#the loud and screaming host of a dave

[foxys-left-foot]

Look What You Made Me Do --- C.S. feat. T.H.

In which, Taylor takes things a bit too far in Chris's body.

Trigger warnings: mentions of death, violence, blood/gore mentions

Divider cred: @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Chris groaned as he looked up the steps. His back was screaming in pain like hell. "Fuck it. I guess I'll sleep on the couch." He mumbled. He slowly made his way to the couch and laid down. He groaned again, this time in relief. As he went to close his eyes, a silhouette of a long-haired male stood before him.

"Fuck off, Taylor. I'd like to sleep tonight. And you just know that that thing will come after you if it sees you prowling around. Do you really want me to get maimed?" he asked, attempting to reason with the ghost.

Gradually, the silhouette materialized into a real person (minus the fact that he was still a ghost). Taylor whined, "C'mon, you know I don't care about it! That thing thinks it killed me. It's not gonna care. You don't annoy the shit out of him. I do,"

"My point exactly! What if it finds a way to expose us?"

"It'd have to expose itself, too; you know Dave's doing his best to keep it from the presses and his family. Besides, he doesn't remember shit when he comes to."

"Well, you're not possessing me, and that's final! Good night, Taylor!" With that, Chris slammed his head down on the pillow and closed his pretty little eyes. He started to snore, a clear indicator that he was asleep. Taylor floated to the kitchen to make sure that Pat wasn't awake. Nope. Everyone else was upstairs, so the coast was clear.

He knew Chris would be pissed in the morning, but he didn't give a rat's ass. He floated back to the couch and into the brunette's mouth. When he opened his eyes, they were brown instead of bright blue. "Fuck yeah!" he whispered, getting up off the couch.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Dave had been sleeping obliviously until the demon opened up its glassy eyes. It sniffed the air, sensing something was amiss. Someone was up. While he was trying to sleep. As far as he was concerned, Dave's body needed rest, and the person wasn't causing any ruckus. He grunted before closing his eyes again. However, he did not surrender control to his original host, just as a precaution.

Taylor grinned, happy to explore. He was making Chris levitate a few inches off the ground as he opened the screen door to the patio. "Freedom!" he cried, smiling from ear to ear. He laughed as he made his hands light up with fire. "Woo hoo!" he yelled, taking flight into the night sky.

He sighed contentedly, feeling the wind in his hair. "This is great...I wanna do it every night, man!" he exclaimed. The demon woke back up, sniffing the air. It trudged into the halls and stood still. It listened to the night and heard cries of joy. Loud cries of joy. Annoyingly loud cries of joy. It growled, hating the fact that a mortal was having fun at two in the morning, disturbing its slumber. How dare they.

It cracked its knuckles, storming outside. Each of its footsteps created loud THUDs as it made its way to the patio. There was a smell. The smell it knew too well: fire. But the grill was off. The fireplace was lifeless. So what was the source? It looked up at the sky, seeing only 'Chris', which was confusing.

As far as it knew, Chris was seldom a night owl, often complaining about how much sleep he did or didn't get. But lately, he'd been complaining about hearing things...seeing things --- that made him lose sleep. Then it clicked. This mortal must've had an alter ego or some shit, because this wasn't normal. And boy, was this demon used to irregularities --- though not to this degree.

It did the only thing it knew how: it used its surroundings to attack. Taylor was on his back, flying comfortably in the air, when a chair was chucked at him. "HOLY FUCK!" he swore a bit loudly, dodging just in time. When he looked down, he saw Dave....fucking laughing?? But the mouth that housed coffee-stained teeth and the faint smell of cigarettes was replaced by slightly yellowed fangs of terror.

"Fuckin' shit!" he cursed, landing down on the ground. "The fuck you want with me, asshole?" To this thing, that was Chris --- he had no idea who it really was. "BED. NOW." it growled out, clearly pissed. "And why should I listen to you? You don't scare me!" Taylor challenged.

Usually, people listened to everything Dave said. So why wasn't this mortal doing the same? It was unbelievable. The sheer nerve of this guy! "BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T....YOU GET FUCKING GUTTED." It grinned maliciously, folding its hands together. If there was one thing Hawkins knew best, it was to stand your ground. "Oh, okay. Sounds like fun. Why don't you try me, then?"

What happened next was a mystery. Somehow, he'd blacked out. Although he'd been blessed with pyrokinesis and super speed, he wasn't blessed with timing things quite right...or predicting other spirits' moves. He groaned, opening his eyes. It was broad daylight, despite the feeling that it seemed like it had been nighttime moments ago.

He winced and clenched his teeth in pain as he attempted to get up. Why couldn't he? He craned his neck to see what was bothering him so much. Giant gashes in the form of claw marks streaked across the back of his left leg. "Fuck!" That was only the beginning. His shirt was tattered, reduced to being on the verge of shredding completely. More claw marks were on his chest, though they weren't as deep as the ones on his leg. And his right arm...this thing seriously bit him??

"Fucking asshole!!" he yelled, attempting to get up again. He failed, only just then realizing where he was: the driveway, near the gate. He shakily grabbed Chris's phone from his pocket, deciding to call Nate.

"Hello?" Nate mumbled, still sleepy. Taylor cleared his throat, trying to sound as close to Chris as possible, "Hey, Nate, um...I'm in the driveway and I'm kinda hurt. Could you come like...pick me up? I can't even walk, man. It's serious." A pause. "Hello?" No response. Instead, the front door practically flew open as Nate rushed out. "OH JESUS CHRIST!" he yelled, turning to everyone else. "HE'S HURT...BAD! I NEED SOME HELP!!"

Chris cried out as the alcohol was poured onto his arm wound. "Sorry." Pat apologized softly. "It will hurt, but that means it's working." He tried offering a comforting smile, though it was tinged with fear. Taylor, who'd surrendered control to the older man minutes before, reappeared.

"Who would do such a thing?" Pat thought aloud. "Why would they do this to you, Shifty?" He seemed genuinely heartbroken. It killed the spirit to see his friend in such a state. He realized how wrong it was for him to go out like that regardless of warnings.

"This demon did it. I just know it." Nate said, crossing his arms. "He's an asshole! Chris was probably just trying to sleep! Can it give us a break??" At that moment, Dave trudged down the stairs, half-awake. He grunted as some sort of greeting, unaware of the previous events; he was oblivious to the hate-filled glares of his peers.

As he poured himself coffee, Taylor watched with disdain. His host was brutally injured, nearly mauled by the frontman he thought he could trust. Chris gritted his teeth when more alcohol was applied to a different wound. He involuntarily shed a tear. The emotional and physical pains were getting to him.

"I hope you're happy, Dave! Thanks to you, we're down a man! And to think, just when we thought you had this under control! You nearly killed Chris! What's Josh gonna think when he sees this, mm?? He's gonna freak the fuck out and leave. You want that? I don't!" Nate snapped.

Dave looked up with a half-lidded stare, scoffing. "C'mon, he didn't lose a fucking limb! He's fine!" he shot back. "And why should I care about everyone else's opinions??" He kept going on and on, but Taylor tuned him out. Dave was being negligent to his friends' feelings and Chris's conditions.

His eyes blazed with rage, turning completely white. He balled his hands into fists, wishing he could punch Dave in the face right here and now. But he couldn't. He'd give himself away if he possessed his host now. Then a nasty idea popped up in his head.

The frontman needed a taste of his own medicine. But how? When? He knew --- he'd scratch him up, beat his ass to a bloody pulp...just like he did to him! To Shifty! Just to teach him a lesson. "Don't fuck with Taylor fucking Hawkins, bitch." He said before disappearing.

Chris cried in agony from not only the pain, but also from the betrayal. As the tears rolled down his face, he wished for revenge. Inside his head was the blonde, who whispered his idea. A sad smile poked at the corners of his face as he nodded. 'Sounds like a plan, buddy! I'm in!'

Later that night, Hawkins possessed his body. Granted, he didn't have all of his strength but had some. Some was better than none. He glided down the hall with an eerily delicate grace to Dave's room. He threw the door open, growling softly in frustration. '"Chris?? What the hell, dude?? I'm trying to sleep!!" The frontman whined.

"Listen here, pretty princess, I don't appreciate what you and Spooky did to me. You're gonna pay the fucking price!"

"W-what do you mean --- 'what I did to you'? And what do you mean by paying the p-price? Chris, what is going on with you??" Dave was backing away in fear, eventually booking it out of there. "Somebody fuckin help me!!" he yelled, turning the corners sharply as he ran. Taylor followed him, setting his own entire body ablaze.

Dave's screams echoed in the night, as he begged and pleaded for 'Chris' to stop. Suddenly, silence. Dave looked behind him, relieved that he lost his pursuer. But when he faced forward, the terrifying male hovered before him. "What're you doing, Chris? Why? Why??" he screamed.

"You nearly fucking mauled me to death, and you don't care!!" Taylor hissed, "You don't have this stupid thing under control! You're a selfish bastard, and I'm sick of it!" Despite Taylor being in control, Chris's voice was slipping through. "We can negotiate, man! C'mon, we've known eachih other for...gosh --- a good twenty years or so! We both have families, you get it! I'll let you take over lead guitar for a bit ---!" Dave began to offer, being cut off by a blast of fire aimed at him.

"SHUT UP!" Taylor snarled, steadily getting angrier and angrier. He didn't know why he was so angry all of a sudden. Things like this only mildly frustrated him. But his rage combined with Chris's and amplified itself into an uncontrollable force. His eyes went from white to brown on one side and blue on the other. He threw his friend into the table on the patio, his body weight causing the glass to shatter.

Dave groaned in pain, attempting to sit up. "Don't!" he tried to say, having to scramble to get up on his feet. He narrowly dodged the fireball thrown at him. Taylor briefly glitched through, his body replacing Christopher's. "TAYLOR??? THE FUCK??" The brunet screeched.

He picked up a larger shard of glass and tackled the frontman to the ground. Dave bravely fought back the best he could, but...even so, he couldn't prevent the deadly makeshift blade entering his chest. He sobbed as he got cut up and stabbed, tortured and tormented.

"What happened to the old Taylor? Why are you doing this??"

"I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't answer that right now,"

"Why?"

"Cuz he's dead!" He grinned, laughing afterwards. He picked up Dave one last time, taking him inside. "Eat shit." He wrapped his arms around his bloodied torso and lit himself ablaze again. "GAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Dave screamed as his skin burned. "How does it feel, huh?? To get fried alive?" The body switched back to Chris's as he spoke. He leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "What's worse is, nobody will ever believe you."

This was the end for sure. "T, I thought...I thought we had something, man.." Dave rasped, closing his eyes. He'd passed out from so much smoke and blood loss. As if someone had snapped their fingers, Taylor came down from his trance and surrendered control again.

A stampede practically flooded the halls as the rest of the band worriedly rushed downstairs. Chris was holding the unconscious frontman in his arms, eyes back to normal. He went pale, blood running cold. "No...no, no, NOOOO!!!" he wailed, tears practically flooding from his eyes. "Oh what have I done?? I just wanted to punch him or something...what the fuck did we do??"

Everyone stood there, the same shocked look of horror on their faces. "We need an ambulance now! Oh God, Dave, don't die! Don't die!" Chris sobbed, holding him close.

As the paramedics wheeled him in, Dave opened his eyelids. They were replaced with the black glassy look from the demon. It smiled devilishly, beginning to cut itself free from the restraints with its claws. Once it was newly patched up, it yanked the IV tubes from its arms and stood tall. "SO THAT'S THE GAME WE WANNA PLAY, EH HAWKINS?? BRING IT ON." It laughed as it stole its clothes back, slipped out the window, and floated to the ground. With that, it ran. The nurse panicked and frantically called for security to capture him.

"Come back here!" One of them yelled, in hot pursuit. "HA HA! YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, BECAUSE..." it stopped long enough to finish its sentence. "...I'M DAVE GROHL, MOTHERFUCKERS!" With a few short claps, he was gone. Vanished into thin air. It sighed in contempt when it arrived 'home.' "AND NOW, TO INVITE HIM BACK FOR MORE." It made sure to use some fresh blood from an innocent passerby, and began painting the wall with its fingers. When it was done, it signed it with a bloody handprint. It walked off to dispose of the body, laughing to itself.

Pat stood there in front of the living room wall, awestruck. He shakily walked up the stairs and knocked on Chris's door. When it opened to reveal the sleep-deprived man, Pat grabbed him by the shoulders. "There's a message for you in the living room, Shifty." he whimpered out.

Intrigued, Chris went to investigate. He gasped, mouth agape. "Taylor, the fuck have you gotten us into??" he asked. The specter appeared, just as surprised. "I dunno...but we'd better do something about it before it spirals outta control." he suggested.

They took the time to decipher it and take in the message. It read, in blood: YOUR MOVE, SHIFTY. DON'T BE A PUSSY. Both of them shuddered in fear, backing away. "We are fucking fucked." They said simultaneously. They pissed the demon off again, and were going to have to face off against it...again. Little did they know, their body had big, big plans and a big, big surprise in store. A large splotch of black appeared on Chris's mid-back area, but he was oblivious.

What mattered now was finding a way out of this...alive.

[moconut]

Whatever It Takes: A Degrassi Season 10 Retrospective (Better Off Alone, Pt. 1)

After nearly two weeks of being held hostage by Pokemon, I’m back to talk about the next episode! Long story short, KC hates his mom and Eclare is cute (for now).

Surprise, we're not done with football quite yet. KC walks off from the game last episode started and is intercepted by none other than his mysterious mom. The two make tense small talk before his mom reveals she's filed to regain custody of him. KC angrily resists the idea, saying he'll talk to her when they meet with his social worker before stomping off.

And now we switch to the B plot, where Ms. Dawes forces Clare into a writing partnership with the mysterious emo, Eli. He's the same guy who ran over her glasses in his hearse last week. "He's just so...ugh!" She later complains to Alli, despite Eli never having been rude to her at all during his 30 seconds of screen time so far.

Meanwhile, Alli has a crush on Drew all of a sudden. Clare pushes her into him, which is a strategy a friend pulled on me in college. In my case, I rambled about Pokemon for half an hour and somehow still got her number. Alli is less successful, as Drew just identifies her as "Sav's little sister." Guess that crush is still going strong.

KC aggressively sharpens a pencil while Jenna asks if he's ok. He drops some lore about his mom having been constantly "tweaked out" in the past and says living in the group home is way better than living with her would be.

After school, Clare's parents snipe at each other and then tell her not to worry. She asks if they're fighting again, implying this has been ongoing. I guess things fell apart after her sister Darcy vanished in Africa.

KC is still refusing to move in with his mother, verbally eviscerating her by calling her a "junkie with a record" who used to lock him in a closet to smoke crack. His social worker is staggered, asking his mom for a word alone with KC. He entreats KC to spend some time with his mother before he attempts to fight a legal battle against her custody claim.

In Media Immersion, Alli hits up Dave for some guy advice. Dave, thinking Alli is into him, suggests she throw a party to get the guy's attention. Alli offers him a platonic kiss and returns to her ball, already plotting.

Eli is less than impressed with Clare's latest essay attempt. He suggests she skip class to rework it, much to Clare’s horror. However, her pride as a writer and attraction to Eli’s loud apple-eating wins out and she drags him along with her.

Mr. Simpson, burdened by an angry PTA, decides to put on a school talent showcase. He enlists Sav to plan it, because I guess there’s no other staff around. Sav is also surprised to hear about the party at his house that night and confronts Alli. Drew overhears and sounds interested, presumably because it’s Sav’s house.

Eli and Clare are at their iconic bench, sharing coffee and some witty banter. They get deep when Clare admits her parents aren’t getting along, but she’s reluctant to write about something personal even though that’s apparently the point of the assignment. Eli goads her into screaming in order to prove she doesn’t care what people think, which gives some guy a minor heart attack. Clare then pushes Eli against a pole, which is far more wholesome and squee-worthy than it sounds.

At the Bhandari bash, Dave is busy hosting Alli’s party while she uses him for guy advice. She plots a game of Never Have I Ever, which is apparently just called “I Never” in Canada.

Meanwhile, KC and Jenna are finishing dinner with his mom. She commits the sin of not owning ice cream, so KC guilts her into leaving to get some while he searches her apartment for contraband.

Alli adds a strip element to the game and further leads Dave on by smiling at and leaning against him after revealing she likes someone in the room. Dave goes in for the kill with an arm around her shoulders, which she deftly maneuvers out of.

Clare engages in flirty IMs with Eli, who basically asks her out. Her parents ruin it by fighting in front of her again; she turns Eli down in order to be her mom’s replacement date for some church event. Also, this chat looks much more like AIM than Facebook and the fact that I can tell the difference makes me feel about a hundred years old.

Jenna doesn’t approve of KC’s snooping, but he thinks he’s found dirt on his mom: ibuprofen and gin. He plans to tell his social worker she gave the kids the alcohol, but is cut short when mom returns with the fabled ice cream.

At Alli’s, Drew returns for the watch Alli’s been holding captive since she rushed everyone out of the party. They get to know each other and hold a conversation that lasts more than 10 seconds. Haha, just kidding! They make out.

At the contractually-obligated Dot scene, Jenna refuses to go along with KC’s scheme. He makes a dig at her own absentee mom, which finally drives her to leave him alone with his mess. Bianca, heading a group of presumed “bad” kids, eyes the gin and asks KC if he has plans for it.

Will KC share the alcohol? Will Clare ever finish her assignment? Will Dave realize Alli’s not actually into him despite her flirting with him this whole episode? Guess we’ll have to wait and find out!

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

HALESTORM: Behind-The-Scenes Footage From Making Of 'Back From The Dead' Video

HALESTORM has shared behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the official video for the band's new single, "Back From The Dead". The track is taken from the group's upcoming fifth full-length album, due in 2022. Directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, the clip features frontwoman Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Lzzy says: "'Back From The Dead' is about survival, not in a physical sense, even though I know we all have been touched by death especially these last few years. This song is personal and written from a mental health perspective. I wanted to give myself and the world a hard rock song we could shout out loud as the gates opened again. I was on the edge of this world getting completely lost in oblivion, but even though it was the harder of two choices, I didn't just let the darkness and depression in my mind dig me an early grave. I didn't just sit and let it take me. I've erased my name from my headstone, so save your prayers, I'm back! I hope this song, as I pass it on to you, reminds YOU of your strength individually and that you are not alone."

She continues: "The video was so much fun to film! Dustin Haney is an amazing director. Dustin and his team really helped bring my words to life and the video is one of the most cinematic pieces we've done in years! I hope this song, as I pass it on…reminds YOU of YOUR individual strength and that you are not Alone. Raise your horns!"

By breaking rules, bucking trends, and busting down doors, HALESTORM has surged through rock 'n' roll on a singular path without compromise or apology. Along the way, the Pennsylvania-bred and Nashville-based quartet — Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitar), Arejay Hale (drums), Joe Hottinger (guitar) and Josh Smith (bass) — has collected a Grammy Award, scored successive number ones at radio, garnered multiple gold and platinum certifications, and performed to sold out crowds on five continents.

Going against the grain again in 2021, the band weathered the flames of chaos in 2020 and returned stronger than ever with their most empowering and undeniable anthems to date.

"Throughout the pandemic, I was writing a lot of melancholic and hopeless songs about the ups and downs of the world," admits Lzzy. "I've been in this group longer than I haven't been in it. We've always had shows. Even when I was 13 years old, we had a couple of bowling alley gigs once a month. This was the first time I didn't know if we would ever play again. However, I started to use music in the same way I did as a teenager—to get myself through this situation that was plaguing us all. I sidestepped and said, 'Let's keep our heads up, get our attitude back, be a light in the dark for a second, and celebrate the fact we're surviving and there's hope for the future.' So, we started to write songs that were a reminder to ourselves of who we are and what we're capable of. That became the mission statement."

In a way, it's always been the mission statement…

Since roaring to life in 1998, HALESTORM has uplifted audiences with a combination of sonic ass-kicking, provocative songwriting, and unshakable hooks. The four-piece received a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)". The song also minted them as the first female-fronted band to hit #1 on the Active Rock radio charts. Thus far, their discography spans two gold albums "Halestorm" and "The Strange Case Of..." , a platinum single "I Miss The Misery", and two gold singles "Here's To Us" and "I Get Off". Between surpassing one billion cumulative streams worldwide, they've notched two consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with "Into The Wild Life" (2015) and "Vicious" (2018). The latter represented a critical high watermark with Rolling Stone citing it as "a muscular, adventurous, and especially relevant rock record." In its wake, "Uncomfortable" emerged as their fourth #1 at rock radio and earned their second Grammy Award nomination, while Loudwire christened HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Not to mention, they have supported everyone from HEAVEN & HELL and Alice Cooper to Joan Jett on the road.

Even as the world went dormant during 2020, Lzzy remained prolific. She lent her voice to collaborations with everyone from Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER, IN THIS MOMENT, APOCALYPTICA, and Mark Morton of LAMB OF GOD to EVANESCENCE, Cory Marks, and Mongolian phenomenon THE HU. Additionally, she joined forces with a trio of legends — Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX and original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo — for the theme song to Netflix's "Thunder Force". Plus, the group contributed a cover of THE WHO's "Long Live Rock" to the documentary of the same name. Expanding her presence across television, she hosted the AXS TV "A Year In Music" series, joined the cast of Hit Parader's "No Cover" as a judge, provided the singing voice for Bella Thorne in the Prime Video hit "Paradise City" and launched her own show "Raise Your Horns" on Rolling Live. On the channel, she appeared in Mike Garson's David Bowie tribute with a performance of "Moonage Daydream" alongside Broadway star Lena Hall. She also participated in the platform's Ronnie James Dio tribute, supporting the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

At the same time, she remained a huge proponent of encouraging the dialogue around mental health. She participated in a Grammy Mental Health panel and empowered the next generation of rock musicians as the keynote speaker at the Little Kids Rock Modern Band Summit. She also made history as Gibson Guitars' first-ever female ambassador.

"I've learned a lot about myself through all of these different projects," she admits. "I said 'yes' to various adventures, and it made me a better artist."

Working out of her home studio in Nashville, Lzzy and the band channeled this renewed spirit into the music at the onset of 2021. Collaborating with Scott Stevens of THE EXIES, the musicians hit their stride and cooked up the single 'Back From The Dead'. Dramatic distortion and drums rumble as she screams, "I'm back from the dead!" HALESTORM come out swinging as punchy verses give way to a call-and-response chorus shocked to life with a searing solo and thunderous groove.

"We needed a reintroduction," she exclaims. "We needed something that simply said, 'Hey, we're back'. The live show is the time we feel as truly alive as we can be. When you walk out on stage with your guitar strapped on, your guys are next to you, and you have an audience looking at you, it's everything. We're celebrating the fact we're all back together again. Whatever it is that was trying to destroy that part of myself and my bandmates that our fans need couldn't do it. It failed miserably. We're fucking back."

From the moment the band graced the stage at a secret Nashville gig, they were indeed "back," albeit louder, heavier, and emboldened by an unbelievable year. Amped up to jump back in, their tour schedule took shape with festival dates followed by a co-headline run with EVANESCENCE in the fall.

Readying their fifth full-length album, they're delivering the soundtrack for a world ready to roar again.

"We've lost a lot of people, but we can start healing again," she leaves off. "I appreciate the little things even more. I don't only feel this confidence in myself, but also in every one of my band members. We're not the same people, none of us could ever be. HALESTORM is my source of my joy. It's my connection. It's the closest thing to my religion. We're moving forward. With this next album, I hope we're able to create a greater sense of community. We have a beautiful opportunity. When you listen to it, I want you to feel like you can walk through any fire."

[motherlifesucher-archives]

The Connor Situation l Shawn Mendes Imagine.

(a/n): this is super different from what I've written before and it’s kinda long (3k+ words!)

summary: Shawn is Camila’s boyfriend, (y/n) is Connor’s girlfriend, but they’re drawn to each other.

warning: mentions of drugs, sex and cheating.

A faint smell of weed lingered on the luxury Malibu house Shawn rented to celebrate the end of the tour. 

Shawn wanted to spend time with the closer part of his team without the urge of moving from city to city and putting on a concert every night. Of course, no one from Shawn’s inner circle wanted to spend more time apart from their loved ones, so the house was big enough to host at least fifteen people. 

You had met Connor back in high school, where he easily was one of the most popular kids because of his work with famous people and undeniable talent, so it was a surprise when he asked you out and everything went on from there. Of course, after he was admitted into UCLA it wasn’t expected that he’d take a break to tour the world with none other than Shawn Mendes.

You couldn’t deny it had been hard, especially after Shawn hired him for the entire tour and not just a part of it. You made it work, somehow.

Shawn, on the other hand, had been in love with Camila for ages before he mustered the courage to put a name on their relationship and go public, driving people around the world crazy, for better or for worse. 

You carefully removed the covers from the bed, wanting to get something to eat since it was 9 AM already, but an arm draped over your waist prevented you from moving. 

“Where are you going?” Asked the sleepy voice of your blue eyed boyfriend. 

“To grab something to eat, do you want me to bring you something?” You whispered, not wanting to disturb his post sleep haze.

“Mm’no, I just want you on my bed.” He tried something that resembled an adorable pout, making you laugh. 

“I’ll be back, don’t miss me too much.” You left a kiss on his messy hair before grabbing your silk robe that was thrown on the floor. 

“You’re leaving under protest.” You heard Connor mutter before he went back to sleep, his soft snores flooding the room. 

You carefully made your way to the kitchen, not wanting to wake anyone up. Everything was quiet until a tall figure leaning on the kitchen counter almost gave you a heart attack.

The person chuckled. “Good morning, I wish I had known I have that effect on you.” Shawn joked while sipping on his green tea. 

“I didn’t think you’d be here, everybody else is asleep and I think I just died of a heart attack.” You dramatized, making Shawn’s eyes crinkle. 

He was going to add something when a faint moan and the sound of a bed crashing softly against the wall, as if they had put a pillow on the corner to muffle the sound, flooded the house. You noticed a shudder run through Shawn’s body, but you didn’t know if it was because he was disgusted or turned on. “Well, at least someone’s having fun.” Shawn said with his eyebrows raised. 

“My oh my, should we put a ‘no sex in the house’ warning?” A female voice entered the kitchen before you could respond. Camila had her hair tied on a messy ponytail and her outfit matched yours. “Hey baby, figured you’d be here.” She kissed Shawn’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, I got hungry. I think there must be leftover jet lag on my body.” 

Camila just then noticed your presence, and you didn’t blame her; you wouldn’t pay attention to anyone if Shawn was your man. “(y/n)! I’m so sorry I didn’t see you, guess I'm still sleeping,” She chuckled. “Is Connor still asleep?” 

You nodded while taking a sip of water. “Yeah, he was snoring when I left the room.” 

Just then, Connor’s voice could be heard from your room screaming “SHUT UP!”. Immediately after, the soft moaning and bed crashing stopped. 

The three of you stared at each other before exploding in a fit of laughter. You couldn’t breathe, especially when Shawn placed a hand on your naked leg as he couldn’t contain his laughter. 

Shawn was an attractive man, there was no denying that fact. He was desired by millions around the world, but what made him the most endearing was his personality; his timid yet extremely cheeky and mischievous demeanor was what made him a good catch and almost irresistible. 

That didn’t make him better than Connor, though. 

But it still didn’t make sense why his warm hand left a tingling feeling on your leg after he removed it, only to continue laughing along his girlfriend. 

“I think I should go check on Connor, I’m not sure he took this morning sex thing very well.” You joked. 

“I don’t think he’s unfamiliar with morning sexual activities, he loved calling you early to start the day.” Shawn said with a suggestive tone, looking for your eyes. 

“I think I'm just gonna walk away now.” You narrowed your eyes playfully before walking away with your glass of water. 

The image you found in front of you was equally funny and adorable. 

A shirtless Connor was pouting with a pillow covering his ears, but you could still make up strands of his messy blond hair. 

“You love making a scene, don’t you?” You put the glass of water on the night table before sitting on Connor’s legs. 

Your boyfriend placed the pillow under his head to have a better position to admire you. He placed his hands on your waist while still pouting. “I swear to God it’s Brian and that Portuguese girl he sexted during the entire tour.” 

You giggled. “You should be happy your friend is getting laid!” 

“He can get laid quietly if he’s sharing a room. I swear during tour everyone got laid and I could hear them all, I didn’t think I'll have to relive my nightmares during our relax time.” He slowly moved his hands from your waist to your hips. 

You carefully climbed from his legs to his lap so that his hands could reach your body more easily. “Are you mad because you didn’t get any during tour?” You leaned in to peck his lips. Connor nodded, still pouting. “You’re just a big baby, I did visit you during tour and, if I recall correctly, had sex.”

“It was not the same!” He protested. “And we had sex yesterday, but were careful to be quiet because Shawn stayed on his room while everyone went to the beach.

It was impossible to keep a straight face when your boyfriend was basically a big baby, so you opted for the easy way out; you carefully reached for his hair before kissing him. A low moan erupted from his throat before quickly and eagerly responding your action, transforming a sweet kiss to a passionate one as his hands wandered lower on your body.

Just as you noticed Connor’s hands trying to untie your robe, the door opened abruptly, making the both of you jump. 

Brian didn’t notice your position at first. “Dude, you fucked my... Fuck! How dare you call me out when you’re fucking with (y/n) as well!” 

Brian’s loud voice gathered some unwanted attention, especially Shawn’s that couldn’t help it but walk towards your room. 

“Fuck, man. Don’t you knock?” Connor let out a deep breath while running his hands on his har, as you hid yourself under the blankets deciding whether this was funny or mortifying. 

Brian left the room while quietly cursing your and Connor’s name, but Shawn stayed there, quietly eyeing the situation. 

When you resurfaced from under the covers, you noticed his hazel orbs on your opened robe. 

No, your mind was just playing games with you.

-

The incident had taken place two days ago and there wasn’t a person in the house that hadn’t made fun of you, but especially Brian, since he had actually been heard by everyone. 

The weather was warm, perfect for a day on the fancy lagoon pool on the backyard.

Everyone tried to make a dish for lunch, but it ended up being a disaster since no one really thought there would be no space in the kitchen, but it was part of the fun. 

Connor couldn’t help but bring his camera to never forget a moment of the incredible time you were having. You were lying on your stomach with your your swimsuit, not caring about anything until you noticed a pair of prying eyes on your figure. Shawn was sipping on a cold beer while talking to Josiah and Andrew, but his playful gaze couldn’t help himself. 

You quickly turned around, knowing his girlfriend had just dived into the pool while joking with Dave and his wife. Meanwhile, your boyfriend was teasing Zubin as he zoomed on his mouth while he ate. 

Suddenly, your body felt warm, too warm. You made eye contact with Connor, who looked at you worriedly as you made your way inside the house, but you made a kissing face at him to make him laugh. 

The kitchen had become your favorite place on the house, especially because the sound of the waves crashing was calming and made the mess on your mind seem less important. 

Shawn had always been flirtatious, it was part of your nature, so the whole freaking out act from your part was pure nonsense, but that wasn’t the reason why your mind was spinning.

No, it was because the love of your life was right outside looking out for you. The man of your dreams, Connor Brashier knew you like the palm of his hand and so did you. This whole infatuation with Shawn was because he was a world famous singer, not because you actually wanted something with him, because you knew he could never amount to the man who owned your heart. 

Still, you jumped when his hand made contact with your naked skin, again. 

“Hi Shawn, did you need anything?” You asked him in a fake, high pitched voice to mask your nervousness.

“You know I have a girlfriend, right?” He asked out of nowhere, making you almost choke.

“Yes, you know I have a boyfriend, right?” You retaliated, making Shawn chuckle. 

“Oh, trust me, you don’t let me forget that.” He shook his head. You couldn’t bare to look him in the eye so opted to focus on the swallow tattoo on his hand. 

A surge of courage ran through your veins as you mustered the courage to face Shawn. “Is it all in my head or have you been checking me out since we arrived?” 

Shawn chuckled nonchalantly, which you couldn’t decide if it was annoying or incredibly charming. “Oh, it’s been way longer than these couple of days,” His confession took you off guard, you were about to ask him what was going on in his mind but he continued. “This is not a confession about loving you, I wish I never laid my eyes on you. But I can’t help this fire that you ignite inside me.” 

You were taken aback as your body trembled with desire at his low voice and confession. “What about Camila? What about Connor?!”

“I love them both, that doesn’t mean I can’t want you.”

“Am I supposed to jump your bones now because I want to sleep with you? Have a one night stand and betray Connor?” 

Your tone threw Shawn off since it was tainted with hostility. “I’m not expecting you to sleep with me, I was answering your question.”

You turned around, not being able to look at Shawn anymore. Your breathing was picking up and you knew he had taken a step closer to you. “Stop with the touches, with the glances, respect your girlfriend and your friend.”

“Likewise.” Shawn hit back. 

“I’m not the one making suggestive comments or ogling you like a piece of meat!”

“Don’t play victim! You can cut the tension with a fucking knife so get off your high horse.” 

Both of your breathings had picked up, your eyes closed and didn’t realize you had taken two steps forward. 

You were standing so close to Shawn you could feel his breathing, but if you paid enough attention the voice of everyone in the backyard could be heard as well.

His head moved around, taunting your lips that were close enough to touch, but neither of you made the move. Your hands carefully found their home on his damp curls as his warm skin met yours. 

You knew you were too wet to resist him, but in that right moment you heard footsteps, indicating someone was on their way to the kitchen. Swiftly, you pushed Shawn and turned on the tap to throw some cold water on your face, trying to calm your breathing and hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. 

The person you least wanted to see appeared on the kitchen. Connor was standing with a worried look on his face, especially when he noticed the distressed state you were in. 

“Babe, are you okay? You have me worried.” Connor walked towards you and tenderly placed his palm on your cheek.

You faked a smile before answering. “Yes, honey. I woke up a bit dizzy, but everything’s okay now.” 

Shawn cleared his throat. “Yeah, she was a little pale when I found her, but she seems fine now.” His eyes were fixated on yours. 

“You wanna go lay down?” Connor asked fixing your hair, placing it behind your ears. 

You wanted deny his suggestion, but you didn’t have it in you to see facing Shawn and see Camila. “Yeah, I think it’d be best.”

Connor lovingly kissed your forehead. “Let’s go, we can catch up with Modern Family.”

“You don’t have to, you should be having fun with your friends.”

“I’ve seen them for months, I just want to be with you.”

You didn’t notice when Shawn left the kitchen. 

-

It was the last day on the Malibu house and the end of the trip couldn’t come soon enough. It was the last night before going home, since Shawn and Camila would be headed to Toronto while you and Connor stayed in California since both of you wanted to spend time with your families and had to get back to school.

Connor couldn’t help but notice something was off with you and it was easy to tell he wasn’t buying the whole “I'm not feeling good” bullshit. But it didn’t matter anymore, because chances were you would never see Shawn again, you wouldn’t cross paths with him or Camila, and you’d be able to focus on Connor, love him, cherish him and get rid of the guilt pooling your gut every time you saw him smiling at you. 

Everyone headed to the bonfire on the private beach of the house, but it was the last place where you wanted to be. 

Excusing yourself saying you were cold, you left a kiss on Connor’s hair before heading back inside. 

It took Shawn ten minutes to excuse himself saying the big lunch had taken a toll on him. 

It took him seconds to find you on the kitchen, quietly admiring the dark night. 

And you didn’t process when his arms were around your waist, turning you around to face him. 

This time you didn’t jump when his cold hand made contact with the inside of your thigh.

He didn’t hesitate to make you jump and walk you to the room he shared with his girlfriend. 

There wasn’t time or intention for soft touches or sweet kisses to build the atmosphere. No, the atmosphere had been building for days and you didn’t want to give your mind any second to doubt your actions when you knew your boyfriend was right outside laughing with his friends, not knowing he was being betrayed by two of the most important people on his life. 

A moan ripped trough Shawn’s throat as his tip made contact with your warmth. You didn’t waste anytime in start moving on top of him, placing your hands on his firm torso as he aided your movements. 

Shawn tried his best to not make any sounds, all the noises wanting to escape his mouth were muffled by your hand and yours were being trapped by your own teeth biting on your lower lip so hard you could taste the blood. 

The bliss was ethereal and both you and Shawn were sure you were able to touch the galaxy with your fingertips as an unremarkable high took over your sweaty bodies. Your body collapsed on top of his, both of your breathings were rapid and uneven. It took a minute for your mind to start spinning and realizing what had happened, but it wasn't enough to keep relishing the spasms still washing over your bodies. 

It took a few minutes for your legs to regain its function and that was the moment you stood up and without sparing a second glance to the person lying on the bed with a fucked look, both mentally and physically. Your body hastily removed itself from the comfort of the bed, completely ignoring the female clothing scattered on the floor and the open suitcase. 

You grabbed the first thing you saw in order to cover your naked body, but you didn’t realize it was a black Champion hoodie, impregnated with Gucci’s easily recognizable Made to Measure fragrance, otherwise known as Shawn’s smell that was known by everybody who had contact with him. 

He didn’t ask any questions, he just watched you leave the room and close the door. 

You knew the tears were coming because your vision became blurry, only reaching your room out of habit. But you didn’t expect the sight in front of you. 

Connor was sitting on the edge of the bed, somber look decorating his soft features and the puzzle he had been trying to deny and convince himself was on his head, made sense. All the weird behavior and awkward encounters clicked. 

And he didn’t need to look at the black hoodie to know it didn’t belong to him. 

[mychemicalxmen]

The Umbrella Academy College Theatre Kid AU Plot

Alright bitches, ask and ye shall receive. 

Here’s the 6k summary of this ten-chapter monstrosity I almost wrote a year ago and just now attempted to flesh out.

Canon divergence from the point of their birth onward. The Commission doesn’t exist here, it would just make everything a little too complicated. No Luther/Allison either, personal preference. If anyone would want to try writing or drawing a scene from this universe, I would be over the heckin moon, please feel free to do w/e if any part of this inspires anyone. And if anyone just wants to shoot hc, pop off!

But yeah. This is a crack concept treated dead seriously. Buckle up.

Chapter One - “Overture”

-I wrote this chapter, but it’s Really Not Good. I had just watched the show and hadn’t written fic in a Hot Minute.

-Welcome to Umbrella University, a top-tier school with a sacrilegiously large budget for the fine arts!

-They’re all freshman atm.

-Basically, all of our kiddos (except Five, we’ll get there) are cleaning the theater between shows in the fall season. Allison is acting House Crew Chief and is overseeing the whole thing. The others are on House Crew for various reasons - tech class credit, volunteer hours, etc. No one is actually studying theatre for their major except Allison, who’s double-majoring in acting and something else

-They’re essentially strangers (except Ben and Klaus, who are assigned roommates). They’re all aware of their own powers, but not any of the others’.

-As they clean, the host on the radio is going on about the one-year anniversary of his favorite “Hargreeves Five” (the current Academy, made up of different kids from the 43, and definitely not based on the ASBO Five) battle, apprehending a robber named Erick Webber in New York City. He was a starving actor who stole from large donation funds that were supposed to be distributed to other starving artists. The battle got violent, and fire got involved. What a spectacle!

-Vanya, who has accidentally skipped her meds that day, sees a rat and screams, prompting Luther to drop the lighting equipment he’s working on. Loud sound. Telekinetic energy starts going.

-There is a comically convenient chain reaction in which all of the siblings’ powers are triggered at once - Diego throws something, Klaus levitates, the Horror has to hold up the light rig, Allison has to rumor to memory-wipe the witnesses, etc.

-Once they have the situation under control, they realize it’s… weird. The odds are absolutely astronomical. How the hell did they all end up in the same place??

-There’s no reason to believe anyone brought them together on purpose, except maybe fate, or whatever Mysterious Space Magic caused their birth in the first place. They have a private House Crew meeting with a lot of freaking out and questions and bonding.

Chapter Two - “God I Hope I Get It”

-Fast forward to junior year. Since that fateful day, the theater has become the siblings’ home base. Luther is the shop foreman this year, Allison is seated at the right hand of the theatre department director (a sharp middle-aged woman who directs half of the shows), Diego knows his way around lights, and Klaus frequently builds and paints in the scene shop. Allison’s the only one of them who actually performs.

-The fall season includes Hair and Othello, and the joint audition for both is quickly approaching.

-Vanya, however, has been drifting away from it all for some reason. Allison finds her in the quad one day and encourages her to audition for Othello. Apparently, the theatre director has observed Vanya’s love of reading plays from afar and asked for her specifically. Vanya doesn’t want to go anywhere near the theater, but she’s touched by Allison’s belief in her and reluctantly says she’ll think about it.

-Diego is going through his classes and can’t help but feel like there’s this one freshman that’s just… following him. Looking at him funny. Keeps showing up in all his usual spots. Must be one of those obnoxious wiz kids - there’s no way in hell that he’s eighteen years old.

-Vanya has a monologue in her back pocket, her favorite from Winter’s Tale, ready to go. But when the day of the audition comes, she walks into the theater for the first time in months, and she breaks down and runs to the bathroom. Allison is too busy helping the director to console her, so she sends Klaus to check on her.

-Klaus talks to her through the door and tries to hype her up for the audition. Ghost!Ben tells him to reel it in.

-Vanya eventually admits that she drifted away from the theater because it was always a special place for the six of them, but after Ben died in a car crash in sophomore year, thinking about it just broke her heart all over again.

-Klaus doesn’t quite have the tact of language to bring her comfort, but Ben does. Without revealing he can see Ben, Klaus just echoes his words. Saying that Ben would still want her to be happy here. Saying that it’s okay to take time to work through all those feelings. He stays there until Vanya’s calm enough to come out of the bathroom, hug him for a really long time, and then go into her audition.

-The cast lists go out, and all the siblings run to see the one for Othello. Allison is the stage manager, to the surprise of no one, and has already seen that she’ll be playing Dionne in Hair. The headmaster’s kid (who I never gave a name, so let’s just call him Ollie) is playing Othello, some guy named Leonard is playing Roderigo, and Vanya is playing Desdemona. While they’re leaving to celebrate, Diego sees The Weird Freshman sign his initial on the cast list, confirming his role. He takes a peek at it later and wonders how this five-foot-six gremlin was cast as Iago, and what kind of a name is Five, anyway?

Chapter Three - “Good Morning Starshine”

-Production on Hair has begun.

-Diego is still a vigilante, but like, specifically for the college’s organization for fighting sexual harassment. Make no mistake, he is not endorsed by the club in any way, shape, or form. But when fellow criminal justice major Eudora Patch gets catcalled on a late night walk home from the library, a fraternity douchebag gets his hoodie pinned to the wall with a knife and receives an extremely harsh talking-to.

-Eudora just sighs into the darkness like “Diego was that really necessary” and keeps walking and Diego runs up to meet her like “yes??”

-Insert exposition here about how they’re exes but there’s still that Tension and fond bickering from the show. Eudora thinks he should get involved in other things on campus, but he immediately rejects it. No. Nope. Nothing else going on. Just lights. And Batman.

-Luther and Allison often hang out in one of the hallways of the theater for lunch. Allison complains that she’s in charge of a lot of little projects in the program, and it’s hard to get people to listen to her. Luther complains that Diego hasn’t been showing up to help in the shop lately. Even though Diego’s not officially on set crew, it’s a little suspicious that he hasn’t been around.

-The mainstage theater has been going through a very fancy refurbishment, and a new chandelier just came in. How the department has the money for a chandelier, no one has any idea. There’s an inside joke that the theatre director must be having a scandalous lesbian affair with the headmaster.

-After a while, Luther enlists Klaus to help him to figure out what Diego’s hiding. With their single shared braincell, it takes them a little too long to realize that Diego’s name is on the Hair cast list. But that can’t possibly be right.

-Luther and Klaus sneak into the blackbox (a smaller, more intimate theater) in the middle of a Hair rehearsal and, sure enough, holy shit, Diego is actually onstage as one of the tribe people, lowkey having the time of his life.

-Enter UT Dallas transfer David Katz in the role of Claude. And it’s just. On sight. Klaus is down for the goddamn count.

-“Who is that??” “I know, right? Like, that’s our brother.” “No, no, not him. The really pretty one.”

-At the end of whatever song they’re doing, Diego locks eyes with Luther and almost dies of embarrassment right then and there.

-Cue big long childish argument of “why didn’t you tell us you had any interest in being in the musical?” and “I didn’t know I had any interest either oKAY you weren’t supposed to find out” “how wouldn’t we have found out you IDIOT we LIVE HERE.”

-At the end of rehearsal, Diego is feeling entirely beaten down. As is Allison, up to her eyeballs in responsibility. They sit on the loading dock and Diego admits he didn't want to make a big deal out of the fact that he was in Hair. But he’s actually really digging the songs and the messages and the comradery. Even though musical theatre is dumb. Allison assures him it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

Chapter Four - “What’s the Buzz?”

-Production on Othello has begun.

-Fluffy opening that’s just a montage of Disaster Klaus repeatedly trying to justify sitting in on Hair rehearsal. “Sure, Allison, let me cut out those gels.” “Sure, Dance Captain, I can record the choreography.” “Shut up, Ben, I’m just really into American military history.”

-Meanwhile he’s just…… watching the show, listening to Dave sing, waiting for the right moment to strike up a Totally Casual Conversation with him.

-And it happens! Eventually.

-Diego meets Eudora on the loading dock and comes clean to her about the fact that he’s in the musical. Eudora is shocked and amused and teases him a little for it, but she’s ultimately supportive. And endeared. Cute bickering.

-When she leaves for her next class, Five is six feet away sipping coffee like “Oh, you’re both the same major? Aww that’s adorable.”

-Diego finally confronts him and asks him what his deal is and Five says something cryptic about “Reggie’s bastards”. Diego grabs him by the arm and drags him to the empty dressing room and interrogates him on everything he knows.

-Five is somewhere in his thirties, he can teleport, his body’s been screwed up by time travel complications, he knows about all the others, and he’s “played a game of hopscotch with an unsympathetic god”. When asked why he came back to this time in particular, he dodges the question with some snarky reply of how he’s not sure he made the right call.

-They decide not to tell everyone else all at once, until they hear faint movement. They find Klaus buried under a throw blanket on The Couch that every theater has, a little stoned, stirring from a midday dressing room nap.

-”I’m a BOY in LOVE, leave me aLONE.”

Chapter Five - “No One is Alone”

-Once again, Allison is overwhelmed. She had rumored her way into the double major when she didn’t actually have the high school credits necessary to graduate on time, but since meeting the other siblings, she’d sworn off using her power. If she was caught, it could start a breadcrumb trail to the others and expose all of them. And like, they just want to get out of here with their degrees, man.

-The theatre department director has had to assign her the most incompetent freshmen in the world to manage with assorted housekeeping tasks. They have an attitude, they don’t know how anything works, and Allison simply doesn’t have the time to lead them. She comes to the theatre director to explain this.

-And for the first time in a long while, the director expresses sternness to her. And it hurts.

-”Come on, Allison, we both know you’re good with people. You can be very persuasive when you want to be. You will work this out.”

-It’s very pointed. She will work this out. There is no other option.

-And. Not to be self-centered, but the spring musical is going to be Cabaret, and Allison has been convinced she had Sally Bowles in the bag. But if she gets on the director’s bad side halfway through junior year…

-It’s a particularly tense day, ten minutes before she has to sign in for Hair rehearsal. Some poor freshman is organizing the costume closet and just doesn’t get it and doesn’t want to be here and the director demands that this is done by the end of the day.

-So. It’s just one. It’s no big deal. She just heard the oddest little rumor that the student could make the closet perfectly tidy within the hour.

-Five and Vanya are at rehearsal for Othello. Now that he’s actually talked to Diego and Klaus, he feels a little more at ease being in this place and time. The two have plenty of time to chat while on breaks. And because Vanya is such a chill, calming force compared to the stubborn and impulsive Diego, it goes a lot smoother.

-Neither of them can stand Ollie, the headmasters’ pretentious son who’s playing Othello, going on and on about his actor step-brother in New York. Whatever. He likes to creep around the scene shop, too. Like he’s judging the tech. I’d like to see YOU pick up a drill, sir.

-He’s also really close to the theatre director. No one’s ever heard them interact, but they’ve sure seen them together. And he’s not even putting in all the hours for her that Allison is.

-Vanya and Five probably get coffee before rehearsal. Run lines. Five rambles about the flaws in Shakespeare’s philosophies over an americano. And they eventually tell each other their stories.

-Pogo had gone with Sir Reginald to examine the children and their potential prior to adoption. Reginald’s technology sensed great power in Vanya, even as an infant. After Vanya’s mother refused to sell, Pogo went behind Reginald’s back and made contact with the mother, advising her on how to suppress Vanya’s powers (but not emotions) with medication whenever they couldn’t be internally controlled. Vanya was good at self-control for much of her childhood, but the adjustment to college and grief of losing Ben put her back in a risky zone, so she’s been leaning a little more heavily on her medicine these days. She knows the adrenaline she gets onstage is good and natural, but it makes her nervous about forgetting a dose again.

-Five’s mother was quite a character. The name came from the fact that, during birth, Five first hit the air at exactly 12:00:05.

-Five had practiced his time jumps all through his childhood. (With none of the spite and rush he had in canon, he had no need to leap years right away, so he took it slow.) Sometimes he would get stuck in a place for a while, but his mom was cool and understood this. He would adapt to the new environment, anywhere between hours and weeks, and jump right back when he got enough rest to use his power again. There were some bugs, some problems with exact accuracy of destination, but he was always working on it. He was very lonely, though, never getting to meet with any of the other 43 and being discouraged from doing so by his mother.

-There was a portion of the future he got stuck in as a teenager in which the nation was governed by a tyrannical organization called “The Macbeth Enterprise”.

-Vanya immediately tries to shush him at this point in the story because he said the Bad Theatre Word. The director is very superstitious. She takes it deadly seriously and has threatened to actually penalty anyone who says it in the theater. Five just chuckles.

-And luckily, they’re rehearsing in the blackbox today, so even if the director could hear, it’s not “in the theater”.

-The future he saw was a century ahead of them, far beyond their lifetime. He was able to glean a little information about the origins of the Enterprise, but he shares none of this with Vanya. Firstly, those in power had high-tech augmentation that gave them a perfect replica of the kind of superpowers the 43 had - mind manipulation, immortality, etc. And secondly, they were credited with destroying the Hargreeves Five. As if the Hargreeves Five were a danger to society.

-What he does tell Vanya is that he’d never made any attempt to change the timeline before, but that’s just what he decided to do. With what little information he had, the only thing he could think of was to ruin the Enterprise’s namesake.

-Five spent literal years of his life, traveling from city to city across centuries, dooming various productions of Macbeth with Commission-level pragmatism until the name of the play itself became the taboo we know irl today.

-Vanya’s laughing. Five is too, honestly. It’s crazy.

-But he didn’t do what he did out of a ridiculous dare to himself. He did it out of desperation to not only to save the country, but to save his family as well. The family he’d never known. The kids all across the globe who went through the same strange hell of differentness that he had since birth. The Hargreeves Five, of course, needed to survive, as they’re responsible for maintaining peace on earth anyway. But if the Hargreeves Five were hunted down, why would the Enterprise stop there? Wouldn’t all 43 of them be in danger? Would all their gifts be harvested from them, and would they then be thrown away?

-But who knows if Five actually made a difference? He prays that it did. But the years of isolation in his personal mission convinced him of one thing - he should know his family. He had no idea when the country would start falling to shit - if it still would - but he could keep an eye on it alongside people who understood him. And with his foresight, maybe they could rise against the evil together.

-And maybe he was just so tired of being alone.

-So, digging was done through the Internet and several libraries in several eras. He found his insertion point at the University. He knew he’d have to look a little younger to fit in.

-But naturally, he got some equations wrong.

-Eventually, Five is formally introduced to Luther and Allison, who welcome him with slight skepticism, followed by a strong bear hug. Five’s not sure how to take the physical affection. He nods, which is a completely normal response to a hug, wraps his arms back around them, and tries to keep his eyes from leaking.

Chapter Six - “Whispering”

-It’s tech week of Hair, and because he’s been blowing his voice out in rehearsal from underdeveloped technique, Diego is on vocal rest.

-Most of this chapter is Diego Is On Vocal Rest and Everyone Gives Him Shit About It in a Loving Way.

-“Everyone” includes Eudora. She just bought her tickets for opening night.

-One early afternoon, Luther and Klaus are back in the scene shop together - Luther’s moving some lumber around and Klaus is carefully painting a setting onto a flat - and Luther vents that he’s not looking forward to running spotlight on Othello. He knows he can do it, but he wishes the theatre director would trust him with more authority and let him be Technical Director.

-Ben is eternally rolling his eyes and bitching about how entitled Luther sounds. He’s already the goddamn shop foreman. Klaus tries not to laugh at how annoyed Ben is about this.

-“But Diego could totally go back to lights for Othello! Hair will be over by then! He’s the pro! If I were TD I’d put him back on in an instant!”

-Dave wanders into the shop and says “hey” and Klaus nearly drops his wet paint brush onto the floor.

-After the brief succession of clumsy attempts Klaus had made to connect with Dave, Dave is actually bothering to return the effort.

-Luther is oblivious as hell while he’s toting the lumber around just like “Oh hi! Welcome! You’re new right? I’m Luther. I’m the shop foreman. You ever been on a tech crew before?” and this whole cringey spiel of small talk he usually gives to new students.

-About a minute into the small talk Luther finally sees how awkward Dave feels and how tense Klaus looks and he’s just like ohhhhh.

-He moves his task about eight feet further away to give them some space to talk. Even though that’s definitely not where the lumber is supposed to go. He just doesn’t want to make it weirder.

-Anyway. Insert fluff that isn’t obscenely flirtatious but is like… flirting with flirtatious.

-Later on that day, Leonard is tapped by the headmaster to join Student Government. Must’ve been one hell of a GPA. The new commitment forces him to give up the part of Roderigo in Othello.

-Leonard tells Allison this. Shit. Just what she needed today. She turns to her assistant stage manager and murmurs, shrugging off the guilt as she says it: “I heard a rumor you broke the news to our director as gently as possible.”

-After an eternity of assembling, dusting, and re-dusting, the Umbrella University theater chandelier is finally risen, ready for the first show of the season.

Chapter Seven - “The Life of the Party”

-After a hurried round of reviewing the audition tapes from the beginning of the year, Dave has been cast to fill the part of Roderigo.

-The technical director of Othello quit. No one’s really sure why. He was solid. But Luther’s been asked to step up, and he’s been trusted to pick anyone he wants to fill his previous spot on lights.

-Cue super petty conversation about how they both know Diego’s bomb at lights but they still annoy each other just by existing. Nonetheless, Diego agrees to hop onto Othello crew.

-Guess what, y’all, it’s opening night of Hair.

-Hard cut to Eudora, Luther, and Klaus, standing awkwardly together in the theater lobby, holding bouquets of various sizes and colors, convincing themselves that it’s a totally platonic gift to give to an actor.

-The show goes great. At the end of opening weekend, the cast and crew and friends go out to celebrate at the local bar and grill.

-At some point, the drinks are on Ollie, and everyone knows he and his mom are loaded. So. More drinks are had than ought to be had.

-ESPECIALLY by Five. He starts rambling about this girl named Delores in his quantum physics class and how he’s not sure if he’s allowed to find her attractive because of how complicated his age is.

-Vanya needed to get drunk. She deserved it. Now she’s yelling about this girl named Sissy in her chamber orchestra. What is happening.

-I’m not saying that Klaus and Dave had their first kiss while buzzed and behind the TUA equivalent of an Applebee’s, but I’m not not saying it.

-Luther has like two beers and starts getting emotional about how pretty the moon is.

-In classes the next morning, everyone’s hungover as shit.

-Except Allison, who was the extra careful Mom Friend and made sure her siblings made it home safe.

-Except Klaus. Who. Y’know. Didn’t really make it home. Ben goes to his 8 AM and takes Ghost Notes for him.

-Sometime that week, Luther comes into the director’s office with a question and sees her finishing a phone call, looking distraught.

-He asks if she’s okay. She doesn’t want to explain, but it eventually comes out that her son was in an accident of sorts three years ago. It’s almost the anniversary. He just got another treatment for the burn scars across half of his face. The director is still grieving the fact that it’s highly unlikely he’ll find success in his dream to be a Broadway actor.

-Luther warns Allison that the director might be in a worse mood this week. So that’s great.

-At an Othello rehearsal, Allison is calling cues from her promptbook. She pretty much has them memorized. But apparently, as the theatre director tells her, she keeps getting them wrong today?

-Allison could swear that last time she was at rehearsal, her book was different. What she’s reading is unfamiliar - lefts instead of rights, blue-outs instead of black-outs, etc. So she’s stumbling.

-On break, the theatre director expresses her frustration to Allison. We’re almost in tech week, for God’s sake. Allison apologizes and promises it won’t happen in the run.

-Allison blames her screw-ups on the stress of her overcommitments. Vanya sees she’s a little upset after the exchange and invites her to hang with her and Five after rehearsal.

-Vanya and Five have actually opened a pretty decent dialogue on mental health as it relates to their abilities, with Five’s powers damaging his psychological state and Vanya’s mood being an element of her telekinesis. Vanya reminds Allison that she’s got a lot on her plate, so she should try to take it easy where she can.

-Vanya still has anxiety, and it tends to flare at the part in the play where Othello smothers Desdemona with a pillow. They had worked out a safe plan in rehearsal. The pillow is thin and held at an angle so Vanya can still breathe, and it is only going to be held for a count of twelve. No longer, no shorter.

-Vanya and her siblings also take some more time to bitch about Ollie, too. Did you hear him accidentally call the director “mom” the other day? How embarrassing. What a dork.

-Hair closes and Othello tech week begins.

-A new batch of freshman House Crew members are cleaning up the theater one day with the radio on.

-It’s now the three year anniversary of the host’s favorite Hargreeves Five battle, a showdown against aspiring actor and convicted robber Erick Webber that went up in flames.

Chapter Eight - “Brush Up Your Shakespeare”

-The twelve-hour cue-to-cue tech rehearsal for Othello is a nightmare. But aren’t all cue-to-cues nightmares?

-They are.

-There might be some fluffy sibling stuff here, but nothing important. Luther, Diego, and Allison are speaking on headset with each other (“on com”). The channel also includes the assistant stage manager and assistant tech director.

-About five hours in, Luther and Diego get real sick of each other. Luther is redundant with his directions. Diego knows what to do. Diego keeps jumping the gun on cues. Passive aggression ensues.

-Allison has had it up to HERE and says “Look, if you’re gonna be children, can you please do it on a different channel?”

-And they do. They dedicate a whole other radio channel to Luther and Diego arguing where the rest of the crew can’t hear it.

-It’s during the cue-to-cue that Allison screws up the calls one too many times - is someone editing her promptbook when she’s not around? - and gets one more comment from the director. It’s worded like encouragement but spoken like a threat.

-“Allison, you were doing so well with the freshman. Just tell yourself you can do this. You’ll be perfect.”

-At lunch break, she wants to collapse. She goes to the bathroom, locks the door, and looks into the mirror.

-“I heard a rumor that you followed that promptbook perfectly.”

-The day after cue-to-cue, Vanya realizes she’s lost her meds. They have to be in the theater somewhere, but she can’t find them. Her siblings assure her that being in the show has improved her overall confidence, and they’ll all come running if she starts to have a meltdown for any reason. She’ll be able to control her emotions until she can get a refill. This warms her lil heart.

-The final dress rehearsals come to pass. Vanya continues to flourish. Five continues to impress and confound. Allison is flawless. Luther and Diego get over themselves. Klaus and Eudora get front row seats for opening night. It’s going to be a packed house. The local news are coming and filming segments to promote the program. As if the program needs any more support. The chandelier still boggles the mind.

-Opening night. The show is going spectacularly until Act V, when Ollie starts pressing the pillow over Vanya’s face.

-This is always the hard part. But it’s just a count of twelve, underscored by two bars of music.

-Until it isn’t. 

-Ollie keeps pressing. This wasn’t what we rehearsed. 

-Allison sees this from the booth and almost feels like they should call a hold, but her rumor kicks in and she can’t help but keep calling the show as normal.

-Vanya starts to hear the music amplified in her ears and starts to lose control of her power.

-Luther and Diego are both in Allison’s headset as the building starts to shake. “Allison, you need to call hold. Right now. Call hold!”

-Panicking, Vanya sends a pulse of energy out, knocking Ollie halfway across the stage, sending the flats crashing down, and shattering a row of stage lights. When she stands up, Ollie is smiling.

-The news crew caught it on tape. The audience is freaking out. Most of them try to flee but are trapped inside at the back of the house.

-Allison’s next call is the newest and strangest unauthorized edit she’s seen in her promptbook. It’s for the wrong play.

-“Spot B to Macbeth.”

-At the first time that its trigger phrase has ever been uttered in the building, the chandelier starts to glow and expand. Then, it drops, lower and lower, until it is right in front of the stage.

-It was never just a chandelier. It’s a piece of extra-terrestrial technology. Standing on the shelf on top of it are the director and the headmaster.

Chapter Nine - “The Point of No Return”

-I don’t know exactly how I’d reveal all of this, but here’s the gist.

-By the way, this is them coming out as extra-as-hell supervillains. So the way this is revealed is probably extra as hell.

-The director’s son is Erick Webber, a starving artist who resorted to a life of crime to pay his bills and got himself tangled with the Hargreeves Five, who are responsible for half of his face burning in the heat of battle.

-The director and the headmaster actually have been romantically involved for a few years, all but legally married.

-When the directors’ son was forever barred from the career of his dreams, the director and very wealthy headmaster first got together. The headmaster got her a job at the school.

-They wanted revenge for their son. But they also deduced that the Hargreeves Five were too immature for their powers and potential to ruin lives. They were just dumb kids. Their powers must be taken from them and placed into more capable hands.

-The couple had done extensive research, learned about the power potential in the 43, tracked down as many of them as they could find - preferably those already living in America - and hired all sorts of people and services to promote Umbrella University to them. They offered each one of them a sizable scholarship.

-They got seven of them.

-And they arranged meetings with characters that Hargreeves had done some shady deals with so they could acquire the otherworldly technology needed to set their plan into motion.

-And Macbeth was the trigger word for the invention - the story of an old celebrated king slain to make room for the rightful leader, as plotted by an empowered and bloodthirsty woman - so they had to put it in a theater. They had to ensure the trigger wasn’t spoken in the room until the correct time.

-Five realizes at this point that the efforts he made to change the past didn’t stop the Macbeth Enterprise, it just gave them a way more convenient origin. God dammit.

-The siblings realize Ollie was in on the whole thing. He had to make sure all seven of the kids were in the theater at the right time, so he snooped around and reported back to the Evil Moms. They let Luther be TD so Diego could cover lights. They cast Five, made Allison recruit Vanya, and made Allison SM. They took out Leonard and cast Dave to ensure Klaus and Ben would be there for opening. Ollie hid Vanya’s pills during the cue-to-cue.

-Allison realizes the director knew about her power all along and really was suggesting that she use it. Allison had done exactly what they wanted her to. They must’ve had someone re-do the promptbook each day and everything.

-The point is, there’s now news footage of a girl with unpredictably dangerous powers ruining a perfectly good school play and two women making a solid case that these children can’t be trusted with their gifts. The chandelier machinery revs up to perform its task - stripping all of their powers away.

-Five knows it won’t end there - the powers will be turned against the Hargreeves Five. Their abilities will be harvested too. And the hands that they’ll all end up in will be military-minded and will seize control of the nation, ruling by fear.

-There’s an extensive fight scene here. One that, again, I have no idea how I would write. It’s something that involves a level of family teamwork that they would not have if the theatre program didn’t bring them so close together in the first place. So it’s pretty ironic and kinda sweet.

-We find out that Dave and Eudora are absolutely ride-or-die for their idiot boyfriends that they just found out have terrifying superpowers, and they each have a moment where they contribute to the takedown.

-Ben is summoned because he legally has to be. The Horror can do some serious damage to the machine, and he finds he’s unaffected by its drainage because he’s dead as hell.

-Vanya grabs a violin from the pit where the underscoring was being played and shreds away at it to channel her power.

-The fight has heavy parallels to the prologue scene, where everyone’s powers went berserk because Vanya saw a rat and freaked out. Except there’s obviously a lot more at stake and a lot more direction in it.

-All of that gets resolved, somehow. Any of their power that gets drained gets returned to them once they get the machine shut down. Luther effortlessly snaps the tape of evidence in half.

-Allison uses her last rumor of junior year to memory-wipe and send away the cameramen and the witnesses.

-Except Eudora and Dave, who are surprisingly chill about this and promise to keep it all secret.

-The gang has no idea how to explain all the damage to the authorities, but the Criminal Justice Duo knows how to detain the bad guys in the costume closet and highlight some evidence to draw the focus to the less-than-legal dealings they made to set up their plot in the first place.

-Corruption? In college administration?? Pssshhh noooooooo never.

-The story embedded in the rumor is that the chandelier overheated and combusted, so everyone ran out. The police will discover the alien tech and go from there.

-Still, the superpower squad realizes they should lay low. Play dumb if interviewed. Skip class for a couple days and stay far away from the theatre department.

-Diego is up on the catwalk - the walkway above the audience where they maneuver the spotlights - collecting his stuff. He hears some footsteps on the ladder and sees Eudora climbing up to meet him.

-Diego starts to say something snarky and casual and Eudora’s like “No. Shut up. Just. Please. Shut up.” and kisses him.

-After weeks of pretending not to care as much as they really did and a solid half hour of having no idea if the other would live or die, here they are, standing over the decimated theater, finally at ease in each other’s arms

Chapter Ten - “Curtain Call”

-And that’s… it. When the siblings start coming back to classes, no one comes after them for whatever happened.

-Needless to say, the rest of the run of Othello has been cancelled. All theatre classes will be moved online or converted to classroom formats until repairs can be made to the building. There’s a new interim headmaster and theatre department director.

-It’s going to take forever for them to fix the damage done to the theater, and even when they do, it doesn’t feel right to keep that as their home base. So, where to now? How are they gonna fill the rest of their electives?

-All of the fine arts buildings are stacked close together. Music major Vanya has an idea.

-Second semester, Diego takes beginning percussion. Luther joins the marching band (and far exceeds the athletic demands for it). Klaus picks guitar back up. Allison ventures into vocal jazz. Five is a natural at composition.

-Sharing practice rooms. Cramming for theory exams. The entire works. They’re music kids now!

-They’re thrilled when they find out that all of their respective ensembles will be featured in the spring concert. 

-But does the conductor of Vanya’s chamber orchestra seem a little… eccentric to you?

...

im a broken woman from this. god dammit.

[spartanguard]

two doors down

Summary: Emma's just had her heart broken—again. But she's going to distract herself by finally going to her friends' party, two doors down from her apartment. The party—and the dashing gentleman she meets at it—prove to be just what she needed.

3.2k words | rated light M | AO3

A/N: Here I go again...back on my Dolly Parton bs. But I make no apologies because Dolly in an inspirational queen. I’ve wanted to write a one-shot based on Two Doors Down pretty much ever since I heard the song, and the @csconcertseries​ seemed like the right opportunity to scratch that itch. (and then Dumb Blonde demanded to be included as well because it’s a bop.) so...have fun!

“Really, Emma?” Walsh sneered when she confronted him. “You thought I was serious about you? I guess you really are a dumb blonde.”

In case anyone was wondering why Emma was crying, it was that. She shouldn’t be—it was dumb, he was dumb, not her—but that didn’t seem to matter, apparently. The asshole had somehow managed to find a crack in the walls around her beat-up, bargain store heart and, once inside, found an old bruise and punched it. Or something like that. She wasn’t great with words.

Or emotions, apparently, or men—though she was already aware of that one (thus: the walls). (Well, okay, and being abandoned by her parents and growing up in the shittier parts of the foster system. But that’s besides the point.) Anyways. She had thought that maybe, finally, she’d found one guy who wouldn’t hurt her—who was safe enough to consider giving her heart to. 

And then she’d caught him sleeping with a coworker. On a mattress in his furniture store. On their anniversary. 

And he apparently had the gall to call her dumb. What a dick.

After giving him the rightful slap he was due, she stormed out and ran home. Then she grabbed the wine she’d been saving for tonight, popped the cork, and drank right out of the bottle.

What a fucking loser.

(She wasn’t sure if that applied more to her, or to him.

Because, at the end of the night, she was the one drinking alone while he was probably still having too much fun on his own merchandise.) 

With about half the bottle gone, she finally hit the point where all her tears were gone and she was probably some level of dehydrated. Her apartment was eerily quiet without the sound of her sobs, it seemed, but she could hear loud music coming from down the hall. 

Oh yeah—Dave and Snow’s party.

They were her neighbors—well, they lived two doors down, but she definitely talked to them more than the grumpy dude who lived between them. They were easily the nicest, most outgoing people on the planet, and had been trying for as long as Emma had lived there to come over to one of their parties. 

Usually, Emma was able to use work as an excuse, or a date (like she was supposed to have had tonight), to explain why she couldn’t go. But it was really fear—fear of rejection, of not measuring up, of plain old awkwardness—that kept her away.

It always sounded like a good time, though, and she could hear the music pumping and people laughing whenever they hosted these get-togethers. Apparently, they were at the drunk-enough-to-sing-loudly part of the night, because she heard the lyrics perfectly as the crowd shouted them:

Just because I’m blonde, don’t think I’m dumb ‘Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool

She laughed, albeit watery, at that, considering Dave was the blond of the two of them. But then she thought about it again, and what her ass of a now-ex had said: there was nothing dumb or foolish about Emma. Maybe she should have listened to that voice that had told her she was out of his league when he’d first asked her out, but right now, she just needed to tune out his grating words and focus on Dolly’s—about kicking trash to the curb and moving on.

And, you know what? She was gonna go to that party.

She blew her nose (rather noisily), then quickly washed her face and changed into something a little more presentable than her pajamas. She probably should be bringing something over, but her wine was gone and Walsh had drank the last of her beer the other night. She briefly considered the half-empty box of Pop-Tarts in her cupboard, but that was breakfast.

So, empty-handed as she was, she headed out the door, locked it, and wandered down the bit of hallway to the Nolan’s place. She could hear the sounds of revelry and pounding bass on the other side of the door, and was nervous—would they think she was intruding? Her knock was equally timid, and probably not even heard by the crowd inside. 

To her shock, though, the door was thrown open a few seconds later. “Emma! You came!” Snow shouted, then launched herself at Emma in an inebriated hug. “Oh, I’m so glad you finally made it! Where’s Walsh?”

Emma cringed, and not just from Snow’s alcohol-elevated volume. “He’s fucking his floor manager. So he’s busy. But I’m not now!” she added, trying to make it sound not terrible.

But Snow gasped anyways, covering her mouth in shock. She ushered Emma in, closing the door behind her, and then dragged her to the living room. “You need wine.”

“I had, like, half a bottle already.”

“Okay, well, you need more.”

“I won’t disagree.”

Snow left her in the middle of a throng of people that thankfully included David, who wrapped her into a bear hug (that only slightly smelled like beer—beer hug?) and made some introductions. Snow returned shortly with a pint glass full of pinot, and the next hour became a blur of booze and dancing. 

She quickly made friends with girls named Ruby and Belle who, once they heard about what had happened to Emma that day, got some shots involved. The music was a solid mix of girl power anthems (there may have been more screaming to “Since U Been Gone” and “Wannabe” from partygoers of all genders) and Emma found herself seriously wondering just what the hell she’d been doing the past few months—both with Walsh and in her avoidance of these parties; she was having way more fun here than she ever had with that douche.

Eventually, she did have to take a respite to visit the restroom and get some water—she wasn’t about to blackout over a breakup—but when she left the bathroom, she wasn’t watching where she was going and slammed into someone else.

“Woah—you alright, love?” the lilting voice attached to the firm body asked. She could feel his hand squeezing her shoulder, but given her very recent track record, was scared to look this guy in the eyes. The last thing she needed was a face as pretty as that accent, or as enticing as the bit of chest hair peeking out through his button-up, or as alluring as the scent of his cologne (which she got a good whiff of when her face collided with his chest).

“Seriously—are you okay?” He sounded so concerned—her head was moving before she could think otherwise.

And that was either the best thing she’d ever done, or the worst.

Dark, messy hair hung over his forehead, where thick brows were furrowed with worry. A strong nose pointed to full lips, surrounded by gingery scruff that led her mind other places. But his eyes—holy crap; even in the dimness of the hallway, they were a bright blue, and she’d had just enough to drink that she thought she just might be swaying along with the waves in their oceanic depths.

(She got poetic when she got drunk; this was a well-established fact.)

“Lass?” Oh god--she’d been staring, hadn’t she? 

“Fine! I’m fine. Sorry. Are you?”

“‘Fine’ is definitely something I’ve been called,” he quipped back, concern melting into cockiness with a wink.

Ugh, she didn’t need any more of that in her life. She rolled her eyes and stepped back, putting enough distance between them to not feel the warmth coming off of him (she was producing enough of that herself--or, at least, the shots of vodka were). “Good to know. I’m just gonna get back out there, then.” Avoiding his gaze, she did her best to slip around him in the narrow hallway.

“Wait,” he called out, and grabbed her wrist as she slipped by. “Sorry; that wasn’t very gentleman-like.” He was definitely being sincere, she could tell. “I, uh, I’m rusty at all this. Let me back up: I’m Killian; I’m a friend of Dave’s from college.”

Of course his name was sexy, too. He’d stuck his hand out amiably; she’d be the asshole not to take it. So she did. “Emma; I live a couple doors down.”

“Ahh, yes--I’ve heard of you: the mysterious neighbor,” he said, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Delighted to finally make your acquaintance.”

Who was this guy? And why did he talk like he had stepped out of a Jane Austen novel? “I bet you tell all the girls that.”

He shrugged. “There haven’t been any of those lately.”

“Guys, then?”

He laughed—a deep chuckle that she wouldn’t complain about hearing again. “No, none of those, either.”

“Good. They suck.”

“What, all of them?”

“Most of them.”

“Well, hopefully I find myself in the minority.” He was still holding her hand, and brought it to his lips to place a kiss on the back of it. Were it not for the slight shiver that went through her at that, she’d be running for the hills (or at least her own apartment); but she was usually good at spotting a lie, Walsh notwithstanding, and she could tell he meant it. 

“Wanna get a drink?” she asked, a bit breathless.

“Absolutely.”

They grabbed another round of wine and took a seat on the couch, which was somehow unoccupied—everyone was still busy dancing and drinking and socializing. Honestly, Emma was a little surprised that so many people fit in a two-bedroom apartment (but it wasn’t like she’d ever tried to have more than a couple people in hers). 

“So, what’s your story?” Killian leaned in close to ask. They were practically nose-to-nose in order to be heard over the music, but she didn’t mind it. And, for some reason, she found her entire life story spilling out to him; not even Walsh had learned everything: about growing up in the foster system, her first heartbreak and the baby she gave up, the reason she’d gone into bailbonds work (so people like Neal couldn’t continue to break hearts). Even the sordid tale of her very-recent breakup.

“He’s a right arse,” Killian said, clinking his glass with hers. “But I’m glad his absence has brought you into my presence.”

“Me too,” she said.

His past was equally tragic: mom died, dad left, then brother died; lost his hand, his girlfriend, and his naval career in the same accident; but he still got to work as an engineer, and still got to go sailing on the weekends.

“God, Killian...you poor thing,” was all she could say.

He averted his gaze—and was either blushing, or flushed from the alcohol and heat of the room—and just said, “It’s in the past, where it belongs. And, honestly, the future is looking pretty good right now.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, I hope so.”

She wasn’t bold enough to say it—or confident, given that she was just coming out of a relationship—but she was thinking that, too.

The music switched from girl pop to Disney tunes—it was only a matter of time, considering that Snow was only a few steps away from being an IRL Disney princess—which prompted a conversation about their favorite Disney films, then movies in general, then books and music and all sorts of things. It was casual and easy and, honestly, she didn’t think she’d ever connected with someone so quickly; not since she was a kid and still had some innocence about her.

A slow song came on, and Killian set down his empty glass. “Would you care to dance?”

She gaped a bit; no one had ever asked her that. “What—for real? To this?”

“You just told me you’d seen Enchanted, and I believe that’s what they did to this song. So yes: will you, Emma Swan, dance with me?”

Somewhere, lonely teenage Emma was yelling at her to say yes and fulfill all her wildest prom dreams. Oh, who was she kidding—grown-up Emma still had those dreams. “Yeah, I will.”

He stood and offered her his prosthetic hand; she set her empty glass aside and took it, then followed him up. Gently, he guided her to an empty spot in the room—about 2 feet away—and then put his hand on her waist; she was probably supposed to put hers on his shoulder or something, but she did the same (and definitely noticed the firmness of his core).

They didn’t have much room to move—Dave and Snow were making out a few feet away, as were Ruby and Belle, and another couple—but Killian somehow managed to perform some actual dance steps. 

“What the heck is that, and how do you know it?” she wondered aloud, trying to keep up.

“It’s called a waltz, and there’s only one rule,” he explained, then leaned in to whisper in her ear: “Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.”

She’d definitely had a bit too much to actually memorize the steps, but she managed to keep up for a bit, until she lost her balance a bit after hitting the edge of the coffee table. Once again, she fell into his chest, but this time, he wrapped his arms tight around her to stabilize her—and she did the same.

“Is this a habit of yours?” he joked, but the twinkle in his eye told her that he wasn’t complaining.

“Just with you,” she tossed back.

“And what makes me so special?”

“You get it.”

He gave her a shy smirk that cut an adorable dimple into his scruff. 

And she couldn’t help it: she kissed it.

The wide-eyed stare he wore when she pulled back told her that it was as much a shock to him as it was to her; she never made the first move. But there was just something about him that made her want to throw caution to the wind—or maybe she just knew it was okay to do that with him. 

Feeling even bolder, she grabbed his shirt and pulled his lips down to hers. He didn’t hesitate to respond in kind and god, he was good: the right amount of pressure, the scratch of his beard, the feel of his hand on her back...oh man.

She normally wouldn’t have done what she did next—not when there were feelings involved, at least—but hey, it was a night for doing new things, right?

“Do you want to take this somewhere else?” she murmured when they eventually broke apart for air.

“Where did you have in mind?”

“My place.”

“Lead the way, love.”

It didn’t seem like anyone noticed as they slipped out, and she’d never managed to get her door open faster. It had just clicked shut before she was on him, pressing him back against it, her hands wandering over his upper body while her tongue picked up where their earlier dance had left off.

Her fingers found themselves near his belt, and before they went too far, his warm hand gently stilled hers. “Are you sure, love?” he asked, panting. “I...I don’t just want to be a rebound,” he confessed.

God, she hadn’t even thought of that. Walsh was already a distant memory. “I don’t want that, either.”

“Alright, then. Proceed.”

“God, you’re a dork.”

“Guilty.”

“Good thing I like it.”

Her lips found his again as her fingers danced over him, and his over her; a trail of clothing marked their path to her bedroom (with only a brief stop against the back of her couch), and they landed naked on her unmade bed.

His large hand and deft fingers found their way to her entrance and were lightly teasing it--the gentlest of brushes that nearly had her seeing stars, and definitely distracted her from fishing the condoms out of her bedside table.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not; might need an extra hand, though.”

She almost came back down to earth just to glare at him, but the cheesy grin he wore just made her laugh. It wasn't like she minded, anyway.

She used the opportunity to do a bit of foreplay herself, stroking his considerable length before, during, and after gliding the sheath on. The guttural groan he let out went straight through her.

Enough foreplay—she needed him. She grabbed his shoulders and pressed her chest against his; the brush of his chest hair against her nipples had her arching into him, and his hard cock was pressing right where she wanted him. “You ready?”

“Gods, yes,” he breathed.

And when they came together, she couldn’t remember anyone she’d ever been with before. She was completely aware of the hyperbole but honestly, he just felt so good inside her.

Then he moved, and she forgot her own name, and his, and anyone else’s.

She’d had the kind of sex before where time seemed to stop, but with Killian, it seemed to stop even longer, if that was possible; once they found their rhythm, every press of their hips brought her nearer and nearer to the edge of oblivion, but not so fast that she couldn’t enjoy it.

When she finally fell off, she hadn’t even realized she’d been that close—and let the waves of pleasure wash over her with abandon.

Killian wasn’t far behind her; she felt him still within her as he came with a shout. Normally, she’d be worried about how much noise they made, but she could still hear music coming from the Nolan’s; they were safe.

He collapsed beside her just long enough to catch his breath, then excused himself to clean up. God, he really was a gentleman; a lot of the guys she’d been with hadn’t been so polite about that. He came back a couple minutes later with a washcloth for her to use--seriously, no guy had ever done that. Then he flopped back on her creaky mattress and wrapped his left arm around her.

“You’re bloody incredible, love...and bloody gorgeous,” he said softly, then pressed a kiss on her bare shoulder.

“You’re no slouch, either,” she replied, and hoped the light was dim enough that he couldn’t see how furiously she was blushing. 

“You know...I almost didn’t go to the party tonight,” he said. “It was a long day and I wasn’t sure I felt up to people.”

“Yeah?” Logically, she knew other people had had shitty days, but it was easy to forget about in the face of her own. 

“I’m very glad I did, though,” he continued.

“So am I.”

He pressed a gentle kiss against her lips then, and pulled her a bit closer with his prosthesis. “Think we should head back?” he proposed.

“Mm, nah,” she answered. “They’ll have more parties.”

“Aye, they probably will.”

“And I like the one we’re having right now.”

“Mm, as do I.”

The other party continued into the wee hours of the morning, but Emma and Killian’s went even longer: all through the night, through part of the next day, and for a very, very long time thereafter.

Some time later, she heard that Dolly song again, and another set of lyrics stood out to her:

And you know if there's one thing this blonde has learned Blondes have more fun

She looked over at Killian and smiled; damn right they do.

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

thanks for reading! tagging some friends: @kat2609​ @thesschesthair​ @optomisticgirl​ @xpumpkindumplingx​ @shipsxahoy​ @amortentia-on-the-rocks​ @mryddinwilt​ @cocohook38​ @annytecture​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug​ @distant-rose​ @wellhellotragic​ @welllpthisishappening​ @let-it-raines​ @pirateherokillian​ @bleebug​ @its-imperator-furiosa​ @fergus80​ @killianmesmalls​ @sherlockianwhovian​ @effulgentcolors​ @laschatzi​ @ive-always-been-a-pirate​ @nfbagelperson​ @stubble-sandwich​​ @killian-whump​ @lenfaz​ @phiralovesloki​ @athenascarlet​ @kmomof4​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @snowbellewells​ @idristardis​ @scientificapricot​ @searchingwardrobes​

[kathyprior4200]

The Shadow and The Microphone

Alastor’s Shadow (Rotsala) and Alastor’s Microphone (Dave) have been a part of the Radio Demon since he arrived in Hell. Nobody except Alastor knows their actual names…and their names are ones they gave themselves. After Alastor made a deal with Kalfu and evil spirits in his human life and shortly after his death, he was granted with enough raw power to topple dominant overlords and spread terror to the denizens of Hell.

 Alastor’s shadow was born of dark Voodoo magic. He first remained in human Alastor’s subconscious as dark matter (courtesy of Kalfu’s magic and Alastor’s mother wishing for Alastor to not be alone after death)… until he was free when his owner died. After gathering some ingredients and retrieving Dr. Facilier’s spell book, Alastor painfully separated his shadow from himself. After briefly feeling vulnerable in the dark, and almost attacking Alastor, the shadow submitted to him and became his body guard and companion. He helps Alastor control the other shadow demons and acts as a second in command in battle.

 Like Dr. Facilier’s companion, Alastor’s shadow has a mind of his own and manifests as a dark apparition of Alastor’s most sinister thoughts and desires. He usually makes growling and cackling sounds (like Facilier’s shadow) but can communicate telepathically with Alastor. He frequently appears as a tall dark man with Alastor’s tuff ears, a wide grinning mouth, and glowing eyes. His eyes and mouth can change color from deep red to bright blue, to yellow and anything in between. He can switch between an Alastor form and a more sinister wendigo-like form with large fangs and a rack of antlers extending from his head. Alastor can also see through his shadow’s eyes, thus he also acts as a spy. Alastor’s shadow gains strength by eating the shadows of other demons, preventing them from moving and making it easier for Alastor to kill them.

 Alastor’s microphone staff is a living part of him. The radio voice that comes from it is actually a radio version of his human voice. It first manifested as a non-magical microphone staff decorated with golden antlers around it that human Alastor had made to show off his famed radio host status. Alastor had used a bit of magic to gather more listeners around their radios. Sadly, it was broken and burned after his death. A dark entity merged with the red vintage microphone staff created for Alastor by the dark spirits/Loa. The microphone spoke “I heard you loud and clear!” in the first episode. Like Alastor’s shadow, the microphone has a mind of its own.

 The microphone staff has a single red eye that glows when it is turned on. The microphone is what allows Alastor to broadcast his murders…the eye shines a light from the microphone. The microphone has other unique powers that could be an extension to Alastor’s many Eldritch powers of tentacles, teleportation, portals, blood magic etc. When the staff plays music mixed with static and demons stare at it too long, they can become hypnotized, eyes turning to red radio dials. Powerful radio waves can be blasted from the microphone with three taps of the staff to the ground. These waves can push demons back and blast their eardrums and brains. Alastor can swipe the staff to make things appear, as shown when he used it to make clothing appear on Vaggie. When Alastor goes full demon/wendigo form, the staff is used to mimic voices, sounds, and music to lure victims in (like Siren Head). But the microphone’s main purpose is to assist Alastor in his broadcasting.

 Without those two beings, Alastor would’ve had more of a challenge taking over areas of Hell…and it’d be far less entertaining!

Chapter One: That’s Entertainment

 “Well ladies and gentleman, Happy New Year and happy survival to all the lucky ones out there! The twenty four hours of the Extermination have passed and man, was it quite the show! The princess is shooting fireworks from the balcony as we speak, which means it’s safe to head out and try to claim new territory. Though if any of you sinners go near my radio towers, you’ll wish that the Exterminators had ended you right then and there. I hope you enjoyed this long and lovely broadcast. Until next time! Stay tuned.”

 Alastor’s microphone soon blinked off from its glowing red state. The microphone let out a low mechanical groan of relief. Sure it was the microphone’s job to allow Alastor to broadcast massacres and music whenever he wanted, but even a device needed proper rest after a while. The microphone closed its single red eye and faded to sleep.

 Alastor had spent the majority of the time broadcasting from within his lair, located underneath Hell and in the realm of shadow spirits. It had gotten the nickname “Deer Den,” by other sinners, though he liked the name as well. Soon though, he quietly arrived to the surface via portal to enjoy the finale of the screams, shrieks, and slaughters of the Exterminators cutting down demon after demon. Turning around from the wall-length glass window he glanced back toward a darkened corner of the studio.

 “It’s alright, you can come out now,” he said in a radio voice.

 A brief slither of movement in the dark space.

 “Come on,” he coaxed. “No Exterminators, nor angelic spears to hurt us.”

 Ever so quietly, the darkness inched forward to reveal a head poking out from within the wall. Out emerged Alastor’s shadow. He stood the same height as Alastor and had the same fluffy deer ear tufts and tattered dress coat that he wore. He even had a deer tail and antlers branching out from his head. The antlers shrank back as he opened his blue mouth an inch. There was a row of sharp dark teeth, and his eyes glowed blue. A chittering sound mixed with static emitted from the shadow as his eyes looked around for any sign of danger. There was only his owner standing in front of him.

 “Good,” said Alastor as he looked at him. “Come along, we have work to do.”

 The shadow obliged and pooled into the floor out of sight as he followed Alastor out the door.

 As Alastor was walking, the shadow briefly floated up into the air, surveying the scene. There were bloodied bodies everywhere. Many of them had weapons pierced through their skulls or spilled organs. Alastor may have been a little hungry, but he was humming happily along the street instead, keeping an eye out for any useful angelic spears. He found one and happily plucked it from a horned demon corpse. The spear vanished in his hand, reappearing back in his lair.

 Alastor ignored the brief pangs of hunger from his stomach. Just the smell of blood and decaying flesh in the air was beginning to make the demon’s mouth water a little as he hummed.

 His shadow, on the other hand…

 The sound of crunching came from behind the Radio Demon. Alastor’s ears flicked before he turned around. He cleared his throat and glared.

 The shadow was on his knees in front of a dead demon, his mouth chewing on flesh and muscle like a starved wolf. He saw Alastor and froze, a piece of flesh falling from his mouth. It looked like a child being caught in the act of stealing a snack.

 “What do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to be looking for spears and watching my back.”

 The shadow let out a deer bleat mixed with static. His voice sounded like snippets of different voices together.

 “But I’m hungry!”

 “There are more important things to focus on, dear fellow,” he said. “You’d be wise to learn some self-restraint.”

 Reluctantly, the shadow wiped his mouth and hovered closer to Alastor.

 “That’s better, now let’s be off.”

They soon arrived at one of the looming radio towers. The top of it had a blinking yellow eye that always peered in every direction like an all-seeing eye. It was constantly humming and retaining energy that lurked within the metal beams. There was a nearby cabin that served as one of many studios that Alastor had made for himself. It reminded him of his family’s summer cabin back when he was alive.

 “Go make your round,” Alastor ordered. The shadow flew into the air, searching above and below for any intruders. There were no signs of any demon trying to cross the boarders or break in. After a few minutes, he returned by his owner’s side and chittered in affirmation.

 With the areas clear and safe, Alastor made his way further into Pentagram city, his shadow vanishing again.

 With his shoes clacking against the pavement, Alastor walked over behind a flaming blue deer overlord and Crymini, the Hellhound. Charlie was on TV, talking about her plan to open up a hotel to rehabilitate sinners.

 Alastor stood behind two hellhound twins wearing crop tops and a hanging jester. Next to him was a poster that showed him in his demon form terrorizing the circus, demons trapped within flames inside the tent. His army of voodoo horned imps carrying knives and skulls on pikes surrounded the tortured sinners. The words were bold and full of warning: “BEWARE HIM!” “DO NOT FUCK WITH HIM!” In tiny letters off to the side on the wall read: “for a good time: 666-373-9494.”

 Alastor tilted his head to the side in curiosity. His shadow appeared off to his right, morphing into a snarling wendigo deer-like creature. He couldn’t help but tap his foot and hum along as she sang.

 The shadow stared in curiosity as well, his mouth open in hunger. He was anxious to witness Alastor mess with other demons again. He just hoped that if he happened to kill some that he’d get a good share of the meat. Sharing Alastor’s love of singing and music, the shadow swayed his body from side to side, even trying to sing along.

 After Charlie had finished singing, Alastor laughed out loud. That was quite the performance he had seen! He particularly enjoyed Charlie’s demon transformation and her conjuring of fire for the special effects. And he had to admit that she was a good singer too, despite her ridiculous idea.

 But his favorite part came up next.

 In the blaring red lights, Charlie and Katie fought each other on the desk. Katie was in her insect demon form, crawling on her hands and limbs. She briefly held Charlie down, who dodged and then leapt at Katie, knocking both of them off the table.

 “She’s pretty and has a feisty spirit,” Alastor thought.

 “Why won’t anyone help me?” Tom Trench yelled as flames rose from his body.

 “You’re on fire, Tom Trench!” Alastor exclaimed, while laughing at his own joke.

  Befriending the princess, and doing something different seemed like a good idea. He glanced over at a faraway Happy Hotel building.

 He knew where he would go next. His shadow vanished again.

  After following the white limbo to the hotel in his car, he got out and made his way up to the double stained glass doors with the apple designs on them. Upon further inspection of the hotel, he noticed it was a unique design if not a bit under wear and tear. From the Titanic-like ship off to the side to the hanging carousel that made up a balcony…and perhaps his favorite part, the circus tent overhang in the front decorated with eye designs.

 He had never actually met Charlie before but he heard that she was powerful and different among the demons. For one, she was born in Hell, and two, she was the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith, king and queen of Hell.

 He would have to tread carefully around members of the royal family. Though he thought of them as amusing, he knew how powerful they were.

 Sweat formed on his forehead and he found himself glancing around.

  Why was he suddenly…nervous?

 Somebody like him couldn’t afford to let any sign of weakness show. Of course He wanted to make a good first impression, plus he was sort of curious as to why she would pursue this rehabilitation idea. His nervousness faded away when he imagined Charlie as naïve. Maybe he could easily trick her and not have to be caught by anyone?

 The best thing he could do for the moment was be polite and offer to help. As any good charmer and manipulator knew, first impressions and the process were everything…

 And a nice big smile was the crème de la crème.

  Puffing out his chest, he knocked on the door.

 It was a very slow “Shave and a Haircut knock.”

  The knocking from outside interrupted Charlie’s thoughts. She opened her eyes.

  An ice cold feeling of dread spread through her veins. No other demon would ever do that kind of knock.

 Unless…

 She tentatively reached out her hand to the door handle, and quickly pulled it open.

 Sure enough, the most feared demon in Hell was standing right outside her door. A couple of shadow spirits poked their heads through.

 Charlie’s face morphed into sheer terror, eyes wide as saucers.

 Yes, there she was, right in front of him. Alastor opened his eyes as they glowed red, a radio sound emitting from him.  His staff turned on with a red glow. His eyes dilated playfully as he raised a finger in greeting.

 “Hell…”

 The door abruptly slammed shut.

 Brief silence.

 Charlie opened it again…

 “…oooo!”

 Slammed it again.

 Alastor could hear Charlie’s muffled voice from inside.

 “Hey Vaggie!”

 “What?”

 “The Radio Demon is at the door!”

 “What?!”

 “Who?” asked Angel.

 “What should I do?!” Charlie asked.

 “Well, don’t let him in!” Vaggie said.

  A growl formed in Alastor’s throat.

 He stood there, shocked in front of the stained glass door, smile still plastered on his face, hand and curved claw in the air.

 “Well… that was…rude,” he thought. “Usually people are too sacred to answer when I come by. Or they rush to try and please me because they know I could slaughter them at any time. I’ll just wait here then…or maybe break this door down…”

 He had been turned down not once but twice by her! If she had been an average demon, she would’ve been a bloody heap on the floor. The princess should know better than to reject anyone like that, especially a prideful demon like himself.

 Any offense to his pride would not go unnoticed.

 Charlie opened the door again.

 “May I speak now?” Alastor asked, hiding his anger.

 “You may,” said Charlie.

 Alastor held out his right hand to her, which briefly glowed. He half expected her to reach out and shake it right away…which would’ve proven her naïve nature…but instead she just stood there.

  “Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart, quite a pleasure.”

 He eagerly grabbed her wrist and leaned his face close to hers before strutting inside. Charlie stood, dumbfounded, her hand still out.

 “Excuse my sudden visit,” he went on, “but I saw your fiasco on a picture show and I just couldn’t resist. What a performance!”

 Audience cheers came from his staff as he turned around.

  “Why I haven’t been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929!”

 He bobbed his head side to side and burst into laughter. He glanced back at Charlie who was by the door. “So many orphans!”

 A sharp spear was suddenly pointed at him. He froze in fear, his smile still on his face.

 “Stop right there!” It was Vaggie.

 She swore in Spanish under her breath: “Carbon hijo de perra! (Idiotic son of a bitch!) I know your game. And I’m not gonna let you hurt anyone here, you pompous, cheesy, talk show shitlord!”

 Alastor’s eyes narrowed and glowed. He made a low noise of warning.

 “You have a lot of nerve to stand up to me like that, girl,” he thought. “You don’t know anything about me, and you certainly aren’t going to stand in my way.”

 Alastor merely laughed slightly and nudged the weapon away with his fingers. Charli and Vaggie were in front of him.

 “Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here…”

 He added in a low creepy tone, “I would have done so already.”

 His red eyes briefly turned to red radio dials and radio static filled the room. He tilted his head slightly, letting his chaotic magic roam. Vaggie and Charlie were frozen in fear as they caught glimpses of red Voodoo symbols, static, and warped reality.

 Then just as quickly, the noise and magic ceased and Alastor shook his head, eyes back to full red. For a brief moment, they had been small red pupils inside black sockets.

 “That scare should teach them to remember their place,” he thought.

 He bowed. “No, I’m here because I want to help!”

 Charlie was sure she hadn’t heard him right.

 “Say what now?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

 “Help!” he responded with another laugh, leaning in close before moving back.

 He held up his microphone staff.

  “Hello?” he asked with a laugh. “Is this thing on? Testing, testing…”

 He tapped it and a glowing red eye appeared in the center. “Well, I heard you loud and clear!” the microphone responded, eye shaking in fear.

 The microphone didn’t take kindly to be shaken out of its stupor.

 “Um…you want to help?” Charlie asked.

 Alastor appeared behind the demon girls, hands on their backs, switching from a shadow to his regular self. Both Vaggie and Charlie flinched.

 “With…” he mentioned in an imitation of Charlie’s voice,

“…this ridiculous thing you’re trying to do!” finishing in his normal voice. “This hotel!”

 Charlie could hear the call bell ding twice on the table, even though no one was there to ring it.

 “I want to help you run it.”

 “Uh���why?” Charlie asked, confused.

 Alastor laughed again. “Why does anyone do anything? Sheer absolute boredom! I’ve lacked inspiration for decades!”

 He placed his elbow on an annoyed Vaggie’s head.

 “My work became mundane...lacking focus…”

 He then shoved Vaggie aside. She was clearly an inferior little doll he could push around.

 “…aimless!” he continued. “I’ve come to crave a new form of entertainment!”

 He laughed again.

Charlie looked downcast. “Does getting into a fist fight with a reporter count as entertainment?”

 Alastor laughed again.

 “It’s the purest kind, my dear! Reality! True passion! After all, the world is a stage! And the stage is a world of entertainment!”

 Charlie brightened a bit. “So, does this mean that you think it’s possible to rehabilitate a demon?”

Alastor help up a hand and laughed. “Of course not. That’s wacky nonsense! Redemption, oh the non-existent humanity! Nononono, I don’t think there’s anything left that could save such loathsome sinners!”

 He glanced at Vaggie and Angel Dust sitting on the sofa, mischief in his eyes. They would be fun to mess with.

  “The chance given to them was the life they lived before; the punishment is this!”

  He spread out his arms, turning away. “There is no undoing what is done!”

 His eyes glowed red, pupils constricted. There really was no way to change the past. All the sinners were destined to suffer in a matrix of pleasure, illusion, and the threat of a second death. For Alastor, every demon was a lost cause…and paradoxically, that also included him.

 He had dealt with authority figures before in his previous life…those racist religious folk who believed that God and the elite had complete control over his fate and the fate of everyone else. Now here it was again, in the form of God, the angels, Vox, Lucifer pretty much anybody he hated. It wasn’t his fault he killed and ate all his victims.  If certain people hadn’t pushed him over the edge…

 He glanced over when he heard Charlie’s voice.

 “So then, why do you want to help me if you don’t believe in my cause?” Charlie asked.

 Alastor smirked and looked at Charlie over his shoulder. “Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!”

 He pulled her close to him with his arm and twirled her around in a quick dance. Charlie narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a look. He ignored her. “I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment! Only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure.”

 Off to the side, his shadow appeared and cackled.

 Alastor’s eyes glowed red and his left eyebrow raised slightly. Just the thought of having the fates and lives of demons in his hands was enough to get him excited…or perhaps even aroused.

 “Right…” Charlie began, slowly removing his clawed hand from her shoulder. Alastor’s hand flinched at the sudden touch.

 Alastor chuckled and took her aside for a walk. “Yes indeedy! I see big things coming your way, and who better to help than I.”

 He impressed her further with some charm and making his staff appear in his hand.

  Vaggie walked up to Charlie and pulled her aside.

 “Charlie, listen to me. You just can’t believe this creep! He isn’t just a happy face! He’s a dealmaker, pure evil! He can’t be redeemed! And is most likely looking for a way to destroy everything we’re trying to do.”

 Alastor drummed his fingers against his palm, listening in on their conversation with a grin.

 “I…” Charlie began. “…we don’t know that. Look…I know he’s bad, and I know he probably doesn’t wanna change, but the whole point of this is to give people a chance! To have faith things will be better! How can I turn someone away? I can’t. It goes against everything I’m trying to do. Everything I believe in.”

 Alastor stared in fascination at a family picture on the wall. It showed Lucifer dressed in white, Lilith in a dark purple dress, and Charlie as a little girl wearing a brown and white dress in the middle. The picture border consisted of branches and yellow eyeballs and a dried rose in the upper right hand corner.

 “Such a lovely portrait! A picture of perfection! It’d be such a shame if something awful were to happen to them…”

 “Just trust me,” Charlie added placing comforting hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders, “I can take care of myself.”

 Charlie,” warned Vaggie, “Whatever you do, do not make a deal with him!”

 From a distance, Alastor opened up the palm of one hand, claws curled inward, hand glowing. From his viewpoint it looked like he was grabbing onto both girls. They glanced in his direction, worry on their faces.

 “I’ll have these two in the palm of my hand…”

 “Don’t worry, Charlie replied to Vaggie. “I picked up one thing from my Dad…” she spoke in a manly voice, “Ya don’t take shit from other demons!”

 Gathering her courage, Charlie marched over to the Radio Demon.

  “Ok, so…Al. You’re sketchy as fuck, and you clearly see what I’m trying to do here is a joke. But I don’t.”

 Charlie turned away. She was so close and so vulnerable. It took all of the shadow’s restraint not to lunge at Charlie and sink his teeth into her.

 Red Voodoo symbols floated around Alastor as his eyes glowed.

 “If you could stay turned around so I can knock you out…” he thought.

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and the symbols vanished.

 “So close,” he thought in frustration as she turned around to face him.

  Charlie continued. “I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I’m taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no tricks or voodoo strings attached.”

 Alastor twirled his cane and held out his hand. “So it’s a deal then?”

 Flashes of eerie green light surrounded him, electricity snaking up the walls. The shadow’s eyes turned green, his smile growing wider.

 “Nope!” Charlie yelled, holding out her hands. The energy stopped. “No shaking! No deals!”

 Alastor’s eyes constricted, and the shadow moped in the distance out of sight. “She rejected my deal,” he thought. “This will be more challenging than I expected.”

 He walked forward a step.

 Charlie continued.  “As princess of Hell, and heir to the throne, I uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel, for a long as you desire.”

 The shadow and the microphone hid in laughter. Her request was so vague, it left room for so many loopholes. That meant that Alastor could leave and betray the hotel whenever he saw fit.

 A moment of pause…Alastor brushed his hair back.

 “Sound fair?” she asked.

  “Hmm. Fair enough. Cool beans.” Alastor shrugged, walking on and making his cane disappear. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and even did a thumbs up.

 Alastor stopped and spotted Vaggie off to the side. How pathetic she was, frowning like that. He smirked in a way outside observers would describe as lecherous. He tickled her under her chin with a finger.

 “Smile, my dear! You know you’re never fully dressed without one!”

 Alastor hummed happily on his way, while Vaggie growled in disgust and rage.

 “So…where is your hotel staff?” Alastor asked.

 “Uh, well…” Charlie began. Alastor peered at Vaggie through his monocle. “Oh ho ho ho, you’re going to need more than that.”

 He walked over towards Angel.

 “And what can you do, my effeminate fellow?”

 Angel grinned. “I can suck your dick!”

 Alastor could almost scream in disgust after hearing that.

 “Ha! No.” Alastor deadpanned.

 “Your loss,” Angel said with a slight laugh. Alastor summoned his cane.

“Well, this just won’t do!” Alastor exclaimed. “I suppose I can cash in a few favors to liven things up!”

 The spell came easily in his mind: “dife sèvitè, reveye.”

  He snapped his fingers and a fire sparked to life in a small circular fireplace. Animal skeletons decorated either side of the wall. The wall and fireplace were repaired.

 A dark figure plopped down onto the chimney floor.

 Alastor walked over and picked up the creature with his hand. A large single yellow eye was revealed. Angel, Vaggie, and Charlie peered at the creature. In a puff of smoke and a squeak, the creature revealed herself. A cute cyclops girl was wearing a pink dress with a poodle on the front, her short wide hair dark magenta with a streak of yellow.

 “This little darling is Niffty!” Alastor introduced, before dropping her. She landed on her feet. She was an adorable little thing.

“Hi! I’m Niffty!” she greeted with a wave. “It’s nice to meet you! It’s been a while since I’ve made new friends!” She laughed slightly and her pupil grew smaller, darting in circles.

 “Why are you all women?” she asked. “Have any men here?! I’m sorry, that’s rude.” She missed the fact that Angel was male, for obvious reasons.

 She briefly picked up Charlie, while Vaggie held her spear defensively at her.

 “Oh man, this place is filthy!” she exclaimed, running around and lifting up couch cushions. “It really needs a lady’s touch, which is weird, because you’re all ladies, no offence.” She chewed on a black spider she found, then rushed toward some stained glass windows.

 She darted around, using a dust ruffle to clean them. “Oh my gosh, this is awful! No, no, no…Nope!”

 She raced around, removing cobwebs, then poking at a piece of a voodoo doll. Well, it was actually a live blue beetle doll that Alastor had stabbed with a clothing pin for Niffty to play with. Alastor looked amused, while the others stared in disbelief.

 “So fortunate of me to have met her in Hell. A former chimney sweeper in the 20th century. Heard she died from too much smoke. Services are still good! Though, I didn’t give her much of an option to begin with…” he thought.

   Meanwhile, at a casino, a cat demon placed a joker, an ace, a 2, and a fourth card down on the table. He had black and white fur, wore a black top hat and had red wings with card suits decorated on them. He also had long red eyebrows and wore a red bow tie.

 “Ha!” he declared in triumph. “Read ‘em and weep, boys!”

 He suddenly felt himself being forcefully pulled out of the room through space and time.

  “Full…whoa!”

 “Transpòte ganbadeur la.”

 He ducked as a curtain of red energy surrounded the existing space. Voodoo symbols flashed in the background along with eight yellow eyes, a creepy voodoo skull and a purple skeleton of a worm-like creature. Another voodoo skull with horns appeared for a moment not too far from tan ghost-like spirits with creepy faces and a row of jagged teeth.

 The cat demon figured he must have had too much booze to drink.

 “…the hell?”

 As the images faded, he soon found himself at the hotel bar, not in the previous room at the casino. A large “Come and play Blackjack” sign took up much of the wall behind him. Most peculiar, the gray wood walls were missing halfway up, replaced by the red themed décor of the hotel. Husk was sitting in a portion of the casino he was in. It felt like he was in a house with no roof surrounded by the outside world.

 “What the fuck is this?”

 He saw Alastor and pointed an accusing claw.

 “You.”

 “Ah, Husker, my good friend!” Alastor cheerfully greeted. “Glad you could make it!”

 Husk could have at least been polite for once, but Alastor decided to let it slide.

 Alastor’s head briefly had the appearance of large antlers sticking out from either side. When he moved it, it was revealed to be an antler skull with glowing green eyes hanging in the background. Snakes were wrapped around one of the white curtains supporting a bar stand. “Big Booze,” “Welcome” and “Big Soul” signs were placed overhead on the stand. Neon green card suits consisted of the designs at the bottom of the stand.

 “Don’t you “Husker” me, you son of a bitch!” Husk spat, and swiped Alastor’s hand aside from his shoulder. “I was about to win the whole damn pot!”

Husk stared in anger as the stacks of money and chips on the table vanished in static.

 “Good to see you too!” added Alastor.

 Husk face palmed. “What the hell do you want with me this time?”

 Alastor grabbed hold of him, startling him so much that cards fell from his hands.

 “My friend, I am doing some charity work, so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services! I hope that’s okay.”

 Husk was taken aback. “Are you shittin’ me?!”

 “No, I don’t think so,” Alastor replied. He casually brushed off his sleeves.

 Husk shoved the Radio Demon off him. “You thought it would be some kind of big fuckin’ riot just to pull me outta nowhere? You think I’m some kinda fuckin’ clown?”

 “Maybe.”

 Audience laughter emitted from the microphone.

 “I ain’t doin’ no fuckin’ charity job,” Husk protested.

 Alastor appeared next to him, startling the cat demon. “Well I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment.”

 He pointed toward the bar stand with the staff. The sound of audience clapping came from his radio staff.

 “With your charming smile and welcoming energy…”

 Alastor spread the corners of Husk’s mouth upward into a demonic smile of yellow teeth. Husk frowned seconds after he let go.

 “…this job was made for you!”

 Alastor strutted over toward the bar stand, the soles of his shoes revealing red hoof prints as he walked.

 “Don’t worry, my friend,” Alastor continued, “I can make this more welcoming…if you wish.”

 With a curve of his fingers, a green bottle of cheap booze appeared on the counter.

 Husk stared with wide eyes, suddenly very thirsty. He swore he could hear the sound of a slot machine.

 “What, you think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze?!” He took the bottle on anger. “Well you can!”

 He immediately guzzled it down and walked away.

 “Too easy,” thought Alastor.

 By this time, Charlie, Vaggie and Angel Dust had arrived to see what the commotion was about. Vaggie rushed toward the bar, furious.

 “Hey, hey, hey, hey!” yelled the moth demon. “No, no bar, no alcohol. This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin! Not some kind of…mouth, brothel, man-cave…”

 Angel lunged himself into her, knocking her to the floor.

 “Shut up! Shut! Up! We are keeping this.” He pointed at Husk with multiple gloved hands.

  He slid up to Husk. “Hey,” he said in a flirtatious voice.

“Go fuck yourself,” Husk deadpanned, drinking his booze.

 “Only if you watch me,” Angel retorted.

 To make matters worse for Husk, Charlie leaned in close to him, excitement and red stars in her eyes.

 “Oh my gosh! Welcome to the Happy Hotel! You are going to love it here!”

 “I lost the ability to love years ago,” Husk replied, gulping down more booze.

Alastor walked in, an ever-present grin on his face.

 “So, what do you think?”

 Charlie ran over to him. “This is amazing!” she beamed.

 Alastor’s eyes blinked rapidly at the sweet sight of Charlie rubbing her cheeks and smiling at him. He could watch it all day.

 “It’s okay,” Vaggie said from nearby, arms crossed.

 Alastor laughed and pulled the two girls close to him. “This is going to be very entertaining!”

 He shoved Vaggie again and his laughter mixed with the sound of an old radio.

 Alastor conjured fire in his hand…Charlie stared in wonder at the flames and the voodoo symbols. He threw the flames in the air, distracting Charlie from him shoving aside her friend hard. Alastor then changed his attire with magic. He now wore a fancy red suit with a white undershirt and a black bow tie. A red top hat appeared on his head, complete with small spikes along the black band and two needles sticking out from the top. He twirled Charlie around in a dance, the princess looking stunned. Pointing his finger over her head, he transformed Charlie’s outfit. Her blonde hair was now short and wavy. She wore an elegant black and red dress, black gloves, a pink hat with a small black bow and black heels. She looked like a dapper lady from the early 20th century.

 Charlie stared at her conjured clothing in amazement.

Vaggie was on the floor, fuming.

 Alastor began to sing as he danced with Charlie, a new spring in his steps.

 “You have a dream

 You wish to tell

 He turned to the fuming Vaggie on the floor, letting her know that he thought Charlie’s idea was silly.

 “and it’s so laughable…”

 He turned back to Charlie.

 “But hey kid, what the hell!”

 Alastor picked Charlie up and threw her into the air. She yelped in delight and landed gracefully next to him. Two glowing apples and a skull with deer horns flashed in the background.

 Reality had been altered to the Radio Demon’s liking. The entire room was lit in psychedelic colors. Voodoo symbols and shapes were etched in every nook and cranny, including a pair of pink claws reaching for the door. Alastor and Charlie waltzed in the spotlight as electro swing music began to play in the distance. The all-encompassing noise, though, was the signature radio-static sound.

 Charlie found herself sliding down one of the apple-etched railings, Alastor leading the way. They landed on the lower floor as Alastor continued his reprise.

 “Cause you’re one of a kind

A charming demon belle!”

 Deer statues and painted antlers were everywhere.

 Back at the bar stand, Husk sat looking bored. Vaggie hissed at Angel grabbing onto her shoulder, while Niffty stared in wonder. Alastor snapped his fingers and their outfits changed as well.

 Angel was wearing a neon pink suit, Husk a pink bow tie, Vaggie a dark dress, with her hair now smooth and long, and finally Niffty, with a cute top hat with small flowers.

 “Now let’s give these burning fools a place to dwell

(Take it, boys!)”

 Alastor snapped his fingers once more and shadowy imps rose to life from a hole in the ground. The happy spirits played a trumpet, a tuba, and a drum set. Charlie snapped her fingers to the beat, while Vaggie watched with worry. She reached out to her friend but was pulled away by Alastor. He enveloped the group into a tight hug with a laugh, followed by glowing images of dark spirits staring at them. Niffty watched in amazement, but not the other three.

 “Inside of every demon is a lost cause…”

Alastor pulled Husk and Angel close again. He rubbed Angel’s head with a white hat and went on his merry way. Husk gave him the bird as he left.

 “But we’ll dress ‘em up now with just a smile!”

(With a smile!)

  Vaggie stood, annoyed in the spotlight. Using his cane, Alastor added a feathered peacock hat and a white fox fur to her outfit. She looked ridiculous. Then out of nowhere, he slapped her butt.

 Vaggie seethed in rage after he walked away.

 Alastor danced some more, kicking a horned skull to the side. In the background, Niffy happily swept up the bits of bone.

 “And we’ll chlorinate this cesspool

With some old redemption flair

And show these simpletons some proper class and style!

(What’s in style? Oh!)”

 He made his way to the circular fireplace, where he waved his staff. Shadows arrived to join the party, including his own shadow, with large antlers and fangs.  The shadow grabbed onto his shoulders and grinned, his mouth and eyes blue. Alastor made him disappear in a poof, then snuck toward Charlie. He led her in an upbeat dance, spinning her around, helping her match her steps to his. Charlie blushed when Alastor toyed with her cheeks. As Charlie was led away, Vaggie stood in the background, horrified and disgusted. What was happening to her friend?

 Charlie and Alastor laughed as they danced, the princess locked in a happy trance. Alastor was in his element, his pupils dilated, a joyful demeanor.

 Maybe this could turn into something more? Could it even be…love?

 “Here below the ground

I’m sure you’re plan is sound!

They’ll spend a little time

Down at this Hazbin Ho…”

  Alastor was about to finish his song, when an explosion burst apart a window behind him. He stood frozen, pupils constricting, his body going alert.

 Whatever, or whomever had interrupted his song was going to pay dearly.

 Niffty stared in amazement, shouting “Whoo!” before she was blasted backwards, the door hitting her in the face.

 Alastor’s spell soon wore off and everyone was back in their regular clothes. Alastor, Husk (still drinking), Niffty, Charlie, Angel, and Vaggie, peered out of the hole to see what was going on. Vaggie had her weapon at the ready.

 Looking skyward, the group saw a cracked blimp in the air. It had a small random band aid with a sad face on it along the rim. A familiar snake villain popped out of his hideout.

 “Ha!” Sir Pentious laughed. “Well, well, well, look who it is harboring the striped freak! We meet again, Alastor!”

 Apparently, he was also rivals with Alastor.

 But Alastor simply asked, “Do I know you?”

 The snake boss looked disappointed. Then he said in anger, “Oh yes you do! And this time, I have the element of…surprise!”

 The villain raced toward his pink velvet chair and pulled a lever. A metallic cannon lowered to the ground. The cannon fired up with pink energy as pink smoke appeared around them.

 “He laughed manically. “I’m so evil!”

 Then he added, “I have an Egg army!”

 “Well, we have an Alastor,” Charlie responded.

 Alastor snapped his fingers, red tendrils of smoke rising from his hand. The weapon froze in mid fire and a fiery portal opened up below the blimp.

 A horde of black tendrils rose from the hole, latching onto the ship. One tentacle ripped off the cannon and threw it into another smaller portal, causing it to explode in pink smoke. One of the tentacles had already smashed a hole in the large round window.

 Sir Pentious looked on in shock as his Egg Bois slammed against the wall (one of them read #Ouch.) One of the eggs cracked open, spilling out yellowish brains and small organs among the stains of yok. Sir Pentious and another minion were thrown against the wall.

 “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he screamed before he was slammed against the ceiling by a black limb.

 “Oh, that hurt!” he cried.

 Sir Pentious screamed as he was dragged along the floor and lifted up slightly. He was held in place, surrounded by the wrapped up tendril. At once, the tendril shrunk and squeezed the helpless snake. The Egg Bois ran around screaming as black cracks appeared on the floor and walls.

 From the outside, more black tendrils were closing in. Red voodoo symbols appeared around the blimp.

 “Ede m 'sèrviteur.”

 Four horned shadowy spirits with red auras floated around, wearing toothy grins.

 The tendrils were now wrapped around the entire blimp, holding it in place like thick black vines.

 Red radio waves filled Alastor’s eyes as he circled his fingers and worked is magic. Voodoo symbols appeared all around him as he altered the state of reality. Radio static consumed the air.

 The vines thickened and completely enclosed the blimp. The spirits swooped around it in excitement, with echoing shrieks. The aura around the tendrils glowed a fiery yellow, the same color as the portal rim.

 “Kalfu! Destriksyon pa bra nwa.”

 Alastor closed his four-fingered hand which began to glow. A red drop of blood fell from his glowing hand. The tendrils proceeded to crush the blimp. Pink rays of light shot from the center and the blimp exploded in a loud BOOM!

 Pink smoke spread everywhere as the spirits sped away. The tendrils broke into severed bloody pieces that rained down to the ground. Alastor smiled victoriously, while behind them, the group of five stared in utter terror and shock. (Save for Niffty who had a small smile on her face).

 Alastor’s angry, bloodlust eyes spoke volumes.

 “And stay out of this hotel and from my friends you pathetic excuse of snakeskin.”

 A sharp pain throbbed on his hand and bags appeared under his eyes. Magic had taken some work from him…and it also made him hungry.

 “Well, I’m starved!” Alastor exclaimed, turning around to face the group, happy again. “Who wants some jambalaya?” He spread his arms out. “My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for jambalaya! In fact, it nearly killed her!”

 He laughed as he led the way back to the hotel. The others followed.

 “You could say the kick was right out of Hell!”

 He added while laughing at his own joke, “Oh, I’m on a roll!”

 From up above, the hotel looked like a mashed-up haunted house. An old dark train was perched on a balcony, with some monstrous faces carved in. A ship, reminiscent of the Titanic, was leaning upwards against the building as part of the structure. An old carousel served as part of the upper balcony and windows. Skull designs decorated the small windows in a row. Finally, on top of a giant yellow eye, was the sign “Happy Hotel” supported by pillars of worn wood.  

Alastor continued, “Yes, sir, this is the start of some real changes down here! The game is set! Now…”

 He glanced up and pointed his finger toward the sign. Pink electricity shot out and made contact with the sign.

 The sign now read “Hazbin Hotel.”

 “Stay tuned,” he finished with a low sinister laugh.

[alteridolriley]

To The Poison Named Loneliness - Chapter Two

Story Summary: Patton is about to start high school and he doesn't want to start it in the wrong body. Born as Patricia, Patton wants to change, but his strict mother wants nothing to do it. With the help of some family and friends, he'll get his chance to start fresh. High school is a challenge Patton wasn't sure he was ready for but together with his childhood friend, Virgil, and some new friends he meets along the way, he'll overcome anything in his way... even himself.

Pairings: Eventual Moceit, Eventual Sleepxiety, Romantic Logince (parents of Virgil), Background Romantic Remile, Childhood Best Friends Moxiety

Fic Warnings: All sides are in this story (all sympathetic), homophobia, transphobia, bullying, sickness, food mentions, mental/physical abuse, blood, cursing, etc (This is for the fic as a whole)

<- Chapter One | Chapter Two (You’re here!) | Chapter Three ->

Read on AO3! | Like what I do? Buy me a coffee!

***TW: Major mental/physical abuse and cursing in this one, please proceed with caution***

Patton stood there, hand on his neck and the other on his stomach. His long locks of blonde hair were gone. He now had a typical boyish haircut but a little bit longer on top so he could choose which way to flip his hair. Maisie had been amazingly kind the entire time she cut it. She even shared with Patton that she herself was transgender. She had been born a boy. Patton had never met a person who has transitioned all the way. It gave him… hope.

They had all walked together to a nearby church just across the street from the large house for the ceremony. Patton now waited for everything to begin.

Alice walked over towards Patton and he grabbed the pillow on the nearby table that had the rings on it.

"I'm ready, Alice." Patton said.

Alice smiled. "Yup! You look great. Now, I know your mom is gonna get mad but I very much doubt she'll make a scene at my wedding."

Patton agreed. "Yeah she's-- um very interested in some things you have." He tried to be coy but it didn't work.

"Oh yes that's very clear how much she came around after my mother died." Alice rolled her eyes. "Pay her no mind. I take full responsibility for what happened today." She ran her hand through Patton's hair and he giggled. "You are who you believe you are, sweetheart and I support you. You look happier now than you have for awhile…"

Patton leaned in to Alice. "Thank you."

Alice leaned down and kissed Patton's head. "You're welcome. I love you, Patton."

"I love you too, Alice." Patton said.

A woman across the room called towards Alice and the bride to be looked excited.

"Things are about to start! See you later!" Alice said excited as she dashed off to take her position.

Patton gulped and grabbed the nearby pillow with the wedding rings on it. Another wedding host showed him where to stand and gave him a thumbs up. He was so nervous. What would his mother think? Would she stop the whole wedding to yell at him? Patton didn't know. He watched as the bridesmaids and groomsmen on both sides head down the walkway. Patton swelled to see both genders standing on either side of where Julia stood. She looked so beautiful in her white tux with a purple lapel. Even as far away as he was, Patton could see the tears rolling down her face.

Julia loved Alice so much.

Patton watched a girl in a light lavender dress head down the aisle next, spreading violet petals as she did so. She dramatically dumped the last bit at the very front and then Patton took a deep breath. He began walking.

It was then that he realized Julia was making eye contact with him.

He decided in that moment to not look anywhere else but her. Julia nodded and smiled gently as he walked. Patton felt so much better. As he arrived at the end, he stood next to the flower girl. Julia also gave him a thumbs up and he returned it. He had no idea if his mother had seen him or not. Hopefully Chris did. Patton wanted to thank Chris for the tux he was wearing.

Breaking the silence, "Here Comes The Bride" began to play from the organ in the corner. Everyone else stood up and Patton leaned around to see Alice. She had a tiara on now with a veil over her face.

She looks like an angel… Patton thought as she passed by him.

Uncle Dave gave a small wave to Patton as he walked by with Alice and Patton smiled. It seemed Uncle Dave approved too. Alice must've told him at some point.

The wedding proceeded as planned and Patton gave the wedding bands at the proper moment. Alice and Julia kissed and everyone erupted in cheers. Patton smiled and was genuinely happy for them until he noticed one person not cheering out of the corner of his eye.

If looks could kill, Patton would've been dead.

His mother glared daggers at him and by the look of things was restraining herself from saying a word. Her face was beet red and her eyes sharp with anger.

Patton quickly looked away from her and back to Alice who was in an embrace from Julia. The two held hands as they walked down the aisle to exit the church. Try as he might to not cry, Patton felt the tears begin to fall. The hope built up by Alice and her happy day all fell apart right in front of him. The room was loud, but he couldn't hear anything. It was muffled, as if it was far away. The tears blurred his vision. Why had he let this little ball of happiness so far inside his heart?

This is going to disappear. The voice in his mind chided him. Why would you think this outfit and haircut meant anything at all? You're trapped. You cannot escape her, Patricia. You're hers forever.

Patton shoved his hands onto his ears, dropping the ring bearer's pillow. He dashed towards the back of the church through a set of double doors. That was to be the catalyst for everything.

She's after you. She'll find you. The voice said. You can't hide from her. She knows you better than anyone else.

Patton ignored the voice, dashing through the empty halls. His new polished black shoes tapped on the vinyl floor, echoing his every movement to anyone giving chase. He ignored the tears falling down his face and quickly unbuttoned the jacket, taking it off in one quick movement. Patton proceeded to do the same thing to the shoes and pants as he ran. He didn't deserve to wear the clothing anymore. Eventually, one of the doors he tried swung open. He quickly shut it behind him and realized as his eyes adjusted to the darkness: a Sunday School classroom. Patton dived under the teacher's desk, wrapping his arms around his knees, trying so hard to calm himself down.

You're all alone now, Patricia. No one's coming to help you. Soon your mother will be here and who knows what she'll do with you… The voice said, taunting him. Abandoning the clothes doesn't change what you did! You horrible, disobedient girl!

Patton covered his ears. "Shut up!! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!" he screamed. "Shut up.. please just shut up…"

The door on the other side of the room randomly burst open. Patton covered his mouth to quiet his sobs.

"Patricia?! I know you're in here! It's the only room unlocked!" Martha bellowed.

Patton refused to move, to speak. This was going to be the time his mother snapped.

"Patricia Marie!! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW GODDAMN IT OR SO HELP ME!!" His mother shrieked, the voice piercing the cold silence around them. Suddenly the desk flung away from Patton and he screamed in terror, hiding his face into his knees. "There you are you ungrateful bitch!"

His mother reached down and grabbed Patton by the arm and yanked him up effortlessly, before rearing back and slapping him across the face as hard as she could. Patton wailed in pain and fell back to his knees, sobbing.

"No, you stand up right now. I'm going to show you exactly why you do not cross your mother." She spat, yanking Patton back up by his bra strap. "Look at you! You are a girl! Breasts, hips, and all!" Each word countered with a slap across Patton's face, each one more painful and loud. "No daughter of mine is going to be a tranny!" She slapped Patton so hard his bra strap snapped and Patton fell to the floor.

He didn't know if he was still awake or not. Everything was so dark and black. The shrill voice of his mother was now a mere muffle. He could taste iron in his mouth and he felt something warm running out of his ears and nose.

This was it. She was going to kill him.

The door slammed open across the room as Martha brought her foot down against Patton's ribs. He sputtered blood and wailed again. In the doorway, Alice rubbed her bruised shoulder from ramming into the locked wooden door. Her eyes darted to Patton collapsed on the floor. "Julia! Over here! Call 911, hurry!" Alice shouted down the hall before she ran over. "Get the fuck away from him!" Alice shouted, running over and shoving Martha away. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Martha?! This is your child!" She leaned over to Patton, checking his vitals. What did she do to you, Patton? Oh baby I'm so sorry... Alice turned and stood to face Martha, her brows furrowed in anger.

Martha growled but didn't walk back towards her. She leaned against the desk she had shoved away. "That thing is not my daughter. Not anymore." Martha said. She wiped the sweat off her brow and stood up straight. "If she wants to be a boy then she should learn how to fight."

Alice growled. "You bitch."

From the door, Julia walked in, a gun in her right hand and a badge in her left.

"Martha Taylor, you're under arrest. Turn around." Julia said blankly, waving with the gun. "You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney…"

Alice turned back to Patton as Julia finished telling Martha her miranda rights and cuffing her. She gently tried to pick the small boy up but he whined gently, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Alice!" She turned to see Maisie at the door. "The ambulance is here!"

"We're coming." Alice responded as she picked Patton up against her. She shhed the crying boy, kissing his forehead.

As she walked by Martha in the hallway, she stopped for a second and looked at the woman dead in the eye. "If you even remotely look at Patton ever again, you won't be leaving in handcuffs next time."

Martha didn't respond.

Alice rushed down the hallway as fast as she could.

"Alice… I.. I'm ruining your dress…" Patton mumbled.

"Baby, I don't care about my dress. Don't worry, focus on yourself." Alice assured. "Stay awake okay?"

".... I'm sorry." Patton said.

All Patton could hear as he slipped into darkness was Alice shouting his name.

---

Tags: @availe @vicdehart @sendingcookiesfromhell @lumina-universe @notveryglittery @changeling-ash @canvas-the-florist @mandeebobandee @axyzel @okay-finne @sanders-sides-with-quinn  @sassafrass64 @canvas-the-florist @bookwyrminspiration  @withspaces @grayson-22 @re-side-this @theblankest123 (please send me an ask to be added!)

[harrythekingofcamp]

#LateLateStyles with (Y/N)

Hey, so I made this one shot ages ago because of #LateLateStyles which I published on Wattpad. Decided to post it here as well. xx enjoy (If anyone's reading it nway)

PS: Please bear with me on my grammar bc english isn’t my first language

1

You and Harry were known to be great friends when he started his music career and you on acting and there was always a rumor that you and him were dating because you were always seen with him.

Whether its late night in the club, a lunch at the finest dining restaurant or even each others date on a award show or premiere night. But you both don't confirm it and dont talk about it making it a bit awkward for both of you especially when paps straight up ask you about it.

You always had this thing for Harry and you were always inconsistent that he has feelings for you too, since you always see him with some model or rumored to be dating with other girls. (Kendall Jenner was out of the rumors since you knew she was with somebody else and they were just great friends since you and her were also friends)

You were aware that Harry was on the Late Late Night with James Corden all week as he told you when you were talking in the phone. (You didn't have time to catch up personally since he's been having shows for his debut album and you were busy on a new movie) and surprisingly, he and James Corden (Who was also a really good friend of yours back from Harry's hometown, Cheshire) invited you over the show as a guest. As usual, both of you and Harry's fans have been dying to see the premiere of the show since they released the teaser.

And now, you were in the studio. 5 minutes before the show starts and you were with your assistant who has been gushing and teasing you about Harry for almost an hour.

The first segment of the show is you and Harry in the monologue that was usually done with James.

"Okay (Y/N), Get ready for your queue with Harry." The organizer calls out on you and you give him a thumbs up and went behind the curtain where you meet the suit claded man who was already smirking at you.

"You look sexy-- ow!"

"Stop Harold. Be professional for once- but thank you," you stuck your tongue at him after slightly slapping him in the shoulder.

"All the way from Cheshire and Wolverhampton England.. Give it up for your hosts, Harry Styles and (Y/N) (Y/L/N)!" A loud applaud was heard and you put on my greatest smile and I saw him smile, a cheeky one.

The curtain opened and you walked with a little bit of dance with Harry making you giggle with him as he continues to dance.

The music stopped and the audience calmed a bit and Harry started his queue.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and Welcome to the Late Late Show! We have a good one for you tonight, I'm joined with my good ol' friend, the ever so beautiful, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)!" He looked at me with a smile and you poked him in the cheek and laughed a little which made the audience cheered again.

"I know! We look good together but calm down." Harry jokes making the audience laugh a little and calmed a bit after.

"A little more! A little more!" He ushers the audience making you playfully glare at him your hands in your waist.

"What?" He mouths jokingly at me and you shake your head at him, waiting the audience to finish the cheer.

"Calm down people!" You joke and eventually the audience calmed down and you started your queue.

"Today we'll be doing what we usually do, we'll talk about the news!" you air quoted the usually part and laughed a bit.

--

The monologue finished afterwards and you, Harry and James were getting ready for the next one, the talk.

The director made the queue pointing out 3 fingers one by one and James spoke afterwards.

"Welcome back to the Late Late Show, we're joined again with Mr. Harry Styles and the iconic Ms. (Y/N) (Y/L/N)!" you smile at the audience and waved a little.

James started to ask questions about Harry which you made a few comments now and then. After a while, it was your part of the questions.

"So (Y/N), I heard you accepted a new project, a movie to be exact." James tells you holding his cards.

"Yeah, It was last week when I heard of the project and the plot is amazing, I know everybody was going to love it. I can't say anything about it yet but yeah, we started shooting a couple days ago at New York." you gleefuly answered, it was nice being back at the big screen again as you can say so yourself

"Well you heard her folks, she's shooting at New York go and barge her there" James jokes making the audience laugh at him, "And I also heard you invited Mr. Styles over here to the set of the movie aswell,"

The screen showed some pics of me and Harry. Me on getting ready to act one of my first scene and him at the back of the set watching me holding my phone.

"And Mr. Styles here also posted on instagram a picture of you goofing around the set.." The screen shows a screenshot of Harry's post in Instagram of me candidly took when you were goofing around the directors camera.

"Hey! I told you to delete that picture" I cringe at him and he just raises his arms in defense laughing afterwards.

"Well as we're on the subject about you and Styles here." James pauses for a minute because the audience cheered especially the fangirls, "After 3 long years, you were always both seen with each other and even I myself is confused of what is your status together--" the audience cheered again

James was about to speak when one of the fangirls screamed "They're my parents, mate!!" Which you guys bursts into laughter.

Your cheeks blushed a little while Harold smirks after answering, "What's our status you say? I guess the whole world just gonna have to find out for themselves" He jokes and winks after.

"Yeah, we're never gonna tell you and you- yes you watching there, I'm not telling you one bit." you point at the camera which made the audience laugh. You and Harry did a high five after.

James changes the topic and goes on to Harry's Album

"So (Y/N), Styles mentioned on a Radio Show that you were one of the first people to hear Harry's Album with her mother Anne, stepfather Robin, and her sister Gemma-- Which one is your favorite?" He asks you teasingly knowing that he knew and obviously the whole world knows that Harry wrote a song about you and it was Only Angel.

"Oh cut the farts--" you start to defend yourself but Harry stiffles a giggle

"Farts? Really (Y/N)?" He teases you which you roll my eyes at him and he pretended to wince holding his heart dramatically.

"Well what's your favorite then?" James asks me again.

"Fine! Only Angel!" you give up and the audience laughed and cheered.

"So since that song is your favorite you say, I have these queue cards that has the lyrics on it-"

"Oh God." you say as you and Harry both blush and face palm.

"Broke a finger knocking on your bedroom door." He reads the lyrics out loud.

"I honestly don't know-" You reasoned but he cuts you off.

"You cant fool me (Y/N)," The audience laughs, "Harry, do the honors"

"Well, I think it's because we shared a house before my music and her acting career."

He nods, "Sure it's not something else?" He adds teasingly.

You just looked at each other and laughed.

"Couldn't take you home to Mother in a skirt that short but I think that's what I like about it." He reads again making you slap Harold in the arm playfully.

"Well.." Harry explains with a little smirk in the end making you glare at him, "I took her to Cheshire one time and it was summer so.. she kept insisting on wearing a skirt because it was  summer and all and it was hot and yeah I joked at her that I couldn't take her home to my mum with that skirt because trust me, its really short." He tells and widened his eyes and shooked his head several times. Making James and the audience laugh at his reaction and making you blush slightly.

"I'm never gonna wear a skirt again without thinking of those lyrics" You say with a groan making the audience laugh.

"And lastly.. My favorite lyrics of Only Angel" He laughs after, knowing you and Harry knows whats the next lyrics.

"When it turns out she's a devil in between the sheets" He sings this part making you slap Harry again and again.

He just laughs at you and pleads for you to stop, "Why do you have to put that in your song?" you whine hiding the fact that you're blushing intensively.

"Well-- It is true!" He says which made James burst into laughter and also the audience at the innuendo.

"Explain then Harold" He says to him playfully throwing the cards away.

"Okay okay-- so when me and (Y/N) go to clubs, we were always very drunk to drive and go home so it was a routine that we go to one of the nearest hotels and sleep- WE HAVE DIFFERENT ROOMS EVERYONE-" He cuts himself and tells them that to stop the audience from assuming, which made the people laugh and you nod your head agreeing with a giggle, "And at the time (Y/N) was dating someone" he air quotes someone knowing it was the fling you had with Dave Franco (Yes, a little bit old for me) "And I was sobering myself up before going to sleep when I heard squeals and bangs on the other side of the wall and so I assume-"

"HE THOUGHT WRONG OKAY?" You defend yourself making you sip on some coffee that was on the table.

"Yeah and I made a joke about it the day after." He says making you glare at him.

"WE WERE NOT DOING WHAT YOU GUYS THINK WERE DOING. WE'RE JUST FOOLING AROUND-WE'RE DRUNK!" you say again defensively.

"Don't be defensive (Y/N)- youre making yourself obvious" Harry tells you loudly. But again, you roll your eyes at him.

"And obviously for the title, Only Angel it was quite obvious." James lastly tells both of you.

"(Y/F/N), my only one Victoria's Secret Angel" He blurts out with a cheeky smile. Referencing the time that you joined the Victoria's Secret fashion show last year.

You blush again and laugh trying to hide that red of a face of yours.

"Okay and that was Ms. (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Mr. Styles ladies and gentleman-" James continues on his outro for the episode while you and Harry smile at the audience.

[kakashibabe02]

I’ll get some ice- Dave Crist fic

AN: This is my first time writing an OvE fic, and first fic based on a prompt. This is what I think he is like outside the ring, sadly I don’t know =(    

   It was another successful Rockstar pro show and everyone had gathered at my house just like always. Most of the Rockstar crew and wrestlers would hang out together and more often than not would gather at my house although no one really knew why. I assumed it was because everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere compared to the loud hustle and bustle of the local bars. I didn’t mind playing host to everyone. I wasn’t a wrestler myself, I usually volunteered to help set up and take tickets. I loved that they treated me like I was just as important as the Draw himself and made me feel like I was part of the family. Most of us in our group were loud and obnoxious but we knew how to have a good time. It was a warm evening and I had managed to push everyone outside to the fire pit to roast hotdogs and later marshmallows. While I was in the kitchen getting everything together when Dave Crist came back inside. I had what you would call a small crush on the eldest Crist brother, he fascinated me to no end inside and outside of the ring. Among other things he was very attractive, all those tattoos and piercings really worked for him. His character in the ring was nothing like who he was outside of the ring. While he still kept his quick wit and sharp comebacks they weren’t malicious or grating, he was mellow and laid back most of the time. He knew how to have a good time with his fellow OvE members and everyone in Rockstar pro. I knew he considered me a friend, but nothing more than that and I was ok to admire him from afar and keep my feelings to myself.       “Need help with anything?” He offered kindly. I smiled and pointed to a large tray overflowing with hot dogs, chips, condiments and anything else we would need.       “Sure, if you wouldn’t mind carrying that out for me it would be a big help.” He walked over to the tray and chuckled.       “You think you have enough stuff?”       “Hey I don’t want you all in here tearing up my nice clean kitchen. Last time I had you all in here Sami and Jake had a beer fight and it took me forever to get the smell of hops out of my kitchen!” He smiled and held his hands up in defeat. Dave had only picked up the tray an inch off the counter when he dropped it back down and I heard him inhale sharply. “What’s wrong?” The playful tone in my voice dropped instantly.       “It’s nothing” He postured “Just took a fall wrong and hurt my ribs, really I’m fine.” I walked over to his side, ignoring his attempts at shrug off my worry and lifted up his t-shirt. I had never really been this bold with him before, but when I saw the large, ugly bruise I was happy I did.      Anger and worry started to well up in my stomach and I did what I usually did when I was upset, I went quiet. Why would he try and hide this from us? If the roles were reversed and it were me with bruised ribs all of OvE would move heaven and earth to make sure I was ok. It hurt me that Dave would keep this to himself. All I could get out was,       “I’ll get some ice.” and walked away sticking my head in the freezer.       “I’m ok I promise, lets get back to the party.” Dave tried to convince me but I just shot him a fierce glare. Figuring digression was the better part of valor he kept his mouth shut and let me fuss over him. I grabbed a kitchen towel and filled it with ice then walked over to him, lifted up his shirt again and gingerly placed the pack on his bruised ribs. He hissed as the cold pack settled onto the hot bruise. I looked up at him to offer a curt apology but my words got stuck in my throat when I realized how close I was to Dave. Normally I wouldn’t think anything else about it, but it was the way he was looking at me so intensely. His face was dangerously close to mine and I could feel the red blush creep across my cheeks. Trying to recover I quickly while hiding my shaking hands I bent back down and pressed the compress closer to his ribs.       “You’ve got to be more careful Dave, and don’t hide things like this from us. There are a lot of people who care about you; who will help you when you need it. All you have to do is ask!” I was trying my hardest not to show the flurry of emotions that wouldn’t settle in my gut, and I thought I did a pretty good job.       “It’s nice to know you’re one of those people.” He said and put his hand on my shoulder, pulling my gaze back to his. Slowly Dave’s hand moved from my shoulder to my cheek and gently pulled me up to eye level and caressed my flushed cheek.       “I always have been.” I huskily whispered, watching as his handsome face came closer and encompassed my field of vision. “You’ve just never noticed.” The smile he gave me made my heart flutter even more in my chest.        “Oh I’ve noticed. Just wasn’t too sure on where we stood.”        “And where do we stand?” My breathless question came. I was surprised that I could even formulate a response. I had thought about this moment so many times and now that it was happening I was sure my brain would melt out my ear! Dave simply smiled at me swooped for a quick kiss. Just a taste at first, but I wasn’t happy with just a taste. Grabbing the side of his face with one hand I pressed my lips to his, reeling in the feel of the cold metal ring that pierced his bottom lip in contrast to the warmth his body was emitting.  His beard kept tickling my chin and stimulated my upper lip but not an unpleasant way. This could become addicting very quickly.        “Listen are we ever gonna eat or….” Sami came barging in, nearly taking the door off the hinges, but stopped abruptly when he saw his two friends in a lip lock. I went to take a step backwards, but Dave wove his arm around my waist keeping me close to him. “Was wondering when this was gonna happen, took ya long enough!” I grabbed a bag of hotdog buns and made a pitiful attempt to make Sami leave. He dodged the feeble attempt and laughed. “Don’t take too long guys, were out here starving to death.” He turned around and went to shut the door but not before screaming “HEY GUYS DINNERS GONNA BE LATE CAUSE THESE TWO CAN’T STOP MAKING OUT!” His loud gravely voice insured that not only did everyone in Rockstar pro knew what we were doing, but everyone in my neighborhood knew as well. Both Dave and I chuckled at the Draw’s antics. Words weren’t really needed as I gathered the rest of the supplies and walked out with Dave’s hand around my waist; the cat calls and whistles we received were well worth it.

@monstersmaid @earl-01 @ghostofviper @thecristsandcallihancult

[jessieleaf]

Jess’s adventures at Gen Con 2018: Wednesday-Thursday

These next few posts will be my reflections and re-tellings of the events that occurred at Gen Con 2018 this past weekend. If I don’t tag you, but you think you were present and/or your name was mentioned, let me know and I’ll properly tag you. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and catch my stupid adventures under the break.

My journey starts at the San Francisco airport on Wednesday. I was heading to the restroom when I spotted Xander Jeanneret from the Library Bards. I introduced myself to him, showing him my artwork from Shield of Tomorrow. He recognized the work and gave me a hug, which always fills me with joy. There is nothing like the feeling of having fellow creatives get excited about each other’s work. We chatted for a few minutes and took a selfie before I let him get back to work.

I realized I hadn’t gotten a picture with him on my own phone, which is a trend I tend to follow when meeting celebs. He posted it to twitter pretty quickly thought, so disaster averted. Twenty minutes later he approached after retrieving his ticket and seating assignment and spoke briefly before he boarded. I saw Joe M (I can’t spell his name) in line but didn’t approach him. I did text @tales-of-a-tardisgirl​ a picture of him to be evil (she is a big fan of his).

Xander headed off to his part of the line. When I boarded the plane, he ended up sitting right across from me. After some seat swapping, I  was sitting in the window seat next to him. We talked about Geek and Sundry, Shield of Tomorrow, art, Love Simon, music, and a few other topics. I got a selfie with him as well on my own phone, but the formality got a bit lost in translation.

Xander was so kind and seemed excited to talk to a fan. I’d always admired him and was so relieved that he was a very approachable individual. When we landed I said goodbye to Xander and found my friend @lighthousefeminism​ . I ran over and hugged them before we headed downstairs to get our baggage. Lola can attest that I was already bursting with excitement and couldn’t stay still. Lola had to leave so they could catch their Uber, but I stood around for a while longer waiting for my bag to arrive. I saw Joe waiting right at the beginning of the baggage claim and he pulled 7 very overstuffed bags off the belt. It was amusing, but I can understand since he has his own merch booth at Gen Con. My ride showed up and I spent the evening with family before activities commenced the next day,

For Thursday, I did not have much scheduled. I had my tickets for everything and was trying to coordinate when I’d meet my friends ( @gatherthewords​ , Steve, and Lola) at the convention. We ended up waiting a little over an hour in the enormous will call line to get their passes and tickets. After, we wandered the convention floor. I bought metal rainbow dice, three art pieces, a really expensive but cool jacket, a bi-colored d20, and a set of rainbow batarangs. Then we went to check out the Invulnerable Vagrant (critical role’s booth). It was pretty amazing. They had fan art on the outside. I found @phoenixmelody (on twitter)(she cosplays Sun Tree) and her mother in line. We snapped a picture with them before resuming our shopping experience.

I ended up heading over to a panel with Steve about Maze Arcana so that I could give Ruty Rutenburg his artwork for the appreciation book @nicken_chicken on twitter had commissioned me to contribute to. It was super cool and was very nice to chat with him and see his reaction to it. I ended up taking a picture with him and all the art. I’m still waiting on it getting posted somewhere.

The panel was interesting to sit through. I got to introduce myself to Satine and a few other Maze Arcana personalities and show them my artwork. I also got to see B. Dave (of Ask Your Black Geek Friend and Shield of Tomorrow) in person for the first time at that panel. I didn’t talk to him during or directly after the panel but Steve told me that he was super impressed with the artwork that I created (which meant a lot since I know he is an artist as well).  We were walking back to meet with Chris and Lola when he strode by us on his way to another panel. Steve pointed me out to the host/artist/cool guy in general as the creator of the art for Ruty. B. Dave said he loved the works and shook my hand.

Shortly after we met up with Chris and Lola when I realized I lost my bag. Chris recorded the continued adventures of the search party as we headed back to the panel room to retrieve my artwork (Valkyrie prints). You can find those videos here.

Just after this, we headed back to our hotel room to eat and then got ready to go the masquerade ball. I looked pretty spiffy. I also was one glass of wine tipsy.

@its-okay-to-yowz​ and @qunaributts​ showed up towards the end of us getting ready. They quickly dropped their stuff and made themselves spiffy as well. 

We headed out to the ball and arrived an hour to find an insanely long line. The people who had alpha subscriptions had to wait in a much longer line than people with just general admittance, which wasn’t really sitting well with Steve and I. When we finally got inside (there were many beautiful masks), the music was loud, we had to shout to hear one another, and the hired singers who had been at last year’s party were not getting anyone as hyped up as they should have been. It was crowded, the lines to the drinks took an hour, and we couldn’t really have a conversation with anyone. I got this pretty oversaturated picture with Ivan Van Norman though. He was creepy.

We screamed along with Bohemian Rhapsody, took a group photo at the booth, saw a few friends, and saw a few G&S personalities (Amy hugged me, I introduced myself to Bonnie had a stunning and shimmering gold dress on, and Xander gave me another hug).

We ended up seeing Kate and Megan from last year and went with them to the place that they had the Alpha party last year. I was two glasses of wine in + 1 margarita when we arrived. What is memory? I don’t know her. Apparently I took a decent picture of the group.

It was fun though. I enjoyed my time, despite missing all the celebs at the end of the official Alpha party. Good conversations, great friends, and a relatively quiet space. I got home late and set my alarm for 8:30 to attend a panel that I thought was scheduled for 10:00 am the next day. Hoooo boy I am not observant when intoxicated. 

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3

[epickendall]

Total drama: Abduction

Introduction We see Chris Mclean standing on a beach it was night time as torches surround the beach lighting it up Chris Mclean:  Welcome back to the total drama I’m Chris McLean hosting for another season of twists, betrayal, love, alliances, pain and more importantly me. This season we are on a tropical island in the South Pacific full of exotic and wild animals that we set loose on the island, beaches, palm trees, volcanoes, dangerous marine life, and dangerous traps that our crew member place all over the island so welcome to Total Drama: Paradise Island. Intro song (Ska-Punk) Then we see Chris on a wooden, old, and unsafe docks Chris Mclean: Now after the season of Pahkitew Island we got messages, letters, phone calls, and email from people about the jumping out of the plane so we have to do the boring way to introduce our contestant. (he see a boat coming to the dock) and here comes our first contestant. The first person off the boat is Cody with a suitcase and he steps on the dock on Chris greets him Chris Mclean: our first contestant to this island is good old Cody how’s it going, Cody Cody with a confused look: what you doing here Chris I thought Don is hosting this season of Total Drama Chris Mclean: ha that funny joke Cody now go to the beach and wait for the other contestants Cody walk to the beach as another boat come to the dock and coming out of the boat is Sky with a backpack Chris Mclean: are the second contestant is the runner-up of Pahkitew Sky Sky: wait what Chris your on this show that not what the contract I sign it says... Chris interrupts Sky: things change just go to the beach with Cody It went on like that as more contestants come to Island Lighting, Kitty, Alejandro, Cameron, Ella, Lindsay, Dave who walk miles away from Sky, Dwayne Junior, Gwen, Max, Zoey, and last Macarthur who all confused that Chris is on the show Chris walk off screen for a moment and some of the teens talk to each other. Kitty: Dwayne Junior what are you doing aren't a bit young for this Dwayne Junior: Yeah but my dad though this season would be like last season so he signs both of us up and the producer couldn’t let on the show because he’s way older and then let me if I like it or not Kitty: that totally sucks Dwayne Junior: it does Cameron and Cody greet each other Cameron: Hey Cody I’m Cameron Cody: I know I saw you on Total Drama return of the island and all-star niece meet you The two shake hands Cody: so did you expect Chris to be here Cameron: I don’t think any of us expect to be here but himself Lighting intervene in Cody and Cameron conversation Lighting: Who cares all I know is that I’m going win total drama and ain't nobody going to stop me Then there was Max was standing on large rocks under the moonlight Max: This time all my new planes and ideas are going to lead me taking over this show then this island then the world haha *cough* Then Max fall of the rocks still coughing Zoey and Gwen watch Gwen: How did they let that nut on this show Zoey: Maybe he brainwashes the producer to let him back Zoey and Gwen look each other than laugh then a loud whistle break up the conversation among the teens they turn to see Chris with a whistle on a green three wheel Atv he stands on top of it. Chris Mclean: it time to split you guys into times for name I call out you're must walk to the left *ahem* Zoey, Dwayne Junior, Ella, Lighting, Sky, Cody, and Kitty. Those teens walk to the left of the beach Chris Mclean: you guys are team  Ocelot and for the rest of you Lindsay, Alejandro, Gwen, Cameron, Macarthur, Dave, and Max you guys team Anaconda Lindsay: you mean like the Nicki Minaj song Chris Mclean: no anyway you guys first challenge is to find your team animal that has a tracker on them island in the island bring them back to a cage on the beach and put them in there you’ll win the challenge also get a tool for the next challenge Chef Hatchet will come with your supplies They waited for Chef to come and it took awhile Chris looked at his watch “what taking him so long” Chris thought then suddenly a large blue light from the sky surround the teens and Chris. Macarthur: Is this one of those tricks Chris usually do Alejandro: It has to be Then Cameras went statics and sound was off little things to float up to the air like seashells, rocks, bugs, then large things begin to go up like Chris Atv then him and Teens go up in the air screaming as they disappear to the night skies. Chef Hatchet wearing headphones drives on to the beach on a beat up go-kart with nets, tracking devices, blow guns, and tasers the camera and audio are back on Chef gets out of the go-kart and takes off his headphone. Chef: Hello Chris I’m here where are you it better not be one of your tricks He looks around to see no one Chef: Screw this I’m going back to the beach house Chef get back in the go-kart and drive back where he comes from

[thatbluegibson]

CH 3

“That couldn’t possibly have gone worse,” Liz hissed to Travis as he led her down a dark hallway to the back of the stage.

“No, I mean, it looked fine from where I stood,” Travis offered, but couldn’t hold back his laugh.

“Christ,” Liz moaned. “How does one go about killing a Paul McCartney?”

Travis stopped in front of a massive man wearing an equally massive suit and held up his laminate. The man pressed a headset to his ear for a moment and silently nodded for them to pass. A few steps later and they were in a much smaller green room with only a few people standing about.

“About ten minutes,” Travis said checking his watch. Liz felt her nerves jolt with the realization that she was close enough to hear what was happening on stage. The muffled stage banter, the forced laughter of the crowd and the nominee montage playing at a decibel far too high for the theater they were in.

“Lizzy,” a dark voice and a sudden hand on her waist made Liz jump.

“Jesus, Johnny,” she sighed. “How is it that you can still sneak up on me when you dress like a damn wind chime?”

He laughed quietly before eyeing her dress. “You look ravishing,” he purred, leaning in to kiss both her cheeks.

“Always far too charming, Johnny,” Liz laughed uncomfortably, then much quieter, “Thank you for doing this with me.”

His eyes softened at her obvious nervousness. “Remember Lizzy, just read your lines to me. I’m up there with you, okay?”

Liz swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah.”

Travis appeared at her side again. “Ready?”

“No.”

Johnny silently took Liz’s hand and led her into the darkness just off stage. A woman appeared out of nowhere, startling them both and shined a flashlight at their feet.  Johnny held Liz steady as she tip toed over a maze of wires and gaffing tape. When they were clear of the backstage obstacles, the woman handed a red envelope to Johnny and disappeared back into the dark. Johnny and Liz stood together listening to the terrible jokes the comedian host was spitting out.

“Do you remember that night in Saint Thomas?,” Johnny asked quietly, glancing over at Liz.

“Not particularly, on account of the moonshine,” Liz laughed softly and thought back. She had finalized her divorce that morning and after a long day on set, Johnny found her nursing a large bottle of Caribbean moonshine on the edge of a dark dock. “I remember you saving me from a watery demise,” she added a bit bitterly.

“Not sure who saved who,” he whispered, his eyes locked on the Grammy host.

Liz stared at Johnny for a moment and took a breath to reply, but the host had just finished mispronouncing her last name and the spotlight swung around to them. Liz was momentarily blinded, but heard Johnny over the applause.

“Smile, Lizzy.”

He gently guided her across the shiny stage towards tiny podium. As they stopped behind the microphone, Liz could hear the blood in her ears and feel her heart in her throat. Suddenly remembering to breathe, she gulped in a deep breath and turned to face the massive crowd. The lights were hot, her dress suddenly felt too tight and she desperately wished there were something more substantial than a narrow podium to steady herself on. The applause quickly died down allowing Johnny and Liz to work through their lines, peppered with horribly written jokes. As soon as the nominee montage started Liz leaned to Johnny.

“Who writes this shit?” she whispered.

“I’ve heard they have an entire board room filled with drunken SNL rejects,” he whispered back, pulling a shiny award out from a shelf on the podium just out of view of the audience and cameras.

Liz was still laughing when the camera panned back to them. Johnny struggled a little with the red envelope, finally just ripping the side of it off and opening it to reveal the winner. He glanced at the calligraphy and immediately handed it to Liz, surprising her as was slated to announce the winner. Liz read the writing and felt her heart return to her throat.

“Concrete and Go-,” Liz was startled by the eruption of applause and realization that she would most likely make a complete ass of herself in front of Dave for the third or fourth time tonight. “Concrete and Gold, Foo Fighters!” she managed a bright smile and applause as Taylor was the first to the stage. He bounced towards the podium as the rest of the band made their way behind him. Liz held the award out to Taylor expecting him to take it and turn to the microphone, but he wrapped her in a tight bear hug instead. She laughed at his excitement, stopping short when he dipped his mouth to her ear.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Depp, but he’s got nothing on my boy,” he said just loud enough for her to hear.

Liz laughed awkwardly as he released her and took the award from her hands, starting his thank you speech as Pat, Chris, Rami, Nate and finally Dave greeted Johnny and Liz.

“Congratulations!” Liz offered her hand as Dave approached her. He only grinned and pulled her into a quick hug, kissing her cheek as he released her. Hoping her blush wasn’t visible on national television, she turned and joined Johnny a few steps away from the celebrating band.

“Your favorite,” Johnny said quietly, glancing over at her.

“He’s not my favorite,” Liz snapped, completely flustered now.

Johnny stood quietly for a moment. “I meant the band, but now I know what that little embrace was all about,” he snapped back.

Liz discreetly lifted the back of her hand to her face to make sure it wasn’t actually on fire, but remained silent. They watched the band finish their thank you remarks and turn away from the podium as a group. Liz forced a smile, remembering in her presenter packet that she was to wait for the band to escort her off the stage. Johnny held his arm out to lead Liz just as Dave was about to reach them, but Taylor in his excitement leaped onto Dave’s back and held the Grammy above his head, screaming in victory. The commotion distracted Johnny enough for Liz to slip away and approach Nate, who was making a beeline for the curtain. She suppressed a sigh of relief and linked her arm with his, while Nate looked over at her in surprise.

“So which of the Tri-Cities did you grow up in?” Liz asked.

Nate raised an eyebrow at her. “… Richland?” he had a touch of suspicion in his voice.

“I have family in Kennewick. I grew up a bit further west,” Liz explained.

Nate spun around to face her as they reached backstage.

“You’re kidding me!” he laughed.

Liz smiled and shook her head, “I only miss the Palouse sometimes.”

Nate nodded; elated he had met someone that actually knew where Richland, Washington and the Palouse was, when Dave approached them throwing his arm around Nate.

“I hate to break this up, but we have to get our shit together,” he said coolly.

“Sorry,” Liz stepped back to give them room to pass. “Congratulations, again.”

As Dave steered Nate into the dark backstage, Liz could hear Nate speaking, “Dude! She’s from Washington!”

She held her breath so she could hear Dave’s reply, but Johnny appeared beside her.

“RCA party or are you eager to watch them perform?” he asked.

“Neither,” Liz shot back and she headed off in search of Travis.

[4birds-of-a-feather]

Chapter 25 - Here we are now, entertain us [part 6]

Birds Of a Feather

(In the previous chapters: the girls had a fight after Layla's decision to go visit WC Boyfriend, the Mookie guys have opened for Alice In Chains, McCready introduced Sara and Layla to Cornell and Cameron; now the Alice guys are about to go on stage... what’s going to happen?)

At that point the small group split for different reasons: Dave led Sara to the bar, determined to buy her a drink as some kind of reward for destroying that asshole who talked shit about him and his girlfriend, while Elias tagged along with Mike McCready, who was hoping to score another round. Soon after that, Cornell spotted Susan coming out from the backstage and instantly dropped his arm from Layla’s shoulders. “I guess the guys are about to start, see you later! Oh, and it was very nice to meet you, Miss Layla” he gave a quick kiss on the girl’s hand, excused himself and left to meet his girlfriend. “He’s very charming” she said after he left, smiling at Stone, who in response looked in the distance to give the umpteenth nasty look to McCready, that was already sitting at the bar. “He’s also very married” Eddie added sharply, making Stone’s and everyone’s head turn at the same time. “Really?” she asked surprised. “Yeah, didn’t you see the ring?” he pointed out at his own ring finger. “Uhm, not really… I saw he had a few but I didn’t notice the wedding ring” Layla shrugged and took a sip of her beer. “Eddie’s a very good observer, aren’t you? You’re especially good at keeping certain situations under control” Stone said with a smirk. “I didn’t need to notice that, he told me he got married a few months ago, so I already knew” “Don’t make Chris look like an asshole, though! He wasn’t tricking you, Layla, he’s just… he’s flirty, that’s the way he is” Matt chimed in to defend the singer. “Soooo, the conclusion is: sorry Layla, not a snowball’s chance with that guy!” Jeff giggled, patting her on her shoulder. “Heeey, what’s with all this fuss? It’s not like I said I was interested, hehe, I was just acknowledging his charming ways, that’s all. I know he wasn’t flirting on me” she dismissed with another shrug. <Of course he was just being flirty because that's the way it is, he wasn't hitting on me for real... Nobody does. Eddie only did because he was wasted and Elias because he's a fucking weirdo obsessed with boobs. Nobody really gives a fuck about me here...> Layla told herself, while Jeff started clearing his voice. “Cough, cough! Ehm, sour grapes, ehm ehm” he said, eyeing both Layla’s and Eddie’s fed up faces, and the girl ended up smiling and jokingly pushing him away. “Shut up or I will move out from your apartment” she threatened. “Ahahahah! And why the fu-” “I’ll move out alone, leaving my dear friend Sara with you” Layla completed her sentence and laughed at the look of horror on the bassist’s face.

Not just Jeff, but the whole gang went silent when commotion from the crowd was heard and the lights on the audience went out, whereas the stage lit up. The host talked on the mic, mentioning that the proceeds of the concert were going to a benefit fundation and the guys of the band were already on stage. He then made sure everybody’d drive safe in the snow storm that had been hitting Seattle in those days and went on to introduce the band as Columbia recording artists Alice in Chains. “Finally!” Matt exclaimed “How long is it since we left the stage?” he wondered aloud, looking at his watch. “It’s like we’ve been waiting for hours” Layla remarked as she was jumping in place and stretching a little. “I’d say for days” Eddie corrected and cautiously smiled at the girl, as if he wanted to check if she was upset for his previous comments on Cornell or not. “Seriously, it felt like years to me, I’m going upfront!” this said, Jeff ran and disappeared into the crowd, soon followed by Matt. “Well, good luck!” Stone smirked shaking his head, then suddenly realized he was left alone with the couple that wasn’t an actual couple “Errr, I’ll go on in the crowd and take a look anyway, what about you?” “I’ll stay here for now” Layla said as Man In The Box started playing. “I’ll stay here too” Eddie confirmed, Stone gave him a thumbs up and left. The two of them were enjoying the beginning of the show, bobbing their heads to the music without talking, but casually stealing glances at each other from time to time. Layla was intrigued by Ed but still couldn’t understand him. Sometimes he was warm and tender with her, sometimes he was cold as ice, sometimes he got all protective towards her (it even looked like he was jealous), sometimes he blatantly let her know he had no interest in her. <But what if it's all in my head? What if all these mixed signals are just something I made up because I felt lonely and abandoned by David? Maybe he's simply being a friend and I'm just projecting my idea of the perfect boyfriend on him because he's gentle and sweet andhe’s here> Layla thought during Cantrell’s solo. That made sense to her and would also explain why she got so mad at Eddie for getting in the way between David and her during that infamous phone call: she idealized Ed and couldn’t accept he made a mistake.

The first song ended and the crowd cheered. Eddie and Layla finally turned to look at each other at the same time and they both couldn’t help smiling; he got so many things to tell her but, at the same time, he had no idea how to do that. Being at a loud rock concert there really wasn’t a choice and he took it as an excuse to not saying anything. Finally, the singer decided to break the silence during the short break between songs. “Are you mad at me?” he asked while they were still smiling at each other. “What?” Layla turned serious all of a sudden. “I’m sorry for what I said before, I didn’t mean to sound harsh or anything… I mean, it wasn’t a lecture or a warning, I just told you he’s married because… because…” Eddie seemed to struggle finding the words and he knew he had zero time before the band would start playing the next song. “… Because he is” Layla continued his sentence. “Yes, because he is. And I didn’t want you to maybe find out later and be disappointed or something and-” “I’m not mad at you, Eddie.” she shook her head “And I wasn’t disappointed” <And what does it mean? That she didn't delude herself thanks to what I told her? That she wasn't into Chris in the first place so there was nothing to be disappointed about? That she wasn't disappointed by me since I acted as a good friend?> Eddie was considering saying something but the music started once again. “Ooooh, I love this song! Let’s go ahead a little” Layla took his hand and literally dragged him towards the front.

In the meantime, Sara was trying to do the same with Mike, Dave and Elias and drag them away from the bar. She managed to convince the drummer, but McCready insisted he had a perfect view of the stage from there and held on to his drink, while her coworker had no intention to walk away from the hot barista with the pierced tongue. “An alcoholic and a perv, what a nice couple you are!” she shook her head and addressed Krusen “Fuck ‘em, I wanna go front row, ok?” “I’m in!” he cheered and the two made their way through the crowd – quite easily, after all – ending up rather quickly in front of the stage, right when the third song ended. Sara was standing exactly in front of Layne as he was addressing the crowd, when she felt someone tapping fingers on her shoulders. “Hey, could you go back? You’re blocking my view and your beanie is too distracting” Stone basically yelled at her face as she turned around. “How did you get here so fast, Gossrad? Did you use your bass player as a battering ram?” “What else are bass players for anyway? I could have made it even faster if I used your head, though” he retorted and the girl stuck her tongue out at him. Jeff appeared right behind Stone’s back when Love, Hate, Love started and Sara abruptly turned around and huffed as she cursed her rotten luck. She moved towards the left as she took off her hat – it was too hot – and immediately made eye contact with Starr on stage, who immediately winked at her (she didn’t really notice that because of the lights). <Well, it's not Lanegan but I'll just settle for this now> she thought as she enjoyed the show and exchanged looks with Mike from time to time. These interactions didn’t go unnoticed to Jeff, who was kind of shocked when he found himself staring at the girl and his colleague on stage alternatively. “FUCK, THIS IS MY FAVORITE!” some girl suddenly screamed into his ear and he recognized her immediately. He turned around to see Layla and Eddie jumping around as another song started and, looking closer, he noticed they were holding hands. Jeff snorted and tried to focus back on the music. <If she's half a bitch as her friend, poor you! But you can't say I didn't warn you, Ed> In the meantime, Sara spotted her friend with Ed too as she talked into his ear, he nodded and in a second she was sitting on the singer’s shoulders. <I seriously underestimated his strentgh: he's not that weak if he can carry a beanpole like El> she pondered. Layla took a good look around, then raised her hands in the air and not so slowly leaned back until she felt people’s hands underneath her; she finally detatched herself from Eddie, spread her arms out and started crowd surfing. Vedder kept an eye on her during the whole ride with a huge smile on his face and Sara forgot for a minute that he was her worst enemy’s best friend, realized that he and her roommate really looked happy together and thought that, if only El would rip that plane ticket to pieces, burn bridges with David and her old life, let herself go and trust herself and Eddie like she was doing now – throwing the rock’n’roll horn sign as she was being passed on by unknown people in the crowd – her life would have been much easier.

************************************************************************************************ 

Mike slipped quickly in the backstage, freshened up and gulped down half a bottle of water, emptying the rest above his head; after drying his curls as best as he could, he literally ran out of the dressing room and joined the spectators that were still mingling there even if the show had ended. He absentmindedly accepted praises and friendly pats on the shoulder, his head more inclined to scan the audience rather than focusing on all the people approaching him. Suddenly his face split in a broad grin and, after excusing himself, he quickly caught up with the girl that was turning her back on him; the bass player smirked again and got ready for that much awaited meeting. “Guess who I am!” he finally hugged her from behind, making the most of that sudden closeness to leave a kiss on her hair. Needless to say, the girl was taken by surprise: she jumped, let out a scared shriek, blushed to the roots of her hair and finally turned herself to face the person she had to blame for that almost successful heart attack. “Blueberry, huh? I like it, it smells great” he added with a grin, playing with one of her braids and then using its little tuft to softly poke her nose in a teasing yet affectionate way. She flushed for the umpteenth time. “Cazzarola, Mike, I nearly died!” “I’m happy to see you too, Sunshine” Starr grinned, this time leaving a caress upon her red cheek “So, how is my favorite U-Dub student doin’?” “Hmph, f-favorite because I’m the only one you know…” Sara sneered, finally able to regain a bit of her natural complexion “Anyway, not bad… I’d feel better if somebody hadn’t made me believe that Lanegan was the surprise guest, though!” A few steps from them, Layla ignored her best friend’s decision to suddenly raise her voice and kept on chit-chatting with Eddie. Sara shook her head in disbelief – can you believe this bastard?! – but the bass player resumed to talk, shaking her out of her thoughts. “Man, that must have been really disappointing!” “You tell me…” the girl made her best puppy face and Starr smiled at her, a bit in awe. “Well, I think that Layne can clearly stand comparison with Lanegan’s vocal skills… buuuut, if you’re talkin’ about good looks, we could easily say that-” “MIIIIIIIKEEEEEEE!” The two of them turned in the direction from where the voice was coming, and noticed someone waving and approaching them, while keeping on shouting the bass player’s name. “We have visitors, Mike” Sara teased him, while the guy muttered a “Jesus Harold Christ on a fucking rubber crutch…” that clearly revealed his enthusiasm for that sudden interruption. The interruption finally reached them and revealed herself to be a fake blonde in a miniskirt, who, after noticing Sara’s presence, immediately shot a nasty glance at her. Needless to say, the other girl burst into laughter, a gesture that pissed off the new-entry, but that was able to make Mike laugh up his sleeve. “Say, are we going?!” she addressed him while impatiently tapping her foot, but the guy tried to make her understand that he wasn’t available. “Sorry, Terry, Jackie or whatever the fuck your name is, but I’m busy right now… and even after right now” “… Busy? With her? Are you serious???” the fake blonde bored holes into Sara with her gaze, but the other girl didn’t lose her aplomb. “Yeah, basically we were having this discussion about Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems… if you want, you can join us” “… I think I’d better be going, I can’t stand your presence anymore” “Can’t say the feeling isn’t mutual” Sara bowed slightly and the other girl, hugely pissed off, gave her the middle finger and finally stormed out. After a while, Mike turned to face Sara and a broad grin split his face: “You, girl, are seriously one of a kind… Look at that, she literally ran for her life! I swear to God, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for freeing me” “There’s no need to do it, I think the satisfaction of seeing you refusing the company of a vamp is enough… I’m quite amused, I must admit it” she laughed and he did the same. “So, where were we?” “I can’t remember… shall we go back to square one?” “With pleasure” he took a bow, grinning when she noticed his teasing and stuck her tongue out “Say, did you enjoy the show?” “Yeah, you guys did an awesome job! You’re getting better and better, it’s amazing” “Hey, thanks! You know, Iggy Pop’s audience didn’t seem to think the same, so we’re really glad to see that Seattle didn’t abandon us… this was a sold-out, ya know?” Mike admitted, pretty proud of his band. “It’s the least we could do, you guys totally deserve it” the girl smiled at him and he replied with a wink. “But heeeey, there’s Layla too!” the bass player finally acknowledged her roommate’s presence and leaned over her to greet her “I’m glad to see you too, you look great” Layla waved back at him and then quickly resumed to chit-chat with Eddie – apparently she didn’t want to waste any more time. Starr took no offence and instead turned his attention toward someone else, who was intent on sipping his fourth – fifth? – beer of the evening. “Oh, is this your boyfriend?” he asked the girl, pointing out Elias with a sly smile. “HELL NO! It’s just a colleague, Elias” she promptly explained, while the person involved introduced himself to the bass player and then gave her the middle finger. “Glad to hear it… but, even if he had been your sweetheart, I wouldn’t have been jealous at all” Starr grinned again, a smile that became brighter when he noticed Sara’s cheeks turning red for the umpteenth time. “No doubts about it, Mike” she sighed, preferring to fidget her hat in the hands instead of trying to hold his stare. “Oh, this reminds me something” the guy promptly changed topic “Sorry if I didn’t come to see you at the record store but, as I already said, we were pretty busy with the tour” “I see, don’t worry” she shrugged “However, we closed down, ya know?” “What? And how are you still managing to live, if you don’t have a permanent job?” “Legitimate question, since I don’t have an army of chicks disposed to buy me food and pay my bills…” Sara finally let out a relaxed chuckle, laughing even more when Mike flushed with a bit of embarrassment. “You sunk my battleship, I must admit my defeat!” he raised his hands, then took advantage of the girl’s temporary lack of attention to carry her on his shoulders. “OH NO, YOU DIDN’T” “Oooh yes, I did!” he parroted her, keeping her in place even though she was struggling to break free from his grip. “C’mon, Mike, drop me dooooooown!” “But you don’t bother me at all, you’re light as a feather!” “Thanks but I already know it and-hey! Don’t change the subject, you bastard!” the girl resumed to protest, making him laugh, then suddenly noticed someone in the distance “Hey, isn’t that Jerry?” The bass player turned to where she had just pointed at and saw his bandmate leaving with a young lady and her rainbow sweater. “Yeah, and he seems in good company… but the same could be said about me!” he quickly added, finally dropping her down. “Hmmm, ‘good’ is not the adjective I’d use for my presence… Go ask the vamp for a further confirmation” the girl grinned again, a hand still lingering on his naked chest; when she finally realized where it was, she quickly removed it and mumbled a quick apology that delighted Mike. “I don’t care what she thinks…” he shrugged, giving her a meaningful look “Too bad I only see you at gigs, I should have seriously paid you visit at the record store while I could” “Weeeell,” she cleared her throat, then proceeded to add in a casual way a “it just so happens now I’m currently working at Easy Street Records…” “I’ll come to see ya, you can bet on it” he beamed again at her. “Only if you promise me you won’t interfere with my job schedule, mr. Starr” “I’ll try to do my best, even if the temptation of kidnapping you is huge, miss Fancini” “Hey, how do you-” “I’ve got my secret informers” Mike interrupted her with a conspiratorial grin, then turned to his right “Oh, hi guys” Sara followed his gaze and met Stone and Jeff’s own ones – she gave the first one a quick nod and deliberately ignored the bass player, still shaken up after what had happened the night before. “Starr, I need my tuner back” was Ament’s abrupt greeting, while Gossard rested his hand on her shoulder. At first a bit taken aback, Mike quickly recovered and gave him a “Sure, buddy, let’s go get it” that made the other bass player tense. Sara noticed it but didn’t say anything – in the meantime Starr had already diverted his attention toward her. “Well, milady, it seems to me that the time to say goodbye for us has already come… A real shame” “I couldn’t disagree with you, sir” “But fear not: on my word as a gentleman, I can personally guarantee you that soon I’ll stop by Easy Street Records” “Then I’ll be surely glad to have you as a customer” she faked a graceful bow “Until next time, lord Starr” “Until next time, lady Fancini; I’m already counting the days that will keep us apart” and, thus said, he grabbed her hand and placed a quick kiss on the back of it – all that without tearing his gaze away from her. She blushed, diverted her gaze from his chest (that was peeking from his open shirt) to stole a glance at Jeff – who looked exactly like he did when she had done something just for the joy of pissing him off (how on Earth wasn’t he freezing his ass off with just that stupid tank top on??) – flushed again for that last thought and then watched the two of them finally disappear in the crowd. “It’s comforting to see how chivalry is still practiced nowadays… I guess that the fact he’s born in Honolulu plays a great role” Stone winked at her. “Yeah… I guess so” she replied absent-mindedly, still looking at the door behind which the bass players had vanished. “Well, I’m gonna come back in five minutes, so… Wait for me” Gossard added and, thus said, he went in the same direction of Mike and Jeff, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Sara hunched her shoulders and mulled again over what she had just witnessed: the two musicians had already seen each other and she could feel that their encounter hadn’t ended on a positive note. Mike had been able to hide his annoyance, whereas Ament wasn’t even trying to dissimulate his evident edginess: had something happened backstage? Did he witness their whole exchange? Had he been bothered by it? And if so, why on Earth would he give a single fuc-? She stopped abruptly, sudden flashes finally coming back to her: her fingers intertwining around a neck, strong arms carrying her to bed, the pleasant warmth irradiating from a chest against her cheek, calloused hands carefully brushing against her skin… the spicy scent of a particular aftershave that she hadn’t smelled in five years and that she had missed with all her heart. She immediately put a hand over her mouth to not let a frightened scream escape from it. <You swore to yourself this wouldn’t happen again… YOU SWORE IT!> But instead she felt all those five years, one by one, slowly slipping from under her feet and leaving her there, standing petrified – again seventeen, again kicked by the cruel things that had forged her… again defenseless under his gaze. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she gasped for some fresh air; she found herself suddenly outside, the snowflakes already tinging her hair and tickling her nose. The girl hadn’t been able yet to properly calm herself when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed somebody already reaching her. “Did you really think that Kinney and me are cousins?” Elias asked her after a while, still surprised for her previous assumption. “I just wished it wasn’t true, that’s all” she sniffled, making him shrug, and the two of them resumed to watch the snow in silence, together.

************************************************************************************************ “Oh, thank Cthulhu I’ve found ya!” Gossard snapped, finally reaching the girl and already regretting his decision of freezing his ass outside “Where the fuck have you been?! I told ya to wait for me – it took me less than 5 minutes… but no, you couldn’t waste all that time for me, huh? Why is everybody being such an asshole lately?! First Ames and now you too… Well, missy, what’s your pathetic exc-?” The guitarist stopped himself because Elias nudged him – careful not to let Sara notice his gesture – and beckoned to him to pay attention to her miserable expression; Stone immediately noticed her red eyes and mentally cursed his best friend: nobody could convince him that Jeff hadn’t played a role in that. “You know what? Forget it, these last few hours were a bit stressful for me… but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, I’m sorry” he awkwardly patted her on the back, and she shrugged. “… it’s alright” <No, it isn’t, but you’re a fierce little shrimp and you’ll never admit it> he thought, then threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer; she closed her eyes and wished to crawl in her bed as soon as possible.    That calm was suddenly interrupted by the storm, appeared in the form of Ament and Krusen dragging an almost unconscious McCready. “I can’t believe this sack of shit weighs so much!” “As thin as a rake but he fooled us all… never judge a book by its cover, Ament” “Oi, Krusen, just gimme a fuckin’ break here!” “Have I ever told you that I love you, Jeffyyyyy????” Mike suddenly slurred, clinging on to Jeff’s waist and looking exactly like he had the intention of snogging him. “You’re never gonna drink again, Cready! You hear me? Ever!” the bass player screamed, trying to shake his bandmate off, then turned to look at Gossard because he had heard him sneer. Faced with the scene of his historical enemy cuddled up to his best friend, he found himself frowning and more and more perplexed – maybe fed up was the most correct term, but he would never admit it, not even for all the gold in the world. Ignoring Mike’s protest for all those sudden movements, Jeff turned again toward the Moore’s entrance: just a matter of seconds and his flatmate came out walking arm in arm with none other than Four Eyes. <Is this a group outing or a fuckin’ wedding agency gathering?! Look at all these lovebirds – UGH, I THINK I’M GONNA PUKE> “Soooo? You guys are good? Everything’s alright?” Stone sent the new-entries a knowing look, wiggling his eyebrows so blatantly that he thought they would have fallen off his face. “Oh, yeah! We just finished to have a chat with Chris – he introduced me to Susan, she seems really nice and interesting!” Layla immediately explained, a flood of words enthusiastically pouring out of her mouth. Gossard sighed in relief: once again, McCready had been able to avoid a disaster – courtesy of him, obviously – without lifting a single finger. Although lost in a drunken stupor, the other guitarist seemed to understand what had just happened and gave him the thumbs up, along with the stupidest yet brightest grin he could muster up in that moment; Stone shook his head and gave him the middle finger – all of that without letting disappear the playful smirk he had plastered on his lips. “GUESS WHO I AM?” an unknown high-pitched voice broke the peaceful moment outside the venue. Everybody turned to see a tall girl with a head full of red curls that had approached Eddie from behind and was now covering his eyes with her hands. Actually, she wasn’t totally unknown… at least not to everybody. “Oh… well… uhm…” Eddie mumbled, while a second dark haired girl in a jet black biker jacket stormed into the circle of friends, basically pushing Layla away from the singer and taking her place. “If you give the wrong answer, you won’t be coming to our party” giggled the second girl, but Eddie didn’t look so eager to take part to the game. “Is it… Theresa maybe?” he guessed with a grimace. “Hahaha nooo! She is Theresa, I am Sylvia!” the redhead exclaimed, removing her hands from Vedder’s face and resting them on his shoulders as she leaned forward to talk to him. “Sylvia with a Y like Sylvia Plath” Stone explained the name of Jeff’s friend to the others. <Wow, Sylvia with a Y, that's so unique! I've got a Y in my name too but I don't make such a big deal of it...> Layla thought as she observed the two girls who were all over Eddie. “And who’s that? Did we meet her?” Sylvia addressed Jeff first, got no answer and then her friend, who just shrugged “Anyway, it’s with a Y like Sylvia, Kansas. That’s where my mom was born” “Interesting!” Elias nodded as he was shamelessly checking out both girls. “But you didn’t recognize me and I feel very offended right now” the girl pouted, giving Eddie puppy eyes. <Fuck, from the nasty look she's giving to her, I guess Layla wishes she'd meet the same fate as Plath. Too bad Sara is not her usual self, she'd have destroyed these two> Stone noticed as Jeff’s friends kept on talking. “Cut him some slack, Syl! He just met you a couple of hours ago” Ament finally spoke a word and stuck his hands into the pockets of his jacket when it looked like McCready could stand without any help, but immediately grasped him back as he started to dangerously sway left and right. “Now you gotta come to our party to cheer her up” Theresa remarked, almost jumping. “But… wasn’t I supposed to give the correct answer to be invited?” Eddie asked confused. “Ugh, you ask too many questions!” Sylvia blurted out. “… And think too much” her friend added. “Are we invited too?” Elias asked eagerly. “Ehm… well… our apartment is not that big, it’s just for a small group of friends, you know” Theresa dismissed him with little embarassment. “Very small” Sylvia remarked, winking at Eddie. “I don’t take much space. And I can bring the booze” Elias insisted and made everyone laugh, apart from Sara and Mike who seemed like zombies for very different reasons. “We’ve already got plenty of alcohol, thank you. So? Will you come to our place?” the brunette looked at Eddie and Jeff alternatively, impatiently waiting for an answer. “Actually, I’m kind of tired… I don’t really feel like partying right now, I’d much rather lay down in a bed” Eddie nervously scratched his nape as he tried to be gentle in his rejection. “One does not exclude the other” Sylvia clutched his right shoulder and Layla blatantly gasped. “Ok, calm down ladies, we gotta bring Mr. Designated Drinker here home first. I’ll catch up with you later, ok?” Jeff chimed in to save the situation, seeing that his friend was uncomfortable. “Uhm, can’t you just call him a cab?” Sylvia pointed out looking at how Mike was slouching against his friend. “No, we can’t. Good night, girls!” Layla broke into the conversation, grabbed Eddie by his arms and literallly dragged him away, followed by the gang. “Hurry up, Jeff, we won’t be waiting all night long!” Theresa hollered then gave a weird look at Elias, the only one who hadn’t moved. “Aren’t you helping taking your drunk friend home?” Sylvia asked puzzled. “No, I was all for the cab. Do I have to call one for us or you’ve got a car?” he insisted. “Hahaha! Not if you were the last man on earth, baby, sorry!” the girl said, waving him goodbye. “Bye, dreamer!” Theresa did the same and the two friends disappeared, as the guy stuck his tongue at them and quickly tried to catch up with his cousin and the rest of the group, who were heading for the van. “Is there room for all of us?” Elias asked, eyeing the inside of the band van filled with instruments. “Didn’t you just say you take very little space?” Dave asked him, playfully shoving him. “What the fuck are you doing?” Jeff asked as Gossard placed his palm over the bassist’s forehead. “Uhm… it’s cold… you’ve got no fever” Stone concluded with an extremely serious expression on his face, while Eddie was helping Layla get into the van. “The fuck are you talking about?” “You’ve just said no to a private party with two girls, you must be sick for sure” Stone grinned and the wider the guitarist smiled, the angrier Jeff got. “You know what? You’re damn right, there must be something wrong with me if I prefer going back home with a bunch of jerks like you, rather than have some fun! Fuck you, Stone! Take care of our friend of the Dead Liver Society by yourself, I have a party to go to!” Jeff abruptly let go of Mike – who instantly collapsed over Stone – and walked away. “Where the fuck are you going??? There’s a snow storm coming!” Stone called for him and would have flailed his arms too, if only they had been free. He looked at an agonizing Mike on his left and a comatose Sara on his right and rolled his eyes, before the three of them clumsily reached for the van.

************************************************************************************************ As Stone was taking everybody home, Layla felt tired all of a sudden and was almost drifting off to sleep as her head slowly fell and leaned against Eddie’s shoulder. He exhaled as he enjoyed the feel of her against his body and thought about how every time he thought he had figured that girl out, she then ended up doing something completely unexpected and surprising him. He was sure she would say no and laugh it off when he challenged her to crowdsurf, instead she took up on his offer immediately. <I like to feel disoriented> He was almost sorry when the van stopped right in front of their condo and he had to wake her up. “Hey, we’re home” he shook his shoulder as lightly as he could and she opened one of her eyes. Eddie’s words worked as an alarm clock for Sara too, who sprung out of the vehicle and quickly made her way towards the building as her two roommates slowly followed, trying to catch up with her. “Thank youuu, Stoneyyyyy” Layla yawned as she waved goodbye to the guitarist, who was now alone on the van. “Good night, Sleeping Beauties!” Gossard told them, before rolling up the window and leaving.

************************************************************************************************ <God bless The Pink Door…> Jeff thought, saying goodbye to its owner and clutching a bottle of Moscato in his right hand. The pleasant warmth of the venue gave immediately way to the intense cold that was waiting outside, making him instantly shiver. “Damn me and my stroke of genius – naked knees and all that shit” he took the first sip of wine and started walking toward Pike Place, the wind hitting him with lashings of snowflakes. All the clever people in Seattle had chosen to stay inside, so the city was practically desert – the rarefied atmosphere reminded him of The Dead, that Joyce’s short story that he had liked ever since he had studied it at school. In that moment he felt exactly like its main character, his mind bursting with too many thoughts: what kind of future was waiting for him? Had his refusal to compromise been the right choice? From a moral point of view it surely had been, but sometimes he found himself wondering if that was seriously all life could offer him – maybe a more stable job would have given him plenty of opportunities that his current lifestyle precluded him…    He sighed: no matter how many times he had told himself not to think too much, he couldn’t help it – that was just how he was, no point in changing this behavior after twenty-seven years, right?  In the meantime his feet had dragged him down the 1st Avenue; he raised his eyes and found the Seattle Art Museum standing out against the sky, just in front of him. “Long time no see, pal…” he smiled to himself, sipped his wine for the umpteenth time and went to sit on the steps in front of its entrance. Jeff went to reminisce how many times he had actually visited it, and was surprised to realize that he had been walking down its corridors only once, when he had just moved to the Emerald City. “Weeell, gotta add this to the New Year’s resolutions” he concluded, lifting the bottle in a “cheers” gesture and realizing he had already almost emptied it. “Shit, I should have bought another one…” he muttered, then stood up and turned to Pike Street, in order to go on with his wanderings. He walked past the Paramount Theatre and the Northwest School, all places linked to his past – recent and not – and then decided to end his walk in the park near Hendrix’s statue. The bass player climbed over the grating (only to discover that the warden had forgotten to lock the main gate) and then instinctively looked for his skateboard, but apparently he had left it at The Moore. He cursed himself for having already finished the bottle; now he would have needed it more than ever.

In the end, he found out that not buying a second bottle of wine had been a wonderful choice: it had been a while since he had actually enjoyed some free time without the strong urge of drowning himself in alcohol. He had also forgotten how much he liked spending some time alone, just watching the sky or his surroundings… just him, a multitude of snowflakes falling above the lake and the noise of the city in the background. Italian wine? Northwest School? He could almost hear that asshole of Gossard sneering at him, teasing for his peculiar choices that lead to a certain someone… <How the hell did we end like this?> Jeff sighed, but the snow didn’t answer him. Maybe it was better like that, maybe not getting an answer was the best thing for him… maybe he already knew it, and was simply choosing not to pay attention to it. Maybe.

************************************************************************************************ “No point in running, Sara, if you don’t have the keys…” Vedder said in a not so low voice as he and Layla got in the hallway that led to their apartment and spotted Sara leaning against the door with her arms folded over her chest. The girl didn’t say anything, but the look she gave to him made him pick up the pace a little. Once they got inside, Sara murmured a feeble “…‘night” and went straight to her room, shutting the door behind her. <This is disorienting too, but not in a good way> Eddie reflected, dragging Layla to her room. “Oh, finally!” Layla sighed as she plopped down face first onto her bed. “Are you ok? Can I leave or…?” Eddie asked nervously. “I’m fine” the girl’s voice came out muffled through the duvet. “Shouldn’t you at least take your boots off?” “Yeah” she replied and remained still without actually doing anything. Eddie called her once again and, when she didn’t answer, he started taking off her boots. <I hope she doesn't try to kick me like I did when I was drunk> he pondered and was lucky enough not to be hit by Layla’s heels. “Now you can sleep, good night” he said, while the girl started to slowly pull the duvet aside and sneak into bed. “G’night” she mumbled, covering herself up to her nose. He smiled to himself and was about to leave the room when suddenly he remembered a detail. “Layla? Hey, Layla? You can’t sleep with your glasses on, you gotta take them off” Eddie shook her a little getting a low grumbling as a reply “C’mon, you might break them. I know the new pair Sara got you is really cool, but that’s not a good reason to destroy the old ones. And you might get hurt too” the singer kept trying until he saw Layla wriggle under the covers and stretch out her arm to reach out for her nightstand and place her glasses right there. Unfortunately she missed the target and they fell on the floor. <Shit> Eddie lit up the lamp, immediately got them back and made sure they were still intact. “Thank god” he whispered to himself as he put the glasses on the bedside table, but his hands froze and started to tighten around them the moment he noticed a familiar piece of paper. <A plane ticket?> He didn’t need to read it through, the first printed word he saw was the only thing that really mattered: BOSTON.

The thought she was going there once again to see him made him want to puke. He let go of the glasses and turned off the light, making the red numbers on the display of the clock radio stand out in the dark. “… Happy birthday to me” he muttered coldly as he left the room.

[chuchumi]

NYCCstuck 2017 Photoshoot

Hi NYCCstucks! It’s time to reconvene and take some photos together! I’m Chumi / Annie and I’ll be hosting the photoshoot this year!

Time: Saturday, October 10: 4:00 PM (I will only be present on Saturday but someone else is free to organize photoshoots for the other two days.)

Location: Underpass of the Javits Center (This is where it was last year. Hopefully, there will be no need to change it but I’ll keep you all updated in case there is.)

Rules, photoshoot order, and more are below the cut!

Also, please reblog to spread the word! Here’s a link to the Facebook Event and it will also be posted on Instagram via #nyccstuck2017

Details

As said before, I’m Chumi and I’m the one running the photoshoot! I will be in a God Tier Jade outfit with a Squiddle Lunchbox. I’ll be at the photoshoot site 20 minutes early so I will update the #Nyccstuck2017 tag if location needs to be changed.

Here are pictures of the Underpass!

Rules

1. COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT! Do not touch anyone or take anyone’s photo without explicit permission. If you are being harassed or if someone is making you uncomfortable, notify me and I will remove them from the photoshoot. 

2. LISTEN TO ME! It’s going to be loud but I’m the one with the list and I’m the one organizing this, so please listen to me when I call out which character or pairing will go up next. I’m small and I don’t want to scream over everyone, but I will if I have to. 3. Please be courteous! Do not leave behind garbage, cause a mess, be extremely loud, take up too much space, block a path, etc. I will try to keep everyone in check, but please do be aware of your surroundings. If you repeatedly act in a way that is inappropriate, malicious, or dangerous, I will ask you to leave.

4. Be nice to each other! Do not boo at characters or pairings you hate because I will ask you to leave. That’s just rude and we’re here to have a good time and talk about Homestuck!

5. Please seal all your makeup! Not doing so will leave a mess and you will have to clean it up, not to mention that you may damage someone else’s property. Also, if you have a large weapon, refrain from swinging it around. Photoshoot Order

Each shot will last 20 seconds with a 5 second countdown at the end. I ask that you get on and off the stage as quickly as possible. This will ensure that the photoshoot does not drag on for too long and that we can have requests at the end.

We will be beginning at 4 pm stat, and I will not repeat pairings or extend time. If you come late or don’t hear me call your character, tough cookies! 

Group Shots

Everyone

Beta Kids

Alpha Kids

Beta Lowbloods ( Aries ~ Cancer )

Beta Midbloods (Leo ~ Scorpio)

Beta Highbloods (Sagittarius ~ Pisces)

Alpha Lowbloods (Aries ~ Cancer)

Alpha Midbloods (Leo~Scorpio)

Alpha Highbloods (Sagittarius ~ Pisces)

Sprites

All Ancestors

All Guardians

Lusus

Carapace / Exiles

Midnight Crew

Felt

Cherubs

God Tiers

AUs

Dreamself Outfits

Tricksters

Everyone Else (SBaHJ, Problem Sleuth, Hussie, etc.)

Pairings

(Family Shots)

Egberts + Harleys + Crockers + Englishes + All Guardians 

Strilondes + All Guardians

John + Jade

John + Jane

Dave + Rose

Dave + Dirk

Jade + Jake

Rose + Roxy

Dad + John

Dad + Jane

Mom + Rose

Bro + Dave

Grandpa + Jade

Alpha Poppop + Jane

Alpha Bro + Dirk

Alpha Mom + Roxy

Grandma + Jake

Trolls + Lusii

Beta Ancestors + Beta Trolls

Alpha Ancestors + Alpha Trolls

Alpha Trolls and Corresponding Beta Trolls

(Romantic and Friendship Shots)

(Kids only)

John + Rose  

John + Dave

Rose + Jade

Jade + Dave

Jane + Roxy

Jane + Jake

Jane + Dirk

Jake + Dirk

Jake + Roxy

Roxy + John

Roxy + Dirk

Roxy + Callie

Dirk + John

Dirk + Caliborn

(Kids + Trolls)

John + Vriska

John + Karkat

John + Terezi

Rose + Kanaya

Dave + Terezi

Dave + Tavros

Dave + Karkat

Jade + Karkat

Jade + Eridan

Jade + Feferi

Jade + Tavros

(Trolls only)

Aradia + Tavros

Aradia + Sollux

Aradia + Feferi

Tavros + Vriska

Tavros + Gamzee

Sollux + Karkat

Sollux + Eridan

Sollux + Feferi

Karkat + Nepeta

Karkat + Kanaya

Karkat + Terezi

Karkat + Meenah

Karkat + Gamzee

Nepeta + Equius

Kanaya + Vriska

Kanaya + Eridan

Terezi + Vriska

Terezi + Gamzee

Vriska + Eridan

Vriska + Meenah

Eridan + Feferi

Damara + Rufioh

Rufioh + Horuss

Mituna + Latula

Kankri + Latula

Kankri + Porrim

Meulin + Kurloz

Aranea + Meenah

(Guardians / Ancestors)

Dad + Mom

Summoner + Mindfang

Psiionic + Condesce

Signless + Condesce

Signless + Disciple

Signless + Psiionic

Signless + Dolorosa

Dolorosa + Mindfang

Mindfang + Redglare

Mindfang + Dualscar

Condesce + Handmaid

(Carapaces)

Slick + Snowman

Slick + Ms Paint

(Threesies)

Dave + Jade + Karkat

Jane + Callie + Roxy

Requests (Max is 5. Send me a message!)

(Open)

(Open)

(Open)

(Open)

(Open

[amystylezz]

A lot to learn

Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago are good friends since they met the 1st September on the Hogwarts Express on their first year at Hogwarts. In spite of their friendship, they have always been rivals, and on their sixth year at Hogwarts everything begins to change for them, and for the squad, with a simple, and probably stupid bet.

Read also on AO3

chapter one

Chapter II: The Announcement

The Great Hall is completely full when the new students arrive for the sorting ceremony. The room’s ceiling looks gorgeous, representing, thanks to a spell, the starry night that shines in the sky out of the castle. Jake would never say it out loud, but it always takes his breath away. He’s still staring at the ceiling when professor Wuntch starts reading the list of new students.

Jake only puts his sight back to earth when his friend Stevie Schillings pats his shoulder, getting his attention.

“Yeah?”

“Dude, Jason told me that Sheila told him that Shaniqua told her that Carter told her that Dave Majors wants to speak to you. Dave Majors, dude!”

Jake almost dies on the inside.

“Dave Majors as Gryffindor’s coolest seventh year? Hell! Hogwart���s coolest person!?”

“Yes!!” Almost screams Stevie. “Turns out Ronald didn’t pick him as the new captain of the team, he picked you!”

“Oh yeah, I know. He sent me a letter this summer. He didn’t want me to tell anyone, though. He said he had to talk to some people before.” Jake can’t stop smiling. “Now I know why!”

“You really hadn’t realized before it wasn’t because of Majors? Man, he’s the seeker, everyone thought he was gonna be the new captain.”

“Well, if he wants to talk to me, we’ll talk and I’ll try to play it cool so he doesn’t realize he’s my hero.” Jake’s in cloud nine.

“Yeah, because you are super good at hiding your feelings.”

“I know, right?” Jake smiles. “Oh, that was sarcasm. I see.”

The Sorting Hat finishes his job before they know it and it’s time for headmaster Holt to speak.

“I know all of you are dying to eat, but first I have a few things to say. First I welcome all the new students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy and I salute old students his happiness.” His face expression doesn’t change at all. “As you know quidditch season has always started in November but this year, due to certain… academic reasons, it will start the first week of October.” The Great Hall is now full of excitement and eagerness. “Quiet, quiet please. I think these academic reasons will appear interesting for last year students. This course, for the first time in Hogwarts history, we will host an exchange programme with Beauxbatons Academy of Magic during second and third term. All of those seventh years who want to study for almost six months in France will be able to do so. This also means we will have about thirty Beauxbatons students, I ask you to be polite and welcoming towards them. That will be all. Enjoy the feast!”

The tables are suddenly filled with appetizing food and while eating everyone talks about Beaxbatons.

“I’ve heard that every single one of them is hot. Like, they don’t accept ugly people.”

“That’s stupid Daniels, it’s just that everyone in France is good looking.” Stevie says.

“I highly doubt that, Schilling.”

“Well, there’s also Spanish and Italian people in Beauxbatons, and Portuguese.”

“How do you know that, Peralta? Nerd much?” Kearns asks.

“Oh, um… Amy told me. She’s read every single book about magic schools.”

“Amy Santiago? As one of Ravenclaw’s chasers?”

“Yes, why?”

“You two are a thing, right?”

“What??”

Stevie roars with laughter.

Kearns seems very surprised. “I’ve always seen you together, so I assumed…”

“Well no.” Jake can’t help but laugh. “It’s Amy I mean… we’re friends since first year, I don’t see her that way.”

“She’s a hottie, so your lost.” Kearns goes back to his conversation with Daniels about Beauxbatons students.

Jake frowns, confused.

“Is Amy hot?” He asks Stevie.

“Well, yeah. Santiago’s better looking each year.”

“Woah.” Looks for her in Ravenclaw’s table. “Yeah, I guess she’s pretty.” He says watching her talking to Kylie, moving her eyebrows a lot, as she usually does.

“I’ve always thought you had sort of a crush on her.”

“Stevie! That’s insane, it’s Amy who we are talking about, she’s like my best friend.”

“Ouch, I feel kind of hurt for that, but I forgive you because I know you love your weird squad.”

“Ha ha.”

“But seriously, you’re always speaking of Santiago.”

“But it is not like that, man.”

“Sure, buddy.”

They continue eating. Jake stares at Amy. She might be attractive, he guesses. She has nice olive skin, her eyes are deep and shiny, and her hair is dark as jet and it always smells good. Plus she’s cute when she talks because her face is really expressive. She’s the smartest person he knows and that’s a great quality. But, whatever, she’s not pretty.

 Once dinner is over Amy and Kylie, and every student of the school, are going to their rooms. The way to Ravenclaw’s tower involves many moving stairs, just as Gryffindor’s does. The two girls are talking to each other, excited about having foreign students within them.

“It’s going to be enriching experience.” Amy says. “We are going to learn some much from them. It’s a pity that they are not from our year.”

“Well, who knows? If it goes well, they may repeat next year, and we’ll have cute French boys in Potions with us.”

“You are not using Amortentia on them, Ky.”

“I wasn’t planning on drugging anyone, Amortentia is messed up. I said Potions but I meant any subject. Girl, I’m not that desperate.”

“But you are boycrazy.”

“I love men and men love me, it’s a mutual relantio… Holy shit, Ames!” Kylie is suddenly gasping. “Do NOT turn around but Dave Majors is totally staring at us, and by us I mean you because I winked at him and he ignored me.”

“Dave Majors? Gryffindor’s seeker?”

“Yeah, girl. And like the hottest man on Hogwarts?”

Kylie loses sight of Majors when the stairs Gryffindor’s are on change directions.

“I guess he’s cute.”

They walk through one more corridor before they reach the spiral staircase that leads to Ravenclaw’s common room.

“Oh my god Amy Santiago, I swear on hero Harry Potter, no, I swear on MERLIN, if he asks you out I will listen to you for a week when you talk about quidditch.”

“Well thank you for ignoring me, but he’s not going to ask me out, that’s insane.”

Everything is blue when they enter the room. The fireplace is burning and the room smells of old books and ink.

Amy smiles to herself, she feels at home. Yes, she also loves her actual home and her family, but damn, Hogwarts is amazing, and she has another family here. Still, three of her brothers are in the school with her, although none of them in Ravenclaw, two in Hufflepuff and one in Slytherin. There have been Santiagos in every single house.

 It’s during lunch when Gina hits Rosa’s arm slightly so she pays attention to her instead of her food. Rosa puts down her cutlery and looks at her.

“Tell me, honey.”

Gina smiles at the petname. Them flirting is something that started in forth year and hasn’t come to a conclusion yet. Even though Gina craves for any sort of conclusion with Rosa.

“Look, Gryffindor table, the hot guy next to Jake, Dave Majors.”

“I know.” Gina looks surprises, her friend is not exactly into Hogwart’s gossip. “He plays quiddith.”

“He’s Jake’s hero. And Jake’s not fangirling. Something’s up.”

Rosa raises an eyebrow. “And you care, because…? You usually ignore Jake’s life.”

“Girl, if Dave I-am-super-hot Majors is involved, I wanna know what’s going on.”

The other girl frowns and continues eating. Dave I-am-super-hot Majors can go fuck himself for all Rosa cares.

 At said Gryffindor’s table Jake Peralta is flipping out for different reasons: 1-Dave Majors approached him and told him, very serious, he wanted to ask him something; 2-Dave Majors is talking to him; 3-Dave Majors knows he exists; 4-Dave Majors is asking her about Amy ?????

“So you aren’t dating Santiago, then? Great, man, I’ll ask her out.”

“Nope… I though you wanted to talk to me about being captain of the team…”

“Naaah, I told Ronald I didn’t want that responsibility.”

Jake feels slightly hurt after that, he wasn’t the first choice after all, not that he is surprised about it.

“But, cheer up, buddy! You’ll make a great captain, and I’ll make a great Santiago.” He laughs at his own joke. “I am kidding, I don’t wanna marry her, just get to know her.”

 The classes are over and Amy is walking through the gardens with a book in her arms, with the intention of reading next to a tree, the weather still is kind enough to do so without freezing. Said book is about quidditch strategies because Amy Santiago isn’t one to bet, but if she bets, she bets to win.

She suddenly hears her name behind her and turns around. Dave Majors, also known as the hot guy Kylie wouldn’t stop talking about since he, supposedly, stared at Amy for about three seconds; or, as she knew him before, Gryffindor’s seeker.

“Hey, Amy Santiago.” He says, once he reaches her.

“That’s me.”

Amy doesn’t really know what to do. She is praying inside that this doesn’t end up with him asking her out.

“Dave Majors, we’ve seen each other in the field.”

She shakes his hand.

“More like on the air, but yes.” She immediately cringes inside at her own sad joke, but he chuckles slightly.

“Yes, on the air. About that… I thought that we could train together one of these days.”

Amy sights in relief, he is not asking her out.

“Well um…” she frowns “I don’t really see the point in that. I mean, our quiddith positions are not at all related during the game. It would make no sense for us to train together.”

“Woah, you’re saying it like it would be a waste of time.”

“That’s not what I meant, sorry.” She says apologetically. “But, still, I don’t see the point in that.”

Majors sights and laughs, offering Amy a crazily attractive smile.

“Actually I was trying to, smoothly, ask you out.”

Shitshitshitshitshitshit.

At least I’ll get Kylie to listen to me for a week. Amy thinks to herself.

“Oh, woah… I feel flattered, Dave,” she thinks that calling him by his name will make things easier “but…”

Amy doesn’t know how to reject boys. They never ask her out. Especially hot boys like Dave.

“You like someone else.”

“No, I don’t.” She frowns.

“You just… don’t like me.”

She doesn’t know what to say.

“I… don’t get me wrong, you are a good looking guy, and you seem nice but… I don’t want to go out with someone I don’t know.”

“So you’d go out with a boy you’re friends with?”

Amy nods slowly, she doesn’t know where Dave’s going. “I guess.”

“Peralta, perhaps?”

She opens her eyes and raises her eyebrows, surprised.

“Oh my… Jake? No, believe me, Jake and I are good friends but nothing more, besides, we would never work.” For Dave, she sounds much more honest than Peralta.

They say their goodbyes and Amy continues her way to the tree.

She can’t help but think about what Majors told her. Jake and her. She chuckles to herself. She can’t wait to see him so she can tell him.