#that boy has ny whole heart

[the-larashark]

Okay so the online community is basically non-existent (screaming crying throwing up) but if you're interested in non-mainstream dnd type actual-plays I need you to check out Tabletopnotch right now I'm so serious. Their first campaign was in a homebrew world, it's called A Peak Beneath The Veil, they have bite-sized recaps about ten minutes long if you can't make it through full episodes (about three hours), BUT I've been watching their new campaign called Brunkhollow and I'm completely obsessed.

Brunkhollow is a low-magic campaign, where most magics disappeared (wiped off the planet by the gods?) years ago, and only Clerics use magic. They're highly regarded as Bad News, so make sure you don't run across one! In any case, Brunkhollow centres around this group of people arriving in a new town called, you guessed it, Brunkhollow! This town is only about a year old, and is surrounded by something called the Cusp, which is important to remember when travelling there, as Brunkhollow is known as a "blind-spot to the gods", and no magic or Clerics can be found here. It's a godless place, and gives big Deadwood vibes honestly. Everyone here is trying to get by, find work, start a business. It's said that the only reason anyone comes to Brunkhollow is because "they're either running from something or coming to find someone".

Anyways the DM is amazing, the way he truly inhabits each NPC as he plays them, the physicality and descriptions and voices are just stellar, all the player characters are amazing and I love them, I always think I have a favourite and it changes every twenty minutes or so, I'm only on episode four but I've been watching bits and pieces via YouTube shorts and Instagram for months, seriously the props and the maps and the roleplay and the battles, it's all so good, please go check them out!! They're on YouTube, Twitch (they stream on Sundays!), they have a Discord server which is the most active place for fans, and a TikTok which they also stream on and post clips to!

I'll never stop singing their praises okay they're so so good I'm proud of them??? Seriously you won't regret checking them out they're so fantastic I'm obsessed

[parkminijiminie]

AYS - Jeju trip /my recap/

Now that all of the Jeju episodes have aired, I've come back to quickly share my opinion. Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and speculation, you are more than free to disagree with me.

Overall, I managed to enjoy the episodes despite my initial hesitation. I was 50-50 about the first episode and I liked the other two. It wasn't a full love because while watching, I couldn't relax completely knowing how certain things would be twisted later on, but overall I enjoyed Jeju much more than I anticipated.

Let's start with the obvious difference between Jeju and NY, namely "the guest". TH's presence didn't add anything of value for me, apart from some cute Vmin moments and very few but still cute Vminkook ones. His being there didn't show me any new insight into their relationships, and there was no major change in either Vmin or Taekook. Even though Tae and JK spent a lot of time together in the first half of 2023, I didn't see any change in their dynamics or any new emotional depth to it. As many people have already said, JK and Tae together are two kids bouncing off each other's energies. They really bring out the immaturity in each other, and even if I tried, I could not get any romantic vibes from their interactions. Jk made it abundantly clear that TH being there was something he didn't choose and even seemed mildly annoyed by it the first day.

When it comes to JM and JK, this trip also didn't show anything new for me, but rather things I've always associated them with - their own private jokes, their being in sync with each other at all times, just existing in their own little world. They really do click. I loved their scenes at the pool, both days, I loved that JK is JM's personal chef, I loved that JM always pays attention to what JK is doing, even when driving, I loved their little joint routine at all times of the day. This really was JM and JK's trip through and through, and even a third party being there didn't really change anything. The only time we didn't have the signature JK and JM interactions was when JM was feeling unwell, after that they were back to their usual antics.

Jeju to me showed them being as close as ever. None of the tension and awkwardness from NY was present, which means that whatever issues they previously had, it was all resolved between the two trips.

As for them individually, I would say I am more and more and more amazed with Jimin with every new footage of this man I see. Firstly, he is just so naturally uniquely gorgeous. I kept staring at his bare face and wondering how one person could be so pretty even when sleeping, driving, and feeling sick. It's just like magic to me. More than that, he is just a class act through and through. He is polite, fun, considerate, energetic, just the whole package.

When it comes to JK, I would say he is a special person and probably a lot to handle in real life. He can be really sweet and his love language is definitely acts of service, but he also has an immature side to him. Maybe that comes from being the youngest and I think it was especially amplified because he was with the youngest members who always let him off easily. I think he is very kind-hearted, definitely not mean-spirited like some people make him out to be, but he is also a little bit impulsive at times. Personally, for me, he would probably be a little too much to handle in real life, but I can see that JM for sure knows how to handle him really well. As for JK's feelings towards Jimin, I think this boy lives and breathes for Jimin's attention. When JM is near, he is downright obsessed with having his eyes on him. He truly is like a big energetic, sometimes unruly puppy, wanting to be played with, praised, and loved upon. I can't really blame him, though. I, too, would turn into a clown or a personal chef, if it meant having Park Jimin's love and attention directed at me. In my opinion, nobody could truly deserve Jimin, but it is clear that Jimin truly adores Jungkook.

Jeju definitely showed that Jm and Jk have a very special type of relationship. The vibes between them were as weird as ever and it left me with more questions about the nature of their relationship than answers, but then again, this is also nothing new. 2023 Jikook remains confusing to me, but I am okay with that.

In conclusion, I liked the Jeju trip and I am not afraid to admit I love the solo parts between Jm and Jk the most. After all, this is what I paid for and wanted to see from the beginning and I am glad there were still plenty of JM and JK solo interactions. While these three episodes were better than what I expected them to be, I am the most excited about the upcoming Japan ones. I must admit I dreaded the Jeju episodes a little bit, which is why I actually didn't watch the first two right away, but I am fully, and 100% excited about Japan.

[hockeyandhrsepwr]

Yeehaw baby! 🤠

Mat Barzal x reader insta edit

Note: I’m not a Barzal gal but I am a ho for a man in a cowboy hat which I blame on my proximity to Alberta. Someone has probably done something similar to this so I just want to be clear that I’m not copying anyone

Summary: Barzy takes on Stampede

Yourusername

Yourusername it’s July now, y’all know what that means 🤠

Yourbro it’s Canada Day?

Yourusername bruh

Yourbff yeehaw?

Yourusername haw-yee baby🤪

User2 oh slay, time for the yearly content

User4 can’t wait for your outfits!!

User457 this is my met gala lol

Yourfriend Pede?

Yourusername Pede

Yourfriend well hurry up bitch!! We’re waiting

Yourusername hope you’re ready

Lenasianed can’t wait to see you!

Yourusername it’s time to celebrate you my sweet girl!! Please tell me I can have baby snuggles?

Lenasianed she’s with the grandparents this weekend

Yourusername ☹️

Barzal97

Barzal97 a rootin tootin good time celebrating EBear

Titobeauvi oh dear god

Bboeser buddy you’re from Vancouver

Barzal97 I’m a cowboy at heart

MamaBarzal oh really?

User78 oh fuck Cowboy Barzy

User67 HELLO?!

Yourusername The Longest Ride (TM)

User33 um, something you wanna tell us?

Yourusername he’s giving Scott Eastwood in the classic film The Longest Ride. Obviously

User25 not where I thought that was going tbh

Barzal97 thanks I think?

EBear thanks for coming out man!!

Barzal97 anytime man!

Friend78 YYC > YVR

Barzal97 I will not accept Van slander. Calgs only better when it comes to this

HockeyGoss

Hockeygoss howdy y’all, look what we have here. Mat Barzal spotted getting close to a mysterious woman during Stampede

User4 girlies living the dream

User90 god the hat

User69 random but anyone else think that could be yourusername?

User2 girl what?

User69 idk, something about the jewelry we can see

User268 girl you tripping

Yourusername

Yourusername Wear the hat, something something 🤔

Yourbff pretty sure you know how it goes

Yourusername ummm nope

Yourbff well maybe B can refresh your memory

Yourusername oh he’s working on that 😘

Barzal97 context please?

Yourusername cowboy hat rule hockey boy. Google it

User56 Queen!

Friend56 ride him baby!

Yourusername 🫶yeehaw

Yourusername

Yourusername don’t take but two to have a little soirée (me & Sam if that wasn’t clear)

Highlight of the month CowboysMusicFestival SamHunt

Yourbff truly iconic performance

Yourusername I don’t think I’ll ever recover

Barzal97 okay I get the hype now

Yourusername was a crime that you weren’t a fan tbh

Yourotherbff can’t believe you didn’t before now given how often she plays him

Barzal97 I just to see her in her element to get it. She really sold it

Yourbff stop sucking up

Yourusername no please, continue

User89 did everyone just skip over her friends comment!!

Lenasianed it was a party all right

Barzal97

Barzal97 I met a girl with crazy shoes and baby blues. The way she moves is changing my whole world.

Yourusername crazy shoes are my specialty 😘

User7 OH?!

User25 my two worlds colliding

Yourbff if you don’t take care of her, I’ll kill you with your own skates

Barzal97 uh

Yourusername babe, we talked about threatening people on the internet

Yourotherbff but mom!

Yourusername no!

Titobeavi she’s so out of your league

Yourusername thank you Tito. See you next week?

User85 she’s already met his bf?

Barzal97 I should hope so, she lived in NY all last year

User64 💀 he didn’t deny the bf allegations but omg they’ve been dating a year?!

Yourusername

Yourusername save a horse, Vancouver Edition

Yourbff what?

Yourusername save a Zamboni, ride a hockey player 😏

Yourbro 🤮

Barzal97 🤦‍♂️ (I love you crazy woman)

[j0kers-light]

imagine j with a southern bunny! i'm from mississippi and i don't think i sound super southern but i must be because most people down here think i have thick accent 🤣 i think j would either love or hate a southern accent 😂

Hey hi my sweet anon!! 🖤✨

This is the part where I repp the south! TN & GA! LET'S GO SOUTHERN GIRLS!!! 😤

I'm constantly concealing my southern accent at work and I hardly recognize I have one until a friend from the west coast calls me out on it. Y'all just don't know.. I be sounding a hot mess so don't feel discouraged anon! This is for all my southern girls! Yee to the flipping haw.

I think its only fair to separate the two scenarios of him loving or hating your accent. I hope you enjoy love! 🖤✨

Poor Joker. Oftentimes, he doesn't understand what you're saying and finds himself staring at you perplexed.

You would think thick accents wouldn't be an issue for him (after dealing with his crazy ex girlfriend...) but he asks you to repeat yourself multiple times a day much to your annoyance.

Don't get him wrong! He adores his Bunny!!! He just can't quite understand how you shorten some words and exaggerate others. (Ring any bells Joker? 🙄)

Perhaps that's why he hates it so much because its so similar to his own unique speech pattern. He denies that it’s the same.

And don't get him started with how slow you speak as if you have all the time in the world.

Joker is used to the fast jargon of Gotham City (our modern day NY) so he expects quick conversations or at least ones that he can fully comprehend. He feels like he loses IQ points hearing you talk.

Whenever you say things like "over yonder" or "whatchamacallit" he rolls his eyes and demands you speak plainly or not at all. "I am Joker. Quit calling my kettle black and gone get."

What does it even mean?! You and your southern sayings are driving him insane(r)!

He thought you were faking the whole accent thing until you went to visit family and he tagged along.

You have been speaking plainly to Joker because your relatives are practically speaking a different language compared to you.

He wants to turn himself in at Arkham if he has to listen to this southern drawl any longer. It is grating his nerves.

It gets worse the longer you stay home. You forgo all proper grammar and anything goes.

Joker can't stand how you sound so proper while simultaneously butchering the English language. He is happy to drop off his Bunny and get out of dodge.

Although he does miss you after a few days and calls you up asking what your plans are for the day and... well.

"I'm fixin' to go round yonder with Boost n' em then we finna cut up until Ma calls for us or till them Katydids start singin. Just a whole bunch a nuthing. You?"

Where does he begin to translate? His head hurts just thinking about trying. "Nothing Bunny. Just forget it."

He instead came up to the house (wearing his face mask of course) to see you. Your parents swarm him wanting to meet the man who stole their baby's heart although it was obvious they don’t approve of J.

Joker didn't mind his manners and his disgust for your inherited accent was visible the entire time.

You smiled and acted as the neutral party between the opposing sides until the sun started to set and Joker decided to leave.

You and your Mom stood on the veranda, watching Joker drive off. Mom waited until he was out of earshot to give her two cents. "Baby, that boy's cornbread ain't done in the middle, ain't it?"

You spat out your sweet tea. WAS IT THAT OBVIOUS?!

Now! Let's discuss Joker loving your southern accent!

From the moment he heard that alluring southern twang spill from your lips, he’s down bad.

You're every bit the iconic southern belle found in movies. Flirtatious by default and ever the tease, you are perfection to him; like a breath of fresh air.

Joker practically drools knowing that's how you were raised yet you keep that side of yourself a secret in order to blend in up north.

He rarely hears your accent because you go above and beyond to sound like citizens of Gotham City.

Your southern twang only slips through the cracks when you're angry, emotional, stressed, etc.

Joker tries his best to bring it out of you because he’s a shameless simp. Your voice is just too hypnotizing to hide!

Your accent kinda reminds him of his own speech pattern with how you pronounce certain vowels or syllables and speak slowly in order for the audience to appreciate every word or double meanings.

It’s an artform that he admires greatly and he loves when you read to him at night.

Or when he comes home all banged up and he catches your feminine gasp. Your “bless your heart baby! C’mere, I’ll fix ya up.” makes him feel so much better. 😍

Yet there are times in which you catch him by surprise with your flourish of words.

It was his idea to take his Bunny out hiking in the outskirts of Gotham. You grew up in the country and at times, the big city felt stifling.

Joker thought some nature would be good for your mood. He didn’t foresee becoming lost.

When he passed the same grove of flowers for the third time, you groaned in frustration. “Just admit it, J! We’re turned every which way but loose!”

He froze hearing your southern accent make a rare cameo. The power you had over him…

He was happy to hear it, but now was not the time to be smiling. “Uh come again Bunny?”

You stomped in your hiking boots and furiously began fanning yourself. ”There you stand in high cotton, and I’m over here sweatin’ like a sinner in church!”

Joker was so confused, yet completely in awe.

Each wild saying has his grin spreading wider and wider and you knew he didn’t hear a word you said; merely just the sound of them.

“J….” You warning him as he slowly advanced forward.

“Keep talking Sugar. You sound soooooo sweet.”

You rolled your eyes as Joker backed you into a tree and took hold of your hips.

“You hard a hearing is you?” You sigh with each distracting kiss Joker left on your neck, “J.. stop. I smell rain coming. We need to head on back.”

“You can… smell rain?” He asked.

“You can’t?”

[herejusttosufferalong]

By looking at all the info I have like a private investigator 🙃, I've got some reflections about Nic and Luke's relationship timeline.

>>> Seems like they started catching feelings during the S3 filming, and crew and co-stars noticed it, explaining why some rooting for them as a couple.

From what I've seen and heard, it looks like Luke was more aware of these feelings. It might have played a part in his breakup with Jane.

As they put their hearts and souls into their character's love story, they may have questioned the authenticity of these feelings. ( they have publicly discussed about "blurred lines" and how they really "felt it" during filming.)

So because of doubts and Luke's breakup, I believe nothing happened and they went on hiatus for almost a year.

>>> Luke started his "I just got out of a relationship" journey. He enjoyed the holidays with the boys and some girls.

A enters making it easy and fun for him to enjoy life to the fullest as she's already a friend of a friend.

>>> In January, the whole Bridgerton cast started their press tour. From the interviews in January and February, you could see that Luke still has something for Nic but he kept his relationship with A going and took her to Los Angeles for holiday just before the big part of the tour press started on April 10.

>>> On April 10, 11 and 12, it was 3 big days for the press in London. Nic and Luke had a lot of sexual tension on those 3 days and I'm convinced they either acted on it that week or did some realisation about their connection because things started to shift from THAT moment.

>>> The change came mostly from Nic since it appears to have been the case for Luke for a while. It's becoming less innocent, with more innuendos, mixed messages in interviews, and nervousness, particularly in Italy.

>>> After the NY premiere, they continued their world tour and their connection grew stronger.

I think they had a talk about it in Brazil and decide to not go for it. Probably because of 3rd parties, pressure on fans, their careers, their friendship...

They just decide to not go for it. Just not the good timing for them guys.

What do you guys think cause I want my life back 🤣😅

.

[jeanie-in-a-bottle]

jally + favorite things about the other person

Mmm i think this is a fun one!

For Johnny, i think that it’s something like this

- his confidence & authority over himself

Johnny doesn’t have control over practically anything in his life, he’s abused, scared, living with his abusers and lacks confidence but Dally is able to do what he wants and isn’t afraid. He can comfortably beat up whoever messes with him without remorse (seemingly) and is very comfortable with himself & I think Johnny appreciates that

- how he treats Johnny differently

Now i think it sometimes bothers Johnny getting treated like a child or a lost puppy, BUT i think that because of who Dallas is and what he represents to Johnny it matters to him and really shows Johnny just how much he cares, because dally won’t give exceptions to just anybody, Johnny is a very unique case to get to ever see dally vulnerable

For Dally

- Johnny being a legitimately good person

Like you said i do think Johnny has snark to him, and loves a good shit-talking but of course he is at his heart a good person & after all he’s endured that’s truly remarkable. Dallas has toughened up to survive but the fact that Johnny still hasn’t given into that just makes him a very important person for Dallas to protect & care for to him.

- Johnny being able to SEE Dallas

Dallas talks himself up. He talks about ny, jail, broads, fights, whatever all that macho nonsense & he really has that whole persona down and that’s how basically everyone sees him. But Johnny sees the 10 year old boy, who was scared, sees that Dallas cares about the gang, thinks he’s gallant, & that isn’t bcs of simple hero worship bcs Johnny has seen enough of Dallas to make a judgment and he still thinks that Dally’s good, and when Johnny is the epitome of good to Dallas

that

Means

So

Much

Omgtheymakemesickkk

Thanks for the ask hope u liked it!! :)

[ash5monster01]

Goes On Chapter Fourteen

Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader

Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.

Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.

word count: 2.4k

Thirteen ←→ Fifteen

Masterlist

Ridge Academy, NY

4/15/60

The day before spring break. One of Evelyn’s favorite days of the year. It was the start of the first break since Christmas and the last break she’ll get before finals. It was much needed after the chaos of the semester. Yet for the first time she was sad about it. Sad because for a whole week she’d go without seeing Charlie when not so long ago she didn’t even know the boy existed. So she was determined to make every second count the minute she got out of class.

“Oh God” Violet groaned, eyes cast on Alice Higgins being approached by Allen Fenway. Students none of them had really gotten close to but their friendship proceeded them.

“What?” Evelyn inquires, wearing a confused look as she glances at the pair as well. Seeing nothing different within their interaction than usual.

“He’s in love with her and she doesn’t even know it” Laurie whispers, glancing at the pair as well. Evelyn is only confused further, eyeing Allen just to see there is a shine in his eyes. A far off hopeful look interwoven within his heart as he looks at the girl who can’t even seem to spare him a glance.

“That’s so sad” Evelyn said and Violet turned to her, an amused look on her face. When Laurie does the same Evelyn can’t help but find herself confused all over again.

“What?” she asks them and the girls laugh lightly, sharing a look Evelyn couldn’t translate. For the first time all day her mind isn’t on finding Charlie after this study hall. It’s on whatever they’ve been hiding from her.

“You really don’t know?” Laurie asked, curious if Evelyn ever got a hint. Ever noticed one moment where maybe she questioned it and never felt the need to share it with the girls. Yet based on the way her furrowed brow doesn’t ease, Laurie knows the answer is no.

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about, can someone please fill me in?” Evelyn asks, a little exasperated and nervous. She didn’t find herself to be an oblivious person but maybe she was.

“You and Nate, come on” Violet suggests, searching Evelyn’s eyes for any falter but Evelyn is still taking a moment to catch up. Eyes darting to the pair to try and comprehend the innuendo.

“Nate and me are not like that” she finally says and Violet snorts, shaking her head at her very blind friend. The poor boy had been in love with her forever and the whole school knew but her.

“Now that you’re with Charlie we can talk about it. No way you didn’t notice Nate has been obsessed with you since the 6th grade” Laurie says, shaking her head softly and brushing golden locks out of her face.

“He was?” Evelyn questions and the girls quickly realize how they have to spell this out for her. Explain in grave detail that Nate had been in love with her for years.

“Was, still is. He’s been in love with you forever. We figured if you didn’t know then you at least knew when he asked you to the dance” Laurie tells her and Evelyn feels the world around her collapsing. Everything she ever knew was not exactly as it seemed. She recalled his face that day when she denied his invitation. The devastation that she didn’t understand.

“Don’t forget the night he sat outside our room for hours with roses and you never showed. Poor guy looked like a kicked puppy” Violet adds in and the two girls laugh, finding amusement in a past Nate had left behind. For Evelyn though, years of deeper meanings are finally coming to light and the realization is hitting her too hard.

“Nate loves me” she repeats again, as if only to confirm to herself. When Violet and Laurie turn back to her they realize Evelyn isn’t taking this news as expected. In fact they had turned her entire world upside down without even knowing it.

“Ev, it’s not a big deal” Violet started but Evelyn starts shaking her head, the puzzle pieces almost in place and as they do a blaze starts in her heart. An anger burrowing deep inside of her.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me?” she mutters to herself and Laurie and Violet now share a worried look, realizing maybe they shouldn’t of broken the news to her like this. Before they can make any attempts to calm the girl the bell rings.

Not so long ago when that bell was going to ring Evelyn was gonna run off and find Charlie. Now though, as the chime rings throughout her ears she finds it matching the beat of her anger. With a different mission in mind she collects her things and starts on the search of an entirely different boy. Violet and Laurie can barely keep up as they collect their things, trying to call after her and figure out what she was doing. They don’t get a chance to, when they make it out in the hallway the girl is long gone.

“Evelyn, again without the knocking!” Nate says when the girl shoves open his door hard enough to make him jump. Yet when he spots the look on her face he drops it completely.

“I can’t believe you” she seethes, red hot anger blazing against her eyes. Nate isn’t sure what he did so he stands to face her anyway, trying to comprehend how his normally cheerful friend was suddenly this rage filled.

“What’s going on?” he asks, hands up in a defense he’s prepared to make because it’s her. His Evelyn, the girl he would move heaven and earth for.

“You love me?” the angry look on her face falters for only a moment, a crack long enough to reveal the heart broken eyes behind it. A devastation he never would’ve expected when she finally found out.

“Evelyn…-“ he starts, ready to explain and save face for his friends. Both her and Charlie that are meant to be protected in a situation like this.

“Don’t lie to me Nate. The girls just told me everything. You love me?” she repeats again, as if the fact hadn’t even festered into one yet. That it was a lost statement, a balloon breaking off the string as it flies away.

“Yes, I did. I do. I don’t really know anymore” Nate honestly said because he figured he always would but each day he began to accept the fact more and more that he had missed his chance and she was going to move on. She was moving on, with Charlie.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she cries out, face a mirror of sadness he was unprepared for and his heart stutters in his chest.

“I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I couldn’t risk losing you. I just waited, hoping you’d feel the same” he pleads his case, fighting tears that burn at the back of his eyes because if he knew you finding out like this would hurt you so much he would’ve done something about it sooner.

“Nate nothing could ruin our friendship. I just can’t believe you right now” she says, voice cracking and revealing how much more heartbroken she was then angry. Yet both emotions were clearly both right there.

“I don’t get it? Why are you upset. It’s no big deal, people have crushes-” Nate says, trying to understand where her head was at in this moment but she holds up a hand to his face. Striking him silent as a new anger burns in her.

“Not on me! No one has ever had a crush on me! I spent years thinking I was broken, that I wasn’t as good enough as the other girls. Just to find out today that someone out there loved me all along, and that person was my best friend. My best friend who never did anything to prove to me I wasn’t” she shouts, trying to make him notice how she had been floundering all this time. That this confident persona she had was a shield. A barrier to protect her from the sad truth that she thought she’d never have someone for her.

“Are you saying you would’ve loved me too?” he asks, borderline ready to shout back as he discovers he maybe had a chance after all. Yet Charlie suddenly comes to Evelyn’s mind and she realizes now is no time to confirm nor deny something she should’ve known so much sooner.

“I didn’t say that” she begins to shake her head, taking a step back from him but Nate is angry now. His own passion blazing inside of him.

“Then why be mad?! Why come in here shouting at me for something I can’t change now?! It’s over with!” he yells, head shaking as he tries his best not to scoff. This was a fight he never expected to have when or if any of this finally came to light.

“Because you lied to me Nate! You hid the truth from me for years and I feel like our entire relationship is a lie!” she yells back, the tension filling the room to a boiling point neither of them can come back from.

“Oh you’re mad about people who hide the truth? How about your precious little boyfriend who still hasn’t told you anything about his life? About how his best friend killed himself right before he got kicked out of school?” Nate yells, blinded with anger and pure hatred that he had buried down up until now. Yet when the words leave and ring in his ears both hands fly up to cover his mouth, because he realizes what he had just done. He had let the ugly part of him win and all because of that he had done the one thing his friend asked him not too.

“What?” her tone is softer now. A whole new shock rushing through her and up her spine. Nate can’t even bring himself to answer. Shoulders trembling as he covers his mouth, hoping to keep anymore secrets sealed inside before they spill out and ruin things further.

Evelyn just stands there, staring and trying to comprehend all the new information thrown her way. Neither of them flinch as the lock clicks on the door and is pushed open. Eyes cast on one another as they stare each other down, waiting for a reaction to anything that had just happened.

“Hey guys” Charlie’s familiar and soft voice fills the room but Evelyn doesn’t look away from Nate who is fear stricken as he eyes the two of his friends, hands dropping to his side. When he returns his gaze to Evelyn what he doesn’t expect to see is the tears that stream down her face.

“Your best friend died?” she suddenly says, voice hoarse from the yelling and tears clouding her vision. She finally turns away from Nate’s blue eyes to find Charlie’s brown ones. He’s now frozen himself, finally feeling the weight of the room suffocating him.

“How do you know that?” Charlie says, that same panic feeling setting in his chest. He was not ready to talk about this. If he was he would’ve told her about it.

“You trusted Nate and not me” her words collapse with each syllable, the trembling of her voice giving away the true sadness this holds. She was not equipped for this, still blazing with anger towards the boy beside her and now topping it with the betrayal she felt from him.

“It wasn’t like that” Charlie starts, breath coming out a bit heavier and he goes to step towards her. Reaching out to the first person he’s loved since Neil, looking for an anchor in this storm. But she steps away. Hurt by the two most important people in her life.

“I tried Charlie. I did everything I could in hopes you would trust me and when you kissed me. I thought this was it. He’s finally letting me in and he likes me. He wants me for me, but now, I’m not so sure what it was” Evelyn says, the tears fully flowing down her cheeks now and Charlie’s heart cracks just a little bit more. A fresh wound on top of the one that had just barely healed from Neil. He wants to reach out to her but his feet are frozen in place, he can’t move.

“I don’t want to see either of you right now, so don’t bother following me” she says after a moment and both of them know it’s best not to fight it as she opens the door. They’re met with the sight of a panting Violet and Laurie who were just about to walk in. The whole group freezes as the girls spot their brunette friend in tears. Evelyn doesn’t give them an opportunity to ask why as she steps out and shuts the door behind her.

“Charlie I’m so sorry. We were fighting and yelling and it was word vomit. It just came out and I regretted it the second I said it, I never meant-“ Nate rambles almost instantly, words firing out faster than light but the soft shake of Charlie’s head stops him anyway, the brunette boy starting for his bed and dropping his books on it.

Charlie doesn’t say anything as he slides his suitcase out from under the bed and starts to pack some clothes. Nate wants to ask what he was doing considering he was planning on staying here for break, but he knew anything else he said would only worsen the mess he had made. So he lets Charlie silently pack his things, settling into the whiplash he was just given from walking into the tense room. When he’s done and started for the door Nate finally finds the energy in him to speak.

“Where are you going?” he asks, voice squeaking towards the end from how upset he was. Charlie turns slowly, grip tight on the bag in his hands as he looks at his friend. Mind still trying to wrap around the fact that everything just blew up in front of him.

“To face my fears”

a/n: will admit the release of TTPD really influenced this chapter and I wrote it in just a few short hours with the new album blaring xoxo

Taglist: @octaviasdread @eden-punk @linmichea1 @pursuedbyamemoryy @mynameisjxlia

Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))

[beauclary]

general information.

full name beau ryan clary

nicknames thirty-four ( the number on his jersey ) mostly just his last name

age 28

date of birth july 14th, 1996

place of birth brantley, alabama

zodiac cancer sun pisces moon taurus rising

gender cis male

nationality american

religion raised baptist / currently uncertain

orientation homosexual

physical attributes.

face claim paul mescal

voice claim paul mescal but if he was from alabama no i don't have an example

height 5'11

weight 184 lbs

build athletic / muscular

exercise habits intense daily workout regimen

allergies mold / strawberries

hair color brown

hairstyle somewhat overgrown and shaggy

eye color grey - blue

glasses/contacts no

dominant hand right

tattoos inspiration / detailed post to come

scars several small scars on arms and legs

piercings left earlobe double pierced with two small silver hoops

outfit/clothing style 1 2 3 4 + ny jets branded athletic wear

jewelry/accessories watch / simple silver band on right hand / thin silver chain

background information.

hometown brantley, alabama

current residence new york, ny

spoken languages english / asl

driver's license yes

occupation running back for the new york jets

familial information.

relationship status single? kind of? / in a relationship pre-outbreak

mother edie clary ( nee williams ) / status unknown

father patrick clary / deceased

siblings orla clary ( older sister ) / maeve + june clary ( younger sisters )

other ivy emerson ( cousin )

children none

pets a ginger tabby cat named nacho that belonged to his boyfriend pre-outbreak that he found in his apartment alone a week later when he went looking for him and took back to the wexley

personality.

positive traits kindhearted / hard-working / empathetic / grateful / polite

negative traits emotional / detached / unstable / isolating

likes clean socks / early morning workouts / poetry / sunrises / game days

dislikes social media / awkward silences / toxic masculinity / uncertainty / rats

moral alignment neutral good

mbti esfj-t

Before the outbreak, Beau Clary was just about one of the most charming fellas you could hope to meet in a place like New York City; he was raised on the notion of southern hospitality and helping thy fellow neighbor, and even after gaining more fame and fortune than a small-town boy like him knew what to do with, Beau never let it warp his attitude or his ego or make him forget his roots. Hard-working and helpful, he was always the first to lend a hand. And, to be fair to him, he still is, but it isn’t quite the same. He’s hardly a shell of the exuberant, social creature he used to be; where most nights would have previously found him mingling with other residents of the Wexley or heading out to any of the countless bars or clubs studding the streets of the boroughs, lately he’s become enough of a recluse that he mostly only comes when called unless there’s work to be done. To most, he appears aloof and detached - a defense mechanism to keep from letting anyone too close - but to those he trusts, glimpses of the Beau that once was still remain in fleeting smiles and occasional warm, rumbling laughter. In truth, he’s soft and sensitive at heart, and where he used to wear as much as a badge of honor in a sport that previously defined toxic masculinity, in this new world, it appears to be a crippling weakness and one that Beau has tried desperately to stifle and hide away.

biography.

Beau Clary was born in a small town in rural Alabama where the number of stoplights could be counted on one hand, everybody knew everybody else’s family, and twice a year, the local high school had a drive your tractor to school day. There wasn’t a whole lot to do growing up, and when Beau wasn’t at school or helping tend to his family’s land and animals, he was playing pickup games with friends out in wide, open fields, quickly proving himself to be a natural at football. Despite the limited opportunities available for someone like him - and they were few and far between in a town nestled so far below the poverty line and nearly forgotten by the rest of the state - Beau was determined to make something of himself and get out of Alabama. He channeled this energy and determination into the sport, excelling on his high school team and garnering the praise and encouragement of local coaches and faculty. In his senior year of high school, Beau’s dedication finally paid off. Even out in the middle of Nowhere, Alabama, there were universities sending out talent scouts. He’ll never forget the way his mama cried and hugged him the day she found his acceptance letter from Clemson in the mailbox - she didn’t even wait for him to get home to open it, and she was waiting at the door when he walked through because, in her words, her baby got a full ride! With his tuition covered and his degree paid for, Beau was able to focus all of his energy on honing his skills at the sport. At Clemson, Beau continued to shine on the field, becoming a dominant force in the league and a leader amongst his teammates. When he wasn’t on the field, he was studying for any number of his horticultural science courses - academics did not come naturally to him in the same way athletics did, but Beau worked hard to ensure he maintained a respectable GPA the entire time. He was well-liked by his peers and his educators, a friend to everyone who happened to cross his path, and in the end, his limitless positive karma and perseverance paid off. His success on the field coupled with his natural charisma and leadership skills caught the attention of NFL scouts and, when draft day came, Clemson University running back Beau Clary was selected in the first round by the New York Jets. He drove back home after that to spend a few weeks back home in Alabama before flying out to New York to get settled in his new place before he left. A photo snapped by a sports photographer at the airport of an openly-crying Beau hugging his mother goodbye achieved viral status after it was shown on ESPN, and from that moment, his name became a household one and his life was never the same. 

Despite the pressure and public scrutiny that came from being such a high draft pick, Beau seemed to thrive in the world of professional football. The chaos and cacophony of the city were certainly something to get used to, but Beau quickly acclimated - or, if not, he made enough trips home and flew his family out to the east coast enough that he was able to keep grounded in an overwhelming concrete jungle. The next several years were spent working hard and playing harder and he’d been in the middle of an incredibly successful — and potentially Super Bowl worthy— season and it could be argued that Beau was in the prime of his career - and his life - when the outbreak hit New York. The explosion of the entrance to the Wexley was, in a sick, twisted sort of way, the perfect visual representation for the tumult of emotion that accompanied such catastrophic panic and grief. His entire world was in shambles, and it took significant convincing from those closest to him not abandon his apartment for a foolishly suicidal mission to get back home to Alabama — to his family. He did, however, make two separate trips to try and find his partner, the man he'd been beginning to grow serious with just before the outbreak ; both trips to his apartment were met with disappointment, and no evidence whether he was dead or alive. Not knowing only made it worse. Winter was long and hard, and though Beau could often be seen around the Wexley, coming out of the woodwork wherever work needed done to lend a quiet hand, he’d frequently slink back to his apartment without a word once the work was done, keeping to himself. He grieved the loss of a family he feared he’d never know the truth of, nursed the guilt of knowing that if they were gone, it was in part because he’d not been there with them. He hadn’t been there to help them, to protect them. 

On December 23rd, when rock bottom opened up like a giant chasm beneath the Wexley — quite literally beneath it, in the basement — and Mr. Wexley encouraged everyone to abandon the building in light of the newly-chompified residents and return once it was safer, Beau was among those staying behind and forced to evacuate. In the chaos, he tried to help anyone else he came across in his own pursuit to safety, and he and the few people he could find holed up in a bodega not half a block down from the Wexley that had been ransacked but appeared secure — save for two chompers that Beau managed to dispatch with the aid of another survivor to secure the premises. When he finally returned, it was to devastation and grief — it seemed inescapable these days. He dove headfirst into cleaning up what he could of the physical mess left behind by the chaos, his body and his mind itching for busy work. He just needed to keep himself occupied, focused. Distracted.

headcanons.

Beau still writes letters to his family back home - at least one a week, but often even more - even though he knows he’ll never be able to send them or receive one back.They've been collecting in an old shoebox, but it's starting to fill up as of late.

He was the second-ever active player to openly come out as gay in the NFL, and his decision to do so was divisive amongst fans, but his team was unwaveringly supportive.

Beau was in a somewhat serious relationship before the outbreak, and he’s not seen his partner since it all began. He’s made two reckless and dangerous attempts to visit his apartment, but he’s found no evidence that he’s alive or dead aside from his cat, alone and unfed — and somehow, not knowing what's happened to him is worse.

He’s got a section of his smaller, open floor plan of apartment - he had to downsize when he moved to the third floor from the tenth level - filled with the two things that make him happiest - his family and nature. He’s tended to a number of houseplants as best he can in spite of everything, and the walls are covered with photos of his parents and siblings, cousins and friends.

[cillyscribbles]

🧵,❤️,💛,🎁, 🎷,✍️,🎬

ahahah oh wow thank you so much! i will never forget your kindness in giving me the excuse to Yap 🙏🙏 here's ❤️ and 🎁 that i've answered, the rest below!

🧵 What's your favorite production and why?

hahah terrible question for me to answer because i know this will probably change in the near future! i've watched a regrettably tiny amount of productions so far, but out of all of these i'm honestly super torn! 98 film is super dear to my heart as i've watched it upwards of a hundred times and know it front to back. 2005 moscow was strangely enchanting for me to watch because i'm a huge language lover and to hear cats in a language i'm familiar with was striking (the same with det ny teater danish cats!). tecklenburg has a special place in my heart because of the arc munkustrap has in there, and the costuming is fantastic in a "i didn't say it was Good, i said i Liked it" way LOL. i'm really hyped to watch vienna, broadway revival and shiki! so on the fence about this one! :3

💛 What's your favorite familial ship?

no contest, tugger & munkustrap. they're so very brothers to me. i always did read them that way, but a close friend recently commented that he'd always thought they had some sort of ex-boyfriends thing going on and i found that just too funny!! like yeah okay that's fair i could see that, shout out tuggerstrap LOL... but i like interpreting them as siblings with a relationship that's very... can i say authentic when they're both cats? especially the more productions i watch the more i'm deadset on thinking of them that way. them whacking each other and hanging out together and getting on each other's nerves makes me so happy. i write so many things about them just bantering and sticking their tongues out at each other and also being willing to kill for each other. it's just that sort of vibe to me!

🎷 Have you ever seen Cats live? If more than once, which was your favorite?

i never have, though i dream of it (and have had dreams of it) to no end! it must be a magical experience. i'm on the lookout, though - if i spot a production in poland or somehow in the baltic states, i will without fail go through hell and highwater to get myself a seat or a dozen. sadly those are about the only countries i could theoretically travel to for a cats prod, and i've never heard of a production there aside from the polish one. then again, i'm translating cats to lithuanian - and though there's virtually no chance of it going anywhere, to hear the musical performed in my native language would actively change my life, i think. :) perhaps one day!

✍️ If you had total creative control over a production of Cats, what would you change and why?

aside from the, you know, the racism and the xenophobia (there Has to be a way to make a song about a dog fight and a cat superhero not be racist like there just Has to be), and all that... i'd just add more dudes into the tugger fangirl lineup. i get why it's been girls and i know the boys are there as well Sometimes, on the down low, but i think we should even them out. that man's clearly striving for attention from everyone, go ahead and make the whole thing openly bisexual. it'd barely be a change, but i think they all deserve to be free with Equal Horny. come on now :3c

🎬 What's your favorite moment from the show? (can be from any production)

any time munkustrap and tugger annoy each other or check on each other or are physically affectionate toward each other i die and ascend into a new dimension; this is a simple truth about me. they are genuinely not only my favourite familial relationship but also my favourite relationship in the musical overall. but if i had to narrow down a moment, i think currently it'd be the staff exchange in tecklenburg tied with any time munkustrap goes to old deuteronomy like :( and nuzzles his hand because he's anxious or upset. i must admit i am not a very complicated creature hahah.

[yourpenpaldee]

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ WHEN ART TALKS: ANIYAH HOPE

“‘I need the balance between peace and chaos. Between logic and emotion. Light and dark. Once that scale tips too far on one side, I lose alignment with myself until the scales are balanced again.’”

ANIYAH HOPE has always kept to herself, finding more comfort in poetry than she ever has in people. She never wanted to cruise through life in the shadows, but she couldn't take another rejection of friendship due to superficial judgments. When she discovered poetry, she found the safe haven she needed to explore every little piece of herself. Because she couldn't connect with others as easily as she hoped, she'd put the pen to paper and write down all the things she wished she could say. Her heart desires nothing more than to have these words spoken through a microphone. Unlike the boy who sees the world as his playground, she just isn't ready to let her guard down.

BASICS

FULL NAME: — Aniyah Dahlia Hope NICKNAME(S): — NiNi, Nia, Ny AGE: — Nineteen BIRTHDAY: — May 20th (Taurus) EDUCATION: — Sophomore in college OCCUPATION: — Part-time bookseller at Coffee-Stained Pages Café

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Aniyah stands at 5'3 with a mid-size, pear-shape build. She has dark brown eyes and brown skin with freckles that are dotted across her nose and cheeks. Her light brown hair is styled in braids with beads at the ends, but she likes to switch it up on occasion. She wears glasses and has a gap between her two front teeth. When she smiles, a dimple appears on the her left cheek. BODY MODIFICATIONS + TATTOOS: — Both ears double pierced, small stud nose piercing on right nostril, septum piercing, belly button piercing. No tattoos, but has plans for them in the future. FASHION STYLE: — Earthy bohemian

PERSONALITY

MBTI: — INFJ-T (Advocate) ENNEAGRAM: — Type 4w5 (The Bohemian) LOVE LANGUAGE: — Quality time METHOD OF MANIPULATION: — Isolation. Aniyah disappears without a word and withdraws herself from the situation (and the world) until she's ready to face the conflict at hand.

MISCELLANEOUS FUN FACTS

— NiNi is a nickname only her younger brother calls her. He used to struggle pronouncing her whole name, so he’d say “NiNi” if he needed her attention. — Aniyah will always find a way to incorporate green into her life. Her room, wardrobe, jewelry. Not only is it her favorite color (especially muted, earthy greens, such as sage and olive green), but it soothes her every time she's surrounded by it. — Aniyah always dates her journals for the sake of remembering the era of her life she was in, even though she never needs to seek for it because she knows from the journal’s cover. — If you need someone to keep a small secret, Aniyah isn’t the person to go to. She will never intentionally tell, but she will accidentally slip up when she yaps away. She does it with her own secrets all the time because it eats away at her when she doesn’t share. — Aniyah will always have a fan on, even during the winter. She needs the sound to help her sleep, and it's the perfect excuse for her to bundle up in a cozy hoodie and oversized sweatshirt.

PLAYLIST

Here's the playlist on YouTube for those who don't use Spotify.

EXTENDED MOODBOARD (coming soon!)

TAGS: @pixies-love-envy @honeybewrites ♡

[anxiouspotatorants]

Hey I am trying to write a fanfic right now and I saw you had some Dave Rygalski headcanons before so... do you have any Dave headcanons about his home life and like him outside of the characters we see on the show?

Hey, I am so sorry for not replying sooner but how sweet of you to think of my headcanons! It really warms my heart to see people still actually interacting with those Dave posts. I’m guessing my input will be irrelevant for your fic by now but I still love this as a prompt so I figure it would be fun to still write and post a reply. Also if/when the fic is up and running please send me a link so I may devour it!!

I never thought all that much about Dave’s homelife. I assume he’s in a two-parent household, but unsure about siblings pets and general family dynamics. Now that I’m thinking about it Dave does seem like the type to have sisters, maybe two or three. He doesn’t strike me as someone with active drama going on with his family during the show (which would be a rare sight on Gilmore Girls), but then again that’s just my take. If I remember correctly he is canonically Jewish, but as a European gentile I don’t exactly find myself informed enough to make religious or too culturally specific headcanons for a Jewish US American boy in 2000s New England.

What I do headcanon is that Dave, Zack and possibly Brian all come from a neighbouring town instead of Stars Hollow. I know US small towns can be a lot bigger than what we define as small towns where I’m from, but Lane’s never met Dave before the band and Stars Hollow is a tiny town with presumably only one high school. They should’ve met by season 3 if Dave was a townie.

I also headcanon that he can’t wait to get out of small town life, which is why he applies to study in California. I don’t think he hates small towns (if he did he would spend a lot less time in ST and a lot more doing daytrips to NY) but he’s probably never truly felt at home and hopes to find that sense of belonging in a physically bigger place. Whether he’s right about that assessment or not is a whole ‘nother case though. I think he has a really tough first year in college getting used to a far noisier and busier city and not having that safe group to constantly fall back on like he would back in New England.

Another headcanon specifically about everyday homelife is that Dave is the technician of the family. Because of his audio-tech passion his parents and potential siblings just assume he’s great at all tech and electricity, forcing him to be the one who has to figure out how to fix a faulty satellite and learn the fuse box, and at some point just switch out all the lightbulbs in the house.

Other headcanons I have which have little to do with homelife include:

Dave’s more of a sci fi geek than fantasy geek (not that all fantasy fanboys know Tolkien inside out but in GG he would’ve picked up on Mrs Kim’s quote… also he’s big into sound tech and I headcanon him as eventually getting into tech period). The boy knows his Asimov, his Analog, his Star Trek, his battlestar Galactica and most definitely keeps tabs on the Syfy Channel.

Sci fi preference be damned that boy is doing something tabletop related and my money is on either Dungeons & Dragons (the guys is studious af and has Brian and Zach as friends) or Magic the Gathering (and yes he would spend all his lunch money and then his student loans on the damn cards)

He might have anxiety (not to do armchair psychology but there’s a vibe. The ones who know, know)

He could become a little tech broish while studying in California (I mean Silicon Valley is right there) but I think it would just be a phase and that he’s more obsessed with nerding out over how things work than spreading the Web3 gospel. And I still stand by my headcanon that he goes into sound engineering or sound related tech for work after college.

Tardiness be damned I hope this was a fun and somewhat insightful read, if only on how I tend to headcanon these folk!

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

since i have a migraine and stomach flu maybe i can get some platonic mass/loui stuff?

❤️

*le happy gasp* MI ÁNGEL 🥺🥺 Ofc you can, love <3

there are so many "My dad forced into a war" jokes that go on in between these two scary mfs and they think they’re some goddamn comedians when in reality the other states are just concerned 😭

They bond over talking about all the scary sh*t thats happened in their states (NOLA is #4 and Salem is #5 on the most haunted American cities list help-)

Mass’s cat, Mayflower (who is 100% a black cat with golden eyes) seems to only really like Loui. She hisses at literally everybody else, even Mass himself, but the moment that Loui enters a room, she cuddles up to him and basically does all the happy kitty stuff :]

Hurt one, you hurt the other. Which can be very bad for your mental and physical health. Just sayin.

These two pull off the BEST spooky pranks and for some reason Alaska seems to be their favorite state to scare.

Mass 100% knows how to do dreads and braids because he’s helped Loui multiple times. (Also I’m not gonna say that he uses this knowledge to help Mary with her/his/their hair, but 👁️👁️-)

Mass has been dealing with the spirits for FOREVER, and is pretty used to them by now. Whereas Loui somehow isn’t used to them, so Mass helps him on the REALLY bad nights.

Loui apologizes for literally EVERYTHING, and Mass just refuses to apologize for sh*t. So cue Mass telling Loui to stop apologizing for stuff so much and Loui telling Mass to start apologizing more.

At this point, keeping an arm out around Loui is second nature for Mass. Cuz Loui is clumsy as hell and doesn’t sleep, meaning he will just drop unconscious out of nowhere.

Related (not really-) to the one about Mass’s cat, Mass is the only person that Loui’s Maine Coon, River, hasn’t growled or hissed at yet (besides Loui, cuz River loves that boy with her whole heart).

Loui communicates through weird-sounding chirps sometimes and Mass just thinks that it’s really cute and reminds him of NY.

Seemingly, Loui walking around with Mass is like having "scary dog privileges", even though the only actual threat there is Loui. But ain’t nobody gotta know that 🤫.

[girljeremystrong]

going thru your book tag & I love your recs - are there books you've recently read that you've loved?

hiiiii 💕

YES i have been reading some great books. here's a list of my favorites from the past few months!

classics:

a streetcar named desire by tennessee williams: the very beloved play and it was incredible and the way these characters come alive so stunningly is so impressive.

david copperfield by charles dickens: a classic that i was so intimidated by but ended up absolutely loving. what a wonderful character and of course the writing was perfect.

master and commander by patrick o'brien: man do these sailors talk a lot. this was very fun and entertaining and i thoroughly enjoyed it. need to watch the movie now.

non fiction:

all the beauty in the world by patrick bringley: this guy was a guard at the metropolitan museum of art in NY and this is a really good memoir, sorta moving in parts.

the three mothers by anna malaika tubbs: it's a very well researched and very well written book about the mothers of malcom x and martin luther king and james baldwin.

black af history by michael harriot: an account of american history from the experiences of black americans. this was super interesting and eye opening and i think it was great.

how to survive a plague by david france: very important and moving book about the aids crisis written by a gay man who had just moved to NY by the time it broke out.

the transgender issue by shon faye: this is a book that mainly discusses trans rights in the UK but i think it's important that everyone reads it.

fiction published more recently:

blue sisters by coco mellors: i liked it. it is good and it's about sisters and grief.

the god of the woods by liz moore: really good thriller with multiple timelines and suspicious people and it kept me on my toes.

henry henry by allen bratton: i really enjoyed it. it is the sort of funny sort of serious story of a boy dealing with a bad father and complicated siblings and they're all rich and dysfunctional.

family meal by bryan washington: i cried my whole way through this but it's not a tragic story AT ALL. if anything it is hopeful and wonderful and it's about found families and belonging.

the trees by percival everett: just so great and masterful and fast paced and it's at its core about police brutality and race.

interesting facts about space by emily austin: i loved this book. it's about finding a place and anxiety but it has so much heart.

i think this is mostly it from the past months! but please if you have more specific requests or anything i am all ears :)

[triskhellion]

Thunder

Rated: Explicit (12K)

Relationship: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski

Characters: Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, minor OCs

Tags: POV Derek, Alpha Derek, Werefox/Thunder Kitsune Stiles, Post-Nogitsune, Angst & Fluff & Smut, Alternate Universe, Past Derek/Kate, Hale Fire, Violence, Some canon events but often with different timelines, outcomes or other details, Full Shifts, Derek is from NY, Stiles Leave Beacon Hills, Stiles Has a Fake Name, Depression, Getting Together, Self-Lubrication, Rough Sex, Knotting, Biting, Claiming, Cuddling, Various Sex Acts, Mates Derek/Stiles, Angst with a Happy Ending, Music

Summary: The one in rural Montana where two strangers — a depressed, lonely Alpha Derek and a haunted post-Nogitsune Werefox/Thunder Kitsune Stiles — leave everything behind and end up finding each other.

Soundtrack. (Every section has lines from 2 songs. A reverse songfic? The story mostly came first and the music chosen to fit it, lol. I recommend at least listening to track #1, "Roscoe." 😉)

Mead Moons prompts: Claiming, Full Moon, Hay, Hot & Thunder. @sterek-and-stuff-events

Sterek Weekly prompt: Attract (also Midnight & Clothes.)

Shadow thrown from light unknown, calling on the hearts. To challenge the alive and summon the asleep.

Oh, they’re a little like you, they’re a little like me.

The first time he laid eyes on the fox it was an afternoon towards the end of May and Derek knew nothing other than that the hardware store, Rock Creek Lumber, had a new stock boy. One that he’d never seen around before. 

Not that he spent a whole lot of time around other folks, but he’d been here long enough, getting on 5 years now, to recognize the locals. Derek didn’t notice him in a back corner at first, was too busy mumbling to himself while looking for the right screws for the section of fence he needed to fix, but then he turned around and they locked eyes. There was an intense and puzzled expression on the kid’s face.

Although “kid” didn’t seen quite right. He was young — probably two or three years out of high school, maybe four — but there were dark circles under his whiskey brown eyes that made him seem older. Haunted. Knowing. Derek could see wiry muscle layered over his slender frame under the snug black company T-shirt.

He wasn’t gaunt, but much of the softness he’d once possessed had clearly been stripped away. There was a sharpness to him. High cheekbones and almost a point at the tips of his ears. The angles of his posture; a tilt to his head and hips and the jutting elbows leading to long fingers tightly clasped against his chest. In his clever eyes. 

Both of them seemed to realize they’d been staring at the same time, Derek saying “Uh, howdy” and the stock boy straightening up and asking if he needed help finding anything. 

“Looking for a screw,” he said, after tearing his eyes away and scanning the aisle again. He was already groaning internally when the words were halfway out of his mouth and the new guy — Sean his name tag proclaimed at another glance — snorted before asking what kind while trying to keep a straight face. 

Once the damn things had finally been located Derek moved on to the other couple-three things he needed this time. He caught Sean watching him a few times more and sighed, frowning with concern. There was nothing wrong with being attracted to men — so was he — but it could be dangerous to be so obvious about it out here.

He didn’t look back after Leann rang him up and he headed for the door, but he felt the prickle of eyes upon him, an itch between his shoulder blades, and he wanted to. Later that evening the thunder began.

Who would want to hear about the wanderings of my mind? This wasn’t supposed to be my life.

We’re not all the same in this town.

When his family, his pack, had moved from upstate New York to what he’d once thought a “small town” of 30,000 called Beacon Hills Derek had stayed behind, already into his sophomore year at college and living in his own apartment. A space-craving middle child with his own life. Some great aunt that no one knew about had passed away and left his mother a large plot of land with a slowly deteriorating, but surprisingly functional house that they’d set to fixing up.

He’d been surprised when Peter had gone too, his uncle always reveling in the cosmopolitan, but apparently the territory was special. Something about a big old magic tree. Derek’s eyes would glaze over once he got going.

Yeah, it turned out the place was “special” all right. Whatever woke up again after Great Aunt Hilda died started calling all manner of supernaturals, often of an unfriendly sort. That in itself likely would’ve been manageable until they figured out how to shut the damn beacon (har de har) off again, but with “animal attacks” and “mysterious deaths” on the rise so came Hunters. 

Derek visited the new Hale House on a handful of occasions, the last and longest time a few weeks the summer before his senior year of college. He’d been out at a bar, still thrilled at being old enough to enter one despite alcohol doing nothing to intoxicate him, when this pretty dirty blonde with a wicked grin came up to him. There was something unsettling about her, a harshness to some product she wore, but the older woman was all confidence and laughter and playful aggression and he was captivated and full of hormones, so they stumbled off attached at the face and took a rideshare to some sketchy motel. 

They hooked up three, maybe four times while he was there, Derek always taking care to shower with a scent neutralizer after because he didn’t want any shit from his family. And then he was heading back to New York, texting “Kay” or “K” or however she spelled it goodbye and setting his mind to the next few weeks of end-of-summer parties and the classes that were to start on their heels. 

A couple evenings later he was watching some new sitcom when he felt first his father and then his mother die in the span of what was probably a few minutes, but seemed much longer. He booked a flight as soon as he could, finally getting a hold of Laura before leaving for the airport early the next morning. She told him they’d been attacked, the house circled in mountain ash and set ablaze as she was on her way home.

Cora was okay, had been on the other side of where twin fires started and trapped their parents in between. She’d managed to escape out a window when a piece of debris or something must’ve disrupted the ash line. Peter though she’d found severely injured. Burned and pretty much unrecognizable, though still alive. 

That same afternoon during his layover in Seattle he felt her die too and ran to the bathroom retching and trying to hide his flashing eyes. It couldn’t be. Not his sister too. Not Laura. What the fuck was going on?! 

His wolf wanted to howl for the death of his closest packmate, the loss of two Alphas in two days, but he couldn’t. Not there in the airport. He couldn’t cry then for Laura and his parents either knowing that if he started he wouldn’t stop. Would fall apart.  

Derek forced himself to calm down enough, outwardly at least, to get on the second, mercifully short flight an hour later. Caught up in traffic he didn’t make it to Beacon Hills until after 7:00pm, driving the rental straight to the address that Laura — oh God, Laura — had given him. There he found his reportedly horrifically burned uncle looking very much like himself with the exception of some scars on the side of his neck and red eyes. 

Maybe if the first words he’d said to Derek had been “I’m so sorry” or “I didn’t mean to” things might’ve gone differently. Whether he didn’t because that would’ve been a lie — intentionally killing Laura while she was no doubt trying to care for him — or because he didn’t think he needed to apologize if he’d been truly out of his mind, Derek would never know. 

Because when Peter opened his mouth all that came out was a bunch of hand-waving about the “unfortunate situation,” a promise that things would be okay (things would never be “okay” again,) and how they were still family — only three of them left now — and had to stick together. Derek too, even though he had consorted with a Hunter, but not to worry, he had wasted no time taking care of the ones involved.

The shock of the last statement had been enough to snap him out of his overt, incandescent rage and Peter continued with how he’d recognized the scent of one of the lackeys and got him to spill on the others. After getting rid of Unger he took out the Argent Hunters — Kate — and her father, and then finally Reddick. 

Slowly, Derek approached him, the elder wolf likely assuming he’d been overcome by guilt or deep in a daze (both of which weren’t far behind) and expecting a show of submission to accept him as Alpha. Perhaps that he’d been seeking comfort or forgiveness. A hug.

He was starting to say something about expanding the pack when Derek tore out his throat. 

Roaring. Ringing. Static.

Afterward, when he came back to himself, he tried to find Cora, but she’d fled when Laura died. Her phone was likely in the smoldering ruins of the house and his own forgotten in NY, possibly in the cab. He did run into Christopher Argent, an incredibly tense encounter that consisted of tersely exchanged information and twitching claws and trigger fingers. 

Apparently, the Hunter hadn’t been aware of his sister’s plan, which his father had approved. Both were indeed dead. Peter was dead too because he killed Laura. No, Derek wasn’t staying. It brought some measure of relief to learn that based on a discovered journal the scheming had begun before his visit, that the attack wasn’t because of him somehow, but the guilt and shame, the disgust and self-hatred for having slept with someone so evil remained. 

Then he realized that that harsh scent clinging heavily to the human now in front of him, a scent he’d picked up slightly from her, must’ve been wolfsbane. Derek fell to his knees, thankfully not getting shot when the Hunter flinched, as guilt slammed back into him. He’d never actually encountered it before, the Hunters in New York having enough to deal with to bother supernaturals who weren’t causing harm, but he couldn’t stop wondering “what if?” 

What if he’d taken an interest in tagging along to the formal meetings with other packs and Hunter representatives with Laura and his mother? What if he hadn’t showered so thoroughly and someone brought it to his attention? It probably wouldn’t have changed anything other than him never leaving with her or him fucking her fewer times, but now he’d always wonder about the off chance that they might’ve been more alert. What if, what if, what if.

Cora, who he finally got in contact with after returning to NY, had much of the same feelings toward him herself once he haltingly explained what he’d found out. She was angry at everyone and everything, refusing to come back to him and eventually ending up in South America and joining a pack down there. They talked once, maybe twice a year. Confirmed the other was still alive and had some painful or awkward conversation (usually both) where she’d inevitably refer to Kate as his “psycho ex-girlfriend” and he’d want to shout that they were never dating, but didn’t. And that was that for the Hales.

It’s such a long swim and now there is no sight of land.

So I’ve come here to wait for the end of it all.

As was pretty much always the case when he had a new project, Derek had to go back to the hardware store in between his regular visits to town every week or so for something he’d forgotten or only realized he needed after he'd started. And so two days later there he was again, being helped by Mike, the clean-shaven 50-something owner, but watched not so surreptitiously by Sean. Until the young man knocked into a display trying to keep him in view as he moved to go down another aisle, that is. 

Derek's lips curled ever so slightly upward as he pretended not to notice the scrambling to pick up or straighten the disarrayed products going on behind him. He could see Mike shaking his head in his peripheral vision, muttering under his breath about how maybe he should start drug testing. It took everything in him to keep from reacting to something he shouldn’t be able to hear. Poor Sean. People looking he was used to, but he’d never made a person run into something before as far as he knew. It was flattering. 

This time when he felt that keen gaze upon his back as he left he turned his head while stepping through the door, finding Sean absentmindedly holding a wrench with his lips gently parted. He nodded, causing the short-haired brunet to hastily duck his head like the length of metal had suddenly called his name. Derek swallowed thickly as he walked across the parking lot thinking of those cupid's bow lips.

It wasn't like he was immune to the younger man's charms either, from the broad shoulders to his cute, upturned nose. If Derek was someone — something — else he'd be up for having a go, see what those long fingers and that smart mouth (he just knew) could do. Find out what he looked like under his clothes and felt like with those nice long legs wrapped around him. Maybe lay out in the field and look up at the stars after and get to know each other.

But he wasn’t. 

Derek sighed as he climbed into his outfit, a gray, no-frills, 2-door 2017 F-350 with four wheel drive capable of towing a 3 horse trailer even on rough terrain. He tucked his new Texas Fence Fixer underneath the passenger seat and sought out some music to distract himself. 

The one thing he bothered to add to the truck after a year with only the radio was an after market stereo that also gave him the option of bluetooth, usb port or aux input. Derek used the latter, still having a working discman as he preferred to collect physical media when possible both for the higher sound quality and so he didn’t have to worry about things getting yanked from a streaming service for whatever reason. They were his.

Derek flipped through his cd booklet and slipped out The Trials of Van Occupanther by Midlake. The first track, fittingly titled “Roscoe,” was a new favorite of his and he’d been surprised to learn that the album had come out in 2006 because it sounded like something decades older. Like something his dad might’ve listened to as a kid driving around with his own father back in the 70s. A pang of grief ran through him. 

He pressed play and headed back, singing along and trying not to think of enthralling brown eyes and mole-spotted skin. 

“Ohh, and when the morning comes we will step outside. We will not find another man in sight. We like the newness, the newness of all, that has grown in our garden soaking for so lo-o-o-o-o-ong.”

The music helped for a while, but when Derek arrived he trudged inside the quiet house, new tool forgotten in the truck. He sank down onto the plain beige couch and cradled his head in his hands. When he eventually looked up his gaze was drawn to the painting hanging off-center across from him.

Despite the fact that one of the ways he brought in income was taking photographs of wildlife and the great outdoors he only had one piece of art on his otherwise bare walls and it wasn’t one of his. No, it was a relatively large painting of a ship sailing before a rocky outcrop in a storm, rough dark waves and lightning flashing, that he spied in a free pile on the side of the road after an estate sale. He’d found it compelling and all too relatable, even more so having been discarded after belonging to some now dead person. 

He imagined himself tossed overboard, battered by waves as he watched the imperiled, but infinitely preferable vessel get farther away. Trying to stay afloat, to breathe, between bouts of being knocked under. Into stone. Growing tired and heavy in the cold water. Limbs slowing. Water closing over his face for the last time. Sinking. 

Green eyes stared until everything was gray.

Bring me a day full of honest work and a roof that never leaks. I’ll be satisfied.

There’s a new wild feeling dancing in the air.

Derek never pretended that he’d always been from here, would even say where he’d come from (gasp, New York) should someone bother to ask, but this place seeped through his skin and into his bones. The mountains and the plains and the great, big sky. Like how the rain soaked into the thirsty earth in summer where it didn’t turn to gumbo. He didn’t have a “spread,” had no desire to play at being a rancher like most of his distant neighbors were, but he had a nice stretch of gently rolling prairie leading up to forest and the Beartooth Mountains. 

He’d wandered a while before deciding he wanted to buy land in rural Montana with most of his portion of the life insurance money. And now for something completely different, came John Cleese’s voice in his head. His dad had been a huge Monty Python fan. 

There’d been another plot that he stumbled across online that seemed particularly appealing, but there was no way in hell he was living somewhere named Argenta. He checked out a few other potentials, including in person, but then he saw this place and knew. Roscoe, unincorporated Carbon County, MT. Population 16 as of the most recent census. Well, it was 17 now. 

When he first arrived there’d been some months where he saddled up at the Grizzly Bar a good nine or ten times, desperate for the presence of other people despite his opposing desire to get away from it all. A city boy soothed by the chatter of the regulars and those who came out the 70-odd miles from Billings or even farther away just for a bite of fresh beef: steak, burgers, or prime rib. Talking about nothing at all with someone plunked down on a stool nearby or with the bartender serving him his usual whiskey ditch. Even just the sound of some bullshit calling itself news on the tv. Baseball or something.

There’d been other months where he hadn’t once darkened the doorway, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling or ghosting around his property, burning through his supplies until he got hungry enough to run down some burrowing critter or a speed goat if a herd came through and he happened to get lucky. Those suckers could run up to 55mph in short bursts if they saw you coming, fastest land animal in the hemisphere. The tawny, white marked ungulates with dark bits on their faces were also known as prairie goats or pronghorn antelopes despite being neither goats not antelopes, but something closer to the okapi and giraffes in Africa than anything else left alive. That was Montana for you.

It helped when he got his first horse, a gray gelding named Gable (say that 5 times fast) and had to get up to take care of another living being. A companion of sorts to spend time with and do stuff for and touch. Werewolves didn’t usually go feral without a pack like a lot of the stories said, but it certainly wasn’t good for them to be alone. 

He evened out to around once a week at the Grizzly, usually stopping by on his way to or from the closest real town (a whopping 1200-1800 folks depending on the season) for one thing or another. Red Lodge wasn’t far, about 20 miles away, but he often made a day of it. Maybe catch a movie at the one screen Roman Theater, which opened in 1917 and was the oldest continuously operating one in the state. Derek picked up all kinds of tidbits like that along with the slang and even the accent to a certain extent. 

He’d walk around and pass the flower shop he hadn’t felt a need to go into so far, maybe get something fancy from the bakery or one of the cafés. Buy random crap from the dollar store, supplies for building or maintenance from Rock Creek Lumber, and groceries from Beartooth Market or the farmer’s market. Takeout from the Chinese restaurant or the pizza shop or the taqueria (or occasionally all 3) for later. 

A handful of times a year he’d drive up to Billings for the things he couldn’t get closer. Less common cuisines, indie flicks, speciality items, etc. One night stands or even more furtive and frenetic hook ups, though he had’t bothered the last few times. He’d get eyes from the local ladies, some of them very much married, but he kept away from the free ones who he might’ve fancied as well. 

In all likelihood starting anything would mean either trying to have a relationship while hiding half of himself or winding up shot for being a monster and having to abandon his property, assuming he wasn’t killed by a particularly well-placed bullet. Even the guns had guns out here. Same issue with the local men he noticed were so inclined only with the addition of them almost certainly being Narnia-level closeted (wardrobed? whatever) and teaming with notions about manhood that would only cause pain. So that was that for love. Not like he deserved it anyway.

It wasn’t a bad life. He made enough to get by without dipping into the other money doing odd jobs and remote temp work along with his photography. There was breathtaking beauty and all sorts of projects to keep his hands busy and his body active. Responsibility and enjoyment interacting with the horses and books to occupy his mind at least some of the time.

Yeah, that’s what he told himself anyway. It was true enough on the surface, but underneath it all he had an emptiness inside bigger than the sky.

A sky which was now, from the sound of it, soon threatening to dump a river’s worth of water on his head despite there not being a mass of dark, heavy rainclouds anywhere in sight. Only a smattering of wispy ones on a mostly sunny day. What in the world?

Regardless, he quickly guided his spooked horses inside the stable barn, the bay mare sisters Ada and Jessie joining Gable a couple years ago. Three was a good number. Company for each other and able to keep him busy for at least a few hours a day, but manageable.

Derek stroked the agitated creatures in turns, along their necks and between their ears and over their snouts, speaking gentle nonsense to try to calm them. They all had white markings on their faces: Ada’s looking kind of like a leaf print, Gable’s like a streak of paint, and Jessie’s, unfortunately (or amusingly,) like a large bird shat on her forehead.

He was on edge himself from the strange wild power dancing in the air, nervous but also feeling alive, more present and in his body than he’d been in some time. He stayed with the horses as they trembled together until the unnatural thunder ceased. 

When I look into your brown eyes I struggle to pull aside. I’m wanting you more within my life.

What sort of pressure, and what kind of force must there have been to drive you here?

It was over a week into July and Derek had made another half dozen trips or so to RC, always torn between wanting to see Sean, get to have a bit of a chat or a joke, and hoping that the mischievous younger man he found increasingly attractive didn’t have a shift that day. He could’ve just gone to Ace Hardware instead and avoided the situation altogether, but he couldn’t bear to stay away long. He’d skipped one week and ended up going twice the next, so he decided to just leave it up to fate. A rather dangerous prospect given his life so far. 

Twice he’d been absent when Derek was there, including the last time. It was just as well because he’d been in a foul mood, dirty and cursing and damp after slipping in mud and falling in a puddle on the way to town. It was hot as hell — mid-90s — and had just finished raining when he’d stopped to try helping some out-of-towners get unstuck.

They’d pulled off the nice paved road just beyond a chicken foot and into the fresh sludge beside it for some goddamn reason. It was a futile attempt even for his truck without having gravel or wood or something to let the car regain traction while being pulled. The group was waiting on a tow truck when he left.

He thought he caught movement in the back of the store out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned around there was nothing there. Nothing he could see anyway. What he could smell a few moments later was another matter entirely. 

Derek had no idea what it was, but it was rich and intoxicating and called to his wolf. His eyes flashed red involuntarily and it had startled him back under control. He hadn’t slipped like that in years and thankfully neither Leann up front nor the older man browsing at the end of the aisle were paying him any mind.

Cautiously, he took a couple deep breaths, but still couldn’t identify the scent, which was now just beginning to dissipate with the back door being open. Wait, when did that happen? Derek shook his head, trying to refocus his senses. His thoughts. Was he losing time? Imagining things? Or was something messing with him? 

He fell into into an uneasy vigilance. Whatever the cause something was going on and he felt the need to get out of there. He didn’t really have to get anything today anyway and did his best to casually head for the door, a goodbye called over his shoulder.

Derek cut his outing short and headed straight home, feeling nervous the whole drive back. He kept an eye and an ear and his nose out the rest of the day and into the wee hours until he finally conked out close to dawn. If there’d been anyone around they’d probably tell him he was overreacting, but it was precisely because there wasn’t anymore that he expected the worst. He stuck to the house and only ventured out to check on the horses. 

He didn’t let his guard down until a few days later, exhausted and feeling foolish. Of course that’s when they came.

Derek hadn’t noticed the diesel pickup until it was already coming up the driveway due to yet another sudden, noisy storm nearby. This one at least seemed more normal since it was actually raining. 

It was late in the evening and he’d hurried out the back door to circle around and scope them out. He didn’t want to risk his wolf eyes giving him away, so at first he could only make out that it was three figures that were probably male. Then they stepped into the light by his front door, the one on the left reaching out to knock as the others scanned around with hands in their jackets. 

Even before the wind changed direction it was clear from the way they moved and dressed that they weren’t cops. Not regular cops, cow cops, tree cops, feds, or any other kind. And then there it was again, the scent of wolfsbane. The knocking Hunter dropped his hand and joined the others in looking around. 

“Hale, we’re not here to harm you. We just need to talk. You have my word,”  the stocky, sandy-haired man shouted.

Derek snorted quietly. That one might be telling the truth at the moment, but what about the others? As if reading his mind, the same 30-something guy — the actual leader or a decoy? — nudged the taller men who were now on either side of him. He could practically feel them eye-rolling from here, but they too made the same assurances if with more hesitation. 

Finally, the first man mentioned the reason for their visit. They’d tracked a dangerous creature to this area, a killer of several people and likely the cause of the freakish weather. Some kind of kitsune.

Derek’s eyebrows flew up. Now that was interesting and perhaps worth the risk. He might not have more than a passing acquaintance with anyone, but he didn’t want to just sit back and watch folks get slaughtered.

He didn’t want to get pumped full of wolfsbane either so he made a point of crunching the gravel beneath his feet as he slowly started to approach. The guy on the right, mid-20s with a narrow face and long, dark hair, still whirled around with his gun raised and Derek made sure to keep his own truck between him and them. The talker hissed at the man, who lowered the weapon somewhat. They stood sizing  each other up and ignoring the rain for few moments before Talker asked if he knew the whereabouts of a recent arrival. 

After a couple interjections from Young Gun they gave a pretty solid description: A 20 year old white man, 5’10”, with short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and moles on his face. Last seen in Red Lodge.

“Huh,” he muttered, pretending to search his memory even as his stomach plummeted. 

Maybe Derek was being irrational and letting his crush or whatever it was affect his judgement, but he just couldn’t believe that Sean, which was likely not his real name, was running around murdering people all willy-nilly. Not without some type of proof beyond the word of Hunters. There was something in his past, a sense that he’d been touched by darkness, but he didn’t seem like a source of it himself.

Oh and you’re such a great judge of character? his inner critic said in Cora’s voice. Heh. Well, he had picked up something unsettling about her. It’s just that he was going through life as a typical college student back then and thought it was in a “might get super insulting or jealous and controlling“ kind of way and not a “genocidal and will kill your family for fun because she thinks you’re abominations yet will still fuck you” kind of way. 

He clenched his jaw minutely and then looked Talker in the eye.

“Sorry, I don’t know where he is,” he stated firmly, which was entirely true. Derek knew where he’d been, but he had no idea where he was now or where he would be. Obviously, if they weren’t just waiting to follow him from work or something Sean was already aware that they were here. Maybe there’d even been some kind of confrontation. 

Once again his insides flipped at the thought. Sean could be injured. Or long gone and never to be seen again. 

The third man, a lanky grizzled 40-ish blond who’d been silently watching the proceedings, narrowed his eyes. 

“If you’re hiding this monster, Hale—“ he began, before being cut off.

“Surely, he knows better than that,” Talker said, smiling with too many teeth. He reached into his pocket, opened his wallet, and wedged a business card in the door jamb. “Well, if you do see him, give us a call.” 

“You betcha,” Derek said mildly, lying to his face. He felt a moments’ amusement at finally using the ubiquitous phrase. The Hunters started walking towards their truck and he took that as his cue to back away, never taking his eyes off of them. 

“We’ll be seeing you,” Young Gun called with a sneer before climbing in the driver’s seat. 

Well that was ominous. He didn’t respond and waited until they we were well down the road before going back inside, throwing the card straight in the trash. Even if it turned out that the stock boy did need to be…to be neutralized Derek would be damned before handing him over to the likes of them. 

But now he had to worry about Hunters knowing about him — and how exactly did that happen? — and he was alone and vulnerable. Couldn’t he catch a break? He sighed heavily. 

Derek thought about running, but a lot of his money was tied up in the land. He’d settled in and accumulated stuff. Had horses. The idea of starting all over yet again was not just daunting, but soul-destroying. Enraging. Overwhelming. Impossible.

And then what, just wait for the next time? Spend the rest of his life as he’d just done the previous few days; stressed out, on high alert, and looking over his shoulder? Clinging to this scrap of existence? He was tired. Beyond tired.

The odds weren’t great to say the least, 3 vs 1 assuming they were weren’t more of them lurking around, but Derek wasn’t going anywhere. One way or another he was done. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d be particularly incompetent and poorly trained. Yeah right. Maybe he could take one or more of them down with him. That was more likely.

The next morning he made sure the horses had access to extra feed and water and called up the farm supply store in Roberts, asking the manager, Wes, if he’d be willing to do him a favor. To call if he didn’t hear from Derek by noon every other day for the next while and if he didn’t by the time the store closed at 6pm to come out and check on the horses. Charge anything he saw fit to his account. The generally jovial middle-aged former linesman listened quietly until he was done. 

“You got some type of trouble, Hale?” he asked, gruff with concern. 

“Could be,” Derek replied numbly. He thanked Wes and hung up without elaborating.

The following night there was another storm, brief, but closer and much more violent than before. A truly awesome display in every sense of the word, bolts of colorful orange lightning flashing when he peeked out before heeding the urge to keep away. When he was sure it was over he brought treats out for poor Ada, Jessie, and Gable. 

The next time Derek went to town a couple afternoons later he passed by the hardware store, but didn’t stop in case he or it was being watched. It was no surprise, but when he saw the Help Wanted sign in the window his left hand clenched into a fist, the tips of his claws piercing skin until blood dripped onto his denim clad knee or down to the floorboard. He wondered where Sean went. If he was even still alive now.

That evening Derek was at the Grizzly flipping through an abandoned copy of the weekly regional newspaper — July 15th, today’s edition — when he saw that three men had been found dead yesterday. Out-of-towners from California who had all managed to get electrocuted wandering around a field by Roscoe. A freak weather occurrence the night before. Huh.

Well that takes care of that problem. There were no pictures of the deceased and he would follow up on the story to make sure, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t, in fact, be seeing those Hunters around. As for what else was going on, he guessed he’d have to wait and see.

Follow me down a fox hole in the ground. Don’t delay.

Everything is moving so fast. I am unlimited.

The full moon fell on another scorcher two days later, the air still warm and muggy a couple hours after the sun finally deigned to set around 9:00pm. Derek was tending to his horses, waiting until the temperature wasn’t sweltering anymore, but still sweating through his shirt after mucking out their stalls. Putting out fresh straw and climbing up into the hayloft and back down again multiple times. He wanted to have bales ready for tomorrow and maybe the following day and gave his interested audience a snack of hay and apples as well. 

Derek wasn’t sure if he was gonna stay close tonight or go ranging once the moon was in full effect shortly before midnight. The Hunters were gone (he’d confirmed it online that morning) and he hadn’t been up to it the previous month, so he was leaning toward going out for a bit and seeing how it went. He felt the moment when the alignment occurred, the moon’s power calling to his blood, to his wolf, who responded with an interested, but rather mild wag of its metaphorical tail. 

Derek sighed remembering how exhilarated he used to be, champing at the bit to run wild and reveling in his full shift. I should be grateful I feel anything at all these days. He finished up and was petting Ada goodbye when he heard the clock in the house strike midnight. It was another free box find, beat up, but with a functional pendulum, which he liked since he could know what time it was from any of the buildings on his property and a good chunk of the land without having to wear a watch. It could be silenced at night or whenever else he wished otherwise it would’ve ended up back in a pile.  

On the seventh chime the lights inside the barn started flickering and that strange energy was in the air again, full of wild, dangerous potential. There was a moment of laden silence and then something moved in the brush outside. Derek’s hair stood on end. 

He looked at his nervously whinnying horses and was glad that he’d been waiting until the check-in tomorrow to tell Wes not to bother with them anymore instead of calling him today. They would hopefully survive this even if he didn’t. He took a deep breath and walked into the night.

Lightning flashed high in the sky, confined to the rapidly congregating clouds for now, but Derek cringed nonetheless. A human-shaped shadow materialized from the darkness beyond the floodlights on the other side of the building, otherworldly eyes glowing a burnt orange. Moments later Sean was sauntering around the outskirts of the illuminated sphere wearing a sharp-fanged grin, wind blowing his not-quite-as-short hair as it whipped around and behind him. 

Instead of relaxing at the mostly familiar face that he’d spent weeks daydreaming about Derek tensed even more, wondering if Sean thought he’d helped those Hunters. Or if they were actually right about him and he’d come to finish off his prey. Derek couldn’t think of another reason why he’d be here like this. At this time of night, looking like that. His wolf was still and alert.

He had increased strength from the moon, but he couldn’t fight lightning. Honestly, without the animosity he reserved for Hunters he didn’t really want to at this point. He was tired. Of the isolation and loneliness, even with his horses. The grief and guilt and pain. Of living. The emptiness that was gonna swallow him whole some day anyway. Even as the rest of him still rebelled at the idea there was a rather large part of him that felt relieved while staring death in the face. 

The air stilled again momentarily and Derek closed his red eyes, breathing deeply as that intoxicating scent reached his nose for a second time. The scent of Sean. A final mystery solved as he waited for the end. At least it should be quick.

Oh, the fox came for him all right, but not at all in the way he’d expected. Derek kept his eyes closed even as footsteps raced toward him and moments later a body was colliding with his. The next thing he knew he was laid out on the ground, air knocked from his lungs and flat on his back with Sean straddling him. Purring. 

To say he was shocked was an understatement. Shocked, but starting to get turned on.

Hands planted on his chest, Sean leaned forward and sniffed at his neck, giving it a lick and sounding pleased when increased arousal flooded through him. He licked some more and nipped at Derek’s jaw, Inhaling again. The fox grinned mischievously and sat all the way down on his tenting crotch, grinding on him. Lying on top of him and rubbing himself all over, getting Derek all riled up.

He was content to let the fox have his way with him, but then in the blink of an eye Sean was standing and peering down at his confused form. Backing away towards the tall grass with swaying hips and a heavy-lidded gaze, licking his lips. Derek leapt to his feet, tracking every movement and matching step for step. He began to growl as Sean neared the rustling, wind-whipped vegetation and slowly turned around. Mine his wolf declared hungrily. The fox looked over his shoulder and smirked before taking off into the field.

Dirt flew as Derek tore after him, beta-shifted as he crashed through the grass. It was tall, but not enough to hide someone of their heights, yet he couldn’t see even a head floating above it. With the erratic wind still blowing it was also hard to discern that movement from one caused by someone ducked and passing through. He was going to have to rely on his hearing and smell, which were superior in wolf form. Quickly he stripped down and shifted completely, setting off again. 

Lightning flashed again, thunder deafening, and he snapped his jaws at the sky. He dropped his muzzle to the ground, sniffing for where the fox had touched the earth since he couldn’t get a good scent from the air. He came across the trail and sped along it, that unique aroma growing stronger. Derek burst into a small bare patch of land where the scent was concentrated, but instead of catching Sean he only found a pile of discarded clothing. Clever. Despite his frustration he was impressed. Either he’s crawling around naked on his hands and knees, which is entirely possible — the thought went straight to his cock  — or he’s a shifter too.

Derek was betting on the latter and this time he also looked for paw prints and snapped stalks lower down while trying to move quietly himself. During a break in the distracting weather, which seemed to be winding down, he heard what sounded like the brief tangling of a smaller animal up ahead. Stalking closer he saw a glimpse of brightness in the moonlight and rushed forward. The fox gekkered and started running again, Derek howling in pursuit. 

Twisting and turning they darted through the drying blades of grass, his muzzle nearly touching a tail or leg on more than one occasion. Then Sean shot out into open ground, Derek too close behind to successfully double back to the more advantageous environment. His quarry in full sight with no where to hide he put on another burst of speed and began to gain on the other shifter, nostrils flaring at the musky scent. Earthy and sweet. Derek wanted to roll in it, but he had to catch him first.

Closer and closer he came and he could see more clearly that Sean was a beautiful multicolored fox, bright orange and black with patches of what might’ve been gray or silver. He had every intention of finding out later in the daylight. Finally, he deemed it near enough for a good tackle and he leapt, carefully landing over the wily creature and immediately dropping his weight on top of him. Derek took the scruff of his wiggling prey in his jaws and clamped down, but didn’t break the skin as the fox panted and whined beneath him. Mine.

His wolf was rearing to go, the overwhelming urge to thrust and bite and claim, but there was no way he could fuck the much smaller animal even if he’d wanted to. Thankfully, Sean began shifting back, thick, fluffy fur receding and becoming an expanse of dotted skin as he rapidly grew in size. Derek followed suit and soon he was pressed against the younger man, still gripping the skin of his neck in his mouth. He replaced his teeth with a firm, possessive hand and used his other arm to push himself upward to view what was his. 

Panting with arousal as much as exertion now, Sean rested low on his forearms and knees and spread his legs in clear invitation. The youth glistened between his thighs and Derek ran two fingers there before sliding up to his sopping wet hole and the source of the richer ambrosial scent. Groaning, he slipped one and then two digits inside Sean’s tight heat, trying to give him some measure of prep before mounting him as his wolf demanded to do. 

The impatient shifter whined and growled, bucking back on his fingers, which were now up to three. He turned his head and snapped at Derek, so he withdrew them taking the hint. If Sean was so desperate for his cock he was going to give it to him. Coating himself with the wondrous slick he lined himself up and pushed inside, hole fluttering around him as it worked to accommodate his girth. 

Draping over his back and eyes closed in pleasure Derek immediately began to thrust, wrapping an arm around Sean’s chest to hold him close as he balanced with the other. He ran that hand soothingly along the whimpering shifter’s flank as he pounded into him, too much wolf to be gentle now that he finally started. He adjusted his angle though and soon the breathy, higher pitched sounds became low, throaty moans and Sean dropped down to his shoulders, lifting his ass in offering for more. 

The fox tried to sneak a hand down to his cock, but Derek snarled and grabbed it, holding both hands down with his own. He thrusted harder, making him cry out and push back wantonly. Derek wanted him to cum from his cock alone, but he wasn’t cruel. If his fox couldn’t get there before him he would help things along.

When he started to knot, he took the back of Sean’s neck between his jaws again, an instinctual need to keep his mate in place. Whining and gasping the youth spread his legs even wider as Derek worked it in with short, jerky movements until he was locked inside. Growling lowly he switched to grinding and it wasn’t long before the fox tensed up, a piercing shout before rhythmic clenching began around his knot, the scent of cum hanging in the air.

Sean continued to milk him and then Derek was tipping over the edge himself, shooting his load deep within the otherwise lax body. Releasing the bruised skin to howl in triumph, his fangs then descended and he was clamping down once more, this time sinking into flesh and spilling blood to claim the writhing fox. Still coming as the budding connection snapped into place, he turned them sideways and began alternately licking the slowly healing wound and marking up the skin around it. Mine mine mate.

Won’t you tell me how I will not feel so lonely?

Thought we were due for a change or two around this place.

As he came back down to earth from the high of their mating, their breaths slowing and heart rates returning to normal, his human self likewise returned more assertively to the fore as the animal receded into the background. The wolf was happy, calm, and satisfied, but the man began to fret and doubt even as he held on more tightly to the young man in his arms whose body he was still buried to the hilt inside. 

Did the fox want to be mated to him or had he just been expecting sex? And if he did was it only because his wilder, instinctual side was in control or was all of him truly onboard? Derek himself hadn't known he was actually going to bite him until right before it happened, though it was something his entirety wanted very much despite how he’d normally try to deny it. 

Before he could sink deeper into worrying about having tied the fox to him beyond the immediate way a hand crept back to rub the nape of neck. 

"Hi," whispered his mate, the first words spoken between them tonight. In something like two weeks now. 

"Hi," he whispered back. "You okay?" 

"More than," the fox chuckled weakly. "I could just hear you thinking so loudly " 

He noted the scent of content amusement, which dialed his concern down a notch. Still he took a deep breath. "About me…biting you…” 

"I wanted you to." 

"Yeah?" Derek asked softly, almost disbelieving. 

"...I came to you and initiated a chase on the full moon." 

He grinned at the snarky reply and mouthed at an earlobe, nipping it and grinding himself into Sean's prostate again. The fox moaned and turned his head to nip back at Derek's nose before continuing. 

"I might still be fairly new to all this, but I knew that much. That you would probably bite me if you felt... " There was a sudden shift in his scent. Uncertainty and a hint of guilt. "But you..." 

"I wanted you too. The moon is strong, yes, but if I truly wasn’t interested, didn’t want you, I could’ve made myself stay where I was. Walk the other way.” Derek felt his sigh of relief and inhaled contentment once more. Good. “So what brings you to Gopher Crotch, Montana?”

“I hadn’t heard that one yet,” Sean replied, laughing before growing quiet. Derek grimaced, chiding himself. 

“S’okay, you don’t have to tell me. I don’t even know why I asked. It just popped into my head and I guess my filter is pretty non-existent at the moment.” He sighed. “Folks end up out here and it’s rarely puppies and rainbows they’re coming from.” 

“Speaking from experience?”

“Yup.” 

The fox grabbed his left hand where it was idly running up and down his side and pulled Derek’s arm across him, intertwining their fingers and holding his hand against his chest.

After several moments he started to explain that he came here to try to learn to control his power in a sparsely populated area. He’d done a sacrificial ritual with some friends to save his father and a couple others, leaving himself vulnerable, and was possessed by a dark kitsune. The sadness evident when speaking of his friends grew thicker as he described the damage his hijacked body had done. Hurting and killing people. They finally managed to get rid of it when a werewolf friend bit him, but he ended up becoming some hybrid kitsune/fox shifter after.  

“The Nogitsune can’t be two things at once, but apparently I can. Or I don’t know, maybe it assumed I’d be a wolf and bounced before realizing. Maybe it was something it left behind that made me change into a fox after starting to turn. Or maybe it was just me.” The younger man shook his head and snorted.

“Who knows? Whatever the reason, it happened. I knew other shifters, mostly werewolves and a coyote. Had a kitsune friend too. But none who were both.”

He spoke of the distance and awkwardness between them after. The looks. His guilt and grief. The nightmares. And then how he accidentally shocked his father when he tried to wake him. 

“He survived. Recovered okay last I heard, but I-I couldn’t…” Sean trailed off, choking up.

“I know,” Derek said, squeezing his hand and waiting as he gathered himself.

“I once visited a great uncle out this side as a kid — not here, way more East — and after a few months on the road I thought of that. I had this old Jeep that belonged to my mom, named it Roscoe. There was no way it could make a trip like this, so I left it behind rather than have to ditch it somewhere in case some day…” His mate sighed. “So when I saw that on the map, well, I couldn’t help but stop nearby. Like it was sign.”

“I’m glad you did.” 

“Here I was about a week or so, got a job at RC, and then you come strolling on in. Immediately I was aware of you, drawn like a moth to a flame. I’d been…I’m not sure how to describe it, but like, buzzing inside from my power and eventually it’d grow until I’d have to let it out. But then I got this strange feeling of calmness with you there. And of course you were hot as fuck too.“

Derek blushed and grinned, dropping his face into the crook of his mate’s neck before responding. 

“I was drawn to you as well. Intrigued. I didn’t know what to do with that, figured you were one more thing — or person — that I couldn’t have. Every time I saw you I was attracted more and more…” he shook his head ruefully. “Couldn’t stay away. So each time I pulled up I’d hope you weren’t there, but then was happy when you were and disappointed when you weren’t.” 

The fox made a noise of amused commiseration. 

“Our animal sides can be on some crazy shit at times, but there are definitely others when the human just gets in the way and you have to let the fox, or wolf, lead.” He purred and rubbed himself back against Derek and he rumbled back, setting his teeth gently over the mating mark. 

“Apparently. Mine’s been pretty quiet for a while now, except sometimes when I’m hunting or if go running on the full moon. Not much for him to react to, you know? No pack, no other shifters nearby or even passing through recently. Even with the Hunters he was more in the background. Giving me information, but not trying to take point. 

“And then you were all over me and took off with that look in your eye and he came roaring awake.” Derek chuckled at the smug satisfaction emanating from the fox. “So I take it you knew I was a wolf right away?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Huh. I couldn’t pick up anything supernatural about you until tonight.” Shoulders shrugged against Derek’s own.

“It seems to be a kitsune thing. A defensive measure that keeps you hidden unless you consciously drop it or when you’re actively using your powers.” 

“Huh. And are fox abilities pretty much the same as wolves?”

“I think so, but sometimes weaker or stronger.”

“Hmm.” He was curious and looking forward to learning more about his mate. He knew that they existed, but had never actually known a fox shifter before. Or a kitsune. Both were significantly rarer than werewolves, at least in the States.

Derek figured it was his turn to share, so he gave a basic rundown of his own story. His lost family. How he stayed in New York when they moved away. The fire. Laura. Peter. He braced for judgement, if not for his naiveté with the Hunter then for killing his uncle, but the fox only turned their still clasped left hands over and kissed his palm. 

He mentioned his estranged little sister and how he’d been resigned to being alone. When he was done his mate was thrumming with anger.

“Fucking Hunters,” Sean said, bitterly. “If they’d stick to their supposed code it’d be one thing, but so many of them clearly don’t. I ran into some before here too, back in Beacon Hills—“

Derek froze, heart racing as his mind tried to process those words. Surely he hadn’t heard that right. Or it was some other place with the same name. There was no fucking way. He’d been able to tell his story with a certain amount of detachment, but he hadn’t spoken the name of that cursed place. Could hardly bear to think it. Laughter in a bar. His claws red. The smell of charred wood and melted plastic when he made himself see the house before he left.

A concerned voice calling out to him broke him out the spell.

“—okay? Hey, what’s wrong?” 

He swallowed several times trying to work the dryness from his throat. 

“Beacon Hills…California?”

“Yes…” Sean responded hesitantly.

“No fucking way,” he breathed. “That…That’s where my family moved.” Where they died.

There was a sharp inhale. 

“The house in the Preserve...There wasn’t much known about what happened. I hadn’t thought to connect the name because I didn’t know they were wolves.”

“Really? Your wolf friend never ran into Christopher Argent?”

“Allison’s dad? What does he have—oh my god! Her aunt and grandfather disappeared around that time. They were the Hunters?!”

“Yeah.”

“Holy shit. No, Allison and her parents moved away soon after. They never knew about Scott. Some other dipshits came through a while later, tried to intimidate some of Satomi’s pack — she’s the Alpha who helped Scott with the wolf stuff. She and most of her pack live in Nevada, but a few were attending the county college for their veterinary program and noticed there was another wolf around, thank God. It was a lot to deal with on our own, trying to find actual information and keep him secret and in control.”

While his mate recounted throwing lacrosse balls at his packless friend the memory of Peter’s last words flashed in his head. He gasped as another piece of the puzzle slotted into place.  

“Was your friend also Bitten around the same time?”

“Yeah, we never found out who—“

“I think it was my uncle. He was saying something about expanding the pack right before I…I didn’t know. His Alpha instincts must’ve had free rein to just attack some kid like that.”

“Holy shit,” Sean repeated.

“Holy shit,” Derek agreed. He knew he was going to dwell on this revelation for a good while, want to know all the details and about the new wolf, but he didn’t want to start that now. This time was for them. He shoved his train of thought back on track to where they’d left off.

“So those three Hunters…”

“I didn’t know I was being tracked, but I tried to be careful. Moved around, kept an eye on the weather to try to blend in with forecasted storms, but I’d have to put on a light show every so often when there weren’t any. Obviously they caught up to me when I stayed here so long...such beautiful scenery and all,” he said flirtatiously before getting serious again.

“Fuckers ran me right off the road. Tried to run me over really. I heard them behind me in time, but they followed me off the shoulder and destroyed my dirt bike right after I bailed. I had just saved up enough to get it before I came here too,” he hissed angrily. 

“I hurt my leg and side when I landed so I ducked into an old shed nearby to try to buy some time to heal more. They taunted me outside, wouldn’t listen to me. Said no one ever escaped a nogistune before so I must still be possessed, but that even if I wasn’t I’d be an abomination anyway.”

Derek growled from deep within his chest and nuzzled the younger man. Fucking Hunters and their genocidal bullshit.

“When two of them were getting closer to the door I got small and foxy and crept out a hole by the ground in back. I guess they didn’t realize that I could shift too, so it took the other one a few moments to notice and react. Then I was running into the field, trying to find cover as they shot after me. They kept coming and I couldn’t run at my usual speed, so…” He shrugged. “Boom.”

He tightened his hold on his mate. Killing was rarely pleasant even if it was necessary or well deserved and he knew the fox already carried so much guilt from the lives his body was forced to take. 

“It was self-defense.”

“I know. I mean I’m not happy about it, but I don’t exactly feel bad either, especially since I heard one of them mention coming back for you after ‘taking care of their fox problem.’”

Derek closed his eyes and shuddered. He’d figured as much, but it was another thing to hear it for sure. It didn’t matter that he was minding his own business and not a threat to anyone. He wasn’t human and so shouldn’t exist. 

“Thank you,” he said, throat tight.

“De nada, mate.” 

Mate. He was thrilled to hear it out loud for the first time. 

“Oh hey, what’s your name? Other than Hale?”

“Derek,” he replied, amused that they’d gone this long without bothering to ask. ”And what’s yours? Not actually Sean I assume?” 

“Well…it’s Myeh-cheh-swaf. But I go by Stiles.”

“Nice to meet you, Stiles,” he said, voice low and syrupy, grinding into him again. Stiles giggled. 

“If you keep doing that we’re gonna be stuck out here forever, dude.”

“Not seeing the problem.” Derek grabbed an ass cheek and then gave it a playful spank. “And don’t call me ‘dude’. I ain’t been no city slicker in years,” he drawled with an exaggerated accent.

Stiles snorted and started squeezing his knot in retaliation, making Derek groan. He slipped a hand between them to feels where they were connected, trailing two fingers through the slick. The fox made a cute little noise.

“I have to say the whole, uh, getting wet thing was quite the surprise.”

“Mmm, I like it.”

“I can tell.” Derek could hear the smirk in his voice. “I bet you’ll be happy to know the first time it happened was the last time you came in to the store before things went to hell. You were all sweaty and dirty in that basically see-thru tank top looking like a walking wet dream. Then without any warning there was leaking happening. I froze and then ran to bathroom thinking I must’ve ate something off for lunch and was having some kind of problem.”

A belly laugh erupted out of Derek shaking them both. 

“I fell into a big muddy puddle trying to help some folks that were stuck. Took off my button-down to try to get the worst of the muck off and wiped myself down. I was annoyed as hell and lost in my head when I got there and then all of a sudden I smelled something amazing. Didn’t know what it was or where it was coming from.” 

“Yeah, that seems to be from my, uh, regular fox side. Which is totally a thing I just say now. Anyway, I kind of freaked out when I saw you turning and I guess I did something kitsune-ish so you wouldn’t notice me? But using my power meant the usual concealment stuff went away and you could smell my full scent. And, um, that.”

Ah, so that’s what happened. He refrained from mentioning his own freak out thinking he was either losing his mind or that something potentially bad was happening. The paranoia that ended up being warranted, but not because of him.

“It’s weird and I’m still getting used to it, but I have to admit it’s very convenient. I would’ve had to stop for lube or something last night otherwise.” 

Derek laughed more, imagining a glowing eyed Stiles followed by a miniature lightning storm stopping by the general store for some K-Y and Miss Ginny getting on the phone right after being all “I’m pretty sure the new boy down at RC is some kind of demon, but anyway I saw him buying a bottle of ‘you know what’ and I just have to wonder who for…”

“Mind sharing with the class?” Stiles asked curiously when he continued to crack himself up. Derek told him and then they were both dissolving into giggles, causing his now mostly soft cock and shrunken knot to finally slip out. Stiles made a soft whining sound and then stretched before turning toward him. They drank each other in face to face. 

“I figured you probably wouldn’t be small, and yeah, no way that was going in me dry, especially not having taken a cock before,” Stiles added, blushing, before snuggling up to him again.

Derek froze.

“Yeah, I’ve slept with some folks, but they all happened to be of the female persuasion. So, yeah. First guy.”

A pleased possessiveness flashed through him mostly — but not entirely — from his wolf, but then Derek frowned, feeling more than a little guilty.

“I was rough with you.”

Stiles pulled back to look him in the eye. “Again, I knew what I was getting into. Full moon, Alpha wolf. And I liked it. A whole lot.”

Derek hmmed. “And you’re not…hurt?”

“You weren’t that rough and I was, you know, ready for you. Sure, I was pretty sore at first right after because virgin ass plus knot even with everything, but just very slightly now. In a nice way. While my healing isn’t as fast as yours it’s still pretty quick.” 

He sighed in relief. 

“I guess I make up for it by running faster than you,” Stiles teased.

Derek huffed. “I seem to remember catching you.”

“I seem to remember letting you. Gotta stoke that Alpha ego.” 

There was no blip in the fox’s heart beat. That little shit. 

“Plus I wanted to get fucked already. You were…” Stiles sighed dreamily. “I wanted you so much.” 

Well then. 

“But if the Big Bad Wolf is still worried about traumatizing little ol’ me with an epic dicking and you want to give me an apology blow job or something to feel well and truly forgiven, I wouldn’t stop you…”

Derek laughed again. He’d already laughed more in past 10 minutes or so than he had in weeks. Laughed harder than in longer than he could remember. 

Agreeing that that was a great suggestion he rolled them over so that Stiles was on his back and then slid down his body, tasting the grass stained skin of his chest and abdomen and belly, venturing on until he reached his prize. Derek grasped the base of the still hardening cock and rumbled as he licked off the evidence of Stiles’ previous orgasm before he took it in his mouth and suckled the head. He was rewarded with louder moans of pleasure from his mate when he sunk further down, bobbing up and down shaft while reaching to fondle his balls with his other hand.

After a couple of minutes Derek gave the delicate sack one more squeeze and then moved his hand lower to gather slick from between soft inner thighs. The moans turned to gasps and when he pushed two fingers inside the fox’s quivering hole, jacking the shaft after pulling off to watch as his load trickled out along with fresh slick. Derek growled at the sight, thrusting faster and aiming for that sweet spot. 

When his mate was getting close he descended once more on the now leaking cock, continuing to finger him while engulfing him deep, until the tip was nestled in his throat. He made a humming sound and then Stiles was coming and crying out. Derek greedily swallowed his release and cleaned his cock until he was sensitive and whimpering. Grabbing him by the hips he then hoisted him up so that only his head and shoulders remained on the ground, tongue pressing against the furled entrance of the weakly moaning fox and lapping their mingled fluids until he was satisfied.

“Um, wow,” Stiles said breathlessly when he finally set him down.

“I want to fill you up again,” Derek rasped, his eyes a steady red as he kneeled between trembling thighs, stroking his own aching, eager cock. 

Stiles’ eyes flashed orange in response and he spread his legs wider, folding them up and holding himself exposed for Derek. So trusting and willing, this alluring and powerful creature who could blast him into next Tuesday, fry him to crisp and blow away the dust, but so readily submitted to him. Wanted him. His heart felt like it could burst. 

He crawled forward to bracket Stiles in his arms, leaving marks on his throat. Filling in some of those blank spaces that he couldn’t reach the last time. He rubbed his beard against the tanned skin, nuzzling and scenting him and when he couldn’t wait anymore he coated himself with slick and pushed in again with one steady motion, both of them moaning. Flush together and wrapped in heat, Derek closed his eyes and took a moment to just savor the feeling of being snug inside his mate. 

Affection and a sweet desire coursed through the bond and then Stiles was leaning up to kiss him, wrapping those long, strong legs around his waist. He started off slow and deep, rolling his hips sinuously as they explored each other’s mouths for the first time. Eventually he sped up, the fox’s writhing and little sounds spurring him on, and Derek held his gaze as he drove in faster and harder. 

Stiles’ eyes took on an eerie glow, the same one as before the chase. A darker shade than the previous flashing yet more shimmery. Uh-oh, here it co—

Lightning flashed high in the overcast sky, the boom of thunder only a split second behind. Startled, unhappy neighing sounded from the barn.

Derek shook his head at his sheepishly grinning mate. He adjusted his position to get use of an arm and hiked an ankle crossed at his lower back higher to rest over his shoulder. Then he spat in his hand and grasped Stiles’ cock now that enough time had passed to give his new favorite toy a break.

“Think you can manage to stop scaring my horses?” he asked with a smirk, jacking him. 

“Mmm…maybe with…the proper…motivation.” The pleasure drunk fox rubbed his other thigh against his side. Derek started thinking of all sorts of fun ways of training and testing his control. He nibbled at an earlobe and let go of his mate’s erection to twine their fingers together, pressing the backs of Stiles’ hands into the earth.

“Oh is that so?” 

“Mmhmm.”

He picked up the pace again and Stiles answered, rocking his hips in a matching rhythm. Hungrily they attacked each other with their mouths, licking, sucking, biting anywhere they could reach. The lightning ceased, but then it immediately started raining. 

Shaking with laughter they slowed but didn’t stop, grinding as the heavy droplets cooled their feverish skin. He took Stiles' face in both hands and kissed him deeply between giggles. As they ramped up again and his knot began to swell arms wrapped around to hook on his shoulders. It wasn’t long before claws were scratching down his back and when Stiles came he buried his fangs into Derek’s flesh, leaving a mating bite of his own between shoulder and neck. 

He whined from the delicious overload of sensations, thrusting erratically a half dozen times more before locking, teeth still embedded in him. Rain collected in the dips of their bodies and rivulets of water, sweat, blood, saliva, and cum ran off of them into the thirsty ground. 

When they were done — his knot going down more quickly the second round — they got up and ran naked and laughing toward the house, Stiles shifting halfway and taking off with a playful yip. Derek followed suit, howling as he tried and failed to close the distance. He was definitely gonna have to do some training himself, futile though it would probably be. If he could only arrange a chase long enough he bet that he could win on endurance. Wolves typically traveled much farther than foxes after all.

In the meantime, at least he knew his mate would take pity on him — or get horny enough — and let himself be caught sometimes. Not this time though.

When he reached the stoop at the side of the house the fox was casually lying there waiting for him with his tongue lolling out. Derek chuffed and nipped his muzzle before licking his right cheek and ear fondly. Little shit. Shifting back he turned the knob and held the door open for his mate to scamper into their home, following after with a grin bigger than the sky.

Come morning, miles along, gathered round, those remained. With bird in hand and a cry for the land, joy to gain.

We have all we need.

Thanks for reading!

Here's the previous fic (unrelated) for this event/series: Second Chance Strays.

[astroboots]

Hey Cici!

I know you’re on hiatus but this question sprang to mind, so I hope you see it when you’re back!

Are there any big differences between Nena and Cielito? After reading your one shots like superhuman stamina, etc, I got the sense that maybe Nena is more confident and has had a more vibrant life than Cielito. I don’t know what you think?

Oh and on that same train of thought, are there any differences between EYEM and ATSV Miguel. Obviously, I love ATSV Miguel, but EYEM Miguel has my heart in a chokehold! I’d love to know if you have any little random headcanons for him!

Hello!!! So sorry it's taken absolutely forever to answer this one!

I love this question! Yes there are significant differences in Nena and Cielito. Primarily because while the worlds they lived in are fairly similar (save for a few idiosyncracies) their lives are very different.

There's several factors to this.

Nena meets Miguel at a much earlier point in her life than Cielito (almost a decade earlier). They built a life together, had a whole crew of friends (both superhero and not-supers).

She also had Miguel and lived a much less lonelier life than Cielito. Cielito on the other hand, never meets Miguel until the start of EYEM. She spent the last 10 years of her life, consumed in a corporate work just to keep afloat and to earn enough money to be able to stay in NY (cause rent ain't cheap, nor is anything else in the big apple, not even apples). Her life is a lot lonelier because she never had the time or the opportunity to build a fuller life as a result.

As for differences between EYEM and ATSV Miguel Oh boy oh boy! I had at one point thought of writing a oneshot about this but it was too devastating and angsty.

The main difference is that EYEM and ATSV are the same up to a divergent point. That point being Nena's death. They both live through and EYEM/ATSV Mig is one and the same right up until the end of chapter 12.5. After that they diverge.

After her death Miguel shuts down emotionally hiding himself away from the world. Until our favorite A.I. right-hand woman, offers Miguel a glimpse into an "alternative" Nena, one where her and Miguel are together, and have a daughter, in her attempt to cheer him up.

This is where there's two options:

EYEM Miguel doesn't want to see it. He locks himself away to deal with his grief and tries to not interact with the world or any other universes, for years and when he does, he almost immediately runs into Cielito...

As for ATSV Miguel.... he watches and is consumed by this other world, showing himself a better alternative than the one he has himself face. Until of course... that Miguel is killed, leaving behind this other Nena a widow, and his daughter an orphan... And Miguel gets a misguided idea, and well... we all know what happens then.

[muzaktomyears]

Mimi and Yoko

[written shortly after John's death] “…After years of battling to be noticed and fighting desperately to be first, now the opportunity has arrived! The centre of notice and attention. At what a cost! Seemingly reveling in it, not a sign of emotion as far as I could detect in conversation on the phone. It will go on. Doesn’t she realize the real centre of attention has gone? She knows she was tolerated because of him. God knows nobody would have heard of her… Meanwhile, all I know is he’s gone and at times I think I’ll go mental. Some days I am more or less able to go on, then I’m devastated and lost… (...) It was through that conversation that [Mimi] began to recall the early years of John and Yoko. “You wouldn’t believe how quickly he changed. He was as different as night and day, just like that. It was almost as if she’d put a spell on him.” (...) [Mimi] adored [Sean] almost from the beginning. He was amazingly intelligent, she said, and she loved talking to him on the phone. I have no reason to believe that adoration didn’t continue until she died. I remember one story she told about Sean. Apparently he had lost his first tooth so Yoko told him to put it under his pillow and the tooth fairy would come and give him money for it. He followed her instructions and came out the next morning, disappointed that he’d received American money. He had hoped for foreign coins. Mimi took that as an early indication of his intelligence and that he would grow up to know exactly how to handle money. (...) [May '82] “I’m hearing a lot from Yoko. I seem to have phone calls nearly every other day. She says she’s very busy. No doubt she is but underlying it all I think she’s realising that without her making an effort etc. nobody will bother much. She needs to be noticed and like an old witch I sense loneliness. Seems next spring Strawberry Fields will be planted. She wanted me to go over for the opening. I can’t give a definite answer. The whole thing may come to nothing. She suggested if I like it over there, would I consider living there as that’s what John wanted. I think I’m too old to do that. I could have one of the flats in the Dakota… (...) [Feb ‘84] “Perhaps you heard of Yoko’s visit? She came here with Sean, and – dear God – bodyguards! Incredible in this country! She had announced she was coming to see me, so of course the damned press were here from 8 a.m. asking to see me, but I refused. They were persistent, knocking and asking for me but I stuck it out and refused. Meanwhile they sat at the door and waited. What was annoying, they got the address and nobody knew where I was until then. Then the retinue arrived and photographs – of Yoko and Sean. “Sean – the dearest little boy. Another John in every way – self-confident and sophisticated, taking photographs with timing on the camera and his arms around me. Left me a little letter with kisses and hearts and ‘God bless Mimi’. I simply could not get over him. We were all taken with him. “With Yoko also was a woman reporter, didn’t say so until she came and sat beside me and asked why I refused to see reporters. I said because they are all liars, then she said ‘I’m on a magazine’… So, if she writes she won’t have anything pleasant to say about me. When she got back to NY she phoned and didn’t seem very pleased when I said I still had nothing to say. So that was short and sharp. Her name was Barbara. I didn’t get the surname. So look out for her article if you can. She was with Yoko everywhere. Came over and went back with her. And – the bodyguards – dear God-" Mimi truly adored Sean, and by the mid-80s was warming considerably toward Yoko. I mentioned how I thought it a bit odd that she would bring a reporter with her when she was coming to see her dead husband’s family for the first time since his death, but she merely shrugged it off. “She can’t help herself.”

The Guitar’s All Right as a Hobby, John, Kathy Burns (2014)