at Buck softly. The text reads, "So I won't fall unless you ask me to." /End ID]

[5-pp-man]

Ok now that I finished it, I can say that Samflam starts off fairly slow. It has a good buildup until it abruptly jerks the wheel into off-road territory.

By now we've left the road of realistic hero society and are now operating on full-on tokusatsu rules.

Then, they drive the car through a fucking shopping mall, steamrolling their way through multiple subgenres and arcs within a few episodes each. Every arc is over in the blink of an eye.

And then, when you finally get out of the mall, it turns out that we've driven off of a cliffside and are now in free fall. The epitome of absurdity has been reached.

The free fall lasts about a moment or so as it turns out we've somehow landed back on the road we were driving on at the beginning of the series. Back to a (relatively) realistic society.

Then the car you're in explodes and you're left butt naked on the side of the road. All that's left is your car radio with a cassette that only contains the song "What is love" by Haddaway.

You wait for another car to drive by and pick you up, but it never does. The show's over already. Donezo.

[humanitys-strongest-bamf]

"get me a damned matcha" | Chapter 13: June II

{{ Chapter 12: May I | Chapter 14: July II }} Chapter Directory

ayyyye we're halfway there folks, steamrolling into the second year

if you wanna get tagged for updates, fill out this form here!

✧ pairing ➼ levi ackerman x fem!reader, college x coffee shop x roommates!au ✧ summary ➼ After you find yourself plagued with misfortune due to struggles in your personal and family life, you find yourself needing to move last minute. As a junior in undergrad with little money and little social support, you considered yourself lucky when you found a sublease that was close to campus and was relatively cheap. Unfortunately, it seemed that your roommate did not seem to be so excited regarding your presence. ✧ content/warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, mutual pining, idiots in love, negative self-talk ✧ word count ➼ ~5.1k

You were looking for a new place to live back in April after your spat with Levi, but that intention was nowhere to be found now. You signed the lease renewal without hesitation. Part of you told yourself that it was because you just didn't have time to look for another apartment that was affordable.

A more realistic part of you was acutely aware that the decision (or lack thereof) was at least partially affected by the fact that you were growing much closer with your roommate. The idea of not being able to see him regularly gave you an odd discomforting feeling, especially after your chat on the Ferris Wheel. He really was the one major connection currently in your life and you couldn’t imagine throwing that away.

"Great," Levi grumbled as he filed the renewed lease away. "I'm stuck with you for another year?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," you mumbled with an eye roll. "You know Hange snitched to me about how you were saying that I'm much better at cleaning than Miche was?"

You glanced over at Levi as he scoffed.

"Miche was okay at cleaning, just not being organized."

You placed both your hands on your hips and gave Levi a cocky grin.

"And I'm good at both, right?!" 

"Certainly weren't at first," he grumbled, which prompted you to stick your tongue out at him again, which he immediately waved off. He watched as you walked to and from the bathroom, throwing towels amongst various items like a bathing suit and sunscreen into a gym bag.

You dug through the bag, taking a mental note of everything that was in there to check if you had forgotten anything.

"You're not bringing a swimming suit?" you asked, looking at Levi over your shoulder.

"And immerse myself in the filthy ocean water that's filled with who knows what? Fuck no."

You were much more excited for this beach trip than you were willing to admit. Unlike the amusement park, this wasn't an official outing that you had to be responsible for. Some of the freshmen (soon to be sophomores) in the Honors Society decided that they wanted to check out the beach and you elected to tag along. What you didn't expect was for Levi to also tag along.

"You know you don't have to come," you noted with a serious expression. "Even if you don't touch the water, the sand's also messy and will get into your shoes and clothes."

Levi knew that you had a point. His surroundings were going to be filthy regardless of if he swam or not. He would never willingly find himself at the beach. The water was gross, the sand was messy, and the public bathrooms were generally disgusting. There were too many people and parking was always a nightmare.

The reason he was going was because of you, although he'd never openly admit to it. Hanging out with you has been enjoyable and he found himself missing you whenever you were gone. The prime example was how he had reacted over spring break. You were gone for only a few days and he found himself feeling resentful and grumpy over it, to the point that he ended up being enough of a dick to you to drive you to somehow end up at your ex-boyfriend’s.

"It's monotonous and dull here," he rationalized. "Maybe being around you and the brats you hang out with will annoy me enough to want to come back home and be alone."

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you saying you're enjoying hanging out with me, then?"

"Tch," Levi scoffed, avoiding eye contact with you. "Of course not."

You continued to give him a skeptical look, not believing a single word that was coming out of his mouth, but you otherwise didn't push it. 

"Well, if you change your mind, you don't have to come."

"I'm driving."

"I can catch a ride with someone else!"

When you looked back towards Levi, you saw that he was clearly scowling at you.

"...Just shut up and finish packing."

~~~~~

“Surprised you came along, Levi!” 

“Trust me, I didn’t want to at first,” Levi mumbled with a scoff, throwing a side glance over at Nicolo. He had just learned that Nicolo was the point of contact for setting up this trip. His connection with Sasha led to the connection with you, which is how you found yourself here primarily with the freshmen instead of with the other officers of the Honors Society that you usually found yourself hanging out around.

Levi kept his eyes on you, although he wasn’t entirely aware of that himself. He watched as you splashed around in the water, throwing a blow-up tube over you. You struggled to get onto it at first, which tugged at the corners of his lips into a small, amused smile. He wasn’t feeling malicious about watching you struggle, he actually found it quite cute.

That smile got quickly replaced with a frown as he had that disturbing thought again about you.

“_____ drag you here?”

Levi peeled his eyes away from you, trying to push down the feelings of unease and confusion that were becoming more prominent within him.

“Something like that.”

Nicolo got distracted as soon as Sasha came up to him and called his name, carrying a paper bag that was filled with groceries and grilling material. From what little Levi could see, it seemed the newly formed couple was planning on having a grill-out later in the day. At least it meant that he'd be able to get away from the beach eventually.

As the two walked off, Levi was left on his own to stew in his own thoughts. He would usually never find himself here. He even adamantly dodged answering Hange when they asked where he was going on his day off, being more willing to let them theorize about whatever it is that he was up to over letting them know that you had successfully dragged him to somewhere like the beach. He had been here for a few hours at this point and had yet to even step into the sand.

He was avoiding the beach itself, but it did end up being awkward for him to be hanging by himself when he purposefully came to a social event. His reasoning in February was because he only went to make sure you didn’t find yourself in trouble again. He had no such reason now.

Levi found himself annoyed because he really was questioning why he bothered with coming. You had jokingly accused him of enjoying spending time with you, but that couldn’t possibly be the case. It was purely because he needed to get away from the school and apartment, and your trip just happened to be at a convenient time for him.

Part of him knew that was a lie.

As he watched you floating around leisurely on that blow-up tube, he felt this strange pull to approach you. However, you were in the water and he was adamantly against going anywhere near the water. Even the thought of stepping into the water filled him with a sense of disgust.

Levi sighed and groaned to himself. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to stay here. He didn’t want to go towards you either.

Noticing a local pub and the fact that it was a little past noon, he elected to simply get something to eat.

It wasn’t much better there, either.

It was crowded, the music was too loud, and it was too small of a space. At this point, he was more than grumpy enough to seriously consider maybe leaving and hanging out by himself in his car for the rest of the day, although he knew that you would give him nonstop shit about it if you found out about it—and knowing his luck, you’d definitely find out about it.

After finally getting to order and eat something that wasn’t completely covered in grease, he wandered around the downtown area, noting an ice cream shop nearby. While he normally wouldn’t be bothered to check it out, seeing the dessert shop immediately reminded him of you. The past few times that you had been upset over something, his first thought was to get you food as soon as he found out that you were food motivated. You obviously weren’t particularly upset about anything currently, but getting you food (or making you Matchas) had become one of his ways of spending time with you.

He scowled at the ice cream shop. He had insisted that he had come to the beach for himself and that it had nothing to do with spending time with you, but he knew that wasn’t true. It was also incredibly annoying that something as simple as an ice cream shop immediately reminded him of you.

Despite how tilted he found himself, he still ended up making his way towards the shop, unable to fight off the instinct of obtaining the one thing that never failed to uplift your mood.

~~~~~

It was hot enough that you were more than refreshed just hanging out in the water without a care in the world. You had just rolled into the water off of one of the blow-up tubes. You had originally elected to just sunbathe, but only lasted about ten minutes before you felt like the sun was frying you alive, prompting you to roll directly into the water.

You didn't particularly have a lot of stamina, so you were only able to swim without a floatie for about another ten minutes before you gave up and grabbed onto the blow-up tube and started wading towards land.

Once you finally got back to the shore, you tossed the tube to the side and began wringing out your hair before putting it up in a loose ponytail. You had left your bag near an umbrella for shade and dug out a towel to begin to dry yourself off, taking care to not get too much sand and water into the bag itself. 

You looked around and saw that Jean, Connie, and Sasha were still screwing around in the water. Eren and Mikasa had come along as well, but they were currently nowhere to be found. 

You didn't bring your usual group of friends with you. It's not that you wanted to intentionally leave them out, but you were starting to get sick of being the one inviting them to things. You were the one that was invited onto this trip, and for once, you weren't going to take the responsibility of who was coming or ensuring that everyone had a good time.

You couldn’t deny that you held some resentment towards them over what happened at the amusement park. You planned the whole thing, and got momentarily separated, and then they didn’t bother to check in with you for the rest of the day until they needed you for something logistical. You would be able to understand that it could have been a result of you also not reaching out, if this wasn’t a regular occurrence. It was excuse after excuse, and half the time it was you just making excuses for them. At this point, you didn’t even know if it was worth bringing it up or if you would just be met with defensiveness. You weren’t satisfied with being complacent, but you also didn’t want to put work into fixing a relationship if they weren’t also invested in repairing it.

By the time Levi had decided to actually step foot onto the beach, you had already set out a towel to sunbathe, propping up an umbrella behind you so that you had the option to take shelter in the shade in case it got too hot. Levi’s pacing slowed down once he got closer to you.

He could barely contain the discomfort radiating through his body when he saw you applying sunscreen onto your bare body. Your hands were currently roaming up and down your calves to your upper thigh, suddenly making your curves that much more obvious to him. It wasn't like he didn't see you in shorts (or even half-naked) before, but he suddenly felt the need to look away as if he was invading your private space. At the same time, he couldn't take his eyes off you.

Levi kinda awkwardly shuffled from side to side, unsure of what to do. He couldn't just stand there behind you without being a creep—plus, the ice cream would melt. 

He cleared his throat, prompting you to look up at him, your face lighting up once you saw the ice cream cone in his hand.

"Oh, thank you," you said as you took the ice cream cone from him, your cheeks heating up a bit. "Wanna sit?"

You scooted over to the side a bit to give him space to also sit on your towel. You pulled your knees up to your chest while quietly licking at the ice cream cone, the cold custard bringing a refreshing feeling to your mouth. It was perfect for a day as hot as today.

Levi tried his best to avoid looking down at you past your face. Your bikini didn’t seem overly revealing at the time, but now he felt like he couldn’t help but notice how it looked on you. Your hair was pulled up into a ponytail, which revealed the nape of your neck and the sunscreen made your skin shimmer. He felt heat rapidly rising to his face and he forced himself to look away and focus on the coldness of the ice cream instead to try to get himself out of that headspace, pissed that he found himself there in the first place.

You bit on your bottom lip, slightly anxious, as you looked at Levi, who was meticulously working through his ice cream cone, looking much more tense than usual. He wasn’t wearing a swimsuit, so he just had on a white t-shirt with some shorts on. His arms up to his upper bicep was exposed and it took every ounce of self-control within you to not continue staring at him. As usual, his hair fell perfectly over his forehead and his signature irritated scowl seemed oddly alluring. You slightly shook your head upon realizing the types of thoughts that you were having.

You shot a side glance at him, watching as he picked away at his ice cream. Upon closer inspection, you could see that he had elected for a waffle bowl instead of an ice cream cone and that he was using a spoon to scoop out the ice cream instead of shoving it in his face like you were.

When he finally looked over at you again, he immediately passed you a napkin. He had grabbed a more than generous bundle from the shop that he was just at.

"You're dripping."

"Oh, shit," you muttered as you took the napkin and wrapped it around the cone, checking to make sure the sugary liquid didn't get onto the towel. 

Your hand lingered on that spot on the towel for a bit, as if you were struggling to say something. Your finger gently rubbed the cloth back and forth for a while before your lips finally parted.

"Thank you for not being...weird after the other week," you mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in what almost sounded like a genuine tone as he finished his ice cream, but he knew what you were referring to—and you knew that he knew.

"...Nevermind," you said as you shook your head.

It seemed like neither of you really wanted to discuss what had happened—or rather, what had almost happened—on the Ferris Wheel.

You remembered the two of you chatting over your sudden grumpiness when you suddenly got the impulsive urge to kiss him. You had gotten so distracted that you could barely remember what it was that you were trying to say at the time: that Levi was the only really close and reliable connection that you had.

"...Just thank you for always being there to pick up the pieces, I guess," you mumbled. "I hope you're not too distressed about having to live with me for another year."

You looked up hesitantly at him. Your last statement was meant to be a joke, but there was a bit of actual anxiety present in your voice as well.

He glanced down at you.

"I think I'll find a way to cope with your annoying ass."

You shot him a half-hearted smile. You knew this banter was normal from him, but you couldn't help but doubt. You couldn't help but ponder on the fact that no one would reasonably want to live with you.

"Cut that out," Levi scolded with a groan.

You blinked at him.

"Cut what out?"

"You're pitying yourself again."

"What? No I'm not," you said defensively.

Levi shot you a skeptical look, not believing you in the slightest. 

"You're not as much of a pain in the ass as you think you are."

You scoffed at the irony of his comment.

"You still think that after you had to scout out the entire town for me that one night?"

"Yes."

He responded extraordinarily quickly, and with clear conviction in his voice.

You clenched your jaw and looked down and away from him.

"Do you not believe me?"

He never took his gaze off you.

"_____," he called out after you remained quiet for a while.

You let out an unsteady breath.

"I want to," you whispered. "I just feel like I'm always dragging you down or bothering you for something and there are so many times in which I regret texting you at night because I know you're busy and I don't want to be a burden. And-"

"You never shut up, do you?" Levi scolded, cutting you off. "You're not a fucking burden. Quit doing that to yourself."

He slightly shoved at you in an attempt to pull you out of your head.

You pulled away and looked at him, feeling your cheeks slightly warm up upon seeing that he was shooting you a subtle smile. You gave him a half-hearted smile in return.

"Maybe you're not as much of a dick as I thought you were."

He frowned at your comment.

"You thought I was a dick?"

"Mhm," you said with a nod. "When we first talked, remember?"

"Purged that memory," he said with a deadpan expression, implying that his first meeting with you was so terrible that he had to repress his memory of it.

"Ha, yeah right."

You hated the fact that your cheeks were warming up in his presence again. You hated the fact that you couldn't pull away from him even if you wanted to. 

And you absolutely hated the fact that you got this close to your aloof roommate that was insistent on being a dick to you right off the bat.

~~~~~

"You went out to get a sandwich?"

"Not touching that oil-soaked patty."

You looked over across the alley and saw that Nicolo was in the middle of teaching Sasha how to grill. He had brought his own patties that he had prepared earlier on in the day. Given the fact that everyone had been screwing around in the water all day, they were more than ready for burgers—except for Levi.

He was making a face of absolute disgust at the burgers. He was sure it tasted great—he knew of Nicolo's cooking abilities—but just the sight of the coat of grease over them made him scrunch up his nose in disgust.

Instead, he had walked over to a nearby restaurant to order a sandwich. You knew he had walked off to do that. What you didn't expect was that he was going to come back with one in hand for you too.

You didn't have a problem eating the burger, but the sandwich did admittedly look more appetizing than the burgers that everyone had begun digging through. 

"So?"

Levi raised an eyebrow at you as you spoke.

"So?"

"You regret coming yet?"

He looked at you without responding, unsure why you were randomly bringing up the question.

"I saw you smacking your shoes earlier to get the sand out."

Levi's breathing paused for a moment. He didn't expect you to notice that. He had made sure that you were out of sight when he went behind his car to get the sand out, not wanting to give you the satisfaction of an "I told you so". 

He grunted in response.

"Whatever. As long as it doesn't get in the car."

"Maybe I'll make you go swimming next," you mused.

"Don't you dare."

You chuckled at his reaction, taking a sip of your beer. You looked up towards both Nicolo and Sasha as you finished your sandwich and saw that Sasha had already picked up how to use the grill, despite having only been introduced to it around twenty minutes ago.

You knew all the way back in November that they were beginning to become a thing, so you weren't surprised when they arrived at the beach as an official couple. You watched them interact with each other and found your eyes flashing over towards Levi.

You mentally slapped yourself for doing so. The fact that you automatically looked at him when thinking about a "new couple" meant that those feelings that rose up at the amusement park were still there, and they didn't seem to be going away any time soon. Your housing situation would be made a hundred times more complicated if you ended up falling in love with your roommate. You continued trying to convince yourself that that wasn’t the case and that there was some other explanation for your feelings that didn’t involve a more intimate relationship with him.

It was Levi. He was supposed to piss you off and you were supposed to piss him off. Him being kind to you was a fluke. You just happened to have multiple flukes in a row. It couldn’t possibly mean anything.

You awkwardly shuffled around on the bench, trying to shake off the feeling. Levi immediately noticed that your body posture had changed.

"What?" he asked with a frown.

You looked at him with flushed cheeks. You weren't sure if it was from him or from the alcohol beginning to hit you. You'd prefer if it was just the alcohol.

"Nothing," you mumbled, shaking your head. "Just the alcohol settling in."

He blinked at you a few times with a raised eyebrow. He didn't believe you.

This had turned into a common theme between the two of you. Whether you were intending to or not, lying to him has become significantly more difficult as of late, and vice versa. The tension and mind games were killing you, but you weren’t willing to address anything, if you even knew what “anything” entailed of.

You grimaced as everyone began swarming the table now that the burgers were done and everyone had grabbed their food. The small table that you had been peacefully eating your sandwich at soon became chaotic and messy. Everyone chatting at once became incredibly noisy and it was wearing away at your nerves. You were soon no longer processing anything that was being said, your world simply turning into a haze that vaguely involved people running around and screaming something about summer break that you were too overwhelmed to fully tune in to.

Levi got up and placed a hand on your shoulder, sensing the tension.

"Come, talk a walk with me. It's-"

"-getting too rowdy?" you finished his sentence with a slight smirk. You shared the sentiment, however. It was much too noisy for either of you. Although Levi had pulled you out of your dissociative state, you felt it quickly returning.

He responded to your comment with an eye roll, but otherwise motioned for you to follow as he began to wander back towards the shoreline.

~~~~~

"Oh c'mon, at least dip a toe in!" you shouted back at Levi from the shoreline. 

"Fuck no."

You were barely in the water, just close enough for the waves to wash over your feet, but remaining dry otherwise.

The beach was starting to cool off now that the sun began to go down. The sky had a relaxing pink hue to it that was speckled with white clouds drifting about. It had gotten chilly enough that you had a thin, translucent pullover on so that you weren't wearing just a bikini. 

You tried to coax Levi to step into the water, but he adamantly refused. After seeing that he wasn't going to budge, you sighed and stepped out of the water, slightly bumping into him as you walked up next to him. 

He slightly pushed back against you with an annoyed look. He had invited you on a walk to get away from everyone else, not expecting you to try to drag him into the ocean. 

His frown lines softened as you looked up into his eyes and your cheeks heated up as he gave you "that" look again. It was the one you saw for the first time on that Ferris Wheel—a gentle, compassionate look that you rarely got to see from him. 

You broke eye contact, feeling your entire body begin to heat up just from being around him. You mumbled something under your breath.

"What?"

You shook off your nerves and spoke up.

"Thanks...for always being there to pick me up."

He sighed in irritation.

"Quit thanking me for it."

You had thanked him for the exact same thing repeatedly over the past day and while he wasn't necessarily sick of it, he knew how excessive it was. He was acutely aware that it had to do with a sense of shame or guilt, but he hoped that you'd eventually be able to just accept that it's okay to need or ask for help.

"I'm sorry if it ever seems like I'm not grateful," you mumbled. "I really don't know what I would've done without you this past year so..."

Your hand grabbed at your other arm in anxiety.

"...so I guess you're not as bad of a roommate as I thought you would be."

You had to end your comment with a joke. At this point it seemed to serve as a protective factor against whatever it was that was brewing within you whenever you were around him. You were hesitant to test the waters with him. It was why you didn't text him when you were on the bus ride back from the amusement park. 

You didn't want to screw up what you already had. You didn't want to mess up this delicate friendship that you had finally been able to forge.

When you finally gathered up the courage to look at him again, you saw that he never took his eyes off you the entire time.

He looked into your eyes for a bit before he spoke, as if he was also contemplating about the best way to word his thoughts.

"Did you mean it?"

"That you're not a shit roommate?"

He let out an annoyed tut.

"Not that, dumbass."

You tilted your head a bit at him, genuinely unsure of what he was referring to. 

"At the amusement park," he said quietly, and you felt your body freeze upon him bringing it up. "On the Ferris Wheel. Did you mean it?"

He was referring to what you had been saying about being close to him. You remembered musing about the fact that you didn't really have anyone that you could call family, or anyone that you could rely on to be there in case shit hit the fan—except for Levi.

Levi was always there for you, even if it seemed like he didn't want to be. Levi would drop everything to make sure you were okay. You could confidently rely on him. Whether you had wanted to or not, you had formed somewhat of a close bond with him, to the point that every minute that you spent with him involved you being incredibly confused over what your relationship actually was.

You felt your cheeks continue to heat up and you turned to walk away, pausing as your hand brushed up against his.

Your hands lingered near each other for a bit as the both of you stopped moving. You even felt his fingers slightly grasp at yours, although you could easily convince yourself that this wasn't intentional, but it still sent chills throughout your body nonetheless.

"Uhm..y-yeah," you stammered, "I guess I did...Is that okay?"

Neither of you pulled your hands away. The desire to get closer to him was destroying you, but you held agonizingly still as you anxiously waited for his response.

"Sure."

You looked into each other's eyes and you felt that same tension, that same alluring feeling drawing you towards him, that same temptation to gently plant your lips against his. Your face only continued to heat up as you stood next to him, fingers crossed with his, the both of you unmoving, waiting to see what the other would do.

Levi cleared his throat before finally stepping back away from the shoreline.

"Should head back. It's getting dark."

It took you a minute to reorient yourself to reality. 

"Yeah," you said quietly as you let out an unsteady exhale. "We should."

You lingered behind him a bit, letting him walk forward. You watched him from behind, appreciating the way that the breeze was blowing through his hair. Your eyes dropped down to the bottom of his t-shirt, where it slightly rose up so that you could ever so slightly see the bottom of his bare back. It wasn’t anything special, but just simply seeing his shirt rise made your body heat up in ways that you weren’t willing to admit to yourself. Besides, you still weren't sure how he felt. Part of you wanted to think that whatever was building up in you was reciprocated, but you were much too scared to act on it without explicit confirmation that he wanted it too.

Even if it was reciprocated, you weren't even sure if you wanted to officially go there. Things were too chaotic and you had never planned to fall in love with your roommate that you had hated so much a year ago. 

You weren't sure—but you couldn't deny that a deep part of you left you longing for more.

they're so stupid skjdfksdf #: @levisbrat25 @gothgril69 @sckerman @berrijam @notgoodforlife @meowjaa @averysmolbear @roseofdarknessblog @bejewelledd @hhighkey @ayame236 @sad-darksoul @velouria17 @kamyru @l1zk4 @layenacreates @lamees004 @whoami-72 @highgoon69 @chaotic-on-main @levishotgf @nube55 @chosos-mascara @heichoucleanfreak @svftackerman @alexkibutsuji @moonchild-angel

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Aro4Aro Stancy Break-up AU Part 2

Part 1

As his fingers clutch Steve Harrington’s steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles turn white, Jonathan wishes he’d stayed at the party. The music was loud and vapid, the punch was rancid, but at least then he wouldn’t be alone in a car with a boy he barely knows past saving each other’s lives that one time in his living room.

He can still almost feel Steve’s hand in his, the way his fingernails raked over Jonathan’s still-bleeding palm until his colossus caught and held onto the bandage. Even when they’re sitting across from each other at lunch, pretending that they’re three normal teenagers, Jonathan swears they’re still in that living room. Nancy’s shooting and Steve’s still swinging the bat.

He takes a deep breath, letting it out slow.

“She said it’s bullshit,” Steve says.

Jonathan clears his throat. “What is?”

“We’re bullshit.”

“We?”

“Me and her,” Steve says. Jonathan can feel him looking at him. He keeps his eyes on the road as Steve laughs. It sounds wet. “Maybe just me.”

Silence falls in the car like a fog. Suffocating. Steve lingers in it the way he usually doesn’t. At lunch, in the halls, even when there’s nothing to say, he’s saying it anyway. Sports, schoolwork, what they’re having for lunch. It’s like silence strangles him. It’s strangling Jonathan now.

“You’re not bullshit.”

He risks a glance in Steve’s direction. He’s crying. Jonathan feels his throat close up.

“You don’t get it,” he says, voice cracking in the middle. They both pretend not to hear it, don’t question the long pause before he continues, “there’s something wrong with me.”

“What do–”

“I love Nancy,” Steve says. It hits Jonathan, suddenly, that he’s in no way equipped to be Steve Harrington’s couples counselor. His only working example of a relationship growing up had Lonnie Byers as half of it. Steve continues unimpeded. “She’s literally perfect, Byers.”

Jonathan nods, waits for Steve to continue. When he doesn’t, Jonathan says, “that doesn’t mean she’s perfect for you.”

Steve sobs. Just once, before getting himself back together. It sounds raw and wounded in his throat. Jonathan’s hand twitches.

“There’s something wrong with me,” he says again, sounding frantic. “I should love her, right?”

“Steve–”

“So, why does saying I love her make me feel nauseous?” he asks, steamrolling over any response Jonathan could even think of giving. That’s okay. He’s got nothing. “Why do the fucking date nights and the fucking parties and all the fucking gestures make me want to run?”

“I don’t–”

“I love Nancy,” he says, slamming his open palm on the glove compartment for it to open, sending CD’s spilling onto the floor. Steve barely seems to notice. “It’s good sometimes, right? Like, when we’re all sitting at our lunch table, and I say something stupid and you both laugh at me, but Nancy does it behind her hand because she at least pretends to be nice to me. That’s good, right Byers?”

Jonathan feels choked up, keeps his eyes on the road, wonders how a night could spiral so quickly, wonders where he’s going to sit at lunch tomorrow. “Yeah,” he says, swallowing the knot in his throat. “It’s good.”

“But why do I feel the same about hanging out with you as I do her?” he asks.

Jonathan doesn’t say anything, waits until they’re at a stop sign with his foot firmly on the break to glance over at Steve. He’s curled in on himself, hands shaking in his lap. It reminds Jonathan alarmingly of that night, when he’d seen Nancy and Steve unravel in the face of monsters that crawl from the walls.

“Tell me what you mean,” Jonathan says, but he thinks he knows.

“What’s the difference,” Steve asks, like he’s picking each word out of his brain with care. “Between a girlfriend and a friend?”

Jonathan thinks of Will, how sometimes he looks at Mike like he’s so bright it hurts. He thinks of the way Steve’s eyes had looked almost afraid as he’d slung slurs in Jonathan’s direction in the heat of the moment.

There’s a pit sinking in his stomach. He swallows it down. “Do you–” he stops.

“Do I what?”

The air feels charged as Jonathan takes his foot off the break, continuing his drive to Steve’s house.

“Do you even want a girlfriend?” he asks.

Steve breaths in like he’s been punched. Jonathan feels sick.

No more words are exchanged. The silence hangs like a noose. Jonathan settles into it.

When he pulls up to the empty, encompassing Harrington house, he thinks he gets why silence is something to be feared for Steve Harrington. There’s no lights on in the Harrington house, no cars in the driveway. It doesn’t feel right to drive away, Steve silhouetted in the light of the moon, the shadow of his own front door hanging over him.

When Jonathan pulls into his own driveway, his Mom’s left the porch light on, welcoming him home.

[fuckingguide]

saw today a strong contender for the stupidest car I've ever seen. it was one of those luxury sporty cars except it was so flattened and low (as in close to the ground) it was downright comical. and of course loud as shit because this guy simply Must attract the attention of every single person in town as he blesses them with his presence driving by. I can just picture him signing the papers when buying it, having visions of how all the ladies will flock to him once they see his super cool new car. "they'll think my dick is so huge when they see me driving this pinnacle of automotive design". sorry mate your car looks like it's been steamrolled in a freak looney tunes accident. you look like you're driving a pancake with wheels.

[buttercupbuck]

"(and mind you, the little we do know already looks pretty hopeful for us)" Could you explain please I need to feel hope.

sure thing chicken wing 🐣

everything about the way natalia was introduced in 6.15...her fascination with buck's death and her fascination being the focal point of their conversation, when we know from everything they've ever shown us with buck that it's probably not the healthiest start to a relationship for him (as always, a disclaimer that natalia's not wrong or weird for being fascinated by it all - it's just not great for him)

the writers choosing to include the cemetery scene, which isn't necessary to the plot at all if natalia and buck are supposed to be endgame. a) that time could've been used to expand on their date a bit more and develop the relationship and b) why show eddie explicitly telling buck he's making the same mistakes and buck steamrolling right past that concern unless they want us to understand that he is...making the same mistakes

buck sounding absolutely delulu ("i feel like she sees more in me than i even see in myself") when the audience wasn't shown anything on the date that would provide any substance or backing to those feelings - which, again, just seems to confirm what eddie tried to tell him, that he's making the same mistakes

them bringing back marisol instead of felisa, who eddie had an actual connection and chemistry with and who the GA was likely expecting to come back in 6b with all the set-up they had in 6.07

the writers cramming this all in the last two episodes of the season, when they could have used the entirety of the season to flesh out both of these relationships if they were intended to be serious

all of the buddie content we've gotten so far in 6a/6b - the couch metaphor being established in a scene between buck and eddie and then buck crashing on eddie's couch when he felt like he needed to escape everything else, everything about the lightening strike scene (us seeing buck's body from eddie's perspective, eddie screaming his name and being the one to lower him down, That shot of the two of them, eddie shoving past bobby to look at buck, etc), eddie yelling at the doctors to do more as they wheel buck away, eddie avoiding buck's hospital room until he can't and then seeing him struggle to hold onto his emotions as chris talks to buck in his sleep, buck confiding in eddie that he's not sure if he's okay and then confiding in him again that he doesn't feel like the person he'd been before he died, buck and eddie scamming the firehouse together, eddie taking buck out on a silly little poker date, all of the buckley-diaz scenes we got in the episode before eddie starts to date again, the CEMETERY SCENE, etc etc....

so yeah, overall i'm definitely more optimistic than i am worried. i hope this helps love <3

[amethystfairy1]

This is an oddly specific question that may have been answered in-story, but I’m liable to miss details. How much has the Labs/Biotech Director replaced parts of herself with machinery? I remember a metal arm being mentioned, but clearly a lot more of her is inorganic for her to survive getting steamrolled by a fucking forklift.

(Also, just want to say, I love how the story’s expanded beyond the original premise. Yeah, it’s still a HotGuy superhero AU, but it’s also found family, addressing trauma, overcoming adversity, and at least four equally interesting side ships.)

Hello hello!

She survived? Whatever do you mean??? She totally died 25 years ago when she got knocked off the bridge!!!

😱

I’m shook.

But yknow, for the fun of it…if hypothetically we just pretend she survived, let’s see…I think some people are confused, and that might be my fault.

I’ve seen a lot of people saying that she got run over by a forklift…which she wasn’t.

She was hit by a redstone pallet which is basically like a floaty handcart that’s got an engine, it doesn’t have wheels or anything…think like the flying machines you can make with redstone and slime blocks. So she got hit by that thing at a high speed, yeah, but it wasn’t enough to do more than some blunt force damage. The REAL thing that did her in was the fall from the bridge, which the redstone pallet knocked her off…because we know Etho hears her scream on her way down…and no one caught her, so surely a fall from that height would kill her…right?

To answer your more specific question, the only parts of her that we know of that are augmented is her metal hand with the knife blade in it, but we only ever see her from Doc or Ethos POV, so it’s anybodies guess if she has more augmentations than that hidden beneath that lab coat. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Aw, thank you! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed seeing the series expand from just a Hot Guy AU into something bigger with all these different themes! I’ve had such fun working on it, and I’m far from done, so I hope you’ll look forward to more! ☺️

Also, I love the little detail questions, they’re a big reason why I opened my asks over here, because I was so curious what others were wondering about to do with the AU, so please keep them coming! Any and all questions, as many as you like, and while I might take a bit to reply sometimes I am always super happy to get the chance to ramble about my AUs! 💖

[number1spongebobfan]

Non Rail Vehicle Headcanons Part 1

Bertie!

Sodor's bus boy! He rollerskates on road and not rails.

He and Thomas are friends. They like to race against each other.

He dresses in 90's fashion. He wears a backwards baseball cap and an oversized t shirt.

He's a bloodhound with bus wheels on his legs in his animal form.

He says, "Beep beep!" and "Vroom vroom!" a lot.

Caroline the Vintage Car is his best friend and grandmotherly figure.

His favorite song is, "The Wheels on the Bus go round and round".

Cranky

He is ginormous. The reason why I don't draw him often is because of how huge he is compared to everyone else.

He works at Brendam Docks, where he picks up crates with the hook on his hand.

He is one of the few vehicles on Sodor that doesn't wear rollerskates. He wears sandals instead.

He is often lonely, and likes when others give him company.

He is, well, cranky, and "rough around the edges". But soft and loving deep down.

He is a crocodile with barb-like scales on his hide in his animal form.

Harold

He has helicopter blades on his back that he uses to fly.

He says, "Vrr vrrr!" a lot.

He rescues people. He works with Flynn, Belle and Captain in a team: Sodor Search & Rescue.

He is a Cockatoo with extra helicopter wings on his back in his animal form.

He is an age regressor. He sleeps with a pacifier and plays with blocks. Percy has playdates with him.

He is brave.

George

This guy has severe anger issues.

He is very loud, gruff and unhappy.

He hates railroads. He wants to turn the rails into roads with his steamroller skates. He gets along with Bulgy quite well ...

He is a sly, carnivorous fox with steamroller wheels on his legs in his animal form.

He thought of teaming up with Diesel 10 to kill Thomas and Lady but thankfully decided not to.

He is mean to Caroline, and Bertie does not allow that.

Buster is his brother, who has complicated relations with him. George was going to be part of the pack, but Jenny chose Buster because George is a jerk.

[burgerking-offical]

sir handel & peter sam are here

[bam-stroker]

Rest stop prompt time!!!!

Have you ever thought about Sun trying to teach Moon how to skate?

I haven't but o buddy this is so sweet, I have now!!!! Have a drabble my friend (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

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

“Soooooooooo~ I’ve got a special date planned for tonight, Moonglow.” Sun hums warmly, as they lean across the front check-in desk with easy confidence. Instead of their usual diner uniform, they have on one of Moon’s short sleeve button up shirts. The dark blue and black color scheme has Sun’s yellow silicone glowing even brighter than usual. It’s become a frequent habit of theirs to borrow Moon’s clothes, and it still leaves him a flustered mess every time he sees them wearing it. The little star flair designs along the front must be matching how bright the constellations along his cheek are shining. 

Fully distracted by it all, it takes a moment for Moon’s mind to catch up. He blinks the stars from his eyes, and hides his flustered smile in the safety of his nightcap. “Special? Should I bring anything?” 

Sun’s fingers swirl along the black countertop like golden comet trails, a mischievous quirk to their smile as they say, “Wear your shorts. I don't want you tripping over your pants.” 

✨

As the street lamps kick on, Moon waits outside the diner for Sun. The humidity and heat of the day lingers over the hot asphalt like a warm blanket. Past the glow of the neon signs and lamps lining the sidewalks, he catches quick glimpses of the stars in the night sky. A shiver rattles through him as a cool night breeze brushes against his bare legs. He only has a few pairs of shorts, and it’s rare he ever wears them, but for Sun he’s willing to give them a try from time to time. He much prefers the familiar comfort of cloth covering his knobby robotic legs, but the warm weight of Sun’s hand on his knee sure can be a motivator to change up his look when they ask. 

Dusty blue silicone peaks out below the crisp hemline of his shorts on his upper thighs, only for the color to fade like the twilight to darker shades towards his calves. Embroidered stars and moons dance along the hemline of his navy blue shorts, as little bursts of white, silver, and gold. Nestled snugly above his waist, he fiddles with the tip of his black leather belt to try and tuck it behind the closest loop. The blue and yellow stripes along his white shirt reflect back through the diner windows as he does so. 

The chime of the diner door grabs his attention, but before he can look up, an unfamiliar whoosh steamrolls towards him like a freight train. Wide eyed with shock, a blur of yellow rockets towards him, and he wonders if the comet is falling from the roof to crash into him. 

“Hey there handsome!” 

All at once, the motion consumes him as Sun’s arms wrap tight around his waist to lift him up. He yelps with surprise, hanging on to them like a dizzy koala, as they spin in perfect circles. While that train rattling sound crunches on the concrete below them. 

“Surprise!” They chime, as they finally slow to a stop. 

Moon keeps his arms and legs firmly wrapped around Sun, as if at any moment the roller-coaster might start up again. They titter gleefully as he simply gawks at them. “What… was that?!” The usually low soothing murmur of his voice raises to sound much closer to the tinny tenor of Sun's natural tone.

Sun hefts him up in their arms, humming with mischievous delight as their warm palms cradle the exposed silicone of his thighs. “Said I had a surprise for tonight.” They lean forward to press a chaste kiss to the anxiously flaring stars along his night cheek. “Management sent me some roller skates for the diner~ Thought it might be fun to teach you how to skate… if you’d like?” 

The flash of pastel pink wheels grabs Moon’s attention as he looks down at Sun’s feet. The design is the same dreamy color palette as the rest of the diner, with pastel pinks, turquoise, and white accents. They’re cute and so very Sun.

Between the warm honey of their tone and the sweet touches, all his shock melts away to a familiar flustered buzz. He lets out a huff of laughter as he bonks his forehead to theirs, a few final jolts of surprise trickling through his wires. “That’s… some surprise, Sunrise.” He lets out a wispy sigh, and leans back to look at them. “So what was your plan if I said no to learning?”

They give a small squeeze to his thighs, as they very pointedly give him a pleased look over. “Well… I could show you some tricks I’ve learned. Or–” they lower their voice to a purr, “we could spend some time up on the roof. I’d love to go stargazing, and I think I know just the ones I’d like to map out with you.” 

A quick flurry of kisses pepper along his cheek to land on the glowing stars there.

Suave and oh so silly, Moon can’t help but lose himself to laughter as Sun ends each static kiss with a playful Mwah! 

“Ok! Ok!” Moon gets out between wispy giggles, his eyes crack back open to look at Sun’s eager smile. His own lopsided one must be as wide as can be in return.

“You’ve got the sweetest little laugh, you know that, Moon Pie?” Even through all the teasing, Sun’s eyes soften fondly as they give him a happy squeeze.

He playfully baps at their arm to let him down. “I’ll probably be laughing when I fall face first while skating… Remind me about that again when I do.” It’s a joke, but there’s hardly any real worry to it with the way hiccups of soft laughter bubble up through his words.

Sun hums a happy little tune as they help him back to the ground, “You won’t fall, sweetie, I’ll be right here to hold you steady.” They thread their fingers with one of his hands to tug him towards the diner. “Gonna hold your hand all night, Nightlight~!” 

Would Moon ever be as skilled as Sun at roller skating? Probably not. But none of that seems to matter with how wide his lopsided smile stretches at the thought of how steady and warm their hand is in his. 

After all, if skating is a bust… stargazing sounded pretty good too ❤

[jinx-on-mars-19xx]

The Demon's Altar

Not Natural

The Devil's Trap

Holy Water

Dom x Colson (Yungblud x Machine Gun Kelly)

Warnings: finally a little porn with this plot! SPN inspired, ABO dynamics (slick, heats, knots), d/s dynamics, demon Kells, Hunter Dom, angry Dom, needy Dom, a little Tom time, commanding and careful Kells, fingering, masterbation, teases, insults, body worship, biting, virginity taking (breaking a hymen), sex (sort of), blood play, ominous ending, happy boys ⚰️ rating: explicit

Dom's heart raced and his eyes widened as he watched the road ahead of him. In the distance he could see the lights that promised a mid-American small town oasis and a rest but now it offered so much more. He could not fuck the demon.

"You really shouldn't." A voice echoed through the car and for the third time in less than an hour his tires swerved.

"Wha' the fuck!" He cursed, his fingers spasming around the wheel as he eased his foot from the gas. If people didn't stop he was going to crash Tallulah and then he'd have to start hunting them. "You can't tell me wha' to do." He huffed and while he knew he resembled a petulant child he didn't care. He'd been driving all day and he was peckish and wet- which he was finding more uncomfortable by the moment as it soaked slowly through his pants and cooled in places. How did women handle that?

"Are you really going to let the demon fuck you? The demon Dom? You do know he's one of the strongest left, yes? He might be a Prince of Hell but I honestly can't tell. That's how powerful he is." Tom was gesturing wildly enough to be distracting and the hunter was already annoyed. He wasn't sure how much he could take from the only person he could really call his friend. "I can't discover how strong he is- me! Do you know what that feels like? He's something strange Dom." Tom kept steamrolling the conversation but the Hunter had learned long ago to let him rant out his worries. It came from love for him he was sure.

"Ya done? I'm sorry he so special or wha'ever tha' you of all fings can't figure 'im out but fuck Tom- I ain't never said I'll fuck 'im! He's a monster. And chill bruv, ain't no princes left tha' I know of. Yellow eyed wankers yeah? Nah. Kells got like…" He trailed off with a shiver, just thinking of the beast's stare had a fresh trickle start between his legs. Fuck. He cleared his throat and shifted in the seat. He refused to squirm. He refused. "Like a storm in the evening or summat. Black clouds over a lightning filled blue sky." His voice went soft as he stared off in the distance and wondered where exactly his- the demon was. He didn't have a number to text but he felt a pull if he let himself go quiet. It wasn't anything special, just his normal instincts. Obviously.

"Yeah, certainly not going to fuck him." Tom sighed, his forehead hitting the cool glass of the window. "You're so smitten you'll let him make love to you!" The disdain was obvious in his mother hen voice and Dom was happy for the dark when he felt his cheeks flame.

"Don't talk so nasty. You know me Tom! You know me better 'an tha'. He's disgusting. Bastard roofied me."

"Yeah I do know you, I was there Dom, or do you forget so easily? You're drawn to the darkness. You can't help it." His voice went low and almost sad but it still held an edge of annoyance.

Dominic was bloody well tired of being judged and talked down to, he was a grown ass man who had a longer list of monsters killed than people he bedded and he thought that was what truly mattered. How could someone he thought of as a friend think of him like that? After being close so long? "He's jus' fucking 'elping me, he 'ates the bastard as much as I do. Ain't nuffin more. And even if 'ere is? Me choice. I'm not a child anymore, don't talk to me like I am. I ain't 'eard from you in months and ya show up for tha'? Fuck off Tom. Don't make me make you!" He knew he was almost growling but he was so tired of feeling like no one trusted him to control his own life. Even Kells was an asshole. Oh bollocks, he was close to that time of month he got more emotional and tingly wasn't he? He could feel his eyes burning with tears.

Tom disappeared with a scoff that felt like it echoed longer than it should have and Dom grumbled when that instinct inside him told him he was close to wherever the beast had taken his wallet to. He'd hoped for a few minutes to relax after that interaction but no, within moments he was rolling through the start of the town and pulling into a new no-tell motel. He was so revved up he didn't even notice the name, he just parked in front of the room he could see pot smoke already billowing out of and he slammed his car in park. "Sorry LuLu." He sighed as he threw open the door and stepped out.

Everything ached like it always did but not nearly as badly as he was used to. He didn't even have to pop everything, he just pushed the door closed and took a deep breath before stalking into the open room. "Took you a wh-" Before Kells could finish his sentence Dom was on him, his fingers gripping the front of the demon's shirt, his lips slamming into the beast's. He tasted like weed and copper as if blood were just always present, and under that was a hint of brimstone and ozone. "Woah fuck- um hi?" Kells laughed into the brutal kiss, he was surprised but not. He honestly thought it would take longer to seduce the boy.

"Shut the fuck up. Don't talk." Dom growled, his teeth nipping at his lower lip and tugging as his hands wandered the flat planes of his companion's chest. He didn't want words, words were too loud and too often lies. He needed to feel something good. Something hot and hard and-

Maybe he could fuck the demon.

Kells used his magic to slam the door closed and dim the lights. He'd been hopeful they would end up here but he'd been joking about it in the car. He couldn't stop it though, not when all he could taste was the human and all he could hear were those sweet little whimpers. "You're so fucking wet. Can smell you. Can fucking taste it " He rasped, his lips working kisses down the boy's neck.

"Yeah? You want it? Take it." Dom tried to growl but it came out more a whine. If everyone thought he was going to make bad decisions he didn't want to disappoint them. He was so tired of trying to hide. Of trying to be good. He wanted to feel everything, he wanted to hurt.

The demon stepped back as if he'd been burned, he didn't mean to listen into the boy's mind but it was as if he couldn't shield himself. The kid was so loud whether he was speaking out loud or not. Dom pushed forward, he was still trying to get his hands on his bare skin but something felt off. Which he hated, he was a demon for fuck's sake. Of course he should have sex for the wrong reasons. "Damnit Dom, sit!" He huffed, curling his palms around the punk's arms so he could direct him to the foot of the bed. The kid glared, his gaze heavy and annoyed. "Just give me a fucking second." He panted even though he didn't have to breathe.

Dom answered him by climbing backwards onto the bed, his spine arching as he worked open his pants and slowly pushed them down. The scent of the human's slick was like a bat to his face but he didn't want to fuck this up. He didn't want to make him feel even worse. He couldn't help watching as those leather pants slid down his plush hips and the kid kicked off his steel toe boots to push everything else off. His boxer briefs were still on but soaked through and the sight brought the demon to his knees. He felt like he was worshiping at the altar of his new god but he hadn't served anyone in centuries and he really didn't think he should start now.

"Stop it." His voice shook as he stared up at the boy spreading his legs and sticking his hand under his waistband. Fuck. "But you don't play with yourself?" He meant for it to be a statement but it went up at the end and he almost felt like crying. The human was a work of art. He could tempt a saint to sin and Kells was no saint.

"Maybe for you I do. I'm wet Kells, can't you 'ear it? You a demon ain't you? Sin wiv me? Please make me feel summat?" Dom was surprised at his own conviction, he'd sworn off monsters and sex in general but here he was, trying to drown out the voices with a new kind of scream. He had always been rebellious but this felt different. It was a need under his skin. An ache in his core.

"I won't hurt you." Kells vowed as he pulled himself up on the bed and sat on his folded knees. His pants felt so tight they were making his cock ache, but he was scared to remove them. Maybe he was scared to give into the boy. He might just lose himself in the process. He took a deep breath and his choice was made. He couldn't touch but he couldn't leave. He could still taste the human on his tongue and he craved it more than he craved revenge. At least for the moment. His fingers snapped and their clothes were removed and for the first time in his so long life he felt truly exposed.

Dom whimpered as the cool smoke heavy air touched his overheated skin. His eyes danced over the newly naked beast in his bed and he was surprised at how much he wanted him. The demon was gorgeous, ink covering most of his skin, his body thin but packed with muscle. He was drenched in sweat and watching him like both the predator and the prey. "Oof." He whispered when his eyes wandered between the monster's legs. He had a dick to match the title, hard and throbbing it was almost the length of his thighs and leaking at the tip. "You're cut?" He didn't know why he was surprised or why it mattered but somehow it got him even hotter. He let his legs fall open as his core tingled and dripped a puddle under him.

"You're not. Fuck. Can I-" Kells clamped his jaw shut, he couldn't ask if he could touch because he wasn't going to. With the boy bare he could tell something he couldn't before. The scent of his slick was sweet and hot and he knew the human was in heat. Or at least about to be. He didn't know what he was asking for. He wasn't exactly an alpha anymore but he didn't know what would happen. "Can I see you play?"

Dom's brows furrowed at the question. He thought Kells would take him hard and fast and make sure he couldn't think but no. The demon was almost… kind? Sensitive? A small part of him was thankful after seeing the monster between his legs. He hadn't had anything inside his pussy before, not even a finger. He wasn't sure he should start with that. "Tell me?"

"Shit." Blue eyes slammed closed and when they opened again they were true form- a stormy black and blue light. Kells gripped his cock, if he didn't touch himself he thought he'd go truly insane but he could do that. He could direct him. He hoped. "One finger. Tease yourself. Feel how wet you are." His voice was gravel but that was alright, it seemed to get the boy even wilder.

Dom obeyed, his fingertip running between his folds. The demon was right, he was so drenched it was audible in the quiet room. "F-feels good. More?"

"Pushy bitch, huh?" The beast teased. "Gather some on your hand?" When the boy did as he was directed he felt his need grow. Fuck, if he obeyed so pretty now, how would he act on his cock? When his palm was shiny wet Kells leaned forward and wrapped his hand around the omega's, taking as much of the slick as he could. His fist curled around his shaft and the boy watched every second. He couldn't help smirking at the way he felt appreciated. It was obviously affecting the human, his arousal was evident in the way his dick jerked against his belly and his heat scent got even stronger in the room. "Are you a virgin there, Domie? Like… completely?"

Dom whimpered and nodded. He knew what the demon was asking and he was surprised how badly he wanted to let him in. "Fuck me?"

"Not yet."

"Need it." He whimpered, his hips rolling as he watched the monster jack himself off as if he could feel him inside.

"Yeah you might. But no. I'll give you a treat if you're good. But I'm not fucking you yet." He commanded and hoped the dominant side of him, the long buried alpha was still strong enough to make it stick.

"Pussy." Dom snapped but he didn't mean it. At least not all of him did. He rolled his eyes and started playing again, his finger slipping inside himself until it hit skin.

"Wait. Use your other hand to jack off. I don't want you hurt." The beast purred and the boy arched a brow but obeyed. A soft noise escaped Kells as he watched the Hunter tease his foreskin back, revealing his shiny pink cockhead. Fuck, he wanted to taste everything. He waited until Dom found a comfortable pace and he matched it, his own palm moving quick over his twitching shaft. He was more desperate to cum than he'd been in so long but he wouldn't until the right time. He was millennia old, he would not bust too soon because of a sexy little human twink.

Dom's lashes fluttered, his lips parting on a gasp. Almost without meaning to his finger started pumping inside himself, pressing against the skin before pulling back. The back of his mind pictured the demon's dick trying to slip inside and the image made the pain turn to pleasure. He couldn't believe what he was doing but so much of him never wanted to stop. "Kells-" He whined, the sound of his companion's movements pushing him closer. He tried to keep watching but sometimes he lost track. Nothing had ever felt like that before. He was overwhelmed.

Kells moaned at the sound of his name and his movements stuttered. He couldn't help crawling closer until he was pressed between those thick spread thighs, his cock so close to the kid he could touch him. If he wanted to. His gaze locked on to the punk's hand, his fingers were coming out covered in red and more than anything he wanted a taste. But not yet. His supernatural hearing tuned into the messy noise and he waited for the moment. For the- "Fuck!" they cursed in unison as the soft pop sounded and more blood rushed out with the slick.

Dom whined and shuddered, the pain was intense but the rapture was stronger and he tried to scoot closer to his new friend. Kells was so close to fucking him but he couldn't make him. All he could do was obey. His finger dove deeper and he added a second, his body jerking like a live wire when he ghosted over his spot. "Good boy. Keep going." The demon growled, his stormy eyes intent on Dom's cunt and his hand moved faster. The beast was close.

The kid obeyed him, his hips bouncing as he fucked down on his own fingers. Kells could feel himself drooling at the scent but he held himself back. He could find a little control. "Close?" He almost begged. The Hunter had all but forgotten to touch his dick and instead all his focus was on his newly discovered g-spot. The demon had never seen anyone get so fucking wet. He thought he saw him nod but he couldn't be sure but he still made himself say- "Stop. Spread your fingers. Hold your pussy open for me."

Dom cried out at the demand but couldn't help but do what he was told. It was physically painful to quit stroking his pleasure center but he pulled his fingers mostly free, his body trembling with his need. He didn't know exactly what the beast meant but he spread his fingers until the stretch ached. He tried to still himself but he thought he might lose it until the demon moved closer and the tip of his cock pressed against his hole. "Oh? Please? Fuck me? Please?" He never begged. Dom refused to beg and he certainly wasn't but… it was close. He was desperate for more.

Kells shook his head but stripped his shaft once- twice- and his orgasm slammed into him so hard he accidentally thrust inside the boy a few inches. The moment his cockhead was swallowed by tight wet heat he shook and moaned, biting his lip hard enough to bleed. His palm slid down near the base of his dick and he felt something he hadn't in so long. It wasn't full by any means but his knot was there, pulsing in time with his heart.

Dom broke as soon as Kells slipped inside him far enough to tease his spot, the stretch was too much but the first rush of white heat had him spilling for the beast. The pleasure was so intense and it took him a moment to realize he wasn't just cumming- he was gushing for his companion. He certainly wasn't aware that was possible. "Oh God Kells-"

"Not quite." The monster couldn't help but tease. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off as the human pushed himself to sit up and fingers tangled in his hair, dragging him forward for a sloppy rough kiss. Dom sucked his bleeding lip between his teeth and he bit down harder and Kells could feel more of his blood rushing through the boy. Fuck, what had he gotten himself into? The more Dom sucked the more he came, it felt like he had centuries of need backed up inside him that had waited just for that moment and maybe it had. Maybe he had. He knew he should tell him to be careful but he couldn't. He couldn't even be careful himself. He didn't know what would happen the next day or even in the next five minutes but for the moment it didn't matter. He had his omega.

They were both so wrapped up in each other they didn't feel the eyes on them from outside the warded hotel room. They didn't hear the lightning that forewarned the true beast. They didn't realize that someone else had felt the moment the boy was taken. Perhaps not claimed, but taken. The monster couldn't get to them anyway but his rage could build. They were honestly so lost to each other that for just one night, they didn't care.

Author's Note/Tags: @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker @hollywoodxwhore @jaxbreaker @fenoy7 @cole-way-iero28 🖤

Have a little porn. Just a little, as a treat. What is Tom? Is he a ghost, a witch, a voice in Dom's head? Why are the boys so drawn to each other? How is a demon an alpha? Why isn't he fully one anymore? I hope you enjoyed this, I'm still sick but I wanted to get something out. I hope it's good ⚰️🖤

[thebiggerbear]

Nerves - Beau x Cassie - Prompt Response

A/N: Prompt from prompt list by @dumplingsjinson. As soon as I read this line, the scene popped into my head and I just had to write it.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own.

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

“Why’d you do that?” “Because you wouldn’t shut up.”

Cassie tried her best to ignore Beau drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as they sat inside Pedro. They were currently staked out, waiting on one Melody Rollins to emerge from inside of her house. The mom of three hadn’t been too willing to answer their questions when they had knocked on her door earlier, especially when her cantankerous husband showed up behind her, demanding Beau and Cassie leave immediately. When the door was slammed in their faces, both the sheriff and private investigator exchanged a glance which was a mix of disbelief, suspicion, and determination.

So here they sat waiting for Melody’s husband to leave for his night shift or for Melody to step outside to throw away trash, whichever came first. She was a possible eyewitness to the disappearance of Jacob Bradshaw, a college-age kid who went missing four days prior under suspicious circumstances, and if Beau and Cassie’s hunch were right, Melody’s account of that night was integral to the case.

While waiting, Jenny had called Beau to fill him in on a lead for a kidnapping case the department was working. She was going to take Poppernak and backup to go check out a warehouse location that had popped up on their radar. Beau had looked over at Cassie, contemplating which case should top his priority list right then; a missing person where foul play might be involved or a kidnapping? Obviously, the very nature of a kidnapping case was urgent, but from the sound of it, Jenny and Poppernak had it handled. And he and Cassie really needed to talk to Melody and get her story of what she had seen a few nights ago; it would literally make or break the case.

In the end, Beau had chosen to stay with Cassie to focus on the Bradshaw case, and told Jenny to keep him updated while also urging her to be careful. Ever since he hung up, he had been a bundle of nerves, and he was quickly getting on Cassie’s.

“You don’t think she would go in without backup, do you?”

Cassie nearly rolled her eyes again. This hadn’t been the first time he had asked her something like this since that phone call. When he had filled her in on what Jenny told him, Cassie had offered for him to go and she would come back herself to talk to Melody once her husband had left for work. Beau refused, saying Jenny and Poppernak could handle it. Besides, what if Melody took the kids and left before Cassie got back? No, this was too important. Cassie had thought that was that…until Beau’s anxiety started to betray itself.

“No,” Cassie assured him for what felt like the twentieth time. “Jenny has Poppernak with her, and he won’t let her do anything rash.”

Beau nodded and trained his gaze on the house across the street. Cassie went back to scanning the emails Denise had sent her about the very case they were on. 

Not even a minute later, the drumming of Beau’s fingertips started up again. “It’s just that she tends to pull rank on Pop when he says something she doesn’t like. When I’m there, I can usually counteract it by pulling rank on her, which tends to make her a little red-assed as you can expect,” he chuckled. Cassie knew that to be true; she knew her best friend like the back of her hand. And since she knew her so well, she also knew Jenny and Poppernak would be fine. This wasn’t Jenny’s first rodeo and she had full confidence in Jenny’s judgment. Apparently, Beau did not. “But if I’m not there, she tends to steamroll Pop and go rogue.” Also true, unfortunately, but she knew if Jenny was going to do something like that, the blonde wouldn’t have called Beau first. “And a rogue Hoyt is the last thing the department needs right now.”

Cassie bit her lip to keep herself from snapping at him. She understood that he was worried about things going sideways; Jenny and Poppernak were walking into a possibly dangerous situation and as Sheriff, he felt he should be there. For that reason alone, she forced herself to breathe deep before speaking in the calmest tone possible. “Beau, I’m sure it’ll be fine. But if you think you should go, then—”

Beau waved a dismissive hand. “No, this is important and we need to get this statement. The sooner the better. Plus, I’m sure Hoyt and Pop have it well in hand. I’m probably just overthinking it.”

She nodded, and after a moment, she went back to her email, continuing to ignore the tapping Beau’s fingers were now doing on his door. While she appreciated the lack of music so she could concentrate, she almost wished he would turn on the radio to drown out his sounds. And the music would also hopefully distract the anxious man at her side.

She hadn’t made it past the first two lines of the third email Denise had sent her when Beau’s fingers stopped. “It’s just that Hoyt doesn’t have the greatest record of following protocol when it comes to chasing down the bad guys, you know? I can’t tell you how many times she’s run off after a suspect, no backup, even when I’ve been with her.” 

Cassie let out a heavy breath and placed her phone into her cup holder, having determined that she was not going to be able to concentrate while Beau continued to spiral like this. He needed a distraction and she was determined to give him one, if for nothing else, so she could focus on doing her job. 

Not really taking notice of her actions, Beau continued to worry out loud. “I keep telling her that she needs to be more careful but you know how she is. She tells me what I want to hear, gives me that big ol’ smile, and then flips me off the first chance she gets. Do you know how many times I’ve had to cover her ass this month alone? Tubb told me it wouldn’t be easy and I like a challenge, but damn if she isn’t—”

Cassie had leaned over, cupped his face, and brought his lips to meet hers. She kissed him soundly and after a moment, she could feel him relax and start to melt into her. His hands moved up to gently land on her back, holding her there. 

Once they needed air, Cassie pulled back to find a dazed Beau staring right at her. 

“Why’d you do that?”

She gave him a smirk and moved back into her seat, ignoring his attempt to keep her there with him. “Because you wouldn’t shut up.” She picked up her phone and pulled up the email again. “Now I can finally read this,” she teased.

Suddenly, her phone was ripped out of her hands, startling her. “Hey!” Before she could continue to protest or even see where her phone flew off to, Beau’s hands were cradling her cheeks and he was kissing her again. She tried to break away by moving back, but Beau moved with her, making her chuckle into his mouth.

He let her go after a moment and focused on pressing kisses down her jawline while she tried to catch her breath. “Beau, we need to watch the house.”

He trailed his lips down to her neck. “We will. Just need two minutes.”

She dug her teeth into her bottom lip when he hit that spot. “Mmm, only two minutes?”

Beau lifted his head up and gave her that dazzling smile of his complemented by an all-too familiar mischievous gleam in his green eyes. “I’ll make it up to you later. Movie night, remember?”     

Cassie’s brows furrowed in confusion. “It’s too late for a movie night tonight. Jenny won’t be able to make it and by the time you and I get out of here, we won’t have time for it, either.”

His smirk widened. “Who said anything about actually watching a movie?” 

Cassie’s expression morphed into one of pleasant surprise, and then she gave him her own devious smirk. “Oh, you meant that kind of movie night.”

“Yeah, I meant that kind of movie night,” Beau chuckled, and then he leaned in to kiss her neck again.

“We probably shouldn’t invite Jenny then. Might be awkward,” she teased.

“Incredibly awkward,” he agreed, his beard tickling Cassie’s skin and making her erupt into laughter. He lifted up to frown down at her as she covered her mouth with her hand. 

She then caressed his cheek with her thumb. “Feel better?” She whispered.

A hint of a grin started to form on his face. “Much.” She smiled up at him, happy that her distraction had indeed worked. “I’d feel even better if I wasn’t the one doing all the work here.”

“Oh, you’re doing all the work? Really?”

“Yeah, I am. Didn’t you notice I’m practically in your seat?”

“And who started this whole thing again?”

“You.”

Cassie nodded. “But you’re the one doing all the work?”

“Yep.” That gleam in his eyes was at its brightest. 

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” She lifted up and stopped an inch away from his lips, noting Beau’s breathing increase. When she saw his eyes start to close, she reached around him and snatched up his phone. 

“Why, you little—”

She immediately started trying to call her phone so she could locate it and read the emails she had been trying to skim through earlier. “What? You don’t want to be doing all the work here, right? Let me just find my phone and I’ll—” 

Beau’s mouth slotted against hers, and she let out a quiet moan when his tongue touched hers. She had no idea where his phone had gone and right then, she didn’t care. She had no desire to focus on anything else, not when Beau kissed her like this. It didn’t even occur to Cassie that the tables had been completely turned around on her until Beau moved away to let her breathe. “Still want to work?” He murmured, gliding his nose along hers. 

Cassie shook her head. “You’re very distracting.” 

She wanted to wipe the smug smirk right off of his face but she’d do that later. “Damn right I am,” Beau teased before he moved in again.

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for this ship.

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[skarloeyspa]

The Two Good Fairies (Wait, Two?)

Just a bit (a lot) of re-imagining of the finer details of Duke's rescue and the episode Sleeping Beauty. I haven't exactly posted my writing publicly before so don't expect stellar content lol. I also took some liberties between the tv series and RWS canon, but most of the inspiration is from the tv series. Also crediting @/ryan1014n2 for the aluminum works HC for Stuart and Falcon!

“...and that’s why they call you a hotbox!”

“Hotbox?! At least I’m not the one with steamroller wheels!”

Rheneas watched the two new engines bicker with amusement as he waited for his own departure, passengers still slowly filing into the coaches attached to his back buffers. The two new engines, Sir Handel and Peter Sam were double-heading a heavy freight train, passing by the station slowly.

“Steamroller! Wait until Duke hears about this one!”

Sir Handel proclaimed, and the bickering had all but stopped. Rheneas couldn’t see the expression on either engine, they had already passed the station by then, and were speeding along the line once more. 

A familiar whistle sounded across the platform, Rheneas whistled back as Skarloey pulled into the station.

“Rheneas! How does it feel to be back on the line?”

“Just wonderful, is that even a question? I was so glad to finally get overhauled, but I’m even more grateful to be back.”

The two old engines shared a laugh, before settling into the buzz of the busy station. Tidbits of the earlier conversation between the two new engines resurfaced in Rheneas’ mind.

“Say, Skarloey. You know that Duke person that Sir Handel and Peter Sam bring up? Who are they?”

The red engine froze, before returning Rheneas’ gaze, a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

“Duke is…an engine. He was on the old railway that Sir Handel and Peter Sam used to run. It closed after some time and…they couldn’t find Duke a new home.”

Rheneas felt dread pool at the bottom of his boiler.

“Was he…”

“Oh, no, they didn’t scrap him. They just…sheeted him. But who knows what happened to the poor old engine?”

Rheneas opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of guard’s whistle kept the words on his tongue. Pursing his lips, Rheneas simply whistled back as he pulled out of the station, left to ponder about this mysterious engine’s fate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several years had passed since their conversation, and Rheneas would have forgotten, if he didn’t hear passing mentions of Duke whenever the two new engines were around. 

No, calling them new would imply they were strangers, Peter Sam and Sir Handel had far outgrown that title.

Sometimes, when the rain was heavy and the trees rustled against the brick of their sheds, the two engines would recount tales on their old railway. It was from these stories that Rheneas and Skarloey would learn more about the mysterious engine named Duke. 

Duke, or as Sir Handel and Peter Sam liked to call him, Granpuff, was the old faithful of their old railway the Mid-Sodor. When they were still called Stuart and Falcon, Duke was the one to keep them in check and out of trouble. They talked of the time that Duke gallantly pulled Sir Handel back up the mountain, or the time Duke humbled Peter Sam by roaring loudly on the mountain as though he were the one with a packed passenger train and an engine pulling on his coupling. The two told of many stories, some more savoury than the others, but not once had they spoken Duke’s name without love.

And, as Rheneas would later recognize in their voice, grief.

One day, after returning to the sheds for the night, with Skarloey being the only other engine present, Sir Topham Hatt approached Rheneas and Skarloey along with a group of men holding rolls of paper and small suitcases.

“Starting from tomorrow,” announced Sir Topham Hatt, “I’d like the two of you to assist in a special job,” and he quietly explained to the two old engines the visitors’ proposal.

“They want to find Duke!” Skarloey exclaimed as the men left with the Fat Controller, “Goodness! Wait until Sir Handel and Peter Sam hear about this, they’ll be ecstatic!”

But Rheneas shushed his brother, “Best keep it a secret until we actually do find him,” he replied, “It would be such a letdown for them if we build up all this hope only to end up finding nothing.”

And so, the two engines and their crew agreed to keep this operation a secret. In the following days, either Rheneas or Skarloey would take the visitors and some workmen into the faraway mountains, going through old tunnels and over high bridges, trying to find the old shed that still housed the lost Duke. Every day, they would go deeper and deeper into the hills, and with each day their hope dwindled, but the search carried on, the crew refusing to give up. 

Skarloey waited on the old rails, watching as the search crew climbed further and further into the old station, looking like ants as they scrambled over the overgrown ruins. Bored, Skarloey observed the mountains around him. 

From the moss-covered tracks to the rusted barrels and rotting wooden crates that strewn about the grounds paved with gravel, Skarloey’s gaze trailed to the empty decaying shed, the first thing they had found upon arriving. Pieces of the roof had broken off and fallen onto the ground, the glass on the windows cracked and filled with holes, and vegetation ate away at the bricks and wood that still struggled to keep the shed intact.

Skarloey’s observations were interrupted by the sound of a distant crash. Returning his attention to the search crew, they were rushing towards the top of a particularly shallow cliff. Skarloey squinted his eyes. Was that…smoke? 

The men crowded around the clouds of dust, and Skarloey was too far away to hear their conversations, but soon cheers and laughter erupted from the crew. 

“We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skarloey and Rheneas waited patiently as the crew secured the old engine to the flatbed, chains pulling over the engine’s dusty, worn brown paint. Some of the men discussed among themselves what to do with the decade-old coal that still remained in the old engine’s little tender, but neither Skarloey nor Rheneas caught the end of that conversation as their crew prepared for departure.

Rolling along the old track, Skarloey was coupled up to the flatbed, curiously observing the old engine they had just rescued. Duke’s eyes were wide and filled with glee as he watched the mountains pass. Soon, the old engine’s gaze landed on Skarloey.

“Oh? Hello there, I don’t believe we’ve met before,” Duke inquired of Skarloey. 

“No, we haven’t. But I’ve heard a lot about you,” Skarloey replied, and the two began chatting, with Rheneas soon joining in from behind. They talked of the stories that Peter sam and Sir Handel would tell, now hearing Duke’s perspective as well, chuckling over how the two had been such cheeky engines in their youth.

“Really now? Seems like Peter Sam hasn’t changed a bit!” Rheneas retorted, and the three laughed once again, though a sadness settled in Duke’s tired eyes.

“Peter Sam, is it? Everything does change, I suppose.” The old engine murmured solemnly.

“Perhaps, but I’d say the joy I hear in their voices when they told your stories was all genuine, and so was the sadness they'd tried to hide,” Skarloey said in return.

Duke contemplated Skarloey’s words in silence as they passed over the viaduct. With his gaze trained on the ravine below, Duke smiled tenderly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sir Handel bit back a retort, imagining all the ways he would one-up Peter Sam once given the chance. As he waited for his coaches to be uncoupled, Skarloey rolled into the station, strangely muddy for a day at the quarry and barely contained excitement.

“Hello Skarloey, what’s got you all excited?” quizzed Sir Handel.

“Oh, has the Fat Controller not told you yet? There’s a surprise waiting for you and Peter Sam at the sheds!”

“Surprise? How nice of him! What is it?” Peter Sam replied.

“Well, I’m not one to spoil surprises, but there’s someone you’ve been longing to see, just as he’d been longing to see you again.”

…huh?

“You mean…Duke?”

Skarloey’s grin widened. Next to him, Peter Sam bounced about on his tracks, shaking with joy, but Sir Handel remained frozen on his spot, disbelief still rampant in his mind. Distantly, he could hear his driver’s comments about his fire going on and off, unstable and incapable of producing good steam. Skarloey spoke again, but his words faded into a buzz, settling into the background with the rest of the bustling passengers at the station.

…

Glimpses of the mountain cliffs flashed through his mind, the pull of gravity on his buffers and the drafts of wind from the bottom of the mountain, the sheer cry of the eagle that pierced through the screeching and humming of his Granpuff’s wheels as he pulled and pulled against the tracks. Then, the comfort of the ground, of being pushed back to the station, standing safely next to his Granpuff as he shushed him to sleep later that night with a rare softness to his gruff voice.

…el…

Then there was the bitterness, the painful panging in his boiler when their old railway closed. The gut-wrenching fear, clawing and clambering at him as he was driven away from his Granpuff, who stood faithfully to the very end at his shed at the foot of the mountain. 

…alco…

Short flashes of those brief years at Peel Godred, the coldness of the factories where he found his only comfort next to his brother, wishing and hoping everyday that maybe, just maybe, someone would be nice enough to bring their Granpuff back. 

Drip. Drip.

Wishing, praying, oh he’d have done just about anything to have his Granpuff back, if only just for one day-

“Falcon!”

Sir Handel was snapped out of his thoughts, Peter Sam had stopped just before his buffers, with Skarloey looking on from the side with concern. 

“...Stuart?”

Tears welling in the corners of Sir Handel’s eyes splashed onto his footplate, only then did he notice how blurry his vision had gone, muddled by emotion. Blinking rapidly, Falcon cleared his eyes and took a good look at his brother before him, just to make sure he didn’t mishear.

It was like they were back at the aluminum works, where Stuart would feign bravery and act strong for both of them, keeping a smile on his face as he pushed on. But Falcon always saw the fear in his brother’s gaze, the trembling young engine who just wanted to be comforted too, but had put on a brave face because one of them had to. 

Now, wearing the same expression that Stuart had on when he tried to calm Falcon down the same way their Granpuff used to, there was still a fear that had long since lodged itself within him, but there was also something new. Like their very first night at Peel Godred, Peter Sam had hope, and maybe just a little bit of his own tears.

“Come on, Falcon, looks like we have to keep Granpuff in check.”

For one last time, Sir Handel dared himself to spare a glance at Skarloey. The old engine, now joined by Rheneas, smiled at him assuredly. Squeezing out all his remaining tears, Sir Handel beamed at Peter Sam.

“Yeah, gotta keep Granpuff in order, Stuart.”