#talking to a new guy and we’ve been chatting since last night

[mydemonsyourangels]

online dating truly is the fucking worst

[jrswritings]

Tingles and Giggles - Chapter Two - Tyler Owens x Reader

Get caught up with Chapter One! Masterlist :)

Chapter Two - Boys and Their Toys

After another drink or two, chatting with Juniper from Atmosphere Aces and Willow from your team, you finally stood from your seat and put a $50 on the bar then walked out the front door of the Dust Devil and headed across the street to the Twister Trail Motel. The whole town of Prairie Winds was practically based on it being in tornado alley and being the main place storm chasers would stop while out chasing.

As soon as you were a few steps away from the front door, you heard it open again and footsteps behind you, a small part of you hoped it would be Tyler. 

“(Y/n)!” The voice called, it not being Tyler. 

You turned around to see Finn, the camera guy and driver for your team, the Storm Riders. 

“Hey, Finn! What’s up?” You asked, him stepping up beside you. 

“I was just curious as to what’s goin’ on with you and Owens, I saw you both get kinda close while dancing and then again while at the bar,” he started to ramble, one of his classic traits when he was drinking, “I just worry about you, since you’re like a big sister to me and we’ve known each other since you were in high school and I was in middle school, I would just hate for your heart to get broken by some idiot cowboy.” 

“Finn. Finn,” you tried to interrupt.

“I don’t think I could live with myself if he hurt you and I didn’t try to stop something from happening. Your parents would kill me as they made me promise to keep you safe out here,” he kept going. You couldn’t help but chuckle at him, putting your hands on his arms. 

“FINN,” you said sternly, jolting him out of his rampage. 

“W-What?” He stuttered while catching his breath, you both realized he hadn't taken a breath that whole time. 

“I will be fine, he just wants to take me out to dinner tomorrow night,” you said, dragging Finn to your side while walking to the motel, “I know you feel like it’s your job to protect me, but you need to remember that I am a few years older than you and know how to handle myself.” 

He sighed, “I know, I just would hate for you to get heartbroken again…” 

You stopped in the middle of the road and pulled Finn in close. He was one of the only people you trusted back in your early 20s. He was one of your go-to people, aside from your best friend Willow, whom you went to after your breakup with Derek who you had been with for almost five years. He had moved to New York to go to college and after a week of hardly talking to one another, the girl he was cheating on you with slipped up and accidentally tagged him in a post of them kissing on Instagram. The next day you sent everything he owned to his college dorm including the heart necklace he gave you for your birthday the last year you were together, along with a very long letter on tear-stained paper that you had written the night before while your heart was breaking with every word you wrote. 

“I will be okay, Finny,” you said, rubbing his back, “I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong or he does something stupid.” 

“Promise, (Y/n/n)?” He asked, holding out his pinkie finger. 

You linked your pinkie with him, “I promise. Now go back into the bar and have some fun, it’s forecasted for clear skies the rest of the week.” 

“You got it!” He said, pulling you into an embrace one last time before running back into the bar. 

You laughed and shook your head, then turned and walked back to the motel. Before heading up the stairs outside of your room, you decided to stop by your blue F-350 dually truck that was parked right next to Tyler’s red Ram 3500 dually. You pressed the unlock button on your key fob, the headlights shining brightly across to the bar. Earlier you had already brought your suitcase to your room, but you wanted to double-check that you had everything extra that you picked up in Thunderbird Bluff, the last town you were in. 

While digging under the seats you grabbed onto a cloth object, pulling it out becoming confused as all your clothes were in your suitcase. You held it up in the dim lights provided by the motel to see a tornado, the red truck you were parked next to, and a cartoon face of Tyler on the front of the shirt, the words being “not my first tornadeo” across it. 

You threw the shirt over your shoulder and smirked remembering Dani giving it to you after you got caught in an EF3 with your shirt getting torn off as you were on your way back from a smaller wedding in a field for Jade and Tristan, both members of Storm Riders. 

After shutting the truck doors, you locked it and turned toward the stairs, only to be startled by Tyler leaning against his truck with his cowboy hat in his hands. 

“Mighty nice of you to blind half the bar with those pretty headlights of yours,” he said, using his hat to gesture to the front of your truck. 

“Oh shit,” you mumbled, your hand covering your mouth, “Oops.” 

He chuckled, “I figured I’d come out to make sure you weren’t skippin’ town on me after I asked you out.”

“Even if I did, Owens, you’d find me one way or another,” you stated, walking over to the stairs. 

“Like my saying goes, sweetheart,” he started, “if you feel it.” 

“Chase it,” you said, going up a few steps to the first landing. 

“See, you’re gettin’ it,” he said, leaning against the stair railing and looking up at you, “Is that one of the Tornado Wrangler shirts?” 

You hoped he wouldn’t see that, but he snatched it off your shoulder to hold it up. 

“It was the only option I had after Jade and Tristan’s wedding,” you said, rubbing your forehead as you were starting to get tired and just wanted to head to your room, “You can have it, I don’t think it would look good if I wore a rival team’s shirt.” 

“But darlin’, you’d look good in my shirt,” he said while smirking and holding it up to your figure. 

“Very cheesy,” you said, walking up the stairs farther. 

“What do you say about tomorrow afternoon?” He asked, folding the shirt up and tossing it up to you. 

“I’m sure I’m free, most of the team will sleep until mid-morning due to the hangovers they’ll get from tonight,” you laughed, gesturing over to the bar where the music was still blaring. 

“Same with the wranglers, except Dexter, he snuck out the back and headed to bed an hour or so ago,” he said, laughing, “You know how those scientists are.” 

“Yeah, I’m surprised Tristan and Sage from Atmosphere Aces are still partying it up,” you said, leaning over the railing and looking down at Tyler. 

“Maybe we can get breakfast in the morning?” He asked, “Down at JoAnn’s Whirlwind diner…” 

“I’d like that, they have the best apple pie in the county,” you said, smiling, “Should we take Lil Blue here or are we takin’ Ol Red?” 

“How dare you think I’d be caught dead in a Ford, darlin,” he chuckled, “I won’t go anywhere without Ol Red.” 

“As I figured, boys and their toys,” you giggled to yourself, turning around and unlocking the door to your room. 

“What was that little lady?” He asked, putting his hat back on and putting his hands on his hips while shifting his weight to one side.

“I said goodnight, Tyler,” you said, tossing the bag of necessities on the queen bed you had all to yourself. 

“I don’t think that was it,” he said, shaking his head, “But I’ll let it slide this once, (Y/n).” 

“Like you would do anything otherwise, Ty,” you said as you leaned over the railing one last time before heading inside. 

“I’ll have you be aware that my truck is not a TOY,” he stated, shifting his weight to his other hip, “It’s a tornado-wrangling machine!” 

You laughed, “Mhmm, sure it is.” 

“Goodnight beautiful,” he said, looking up at you and giving you a wink. 

“Goodnight, Tyler,” you said, “I’ll see you at JoAnn’s.” 

“It’s a date,” he said with the biggest smile you’ve seen on the man in quite some time. 

You turned around and walked into your motel room, shutting and locking the door behind you, pressing your forehead to the cool door, smiling and giggling to yourself. While not really believing that you would be going on a date with Tyler Owens, who was basically the biggest heartthrob of the storm-chasing community and most likely all of Tornado Alley. Just thinking about tomorrow and what it held sent tingles down your spine and butterflies around your stomach.

Want more? Here's Chapter Three!

[athena-writes-i-guess]

what abt a oneshot where reader is in public and calls eddie (they’re dating) and asks him to pretend to be her bf cause she completely forgot they were actly dating cause the relationship was new and she was drunk and he’s like girl what? i am ur bf!!

A/N: Hello friend! Thank you so much for this request! Sorry it took a little bit! Work has been actually insane for the last few weeks. I really had fun writing this little thing, I really hope you like it!!

Pairing: Eddie Munson x f!reader

~~

“So, do you want to maybe go get food with me sometime?” You were asked as the boy, who’s name you couldn’t remember, leaned on the counter in front of you.

You were at a party, roped into going by your friend Robin. She practically begged you to go so she wouldn’t be alone when Steve got busy, and you had nothing to do that night anyways so you decided to go. You had been drinking, probably a little too much at this point, and you were already a little wobbly and confused when you started this conversation. Hell, you didn’t even know what had been said that led to this question.

“I’m sorry, I really can’t.” You slurred out, taking another sip of the mystery drink Steve had made you.

“Awe, really? We’ve been having such a nice time talking.” He asked, shooting you a friendly smile.

Shit. You hated confrontation so much. And letting people down always made you uncomfortable. You usually made your best friend, Eddie, do it for you. Too bad he wasn’t here right now to help.

Then you had a thought, something Eddie had told you to say if you were uncomfortable with a guy hitting on you, “Sorry, I have a boyfriend. Think he’d be pretty mad if I went out with another guy.” You lied, adding a small chuckle for effect.

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that, I haven’t seen you with anyone. Who’s the lucky guy if I can ask? See who I lost to.” He chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink as he looked around, seemingly to look for your supposed boyfriend.

“Oh -uh- he’s not here yet. Had something to do before the party.” You said quickly, taking another sip as you avoided his eyes.

“Well, introduce me later. It’d be cool to meet him.” He said with a nod, “I’m gonna go get another drink! See you later!”

Shit. You hadn’t thought he’d actually ask to meet your boyfriend. What to do now? Who could you even ask to pretend?

You looked around the kitchen that you were standing in at the teens around you, trying to see a friendly face, when suddenly it hit you.

Eddie.

You could ask Eddie! He wouldn’t mind pretending to be your boyfriend. He had always told you that he could if you needed. You had always felt a little awkward about asking him, since you had been basically in love with him since you met. But now you need him.

You decided to look for a phone upstairs where it was a little quieter, passing by tipsy teens as you made your way through the house. You nudged passed couples chatting and making out as you walked up the stairs until you finally found an empty room. You quickly locked the door behind you and rushed over to the phone, dialing the number you had memorized from daily use.

It rang and rang and you were worried that he wasn’t home. You knew he had band practice today. You almost gave up when you finally heard a hurried, “Hello?”

“Eds! Thank god you’re home!” You said, slightly relieved.

“Hey sweetheart! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until later. Is everything okay?” He asked, concern laced through his words.

“Yeah, everything is fine. It’s just- do you remember how you said that I should tell creeps that I have a boyfriend if they ask me out?” You questioned.

“Yeah?” Eddie responded, slightly confused.

“Well this guy- I don’t even know his name- asked me out and I said I have a boyfriend and now he wants to meet him and I don’t have anyone! Can you please come and pretend to be my boyfriend?” You pleaded, twirling the phone cord around your finger anxiously.

“Sweetheart-” He started, now Eddie really was confused.

“Please Eddie? Pretty please?” You interrupted.

You heard Eddie laugh and you felt the frown pull at your lips, now he was going to tease you about this.

“Sweetheart, I can’t pretend to be your boyfriend.” He said, you could hear the smile through the phone.

“Okay, sorry Eddie.” You couldn’t stop from pouting.

“Wait, babe, it’s because I’m already your boyfriend.” He laughed. “I can’t pretend to be something I already am.”

You felt your eyes go wide and your mouth dropped open in surprise. How could you forget? How could you forget that the guy that you had loved for years had asked you to be his girlfriend just last week?

Alcohol. That’s how.

“Sweetheart? You still there?” He chuckled.

“Oh.” Is all you could say.

“How much have you been drinking, sweet thing?” Eddie asked.

“I don’t know, Steve’s been giving me these drinks and I don’t know what’s in them.” You chuckled, smiling even more at the little “Great” he let out at that. “I’m sorry Eds. I can’t believe I forgot! I think that means I should cut myself off, only water now.”

“It’s alright baby. How about I come over, walk around with you for a bit and get you a little sober- make sure that creep stays away from my girl- and then I’ll take you home for the night. Then tomorrow, for our date, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to forget that I’m your boyfriend, hmm?” He teased lightly, you could practically hear the shit-eating grin on his face.

“That sounds good babe.” You smiled, “Thank you. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me neither, sweet thing. Be there soon pretty girl!”

Taglist: @srapalestina @yvonneeeee @cityofidek @anaisweird @mrslovesmayahawke @harrys-tittie @becca-alexa @catacina (couldnt tag earlier so sorry)

[selvesdiscovery]

Last night, I was chatting with one of my headmates when we both heard another voice none of us had ever heard before. It was a man’s voice, and he very clearly called out, “Christina?”, like he was looking for someone. The headmate I was talking to called out to him and he just asked back if we had seen Christina. We said no but offered to help him look, when another, more distant voice said (very firmly), “No.” We didn’t hear either voice after that.

We’ve never encountered these voices before, so we’re unsure who (or what) they may be. You know, headmate vs. weird brain stuff. Also, as far as we know, there are no gatekeepers who would be hiding headmates from the rest of us. We have no known amnesia and do not lose time when switching, so we’re fairly confident that no one beyond the known count has ever fronted.

I’m not sure whether this would be relevant or not, so I’ll include it anyway: we so far have been assuming endogenic origin, but there is the possibility of traumagenic.

Basically, is it “normal” to just hear random voices like that, or is it indicative of headmates we aren’t aware of?

Well, anon, this is a little bit out of my range of personal experience, so I'll try to go off of research I've done instead.

I'd say, the normality depends on your situation. if this sort of thing happens to you& a lot and doesn't necessarily mean anything, I'd say it's probably just ADHD brain making random thoughts or psychosis brain making hallucinations or whatever else you may suspect. But based on the specific nature of what was said, and how you're describing the way this occured, I'm not inclined to believe it's either of those. That being said, if you did not produce the voice, and you experienced it just as you experience the voices of the rest of your headmates, it is quite likely that is the voice of a headmate. To say whether or not it's someone you know or not is harder to do, but I'll say it's quite common in the community to discover new alters like this.

And if it is someone new, that doesn't necessarily mean a gatekeeper hid them or you're secretly traumagenic or anything like that. Sure, that's always a possibility you should keep in mind and not discount. But, it could just be a recently formed headmate, possibly looking for someone from their source (or their own world, if they're a soulbond or walk-in) or that they otherwise remember.

I mean, for the most part I don't have anything extravagant or super helpful to offer you in this situation. And it's been a little while since you asked this, so it's quite possible that things have already came to fruition (feel free to update me if they have!)

TL;DR I don't have a ton to offer you, but if it sounds like a headmate and acts like a headmate, it's probably a headmate, and that doesn't necessarily mean anything crazy. Could just be a confused new guy with no secrets whatsoever

[eclipsefangirl]

(15 years later)

The Ninjalinos had been at the abandoned playground for 15 years and they had gotten older but they didn’t get taller due to the moon’s power, Marvin was now 17, Daisy 16, Zoe 14, Ryan 12 and Ollie 15, they were so happy to be together and they had completely forgotten about Night Ninja and the PJ Masks, and a few years ago they learned how to talk properly and they felt like new

One day Marvin and Daisy were on the rotten swings chatting about things when Zoe came over to them. “Hey guys, me, Ollie and Ryan were wondering if there is anything we could do today.” Marvin and Daisy thought for a second and then Marvin said. “Well not right now Zoe, but we will do something one day when the time is right, we don’t want to risk being spotted by anyone, so you and the others go have fun.” Zoe smiled and went off. “Oh Marvin, this playground maybe old but it’s home to us…. do you remember anything about the past? Because I don’t.” Said Daisy and Marvin replied. “No sorry, all I remember is…… nothing….. well never mind, at least we’re together and not apart.” Daisy smiled and agreed. The Ninjalinos were enjoying their new life so much their life was looking very bright, as long as they stayed together everything will be fine

Ollie, Ryan and Zoe were playing on the seesaw that had two long rectangle seats with bars to hold on to, they were trying to figure out if any of them could remember the past, Zoe asked. “So guys, do any of you remember anything that happened in the past, do you?” Ollie and Ryan looked at each other and then looked at Zoe. “No we don’t, all we can remember is…… nothing, we can’t remember.” Said Ollie. “We don’t know why we can’t remember, it must be that we’ve been busy and just forgot what happened, maybe one day we’ll remember.” Ryan said giving a warm smile. “You’re right, we’re together, and that’s important!”

At the Pagoda on Mystery Mountain where the moon shone brightly in the dark blue starry sky, life was not looking very bright for Night Ninja (who’s now 19) he was more worried than ever, he hadn’t seen the Ninjalinos ever since they were kids, it’s been 15 years since he last saw them and during that time he asked the PJ Masks to help look for them but had no luck, the other villains wouldn’t help him because they thought he was making it up. Poor Night Ninja all alone, helpless, was in his room on his bed looking very glum and devastated, his heart was hurting and his head ached, he didn’t know what to do, his gut was shaking

“*sighs sadly*…. ninjalinos?…. where are you? i miss you….. it’s been 15 years since we last…… saw each other….. please…. come home….. im sorry…..” Night Ninja felt grieved and very lonely, it got too much for him and he wanted to find his Ninjalinos, but he didn’t know where they were, then when he went outside the sun was coming up and he knew he couldn’t be out in the day, so he had to stay inside the pagoda, before he did he decided to write a note to the PJ Masks saying “SOS, I need help! Please meet me at the park tonight!” And he quickly teleported to Amaya’s room and left the note on her bedside table and then teleported back to the pagoda, he pleaded for them to find it

The sun was shining brightly in the bright blue sky with a few clouds and the PJ Masks were on their way to high school, Amaya (whose now 17), Connor (whose now 19) and Greg (whose now 16) walked side by side and they were going to Park field High School, that wasn’t very far away from their old school where they went to as kids

When they got there they found that the school had suddenly closed, the PJ Masks looked shocked and confused until a teacher approached them and said “Sorry kids, due to the heating not working we had to close the school, unfortunately the school won’t be open till after the summer holidays, at this school it takes a long time to fix due to the school being around for a long time, sorry guys.” The PJ Masks felt devastated and they walked out of the school with disappointed looks on their faces. “Awww man, I was looking forward to school today!” Said Greg sadly. “It can’t be helped Greg, the heating needs fixing and we don’t want to sit in class and get very cold.” Replied Connor. “And plus we don’t want to catch colds or worse get very ill, don’t worry we can find something else to do!”

So the three friends walked home and it was chucking down with rain so they ran home as quickly as possible, they went to Amaya’s house to play, when they got there they found a note on Amaya’s bedside table, Amaya picked it up and read it “SOS, I need help! Please meet me at the park tonight!” The PJ Masks stood in shock! “Night Ninja needs help! PJ Masks were on our way!” Said Connor

All- Into the night to save the day!

Amaya becomes Owlette

Greg becomes Gekko

Connor becomes Catboy

Ice Cub- Ice Cub!

Newton Star- Newton Star!

Lilyfay- Lilyfay!

An Yu- An Yu!

Baset- Baset!

They all meet at HQ in space and Owlette showed everyone the note Night Ninja left, they knew he needed help, so Catboy, Owlette and Gekko took the Owl Glider and flew off to the park, when they landed in the park they got out and found Night Ninja. “Hey Night Ninja, we got your note, what’s up?” Asked Gekko as he looked at the sad ninja in concern. “In case you have forgotten…. when we last looked for the Ninjalinos we failed….. and ever since then they haven’t returned home…. i miss them and… i really need your help, please!” Begged Night Ninja. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you! And we’re sorry about before, we will try and find them this time, come on let’s go!” Said Owlette

So they boarded the owl glider and went to look for the Ninjalinos, on the way Night Ninja had an idea. “I want to write a poem for my Ninjalinos to tell them I love them and how much I missed them…. i miss them a lot…. *starts crying* I WANT THEM BACK!” Gekko came over to Night Ninja and hugged him, he soothed him by rubbing his back. “There there let it all out, it’s gonna be okay we will find them, I promise, we will try our best, just stay calm, I know it’s hard but just try and keep cool, we’re here for you.” Catboy gently backed away from the crying ninja and he gave a comforting smile. “*sniffs* thanks Catboy… that means a lot. i know i have been mean to you in the past but I want to change, I want to be good, I mean it!” The PJ Masks were stunned to hear that but they were happy for him

Back at the abandoned playground Marvin and Zoe were playing on the slide when Zoe saw something in the sky, it was the Owl Glider but the Ninjalinos didn’t know this because they had forgotten everything that happened in the past. “Marvin look! A red flying thing!” Marvin looked up and saw the Owl Glider, he was scared. “Zoe we cannot be seen! Guys! Hide! We can’t be seen!” So the Ninjalinos hid and stayed quiet, the Owl Glider flew over the city and over the park, no sign of the Ninjalinos anywhere, Night Ninja felt motionless, so friendless, so lonely inside, even though the PJ Masks were with him deep down inside his heart he felt alone, shut out and under pressure

Night Ninja thought that the Ninjalinos will never return, he knew it was his fault that this started, if he hadn’t gotten so angry then none of this would’ve happened, his heart felt heavy and painful, as he and the PJ Masks flew around it slowly started to become daytime, they knew they couldn’t be seen in the daytime

“*sighs* sorry Night Ninja, it’s starting to get bright so we’re gonna have to call it a night, we’ll try again when it’s dark, until then we’ll drop you off at the pagoda and we’ll pick you up when night comes, okay?” Asked Gekko, poor Night Ninja couldn’t move, the pressure was getting heavy on him and was weighing him down like bricks, he managed to say “…… ok ……” and then the PJ Masks dropped Night Ninja at the pagoda, then Gekko decided to stay with him to keep him company in case he got lonely again

So Owlette and Catboy flew back to HQ, then flew back home and went to bed, while Night Ninja and Gekko went inside and to Night Ninja’s room to sleep, Night Ninja was grateful to have company because he had been alone for so long, being with Gekko meant the world to him

The next night the search will continue

No bad/hate comments please 😊thank you for your support ❤️❤️❤️😉😉😉😉

[eriquin]

The Prophetic D&D Game, part 10

Fuck it. I just finished this chapter. I'm posting more parts of it.

(master post)

Part 10

“Okay, so you’re bluffing your way past the doctors. How, exactly?” he asked.

Grant explained his plan to use Maya’s illusions to make them look like staff members. She could handle the disguises and Natalia’s background as a former cleric would mean she could do some healing if they needed to really sell it. They’d be able to infiltrate the place and figure out where to find Sir Englund. Then they just had to arrange for enough time to talk to him about the murders and get away. “Easy, right?” Gareth said. 

Eddie smirked. “Better get your dice ready.” 

They rolled very well for the initial infiltration, but then they discovered that their target was in a high security wing. It slowed them down a bit, as he increased the difficulty of their checks. They were near the final cell block, where they knew Sir Englund was kept, but they had a problem.

“There are two guards here at all times,” Eddie said. “You can spend some time watching them and figure out their schedule, but there aren’t any other ways to get in. Do you have any other ideas?”

Grant and Gareth looked at each other and nodded. “We’ll observe for a little bit. How often are the guards checked?”

Eddie rolled some dice, though it didn’t have any impact on his answer. “Frequently. Looks like there are people by to look in on the guards very often. Lots of changes and activity nearby. Someone will definitely notice if they go missing.”

Gareth frowned. “Maybe it’ll be less busy at night?” he wondered, more to Grant than to Eddie. 

Grant shook his head. “We don’t have time to wait. We’ve got a cursed party member, remember?”

“Okay so... If we can get rid of the real guards, I could make the illusion of two guards outside the hall, but I’d have to drop the illusion on us to do it.” Gareth shrugged and glanced at Eddie to confirm this was right. He nodded.

“Well, we don’t need the disguises inside the hallway,” Grant said. “It doesn’t matter if the prisoners—I mean, patients—see us.”

“There might be another guard inside,” Gareth said.

“We’d have to take care of him anyway in order to talk to Sir Englund. Yeah, here’s the new plan...” 

With a little bit of luck, they managed to knock out the two guards and put illusions of them in their place. There was a guard inside the hallway, so they had a quick fight with him as well. His players rolled well, while Eddie rolled poorly. It was a little disappointing, but it moved the story forward. 

“Okay, so you have some time to chat with Sir Englund,” Eddie said. “Think up what you’re going to say. I’m going to go see if the other group is doing anything.”

He already had Englund’s backstory written up in parts in his bag. He’d been keeping it there since the last time they played, and it had that wrinkled and worn look of all the other papers that took up long term residence in his backpack. At least he hadn’t spilled anything on it. He pulled it free while Dustin and Lucas told him that Sadie was going around, trying to talk to all the people she was closest to and make amends. 

“Is Caleb on that list?” Jeff asked. “Are they going to reconcile?” 

Lucas grimaced. “I don’t know if I want to role play that with you,” he said.

Jeff laughed heartily. “Don’t worry. I don’t think my dude would let her get all mushy on him, anyway. He wouldn’t let her make any last requests, just keep promising that they’ll figure it all out when the fight is over.” 

“What’s the deal with her curse, anyway?” Dustin asked. “Did we figure out what’s causing some people to get cursed and not others?” 

“I think that’s what Grant and Gareth are finding out,” Jeff said. “What do you guys think? Got any theories?” 

Lucas kept his lip buttoned up, and Dustin didn’t have anything to add. But they were both going through Sadie’s backstory for more people that she could talk to. They were wondering if one of them might be able to help, or have some ideas about why she was cursed. 

“You going to tell them about the demonic influence that once plagued the town?” Eddie asked with a grin. “Not worried someone will find out that you’re breaking your vow of secrecy?” 

The three boys groaned. “You’re railroading them,” Jeff said. 

“I’m just reminding them of their responsibilities,” Eddie said, trying to sound innocent.

“The only people that Sadie knows who know anything about the demon are already in the party,” he said. “Or they’re dead.” 

“Wait, who does she know who’s dead?” Dustin asked.

“That thing with the pod people? The first one converted was her cousin.” 

Eddie furrowed his brow. “Wait, her cousin? Did I write that?” He held his hand out for the sheet and Lucas handed it over. It definitely said cousin, with some details on how she’d watched him perish in the last demonic invasion. He scratched his head. 

“Is that wrong?” Lucas asked. He sounded worried.

“No,” Eddie said, making a snap decision. “I remembered it as being a closer relative, but cousin is fine.”

Lucas glanced at Dustin, who looked suspicious. “Closer, how?” Dustin asked. “Like, immediate family?” 

Eddie shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Are you doing anything with it, or are we moving on?” 

“I mean, we could try to speak with the dead,” Jeff said. “If you think her cousin could give us info on if the demon’s still alive, or up to something.”

Jeff and Dustin started to argue, with Dustin saying that they needed a cleric for that, and Jeff pointing out that they could just get a scroll and have their bard or paladin wing it. Or they could wait until Natalia returned and have her cast it. 

“We don’t know how long they’ll take,” Lucas said. “Sadie’s cursed and wants to act now. Let’s get to it.” 

“Okay, so we’re winging it,” Jeff said. “We’ll get a scroll and go to the graveyard to see if Sadie can speak with her cousin’s ghost.” 

Eddie gave them some guidelines on how to pick an appropriate level scroll and let them argue about who would cast it. He reminded them that they had a paladin to work with. Jeff waved him off and told him to go work with the other half of the team, and that they would figure it out.

Across the room, Grant and Gareth had come up with a list of questions for Sir Englund. He took on the old madman’s personality to talk them through a terrible story. He told them of his happy family and young children, and how one day they had been attacked in their home. He told of his wife being cursed, and trying to escape with his children, but being cursed himself before he could.

“What was it like?” Grant asked.

“More importantly, how did he escape it?” Gareth asked. 

“From his place in the shadows of his cell, he laughs,” Eddie says. He adopted the old man’s voice again. “‘I was taken to my darkest memories, forced to relive the worst days of the war. It was as if one minute, I was in my home, and the next, I was walking through the burnt out shell of an enemy village. Everything was completely real. You could smell the burning flesh of our enemies. My men were all around me, looking for stragglers in the ruins. We went into the ruins of a farmhouse and saw them... The bodies all huddled together. But they weren’t knights in armor sent out to fight us. They were a farmer and his wife, trying to protect their children. And the next house was just the same, and the one after that...’”

“Jesus Christ,” Gareth muttered. Grant crossed his arms and nodded for Eddie to go on. 

Eddie switched back to his regular voice. “Then, just as he was about to give in to the despair of being trapped forever in his worst days, he heard an angel singing to him. It pulled him back from the brink, and he awoke from his cursed state, unharmed. But he found that while he had been frozen, the demon had killed his two children. And so he went mad.”

Grant was deep in thought, muttering something about ‘divine intervention’, but Gareth was frowning. “I don’t know, man. He doesn’t sound all that mad.” 

“Do you say this?” Eddie asked.

Gareth shook his head. “No. No, I do not,” he said.

“Good, because then he starts talking about how he tried to join his children,” Eddie said. “He steps out into the light, saying ‘but they stopped me!’ and you can see that his eyes are nothing but scars.” Eddie made the motion of stabbing his own eyes out.

Gareth flinched away. “Gah, quit it,” he said. “Enough. Christ. I’m gonna have nightmares.” 

Eddie grinned and turned back to Grant. “You hear a commotion in the distance. Do you want to keep questioning him, or make a break for it?” 

“We should go,” Grant said. “I think that’s all we’re going to get out of him.” 

“Agreed,” said Gareth. 

“Better start rolling well to escape, then,” Eddie said. 

The two boys had a narrow escape from the asylum, and started trying to figure out how to get back to the rest of the group. 

Tagging: @weirdandabsurd42, @10moonymhrivertam

[hummingbird-of-light]

In Our Favor

Part 117

McCoy

“Hey you guys are late!” Jim called amiably as the group left the dining hall. The others looked over to see Cora entering followed by Eugene. A touch of color climbed Cora’s face.

“You know how it is when you’re studying Jim,” Cora said with a laugh.

A smile threatened on McCoy’s face as he stole a glance over at Scotty. So the pair didn’t want to mention their date yet. That was fine.

“I didn’t know you guys had class together,” Jim said, a small frown bringing his brows together.

“We're going out,” McCoy interrupted before anyone could answer or say more. He saw the hint of relief in Eugene’s eyes. How well McCoy knew that look. Keeping quiet about a new relationship or trying to keep one hidden could be so stressful. “You guys are welcome to come too after you eat.”

“Thanks Leonard,” Eugene said. “I’ll think about it.”

“Me too,” Cora said.

“They looked well pleased,” Scotty whispered to McCoy as they walked together as a group following behind Jim.

“Yeah,” McCoy agreed.

A familiar arm slipped into McCoy’s on his other side.

“What are we whispering about?” Christine whispered loudly.

McCoy laughed. “Nothing,” he replied.

“Bull,” Christine told him. “Eugene and Cora?” she asked in another whisper.

McCoy looked at Scotty who shrugged. If there was anyone who could keep a secret it was Christine.

“Yes,” he whispered again. “He asked her last night. Went for a walk and picnic today.”

“Ooo, good for them!”

“What’s good?” Chekov asked. “For who?”

“Nothing,” McCoy said.

“They’ve been conspiring,” Jaylah said in response to Chekov.

“Yeah, but about what this time?” Jim called from in front of them. “With those three—”

“It’s their business ashayam,” Spock cut him off.

“They’re probably talking about Eugene and Cora,” Jaylah said.

“What?” Scotty said too quickly.

“Ah-ha!” Jaylah cried. “I am right!”

“It was obvious,” Chekov said to her.

“Ugh! We’re having fun tonight, don’t you two start!” Jim laughed.

“We weren’t talking about—” Scotty began.

“Let’s just say we’ve all become better at spotting people keeping secrets since you two,” Sulu said.

McCoy could do nothing but laugh. “Just don’t say anything to them until they’re ready to say, alright?”

Noises of agreement came from the others.

McCoy leaned in towards Scotty’s ear. The club was loud and they were dancing together.

“Guess who just came in.”

Scotty turned them so he could see where McCoy was looking. He grinned.

“It went well?” McCoy asked as he stepped up next to Eugene to order himself and Scotty new drinks. Eugene’s smile spread wide across his face.

“It went amazing!” he exclaimed. “She’s amazing! We were just having such a good time that we lost track of time.”

“So no question about a second date?” McCoy teased.

“Tomorrow,” Eugene replied, happy smile still on his face.

“No shots tonight then?” McCoy laughed.

“Oh lord, that last hangover was hell!” Eugene grimaced before laughing again.

“Don’t remind me,” McCoy said with a shake of his head.

Part 118

Scotty

They danced and drank the night away, however, this time Scotty could tell that Leonard was way more careful about alcohol. He chuckled softly to himself as he thought about the last time they had been out with Eugene. His husband had been so hungover on the next morning. Though... it had actually been quite funny.

When they all walked back to the academy in the early morning hours, everyone was quite tired and it didn't take long for both Scotty and Leonard to fall asleep.

When they sat down for breakfast on the next morning, Scotty could see a lot of students bent over their PADDs, chatting away quietly.

A frown crossed his face and his heart sank as he thought about whatever they were all reading. It was obviously some gossip. His pulse started to race as he imagined it to be an article about Leonard's breakdown. What if a student had told someone? Or, even worse, if someone had found security footage of Leonard in the shuttle simulator on Friday afternoon?

The Scotsman quickly pushed the thought away when he realized that not a single student was staring at them. If it were an article about Leonard, surely lots of eyes would have been on them by now.

So what else could it be?

"Did we miss something?" Leonard asked in confusion. It was quite obvious that he had also noticed the strange behavior of the other cadets.

Scotty shrugged his shoulders, then pulled out his own PADD from the bag he had taken with him. He had planned on working on a project for engineering classes after breakfast.

"Let's take a look at the news," he muttered and his eyes widened in horror when he found what everyone else must be reading.

It was an article about the incident with Aporal. It talked about what had happened and about how well-known Admiral Kinnear's nephew was part of everything. Even the fact that the admiral was trying to protect Francis was written down.

Scotty shook his head in disbelief. The reporters even mentioned a record of the talk between Kinnear and Aporal that had been made.

"Oh shit," Leonard swore, eyes on Scotty's PADD. He must have read everything too.

As soon as a certain Andorian stepped into the dining hall, several eyes fell upon him. More people started to whisper, pointing at Aporal, but the young man ignored them. He grabbed a tray, picked up some food and then walked straight to the table Leonard and Scotty were sitting at.

"Morning, Scottish boy. Prince."

Usually Leonard would have corrected the Andorian, but this time he only stared at him, apparently at a loss for words. But Scotty wasn't. Even though he kept his voice very low, the shock filling it was quite well to hear.

"Are ye crazy? They'll throw ye out of the academy!"

Aporal only chuckled.

"For what? Because I'm too perfect for the fleet?"

Scotty turned his PADD in his hands and showed it to Aporal.

"For this."

His Andorian friend only shrugged his shoulders.

"It wasn't me. I didn't give any information to the reporters," he said, before taking a bite of his apple.

Scotty frowned.

"But-"

"Not your problem, Scottish boy," Aporal reminded him and Scotty didn't know what to say. He exchanged a glance with Leonard who sighed and then raised an eyebrow.

"I really hope you know what you're doing, Aporal. For your own sake."

[mrsbsmooth]

Scripts - S6 - Episode 17

Ozzy confession, grand gestures

NARRATOR: Previously, on Love Island.

NARRATOR: The Islanders reacted to the news of a shock couple dumping by building a collection of novelty dog houses.

NARRATOR: This is the way I react to shocking news as well. Something about a small kennel can really make you less melan<i>collie</i>.

NARRATOR: Grace and Ozzy struggled building their doghouse, which is a real shame because he needs it more than anyone.

NARRATOR: Especially as he's just pulled {0} for a private chat!

Having left the chaos of the Doghouse Challenge behind, you arrive with Ozzy at the swing seat.

Ozzy nervously rubs the back of his neck.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: That was kind of awkward.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So, what did you want to tell me?

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Grace doesn’t look happy.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I can see that.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: What’s going on with you two?

PLAYER_IDLE: You looked like you were falling apart in that challenge.

OZZY_SAD: Oh, things are looking a bit rough with me and Grace right now.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: We’ve decided to slow things down and take a bit of a break.

Ozzy looks you intensely in the eyes.

OZZY_IDLE: To be honest, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this for a while.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Yeah, I’m just sorry it has to be at a moment like this.

OZZY_IDLE: It’s not ideal, but better now than later.

OZZY_IDLE: I don’t want to disrespect Grace any longer.

OZZY_IDLE: We both kind of lost our heads today. After last night…

Ozzy trails off in thought.

PLAYER_IDLE: What happened last night?

OZZY_SERIOUS: Grace said something that drove a wedge between us.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What did she say?

Ozzy looks around the villa suspiciously for a moment.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I’d rather not say right now, it’s personal.

OZZY_IDLE: Just know that it might have been our final straw.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: So, that’s the end of you and Grace?

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I think it might be.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: But as sad as a break up can be…

OZZY_IDLE: Sometimes it’s for the best.

Ozzy smiles tenderly at you.

OZZY_IDLE: Sometimes it’s just not meant to be.

Ozzy holds his hand out for you to take.

Take Ozzy’s hand

You take his hand in yours.

You hold each other gently for a moment as Ozzy prepares his next words.

He looks into your eyes, almost shyly.

Don’t take Ozzy’s hand

You keep your hands where they are.

PLAYER_IDLE: Carry on, Ozzy.

Ozzy awkwardly retracts his hand.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Yeah, sure, of course.

Ozzy takes a deep breath.

OZZY_IDLE: So, basically…

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: How can I say this?

OZZY_IDLE: You should have been my day one.

OZZY_FLIRTY: From the moment I saw you, I felt something.

OZZY_FLIRTY: And I know it sounds bad, but I wish Grace hadn’t picked me.

OZZY_IDLE: I wanted you to pick me.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You did?

OZZY_SAD: Yeah, I guess things just didn’t turn out that way.

OZZY_IDLE: And since then I’ve tried hard to get to know you as much as I could.

OZZY_SAD: But I suppose I had to give Grace most of my attention.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I know we’ve had our little flirty moments.

OZZY_FLIRTY: That day alone on the terrace.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Low key, we nearly kissed.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Our lips did touch briefly didn’t they?

OZZY_FLIRTY: Trust me. I know.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Kept me up all night, wishing I’d not backed out.

OZZY_FLIRTY: You ran your fingers through my hair.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Kept me up all night. It was so hot.

OZZY_FLIRTY: We had such a good chat. A proper flirty one.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I remember.

OZZY_FLIRTY: That time you and Amelia came to investigate me.

OZZY_FLIRTY: We ended up having a cheeky flirt in front of her.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: She got a little uncomfortable.

OZZY_FLIRTY: The sparks were flying.

OZZY_HAPPY: And that frisky lapdance you gave me in the rodeo challenge.

OZZY_HAPPY: I’m supposed to be the dancing pro, but that blew me away.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: The kiss wasn’t bad either.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Not bad? It was great.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I felt like the luckiest guy there when you picked me.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Even way back earlier in our journey together.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Like that time you complimented my abs on day one!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Still cracking those diamonds?

OZZY_HAPPY: Always!

OZZY_FLIRTY: Chilling in the pool together just chatting is something I’ll always remember.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I felt such a connection in that moment. I really wanted to kiss you.

OZZY_FLIRTY: And these are some of the best things I’ve experienced in the villa so far.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I just wish we’d had time for more of them.

OZZY_FLIRTY: But, I don’t want to waste any more of my time.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I want me and you to be something more, something special.

OZZY_IDLE: How do you feel about me saying all this, {0}?

I feel the same way

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m so happy you’ve said it, I feel exactly the same.

OZZY_HAPPY: You don’t understand how great it is to hear you say that.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I’ve wanted this since that time on the terrace, when we almost kissed.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh yeah?

OZZY_FLIRTY: Well, maybe now’s the time to finally finish what we started?

OZZY_FLIRTY: Would this be a good time to share our first proper kiss?

Snog Ozzy

PLAYER_FLIRTY: This is the perfect time.

You lean into Ozzy and wrap your arms around him.

You run your fingers up through his hair and pull him close to you.

You push your lips against his and close your eyes.

The kiss is a culmination of days of sexual tension.

His hands caress the back of your neck as he holds you.

The kiss is passionate, intense and full of longing.

He draws back and smiles at you.

OZZY_FLIRTY: That was so worth the wait.

Teasing kiss on cheek

PLAYER_FLIRTY: If by first kiss you mean this.

You lean into Ozzy and place a delicate kiss on his cheek.

He smiles and blushes slightly.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Perfect. I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

No kisses

PLAYER_IDLE: Let’s take this slow, it’s too soon for a first kiss.

OZZY_IDLE: Sure, I understand. It is a big step.

OZZY_HAPPY: We don’t need to rush anything.

I’m interested but not ready to commit

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m interested, but I’m not ready to commit yet.

PLAYER_IDLE: We’re both coupled up with other people.

OZZY_IDLE: I get that.

You’re in my friendzone

PLAYER_IDLE: This doesn’t change anything, Ozzy.

PLAYER_IDLE: Me and you are good friends, and I’m happy for us to stay that way.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Oh, ok. I feel a bit silly now.

Suddenly, {0} appears at the swing seat.

{0}_SERIOUS: Hey, {1}. I really need to talk to you over at the pool.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Talk? About what?

{0}_SERIOUS: Just trust me, it’s important.

{0} looks over at Ozzy.

{0}_SERIOUS: You might as well come too, Ozzy.

OZZY_IDLE: Ok, sure.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Do you think he just saw us kiss?

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t know.

OZZY_IDLE: Well, that sounded important. We best go check out what’s going on.

You and Ozzy head over to the pool.

You arrive at the pool to find the rest of the Islanders gathered together.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What’s going on?

BELLA_IDLE: Not a clue.

AMELIA_IDLE: He just told us all to stand here and wait for him.

{0}_IDLE: He was running about all over the place.

{0}_HAPPY: Yeah, he’s planning something.

CHLOE_HAPPY: I’m kind of excited by all this.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Did you two have a nice chat?

OZZY_SAD: Grace, leave it please.

GRACE_ANGRY: Why should I?

Before the tension between Grace and Ozzy can escalate, {0} appears.

{0}_IDLE: Hey guys, can I get your attention please.

The Islanders all turn to listen to {0}.

{0}_IDLE: What is it, bro?

BELLA_IDLE: Yeah, why have you gathered us all here?

{0}_SERIOUS: Ok. Well, that Doghouse challenge didn’t bring out the best of all of us.

{0}_IDLE: But I think it might have inspired the best of me!

OZZY_SERIOUS: Seriously, bro, what are you talking about?

{0}_IDLE: If everybody could just sit down where they are.

CHLOE_IDLE: Ok, but the suspense is too much!

The Islanders all sit down at the poolside.

You go to join them.

{0}_IDLE: No, not you, {1}!

{0}_FLIRTY: I need you to stay right where you are.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really? Why?

{0}_IDLE: This is all about you.

The other Islanders whisper amongst themselves.

{0}_SERIOUS: Guys, if I could just get a bit of quiet for a moment, please.

The crowd of seated Islanders falls silent.

{0}_IDLE: Thanks, guys.

He looks back at you. He holds your gaze sincerely.

{0}_FLIRTY: Right, {1}.

{0}_IDLE: I’ve asked you here because I have something important to say.

{0}_IDLE: So important that I thought I should say it in front of everybody.

He gestures to the others.

{0}_FLIRTY: It’s a special moment, just for you!

PLAYER_IDLE: Just for me? Then why are the others watching?

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: Yeah, if this is just for {0}, why crowd us around?

{0}_HAPPY: You guys are not a crowd, you’re an audience!

PLAYER_SURPRISED: An audience?

{0} suddenly runs to the other side of the garden.

PLAYER_IDLE: Where are you going now?

If ROBERTO

Roberto returns holding a large plastic bowl and a rolling pin.

PLAYER_IDLE: Are you planning on doing some baking, Roberto?

ROBERTO_HAPPY: Not quite.

Roberto hands the bowl and pin to {0}.

ROBERTO_IDLE: I’m going to need your help, bro.

{0}_IDLE: Ok? What do you need me to do?

ROBERTO_IDLE: Take a seat, I’ll let you know when I need you.

ROBERTO_EMBARRASSED: As you know, {0}, I’m not a great dancer.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: But that hasn’t stopped me from wanting to dance into your heart.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You’re going to dance for me?

ROBERTO_HAPPY: Yes!

Roberto strikes a pose, standing proud and still.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: Anybody can be a great dancer, you just need the right beat!

Roberto points over at {0}.

ROBERTO_HAPPY: Hit it, {0}!

{0}_HAPPY: Here goes!

{0} proceeds to bang out a simple rhythm with the bowl and rolling pin.

ROBERTO_HAPPY: Sick beat, bro!

As the sound of the beating drum continues, Roberto begins to sway.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: Now, check this out!

Roberto begins an obviously rehearsed dance routine.

He awkwardly moves his feet from side to side.

CHLOE_HAPPY: He asked me for a few tips.

OZZY_HAPPY: Should have asked me!

Roberto continues with his routine, utterly focussed.

He smiles at you as he shuffles earnestly towards you.

He leaps and twirls in the air, stumbling a little as he lands in front of you.

He holds out his hand.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: May I have this dance?

Yes, yes, yes!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Let’s dance, baby!

Roberto takes your hand in his.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: You make me want to be better.

He places his other hand on your waist as you do the same.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: Follow my lead.

Roberto steps, you step. The two of you sway and turn in a romantic waltz.

Roberto’s moves are slightly awkward, but you can tell that he is trying his best.

{0} continues to beat the bowl joyfully, speeding up the beat as the dance almost reaches a crescendo.

Roberto twirls you around and leans you back into his strong arms.

The villa falls silent as Roberto looks into your eyes.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: I’d dance with you forever if I could.

Roberto pulls you back up, and smiles at you.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: Practice makes perfect.

Roberto turns to the others and takes a bow.

Nope!

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: You carry on. I’ll just watch.

Roberto awkwardly pulls his hand back.

ROBERTO_EMBARRASSED: Oh, ok, well… I’d kind of practised a two person dance.

ROBERTO_HAPPY: I guess I’ll have to improvise.

Roberto closes his eyes and throws his arms out wide.

He opens his eyes and looks at you.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: You make me want to be better, {0}.

He places his hands on his waist and thrusts rhythmically to the beat.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: I guess I’ll follow my own lead.

Roberto steps and sways his way into a solo romantic waltz.

He holds his arms out, cradling an empty space.

Roberto’s moves are slightly awkward, but you can tell that he is trying his best.

{0} continues to beat the bowl joyfully, speeding up the beat as the dance almost reaches a crescendo.

Roberto twirls around and claps to the beat.

ROBERTO_HAPPY: And for the grand finale!

Roberto leaps into the air and performs a clunky version of a jumping pirouette.

He lands it remarkably well.

The villa falls silent as Roberto looks into your eyes.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: Practice makes perfect.

Roberto turns to the other Islanders and takes a bow.

GRACE_FLIRTY: Wow!

AMELIA_FLIRTY: That was beautiful! Your moves have improved!

{0}_FLIRTY: I’m a little jealous actually.

Roberto looks at you and smiles.

ROBERTO_FLIRTY: So, {0}, what did you think of that dance?

If JAMAL

Jamal returns holding a roughly collected bunch of flowers.

PLAYER_IDLE: Are they for me?

JAMAL_FLIRTY: They sure are, beautiful!

Thank Jamal for the flowers

PLAYER_IDLE: Thanks, Jamal! They’re beautiful.

JAMAL_FLIRTY: They’re the best I could find.

JAMAL_HAPPY: Also, don’t get too attached to them, I might have to put them back.

JAMAL_HAPPY: Not sure I was supposed to dig up the garden!

Turn down the flowers

PLAYER_IDLE: You can keep those, Jamal.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Or maybe return them to the dirt where you found them.

JAMAL_EMBARRASSED: Wow, {0}, that’s Cold.

JAMAL_SAD: Not sure you’re gonna enjoy what else I have in store then.

Jamal points over to a sheet laid on the grass.

PLAYER_IDLE: What’s that?

JAMAL_IDLE: Ah, let me show you.

Jamal walks over to the sheet, he dramatically whips it into the air, revealing a flower display beneath.

JAMAL_HAPPY: I tried to write your name in a heart with the remaining flowers.

You look over at the display on the ground.

JAMAL_HAPPY: It’s the best I could do.

JAMAL_FLIRTY: You know me, I’m not the most sentimental kind of guy.

JAMAL_IDLE: I’m not big into speeches and gestures.

ROBERTO_SERIOUS: Great. Let me finish mine then.

JAMAL_SERIOUS: But what I have to say. I can’t keep it inside any longer.

JAMAL_SERIOUS: I’m sorry, Roberto. But this can’t wait.

JAMAL_HAPPY: I say it like it is, and I am what I am.

JAMAL_FLIRTY: And that’s straight from the heart.

JAMAL_FLIRTY: These other guys may be a bit smoother. A bit more mature.

JAMAL_EMBARRASSED: Maybe their lives are a little more together than mine.

Jamal looks deep into your eyes.

JAMAL_IDLE: But now I’ve met you, {0}. My life feels more complete than it ever has.

Jamal looks over at the other Islanders.

JAMAL_IDLE: That’s it guys I’m done. Go back to whatever you were doing.

GRACE_FLIRTY: Wow, Jamal, that was so honest!

AMELIA_FLIRTY: You do you, Jamal! Never change.

{0}_FLIRTY: I’m a little jealous actually.

Jamal looks at you and smiles.

JAMAL_FLIRTY: So, {0}, what did you think of my little display?

If LEWIE

Lewie returns holding a piece of paper.

PLAYER_IDLE: What’s with the paper, Lewie?

LEWIE_EMBARRASSED: Well, I’ve never done a speech in front of people before.

LEWIE_EMBARRASSED: It’s kind of nerve wracking.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You’re about to do a speech?

LEWIE_IDLE: Yeah, I wanted to write a speech about how I feel for you.

ROBERTO_SERIOUS: Wait in line, buddy.

LEWIE_HAPPY: I’m sorry, Roberto. This can’t wait.

LEWIE_HAPPY: Had to hype myself for five minutes to gather the courage. Can’t stop now.

LEWIE_HAPPY: You’ve inspired me to get over my fear of public-speaking, {0}.

LEWIE_HAPPY: And I’ve had plenty of time to work on my pen game.

LEWIE_IDLE: So I figured I’d give it a shot. Why not?

Lewie closes his eyes, takes a deep breath.

He opens his eyes, looks at you and begins to speak.

LEWIE_FLIRTY: So, {0}. I want to say a few things.

You notice that the paper is shaking in Lewie’s hands.

LEWIE_IDLE: I…

Lewie composes himself for a moment.

LEWIE_EMBARRASSED: Wow, this is harder than I thought it would be.

LEWIE_IDLE: Anyway, I want to speak from the heart.

LEWIE_IDLE: And to do that I wanted to do something that scared me.

LEWIE_SAD: And, believe me, speaking like this does that.

LEWIE_IDLE: But, sometimes you need to be scared to realise what you really want.

LEWIE_FLIRTY: And what I really want is you, {0}.

LEWIE_IDLE: From the first recoupling, when you picked me I knew that we were special.

LEWIE_IDLE: I might not be able to sing like Ryan, or make people laugh like Jamal.

LEWIE_IDLE: Or even be as good looking as someone like Roberto.

LEWIE_IDLE: But I can say one thing that they can’t.

PLAYER_IDLE: And, what’s that?

LEWIE_HAPPY: That I’ve been picked twice by you!

LEWIE_FLIRTY: There’s been two couplings, and both times I’ve walked away with you.

LEWIE_HAPPY: That’s something special that only we have.

LEWIE_HAPPY: And as my coach always says Once is lucky, twice is skill.

LEWIE_FLIRTY: So I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that maybe I’ve won you over.

Lewie smiles cheekily at you.

LEWIE_HAPPY: Unless, of course, I’m just the best of a bad bunch!

OZZY_HAPPY: You have to be joking, bro!

LEWIE_HAPPY: Just jokes, guys!

LEWIE_HAPPY: You can always count on me to bring the laughs, can’t you, {0}?

Laugh

You burst out laughing.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That was hilarious, Lewie!

LEWIE_HAPPY: I knew you’d laugh at that.

LEWIE_FLIRTY: And I’m not done yet.

Cringe

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Not funny, Lewie.

LEWIE_SAD: Really? I thought you’d laugh at that.

LEWIE_EMBARRASSED: Moving swiftly on then.

Lewie concentrates hard as he reads the piece of paper.

He flips it over in his hands.

LEWIE_HAPPY: Oh, I’m done.

There is complete silence as Lewie finishes his speech.

GRACE_FLIRTY: Wow!

AMELIA_FLIRTY: That was sweet!

{0}_FLIRTY: I’m a little jealous actually.

Lewie looks at you and smiles.

LEWIE_FLIRTY: So, {0}, what did you think of my speech?

If RYAN

Ryan returns holding a hairbrush like a microphone.

PLAYER_IDLE: What’s with the hairbrush, Ryan?

RYAN_EMBARRASSED: Well, I’ve never performed in front of an audience like this before.

RYAN_EMBARRASSED: It’s kind of nerve wracking.

RYAN_IDLE: This hairbrush gives me something to hold on to at least.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You’re about to perform?

RYAN_IDLE: Yeah, I wanted to sing a song about you.

RYAN_HAPPY: You’ve inspired me to get over my stage fright.

RYAN_HAPPY: And I’ve had plenty of time to work on my lyrics game.

RYAN_IDLE: So I figured I’d give it a shot. Why not?

Ryan closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

He opens his eyes, looks at you and begins to sing.

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ Just a heart in search of a place to be… ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ Roaming this land for some company. ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ Far beneath the moonlit sky of diamonds… ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ I found my way to this sun-drenched island. ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ A boy in search of comfort, a boy in search of love… ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ I found a girl showered in sunlight from above. ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ She chose me once, she chose me twice… ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ Two parts of one heart, entwined for life. ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ As the beach days pass like the sands of time… ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: ♫ Kissing sweet sugary lips, like lemon and lime. ♫

Ryan smiles at you. He continues to sing into the hairbrush.

RYAN_FLIRTY: ♫ And I sing these lyrics to this girl so fine… ♫

RYAN_FLIRTY: Maybe she’d like to finish the next line?

He points the hairbrush at your mouth.

RYAN_FLIRTY: So I dream that one day, we can be together…

Finish the line sweetly

PLAYER_FLIRTY: ♫ … Our romance could blossom and last forever! ♫

RYAN_HAPPY: Perfect, {0}.

Finish the line jokingly

PLAYER_HAPPY: ♫ … Keep dreaming Ryan, you’ll be single forever! ♫

RYAN_SAD: I didn’t expect you to be such a tough critic, {0}.

Ryan closes his eyes and finishes his song with some melodic harmonising.

He opens his eyes to complete silence.

RYAN_IDLE: That’s it. Performance over.

GRACE_FLIRTY: Wow!

AMELIA_FLIRTY: That was beautiful! What a voice!

{0}_FLIRTY: I’m a little jealous actually.

{0}_IDLE: Can I have my hairbrush back now?

Ryan hands the hairbrush to {0}.

Ryan looks at you and smiles.

RYAN_FLIRTY: So, {0}, what did you think of my song?

That was perfect

PLAYER_HAPPY: That was absolutely amazing, {0}!

PLAYER_HAPPY: I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m so happy you think that, {1}.

{0}_HAPPY: I was worried that you wouldn’t like it.

PLAYER_HAPPY: How could I not like that dance?!

PLAYER_HAPPY: How could I not like those flowers?!

PLAYER_HAPPY: How could I not like that speech?!

PLAYER_HAPPY: How could I not like that song?!

{0}_HAPPY: Thanks, {1}. That means a lot.

{0}_FLIRTY: Glad you enjoyed it!

*Shower {0} with kisses

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let me show you how much I enjoyed it.

You jump into the air towards {0}.

He catches you in his arms and you wrap your legs around his waist.

{0}_FLIRTY: Oh, {1}!

You kiss him excitedly, placing quick intimate kisses all over his face.

Moving up from his neck, to his cheeks, and finally to his lips.

You feel his strong arms tighten around you as you kiss him passionately on the mouth.

He moans softly as you bite his lip gently, and he puts you back down on the ground.

Kiss on cheek

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I enjoyed it so much you get this.

You lean over to {0} and kiss him on the cheek.

{0}_HAPPY: Glad you enjoyed it, {1}!

Give him a hug

You wrap your arms around {0} and give him a squeeze.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It was great.

{0}_HAPPY: Glad you enjoyed it, {1}!

That was embarrassing

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: That was one of the most cringe things I’ve ever seen.

(A/N: 💀💀💀)

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Oh, really? Sorry, I guess.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I don’t think you should ever dance again!

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I think you should put those flowers back where you found them!

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Public speaking really isn’t your forte, is it?

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I don’t think you should ever sing again!

AMELIA_SAD: That’s a bit harsh, {0}.

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m just saying how I feel.

{0}_SAD: It’s fine. I did what I needed to do.

{0}_SAD: You can’t always get what you want, I suppose.

I’m speechless

PLAYER_SURPRISED: I’m completely lost for words.

{0}_FLIRTY: That’s fine, no pressure to tell me how you feel about it.

{0}_FLIRTY: I just needed to tell you how I feel.

Everyone else gets to their feet.

OZZY_IDLE: That sure took some backbone.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Well, that was definitely… something.

{0}_IDLE: It wasn’t easy.

ELLIOT_IDLE: Making moves on someone else’s partner is never easy!

{0}_SERIOUS: Isn’t that exactly what you did?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Guys, there’s no drama here.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I rate anyone that follows their heart.

Elliot smiles at you before heading into the villa.

{0}_IDLE: I wonder where he’s going?

AMELIA_FLIRTY: I wouldn’t mind somebody doing something like this for me.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Message received.

{0}_FLIRTY: Looks like he won you over with that one, {1}.

{0}_HAPPY: Game, set, and match!

{0}_FLIRTY: I think I’d have been a bit more subtle trying to impress you, {1}.

{0}_FLIRTY: I think I’d have been a bit more subtle trying to impress you, {1}.

{0}_FLIRTY: He went way over the top!

{0}_IDLE: That whole thing has left me speechless too!

{0}_IDLE: The words escape me.

Ozzy approaches and whispers to you.

OZZY_IDLE: Wow, {0}, that was unexpected.

OZZY_SURPRISED: I’m surprised you were so impressed by that.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Especially after what you said to me.

OZZY_IDLE: I’m surprised you were so impressed by that.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Maybe I should have made a big gesture?

OZZY_IDLE: I’m glad you enjoyed it though.

OZZY_IDLE: I’m genuinely happy for you.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: You were so right to be embarrassed by that.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I can still feel my skin crawling.

OZZY_IDLE: I’d be lost for words also.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I’m glad I’m a little more subtle when it comes to gestures.

OZZY_IDLE: I’d be lost for words also.

OZZY_IDLE: I think he was trying his best though.

GRACE_SERIOUS: What are you two talking about now?

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Nothing.

{0}_IDLE: Hey, {1}. There’s one more thing.

{0}_IDLE: I need to quickly pull you for a private chat.

{0}_IDLE: Follow me.

You walk over to the daybeds with {0}.

You sit down beside {0}.

{0}_HAPPY: Well, no matter what the others thought of that, I’m glad I did it.

{0}_HAPPY: And I’m glad you liked it.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Although, I wish you’d liked it more.

{0}_IDLE: Even if I’m still unsure what you thought of it.

{0}_IDLE: It took a lot to put my heart out there like that.

{0}_HAPPY: But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

{0}_HAPPY: And somehow make it even better next time!

{0}_HAPPY: And maybe not embarrass myself so much next time.

{0}_IDLE: And maybe get some positive words from you next time.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I realise I might have come on a little strong with that whole thing.

{0}_IDLE: But you’re the only girl I have any feelings for.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You made that pretty clear.

{0}_HAPPY: I had to. There’s nobody else I would want to be with.

{0}_IDLE: I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

{0} looks at you seriously for a moment.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I didn’t realise that Elliot breaking us up would hurt so much.

{0}_IDLE: But, who knows, maybe the next recoupling will bring us back together?

{0}_FLIRTY: Until then, we could maybe do our best to get back to how we were?

{0}_FLIRTY: How do you feel about being in an unofficial couple with me?

Yes, of course

PLAYER_HAPPY: Definitely! We should be together, even when we’re not together.

{0}_HAPPY: Yeah, no barriers should stand between what we have.

{0}_HAPPY: Hopefully the next recoupling isn’t too far away.

Nope

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I don’t want to be in a couple with you, {0}.

{0}_SAD: Oh… Alright.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I can’t say I didn’t try. I thought I’d pulled out all the stops.

PLAYER_IDLE: You definitely tried.

{0}_IDLE: Thanks for letting me know where your head’s at.

{0}_IDLE: I’d be lying if I said I could switch my feelings off for you in an instant.

{0}_SAD: But point taken.

Let’s not put a label on it

PLAYER_IDLE: I’d rather not put a label on it just yet.

{0}_IDLE: Oh, ok, no problem.

{0}_IDLE: Good to know I’m still in the running though.

{0}_IDLE: This is a bit of a turning point for us.

Suddenly you hear a voice calling out!

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Hey, {0}! Come and join me on the terrace.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I’ve got something important to show you.

You look back at {0}.

{0}_SERIOUS: Looks like Elliot is trying to steal my thunder.

{0}_IDLE: I wish him the best of luck.

{0}_HAPPY: But after what you just said to me, I think he might struggle.

{0}_IDLE: You should probably go and talk to him.

{0}_IDLE: He is still your partner after all.

{0}_HAPPY: Technically, anyway.

You head up to the terrace to see what Elliot wants to show you.

Elliot has scattered flower petals around the terrace.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Hey, {0}.

PLAYER_IDLE: Is this all for me?

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Yeah, I managed to find a few pretty petals for you.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: Didn’t know how to follow up {0}’s poolside gesture.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Decided I’ll leave my big romantic acts for a bit later.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: When we know a little more about each other.

PLAYER_IDLE: You’re not jealous of {0} are you?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Doesn’t matter what I thought.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: You certainly looked impressed.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: {0}’s gesture really caught me off guard.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I was cringing just watching, I couldn't imagine being in your shoes.

PLAYER_IDLE: Not the smoothest of movers.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I think if he’d have made eye contact with me whilst doing that I would have winced.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It was that cringe?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: It was up there. Top ten cringiest things I’ve seen.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I can’t promise big theatrics like him.

PLAYER_IDLE: {0}’s gesture really had me speechless.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I don’t know if that was in a good or a bad way.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I think if he’d have made eye contact with me whilst doing that I would have winced.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You found it <i>that</i> cringe?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: It was up there. Top ten cringiest things I’ve seen.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I can’t promise big theatrics like him.

ELLIOT_IDLE: I’m a little more reserved in my moves.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I can turn it on if I need to…

Elliot smiles at you charmingly.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: If something is worth fighting for.

Elliot brushes a hand through his thick blonde hair.

ELLIOT_IDLE: You’ve been getting a lot of attention today.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Tell me about it.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I thought it best that I didn’t miss my chance.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: So, that’s why I asked you up here.

ELLIOT_IDLE: To show you exactly what I have to offer.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: And what’s that?

Elliot rubs his chin and thinks for a moment.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Err me. Just me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Right.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That sounded underwhelming when I said it. Hear me out.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I felt an instant connection on our date.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Even with {0} sat a few feet away.

ELLIOT_IDLE: You make me feel like I can be myself. As though I’ve known you for ages.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: And, yeah, I am jealous of {0}.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Not because he’s more romantic or anything like that.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: Just because he’s gotten to spend more time with you.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: That’s honestly all I want.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: For me and you to just be ourselves alone together.

Elliot sits down on the terrace seating.

He reaches over and picks up a silk blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I like things to be small scale and intimate.

He holds the blanket out, creating a space for you to jump in and snuggle up to him.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: So, shall we just be ourselves and get cosy up here together, {0}?

*Jump in and snuggle

You jump into Elliot’s open arms and snuggle up into the soft blanket.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Now, this is more me.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: You can’t beat getting cosy and close.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: This is really nice.

ELLIOT_IDLE: I have a question for you. If we’re getting to know each other openly.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Go on.

ELLIOT_IDLE: What do you think people’s first impression of you is?

Loud and opinionated

PLAYER_FLIRTY: When people meet me they defo think I’m loud and opinionated.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That’s interesting.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I love that about you.

Quiet, introverted and intelligent

PLAYER_IDLE: They probably think I’m quiet, introverted and intelligent.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That’s interesting.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I caught the intelligent part pretty early on. I love that side of you.

Friendly, relaxed and open-minded

PLAYER_HAPPY: Probably that I’m friendly, relaxed and open-minded.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That’s interesting.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I caught the open-minded part immediately. I love that side of you.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Is that how I came across when you first met me?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I’m still trying to figure it out.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I think you’re more than one thing.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I love that you’re kind of mysterious.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I feel like I could spend a lifetime with you and not know enough.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That’s why I’m happy taking it slow in a blanket with you.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I feel like we have all the time in the world together.

Flirt with him

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Well, I’m enjoying it too.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: So, I know you can do it slowly... Can you go fast as well?

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I can do whatever you want me to do.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Be careful making promises you can’t keep.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You don’t know what I’m thinking just yet…

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I can think of a few things.

Play hard to get

PLAYER_IDLE: I hope this slower pace doesn’t bore me.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I like to think I’m interesting enough to stop that from happening.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I hope so too.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I love how you just say it as it is. It’s hot.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Loud, opinionated and trouble, indeed.

Pretend he’s sent you to sleep

You close your eyes and pretend to drift off.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sorry, were you still talking? I drifted off quickly there.

ELLIOT_SURPRISED: Yowsers, {0}! You know how to keep me on my toes.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Might have to up the ante if you want to keep me awake.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Up the ante. Got it.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I learn something new about you every chat we have.

PLAYER_IDLE: What have you learnt in this chat?

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Well, what you think people think of you.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That you like being yourself around people.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: And that I love snuggling in a blanket with you.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That last one is something you’ve learnt about yourself.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I guess. I do just love being in a blanket, full stop, to be honest.

ELLIOT_IDLE: You can even catch me in a blanket on my streams sometimes.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: You’ve gotta be comfy when you’re doing 16 hour sessions.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: 16 hours?!

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Once a good thing starts…

He looks down at your lips.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Why let it finish?

Snog Elliot

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let’s get it started then.

You place your hand behind Elliot’s head and slowly lean in towards him.

As your lips press against his own, you feel his hands behind your back, urging you closer.

The kiss is long and passionate as your tongues gently meet. Finally, you slowly pull away.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: 16 hours under a blanket with you doesn’t sound like enough time.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh doesn’t it?

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Nowhere near enough time.

Give Elliot a kiss on his cheek

You playfully lean towards Elliot, your face tantalisingly close to his own, your lips a breath apart.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: This is for making me smile.

You pout your lips before giving him a peck on the cheek.

As you lean away, you notice Elliot blushing.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: If that’s for making you smile, what do I get for making you laugh?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Don’t get ahead of yourself.

Have a cosy cuddle

You lean in to Elliot and pull him into a warm and cosy hug.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Nothing beats a nice cuddle.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Agreed.

As you pull away, Elliot beams at you.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I’ve had a lovely time up here with you, {0}.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Nice to get away and just be ourselves.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: That’s what I’m all about.

ELLIOT_IDLE: It’s so important for me to feel like I can be honest around a girl.

ELLIOT_IDLE: And with you, there’s no act.

ELLIOT_IDLE: This is who I am.

No thanks

PLAYER_IDLE: No thank you, Elliot

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Are you sure?

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: This could be one of those cute little moments that you never forget.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: Something that we’ll look back at and smile about.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: So, wanna get all wrapped up?

(If you say yes, jump back to *)

Nope, not happening

PLAYER_IDLE: No thanks, Elliot. I’m not interested.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: No worries, {0}. I’ll keep myself company.

Elliot wraps the blanket around him.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Snug as a bug in a rug!

Suddenly, the door to the terrace swings open.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Here you are!

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What’s going on?

GRACE_SERIOUS: I’ve just spoken to Ozzy.

GRACE_SERIOUS: And he’s just told me everything.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: About what?

ELLIOT_SURPRISED: Yeah, what’s Ozzy done?

Grace glares at Elliot.

GRACE_SERIOUS: This is between me and {0}.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: Don’t worry, I’ll cover my ears.

Grace looks back at you.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Let’s go inside. Nobody else needs to hear this.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: That looks serious. I won’t get in the way.

You head into the bedroom to talk to Grace, Elliot looks a little taken aback by this drama.

GRACE_ANGRY: How could you break girl code like this?!

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Erm…

GRACE_ANGRY: Me and Ozzy might be a bit rocky, but you didn’t have to…

GRACE_ANGRY: Start cracking on with him already!

GRACE_ANGRY: I thought you had my back!

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: Me and Ozzy might be a bit rocky, but...

GRACE_ANGRY: I can’t believe you told him you’re interested in him!

GRACE_ANGRY: You know how I feel about him.

GRACE_ANGRY: I thought you had my back!

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: Ozzy told me about your private little chat earlier?!

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: He admitted he told you he was into you!

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I put him in the friendzone.

GRACE_SAD: Yeah, he said. Doesn’t make it sting any less though!

AMELIA_SURPRISED: What’s going on, girls?

{0}_SURPRISED: Yeah, this sounds a bit tense.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Ozzy is into {0}!

{0}_SURPRISED: What?!

AMELIA_SAD: Let’s try and keep things chill, ok girls?

{0}_SURPRISED: How do you know this, Grace?

GRACE_SERIOUS: Ozzy told me. His exact words were I’m into {0}.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Ozzy said that?

GRACE_SERIOUS: Don’t act like you don’t know.

GRACE_ANGRY: You told him you’re into him!

GRACE_ANGRY: He told me that you and him have had plenty of private moments together.

GRACE_ANGRY: Holding hands with each other!

GRACE_ANGRY: Telling him how sexy his abs are!

GRACE_ANGRY: Private gym sessions when I’m not looking!

GRACE_ANGRY: Flirting in the pool with each other!

GRACE_ANGRY: Stroking each other’s hair.

GRACE_ANGRY: You even kissed each other!

GRACE_ANGRY: Behind my back when I’m coupled up with him?

GRACE_ANGRY: Do you understand how this makes me feel?

GRACE_ANGRY: Are you and Ozzy really a thing?

Me and Ozzy should be together

PLAYER_IDLE: Everybody knows that you and Ozzy have been drifting apart.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: And me and Ozzy have been getting closer.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: So, yeah, one day we will probably be a couple.

GRACE_ANGRY: And that day is gonna be soon, is it?

Me and Ozzy are friends

PLAYER_SERIOUS: No matter what’s happened between me and Ozzy, we are just friends.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Well, he sure sounds like he wants to be more than just friends.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I can’t help that. It’s not my job to tell him how to feel.

I don’t need to explain myself

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t feel like having the conversation.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And I definitely don’t think I need to explain myself.

GRACE_SERIOUS: That’s not what I hoped a friend would say.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I don’t know what to say.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Well, Ozzy said he’s had a thing for you from day one.

GRACE_SERIOUS: And his head hasn’t stopped turning your way since.

GRACE_SAD: Do you understand how this makes me feel?

GRACE_SAD: Do you think you and Ozzy could become a thing?

My feelings for Ozzy could grow

PLAYER_IDLE: Nothing has happened with me and Ozzy yet, but…

GRACE_SURPRISED: But, what?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But things could develop.

GRACE_SURPRISED: Seriously, {0}?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: If Ozzy is more into me than you, why wouldn’t I consider it.

GRACE_ANGRY: I don’t know, maybe because of a little thing called Girl Code!

Nothing will happen between me and Ozzy

PLAYER_IDLE: There will never be anything between me and Ozzy.

PLAYER_IDLE: He should probably focus on you.

GRACE_IDLE: Thanks for reassuring me, {0}.

GRACE_IDLE: It’s times like this when I need a friend like you.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Not that I’m not raging at Ozzy still though!

I don’t want to get involved in this

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t want to get involved in your relationship drama.

PLAYER_IDLE: This has got nothing to do with me.

GRACE_SAD: Really? Ok, I’m sorry for coming at you like that.

GRACE_SAD: I’m angry at him, not you.

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: I hope we can move past this.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I really think we should try to keep the drama to a minimum, girls.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swings open.

OZZY_SERIOUS: We couldn’t help overhearing.

{0}_SERIOUS: Yeah, things are sounding a little heated.

Then, the door to the terrace swings open also.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: Guys, is everything ok in here?

GRACE_ANGRY: Looks like all the boys are gathering around {0}... again!

GRACE_SERIOUS: Maybe it’s time you made a choice.

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: Looks like all the boys are interested in you, {0}!

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: Maybe it’s time you made a choice.

GRACE_SAD: Looks like these boys don’t want to be in your friendzone.

GRACE_SAD: Maybe it’s time you made a choice.

You stare between Grace and the three boys who look at you with bated breath.

NARRATOR: These romantic gestures have caused some big old drama for {0}. What a song and a dance that all was!

NARRATOR: If you can call what Roberto did a dance.

NARRATOR: The villa gardener’s raging about Jamal’s flowery gesture!

NARRATOR: I’m speechless! Sadly the same can’t be said for Lewie.

NARRATOR: If you can call what Ryan did a song.

NARRATOR: I haven’t seen this many gestures since I saw a bust-up between a mime artist and an orchestra conductor.

NARRATOR: But have any of the gestures captured {0}’s heart?

NARRATOR: Find out next time on Love Island!

[toshiakikijima]

夜ふかしルーム：EP 281

Night 281: Tonight’s talk - Toshiaki Kijima’s festival

Tachibana: It’s been a long time since we been in a late-night room. How is everyone? 

Araki: I was too invested in preparing for the festival that I should of taken a break. 

Maki: I agree. Kijima’s birthday party is quite late. 

Maki: I am sorry, Kijima. I was planning a party filled with mushrooms, but...

Kijima: It is okay. I celebrated in the most peaceful way, please do not worry about it. 

Mitsuura: Rather, I am glad the mushroom party was not held. 

Kamiki: I am little curious as to what kind party its going to be.

Kiriya: Are you serious? 

Hayama: Before introducing the birthday messages, can we talk about tonight’s festival? 

Kijima: Of course. 

Hayama: it’s getting cold, isnt it? What perfect for the season when you are missing human touch? 

Hayama: Do you think one night [together] is a mistake? 

Okubo: I don’t consider what happened. [Hayama] that way of speaking... 

Asaoka: You might say “I want a lover,” but it’s not easy to say, “Last night was a mistake.” 

Kiriya: “Let’s introduce [the event] in a better way, I will explain it clearly. 

Kiriya: Alright? Right now. we are holding a “Your festival” event. 

Kiriya: Firstly, you can read parts of the main story for free for all characters. The guy you are reading right now is a great choice. 

Kiriya: Even if you are not interested, take a peek at his story. 

Kiriya: One of the 10 men, I think there is at least one guy you will like. 

Kiriya: Like me, a man with a devoted mouth [affective mouth]

Mitsuura: Did you just wanted to brag about yourself? I’ll take it from here. 

Mitsuura: 80% off for every character’s main stories. 

Mitsuura: If you enjoyed the main story, you can continue reading their story for a reasonable price. 

Araki: Can I read it for free and get points? What happened with maintaining profit? 

Asaoka: It’s a festival... 

Maki: Most importantly...

Maki: Shun’s new season “Love That Repeats Over and Over Again” is now available. 

Maki: Even so, his love for her is straightforward and delicate, their bond between them is strong. 

Maki: Have I finally been defeated? 

Araki: It doesn’t look like there’s the slightly change to take advantage of them. 

Tachibana: It hasn’t been like that since the beginning. I’m always looking at her. 

Maki: I’m defeated. 

Kamiki: Next. I really liked the Chat style response. 

Kamiki: How we all respond to the truth of a tipsy girlfriend... 

Okubo: It’s fun, right? She’s so cute... 

Okubo: They can be bought separately, and there is a set. So you can choice who ever you like! Please try it out! 

Kijima: Event’s are held for VIP Rooms. Isn’t it? [XXX Dream]

Kijima: It is said that needs are hidden in dreams. 

Hayama: It’s a must to see who has what type of dream and how to recreate it.

Hayama: It is amazing how you dream. 

Tachibana: Also, I want every to participate and have fun. 

Skipped line. 

Skipped line. 

Tachibana: I don’t mind what your memorable night is like. 

Okubo: There are many nights, but every night has their own drama. 

Asaoka: Come to think about it, even sometimes, adults needs funs at night. 

Mitsuura: Araki’s “Love Lessons Until Morning” is released. 

Okubo: Sound bad ass. According to what I heard, that so called “self-restraint.”

Kiriya: It’s almost over, but over 20 story are on sale tonight. 

Kamiki: Do Love Lessons Until Morning sounds dangerous. 

Araki: I would not forgive you. 

Araki: I’ll make you cry in many different ways, so you must read it. 

Skipped line. 

Asaoka: the festival isn’t over yet, so enjoy it until the end. 

Kiriya: I should had finish with a brief explanation, but there is a lot to share. 

Kiriya: But next is Kijima’s Festival. 

Hayama: This year again, we’ve received message from you all! Please enjoy! 

Happy birthday, Kijima Toshiaki! 

Message: Bluntly, I’ve been short of Kijima. I get withdrawal symptoms, I would like to go on a date soon! I love you, Kijima! 

[SN: If he was 34 in 2017, wouldn’t 1983 be his birth year? This year he will be 40! He will be forever 34 in my eyes!] 

Kijima: You’re right. I am sorry for making you feel lonely...

Kijima: I miss you too, but keeping it in moderation is bad for my body. 

Kijima: *sound of love* 

Kijima: I do not mind keeping it inside the house, but outside. Well, let’s think about it because it’s your request...

Kijima, Happy birthday! 

Message: This year is the first time we have a birthday together. Maybe that’s why it feels a little different than usual. However, my feelings for Kijima will never change. I will always love you. 

Kijima: Ah. As our family grows, so did my happiness. 

Kijima: To have such happiness. I wouldn’t have known it if I hadn’t met you. 

Kijima: I really appreciate you. Thank you. I will love you forever. 

Kijima, Happy Birthday!

Message: For me too, October first is the day when the month first starts every year. I alway will love you too! 

Kijima: I am more than happy enough with you, who cherishes my birthday more than I do, 

Kijima: Thank you for every year I will spend with you. Being able to spend time with you is the best gift. 

Kijima: So please stay by my side every year from now. I am always happy with just that. 

Tachibana: Kijima, I am late, but congratulations again. 

Kijima: Thank you 

Tachibana: I apologize for the late birthday message. I am sorry. 

Kijima: Each message is care for and thank you. 

Kijima: It is getting cold lately, so sleep warmly so you would not catch a cold. 

Kijima: Enjoy tonight’s festival! 

[sparklepool101]

Burgers and Fires

[ Welcome to the CotC fic I finished at 12:40 something am last night because the new episode made me emotional lmao. Spoilers for Craig to the Future below! ]

:readmore:

“Thank you Herkleton! That was the last song of tonight. Exits are located in the back, along with our merch stands wink wink. Have a safe trip home and a rocking night!”

The crowd cheered one last time, before turning and heading back to the lobby, right where Craig was waiting. Kit nudged his arm.

“Alright, last wave of sales.” She said.

“Yep,” Craig said, staring at the doors. Omar and JP had just entered the lobby, laughing together. Kelsey and Stacks were nowhere to be seen.

“I can handle these guys, you go on.” Kit said. Craig jumped a bit before looking back at her. He took in her sideways smile and felt his brow furrow.

“Are you sure? The crowd is bound to be bigger now--”

“Come on Craig, I know you’ve been antsy all night. Go ask them to hang out or something, I can handle the crowd.”

“All right, if you’re sure…” Craig His chest felt like it was full of ants as he approached the duo. It had ended so awkwardly before the concert, but he couldn’t let this chance slip away. Their group had been steadily growing apart since JP entered high school, and he missed his friends so much.

Craig bit the bullet and called out to them. “Hey, JP! Omar!” The two turned their heads.

“Hey, Craig!” JP said, walking over to meet him. “Man, did you see Katie’s trick up there?”

“Nah, I was back at the merch stand.”

“Why?” Omar asked, slinging his arm around JP’s shoulder. “Are they paying ya’?”

“Oh, kind of? David actually commissioned me to make the T-shirts over there and he asked if I’d help man the stand as well.” Craig rubbed the back of his neck.

“Dude really? That’s sick!” Omar said, face lighting up.

“Aw come here!” JP pulled Craig into a hug. “I’m so proud of you man! I’ve definitely gotta buy one now. Babe, you still have my wallet?”

“Right here.” Omar tossed the small leather wallet over to JP, who caught it in one hand.

“Be right back!” JP rushed into the crowd gathered around the stand, leaving Craig and Omar alone,

A few beats of silence passed before Craig gathered up the courage to talk. “So, you guys doing anything after this?”

“Mmm probably just hanging out nearby, maybe grab a bite to eat, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Moment of truth. “You want to come with me to get some burgers?”

“I’m down for that.” Omar smiled. “It’s been way too long since we’ve hung out.” Craig smiled back and put his hands in his pockets. They chatted a bit more while waiting for JP to come back, mostly about teachers at school.

“Oh yeah, no Mrs. Denadio was the worst. One time, she assigned a whole project and only gave us two days to work on it.”

“No. Don’t tell me that’s the final project she’s been talking about all semester.”

“Good luck, man.”

“Hey, guys!” JP called as he ran over, wearing the t-shirt over his sweater. “What do y’all think?” He posed a bit, showing off the shirt.

“As handsome as always, babe. Craig wanted to go grab some food with us, you down for that?”

“Oh absolutely! Let’s go celebrate your first step on the road to fame.

It was odd how easily they fell back into a familiar pattern of banter. (But not at all unwelcome.) Craig felt like he was ten again, walking alongside two of his best friends as they chatted. It just stung remembering that there was only one redhead with them now.

The burger place’s ‘open 24-hours’ sign glowed a neon blue onto the trio’s faces. JP held the door open for the other two as they entered the building. It smelled like over-salted fries and grilled meat, with just a few people sitting at tables.

“Welcome, what can I get you three?” The cashier looked like they wanted to be anywhere else, especially with the huge eye bags they had.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake,” Craig said.

“And add two number three combos to that,” Omar said, pulling out his wallet.

“I can pay for my stuff,” Craig said.

“No way man, I’ll cover tonight.” Omar winked at him and passed a card over to the cashier.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, here’s your receipt. We’ll get the food out in a bit.” The trio stepped back from the register. JP leaned against a pillar while Omar grabbed their cups and went to the soda fountain. Pulling out his phone to text his parents, Craig shot a quick message to the family group chat telling them where he was.

An electronic bell signified that the front door had opened again, and Craig looked up. Kelsey and Stacks walk in hand in hand, Kelsey was rambling about something while Stacks watched her with adoring eyes. Craig felt his heart seize for a moment. The last time he had talked to Kelsey, like really talked to her, was back in middle school, and when they bumped into each other at the concert, she was so quick to find a reason to leave.

“Hey, Kels!” JP called out. Kelsey and Stacks both looked over. Stacks smiled and waved, but for a brief moment, Kelsey looked scared, which terrified Craig more than anything. (Because if he got back in touch with JP and Omar without her, it would never feel right. There would always be something missing.)

“Hi JP! Fancy seeing you here.” Stacks said as she led Kelsey over to the two of them. “You bought one of their shirts?”

“Duh! I had to, especially since ol’ Craiggy boy did the art.” JP boasted, gesturing at Craig who giggled at the old nickname and praise.

Kelsey looked at Craig with wide eyes. “You designed those?”

“Uh, y-yeah.”

“Dude! Those look so good! I didn’t know that you could draw that good! I mean, I knew that you could draw well but, like,” Kelsey started rambling, scrambling for the right words.

“What she means is,” Stacks placed her spare hand on Kelsey’s shoulder. “The shirts look really good, Craig!”

“Thanks.” Craig and Kelsey smiled at each other for a moment before looking away again.

“You want to sit with us?” Craig finally asked, bridging the gap.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s get our food first though.” Kelsey and Stacks walked over to the register.

“Dude, what was that?” Omar said, handing JP his drink. “Did you and Kelsey have a fight or something?”

“No. At least I don’t think so, it just…” Craig sighed. “We kept drifting apart once we stopped hanging out at the Creek as much, once I started high school. We never saw each other in the halls anymore, and I started working on art more seriously and got together with Vanessa, and Kelsey got into wrestling properly and started working on her book with Stacks and… I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“Well,” Omar said, after a long sip of his drink. “I think you guys will be fine.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes you don’t talk to someone for a while, life happens,” Omar shrugged. “But when you are as close as the four of us are, you can always slip right back into a conversation like no time has passed.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. I mean, just look at us.” Omar smiled.

“Yeah, man!” JP added.

“Thanks, guys.” Craig felt a bit better, like there was hope for the old "Stump Kids" after all.

“Order forty-three!” An employee called from the counter, and Omar ran to go grab it.

“Just talk to her, Craig,” JP said. “Hey, maybe we could even go on a triple date some time!”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, I’ll call Maney and ask if she’d be down for that, I know Omar would.”

“I’ll think about it,” Craig said. "And ask Vanessa." Omar came back with the trays of food and led the three of them to a corner booth. Soon, Kelsey and Stacks joined them with their own food.

"So, how's the book going?" JP asked before shoving some fries in his mouth.

"Relly good, actually! We're super close to finishing." Stacks said.

"And then it's getting sent off to the publishers!" Kelsey said with a cheshire grin.

"Man, that's sick! Will ya let me read it once it's done?" Omar said.

"You can buy a copy like everyone else, unless we get a punlishing deal within half a year." Stacks said, smiling slyly.

"Well then, get ready to let us read that book for free because I have no dobut you'll get that deal in no time!" JP cheered.

"Oh to have no knowledge of the publishing world." Kelsey sighed, causing Stacks to giggle.

The conversation fell into a lull, leaving the group to pick at their food. Craig glanced up at Kelsey sitting across from him, and steeled his resolve.

"I'm sorry, Kelsey."

"Huh?" Kelsey looked up at Craig, fry halfway on the way to her mouth.

"I should have... I don't know. I should have tried harder to reach out to you and stay in touch, or--"

"Craig," Kelsey cut him off. "I'm sorry too. I-- when you got to high school I was scared that you were going to stop wanting to be friends so I didn't ask you to hang out as much and--"

"No, I'm--"

"Okay, that's enough." JP cutoff Craig and put an end to the apology loop. "You two both difted apart, but neither of you are completely at fault. Yeah you two might have been able to do something differently, but what's done is done. And now we're here, eating burgers and hanging out, even after all that." JP slung his arm around Omar. "We're stuck together guys, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Besides, you promised I could officiate your wedding, Craig, and I still plan on getting that certification."

"Heh, yeah." Craig looked back around Kelsey. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too." Kelsey slipped out of her side of the booth and onto Craig's side, wrapping him into a hug. "Don't let me be dumb like that again."

"You weren't dumb, Kelsey." Craig hugged her back and rested his chin on her head. "We both messed up, I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying your sorry." Kelsey laughed into the hug before pulling back and wiping at her eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

[ yeah thats it lmao sorry. Check out my other cotc stuff on Ao3, I’m sparklepool101, and orange poncho has consumed my mind now :) ]

[middleearthpixie]

Lockdown

A/N: A Guy of Gisborne/John Porter Crossover, part 4 

The police code here is one I found for my home state and while the first fifty ten-codes are generally used in all 50 states, they can still vary. I may have also taken a bit of license with what the procedure would be in the instance of a school shooting. 

10-20 - advise to location 

Summary:You and John Porter have broken up, but when tragedy hits a little close to home, you’re both rethinking your priorities

Characters: John Porter, Guy Gisborne, Reader, numerous eight graders 

Warnings: Some tension, hints of gun violence in a school setting

Rating: T

Word Count: 3,889

***

You sighed as you tapped your pen against the blank notebook page on the table in front of you. You were between classes, listening to the din coming from the hallways that was sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all changing classes. 

A yawn worked its way to your lips. You hadn’t been sleeping well and hadn’t been for weeks, now. Not since the night you and John broke up. You tried not to think about it. Tried not to think about him. But that was, of course, easier said than done. You’d met on a blind date set up by mutual friends who were a couple and so thought everyone should be paired off. Unlike most blind dates, this one ended on the highest of notes and in a blaze of sinful passion that was the start of one of the most wonderful relationships you’d ever had. 

Maybe you should have seen the end coming, but you didn’t. After all, he seemed so absolutely supportive of your decision to go back to school and get your Master’s in American History so you could maybe teach at the high school level as well. But then as your workload piled up and your free time shrank until it almost disappeared, it took its toll on both of you. You began fighting over the stupidest things, until finally, in a moment of utter frustration, you told him, “Look, we want different things I guess. Maybe we should just take a step back for now.”

“Okay, tell you what. When you decide I’m as important as—” He held up the book you had to finish; All That She Carried, the Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake—“this, give me a call.”

“John, you were the one who told me what a great idea you thought this was, that you’d understand if things got crazy. Well guess what? They got crazy.”

To which he said, “Sounds good. Call me when you’ve decided you’ve got time for me again.”

With that parting shot, he stormed out of your apartment. It was the last time you saw or talked to him and that was almost six weeks ago. He’d left a couple of terse voicemails but you couldn’t bring yourself to call him back. You tried not to think about what he was doing. Angel told you over coffee a week ago that he’d started seeing someone else and both she and her fiancé, Guy hated this new woman. She and Guy were planning their wedding and trying, she’d confessed, to find a way to keep John’s new girlfriend from coming to it. That conversation left you dead inside. You were Angel’s maid of honor. You would have no choice but to see John with your replacement and the thought alone made you want to throw up. 

The bell rang and your students filed in, laughing, chatting, texting without looking up from their phones or bumping into anything—which amazed you as much as it horrified you—and as they took their seats, you stood. “Good morning! Phones away, we’ve got a lot to cover this morning, beginning with your paper topics. Have you all decided what you’re writing about?”

The voices rose as one loud buzz and you smiled. “Okay. Let me try that again. Who here does not have a topic yet?”

With that, the buzzing dulled and three hands went into the air. You smiled. “Okay. Lisa, Deja, and Tyler. Good. The rest of you, take a look the questions I’ve written on the board and start answering them. Lisa, why don’t you come up and we can talk about what you might want to do. Deja, next, and then Tyler.”

The others grumbled, and two of the girls took out their phones instead, to which you said, “Elena, Donna—up here with the phones and into the basket they go.”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m dead serious, Donna. Let’s go.” You moved the wire basket that sat on the opposite corner of your desk to the other side of your desk. “You know the rules.”

They muttered under their breath, but each girl came up to drop her phone in the basket. “Anyone else think they might need to prevent themselves from becoming distracted?”

No one else moved and all phones went away. 

“Good. Now, get to work. Lisa, come on up and—”

The PA system crackled to life to interrupt you. “Good afternoon, students and staff. Brunswick High School is currently in a lockdown. Please lock all doors, shut off all lights, close all blinds, and move to the corner farthest from any doors and windows. Remain silent and mute or turn off all cell phones. This is not a drill. Again, Brunswick Hills High School is currently in a lockdown. Please lock all doors, close all blinds, and move to the corner farthest from any doors and windows. Remain silent and mute or turn off all cell phones. I repeat, this is not a drill.”  

You stood up. “You heard Principal Bailey. Phones off. Back corner, guys. And be quiet.” 

They stood almost as a unit and moved to the far corner of the room, where a low metal bookshelf stood just beneath the windows overlooking the courtyard. You skirted your desk to the door at the back of the room, pulled the shade, and then locked it, then flipped the lights off before moving to the door at the front of the room to lock it and pulled down that shade as well. Then, one by one, each window shade came down and the room sank into darkness.

It wasn’t a drill, but it also wasn't the first real lockdown you’d ever been through. Last year, there were two that wound up being nothing, so you weren’t really all that frightened. Your heart sped up a little, but you paid little attention to it as you moved over to where your students sat.

But then you heard it. 

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

The noises were faint, but enough to make you jump and none of you needed to be told what you heard. And your heart sped up as you looked at the thirteen and fourteen year old faces in the corner. They knew it as well. 

“Keep quiet,” you whispered, putting a forefinger to your lips. “I’m sure the police are on the way, if they aren’t already here, and—”

“That sounds awful close,” Deja whispered.

More popping sounds. Louder this time. 

You looked around your room. You were on the second floor. The courtyard could only be accessed by way of the first floor, there was no exterior way into it. There were two cabinets that could hold two, maybe three of your kids each. That left fourteen students that would be sitting ducks. 

The commotion in the hallway grew louder. Boots sounded. Voices rose. The popping grew louder. Lisa let out a squeak, and Tyler clapped his hand over her mouth to quiet her. 

“It’s okay, guys,” you said, your voice far calmer than you actually felt. But you couldn't let them see you were scared as well. If you were outwardly calm, they would remain calm as well, and that was important. You knew the drill. You were ready. 

Of course, being ready didn't mean you weren’t scared as all fuck, because in truth? Your hands would be shaking like crazy if they weren’t balled against your thighs. You had to at least appear calm to keep them from panicking. You looked at those scared faces around you, some of whom had pulled their phones out and were texting like mad now, and you were supposed to confiscate the devices, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Stories of previous school shootings flashed through your mind. Columbine. Sandy Hook. Parkland. Some of those texts were the last words their parents would ever hear. 

A shadow passed the back door. Your heart stopped beating as the door handle rattled. And rattled again. 

A hand caught yours. You looked over. Tyler. He was such a sweet kid. He was new to the school and hadn’t quite figured out where he fit in just yet, but the others in class liked him and little by little, he was beginning to bloom.

You put a finger to your lips. He nodded. 

The shadow moved.

To the front door. 

You’d never heard a gunshot up close. It rang out and deafened you for a moment as glass sprayed inwards. A hand came through the hole that used to be a window. 

“Stay down.” You whispered this as you got up. Your heart hammered your ribs hard enough that black dots actually danced before your eyes. You’d never been so terrified in your life, and would have thought you’d freeze in this moment.

But you didn't freeze. You looked over your shoulder at the kids who were instead frozen in place, phones forgotten even as text bubbles popped up on screen after screen. 

“If something happens, do whatever you can to protect yourselves,” you whispered. “The police are coming.”

The hand caught the lock and turned it and you stood there, just waiting, barely breathing. Barely hearing anything over the rush of your own blood through your veins, through your temples. You heart raced. Your mouth was beyond dry. 

You waited.

John’s blood roared through his ears as he and Guy pulled up to John F. Kennedy Middle School. SWAT was already there. Paramedics and ambulances were also already there, just in case. He and Guy really didn't need to be, but as soon as he heard the alert go out, all he could think about was getting to the school. 

About getting to you.

“Shit,” he muttered at the sheer number of responders. Police. Ambulances. All with their flashers going but without any accompanying sirens. This was his first time responding to an active shooter in a school situation and that it was your school… 

He wanted to vomit. 

“Come on,” Guy tugged the keys from the ignition and thrust open his door, “let’s at least see if we can get a status update.”

“I should have called her last night. I wanted to,” John said as he climbed out of the car. “And I can’t explain why, because she’s made it clear to me she doesn’t want to talk to me. But I just had the urge to call her.”

“She knows about Stephanie.” Guy slammed the driver’s side door shut. “Angel told her.”

“Knows what? There’s nothing to know. It’s not like she’s my girlfriend.” At Guy’s long look, John shook his head. “She’s not. I’ve done nothing with her.”

“Really? Not even a kiss?”

John almost smiled at the disbelief in Guy’s voice. “Not even a kiss. It’s just not there for me. I’m not the least bit interested in kissing her or anyone else.” John moved around to the trunk and popped it, then bent over to fish out the kevlar vests with the reflective letters BHPD and Police on them. “Here.”

Guy took his and eased it over his head. “Then fucking call your teacher already, will you? You’re miserable. She’s miserable. And Angel’s pissed at both of you, which means I’m always running the risk of being miserable as well.”

John adjusted the Velcro on his vest. “Guy, I just told you—she doesn’t want to talk to me. I’ve called her about half a dozen times since we broke up and have gotten only radio silence.”

The radio on his hip crackled. “We have the suspect pinned down. Second floor classroom. Two hundreds. He’s got a teacher and about fifteen kids trapped in a classroom. Over.”

Another voice came over. “Ten-twenty. Over.” 

“Room two-twelve. Over.”

Guy lifted his radio. “Unit Fifty-Seven reporting. We just arrived on scene. Status? Over.”

“Unit Fifty-Seven, stand by at this time. Repeat, Unit Fifty-Seven, stand by. We have officers in place. Over.”

“Copy.” Guy lowered the radio. “You okay?”

“No, I’m not fine. I want to storm in there and take this guy out and that I can’t is killing me, man. I have to trust these guys—” he gestured to all of the uniforms around them—“and that’s the last thing I’m really able to do right now. And what about you? You okay? I mean, Angel teaches here, too, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah. But she took a personal day. Wedding stuff. So, right now, she is at any given mall in the state trying to find whatever it was she was trying to find and don’t ask me what because I have no idea.”

John couldn't ignore the way his gut bubbled. “Do you know if she’s doing this wedding stuff alone? Maybe she needed her maid of honor with her?”

Guy just gave him a look. “She’s here, John. Sorry, man. Angel is solo on this one.”

“Shit.” He peered over the top of their car at the officers swarming into the building. School shootings were something he simply was not used to, would never get used to, and he’d be lying if he said otherwise and it took every bit of will he had to remain where he was, because in reality, all he wanted was to get to you.

The gunshots rang out and both he and Guy spun towards the building’s north wing. Their radios went wild at that moment, with officers shouting over the pop!pop! of gunfire and then everything went horribly silent. 

“Officer requesting medical assistance to room two-twelve,” a voice crackled. “Gunman breached the classroom door and just began firing. Over.”

“Copy that. How many victims? Over.”

“Two, but injuries do not appear life threatening. Repeat, injuries do not appear life threatening.”

“And the suspect?”

“Killed at the scene.”

With that, the first responders flooded the building and John was right behind them. He had to see you, and to make sure you were okay. That was all that mattered. 

Everywhere, uniforms swarmed, escorting kids and adults out of classroom after classroom in a relatively orderly fashion. They were all oddly silent, at first, but once they were outside the building, and they caught sight of their parents or other family members, they bolted. Students hugged students Teachers hugged groups of students. Teachers hugged one another. By now, civilians cars—parents, no doubt—lined Maple Street and as kids ran out, parents swept in. Reunions were tearful, with other officers trying to keep parents from going into the building itself.

He took a step toward the building and Guy’s hand met the middle of his chest. “Porter, wait here.”

“No, I’m going in.”

“You’re not. You know the drill. We aren’t needed and we wait right here.” 

“But—”

“Right here, John.”

He glared at Guy. “Would you be waiting if it was Angel in there? Because you know you wouldn’t.”

“No,” Guy shook his head, “I wouldn’t. But you’d make damn sure I did and you know it. Now, I know it sucks, but we wait. Right here.”

John knocked Guy’s hand from his chest and stepped back. Guy was right and John knew it, but that did nothing to calm his nerves at all. He couldn't stand still. He paced. Along the sidewalk to the end and then back, where he said,“Any word?”

Guy could only shake his head. “Not yet. But, they haven’t called for any more medical assistance. Just for the two and those were non-life threatening injuries, so she’s probably fine.”

John didn't reply. The words stuck in his throat. All he could think about was the last conversation the two of you had. He was pissed off because you were supposed to go to dinner and you canceled because your reading for school was piling up and you had to get caught up. He’d acted like a spoiled git because you needed to catch up on things. And why did you need to do so?

Because he demanded you put him first. 

“Okay, tell you what. When you decide I’m as important as—” He held up the book you had to finish; All That She Carried, the Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake—“this, give me a call.”

“John, you were the one who told me what a great idea you thought this was, that you’d understand if things got crazy. Well guess what? They got crazy.”

He sighed now. “I should’ve never walked out. I should have stayed there and insisted we work it out. Fuck.”

“What?”

He looked over at Guy. “We broke up because I was jealous. She was going back to school and all of the sudden didn't have any time for me—at least as I saw it. And I got mad. Told her to get her priorities straight, meaning put me first. She rightfully told me to fuck off and here we are and Christ, now here we are and I don’t know if she’s one of the injured and I’m just supposed to sit here and wait?”

“Yeah, John,” Guy replied softly, “that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do…”

Your hands shook and Tyler tightened his about one of yours as he said, “We made it. We’re okay. It’s over.”

You couldn’t speak. Your throat seized up as you looked first at the hand wrapped about yours, and then at the kids still in the classroom. Lisa. Deja. Donna. Tyler. Suriya. Elena. Nicole. Cameron. Dante. Gil. Samantha. Cody. Jaxon. Mackenzie. They were all there, alive and well and in one piece physically. They all looked shaken up, pale and so very young. But you managed to smile. “Text your parents,” you said softly. “Tell them you’re all okay.”

“Are you all all right?” An officer came into the room. “Is anyone injured?”

“No,” you told him, shaking your head, tightened your hands into fists again to hold the shaking at bay. “We are all fine.”

“Okay. McMichaels,” he looked over his left shoulder, “escort them out to the main parking lot.”

“Got it.” A second uniform came into the room and you tried not to pay much attention to how they just stepped around the prone figure on the floor. Tried not to pay much attention to the blood pool that slowly widened under him. 

The gunman still lay on the floor, half in the classroom, half in the hallway. A small hole in the first window was the only evidence that a sharpshooter from across the courtyard had impressive aim.

“Come with me, guys,” you told them softly, catching Tyler’s hand to help him to his feet. “Don’t look at him. Just look straight ahead, okay? Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”

They followed McMichaels, and you followed them and you tried to ignore the controlled chaos around you of paramedics and stretchers, of shattered glass, expended shell casings, and the lingering acrid scent you assumed was from the gunfire. 

“Right this way.” McMichaels led you down the main staircase and past the main office, out into a deceptively sunny, beautiful November afternoon.

As you stepped outside, you saw John and your heart stopped. You’d never been so happy, so relieved to see someone. He was pacing like a caged tiger, but then he stopped and spun about and as his steel-blue eyes met yours, he made a beeline for you.

“Thank Christ,” he growled as he swept you into his arms, crushing you close, one hand buried in your hair, his other arm so tight about you, you could barely breathe. “You’re all right, love? Tell me you’re all right.”

“I’m fine. My kids are fine and I’m fine,” you managed to grit before your throat tightened and your eyes overflowed. Without thinking, you wrapped your arms about his neck and clung to him, breathing in the sinful scent he always carried—sandalwood, eucalyptus, cinnamon.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered back, squeezing you until you thought he might actually squash you. He lifted you off your feet briefly. “I’m so fucking sorry…”

“I’m okay,” you told him, sniffling as he set you down and you stepped back. “You didn't need to come—”

“Yeah, I did. As soon as the call came over, we were on our way.” He cupped your face in his hands, his thumbs moving slightly along your cheeks in the soft caress that you loved so much. You just gazed up at him, at that handsome, angular face, into those pale blue eyes. He had a way of making you feel so tiny and delicate. Maybe it was his size—he was nearly six-foot-three and all broad shoulders and wide chest. Maybe it was that he was former military and just exuded that confidence about him. You didn’t know and you didn't care. All you knew was you’d missed him. 

“Can we talk?” he murmured. “I mean, once you’re cleared to leave?”

“Do we have anything to talk about?”

“I hope so. I’ve missed you.”

“Really.” You tried not to lose yourself in his beautiful blue eyes. “What about Stephanie?”

“She was a mistake. And will probably be very glad to never hear from me again because she knew my mind was on you the entire time.”

“Bullshit.”

“Ask Guy. I’ve been miserable. I don’t like sleeping alone any more. But, trouble is, the only woman I want to sleep with is you.”

Your heart skipped a beat at that. “John—”

“I was an asshole, love,” he broke in softly. “And I do hope you’ll give me another chance. I promise you, I will make it up to you.”

“John, I—” You sighed softly. “No, you weren’t an asshole. At least, not entirely. I was, too, and I’m sorry. I expected you to just sit and wait until I had time and that’s not fair to you, either.”

“So, why don’t we start over?” He leaned in to brush your lips with his. “Want to grab dinner or something tonight?”

You smiled. “I’d like that, yes.”

“Good.” He swept a light kiss against your lips once more, then as he straightened up, he said, “Come on, let’s get you away from here.”

“Please,” you said, shaking as your adrenaline finally slowed up and a sudden wave of utter exhaustion slammed over you, “I just really want to go home now. Go home and have a strong drink.”

“Are you okay? Do you need one of the medics?”

“I’m fine. Just shaken up. He never got into our room. He got the door opened and then a bullet came out of nowhere and—” The image flashed through your mind and you shuddered involuntarily, your gaze sweeping across the school lawns. You saw a few of your students still there, and your throat squeezed shut once more. “Thank God none of my kids was hurt.”

“From the looks of it, the injuries were all minor. You were all lucky.”

You nodded slowly. “I know, but still…”

“Come on.” He slid an arm about your shoulders and guided you away from the building, whose entrance was being cordoned off with crime scene tape. You had no idea how long it would be closed for, and you really didn't care at the moment. You just wanted to go home.

With John. 

***

Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz @knitastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78

[grandtheftgoose]

Unfinished warped tour dnf fic

I'm leaving so heres the self indulgent fic i wrote before leaving

The sun has been hot this summer, hotter than normal. Maybe the sun is hotter on Bishop stage than on Volcom. When he repeated these thoughts to George last night he just laughed.

“The sun doesn’t get hotter, idiot” he had scoffed, “it’s been warmer though.” They were on the balcony at the restaurant they were eating at, looking out at the sunset. Well, George was looking at the sunset, Dream was looking at George. 

“I love high fives again. Totally back in love” he had written on his blogpost, maybe it was too early to say but he was a songwriter after all. He wrote his feelings into songs that he sung to thousands, he knew feelings. He also knew he liked George. Looking at George under the hues of pink and orange made him realize how bad he wanted this. He wanted George and all his silly quirks. He loved his passion for music, quips, and silent affection. 

He wanted this so bad, he wouldn’t care about winning an award show ever again if he could have George. But he was scared to fall in love with a boy who wouldn’t love him back, more so he’s scared to fall in love and George stops loving him. So all his unspoken words to George went onto his livejournal page. 

George consumed his thoughts. Watching MCR during a set, it was George George George all the way down. Event in the heat of New Mexico, playing in front of thousands all he could think of was George.

George had kissed his cheek while they walked back to the buses. Blushing slightly before running up ahead to talk to Sylvee. Dream walked in a daze, almost stunlocked. Dammit George, you’ve done it again. 

Sapnap had stopped him before he could climb into the bus. 

“You really like him, huh?” Sapnap questioned, cocking his head.

“Are you gonna give me the shovel talk or something?” He looked out to the night sky, the stars shining above. 

“Well,” Sapnap spluttered, “that depends if you’re going to break my bandmates heart. We can’t lose our bass player.”

Dream scoffed, shaking his head. He wouldn’t even dream of breaking George’s heart.

“No way man. I really like him, "he murmured, his voice going soft.

“Good for you then,” he patted him on the shoulder, “don’t fuck this up.”

He just shook his head, heading into the van. I don’t wanna fuck this up either.

As he fell asleep in the humid van, all he could think of was George.

He woke up slowly, the lingering feeling of sleep leisurely leaving him. Somehow Dream felt even more exhausted than the night before. He grabbed a granola bar from the box, prepared to stay awake and write. Sam had only taken one look at him before ordering him back to bed. He slept the whole way to the next ground-site, the soft voices of his bandmates in the background. 

When he woke up, they were in Arizona. Which was just as hot as New Mexico, and he was just as in love. When he left the van to start soundcheck, it was humid and misty. He was lost in his head as they started sound check. Looking out over the grounds, The fog covered the campsite. It looks like a ghost town, he thought to himself. He strummed his guitar lightly while Sam and Puffy warmed up, and Bad chatted with a stagehand. They went over the set and a tricky part of “I slept with someone”, the sticky feeling left the air and Dream was starting to feel calmer. 

“Okay guys,” Bad exclaimed, clapping his hands together, “we’re gonna kill it like we’ve done all tour! We’ve got a couple hours til we go on, but please stay nearby. I’m looking at you Sam! It’s hot as heck out here, don’t wear yourselves out!”

“Looking at you Dream,” Puffy coughed, raising her eyebrows. 

He rolls his eyes, batting his hand at her. He’s definitely staying close since MCR is warming up after them. He looks out to the side of the stage where George and Sapnap are watching, Gia and Sylvee chatting behind them. He waves at George, smiling softly as George waves back. Sapnap elbows George then cups his hands, yelling “hey idiots, get off our stage!”

“Looks like our time is up,” Sam joked as he packed up his guitar. Dream just chuckles, shaking his head before moving to pack up his bass. After moving their equipment and clearing the stage, he sees George still waiting for him.

 He waves again before walking over, bumping their shoulders together. 

“Hey idiot,” George says smiling up at him, “you guys sounded pretty good out there.”

“Yeah yeah,” he says, batting his hand, “it’s just practice though.”

“Oh yeah?” he wiggles his eyebrows, “you guys sound even better than that? Guess I haven't heard it yet.”

Dream laughs. “Ooh, sick burn. Maybe you should watch our show today, see how good we can get.” 

George rocks backwards on his heels, “Maybe I will,” he hums, tapping his chin,“depends on my schedule. I’m super busy you know.” 

Dream chuckles, turning to look out to where the rest of MCR is setting up. Gia and Sylvee are talking to a stagehand they had made friends with the night before while Sapnap is watching him and George with a knowing look. Bad and Sapnap are going to be the death of me, he thinks t0 himself. Sapnap just wiggles his eyebrows before going back to setting up. When he turns back George is watching him with an emotion he can’t quite place. 

“I guess you should start warming up,” Dream prompts, “I’ll catch you later though.”

“You’ll watch our set right?” George cocks his head, smirking slightly. Watching other bands play on Warped Tour has made Dream realize why he liked music so much in the first place. Also because George looks hot when he plays the bass. 

“Yeah of course man,” Dream says, “after your show and mine we should hang out. I need some quiet, maybe we can take a nap in the van.”

“Wow,” George leers, “the great Dream wants to sleep with me huh? Take me out to dinner first idiot.”

Dream stammers, he can feel his face turning red. He feels so confident up on stage or interviews but everytime he talks to George, he turns into a mess. Like silly putty melting on the ground. 

“Can you two please keep it in your pants for once?” Sapnap shouts, saving him from his word vomit. “George get your ass over here and stop flirting, we need to start sound check!”

“Yeah George! Leave your boyfriend alone,” Sylvee heckles. George walks over to his band, speaking too softly for Dream to hear before looking back over. 

His face must be the color of a tomato now, but he just shakes his head and walks away. He heads down to where his bandmates are standing, grabbing a water from the cooler. 

“You’d think you were about to join my chem with how much you’re with them, man,” Puffy remarks. 

Sam jumped in, “Well, he’s definitely interested in something from George.” 

“Maybe that bass,” Puffy retorts, “when a bass player and a bass player love eachother very much”. She’s not wrong, he’s been spending a lot of time with George lately. It’s definitely not because he’s trying to join MCR though, he doesn’t want to think about what would happen if he and George became a couple. Them becoming exclusive would require them to define what they are, and George doesn’t seem interested in defining anything.

“What are we?” Dream had asked one night, “like everyone thinks we’re something and you’re the only person I’m interested in so like are we anything?”

George had responded “we’re you and me. George and Dream, that’s enough for me.” Before rolling over in the bus bed and falling asleep. 

So, no to switching to MCR or worrying about being a couple in different bands. Because they are not a couple, they’re just themselves. The ambiguity of it all is beginning to get to him, it makes him itch. Instead of voicing this to Puffy and Sam, he just laughs and moves to watch MCR. 

As he watches Sapnap jump around like a maniac, Bad moves to stand next to him. He studies Bad’s face for a moment, contemplating saying something before turning back to the band. They sounded incredible, even during sound check. Watching George play bass is always so incredible to him, he admires George and his music so dearly. He also looks hot playing bass. When he said as much to George, he just smiled. 

“Y’know,” Bad starts, “George isn’t the worst person you could be with. Like, he gets this whole being in a band thing, he’s very charming as well.”

Dream scoffs “thanks Bad.”

“No, I’m serious!” He exclaims, “being with George could be good for you, maybe you could write a love song.”

He thinks of the last pieces of a song he wrote for George. “Hot and miserable but totally in love.” Yeah, he could definitely get used to writing love songs for George.

“I think we’re just friends Bad,” he says, sighing. Good friends who have eachothers hands on belts in the dark and memorize the skin from his shoulder to his ear. 

Bad just smiles and pats his shoulder while heading upstage to talk to Sapnap while he just stands and stares at George. Sylvee catches his eye and waves him over.

“What did you think?” Sylvee rocks forward, “are we rockstar material?”

“Maybe you,” Dream jokes, “definitely not the other idiots.” They look over to where George, Gia, and Sapnap are standing. George and Sapnap are wrestling while Gia eggs them on. He can faintly hear George yell “get off me Stinknap”.

“Any chance you guys are looking for another guitarists?” She jokes, “or are you planning on stealing our bass player?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “I don’t think he’d want to leave if I’m being honest.”

“Yeah, but you can offer something we can’t,” Sylvee wiggles her eyebrows, looking smug at her joke.

“I wouldn’t steal him from yall, he belongs on my chem.” Dream looks over to George, he and Sapnap have moved from wrestling to bullying Bad. 

“I guess we’ll keep him then”, Sylvee says, “but you’ve gotta stay nearby. He smiles more when you’re here.”

He thinks for a moment, he didn't think he meant much to George. He wants to ask George what he means to him, what they’re doing. He doesn’t want them to end when summer ends, but he’d rather it be a what-if than a heartbreak. 

Before he’s given a chance to answer Sylvee, the rest of MCR and his band have joined them. The eight of them are crowded to the side, way too much eyeliner in one place Dream thinks. While he was talking to Sylvee, Puffy and Sam had made plans to walk the grounds with MCR. 

“Are you walking with us Dream?” Gia asks, cocking her head slightly towards George.

He shakes his head, playing has woken him up more but he craves some time alone. “I think I’m gonna head back to the van and write some.” 

“If you need anything, we’ll be somewhere in here,” Puffy says while Bad starts to lead the rest of them away from the stage. 

“Be back at three!” Bad calls, “we need our bass player!”

“And that ass!” Sapnap yells, Dream walks off shaking his head.

He steps into the van, sighing as he sits at the table. It’s been a long couple of days, Warped Tour has been exhausting in the best way possible. He loves it so much but he’s so tired, his emotions have felt like a whirlwind. 

Pen to paper, right. That is what he needs to do with his emotions. He needs to write sad, emo bangers so they get invited to Warped Tour again, and because it’s the only way he knows how to map out his thoughts. 

Lately he’s been writing more on LiveJournal than he has in his notebook. Maybe one day Dream will be more careful about what he puts on social media, but at this moment he writes "hot and miserable but totally in love". 

[grahamstoney]

My Worst Therapy Session Ever

New Post has been published on https://grahamstoney.com/therapy/my-worst-therapy-session-ever

My Worst Therapy Session Ever

I’ve had a lot of therapy in my time visiting counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, life coaches and emotional healing gurus. Most of them were helpful to some degree. If I were to have my time over again, I’d get help sooner like when I was a child and the other kids at school were bullying me or when parent’s arguments were frightening me and keeping me up at night.

I’m currently studying music performance full-time at a local secondary college and the environment feels a lot like going back to school; albeit one where the subjects are a lot more fun.

Last year I found myself getting into conflict with one of the other mature-age male students. He seemed like a decent enough guy but we started butting heads over some of his behaviour that I was finding triggering. He had some personal challenges that he complained about loudly and frequently in class which I didn’t want in my face all the time as we were there to study music. “Write songs about it and use it creatively”, I thought, “But don’t just keep coming in whining about it all the time”. I also didn’t like the way he interrupted and dominated conversations I was having with other people, or the way he back-slapped and touched me.

For me it felt like my boundaries were being violated. I pulled him aside for a man-to-man chat, asked what was going on for him, explained to him what was going on for me and asked if he would be willing to behave a little differently, at least around me. It was all very NVC and the initial conversation appeared to go fairly well. Then over time things between us started to go downhill.

At lunch one day I was having a light-hearted conversation with my other college friends when he came up and said “Why don’t you stop being such a cunt, Graham?”, then walked off.

I was rather stunned at the time and didn’t know how to respond. It didn’t feel friendly and light-hearted, it felt like an aggressive take-down and when I thought about it later I felt angry.

When talking the situation over with a good female friend of mine from college, she said:

“It looks like we’ve got an alpha-male battle going on here.”

The next day I asked him before class if we could talk. I felt myself starting to shake as my old fear of conflict came up. Nevertheless, I was there to resolve my issues and wanted to assert my boundaries so I told him “I didn’t like it yesterday when you came up to the conversation we were having and called me a cunt. I would appreciate it if you kept that sort of thing to yourself.”

He said “OK” nonchalantly and went into class.

Then it was his turn to ask me for a conversation, where he said something I don’t remember that I suspect boiled down to him not liking being told what to do. I was very nervous and getting increasingly angry sensing that he wasn’t respecting my boundaries. As my anger rose I felt myself becoming unable to think straight. Being aware that I didn’t want to say anything I would regret later, I raised my voice and just said: “Look, back off all right?”

“I don’t want to have to deal with your aggression”, he replied as he walked off.

I was happy with the outcome, although the process felt uncomfortable since I haven’t always been assertive with challenging people. That’s what it’s like whenever we’re practising a new skill: it feels uncomfortable at first. However, remaining passive around people who treat me in ways that I don’t like has never worked well for me. The situation was quite triggering for me as it tapped into some long-standing trauma around conflict and bullying, so I was experiencing a lot of anxiety.

Thinking back to my experience feeling frightened and unsupported around parental conflict and schoolyard bullying, I decided to do things differently this time around. So I booked a session with one of the counsellors in the student services unit of the college to get some empathy and support.

The counsellor I was allocated was a middle-aged female psychologist. I can’t exactly remember how our session began, but I imagine she would have asked why I was there and I would have said something like: “I’m here at college studying music performance and I find myself getting into conflict with another mature-age male student so I’d like some empathy and support please.”

She Just Kept Talking At Me

What I remember most about her response was the psychologist talking at me. I didn’t feel at all connected to her. It felt like I’d just walked into a lecture. I was clear in my mind about why I was there as I have a pretty good understanding of how traumatic childhood bullying can be, how unresolved childhood trauma gets triggered in adult life, and how to heal it when it comes up.

It is possible that I wasn’t as clear in what I said about what I was seeking as I’ve just described; but I would have thought that a psychologist would be fairly skilled at working out what a client was needing and how best to get that need met.

Instead, she just kept talking at me. I honestly can’t even remember what she said, probably because it didn’t seem relevant. I kept waiting for a chance to get a word in edge-wise. When I did speak, there wasn’t any of that Rogerian “Sounds like you feel …” reflective listening stuff coming back my way and I subsequently didn’t feel heard.

Her tone even felt critical towards me. At one point she said: “You’re not giving me very much”

To which I replied: “That’s because you keep on talking”

I proceeded to try and explain what was going on between me and the other student and why it was important to me given my past experiences to get the empathy and support I was seeking.

“He’s entitled to behave however he wants”, she said, “You can’t dictate how someone else behaves.”

I was gob-smacked. While I may not be able to demand that another person change their behaviour just to suit me, I certainly can request that they back off when I feel they are over-stepping my boundaries. If they fail to comply with my request, I can remove myself from the situation. This is basic assertiveness.

I felt like I was receiving judgment and condemnation rather than empathy and support. So much for unconditional positive regard.

“Really?”, I replied, “Let’s say I was a woman and this guy was touching me in ways that I didn’t like. Are you seriously saying that it would be OK with you?”

At this point the psychologist’s allegiance appeared to switch entirely. “He’s got no right to touch you”, she said, “You should tell him to ‘fuck off!’”

I was stunned at what I was hearing. Telling someone to “fuck off” isn’t assertive, it’s aggressive. Perhaps it would work with this guy and there certainly are some people in my life who I would like to tell to “fuck off”, but I’m pretty sure it’s not something [intlink id=”1748″ type=”post”]Marshall Rosenberg[/intlink] would have recommended if I wanted to avoid the situation escalating into violence.

By this time we were almost at the end of the session and I was feeling very frustrated. I think she was too.

“What is it that you want from me?”, the psychologist asked

“I want empathy and reassurance!”, I replied exasperated

“I don’t do empathy”, she replied blankly.

Given what I know about trauma and the universal importance of empathy in the process of any effective therapy, I was completely floored.

Perhaps she saw my mouth hanging open as she continued: “… but I have a colleague who does and I’m happy to refer you to her. It’s fine with me if you see her instead.”, as if she wanted me to be clear that switching psychologists wasn’t going to hurt her feelings. Perhaps she didn’t have any.

“What the hell are you doing working as a psychologist if you don’t do empathy?”, I thought to myself. In hindsight I wish I had said it out loud.

Empathy is the most important ingredient in any effective therapy. End of story.

[thegettingbyp2]

awesome! so I have two that I'd like to make, both involve a bit of an age gap in a way but reader is in her 20s at most.

first one: reader is apart of the jackass crew BUT is also a fellow streamer as well, always playing some video games here and there as well as talking with the chat/her fans. people love when johnny comes on sometimes because they're so cute together and genuinely are the best. so just some nice fluff there.

2nd one: this one I can kind of see being a bit of a mini series, MAYBE 6 parts at most but johnny has been a bit of a close family friend for a while and has even let reader and her family visit on set sometimes. reader, while a bit younger than him, has developed feelings for the man. Johnny decides to take her out for some fun, let her have a nice night at a local bar. two get close and things spark between them, them forming a secret relationship. however, with the spotlight being on johnny a lot and the whole age difference situation, could this last? (could definitely see some smut and maybe a bit of angst, a nice ending though.) please??

so...yea! there you go, those are my requests. lemme know what you think and yea! thank you 💜💜💜

Special Guest Star

Johnny Knoxville x reader

Buy me a coffee :)

‘Hi everyone!’ I said into my laptop as my stream went live, ‘afraid it’s only going to be a short one today because I’m still on the Jackass set and I have no idea when they’re going to need be back but I really wanted to show you guys this new game I brought.’ I held up a copy of my new game and began to talk a little about its story and the kind of game it was.

I love streaming. It’s a way I get to share my love of video games with other people who love them as much as me and people always come up to me in the street to give me their recommendations and just to say hello. I also have my streaming platform to thank for meeting my boyfriend. I’d posted a video on Youtube where I spoke about how much I loved watching the Jackass TV series and little to my knowledge, it had caught the eye of the one and only Johnny Knoxville. From there, he had reached out to me through the comment section, inviting me to visit the set on one of their filming days. This then led to me and Johnny spending more and more time together, Johnny eventually mustering up the courage to ask me out. Since then, we’ve been inseparable and he instantly won over my fans.

‘So, I’ll probably start this thing when I get home tonight and I’ll,’

‘(Y/N)!’ I heard Johnny’s excited voice call from outside and before I knew it, he swung into the doorway of our shared dressing room, out of breath, bandages around his wrist, his white t-shirt still stained with blood, making it obvious that he had come straight from the medical trailer.

‘What the fuck happened to you?!’ I exclaimed.

‘We just got the best footage baby girl,’ he said, laughing as he walked into the trailer, grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me roughly, ‘honestly the way that the,’

‘Stop!’ I cut him off quickly before he spoiled the stunt, ‘I’m on live honey!’

‘What?’ He looked towards my laptop and saw the red light next to the camera which meant it was on. A grin spread across his lips as he swung his arm around my shoulders and pressed his cheek against mine, trying to fit the both of us into the frame, ‘hey guys!’

I laughed as the comment section went wild on the side as Johnny pressed a hard kiss to my cheek, ‘you’re in for a real treat with this one stunt alone for this film, I’ve been in the medical trailer for the last hour making sure that I’m all good.’

My face dropped as I took in what he said, ‘what the fuck did you do,’ completely, forgetting the camera was on as I put my hands on his face and turned his head from side to side before my hands went to the hem of his t-shirt, beginning to lift it up, Johnny laughing harder than before.

‘Don’t you think we should sign off baby girl? You know, before we give everyone on the internet a free show?’

I dropped his shirt back down, turning back to the camera and smiling, ‘good point, so we’re going to go but I’ll see you all tonight to let you know what this game’s like! Bye!’

I quickly logged off of the stream and turned in my seat, my attention now fully on Johnny.

‘Right, why the fuck was you in the trailer for an hour?’

‘Turns out that Anaconda bites leads to a lot of blood loss.’

[opalesense]

um um hiii! im like literally in l o v e with ur writing, especially the diluc and kaeya stories (im such a simp omg) and was wondering if you could do some more diluc x reader x kaeya nsfw—

ofc you can ignore this but ty if you consider it!! stay hydrated and safe ily <3

over the counter

diluc x f!reader x kaeya (NSFW)

6.5k words • ~40 min. read

summary: after a tense night at the tavern, kaeya accidentally forgets his belongings and comes back to see you and diluc having an intimate moment – or maybe it wasn’t an accident...

warnings: slight degradation, a lot of jealousy!!  drama!!

notes: reader is in a relationship with diluc beforehand just to switch things up a little from my last fic! also this fic favors diluc a lot more so diluc simps come get your juice ;D thanks for waiting anon ily too <3 i’m so sorry this took so long T_T

SPENDING WEEKEND NIGHTS AT THE TAVERN was not uncommon for you. In fact, whether you were in the mood to drink or not, one of the main reasons you frequently visited the bar was to keep Diluc company, who greatly appreciated the effort you put into making sure he didn’t feel alone while he worked. Evenings with the two of you were often spent idly chatting while he served drinks, which surely kept his spirits up throughout the longer and busier nights. Customers usually commented about how Diluc always seemed to have a grin on his face when you were around, unlike some other nights where his deadpan expression often intimidated the people of Mondstadt and subsequently intimidated the customers themselves.

 That didn’t stop business from booming, of course. As long as the alcohol was good and quickly served, customers couldn’t care less about how intimidating Diluc could be. Neither would they care about how he would sneak some free drinks to your seat across the bar if you asked for it, or how he would shyly rest his hand on top of yours if the night was slow and no one was paying attention.

 In the end, on weekend nights when you were sitting in your favorite seat at the bar that was conveniently never taken no matter how busy the night was (or maybe not so convenient, since Diluc always made sure to secretly reserve it when the weekend rolled around), people knew never to bother the two of you. After all, on nights when Diluc was happy, he gave spectacular service to bargoers, who decidedly took advantage of this hospitality and thus visited Angels Share more often knowing the atmosphere was better if you were there.

 But of course, as soon as a certain blue haired customer walked into the establishment to take his long awaited night off of the week, Diluc couldn’t help but shake his head at you and sarcastically remark, “Well, here comes trouble...”

 “What, are you not happy to see me, brother?” After placing his belongings down, Kaeya took his seat next to you and shot you a friendly grin to briefly acknowledge your presence. “I’ve been coming here after work almost every night for so long – have you finally gotten tired of me already?”

 Diluc rolled his eyes and began making a Death After Noon for his brother, already knowing the specific bittersweet flavor he likes without Kaeya needing to ask. “Come to think of it, it’s about time I take off that family discount of yours, I’ve been too nice to you these past months.”

 Kaeya crossed his arms as he leaned forward on the counter with a scoff. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 “It means I need financial compensation for the headache that you induce whenever you’re in the same vicinity as me,” Diluc joked as he finished making the drink then set it in front of Kaeya, who took the glass with a pout and turned to face you.

 “You hear this guy? Financial compensation... as if he needs it, being the richest jerk in all of Mondstadt to date.”

 “Watch your tone, idiot,” Diluc snapped back as he turned to serve another awaiting customer.

 There was no doubt that the two seemed to get along quite well as of late.  At first it was almost as if they were both trying to impress you by showing you that they could be nice to each other as per your request, but as time passed, competition turned into a slow realization of having genuine concern for each other, and the brothers have been on the road to reconciliation ever since.  Even when Diluc ended up being the one to completely sweep you off your feet and steal your heart, Kaeya never showed any opposition and even encouraged your relationship.  “Despite everything, you truly deserve her, ‘Luc,” you overheard him reassure Diluc months ago after admitting defeat in their competition.

 There was no doubt that you loved Diluc more than anything.  He provided you with everything you could ever ask for, from emotional support and material things to overwhelming satisfaction in the bedroom.  But at the back of your mind, especially on slightly tipsy nights such as this one, lies a certain lingering thought about that certain blue haired brother.  Was it so bad to fantasize about being pressed between the two?  Was it so bad to imagine the feeling of being fondled and manhandled by both of them at the same time?  Was it so bad to be at least curious about being shared between the two?

 You took a sip of your free drink as you stared blankly at the dents on the wooden counter.

 Maybe it is bad, you thought.

 After all, if Diluc mentioned that he wanted a threesome with someone else, you wouldn’t exactly be ecstatic about it.

 That’s why you would never mention these fantasies to either of them, despite trusting them both with all of your secrets after being close with them for so long.  You were scared of how Diluc would react to your curiosity.  You were scared he would get the wrong impression and that your relationship would come tumbling down as a consequence of your little fantasy.

 Maybe it is bad.

 Your thoughts were interrupted by Kaeya snapping his fingers in front of your face.  His head was tilted to the side as if he were trying to meet your downturned gaze.  “Hey.  Did I lose you?  What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

 “I was just lost in thought,” you ignored the subtle compliment and averted your eyes from the counter to look at Kaeya’s face, the shadows of the dimly lit tavern casting on him at the perfect angle to show off his features.  You had to admit he was handsome - hell, all of Mondstadt surely thought so too.  You glanced around nervously looking for Diluc to see a glimpse of his fiery hair heading up the stairs to the second floor, presumably to serve a table.  He was understaffed today, you remember him saying.

 “What were we talking about again?” you asked Kaeya, a little dazed and confused, overwhelmed by the reality of the moment.  The clinking of glasses throughout the tavern, the bard playing the lyre in the corner, and the large group of rowdy men at a nearby table flooded your senses, leaving you a bit dizzy with no help at all from the alcohol.  He simply laughed, gazing down as he swirled his own drink in his glass then met your eyes once more.

 “I was asking how you and Diluc have been,” his sharp stare contrasted with his soft grin as the currently sober man turned his stool to completely face you.  There was intention in his eyes, but you couldn’t exactly pinpoint what those intentions were.  “I know he doesn’t like to catch up with small talk so I don’t like to bother asking him about what’s new.”

 With the heel of your boot you decided to turn your stool to face him as well.  Your knees were less than an inch away from touching his, which made you internally flustered given the fantasy you were just thinking about.  You tried your best to keep your eyes on his face, ignoring his exposed skin just under his neck.  He tilted his head back and took a sip of his drink then continued.  “Besides, I enjoy talking to you more than him anyway.”

 You could see right through him in this moment.  Or at least, you thought you could.  Maybe you were overthinking it, but you swore you could see his sapphire eyes slowly trail from your eyes down your body all the way to your grazing knees then dart back up again.

 Maybe it was bad.  Maybe it was the lighting.

 “We’ve been doing good,” you nodded, studying his face more.  “He’s been a lot happier recently since the two of you have been getting along more.  Don’t tell him I told you that, though,” you leaned in slightly with a wink.

 Kaeya let out a low chuckle at that and looked down at his glass again, taking a moment to form his next words.  With a nod, he let out a sigh of relief.  “That’s great.  You’ve been looking a lot happier too, I can tell.”

 “Oh?  How exactly can you tell?  We haven’t seen each other in a while,” you crossed your legs, feeling defensive, which accidentally brushed his in the process.  You quietly apologized and he slightly lifted his hand up to excuse you.

 “Oh, it’s nothing too crazy.  It’s just the glow in your face and the pep in your step when I see you on the streets while I’m out patrolling.  Seems like Diluc’s got one happy girl,” he tilted his head back for another sip, and for a moment, you saw his genial smile drop as he set his glass back down on the counter.  But as quickly as he let go of his façade , he quickly masked his intentions again with a chuckle.

 He seemed a little jealous, you thought.  But before you could fully form a thought around that idea, Diluc came back with a tray in hand, empty glasses and mugs balancing on top of his palm.  He carefully placed each of them into the sink and got to work on washing then drying them.

 “How have you been, Kaeya?” he said with his back turned towards you both, “You weren’t flirting with my [Y/N] while I was gone, were you?”

 “How could I do such a thing?” Kaeya huffed, seemingly offended.  “Put some more faith in me, brother.”

 Diluc turned around with a glass in hand, drying it with a rag and initially focusing his attention on Kaeya.  You watched as the two stared at each other across the bar for a few moments, the air suddenly getting thicker as they both emanated a strange seriousness, almost as if they were arguing telepathically.  Diluc’s intense stare burned into Kaeya’s cold expression, his arms tensing up so much that you thought he was going to break the glass in his hands.  It was a little scary to witness how quickly the mood could change in only a few minutes, and feeling a little uncomfortable, you decided to stand up and make your way to the second floor balcony for some fresh air, away from the loud atmosphere of the main room and even further away from whatever random feud the brothers sparked up tonight.

 The crisp air was meditative.  It was soothing to stand on the balcony, leaning over the rail and staring into the night sky, letting your mind wander.  Your days were often bustling with work and interacting with people so it was very rare to have a moment like this to yourself.  At first, you figured it would be best to go back downstairs – after all, it had been a week since you’ve talked to Kaeya and it would be nice to catch up with your friend.  But you weren’t sure why the mood was suddenly so tense, especially since nothing had really happened and as much as you knew how Diluc was protective over you, you felt like he was overreacting.

 As you took slow sips of your drink, savoring the taste and gazing upon the night life of Mondstadt below, seconds turned into minutes, then minutes turned into an hours, and soon the moon had settled into the midnight sky and the tavern was nearing its closing time.  You hadn’t realized that so much time had passed until Kaeya, who was usually the last customer to leave the tavern, whistled towards you from below as he was walking home, waving to get your attention then finally turning away and bidding farewell.

 “Darling,” you heard a familiar voice behind you as you were waving back to Kaeya, “Did I do something to upset you?”

 You turned to see a clearly apologetic Diluc standing in the balcony doorway, his arms crossed and hair messily thrown up into a ponytail.  “Why didn’t you come back inside?  We were waiting for you,” he quietly asked as he slowly approached you.

 He placed his hands on your waist and pressed his forehead against yours while rubbing small circles into your sides with his thumbs.  You pressed a soft kiss to his lips which he gladly returned with several more gentle kisses across your face, humming slowly and patiently waiting for your response.

 “You didn’t do anything wrong, Diluc.  I really just needed some fresh air.  I’ve felt a little overwhelmed all night and didn’t notice how much time passed,” you muttered.

 You were telling half the truth.

 You didn’t want to admit that you thought Diluc was being a little overdramatic, and you certainly didn’t want to tell him that you were overwhelmed with the thought of being touched by him and his brother at the same time.  Some things are better left unsaid.

 Maybe that was bad.  Maybe white lies were okay, only for now.

 He pressed one last kiss to your forehead before nodding as he processed your words.  “Let’s get you warmed up back inside, you must have been freezing out here.”

 “I didn’t think this is what you meant by getting warmed up,” you softly giggled in between passionate kisses as his bare, warm hands traveled up your top to eventually pull the entire damned thing off.  He tossed it off to the side mindlessly before unbuttoning his own uniform top and letting it drape next to yours over the bar stool it landed on.

 “I’ve had a long night,” he trailed the kisses down to your neck, gently biting enough to only leave subtle marks and murmuring against your skin.  He lifted you up onto the counter to get better leverage over you, slowly spreading your legs apart then continuing the kisses down your collarbone.  “And you look so beautiful tonight, I can’t help myself.”

 “Just make it quick, okay?” you nervously looked at the window behind him which allowed the moonlight to illuminate the already darkened bar but also allowed anyone who felt like peering in to clearly see the two of you getting touchy in the tavern.  You let him press up against you regardless, feeling his bulge grind against your clothed hips desperately.  “What if someone sees?” you whispered, teasing him with the idea of getting interrupted and caught, which you knew annoyed him to the core.

 “Good,” he paused for a moment to look up at you, his hungry eyes burning into your memory.  “Let them see that you’re clearly mine.”

 Your heart throbbed at this sudden possessiveness and with a naughty smirk, you decided to give up the innocent act.  With a few swift movements, the rest of your clothes were ripped off until you were half naked, the only remaining bit of modesty you had being the underwear that clinged to your skin until Diluc eventually pulled that off too, exposing you fully to him.

 “So beautiful,” he sighed as he kneeled down in front of you, pulling your hips towards him then pinning your knees to the counter as he lowered his head to your aroused cunt.  “And all mine.”

 You couldn’t help but let out quiet, staggered breaths as he immediately wrapped his lips around your clit, gently sucking and nibbling on the sensitive nub as his eyes remained glued to yours.  “All y-yours,” you reaffirmed, which made him hum in appreciation.

 He had never considered fucking you in the tavern before, especially since he rarely had the establishment all to himself for a shift, but just this once, he was happy he was understaffed tonight.  All the frustrations he had endured this evening, from the annoying table on the main floor to bickering with Kaeya about things that didn’t seem to matter anymore led to this very moment where he hungrily licked your wet folds, burying himself into the sound of your hesitant moans and feeling himself harden by the second.

 “P-Please fuck me already,” you breathlessly begged, “Please, Diluc, hurry…”

 “Cum for me first,” his low voice muttered into your aching cunt, making your legs quiver, “Show me how much you really want it.”

 The whine that escaped your throat was suddenly replaced with a gasp as Diluc pushed two fingers into you, immediately setting a quick pace and pressing into your sweet spot.  “Cum for me, darling,” he let go of the grip on your leg to stand up and hover over your torso, leaning closer to your face and snaking his free hand up your back.  “Be a good girl and cum on my fingers.”

 “D-Diluc…!” you whimpered with a pout, which earned a hum of disapproval from him.

 “Master Diluc,” he sternly reminded you, shifting his fingers into you quicker, causing your brain to malfunction as you began to tighten around him.

 “M-Master…!  I’m…!”

 “Go on,” he ran his fingers through your scalp and grabbed a handful of hair, leaning down to kiss you and muffle your moans of pleasure as you finally reached your climax, gushing around his fingers and trembling at his touch.  You whimpered in his mouth, muscles slightly spasming still as you started to calm down from your high and feel his fingers slowly pull out of you.  While keeping his grip on your hair, he let go of the kiss and stuck out his tongue against his fingers, licking your fluids in front of you and smiling in satisfaction.

 “Good girl,” he said as he revelled in his favorite taste.  You watched as he lapped up all the fluids, the mixture of cum and saliva glimmering on his fingers under the light of the moon through the window.

 Speaking of which, you weren’t sure if it was the way you were slightly tipsy or perhaps the heat of the moment deceiving you, but through Diluc’s messy locks and shiny fiingers, you swore you saw a glimpse of a familiar shade of blue through the window.  It was unmoving, sure, but it was there nonetheless, and it wasn’t there the last time you looked through the glass.

 Maybe it was bad.

 Maybe it was Kaeya.

 Horror sunk into your chest for a fleeting moment, but you blamed it on the alcohol, and the way you were thinking about Kaeya and Diluc so much within the past few hours.  Besides, all the thoughts you were having about the strange color in the window were replaced by the way Diluc unbuttoned his pants with one hand, the other still intertwined in your hair, then freed his cock and let it rest on your stomach as he slowly laid you down across the counter.  He pulled you towards him once more so your head could rest on the wood, his hair-tangled hand acting as a cushion while his elbow took its place beside you so he completely caged you in.  “Be quiet for me, okay?  We don’t want to wake all of Mondstadt this late at night…”

 “I’ll be good,” you promised him, letting your hands travel down to feel his length resting on your skin.  It had some weight to it as you lifted it, and as if you two were mentally in perfect sync, he pulled his hips back to let you position the tip at your entrance.

 Excitement boiled in your stomach as he slowly inched his hips forward, pushing his cock into you little by little, stretching your walls apart by the seams.  Your mouth went agape with the sheer stretch alone and fighting the urge to moan had never been more difficult.  Instead, the only sounds that filled the silent room was Diluc’s heavy breath as he closed his eyes from the way you wrapped around him so well, the gentle gasps and whimpers from you as he bottomed out and nearly hit your cervix, then the sudden rhythmic slapping of skin as he began to pound into you with no warning.

 Your eyes rolled back into your head at the rush of pleasure that came with the rolling of his hips into yours.  It was so difficult to keep quiet, so hard not to at least whimper and give tiny moans here and there as he fucked you silly on that bar counter, but he couldn’t care less since he told you to be quiet and expected you to follow suit.  You knew that.  He instead opted to gently wrap his hand on your throat without applying pressure – simply as a warning.

 You couldn’t control your orgasm even if you wanted to.  The way he stared into your eyes so desperately while his cock kissed your cervix repeatedly made you lose control so easily, and he took advantage of the way you tightened around him by fucking into you harder.  Faster.  Deeper.

 “You’re so fucking good, darling,” his hazy eyes glanced down to your lips with the intent to lean down for a kiss.  “You’re–“

 A loud knock on the door startled the two of you enough for Diluc to stop his thrusts and look up towards the source of the noise, a few red strands of hair draping over your face and tickling your cheek.  He stared intensely at the door, pushing into you again at snail speed as he waited for an indicator of who was the culprit of the noise.

 Another knock sent a jolt up your spine – or maybe it was the way Diluc snapped his hips into you once then slowly pulled back to drag out the pleasure.  With a frustrated huff, he decided to tighten the pressure around your neck and pound into you at the relentless speed he set before, quietly shushing you when you initially gasped in surprise.

 After one more knock, Diluc lost his patience.  It was his greatest pet peeve of interruption becoming a reality.  “We’re closed!” his voice boomed loudly so the person on the other side of the door would surely hear him, startling you at the sudden break of silence.  Clearly frustrated, he pounded into you faster, chasing his pleasure, knowing that he would need to deal with whoever was bothering the two of you this late at night and wanting to quickly reach his release before then.

 “It’s me,” both of your eyes widened at the familiar voice, “I forgot my stuff at my seat, could you let me in real quick?”

 Diluc turned his gaze down past your head to see that, as a matter of fact, Kaeya’s belongings were still at his seat from earlier.  His eyebrow twitched as he quickly pulled himself off of you, leaving you quietly gasping for air and clenching around nothing.

 “Get under the counter,” he whispered so quietly that you just barely heard him, “Don’t move a muscle.”

 Following his command, you made you way under the counter, nestling your naked body next to a cabinet of liquor as you watched Diluc button his pants and loosely put his shirt back on, buttoning it while he walked around the bar towards the door.  At that point, all you could do was listen to a set of keys jingle as he unlocked the tavern door and a gust of cold air rushed through the entrance, strong enough that you shivered behind the counter and hugged your knees to retain warmth.

 “Get your things then get out,” Diluc bluntly greeted Kaeya, who chuckled in response.

 “Aw, why the sudden hostility again?” you heard slow footsteps approach the bar, sending your heart racing with anxiety, “And why the disheveled appearance?  Oh, let me guess–“

 “Get your things.  Then get out,” Diluc said more sternly.  You could recognize that tone from anywhere.  He was furious.

 “But let me guess first!  Judging by the way the tavern is still a mess, I know you weren’t cleaning up the place just now.  And by the way your clothes are so messily put together even though they were so neat and tidy earlier, as well as the sweat on your forehead…  Oh, don’t tell me I interrupted something intimate, dear brother!”

 You didn’t need to see him to know that Diluc’s jaw was tensed, unable to form a response out of pure annoyance and frustration.  And still, Kaeya pressed his buttons.

 “You were fucking her real good,” he teased after waiting for a response and getting nothing from Diluc, ”I could hear it from outside the door.”

 “I fucking hate you,” was all Diluc could say in response.  He didn’t actually mean it, you knew this, but he was beyond irritated.

 Kaeya shuffled to grab his belongings by his seat and turned to face the door.  But as if he weren’t being petty enough, he reached into his bag for something and suddenly tossed it behind him – his house keys, which landed behind the bar right next to your feet.  Your eyes widened at this. You swore you stopped breathing even if you didn’t mean to.

 “I think I might have left something behind the counter too, mind if I check?”

 The silence that followed was unbearable, even if it only lasted a few seconds.  All of the sudden, your heart began to pound out of your chest, not only because of sheer fear and anxiety, but also because of the possibility that Kaeya would see you so vulnerable behind that counter, naked and hugging your knees, waiting for someone to hold you and ‘warm you up.’  Maybe he already did see you through that window.  Maybe it wasn’t just your mind playing tricks on you.

 “Okay, I’m sorry, Diluc, maybe I’ve gone too far–“

 “No,” Diluc interrupted him, “Go ahead.  Go get your keys.”

 What?

 “Seriously?” Kaeya scoffed in disbelief.

 What are you doing, Diluc?

 “Go on.”

 What’s happening?

 “‘Luc, I know she’s there, I’m just messing with you–“

 “No, Kaeya,” Diluc turned to close the tavern door and lock it, “I know you’ve been eyeing her since the very beginning, even before I came along.  I’m not even mad, I just feel sorry for you.  I feel sorry that I took away someone you wanted so badly and that you haven’t been able to move on since.”

 Diluc took a few steps towards the speechless brother and lowered his voice, still maintaining the same intensity and dragging out his words.  “So why don’t you go behind the counter and get your fucking keys?  While you’re there, you might as well fuck my girlfriend with me too, since you want her attention so badly.”

 The room froze in time, only for a moment.  Thoughts began to flood your mind – why would Diluc say that, especially since he was usually very protective over you?  Should you refuse to let Kaeya see you, or let it happen?  After all, it’s not like you weren’t at least a little bit curious how this situation would unfold...

 While you sat in the corner naked and trembling, you held back your breath and listened to Kaeya’s footsteps slowly drag across the wooden floor, the creaking getting closer and closer until he was in your peripheral vision.  “Diluc,” he immediately turned away once he saw you sitting there, exposed and cold, then let out a disgruntled sigh.

 “Come now, Kaeya,” Diluc stepped in front of him to enter the bar and suddenly grab your arm, lifting you up with no hesitation and making you gasp in embarassment.  He pinned your arms behind your back and turned to make you face Kaeya, whose eyes were glued to the opposite wall out of a little bit of respect.  “How about we make this a competition, since you seem to love competing so much?”

 “Diluc,” you whimpered as you tried to struggle out of his grasp with no success, which you didn’t complain about because a part of you wanted to unravel this situation even further.  “Please…”

 “Please what, darling?” he muttered into your ear from behind, “Oh, don’t tell me you’ve been pining for him too.”

 “N-No, of course not,” you whined, “I just…”

 Maybe it was bad.

 Maybe it was bad, but you were going to do it anyway.

 You pressed yourself against his hips, gently grinding on his erection and letting out small whimpers.  Just like Diluc, you hated being interrupted and couldn’t exactly think straight. All of this petty arguing didn’t matter to you, especially since you wanted them both from the beginning either way.  In an attempt to admit your secret without explicitly saying it, you mustered up the courage to mutter, “Please, both of you, stop fighting and just…  fuck me…”

 Diluc tightened his grip around you with a grin, letting out a low scoff.  “Slut.  I knew you were a slut,” your eyes widened and stomach burned in excitement at the sudden degrading nickname he called you, “I bet you’ve been thinking about something like this for a while, haven’t you?”

 You sheepishly nodded as he slowly pushed you back onto the counter, this time laying you on your stomach and bending you over.  “I won’t deny that I’ve been thinking about the same thing lately,” he started to unbutton his top again as you raised an eyebrow at this new information.  He huffed with annoyance as he unbuttoned his pants and turned his head to the dumbfounded brother across the bar.  “Kaeya, either grab your keys and go or stay here and keep her mouth occupied.  I’ll let you decide – just make it quick and quit standing there.”

 With your head dangling off the counter, you watched as Kaeya slowly turned around to face the two of you, studying the scene for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.  As if he finally made a decision, he put down his belongings again, took off his vest, and made his way across the counter, his hips only a foot away from your face.  Meanwhile, Diluc had already freed his cock once more, keeping one hand on your restricted arms and using the other to prod your entrance with his tip.  The excitement was overwhelming, coursing through your veins as you watched Kaeya slowly unbutton his pants as well with a bit of reluctance.

 “Please hurry, Kaeya,” you softly begged, hoping to encourage him to quit holding back since it was obvious he was being overly shy, “Please, I want this so bad…”

 “I’m sure you do, darling,” he adopted the pet name from Diluc, “But I like seeing you so needy for me when I’m moving slow like this.”

 Letting out an impatient growl, Diluc grabbed onto your hips as he sheathed his cock with your cunt all at once, making you mewl and sigh at the feeling of being full again.  He began rolling his hips deeply just as he did before he was so rudely interrupted, never failing to maintain his quick rhythm and making your brain short circuit.

 With his slender fingers, Kaeya held your chin in his hand, lifting your face up to look at his and grinning once he saw how your mind was lost as you burned with pleasure.  He stared at your flushed cheeks and panting mouth, comparing it to the usual calm and composed demeanor you always seemed to have.  He smirked, rubbing a small circle into your chin with his thumb.  “So this pretty, helpless face is what Diluc gets to see every single day?  I’m very jealous, brother.”

 That comment only made Diluc pound into you harder, his weight shifting into his arm to pin you down further.  “Cry about it,” he mocked.

 Ignoring the comment, Kaeya only pressed his lips together in a pout to tease you, slowly taking out his cock which made your mind boggle at the sheer size of it.  He was just as deliciously large as Diluc was, and as he began to stroke it in front of your face, secretly admiring the sight of you being fucked senseless by his brother, you couldn’t help but feel like you were melting in the presence of such dominating forces hovering over you.  Without second thought, you left your mouth agape, letting your tongue stick out in a wordless way of telling him you wanted to take him, to satiate your hungry desires that you hid for quite some time now.

 “Eager, are we?” Kaeya didn’t seem to ever shut up his teasing, “I was just going to stand here and enjoy the show, but if you really want it that badly…”

 One hand on your chin turned into one thumb in your mouth, which you received gratefully nonetheless.  He let you suckle sweetly on his finger, cooing at how pathetic you looked drooling all over it when he hadn’t done anything yet.  All the while Diluc let go of your folded arms and instead used both hands to firmly grip your ass and pound into you deeper, the sound of slapping skin filling up the room along with his shaky breaths now and then.

 A whimper escaped your throat as you looked up at Kaeya’s face,  He didn’t need to hear you say the words to know that you were quietly begging for a taste of him by looking at him so innocently, and as such, your wish was his command.  He took a step forward to nestle the head of his cock into your mouth, his thumb still on your tongue to make you open up wider and let you salivate over the taste of his skin until he slowly began pushing himself deeper, watching your gag reflex just to find out you were taking him in quite nicely.  His heart was aching with jealousy that Diluc was so lucky to have you all to himself, but nonetheless, once he fully bottomed out inside of your throat that he had to remove his finger to fit properly, he saw this as an opportunity to enjoy himself and sighed in pleasurable relief.

 Kaeya’s hands found their place on both sides of your head as he slowly fucked your throat, wanting to relish in the feeling of you wrapped so tightly around him, holding back coughs and tears.  It was a painfully delightful contrast to the way Diluc was relentlessly abusing your aching hole from the other side of the counter, letting out his pent up frustrations of the night in the form of deep thrusts and shameless pants.  Kaeya couldn’t help but leave quiet moans here and there as well while he slowly pushed himself in and out of your mouth, filling your throat up with his entire length just to pull back with a sigh then do it again.

 Eventually, Kaeya became more comfortable with picking up the pace, watching as Diluc’s slammed his hips into yours and yearning for a similar feeling.  His hands traveled through your scalp, tangling through your hair messily as he leaned in to fuck into your mouth with more intent.  You hummed sweetly as Kaeya finally stopped holding back, giving into the pleasure and matching Diluc’s rough pace.  The feeling of the two of them ignoring their feud and instead taking out their frustrations on you made your insides twist and knot together knowing that after so long, your fantasies have come to light – or rather, they came to this dimly lit tavern in the middle of the night.

 Diluc was the first to release himself in you, filling your drenched cunt with his seed and controlling his staggering breaths as he fucked you slowly to calm down from his high.  It made you needy to hear his low groans in their fullest volume, but you knew that that had to be saved for different circumstances.  His fingers that dug into your skin so intensely gently lifted off of you has he wiped the slight sweat off his forehead and simultaneously looked up to watch Kaeya fucking your throat.  If he hadn’t been so exhausted from work tonight, he would’ve secretly loved to invite Kaeya for another round, knowing how tightly your cunt wrapped around him the second Kaeya started touching you.

 Shortly after, Kaeya finally reached his own release too, letting your nose nestle in his trimmed blue hair as he dumped his cum into your throat unceremoniously.  His chest slowly rose and fell with each deep breath he took, trying to control himself as he felt you attempt to swallow his seed while he was still inside you.  The feeling drove him crazy and craving for more, but as he averted his gaze from you to look at Diluc on the other side, a wave of regret and jealousy washed over him knowing that this was probably going to leave him off on bad terms with his brother – again.

 But much to his dismay, as he slowly pulled out of you, Diluc only laughed.  He laughed wholeheartedly as he gently caressed your waist, soothing you while you gasped for air.  Kaeya stood there confused on the sudden lightheartedness in the air, tucking himself back into his pants and getting ready to leave as soon as possible, slightly ashamed for indulging in such an impulsive moment of vulnerability for you and Diluc.

 “Not so fast,” Diluc spoke the first words after the long period of silence once Kaeya started to pick up his belongings, “You’re forgetting your keys.”

 With the help of Diluc, you slowly lifted yourself up to lay on your back, keeping your legs spread and incoherently mewling for more.  Diluc only grinned at this, shushing you with a gentle look and caressing your thigh as he briefly saw his cum pooling on the counter.  Kaeya nervously glanced at you before entering the bar and walking towards his keys next to Diluc’s foot, grabbing them, then standing back up with an averted gaze.  The poor boy was so nervous, but you had to admit he tasted so good.

 Diluc placed a reaffirming hand on Kaeya’s shoulder, making Kaeya lift his head and look into his eyes.  The two shared a moment of eye contact, communicating a shared sense of apology to each other.  Maybe it was bad at first, but regardless of how much they seemed to be at each others throats, they always seemed to make amends in the end.

 “Okay, get out,” Diluc bluntly said, which followed with hurried footsteps towards the door and a quick, “Alright, alright, I’m leaving!” from Kaeya.  The exchange made you laugh, but once Kaeya was finally gone and Diluc had locked the door behind him, you were beginning to get antsy.

 “So,” Diluc trailed his eyes up and down your trembling body still splayed out on the counter, “would you, by chance, ever be interested in doing that again?  Just the three of us?”

 “I want to so badly,” you breathlessly admitted, replaying the past half hour in your head and letting the memory brand into your mind.  “Please, Master?”

 He thought about it for a moment then grinned.

 “I’ll think about it.  As long as you know you belong to me in the end, maybe another round with him wouldn’t be so bad.”

[maximumcheese]

Dance of the White Tiger - A Snow Flurry at Dawn 1

Season: Winter

Location: Outside Seisou Hall

Subaru: We’ve arrived ~ ☆

Gami-san, thanks for coming with me to the convenience store! Thanks to you, the trip really wasn’t so boring.

Koga: I really didn’t do a hella lot. Just chatted with ya on the way back from Seisou Hall, that’s all.

Ah, and after, we ate those meat buns in front of the store, huh? They were pretty tasty ♪

Subaru: Yeah, yeah! Well, they were the same except for the “Happy New Year” branded on them, but they were still pretty tasty!

It’s really been a while since I went out with you, Gami-san. It’s more fun when you eat together with everyone ☆

Could be because we’re already three days into the month, but the town’s already so quiet. Ugh, I didn’t even get the chance to savor the New Year…

Koga: I was so busy at the end of last year, I had no time for New Year’s. Also for a few days, I was caught up in digesting those New Year dishes that everyone made for me.

Well anyways, it’s just quiet ‘cuz it’s really early in the morning, right? It’s winter break, so things’ll start getting busy around noon.

Subaru: Ah, I see! Then I can still be in the mood for New Year’s!

I wonder what we should do today~ Does Gami-san already have anything planned?

Koga: Today? We’re gettin’ together for somethin' at night for Undead.

Subaru: For Undead?

Koga: Yeah. I think the person settin’ things up was Hakaze-senpai…? Anyways, the four of us are havin’ a New Years’ party.

Which reminds me, I was told to think 'bout my resolutions for this year. Shit, I didn't think of anythin’~

Subaru: Resolutions, huh? If it’s Gami-san, I think something like "Live to Rock!” is enough, right?

Koga: That’s suitable, but lazy as shit. Well, it does sound like me, tho'.

Subaru: Right, right. If Gami-san says so, it must rock ☆ That’s nice~ I want a New Years’ party, too!

Koga: Trickstar ain’t doing one? I thought ya guys were all buddy-buddy.

Subaru: Ye~ah, I wonder? I feel like we don’t talk about that sorta thing.

Ah, but yesterday, we had a small good-bye party in the dressing room. Everyone was tired, so we disbanded right away.

Anzu, too, was with us, we had fun…☆

Koga: Anzu, huh… That girl, is she gettin’ enough rest? If she’s careless, she’ll be working at ES while the rest of us are on break.

Subaru: I think she's doing okay? She just said she had some errands to run. Anzu is Anzu so I'm sure she’s enjoying her New Year's break.

I wanna enjoy myself too~ So, Gami-san, Gami-san, let's have a snowball fight!

Koga: Huh? Two people throwin’ snowballs at each other ain’t gonna be much fun, is it?

Subaru: We won’t know unless we try ☆

Here I go~! Out with the demons, in with the fortune~☆

Koga: Uwahph!? Don’t just start like that~! Anyways, that’s somethin’ we say in Setsubun~!~!

Subaru: Then I’m out and Gami-san is in~☆

Koga: I don’t give a shit if yer out!

Tsukasa: (...Hah, I can finally see Seisou Hall again. It's not a good idea to go too far on just a casual walk.)

(Because it was early in the morning and there were no people around, I just kept walking without thinking about the return trip.)

(But, well, it's a good thing. It was a good exercise.)

(...I accidentally ate too much of the oshiruko served at the Sweets Fan Club last night.)

(I was so elated by the deliciousness of the food that I used the fact that it was New Year's Day as an excuse.)

(I’m not supposed to. I’ve got to burn some calories before Sena-senpai can say something like, “Have you gotten fat again?”)

(Hm? Over there is…)

Good morning, Oogami-senpai. I see that you are participating in a snowball fight—

….Uwahtoh!?

Koga: Hey, hey, don't talk to me out of the blue. Ya got hit, didn'tcha?

Tsukasa: I’m very sorry. Ugh, it appears that I have gotten snow on my clothing.

Koga: Stay still and I’ll brush it off ya’. …See, there ya go, how’s that?

Tsukasa: Thank you very much.

Oogami-senpai, behind you!

Koga: Behind me?

Subaru: Fu, fu, fu. I got your weak spot…☆

Koga: Waongyah!? That’s cold! Ya little shit~, don’t put snow in my jacket~!

I’m gettin' my revenge! Hey, red-haired rich shit, back me up here!

Tsukaa: Me, as well? Two against one is against the spirit of chivalry!

Subaru: I’m cool with it! The thrill gets me all fired up~☆

Cathy, Gami-san, come towards the sound of my clapping~♪ [1]

Koga: Do it, you bitch. You there, follow me!

Tsukasa: Yes. Although I don’t know the details of how you got into this snowball fight.

We will win regardless. ♪

Time: A short while later

Subaru: Ahaha! Gami-san, Cathy~ You two are really coming together rather quickly!

But if you're not careful, you might get hit by a snowball anyways ☆

Koga: Tch, he dodged again. Quick bastard…

Red-haired rich kid, is yer stamina okay? Don’t push yerself too hard, ya know.

Tsukasa: Don’t worry. I can still move just fine…

Hm, Oogami-senpai, that is—

Koga: Huh?

Subaru: ……

Koga: That Akehosi bastard, why’d he just stop?

…Nah, doesn’t matter why. This is our best chance. Hey, turn around, let’s do the pincer attack.

Tsukasa: Understood, I’ll get in position.

Subaru: ……

Koga: (What's the matter, Akehoshi? You've got a lotta openings. Now we can aim as much as we please ♪)

(...Looks like that red-haired rich kid is ready to go. Now, one~two!)

Tsukasa・Koga: Hey!

Subaru: …Alright, let’s go ☆

Koga: Hah!? Ugyaa!?

Tsukasa: Hiyabu!?

Subaru: Hmm, Cathy and Gami-san, why’re you hitting each other with snowballs? Aren’t you supposed to be teammates?

Koga: Hrahgn, there’s snow in my mouth… It's yer bastard’s fault. I was just dumbfounded, that’s why.

Subaru: Dumbfounded? …Ahh, you were looking at that.

Tsukasa: By 'that', do you mean the truck parked at the end of the sidewalk? …Ah.

Rinne: ……

Tsukasa: That guy is Amagi Rinne-senpai, but…Who is the other one?

Koga: Not sure but, I don’t think they’re affiliated with Seisou Hall. They look sketchy as fuck.

Subaru: Yeah. As far as I know, I've never seen them in the dorms. I'm sure they’re an outsider.

...So, an outsider and Rinne-senpai are hurriedly packing the cardboard boxes from Seisou Hall into the back of a truck.

And this early in the morning? Seems suspicious, doesn't it? Aren’t you guys curious about it?

Koga: Well, a bit.

Subaru: Right? So let's go sneak out and check it out ☆

Uwah, there’s a lot more boxes than I expected.

Umm~. I can't really tell what's inside it 'cause there's nothing written on them. Alrighty, let’s hop in ☆

Tsukasa: Huh? You’re just going to ride on the luggage portion?

Subaru: It’s fine as long as we don’t get caught! Rinne-senpai doesn't seem to be around, so you two, come here~

Koga: C’mere, c’mere, sheesh, we ain't yer property, ya know…

I dunno what’s in there, but don’t break it.

Subaru: Got it ☆ Cathy, too, hurry up!

Tsukasa: M-Me too? Umm…

Subaru: Aren’t you curious about what’s inside these boxes as well?

Tsukasa: I understand. Well, just small peek then..

If only for a little while, Akehoshi-senpai. After checking what's inside, let us quickly depart.

Subaru: Okay, okay, I knooow~

…Wah, I hear footsteps! Hide, both of you!

Rinne: —'Aight. That’d be everythin'. I'd better get outta here before someone finds me.

Adios, Seisou Hall! I’ve stripped ya of all of yer treasures, Gyahaha ☆

This is a reference to a song titled ​​手の鳴る方へ

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proofing by: mia/@nenosuns