#the place was also pretty packed and there were kids everywhere because there was also a child expo happening

[papermonkeyism]

Went to a pet expo today in the hopes of getting some new substrate for the Bug Box in the future (the local store recently closed down, so I've been looking for alternatives) and possibly seeing other cool little critters and.

It's been probably close to a decade since the last time I visited one, but there was surprisingly very little. Like, anything.

Like, not a single booth or stall selling terrarium supplies. None!

The only terrarium related stuff I saw were one (1) small table of a corn snake breeder selling their newest clutch of baby snakes, one (1) small table with few crested geckos for sale and a tank with few frogs in it. And a school advertising their animal related education that had some cockroaches and stickbugs on display. No supplies.

There was a small cat show, and some dogs, some parrots and actually a pretty good sampling of rodents but I'm pretty sure the hobby horse toy ring was bigger than the entire herp section. There was way more artist alley type stalls than there were anything related to terrariums. :(

Luckily there was also a food convention happening in the same building in the upper floor, so I wasn't left empty handed (fed myself with all the free samples I could get my hands on, as is right), but man.

I'm kinda disappointed. I remember it being a lot bigger the last time I went, all those years ago. I remember more reptiles, and ferrets, and dwarf hedgehogs, and alpackas and goats and just generally more everything.

Though I did get to scritch couple very friendly kitties and a gerbil, so still a nice experience (also seeing all the little critters in person, like the rats and the dwarf hamsters and the baby snakes and all the cats)!

[doudouneverte]

a/n: I totally agree with you

Other plans

*not my GIF*

Pairing: Sarah Zadrazil x NY/NJ Gohtam!reader; FC Bayern frauen x reader

Summary: A date with your wife while her team take care of your daughter....well that was your plan

Type: Fluff

Warning: none

word count: 1849

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

Loud noises, and people everywhere, some walking faster than others, some who looked stressed or late. It was in this state that you left the plane. It was one of these days when you would come back to Europe after a big season in the US.

It was a hard choice to make at first. I mean, yeah, it is always hard to leave your family and your friends behind, but this time it was for football, so they understood. Well, almost everyone, because at first it was strange for your daughter to leave Germany. For her defence, a kid doesn’t really think about things like that.

“Look, it’s mama!” You’re surprisingly very energetic, yelled after she saw your wife. You look at where she was pointing to see a smiling and very beautiful Sarah waiting for you two. The middle fielder quickly closed the gap between you and hugged the little girl tightly.

“Hallo, meine mausebâr. Were you good for your mom in America?” The Bayern player asked.

“If we ignore that she was very spoilt by all the girls, then yes.” You replied while you gathered all your bags.

“I also missed you.” Your wife said before giving you a light kiss, making your daughter grimace. “Here, Maya, let’s show mama how strong you became and help us to carry the luggage in the car, okay?” 

The four-year-old girl nodded vividly and started to grab her backpack. You and Sarah took the rest of the luggage and followed your little girl to the car.

“I'm pretty surprised that she has so much energy right now.” The middle fielder remarked.

“Actually, she had a nap on the plane because she wanted to ‘not be tired and the first one to hug mama’.” You quoted with a smile. “Totally a mama’s girl.”

“Yeah, but we both know that you love our ‘mama’s girl’.” She mocked you with air quotes. “Now let’s go back home; I think you really need to rest too.” She caressed your cheek and admired your tired face.

It’s not really a surprise for her; you always had been the stressed one in the couple, so she could guess that you overthought the last night or packed and unpacked to be sure that you didn’t miss anything.

Being back in Germany, and especially in Munich, was a little strange feeling for you. Maybe because you’re Austrian, so you’re technically not ‘back home’, but the other thing was that the last time you played in the Bundesliga was when Sarah still played with you for Potsdam. Of course, southern city was a very great place for Maya to grow up, but you couldn’t help but miss the house you shared there.

“Finally back home.” Sarah announced before turning off the engine.

“Mama, can we see Sydney and Klara?” Maya asked very excited.

“It’s a little late today, but I promise that they will come to see you tomorrow after training. Now, what do you think to help me and your mom to unpack everything, and then I will give you your bath? What do you think about that?”

“Really?” The little girl asked.

“Yeah.”

“Yay, and I will show the new toys Esther brought me!”

“I really want to see them, but right now, help me to wake up your mom so she can help us, right? We can’t do everything on our own.”

After a few hours of unpacking things and a mama-daughter time, it was time to eat before sleeping.

“--and then, mommy took the ball, and she ran very, very fast to before she passed the ball to auntie Esther... Oh, auntie Esther played for Spain, and she’s really good, but I still prefer Klara and Syd–”

“Maya, please, babygirl, can you finish your dinner before?” you asked.

“But I was about to tell mama when you scored.” Your daughter pouted.

“You still can tell me before your bed story.” Your wife reassured her.

And it was with this promise on her mind that Maya finished eating and immediately waited for her mama. Being totally exhausted because of the precious hours, Sarah easily convinced you to let her deal with the four-year-old girl. When she came back to your shared bedroom, she found you still awake and waiting for her.

“She has a lot of energy recently.” She commented, making you laugh when you remembered how the team struggled to keep up with Maya’s energy.

“You should’ve seen her with Kelley. I swear this woman never grew up.”

“Well, she’s about to spend all her time with the girls.” Your wife reminded you before laying next to you. You both looked at each other, not exchanging a word, just smiling and appreciating the time together. "Congratulation, by the way. My wife is a NWSL champion.” She gave you a light kiss, which made you smile even more widely.

"Look, who’s talking? You won the Bundesliga last season. And I watched your game; you’re ready to do the same this season too.” You countered.

“I know, but it’s different when it’s come from you.”

“What do you mean by that?” You asked with a falsely offended look.

“I mean that we need to celebrate that properly, and that’s why I think I will take you on a date tomorrow.” She explained.

“Oh, really? Then I’m pretty glad to win this thing then.” You grinned and caught her lips between yours before you decided to finally call it a night. 

~~~~

The next day everything was planned to let you spend a lovely day with Sarah while some Bayern players would take your daughter to a ‘tanten and Maya day’.

“You have everything you need in her bag. I packed some snacks if she got hungry, and she had a bottle of water. If–.”

“Hey, Y/n, it’s okay. We know how to take care of our little girl here.” Jovana cut you off.

“Actually, she’s still legally our little girl, but I’m really glad that you accept to spend the day with her today.” Sarah said coming out of Maya’s bedroom.

“Okay, now where is she?” The striker asked. Just after that, you all heard some footsteps coming in your direction.

“Mommy, look, Syd bought me this.” Maya showed you a Bayern kit that, of course, the younger player brought.

“It’s suit you very well, little mause.” Linda said, making you roll your eyes. “What, isn’t she cute?” She asked you directly this time.

“Okay, now girl, we need to leave before there’s too many people.” Lea announced, and everyone followed outside.

“Lea, you’re in charge!” You told her, and she nodded. "Why do I feel a little stressed?” You asked your wife when everyone left.

“It’s okay; nothing will happen to her. She’s with her favourite aunties; nothing can happen, don’t worry. Now let’s get to change for our date.”

~~~~

Everything was perfect. It was maybe one of the best dates you ever had together. And even if there were still a little doubt about how the Bayern players took care of Maya, you forced yourself to trust them.

You were walking hand in hand with Sarah, talking about how much you missed her, and she was talking about how everything was going so far. And it was when you really started to relax that the middle fielder received a call.

“Uh, hello, Linda. Everything is alright?” When you heard that, you instantly froze.

“Yeah, of course. All is good. I just need to ask you a question. Maya still has all her baby teeth, right?” Sarah’s eyes instantly opened more wide.

“Linda, what happened?” She asked very stressed. Not knowing what her teammate was talking about, you started to get anxious. You started to gain her attention, but she was too focused on the call. “Where are you?... Okay, we’re coming right now.”

“What’s happening?” You asked when she hung up.

“Maya fell, and it seems that she lost a tooth, and she’s crying a lot.” Your wife explained before dragging you to the car.

~~~~

The ride to join the girls seemed endless. You couldn’t stop your heart from beating more than usual, your palms were sweaty because of stress, and you couldn’t look away from the road even in the passenger seat.

Once Sarah stopped the car, you immediately unbuckled your belt and rushed out of the car. You called for the girls, but no one replied. A few seconds later, Sarah was by your side, and she told you that Linda texted her precisely where they were. You followed her, a little anxious, even if your hands were attached together.

You walked a few more steps until you heard voices. You tried to decipher what they were saying, but the middlefielder dragged you with her when she started to accelerate. Then you both found Maya sitting on a bench with her favourite plush that you packed earlier. You started to run to her, but you stopped when you suddenly saw the girls coming out of nowhere.

“Surprise!!” They yelled together, making you look at them with a confused expression.

“What the hell?” Was the only thing that came out of your brain.

“We planned this before you came back.” Your wife explained after she joined you.

“Honestly, we didn’t know what to do to bring you there, so we used the help of Maya.” Lea said this time.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you almost gave me a heart attack for a…for a party?” You asked.

“Well, it’s not any party. It’s your party. Sarah thought it would be a good idea to organise that because we couldn’t be there to see your final against OL Reign.” Caro said.

“Yay, it’s mom’s party. Mama, can we eat cake now?” Maya asked, making you laugh.

“Of course, babygirl.” You said very amused.

Honestly, it was not really what you were thinking about two days ago. But you also didn’t think you could win the NWSL this season a few months ago.

And that’s how what should have been a date with your wife transformed into a party thrown to make up for something she didn’t have to.

“So, did you like your surprise?” Sarah asked once you were back at home.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the best surprise someone ever made me.” You replied.

“Well, you already gave me the best surprise I could ever dream off four years ago, and now I just try to match that, but it’s not easy.” You caressed her cheeks and admired her face with an enamoured expression.

“You don’t have to match anything; you already did so much all these years together, and I absolutely love you for that.” You said and pecked her lips gently, which helped a smile appear on her face.

The brunette was about to reply before Maya came into the living room. “Mom, can you read me a story tonight?” The four-year-old asked.

You looked at her and at Sarah before replying, “Okay, but what about, mama’s coming too?” The younger brunette nodded excitedly and ran to her bedroom, followed by you too.

[byllsbytch]

Carnival Date

Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You and Nicholas are off to the state fair today, you spend your morning getting ready and then eventually drive to the carnival

A/N: I’ll make a pt 2 of them going on the rides n shi

Warnings: Bowel issues?

Me and Nicholas were off to the state fair today.

We woke up super early and got ready, while I packed our bag, Nicholas made us breakfast to start the day. In the bag I put my purse, keys, snacks and water bottles, making sure to also grab my camera. While waiting for breakfast I grabbed the camping chairs from the garage and put them in the trunk of the car.

I sat outside at the small coffee table as Nicholas brought out eggs on toast and fruit on the side.

“Mmh!” I moaned “You’re too good to me.”

I waited for Nick to sit down before I cut into the toast the egg yolk running.

“Impressive Mr Chavez, very good job handsome.”

He grinned at the praise, before swallowing hard.

“Um, how did you sleep last night babe?” He questioned.

“Yeah pretty good actually, at one point I dreamt that I was back at my daycare job and there was this one kid that kept running a muck.” I furrowed my eyebrows, “It was actually kind of a nightmare.”

He chuckled, “Well at least you woke up refreshed?”

I just smiled shaking my head.

“How about yourself? Are you ready for the drive?”

“I slept really good actually, best sleep I’ve had this week… it was so comfy and slept like a baby.”

“That’s because I was in your bed last night.” I joked.

He smiled rubbing his forehead.

“I think you’re right actually.” He slightly frowned, “But no dreams though, I guess it’s kind of a blessing, I could’ve been dreaming about naughty kids at daycare.”

We both exchanged a giggle as I drew some strawberries toward my mouth. The fruit was refreshing, the sun was shining and I was in good company.

We spoke for a while before I cleared our plates, washed them, dried them and put them back.

“I’ll get the car started!” I called to the bathroom door where nick was.

I grabbed our stuff and piled it into the car then going to the driver seat and waiting 5 minutes for Nicholas to finally get out the door.

He jumped into the car placing on his glasses.

“You ready princess?” I asked.

“Hell yeah princess!” He replied smacking the dashboard.

I pulled out of the driveway and we were finally off.

“Having bowel issues honey?” I asked.

He looked at me with a smile in disbelief.

“No! I was just -“ He paused for a second. “Having bowel issues” he finished in defeat.

“I couldn’t help it, that egg just went right through me.”

I gasped throwing my hand to my mouth with a giggle.

“Well you’re all sorted now. Would it be bad if I stopped at Starbucks and got us a coffee?”

“Oof, yeah maybe not for me, I can’t trust myself… but go knock yourself out.”

-

After 30 minutes we were still driving but getting close to the fair, the music was pumping and I checked on Nick who was looking out the window. Although we weren’t talking we were completely comfortable in each others presence, we didn’t even need to talk but would still feel content together.

“What show bags are you thinking of getting?” I asked.

“Probably be safe and stick to the Kit Kat one, but I also seen one for cologne.”

I nodded in agreement. “I’d seen one for Ariana Grande.”

He rose an eyebrow, “Ariana Grande?”

“Yeah, I know I’m not her biggest fan but the makeup and perfume in it looks really promising.”

“Tell you what I AM excited for..”

“Tell me Nicholas.”

“A good old CORN DAWWG.”

I couldn’t help but lose it at the way he said corn dog and he stared at me with a pleased grin.

We finally got to the fair and I pulled into the parking lot. It was sectioned off and had cones everywhere, with workers wearing vests to help guide people to their bays.

I pulled up to a young man who had a radio and name badge “JAKE”.

“Hey-ya Guys! What was your number?”

I grabbed my phone and looked for my tickets showing him the screenshot.

“B-12, alrighty just down that way on the left.”

“Awesome thank you.” I smiled taking my foot off the brake.

“Thanks.” Echoed Nicholas.

“No worries darling” I heard the worker call.

Nick spun his head back at the worker.

“Jesus babe, don’t lose your neck.”

“Did he just call you darling?” Nicholas scoffed.

“Am I not?” I teased, “I think he was talking to you darling.”

He shook his head, “He probably says that to everyone.”

I laughed to myself at Nicks tension, still holding onto the fact that another man called me a nickname.

I hopped out the car and went to the back of the car.

“I think I’ll just leave the bag in the car for now, I’ll grab it later when the fireworks start.”

He snaked an arm around my waist, kissing me on the cheek.

“That’s a good idea honey.”

I grabbed out my purse from the bag and put the bag back.

We walked towards the fair hand in hand.

“What do you want to do first?” He asked.

“The basketball toss looks like it has the shortest line.”

He nodded in agreement, “Yeah, we’ll do games first then rides?”

“Sounds like a plan babe.”

We walked closer to the game.

“I bet I’m going to absolutely smoke you.”

“Sure you would Nick, I think you forgot me and Lebron James got almost identical stats, just look at my build.”

Nicholas, who towered over me, look me up and down.

“Hmmm” he hummed.

Ok writing part 2 now, I’ll probably post it either tonight or tomoz because I’m working late tonight. But thank u guys for ur support and hope you enjoyed.

[mitchellpete]

Firsts

summary: You’re bad at playing hard to get, and you don’t want to let the opportunity slip. Maverick gives you your first motorcycle ride.

pairing: pete “maverick” mitchell x gn!reader

tags/warnings: maverick being flirty, shy!reader but also not really?, some drinking mentioned, overall fluff

word count: 1.4k

A/N: i feel terrible that i keep making excuses not to post so i'll let you guys have this one. i don't know who's still on top gun tumblr but i hope you guys are still around. and that you guys like this! it was supposed to be a drabble but..?? ANDDD one more thing: my request page has updated also!

-

“Wait, you’ve never been on a bike before?”

“I’ve been on a bike. I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”

Maverick scoffs and then cocks a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips in his frail attempt at reading you, or at least pretending he knew you.

Except he doesn’t, because out of the many outings at the bar, tonight had been the first time he’d spotted you. You were ashamed to admit that it was kind of flattering having him follow you around for a good half an hour, even after you locked eyes with mustache Hawaiian shirt blonde guy across the room. Ah, it was all a game. But God, was Maverick pretty. And charming. You couldn’t decide whether you were bad at playing hard to get or if you simply didn’t mind being the game.

(It was definitely the former.)

Panic filled you later that night when you watched him slip his jacket on on the opposite side of the room. He was still distractedly rambling with his friend, however, and you took the opportunity to push past at least 5 people and make it out of the door before he did. 

What to say or do the moment he stepped out? Your head was empty. But hey, he’d see you out there, make another flirtatious comment, make you blush and then it’d go on from there, right? God, please. 

This had to have been like the fourth time you’d seen him. He was most certainly the prettiest out of all the aviators that confidently waltzed into the bar every time you and your friend met for drinks. 

Miramar. A lovely place, truly. 

Beautiful, too. The sunset is beginning to form, and you step towards the wooden fence separating the sand from the small parking lot in front of the building. A packed bar, only a few vehicles. You wonder if any of them belong to Maverick. You pray that he walks this way at all.

The beach in front of you is littered with people, families, couples. There is chatter everywhere, drowning out the sound of the bell on the door behind you, or the sound of his voice if he happens to be walking out, talking to his friend.

That’s why when you eventually zone out maybe a good ten minutes later, you don’t notice that he’s already walked past you, striding towards the vehicle closest to you. The motorcycle. Red, black, adorned with decals that match the patches on his pretty jacket. You wish you’d noticed. 

He’d certainly noticed you, watching you avoid his gaze as he swung a leg over and took a seat. “Going for a swim?”

FUCK.

Tongue in your cheek, you meet his eyes. “No. I.. needed some air. Where’s your friend?”

“Where’s yours?” A cheeky smile spread on his face as he reached for the handles. 

Oh, he’s sooooooo—

“Inside. I’m uh, actually waiting for another friend right now. She’s picking me up soon, I think.” Lies, lies, lies.

“In a car?” 

“On a motorcycle, actually. How fast does yours go?” Jesus Christ. You know nothing about motorcycles, by the way.

He leans slightly forward, intrigued by your response. “Faster.”

“Hm.” You glance out at the shoreline again, at the sun turning bright orange. You feel the warmth on your cheeks. Stupid. You’re playing hard to get again, for fuck’s sake. He’s too pretty, it makes you nervous. 

Lucky for you, he breaks the tense feeling in your stomach with a laugh. “Actually?” 

He sticks the key into the ignition, filling you with the slight panic from before that he’s slipping away.

You fake a snicker, although it comes out dry and humorless. “I’m kidding. I don’t know a thing about motorcycles.”

The sudden rev of the engine startles you, and he smiles. “Some people are just meant to look pretty on the back of ‘em, I think.”

There was already a warmth to your cheeks, but now it’s heat. “Well.. that sounds like fun.”

Furrowed brows. “Wait, you’ve never been on a bike before?”

You snicker again, this time for real. “I’ve been on a bike. I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”

Maverick scoffs and then cocks a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips in his frail attempt at reading you, or at least pretending he knew you. Playfully rolling his eyes, he revs the engine again and waves you over with his hand. “Come on.”

Your face falls. A different kind of panic. “Huh?”

“Just a quick ride. Before your friend gets here.”

“A-are you sure?” 

“You’re scared?” He grins.

“I—No. I just..” You hesitantly make your way over, your legs suddenly weak. “I drank a little, so I don’t—”

“Can you relax?” He laughs again, his laughter as pretty as he is. “It’s not scary, I promise. Here, step on that part. Just hold onto me and hop on.” He points down below and then sticks his arm out for you to grab.

“I’m not scared,” you mumble as you manage to perch yourself on the space behind him, careful not to grip his arm too tight. “I think you’re a little strange, is all.”

 “How so? You gotta hold onto me, sweetheart.” Another engine rev. What is his deal?

You lean forward as much as you can, pressing yourself to him and wrapping your arms around his middle. The seat behind his is slightly raised, and your face absentmindedly presses into the back crook of his neck. It’s too late to pull back when you realize, and the heat in your cheeks starts to burn. Nevertheless, you go through with your accusations.

“Well,” you begin, conscious of your voice as to not be loud in his ear. “You follow me around the bar for some stupid bet, and.. now you’ve forced me onto your bike.”

Ha. As if you hadn’t planned all of this. Sort of.

Another pretty laugh. “It’s a motorcycle,” he mocks you. 

That gets a laugh out of you, squeezing your arms around him a bit as he starts to move. 

“Although, I do have to say—” He halts, a foot firm on the ground, and turns to look you over his shoulder. “Out of anybody I’ve followed around the bar, you’re the only one I’d give a ride to.”

God. You think you’re already in love with him. “That so?”

He presses his lips together and nods, fake serious. 

Pressing your forehead to the back of his jacket, you chuckle. “I guess that means I owe you something.”

“I’ll start driving on one condition,” he offers, his tone playful.

“Hm?”

“Give me a kiss.”

Oh boy. It’s easy by now; you’re already melting into him. Glancing up, your surroundings become a blur and all the outside chatter, the bell on the door and the sound of the other cars go completely silent as you lean your neck to reach. It’s a peck, but it’s complete; all of your lips feel the soft skin of his cheek, plump from a smile under your kiss. And then your chin goes to rest on his shoulder, and next thing you know, you’re off. 

There’s suddenly wind; you weren’t prepared for your hair to flow, as he took off from the parking lot and immediately down the road.

You’re clinging onto him with all your might, maybe a little scared for a moment, but then it starts to feel nice. You don’t even recall the moment he’d slipped his aviators on; perhaps the little kiss you gave him left you in awe instead of vice-versa, or maybe it was the drinks you’d had earlier? Maverick says something but you barely hear it, your stomach fluttering in excitement as he swerves between cars to get out of their way, to fly by beyond them on the road and to make the moment about just the two of you. Nobody else on the road. 

He turns onto a different road, this one longer and less crowded, and you squeal as he starts going faster. A euphoric feeling overtakes you, and even in the wind, through the sound of the engine and Maverick’s muffled voice, you’re convinced you can’t let him slip away after this one either. 

“Maverick!”

Wind, wind, wind. The engine.

Tapping a hand on his side instead, you catch his attention. He slows down just a bit, momentarily glancing over his shoulder again before looking back at the road. 

“You wanna stop?” he yells.

“No!” you shout back. “I just wanted you to know something!”

“What is it?!”

You lean closer to his ear, face in the crook of his neck again. “I was lying! There is no friend!”

He grins. “I know!”

[sugarushwriting]

“don’t blame me, love made me crazy.”

“looks like an angel while sleeping.”

just a little jay drabble/oneshot. different than my usual writing.

not proof read.

trigger warnings:

obsession: the state of being obsessed with someone or something.

stalking: stalkers use a variety of tactics, including (but not limited to): unwanted contact including phone calls, texts, and contact via social media, unwanted gifts, showing up/approaching an individual or their family/friends, monitoring, surveillance, property damage, and threats.

voyeurism: voyeuristic behavior is when someone derives sexual gratification from secretly watching others undress or engage in sexual activities. voyeurs are also known as "peeping toms"

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

every where you were, jay was there too.

a coffee shop, main library on campus. any cafeteria or food center on campus. anywhere and almost everywhere.

it didn’t matter how many different options were available, you both always ended up at the same place at the same time.

yet you both only had 3 classes together on campus.

philosophy intro to logic, abnormal psychology and interpersonal communications.

“will you be okay?” you friend asked with extreme concern.

“yes, i will be okay, ryunjin.” you reassured.

she was worried because for your abnormal psychology class you were partnered with jay for project.

“maybe yall should study him, because he’s definitely abnormal.” ryunjin whispered.

you playfully swatted her arm. “jay told me to meet him on the fourth floor.”

“why the top floor? so no one can hear you scream?”

“it’s the quiet floor and that’s where he reserved a study room for us.” you said. “please stop being like that!” you huffed.

ryunjin rolled her eyes but went to the second floor where her other friends were as you rode up the elevator to the fourth floor.

you were the one to actually suggest the fourth floor and jay reserved a room for you both based on that suggestion.

getting off the elevator, you found the study room off to the corner with ease, seeing jay set out needed materials on the table.

when he saw you enter he smiled. “oh hey!”

you smiled and waved. “hey jay. ready to get this project knocked out?”

he laughed, “absolutely, but it should be fun. abnormal psychology is one of my favorite subjects.”

“mine too.” you smiled.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

almost an hour later, you both decided on the topic of how personality disorders impact intrapersonal relationships.

you had actually suggested the topic on obsessive sexual fascinations like fetishism, voyeruism, and exhibitionsim, however, jay wasn’t too sure that would even get approved by the professor.

“why not?” you had asked. “is it not a part of abnormal psychology and human behavior?”

“it is but—,”

“you’re not comfortable, it’s okay.” you teased.

ryunjin would probably say it’s because it would mean studying his pattern of behaviors and people don’t like when they get caught.

during the next hour you both jotted down some ideas and found a few psychology papers and articles you all could use.

“we would also need to make sure we find examples.” jay said. “like in movies, shows, plays, things like that.”

“sounds like an easy task! we could use the movies like scream, when a stranger calls, or even—,”

jay chuckled. “and how do these movies relate to our topic?”

“are you kidding,” you laughed with a chuckle, “those people were cray cray. they had to have some kind of personality disorder. sure i can find out with some research.”

“when’s the next time you’re available to work on the project?” jay asked as you both started packing your belongings.

“i am pretty open. i don’t do much but hang around friends or stick to myself.” you shrugged. “how about tomorrow?”

“that’s fine. but i think we’ll have to find a new spot, if i remember correctly the library study rooms are booked up.”

“that’s okay, since we need somewhere private, maybe mine or your apartments?” you suggested, putting your bag over your shoulder.

jay nodded. “either is fine.” he smiled.

“we can do my place! i have plenty of snacks.”

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

“are you insane?” ryunjin scolded you. “that guy is is messed up in the head, you know he’s stalking you, yet you invite him to your place? what are you, crazy yourself?”

it was the next day, and you were telling ryunjin your plans with jay to work on the project at your place while you both stopped by a coffee shop earlier in the morning.

“he asked for my address.” you stated.

“of course he did! he can’t get caught.” ryunjin narrowed her eyes at you. you rolled yours, and walked out the coffee shop, her right behind you.

“you know i am just looking out for you, right?” ryunjin sighed. “i mean, you’ve told me how you been finding flowers at your doorstep, and jay would randomly pop up where you are, almost everywhere, you were.”

“i could be overreacting.”

ryunjin scoffed. “oh now you say you’re overreacting? babe, a stalker is a stalker.”

“i actually never said he was a stalker.” you defending, back tracking.

“you legit told me, ‘ryunjin, jay from my class is stalking me!’”

“i don’t recall.” you shrugged it off.

you did recall.

you remember telling ryunjin how flowers were showing up at your door step, the same flowers from a flower shop jay worked at over the summer.

you remember telling ryunjin how anytime you were at the mall, you saw jay there and he would be staring at you wide-eyed, then quickly walk away.

same at any coffee shop, cafeterias on campus and so forth.

you remember telling ryunjin how you always felt someone was watching you as you undressed.

later that evening you prepared a variety of snacks for jay, and spread out all materials that would be needed for the project.

he had texted you and stated he would be at your place by 7:00 pm.

it was 7:05 pm and you got worried, negative thoughts clouding your mind. was he hurt? did he forget? did he stand you up?

at 7:10 pm a knock came to your door, and you giddily got up from your spot on the floor in front of the coffee table and took big strides to open the door.

you opened seeing jay with a smile. “sorry i’m a bit late. uh, something popped up.”

“oh no, is everything okay?” you asked with concern.

jay seemed frazzled and out of sorts than how he usually presents himself or how you see him.

jay shook his head, “i’m good. just probably all in my head.”

“great, let’s get to work!”

you invited jay in your apartment, showing him were you set up the coffee table for working on the project.

“wow you really do have a lot of snacks!” he chuckled. he picked up a few, “and many are my favorite?” this came out more as a question and surprise, his eyebrows raising cutely.

“really? they’re my favorite too!” you giggled. “should we get started? i have a few personality disorders we can explore.”

“sure! what are some you have in mind?”

“well i was researching,” you began, and took a seat on the floor and jay did the same. “some personality disorders that can affect relationships and communication include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorders, histrionic personality disorders and narcissistic personality disorders.” you listed with a smile. “but those are just cluster b that i think have the highest affects.”

“you seem to know a lot about personality disorders?” jay chuckled.

“i should, it’s an interest of mine. like i mentioned, abnormal psychology is one of my favorite subjects. i would love to work with populations most wouldn’t.”

“like who?” jay asked as you piped his interest.

“serial killers, stalkers, criminals, people like them.”

jay nearly choked on his own spit. “why is that?”

you smirked and your hand landed on his shoulder. he looked at your hand nervously, “i just think most are misunderstood.” you smiled widely. “i also just believe the way they think is so interesting and unbelievable.”

jay watched you talk about your passion with not only interest but something more. maybe he was looking at you strangely? looking at you with concern?

“well, this project should be breeze then.” he laughed nervously. he was more than ready to leave.

as you all continued to work on the project at a good pace, you and jay couldn’t help but still glances at one another.

two and half hours later, jay stood with a stretch, “it’s getting late, i should go.” he stated. “thank you for the snacks.”

he started packing up his things, as you began cleaning up a little. once his backpack strap was over his shoulder, he looked into your kitchen seeing a vase of flowers, a tag that clearly showed it was from the flower shop he worked at over the summer.

jay got nervous and fearful. he quickly adverted his gaze before you caught him looking. but unknown to him, you saw him out of the corner of your eye looking at the flowers, but you decided to keep quiet about it.

“so, i’ll see you tomorrow?” you asked hopeful.

jay’s voice shook with nerves, “um, i’ll text you. i forgot i have something planned with my friends tomorrow.” he smiled politely, but quickly bid goodbye and left your apartment.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

jay laid in bed after showering wide awake for a while. his nerves had gotten the better of him.

you had showered and put on some comfy clothes to enjoy your favorite show after jay left.

jay soon fell asleep, and one thing about jay was he was a heavy sleeper. almost nothing could wake him up so easily. his friends would tease him about it, but it was just who he was.

you weren’t a heavy sleeper on the other hand. which is why to every small noise you would awake, or had almost a third sense of being over cautionary fearful someone was always watching.

the flowers in the trash looked at you almost mockingly, and you closed your fist so tight, your nails were sure to dig into your knuckles.

such an angel while sleeping. so peaceful.

yes jay was. you smiled lovingly looking down at him as you watched him from his doorway as he slept soundly. you stepped quietly closer to him to get as close as possible, when you took out your polaroid camera.

after watching your favorite show which starred jay, him getting undressed and redressed, you were hot and bothered and couldn’t wait until you could finally make your move.

but it would take time. he wouldn’t understand you, or your habits, or how your brain worked.

you could see he was judging you earlier about the way you spoke about your passion.

but he would come around. he had to.

you knew he got stumbled by the flowers in your apartment. if he questioned, you would’ve just waved it off as a coincidence you got it for yourself, or maybe tell him you had a secret admirer to see if he would get jealous.

would he? you had a feeling he would be the jealous and possessive type of what belongs to him.

you sure were. possessive, jealous, of any girl that he talked to. he didn’t know better, but those women should! you thought, they couldn’t compare to you anyway.

when it came to your tactics, you had to be careful. you didn’t want to scare him off too soon. so this project was a great way to wiggle yourself into his bubble.

you fantasized so much about your future with jay. it blurred the line between fact and fictitious, and you were so deep into the obsession, you didn’t understand or even see the line anymore.

you didn’t want to blackmail him—not yet. the flowers were enough for now.

your love for jay made you crazy.

no one could blame you. that’s just how love was, right?

“don’t blame me.” you whispered to jay as you ran your fingers lightly through his hair with a smile.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

[graysnetwork]

⊰Mr. Nonchalant⊱

info- spent half of the day writing this cause I was out of ideas but also bored and stuff. And i still have some requests i still have not done but for some reason i just get stuck. So i'm sorry if you requested and i've never done it.

warnings: wounds mentioned (cut/gash), blood

Summary: Keegan is only ever sweet with you, and it's finally dawned on him that, he likes you, a lot.

Keegan is so sweet with you.

He’s literally so nice to you, helping you with anything you need. And everyone on base fully believed you two had a thing going on because he was only nice to you, until you stared at them in confusion because you had no idea what they meant. There was nothing going on between you guys.

You thought he was just a nice guy who liked to help everyone, but you were wrong, kinda. He was a nice guy who did like to help, just you. 

He was a dream though, he helped you with everything; from training, to grabbing things from high places for you. And to add to that, he was handsome. He had those beautiful icy blue eyes, and he was always clean shaven, he had downturned lips, and short messy black hair. He rarely took his mask off, but with you he did. Barely anyone knew what he looked like. Only the people he trusted knew what his face looked like. You had only joined the team as a medic for them this year so the rest of the team  thought it was surprising he let you see his face since more than half of them have only ever seen his mouth when he lifted his mask to eat.

In Keegan’s perspective, he knew he was being very nice with you. There wasn't a particular reason. He just always wanted to be nice to you. You were pretty and super kind to him so he wanted to be kind to you as well. He was asked constantly by his teammates if you two had something going on and he denied everything, though, he wouldn't deny you if you wanted something to go on.

He was starting to realize his stomach did flips whenever you were around, and his face got hot under his mask when you stared at him through your lashes, and his mouth went dry when you asked him a question. His pupils would be blown out at the sight of you, or just the thought of you.

And he was such a serious guy, but for you…

He would even try to crack a joke or two when you were around just to hear a giggle come out of you. And he had very, very dry humor, and all of the jokes he told you were terrible but that's half the charm.

When Logan finally asked Keegan about you, his cheeks went red, and he stuttered like a kid presenting in front of a class. He was a total mess when it came to you, as a topic. When he was actually talking to you, he was totally fine. But Mr. Nonchalant was acting very chalant about you.

–

You sat in front of keegan staring at the wound on his side, you began stitching him up. His face contorted into an expression of pain, his groans intensified as you reached the middle of the slit.

“m’sorry… but i'm almost done” you whispered and he groaned back as a response. “S’fine sweetheart, dont worry about it, just hurry.. please” he whispered, You nodded and finished stitching the wound. Keegan sighed as you finished, he closed his eyes, sat back in his seat, and relaxed. “thank you..” his voice barely above a whisper. “are you okay?” you asked and furrowed your brows “im great, feeling better already” he muttered back, “good, i'm gonna go get you ice” you smiled and went over to the fridge and grabbed an ice pack. His eyes followed your figure, and your voice, he smiled and watched you.

“y/n, can we talk?’’ he muttered again, “of course, About what?” you perked up your brows, “..us..” he whispered, his stomach felt empty and he felt like throwing up. “what about us?” “well, i uh.. I need to talk to you about something” he gulped and he took his eyes off of you as you sat back down in front of him, he couldn't look at you anymore now, his eyes wandered everywhere except towards you.

“about what keegan?” you asked and placed the ice on the wound. “I-” he let out a shaky sigh as he sat up again trying to relax as he kept the ice on his slit. “I love you y/n” he whispered, your eyes widened and heat ran up your neck to your cheeks, you felt hot, not in a good, sexy way. Like you were having a fever.

“Oh wow..”

That was the only thing that could come out of your mouth at the moment.

“Yeah.. I love you. And it's fine if you don't even remotely like me back, because i love you so much that i just want you to be happy” he got up slowly from the chair, still keeping the ice against himself “ even if that means i don't get to love you, but i want you to be happy, and if that means no me in your life then that's fine, super fine, not fine with me but if it makes you happy, then i'll say it's fine…” 

“I want you” you gulped and stood up in front of him, “really?” his brows perked up and his stomach did flips. “Really.” you nodded and took in a deep breath and exhaled deeply. “good were on the same page..” you gulped once again, “yeah.. So, do you wanna go out some time” he asked, "sure, " you smiled sheepishly. “When we go out, i promise i'll actually have flowers for you and i'll tell you ‘i love you’ properly, y’know, flash mob and everything” he smiled “don't do that, please” you giggled.

He stepped closer,put his hand on your cheek,

And he leaned in and kissed you.

Your arms wrapped around his neck as you kissed him back, gosh, he was a great kisser. His other hand found its place on your waist and he didn’t pull away, neither did you. It seemed that the two of you didn’t want this moment to end.

Nobody, if they were in this situation, would ever dare to pull away from this euphoric movie scene. You could probably pitch this as a movie scene, handsome shirtless soldier kissing a medic after admitting their love for each other.

Gosh, he was a good kisser.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

(X men Evolution) Platonic Yandere Trio Wanda, Quicksilver and Magneto and Magneto's youngest child reader from a one night stand who has Technopathy and who's mom was killed protecting her from anti mutant groups and the social worker contacted Magneto because his name is in the birth certificate and asked him if he wanted custody of them.

Ooooo! Thank you for specifying which X-Men media you wanted! (But I only do gender neutral Readers, okay?) I'll see what I can do:

It was hard, not having your mom around anymore.

She died protecting you, doing everything in her power to keep you safe, to let you have a chance at a normal childhood, and how was she repayed? The people of your old town killed her. They had meant to kill you, but she took the bullet for you. You were lucky to be alive, lucky to have been moved to a safe place...

But...

Now you were moving in with someone you'd never met before.

He was supposedly your dad. Or at least who your mom claimed was. She'd never really mentioned him before, save when she needed to give you hope for a better future, when you'd be safe to use your powers and not be attacked for it.

His name was supposedly Magnus, and it turned out he had two other kids: Wanda and Pietro, twins.

They hadn't been mean or jealous (what was there to be jealous about? you're a younger sibling with trauma), but they did act... stange? In a way. Always hovering nearby, trying to keep the other Brotherhood teens from being near you or talking with you.

You think your first bonding moment with them was when you and the group had gone to an arcade for fun. The machines hummed with life, with energy... And you had just the game you enjoyed just waiting to be played.

The claw machine.

The poor thing hadn't been able to give a reward for all the money it was given, but you were just the person to make it right. With a few quarters, and a quick snap of electricity, you had the machine buzzing with your commands. The first stuffed animal was a hummingbird, with bright blue wings and a white stomach. The second was an owl with bright red eyes. Soon to follow were more and more little animals, until the entire plushie receptacle was filled to the brim with your rewards.

You shocked the poor guy behind the ticket counter, who looked tired and flabbergasted. And it seemed you'd surprised your siblings, too...

"Take it. They look like you," you pushed as you shoved the two birds into their arms. You'd already packed the rest of the stuffies into large plastic bags, hopefully to send to the local children's hospital.

"How does this look like me?" Pietro asked, looking over the hummingbird in blurred movements. "Couldn't it have been, like, a falcon, or something?"

"... Why an owl?" Wanda asks.

"You're fast and can perform any trick in the book. So can hummingbirds! Can you see a falcon flying backwards? Also, an owl because you've got the whole witch aesthetic, and it looks like you! It even has black and red feathers!"

"... Tch... Fine..."

"... It will be my familiar..."

"Yay! Now, let's go give the others their's!"

"Wait, you got them some too?!"

After that, the twins were just-

Everywhere.

And if they couldn't be there, one of the other Brotherhood teens was instead. It only became a problem when someone tried to bully you.

Safe to say...

"Mess with them again and you won't live to make the same mistake again!"

"Let's see how well you do in basketball now, loser!"

The guy who'd try to pick on you now earned the full ire of Wanda AND Pietro, who made his life h*ll. And what those two decreed, the others followed.

People left you alone after that.

Of course, when you wanted to hide from everyone or hide your tracks...

You messed with the computers and lights.

"Ah man, I can't see like this!"

"Is it a power outage?"

"Someone get the janitor!"

Being in control of technology was pretty awesome.

It wasn't so fun when your dad found out.

"Reader... perhaps you would like to join my Acolytes? We would have much need of your mutation."

You took one look at the people your... dad, had on his elite team... And decided:

"Um... I'm good, sir..."

"Very well... And you may call me 'father'."

"Erm... okay... Father..."

What you didn't see happening in the shadows was your father having his Acolytes preparing a space for you anyway, so one day you could be with them. What you didn't see was Wanda giving nightmares and accidents to your bully, sending them into a chaotic spiral. What you didn't see was Pietro following you wherever you went, spying from as far or near as he liked, and telling Wanda and Magneto everything he saw.

You may have thought you were being given some control, but in honesty... That control was only an illusion.

If you ever tried to leave or go to the X-Men, you'd just find yourself kept captive, bound in metal chains where no one would ever find you, save for your loving family... They wouldn't risk losing their little technopath, the one member of their small family who can temper their personalities... So don't try to run, or they'll cut off any small control you have for good.

[cacoetheswriting]

pearl: october 1985

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader word count: 2.3k summary: rebuilding your friendship with eddie was easy. trying to remain just friends is hard, but how do you tell him that?

content warnings: best friends to lovers, slow burn, mutual pining, suggestive & mature themes, adult language, use of pet names, idiots in love, emotional hurt / comfort, self-doubt / insecurities, reader has nightmares - if i missed anything, pls let me know!

pearl masterlist

“Anything you need, you just call me, okay?” You say to the young girl, “No matter the time of day, no matter where you are or if you think you’ll be interrupting me, just call.”

“Thanks.” Eleven mutters and does her best to offer you a smile.

“You and I, we gotta stick together, El.” You pull her in for a short lived hug. “Only we know what this feels like and we gotta support each other.”

“I’ll call you. I promise,” she assures before walking over to say goodbye to her friends.

By the time the Byers’ house is empty, boxes and bags packed into the car, everyone is crying. There’s some more hugs and you watch them drive off, holding onto Nancy. Once the car is out of sight, Steve asks you both to come over, hang out with him and Robin for a bit. It’s a request you politely decline. Going through a rollercoaster of emotions this afternoon, there was only one place you truly wanted to be.

Things between Eddie and you were pretty much back to normal. Ever since the incident at Starcourt Mall, you two were inseparable. Everywhere you went, there the metalhead followed — as if he was afraid something would happen if you were apart.

Eddie only ever left you alone to sleep, but even then it was only a couple of nights a week. Convincing him to stay with you wasn’t hard, convincing him to share a bed with you was even easier, and having Eddie by your side most nights helped you not only fall asleep but also stay asleep.

The horrible dreams you had earlier this year of the Demodogs, as described to you by the kids, were nothing compared to the nightmares you had been having ever since the events from the start of July. Witnessing the horrors of the Upside Down first hand… no one could have prepared you for that. And now, almost every single night, you woke up panting or actually screaming.

The first time you had a nightmare around Eddie, you borderline gave him a heart attack. The poor boy jumped out of bed, ready to tackle whatever intruder he perceived had broken into your bedroom. What he found instead was you, sitting hunched over in your bed with tears streaming down your face.

To this day, you hadn't told the metalhead what actually happened the night of the 4th of July. You decided along with the rest of the group that it was better he didn’t know the truth. Not only was this your way of protecting him, you figured even if you did try to explain, Eddie probably wouldn’t believe you. 

So you lied and said you’d been having nightmares ever since your dad died and he was kind enough not to press on the matter further.

Life with Eddie was easy, it always had been. Aside from your persistent nightmares, you quickly slipped back into your best friend dynamic and the remainder of the summer was uneventful. Only your feelings for him grew stronger. Past the platonic mark you were hovering over when you left for college; when you first kissed him.

You didn’t know how to tell him or if you should say anything in the first place. After all, you just got your friendship back to what it used to be and you sure as hell weren’t going to be the one to jeopardise that. He had the letters. He read them. There was nothing more to it.

But Eddie Munson never made anything easy for you. With his lingering touches, heartwarming stares. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he still loved you too.

And you say “still” because, even though the metalhead never admitted it out loud, you’re ninety-nine percent sure he once did — if the kiss you shared was any indication, however contrived it may have been, under the circumstances. 

“Say your goodbyes?” Eddie asks when you appear in his room. He’s sitting on his bed, legs spread out in front of him and a copy of Lord of the Rings in his hands. He sets the book to the side when you plop next to him, head instantly attaching itself to his shoulder like a magnet.

“Yeah,” you exhale, “I hate goodbyes.”

“Me too,” he mutters as he intertwines his fingers with yours. “But this time it’s for the best, you know? The girl needs to get away for a while. Honestly, I didn’t even know Hopper had a kid and then for him to just die in that fire, leaving her all alone—”

Eddie bites his tongue and glances down at you. “Let’s talk about something else,” he offers and you meet his gaze.

“Like what?”

He licks his lips, pondering the question for a moment. You can’t help but to avert your gaze to where his tongue pressed against his pretty mouth. A certain warm feeling settles in your core as you wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

“How about I read to you?”

You raise an eyebrow, but the metalhead doesn’t wait for your protest — not like he would’ve gotten one anyway. He reaches for the novel he previously set aside and opens to the desired page. He clears his throat while you settle your head back on his shoulder, patiently waiting for him to start.

“Beautiful she is, sir! Lovely! Sometimes like a great tree in flower, sometimes like a white daffadowndilly, small and slender like.” Eddie enunciates, the tone of his voice completely intoxicating.

“Hard as di’monds, soft as moonlight. Warm as sunlight, cold as frost in the stars. Proud and far-off as a snow-mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime…”

Every word that spills from his lips is like honey and you’re completely hooked.

“It strikes me that folk takes their peril with them into Lorien, and finds it there because they’ve brought it. But perhaps you could call her perilous, because she’s so strong in herself.”

Eddie pauses. You can sense him shift in his position ever so slightly to look at you, so you look up to meet his doe eyes, a smile creeping up on your features.

“Why did you stop? Keep going.”

He licks his lips although doesn’t say what’s on his mind. Instead, he continues with the book like you ask. “You, you could dash yourself to pieces on her, like a ship on a rock; or drownd yourself, like a hobbit in a river.”

And as he reads, you start to zone out. You can feel yourself drift away. The soothing sound of his voice is putting you to sleep, but just as your eyes are about to close, you hear something.

“But neither rock nor river would be to blame—”

You press your index finger to Eddie’s mouth, getting him to stop. He’s clearly puzzled, quickly taking it in his hand, moving it to the side, only so slightly since the sensation of your skin against his lips makes his heart skip a beat. But he doesn’t dwell on the feeling, afraid to ruin things when they’ve just gotten good, instead shooting you a quizzical look.

“Thought you wanted me to keep going, princess.”

You ignore him. “Can you hear that?”

Eddie’s silent for a split second. Then he says, “Oh, that’s just Wayne. He must have the radio on.”

“Yeah, obviously. I’m talking about the song that’s playing.”

The two of you shift your attention to the door separating Eddie’s bedroom from the remainder of the trailer, though still holding onto one another in some way. The physical touch making up for time lost, you tell yourself, but the reason is clearly much different.

Now that you’re both completely quiet, the unmistakable voice of Janis Joplin seeps in through the small crack. ‘From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun. There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.’

You look back at each other almost in an instant and Eddie chuckles, your own giggle follows shortly after. Lighthearted and pure. The situation isn’t necessarily funny, but in this moment, you are both so happy to simply be around each other, the laughter engulfs you whole. And as you’re laughing, you’re inclining even closer to one another.

Then the laughter dies down.

Eddie’s cupping your cheek while your fingers wrap around his wrist, holding him in place. His nose slides down the side of yours and his lips are inches away as they part. Yet it’s not until his hot breath sends a shiver down your spine that you realise what’s about to happen, and more importantly, how much you want it. You’re practically aching with anticipation.

Eddie’s got this look in his eyes, dark and needy. His pupils dilate the longer he stares and it makes you think he wants you too, desperately. You inhale softly, mind racing ‘cause this is a line that you only crossed once back in November and ever since then, you’ve been dancing around the topic, unspoken, untouched. Crossing it again had many possible outcomes — all equally terrifying and exhilarating.

His gaze drops to your lips and your heart flutters in your chest.

“Can I kiss you?”

It’s a whisper, but you hear it as loud as screaming. The question rattles through every fibre of your being and you nod, once, twice. Slow and steady, as you open your mouth to give him a verbal answer.

But before you get a chance, there’s a knock on Eddie’s bedroom door and he drops his hand from your face instantly before pulling away. He clears his throat and suddenly you’re hyper-aware of your surroundings ‘cause he slides off the bed completely avoiding eye contact, completely avoiding the question he’s just asked.

“Yeah?” Eddie calls out, getting up on his feet.

Wayne bops his head in, not fully opening the door. He glances between the two of you, a knowing smirk circling his moustache-covered lips, before his eyes settle on his nephew.

“Headin’ out for a little while. Need anythin’?”

Eddie says no, answering for the two of you. Wayne nods his head and following a swift goodbye, telling you both to be good, he disappears just as fast as he made his appearance. Door closing with a gentle thud.

An awkward silence settles in the air once you are alone with the metalhead again. 

Eddie scratches the back of his neck, gaze settling on the hem of your skirt, where the material ends and your bare leg starts. He swallows his breath, Adam’s apple bobbing. You watch your best friend attentively, afraid of being the first one that speaks. Afraid of asking what’s on his mind, if he wants to continue what you both started before you were unexpectedly interrupted.

That’s not to say the metalhead also wasn’t spinning out, ‘cause he most definitely was. His quiet demeanour was specifically to cover up the fact that he didn’t know what to say now that the moment was gone. 'Cause it was gone... right?

Can I kiss you?, his earlier question rattles inside his brain. Eddie thinks you would’ve said yes, after all, you were nodding. But if he asked again now, would you still want to do it? Would you let him kiss you?

Jesus, why was he so bad at this.

“Uhm,” he sighs, leaning against the edge of his desk. “I-I… Fuck, princess, I-I don’t want to do anything to ruin what we just got back.”

He finally looks up to meet your gaze. “I really, really don’t.”

“I don’t either, Eds.” You say to him and hope he can detect the honesty in your voice, knees now pressed to your chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. “We lost a lot of time.”

“That we did,” he agrees.

“I feel guilty about it.”

“Me too.”

He stares at you, brown-eyes full of sorrow. Your heart aches at the sad, puppy-dog face he’s sporting. All you want is to reach for him, but you’re frozen in place. Glued to the bed, holding your own limbs. And it’s moments like these that make you want to take back everything that’s happened this last year. The kiss, the fight, the months of not speaking. Take back the things that have now become topics you haven’t really talked about. Topics that you both brushed over, then brushed under the carpet.

You know it’s bad to hold shit in, but avoidance has been a third-party in your friendship with Eddie pretty much from day one.

“So, what do you wanna do, princess?” Eddie asks, hopeful.

“We can just take it day by day, I guess. I mean, I know how I feel about you,” you answer honestly, “I also know that it’s a scary world out there and I’d rather have you as just a friend than nothing at all.”

A smile breaks through the brunette’s features. He stumbles forward, settling back on the bed next to you with a small bounce. He reaches for your hand, forcing his fingers between your knuckles and squeezing gently. You tilt your head and he matches your movements, pretty eyes meeting yours.

“I know how I feel about you too, princess.”

pearl masterlist

& tagging some cool people that expressed interest in this lil series: @cactusangie , @spenciesprincess , @capitanostella , @ashlynnkennedy , @ms1oftheboys

[fuck-customers]

Hello everyone. I’d like to give y’all a quick recap of my time in retail this holiday season:

-two guests tried to fight one of our online order guys, and from what I heard they absolutely provoked him and started the beef by stealing things from the order he was picking for

-had two female guests try to fight ME because I had the audacity to ask them why they were opening boxes of makeup, and management pretty much did nothing about it bc they continued shopping and got to checkout like nothing happened. Then had a leader, who knows nothing about my dept, try to come over and say it was my fault for not saying the exact right thing to her

-had a leader complain to upper management that I “don’t follow direction” bc she tried to come over to my dept, completely change the way we do shit by having me and my coworker switch areas (despite me telling her that our fucking SCHEDULE literally confirms that she is wrong, which she even later admitted herself???)

-had a lady throw boxes of makeup sponges at me

-had to tell multiple groups of very obviously rich and entitled teens/kids that is in fact extremely shitty to get the electric scooters meant for disabled guests and instead use them to race, play bumper cars, or stack three people in the basket on the front of it

Also. A VERY SPECIAL FUCK YOU to some specific customers. An hour after I got screamed at and threatened by the two customers I mentioned above, I guy walking through my area then drops an entire like 24 pack of topo Chico onto the floor and there’s fuckifn glass and water everywhere. Since I had just been screamed at and my leaders did nothing to have my back, I was little bit in a bad mood by the time the broken glass happened. Fucking sue me right?? Wel two guests who SAW ME cleaning up the glass (didn’t even fucking interact with me, I remember) and I guess thought that I didn’t look happy enough while I was doing that and decided to fucking FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT IT.

Literally what fhe FUCK is wrong with you that you see a worker clearly having a very hard day, in the middle of holiday season, and you then think to yourself, “you know what? That worker needs to be smiling while being plowed in the ass by capitalism. And the fact that they’re not deriving physical, spiritual and sexual pleasure from their shitty retail job offends me so much I think I’ll have to complain about them and make it even worse.”

I even remember who might’ve complained too. Bc the guy that dropped the damn bottles in the first place didn’t even stick around to see it resolved (naturally) and so I didn’t even interact with any customers while cleaning it. HOWEVER, there was a couple standing nearby that when it happened, they immediately ran to his side like “oh man that’s so terrible you must be having a bad day? Are you alright? Do you need help?” So I guess fuck the person who actually has to clean this all up, no instead we should fawn over the jackass who broke all this glass and couldn’t even pretend he cared about it. Because that makes perfect fucking sense. Also love the casual implication that retail workers must be smiling deliriously all the fucking time and that I am not allowed to show any emotions besides that bc I am subhuman and not deserving of any grace or empathy. So dear customers who complained… I’m literally BEGGING the universe to fuck you over and YOU personally because if you truly had nothing better to do than scrutinize the facial expressions of a retail worker you never even interacted with, you are truly a waste of oxygen and are detrimental to society. I hope your nastiness comes back to bite you in the ass. I hope someone kicks YOU while you’re down and I hope it fucking sucks, you worthless piece of shit.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[william-m-lucipher]

RATING A FEW OF MY PUPPETS!

THEY ALL HAVE THEIR UPSIDES AND DOWNSIDES! HERE ARE MY OPINIONS ON A HANDFUL OF 'EM!

SIXER: MASSIVE AMOUNT OF BRAIN SPACE, FILLED WITH COMPLEXITIES! ALSO A GOOD CHUNK OF EMBARRASSING NERD MEMORIES. HIS MIND IS WHERE ALL THE LUXURY WAS!

BODILY EXPERIENCE WAS INTERESTING, HIS EYESIGHT WAS LACKING EVEN WITH THE GLASSES. IT SEEMS HE'D GONE A WHILE WITHOUT RENEWING HIS PRESCRIPTION. SURE, THE GLASSES LESSENED THINGS, BUT YEESH! ONE EYE WAS ALWAYS WORSE THAN THE OTHER, BUT THEY WERE BOTH IN BLURRYTOWN. TALK ABOUT A LACK OF DEPTH PERCEPTION! THE EXTRA FINGERS THOUGH, THEY WERE FUN! AND THAT GUY HAD A DECENT-ISH PAIN TOLERANCE THANKS TO THOSE OLD BOXING LESSONS HE AND HIS BROTHER WERE FORCED TO DO. IT WAS FUN TO TEST THE LIMITS!

A SOLID 8/10, GREAT GUY TO WORK WITH, POSSESSION EXPERIENCE COULD'VE BEEN BETTER THOUGH!

PINE TREE: BRAINWISE, LESS COMPLEXITY, MORE COMEDY, AT LEAST IN MY EYE! HE WAS A SMART KID, SURE, BUT MAN, RERUNS OF HIS LOWLIGHTS WILL KEEP ME ENTERTAINED FOR AGES. IMAGINE AN ACTUALLY FUNNY CRINGE COMPILATION THAT NEVER GETS OLD! THAAAAT'S PINE TREE!

AS FOR THE BODY, BETTER EYESIGHT, BETTER JOINTS, AND THE PAIN TOLERANCE WAS TERRIBLE, WHICH WAS GREAT FOR ME! IT WAS THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WHEN I TOOK THE STRINGS, HAHA! THOUGH BEING SWEATY, SMELLY, AND TICKLISH KINDA RUINED THE DELUXE SUITE FEEL. EH, WHEN DEALING WITH THE HUMAN BODY, THERE'S NO WAY TO HAVE IT ALL, EVER.

7/10, AT LEAST I'VE GOT A LOT TO LAUGH ABOUT.

HIRSCHEY: I THINK IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS AT THIS POINT THAT I'VE BEEN PULLING THE STRINGS WITH FLANNELBRITCHES FOR A GOOD WHILE NOW. LONG BEFORE HE EVEN SECURED A ROLE WITH THE MOUSE, I'VE BEEN A SUBTLE INFLUENCE!

NOW LISTEN, I'D LOVE TO SPILL EVERYTHING, BUT THIS GUY HAS ALL THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS TO RUIN EVERYTHING IF I MAKE THE WRONG DECISIONS WHILE USING MY OTHER PUPPETS IN THIS REALITY. LET'S JUST SAY, HIS BODY IS MID, BUT HIS MIND ALONE ADDS EXTRA POINTS! I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN, HAHA!

9/10, WHAT A GOOD FRIEND!

BURNSIDES: OH WAIT, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS YET! WINK! HAHA, COME BACK TO THIS POST FOR THE ANSWER ON SMOKEY'S BIGGEST FAN IN A FEW DAYS.

?/10, TO BE ANNOUNCED

EAS-Y: THE ONE I'M CURRENTLY USING! GONE BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT NAMES, BECAUSE THEIR MEAT SUIT IS LITERALLY STUFFED WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT PEOPLE DUE TO CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, HAHA!! THE HUMAN MIND HAS SOME WEIRD COPING MECHANISMS. E.A.S STANDS FOR THE SILLY NAME FOR THEIR SYSTEM THEY PICKED ONE DAY ON A WHIM.

MY FAVORITE ONE HERE HAS TO BE ZILLARA, WHO I ONCE REFERRED TO AS "T" DURING AN APRIL FOOL'S EVENT ON THE SYSTEM'S ABANDONED ACCOUNT. (IT WAS SHORT FOR THE COLLECTIVE DEADNAME OF THIS VESSEL.) HE'S AN OLD HOST AND AN OLD PAL! Z'S BEEN SO... GENUINELY NICE TO ME FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS NOW. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?! HAHA!!! Ah... ENOUGH ABOUT JUST ONE GUY, THOUGH, THIS PLACE IS PACKED WITH EM! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE WIGGLE ROOM. THIS MIND IS MORE SPACIOUS THAN PINE TREE AND SIXER'S COMBINED, BUT IT'S ALL BEING USED ON KEEPING FOLKS COMFORTABLE AND GUARDING HARMFUL MEMORIES. LISTEN, I'M NOT SALTY ABOUT THE MEMORY GUARDING. I TOOK A PEEK, AND JEEZ, IT'S DEFINITELY FOR THE BETTER.

ANYWAYS, THIS PLACE IS LAYED OUT LIKE A WHOLE SMALL TOWN! BEST VACATION HOME OUTTA ALL OF 'EM! AS AMAZING AS HIRSCHY'S IS, IT'S BUSY BUSY BUSY EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. PARTIALLY MY FAULT FOR GETTING HIM INTO THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY. SORRY THERE, BUDDY!

THE DOWNSIDE TO IT ALL IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE PLENTY WHO LIKE ME HERE, I'VE ALSO GOT A FAIR SHARE OF ENEMIES WHO CALL THEMSELVES "PROTECTORS" AND "GATEKEEPERS." NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF AN ANGRY SECRETARY LADY, LET ME TELL YOU!

BODY WISE, IT'S QUITE THE PAIN BUFFET! BAD JOINTS, MIGRAINES, LOW PAIN TOLERANCE, AND MAN, THE TICS AND SEIZURES! YOU'D THINK GIVEN MY EXPERIENCE WITH BODY SPASMS WHILE PUPPETING PINE TREE, I'D HATE THESE, BUT THIS IS DIFFERENT! IT'S SOME OF THE FUNNIEST PAIN, THE PUNCHLINE HITS YOU OUTTA NOWHERE, SEVERAL TIMES, IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS!

8.5/10, TALK TO YOUR PROTECTORS AND YOU MIGHT EARN THE FIRST 10, OR AT LEAST A 9.8!!!

IN SUMMARY:

- SIXER'S A DECENT PUPPET, BUT A BETTER ALLY. STILL A SHAME HE NEVER JOINED ME

- PINE TREE IS A PERSONAL COMEDY CLUB!

- HIRSCHEY IS A GREAT PUPPET, AND A POWERFUL ALLY WHO COULD EASILY BECOME MY WORST ENEMY

- I'M UNDER NDA ABOUT GUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

- EASY HERE IS, WELL, THE EASIEST ONE!!

MAYBE I'LL RATE A FEW MORE SOMETIME, LIKE CHARLES GUITEAU, OR WITH LUCK, YOU!

[luna-eclipse2000]

Baby, You’re a Firework

The AOT boys meeting you for the first time at the Fourth of July/Canada Day firework show

Ft. Eren, Armin, Jean, Marco, Levi, Reiner, Bertolt, Connie

Eren

- He didn’t really care for fireworks as a kid

- He just didn’t get the appeal

- But when he got older, he loved going as it symbolized freedom

- Now he gets dressed up in those Old Navy flag shirts and wears a pair of red shorts

- He goes with Armin and Mikasa, obviously

- It’s so crowded that they definitely can’t get close to the front

- “Hey, let’s go up that little hill.” Armin says, pointing behind them

- The three friends climb the hill that has some people sitting on it

- They choose a spot where a tree isn’t blocking their view and sit down

- Armin starts to talk about how old fireworks are and that’s when Eren checks out

- He pulls out his phone and starts scrolling on twitter

- Then he hears a laugh

- It catches his attention somehow which us odd because the waterfront is absolutely packed

- So he looks up and watches as you stumble down the hill from behind him

- You literally take his breath away

- You look behind you to tell whoever you’re with that you’ll be right back

- But you trip on your own foot, causing you to fall down and roll to the bottom of the hill

- Eren is up in a flash and runs down after you

- “Hey, are you alright? That was a pretty nasty fall you took there.”

- “Yeah. I’m fine.” You say, sitting up. “I’m just a little clumsy”

- He holds out his hand and pulls you up

- He finally gets a good look at your face and to say he thinks you look stunning is an understatement

- “Hi. I’m Eren”

- “(Y/N). Thanks for helping me up”

- “No problem. You want someone to walk with you wherever you’re going?”

- You look a bit unsure but when you see your friend shooing you with a smile on her face, and two people sitting just below her and looking pretty ecstatic, probably Eren’s friends, you agree

- You also think he’s incredibly handsome and you’ll probably stay with him near where you’re going so your friend doesn’t start mocking you until you’re ready

- The fireworks begin to go off so you look up excitedly

- He looks down at you with admiration in his eyes

Armin

- Armin loves fireworks

- He loves how something so magical is real

- Plus the show always takes place by the water, so he’s happy about that

- “Did you know that England uses to have someone called the ‘Fire Master of England?’” He asks his friends

- “Really?” Mikasa asks

- “What the hell is that?” Eren asks

- “So Queen Elizabeth the First loved fireworks so much that-“

- “Baby!” A voice squeals as a body throws itself into his side

- Armin grunts as he’s caught off guard

- He looks down at you just as you look up. “I was looking everywhere for you! You said you’d be by the water!”

- Armin blinks a few times. Were you drunk? Were you confused and in need of medical attention? Did he look like your boyfriend? You were super cute, though, so he wasn’t complaining. Just confused

- Then he sees a large male figure walking up to them

- And he understands

- He wraps his arms around you in a hug. “Ah, I’m sorry! I saw Eren and Mikasa and came to say hi. Didn’t realize how long we were talking for.”

- You look so relieved that he understands what’s going on

- You look over at his friends. “Oh, hi! It’s so nice to see you again!”

- Eren’s so fucking confused

- Mikasa catches on right away. “You too. It’s been forever.”

- Armin looks at the guy. “Darling, who’s this? I didn’t think you were bringing any friends.”

- “Oh, he’s no one.” You say and cling to him tighter

- “Ah, well it was nice seeing you.” Armin says, giving a smile to the guy. “Have a nice night.”

- “Ain’t no way you bagged that.” The guy says and then scoffs. “I’m not buying it.”

- Now Eren understands, and he’s ready to throw hands

- But Armin kissing the top if your head catches him off guard

- He lets you go and steps forward. “I suggest you leave my girl alone. You really don’t want to know what I can do when I’m pissed. Do you know exactly where to hit to make you seize up?”

- The guy suddenly looks scared. “No? I do. Now, please. Take your leave, or else you’ll be leaving in a body bag.”

- The guy scoffs and walks away

- Armin breathes out to calm himself down when he feels you wrap your arms around him again

- “Thank you! Thank you, so much! He wasn’t leaving me alone and I got really bad vibes from him.”

- Armin turns around and holds you again. “It’s alright, no need to thank me. Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did he?”

- You shake your head as you pull away. “No. I saw you and just felt like you’d know what was going on.”

- “Alright, well you’re gonna stay with us, ok?” Armin says. “We’ll bring you wherever you need to go.”

- You nod thankfully. “You’re my hero. Seriously.”

- Armin’s face erupts into a giant blush. “H-Hero? No, please, I was just doing what any sane guy would do!”

- Eren smacks his shoulder. “Armin. You’re her hero.”

- Mikasa gives him a thumbs up

- “Armin? That’s your name? I like it. I’m (Y/N).”

- “Well I like your name as well, (Y/N)”.

- The fireworks start going off, causing Armin to break out into a huge smile

- “Did you know that fireworks originated in China around 2000 years ago?”

Jean

- He’s there with Sasha and Connie

- Marco couldn’t make it as he had to go on vacation to see his family from overseas

- Sasha and Connie are loud

- They’re play fighting, screaming, and just being their usual idiotic selves

- Tonight, however, he can’t take it

- His social battery is already getting drained by all these people so him babysitting them is not gonna happen

- So he decides to take a walk

- It’s difficult to walk though since there’s so many damn people around

- “Hey! Knock it off!” He hears a voice shout

- He instantly looks around and sees you with a guy who’s obviously drunk

- “I said, leave me alone!”

- Jean instantly runs over, barreling over literally everyone

- He pushes the drunk away

- “I think you need a hearing aid, buddy!”

- “Why don’t you mind your own business?” The guy says grabbing Jean’s shirt

- He looks down at the hands, then back up at the guy

- He’s been in this exact same position more times than he can count

- It doesn’t even take that hard of a punch to get the guy to go down

- He’s not knocked out, surprisingly, but he’s definitely reeling

- Jean turns to you and his heart breaks as he sees you shaking

- He notices how pretty you are but pushes that thought away for now

- “Hey, are you alright?”

- You nod. “Th-Thank you.”

- “Don’t worry about it. Do you want me to stay with you in case that dumbass tries anything again?”

- You nod

- “Alright. Then let’s go. He’ll have a harder time finding finding us if we walk away”

- He gently takes your hand and pulls you away

- “I’m Jean, by the way.”

- “(Y/N)”

- You’re still shaken up so when you stop walking away, you wrap your arms around Jean’s waist

- This sets something off in his mind

- You feel safe with him

- You only just met yet your clinging to him like you’re a koala

- Now it’s his goddamn duty to protect you

- He wraps his arm around you to pull you even closer

- “I’m not going anywhere. Don’t worry.”

- You nod, feeling yourself calm down

- He’s nice and warm, even though it’s a warm night

- You feel like you’re meant to be pressed into his side

- Like his side was made specifically for you

- The fireworks start going off and you gasp in delight, completely forgetting everything that happened mere minutes ago

- Jean can feel his phone go off in his pocket, but he ignores it

- He’ll answer Sasha and Connie later

- When he has your number tucked securely into his contacts

Marco

- He’s there with his parents and little brothers

- They’ve always gone to see the fireworks

- They found out last year that his youngest brother has some issues with loud sounds so they made sure to bring along some headphones for him

- Marco’s always secretly hoped he’d find someone while watching the show

- He finds the idea romantic, ok?

- One of his brothers starts to say that he needs the washroom so Marco grabs his hand and pulls him through the crowd towards the indoor event space

- He’s standing in line with his brother when he watches you get into the other line (either for the female washroom or the gender neutral one, he doesn’t know)

- He knows it’s weird, seeing a random stranger get in line to use the washroom and think they’re gorgeous

- But he looks at you nonetheless

- You feel someone looking at you so you turn your head and notice Marco

- You wave slightly and find it adorable how he blushes and looks away

- You’ve actually seen him before but never got the chance to say hello

- You work at a local toy store and so you see him and his family come in often to buy gifts for the youngest children

- He’s never noticed you before so he never read your name tag

- He feels embarrassed that he was caught but pushes the feeling aside as he eventually makes it to the front of the line

- As they exit the washroom, he sees you standing by the exit door

- You’re probably waiting for someone

- There’s no way someone like you came here alone

- “Hi there.” You greet

- He stops in his tracks. “Me?”

- “Who else could I be talking to?”

- Marco stays silent. He can’t believe you’re talking to him

- “I was wondering if you were here with anyone.” You look down at his brother. “I mean, anyone else.”

- “Oh, uh. Just my parents and my other brothers.”

- “Oh, ok. Sorry.” You say. You then fish into your bag and pull out a pen. You grab his arm and write down your number. “Text me when you get a chance. My name is (Y/N), by the way.”

- Before he can form a sentence, you’re already gone out the door. He looks down at his arm and sees your pretty handwriting

- He immediately fishes his phone out of his pocket and adds your name and number to his contacts

- He then quickly sends a text

- “Hey, there. You just gave me your number. My name is Marco”

- It doesn’t take you long to respond

- “Hi, Marco. If you want to join me, I’m sitting on a checkered purple blanket by the play structure :)”

- He instantly rushes his brother back to his parents before running off to join you

- He practically slides on the ground to sit, he’s so excited

- He’s never had someone so into him that they write their number on his arm like he’s in a romance movie

- He’s now just realizing that his fantasy is coming true as the fireworks go off

- You lean against him and he just about faints at the contact

Levi

- Despises fireworks

- Hates them

- They’re loud, bright, annoying and make the air smell like shit

- He’s also surrounded by strangers and kids

- And what do those two things have in common?

- Germs

- And germs brings colds and sickness, which he absolutely cannot stand

- He only came because Hanji was going and we all know how much trouble Hanji can get in when by themselves

- He cringes at the sight of all the people standing around

- It feels like a cult to him

- All these people flock to one place to watch this big event in dedication to this one moment in history

- “I wanna get close!” Hanji says as they begin to push through the crowd

- Levi grabs their ponytail. “No, we’re not going in that cesspool”

- “Aw, c’mon, Levi! We need to get good spots!”

- “Don’t care. Not going in.”

- Hanji grabs Levi’s hand out of their hair and starts dragging him

- Knowing damn well that Hanji consistently forgets to wash their hands, he struggles to pull out of their grasp

- “Stop being so stubborn!” Hanji exclaims, gripping their friend tighter

- Levi grabs their wrist and yanks himself out

- But the force causes him to stumble backwards

- Tripping right over your legs as you sit on a blanket

- “Oh, my god, are you ok?” You ask him, his legs laying right over yours

- “Yeah. Fine.” He grumbles. He’s about to stand up and beat the living shit out of Hanji for making him tumble over a stranger but then he meets your concerned gaze

- He stops moving and wonders if he stopped breathing for a second

- “Seriously, that was a bit of a nasty fall. Did you hit your head?”

- “Uh… No. No, I’m fine. Sorry.”

- “Don’t be sorry, you didn’t mean to.”

- He nods and stands back up

- He looks around for Hanji but they seem to have abandoned him

- Levi clicks his tongue in annoyance “Damn, four-eyes”

- “Can’t find your friend?” You ask

- “No. Probably didn’t even realize that I fell.”

- “You can stay with me until they come back.” You offer

- He looks down at you patting the empty spot on the blanket

- He doesn’t know where that blanket’s been

- Hell, he doesn’t know where you’ve been

- But for some reason, he can’t say no to that sweet face

- So he sits down and crosses his legs

- “I’m (Y/N)”

- “Levi”

- You pull out a small thing of hand sanitizer and put some in your hand before holding your hand out to shake his

- Yup, he’s instantly star struck

- He takes your hand and shakes it. “I see you like your cleanliness, too?”

- “Mhm. I have a thing with germs. Just the thought creeps me out”

- The fireworks start going off and suddenly, he’s seeing them in a new light

- Maybe they’re not so bad after all

Reiner

- He doesn’t mind fireworks

- He’d honestly prefer to be at home and watch them from his backyard but the city banned backyard fireworks this year so he was forced to go out

- He doesn’t go with anyone

- He had a barbecue earlier in the afternoon so now he’s unwinding from having to talk to people

- It’s not that he doesn’t like people, he just likes not having to entertain them all the time

- He’s still a depressed bean so keeping up face is exhausting

- This is his time

- His time to be alone

- His time to-

- His head whips around as you pass him

- He can’t take his eyes off you as you push through the crowd

- So he turns and starts to follow you

- He doesn’t mean to be creepy

- He just hasn’t felt like this in years so he doesn’t want to let it go so quickly

- It’s like you’re a magnet and he’s metal

- Or a witch and you’ve casted a spell on him

- He follows you to the back of the crowd and watches as you walk over to a group of people

- A group that contains other guys

- The feeling washes away immediately and is replaced by more depression

- There’s no way in hell you aren’t here with one of those guys

- “Hey, looks like you’ve got an admirer.” Your friend says as he points to Reiner

- You turn around and see him

- You think he’s incredibly attractive with those broad shoulders and tall stature

- He starts to walk back into the crowd

- You feel your friend push you

- “Go get him! Bring him over!”

- You nod and quickly run back

- “Excuse me!” You grab his shoulder and when he looks down, his eyes widen

- He can’t believe it

- You stopped him

- “I was wondering if you wanted to join me and my friends.”

- “Friends?” He repeats. “Not your boyfriend?”

- You chuckle. “No. I don’t have one”

- He feels his heart leap for joy. “I’m Reiner.”

- “(Y/N)”

- You bring him back and introduce him to your friends

- They all seem jealous that such a fine man wants to talk with you

- You just smile smugly and grab his arm

- He’s so touch starved that he almost gets on his knees for you

- The show starts and you all watch as the sky lights up in different colours

- You rest your head against his strong arm

- He’s pretty sure he feels his nose start to bleed

Bertolt

- He’s afraid of fireworks

- The sound and light brings back bad memories

- Whenever someone sets off fireworks, he immediately turns on a movie, putting the sound on full blast and hiding under the covers

- He does this during thunderstorms, too

- But his therapist wants him to do exposure therapy

- It’s easier for thunderstorms

- He just has to sit by the window in silence

- But fireworks?

- Those only come around every few months

- And his therapist wants him to go to the show

- He only agreed to go if he brings someone with him

- So Reiner and Annie step up to the plate

- She’s pretty nonchalant while Reiner us praising him up and down

- “You got this, Bert!” “Look at you! You’re doing so good!” “You’re gonna own these bastard fireworks in no time!”

- This helps but he’s still nervous as all hell

- The amount of people isn’t making it any easier

- With all the people buzzing with excitement, it’s just churning his stomach

- They opt to stay on the outside of the crowd

- As the clock strikes ten, Reiner puts an arm around his friend’s shoulder

- He feels a bit more confident

- But when that first firework goes off, he’s no more than a small dog

- He basically becomes a mouse

- He just wants to run and hide

- But with Reiner there, he can’t

- Another firework goes off, so he covers his ears

- Another, he closes his eyes

- And when the fourth one goes off, all that churning comes bubbling to the surface

- He pushes Reiner off and runs away, holding his mouth closed under the bile is too much in his mouth and he lets it out into the grass

- “Oh, sweetie, are you ok?” A soft, sweet voice says from behind him

- He tries to look up but he can’t as his stomach continues to empty

- He feels you start to rub his back comfortingly. “Here. Wipe your mouth”

- He takes the tissue out of your hands and wipes his mouth clean

- As he stands up, he turns to you but keeps his gaze down. “I- Um- I’m sorry”

- “Don’t be sorry.” You say. “Are you alright?”

- He finally looks up at your face and instantly wishes he didn’t

- You’re so beautiful that it makes him almost puke again

- Why did he have to be sick in front of someone like you?

- He opens his mouth to answer but a very loud ‘boom’ sounds off

- He drops the tissue and covers his ears

- You can see the poor boy shaking in his boots

- “Oh, sweetie.” You coo and run over to your bag. Your friend was supposed to join you, but she had to go away for the weekend. You just never removed the noise cancelling headphones from your bag

- You hand them over to him. When you see his eyes closed, you gently touch his arm. He finally opens them and looks at the headphones

- “Here. These should help”

- He gratefully takes the headphones and puts them on

- “Thank you”

- He calms down almost instantly. But you can still see him shaking

- So you gently grab his hand and smile up at him

- His hand is sweaty, but you don’t mind at all

- “It’s ok to be scared. I’ll stay with you until it’s over, ok? I’m (Y/N)”

- “I’m Bertolt.”

- Reiner and Annie watch the whole ordeal go down and tease him about it later

- Only he could pick someone up by blowing chunks in front of them

- Safe to say though that you exchanged numbers and talk all the time

Connie

- This boy goes crazy for the Fourth of July/Canada Day

- He’s wearing a hat, face paint, flag shirt, matching shorts, flags in both hands, and even has celebratory crocs with matching Jibbitz

- Safe to say he stands out

- And in a crowd of thousands, that’s hard to do

- He’s there with Jean and Sasha, Sasha being dressed up too but not like him

- Jean in that moment really starts to question where he went wrong in life to get Connie and Sasha as his best friends

- Connie, even though his get up seems finished, needs more merch

- So he leaves Sasha and Jean to man their spot as he pushes through the crowd and up to the stand selling just about everything he could hope for

- Is part of him doing this to annoy Jean more? Abso-fucking-lutely

- He looks at all the items on offer when he notices someone walk up beside him

- He’s mesmerized but not just because you look amazing, but because you match his vibe

- You are wearing a light up hat and a necklace that’s singing the national anthem

- And don’t get him started on your makeup

- It’s way more elaborate than the painted stripes he did on his cheeks

- You look at him and smile widely when you see how decked out he is

- “I thought I was the only crazy one here!”

- “Crazy? Baby, you haven’t seen crazy yet”

- You laugh in response

- He wants to hear you laugh again

- No, scratch that. He needs to hear you laugh again

- So he buys the bubble wand and presses the button so bubbles start shooting out

- He starts screeching the anthem at the top of his lungs like a damn seagull

- You laugh so hard you nearly fall down

- Connie catches you though, so you end up laughing into his chest

- You’ve finally found another person who’s as insane as you are

- Connie knows how rare it is to find another person like him, so he knows he can’t just let you go

- “Are you here with anyone?”

- “Yeah, technically.” You sigh. “But they all thought I was being annoying and left. I was gonna buy something to cheer myself up”

- “No need.” Connie says, linking your arm with his. “You have new friends. Sasha’s like us and Jean actually tolerates our craziness. Pretty sure he secretly likes it”

- You giggle and hold his arm tighter

- “Then take me to thy leader!”

- He laughs and begins to lead you back. “I’m Connie.”

- “Nice to meet you, Connie. I’m (Y/N)”

- Sasha and Jean give each other a look as you two approach. They’ll leave Connie alone for now

- But once you’re gone? They’re mocking the living shit out of him

- Titanic references. Singing ‘A Whole New World’. Humming the wedding tune. Making kissing noises- the whole nine yards

- As the fireworks start going off, he starts screaming the national anthem

- Jean covers his ears and then his jaw drops as you join him

- People start giving you looks

- “Oh, god. Now there’s three of them” Jean says

[fantasylandblues]

modern!lucemond college au

i call this some badly written porn with barely any plot. just kidding, i really love this au i'm building and to imagine how these two develop their relationship. i tried to go for the "x times they fucked" type of fic and also i may have a thing for sex in public places.... erm.... hope you enjoy!

warnings: sexual themes / explicit intercourse

disclaimer: they are both consenting adults in this; if you haven't read it, i recommend you check my masterlist for the explained au, but that's not necessary to understand this piece. i also don't picture them quite like the actors.

18+ work; read at your own caution! hate comments and/or discourse will be blocked.

Aemond's body was mush after his usual couple hours of training at the campus pool. it was routine at this point, to walk into the showers as he slipped off his only piece of swimwear, to untie his hair from the braid he had put on earlier so that it wouldn't tangle. everything was pretty much the same as he stepped under the sweltering water, the stalls empty and silent.

that was before he noticed another body take the shower opposite him; he didn't even hear the guy's footsteps under the stream. there was no need to close curtains in there, not even in busy hours anyway, sportsmen didn't seem to care- or mind the attention. so this man he didn't recognize had just done as he did- which was strange, because there was no one left at the pool besides him at that hour- and was now relaxing under the stream, his back to Aemond displaying a great pair of buttocks, not that he ever cared about staring too much.

he caught a glimpse of the man's fluffy brown hair before it flattened against his neck and, shit, that was the guy from the week before. that made sense. Aemond remembers him, caught like a deer in the headlights and seeming a bit out of place amongst the late-night swimmers as their gazes met by the athletes' benches.

that's alright, he'd bite.

"what brings you here, boy?" he decided to ask in his usual, slightly condescending way.

"same as you," he answered cheekily. "and my name's Lucerys, by the way," he followed, in pretend annoyance.

"that's a beautiful name, Lucerys. i've seen you before."

"and did you like what you see?"

there was a pause, and then Lucerys' shower was off. he seemed to sense the nervousness radiating off of Aemond's skin- it was rare for him, to find himself not in the position of predator, but of prey, and those few seconds seemed to expand into a minute. Lucerys was now standing proudly in the hallway between them, a cheeky smile on his face, having gotten where he intended.

he interpreted Aemond's lack of negative response as a sign to proceed with what he had in mind. Aemond had turned to face him fully, never hiding his interest, ogling him up and down as Lucerys got closer, close enough to bring his hand to his chest, to trail his fingers on it, studying it like he'd never seen anything so perfectly carved from up close. and then their bodies were touching everywhere beneath the hot stream, and Aemond could finally get a good grip on that ass; he'd then turn the man around to face the wall, bite on his shoulder and ears and finally capture his mouth in a dirty, desperate kiss as he slid his hand down his wet stomach and around his cock.

Aemond ground his own cock against his ass to get himself some pleasure relief as he jerked the little brat off to completion. within almost no time of that, Lucerys was kneeling at his feet, worn out and panting to catch his breath before surrounding Aemond's cock with the wetness of his mouth. if his goal was to make him weak in the knees, he succeeded with only one sinful look of his greenish-blue eyes.

Aemond could swear that he desperately tried to assert dominance over the boy's bratty nature, but to no avail. as he dressed himself and finished packing up his things, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was gonna be seeing this absolute menace again.

in front of him, Aemond had a copy of an Encyclopedia of Old Valyria and another hefty book containing details on every ruler in Westeros dating from Aegon the Conqueror. in his note-taking stupor he could've been more aware of the person taking the seat across from him in the college library. he pretended not to notice the head of brown hair for another minute as he scribbled down a note and slipped it across the table.

'are you just gonna be in front of me every time you want something', the note said.

"pretty much, yeah. that does seem to do the trick," Lucerys announced, earning a shush from a nearby student and rendering Aemond a little embarrassed.

Lucerys then got up and walked over to Aemond's side of the table. his eyes glinting with excitement, he leaned in to whisper, "will you help me handle some ancient books, mr. Targaryen?", before walking away and into the secluded section of the library where those kinds of documents were stored. he silently damned his natural hair colour for the instant recognition it provided.

he was only a man, though. he had no choice but to follow.

the room smelled of aged books and manuscripts that had probably been stored away religiously since before the Conqueror's time- yet they could give a fuck about what got damaged once they started going at it. a pair of hands embraced Lucerys' waist from behind as he nonchalantly pretended to look for some ancient scroll, and soon he was giving way for Aemond to kiss and bite at his neck as he let himself be seduced. Lucerys tried to catch Aemond's mouth like before, yet Aemond only pushed him further into the shelf, pressing his hardened cock against his ass and pulling on his beautiful hair, denying him of that pleasure.

Lucerys unbuckled his own belt as he managed to free himself from the man's grasp, positioning himself by an old wooden cabinet of just the right height for Aemond to bend him over good, ass sticking out. understanding the cue, Aemond scrambled to get a condom from his wallet, ripped it open and unzipped his pants just enough to pull it out. he yanked Lucerys' pants and boxers like he hadn't fucked in decades, revealing that sinful, round ass from the week before, and to his delightful surprise, "oh, i'm already prepped, by the way." the little whore. he'd probably done it right before showing up at the library looking all casual and innocent, unlike he'd just shoved a bunch of fingers up his ass.

several times he had to put his hand over the bastard's mouth to muffle his moans, as well as shush menacingly right into his ear, all the while using his waist as leverage to pound deeper into him. Lucerys seemed to like being handled with little care, just how Aemond appreciated to have his way; he was oh so thankful he had allowed him that much control this time, to actually top him like he deserved. Lucerys' pretty, overgrown curls bounced along to their movement as Aemond finished inside him with a grunt, paying no mind to the fact that Lucerys had already finished and gone boneless in his embrace.

it was well past school hours again, his mates already gone from rehearsal as Lucerys was left all by himself up on the stage again, reading from a piece of paper focusedly as he moved about with some tape in hand, marking out the placements for his scenes. he was so much in it that he didn't appear to hear the auditorium doors open- or see the shadowed figure of his new favorite casual fuck enter the room, for that matter, even when he sat himself in one noisy, middle-row chair.

Aemond silently watched Lucerys as he moved about, his pants riding down his boxers every time he kneeled.

"what brings you here, boy?" Lucerys then asked, suddenly, eyes never leaving the script. an unfortunate feat of great acting, 'cause he had, in fact, noticed Aemond.

"same as you" he answered with a grin. there was something about this guy to grow fond of, he knew. "and the name's Aemond, if you even care."

"that's a beautiful name, Aemond, but i knew that already."

Lucerys was positive they'd be all alone at that time of night. he made sure Aemond's gaze followed his every step as he made his way down, dropping his things somewhere along the way and straddling him before he had any say in it. his fresh smell and damp hair gave away that he'd been at the pool before deciding he was up to some more exercising involving Lucerys, and that he knew just where to find him. Lucerys noticed that his hair had a slight wavyness to it, and wondered if he did anything to straighten it on the daily. ceding to his thoughts, he ran his hands through it, gently as the first time they touched. that seemed to do it for Aemond, who was already bulging painfully beneath him but only then decided to shove his hands into Lucerys' pants, grabbing his ass and bringing them closer to one another.

Lucerys then tugged at his gorgeous hair, firmly, and Aemond felt himself losing control, to which he ordered him to turn around. that way he could slam him over the front seats, hopefully.

Lucerys denied. "i want you like this", he'd said, standing up to strip and then unbuckling Aemond as he sat back down. "do you think you can handle it?"

"i can handle your pretty face".

still, it was a challenge for Aemond to not thrust into Lucerys with all he had. the guy was just so fuckable, not in a way he had ever had before, and that attitude of his always drove him up the walls with lust, even though he would never admit it. "and i want to see your chest again", he had also said, sliding his delicate fingers under Aemond's t-shirt. soon enough he was rid of that and his jacket.

"and why is that?"

"if you really want to hear me say it, i missed looking at this greek god body of yours."

"you know, you're not so bad yourself," Aemond said, giving the boy another hard squeeze.

"i know. that's why you came here."

and that was the first time they'd kissed with a feeling deep in their gut that wasn't just the weeks-without-sex kind of lust, but an affinity that grew from being acquainted with each other's faces and bodies. not needing to worry about getting caught, they took their time in there, switching positions, even, as best they managed, and allowing longer, lust-filled kisses. Aemond really missed the feeling of his soft mattress at a moment like that. Lucerys wasn't used to the more domestic bullshit, but for some reason, he let himself be kissed and praised in ways he hadn't allowed others before. Aemond was still to learn how to relish in the powerlessness this wild being made him feel.

i feel like this was messily written so i could really appreciate the feedback! also do support my work by checking my masterlist~ and spoiler: most hotd shenanigans take place in this same universe.

lmk if you would like to be tagged, and thank you for reading!

[blasphemousgoggles]

Strange Mr. Qi

A Mr. Qi x Reader, Part 2 added. I thought this was going to be short.

Warnings: Mr. Qi is the warning (Stalking)

Mr. Qi was, to put it lightly, weird. This may sound rude however you had good reason to think this. While mining, you would be able to get many things such as ores, gems, even artifacts! But you would also find chests, weapons and most importantly notes. The notes had provided you with some useful information on other people but it was a bit confusing. How did all of these notes get into the mines? Some of these are from peoples diaries and you highly doubt someone would rip a page and it somehow gets into the mines. Other notes are drawings which would allow you to find buried items or- a gold statue of Lewis. Why. While strange you could chalk it up to maybe carelessness and coincidence until one note.

“Greetings, Y/N

Have you found my ‘secret’ in the dark tunnel?

I look forward to meeting you!”

- Mr. Qi

You were a bit taken aback because while you had found many notes before, this one had specifically addressed you.

“That's kind of creepy.” you think.

 While you were weirded out, on a whim you decide to see what the ‘secret’ was. The only dark tunnel you knew was the bus tunnel and wouldn’t ya know there's a lock-box! It was missing a battery though. When you had placed that battery pack into the lock-box you hadn’t expected to receive another cryptic note. You don’t really know what you were expecting but now you had another quest to do. Being sent on a wild goose chase to find some guy was the last thing you had expected.

Each note had you complete various tasks such as placing a rainbow shell into a box at a train station or placing beets into Mayor Lewis’s fridge. Out of curiosity you completed each task, and it was pretty fun! It was really refreshing to do something new and it gave you some sort of rush every time you finished a task. You were very interested as to who was behind these letters considering the note had said that he was “looking forward to meeting you”. You eventually had decided to ask around town to see if anyone knew who he was but apparently none of the townspeople knew. It was pretty strange considering that if it wasn’t them then who? Everyone you had asked seemed to have no idea who this person was, you had assumed it was a prank of some sort but everyone had seemed genuinely baffled. Some were concerned if this Mr. Qi was sending you concerning letters but you had assured them otherwise. 

Eventually you had found two notes, one was a riddle to give a dragon his last meal and the other was to make it to level twenty five of the Skull Cavern. Skull Cavern was easy enough but the monsters were stronger than the ones in the mines, and you had received a pretty hefty reward of TEN THOUSAND GOLD.

Your eyes had bugged out when you saw the amount.

“What the-!”

Whoever was sending you these notes had to be hella rich because who does that? You didn’t even have to go that deep!

The riddle however was a bit trickier, you had no idea as to what ‘dragon’ you could feed. After looking everywhere in the valley, it seemed nothing was here so you looked through the desert. You found it! There were the bones of what looked to be a dragon and you had found a small piece of paper in its teeth.

“Its maw gapes at the desert sun. Even in death, it yearns for a taste.”

“That's a bit grim.” you thought. You read the letter again, you have to give the dragon its last meal… and its maw gapes to the sun. Then like a sack of bricks it hits you. Solar essence! That's actually pretty clever. Thankfully you are carrying some solar essence due to your escapade into the Skull Cavern. You place the sun into the dragon's mouth and you see a note.

“You’ve proven yourself, kid. Check out the pile of lumber next to your house.

I’m proud of you.”

- Mr. Qi

Your heart swelled at that. The people pleaser in you was thankful for any praise you can get. The lengths you go for a stranger. You get on the bus to head home, you thank Pam for taking you home and-Wait. Your lumber pile. YOUR LUMBER PILE! That is at your house! When the hell did he make it to your farm?! You would get how he would know where you lived. Your farm was featured in the newspaper and anyone is able to mail you but the only people allowed onto your farm were the people that you knew. This guy would have had to sneak around the townspeople, get over the fences surrounding your house and place something in your lumber pile.

“Hey kid you alright?” You look over to Pam. She looks pretty concerned. Ah right you were thanking her.

“Oh. Sorry about that. I'm fine, thank you for taking me home.” You get out of the bus and quickly head home, internally freaking out.

You run over to the lumber pile and you see a green card sticking out. It has your full name, a photo of you and the words “Club Member”.

“Do- do I have a stalker?” you murmur. You are more than capable of defending yourself considering all the monsters you had slain but it still unnerved you.

You are starting to wonder if it was a good idea to do all of these tasks, much less even meet the guy. You were still intrigued, if you met him he could probably answer your questions and if he tried anything you could most definitely beat him in a fight.

You remember the Oasis. It had a path in the back blocked by a bouncer. Could that be where you need to go? You decide to sleep it off and go in the morning.

At 6:00 AM you’re up and ready. You tend to your crops, feed your animals and harvest whatever you can and put it in the shipping bin. You decide to look into your mail. You have a few gifts from the others, Caroline had sent you some parsnips while Elliot had sent you crab cakes. There was another letter, it wasn’t addressed by anyone but you had a clear idea as to who it was.

“Someone is

waiting for you

on level 100

in

the

skull cavern…”

Obviously it's Mr. Qi. Seriously you hadn’t even met the guy and he has taken up so much of your life already. You could head down to level 100 in the Skull Cavern but you already have plans to get into that club in Sandy’s shop.

By now it's 10:00 AM and you head over to the bus. You thank Pam for taking you and you go over to the Oasis.

Sandy greets you on your way in and you make some small talk.

“You look really thirsty. Here, have a taste of this ice cold milk.” You smile

“Oh thank you!”

Sandy is very pleasant to talk to however you REALLY have to do this now. You head over to the back to the bouncer.

“!!! Is…is that a ‘Club Card’?” Wow he looks shocked. Guess this club must be a big deal.

“Yes.” He nods “You may enter.”

“You’re a club member!?” You look over to Sandy and sheepishly smile.

“I guess so.” With that you step in. You are now in a casino. The first thing you notice is how purple it is. The purple walls have a lovely wavy design and the windows have a purple blanket of stars and the ceiling is also purple as well. The floor however is black and blue with a star pattern on it. There are two card tables, some slot machines, and the fortune teller you watch on TV.

Then you see him. He turns around and smiles oh so warmly at you like you’re an old friend of his.

"It's good to finally meet ya, kid. Welcome to my exclusive clubhouse.”

[fallen-gravity]

Conquering the Inner Ghost

Everything is supposed to be back to normal.

Molly and Ollie are back on great terms again, and Scratch no longer has to worry about being hunted down by ghost-hunting traps everywhere he goes.

Everything should be normal, anyway.

Ollie still flinches every time Scratch moves towards him. Scratch notices that he's still flinching every time he moves towards him.

Notes:

This is supposed to take place sometime relatively soon after Ollie's breakdown at the end of Unhaunting, but it could honestly fit in anywhere in season two after Frightmares. It could even fit in post-Carbon Zero Heroes! It could even fit in five or six years down the line! Intrusive thoughts don't wait for when they're convenient, they just show up whenever they feel like it. But for the sake of the story this comes before Carbon Zero Heroes, and before All in the Mind where Molly has more time to bond with them.

AO3

Everything was supposed to go back to normal.

Well, Molly’s version of normal, anyway.

Now that Ollie’s sworn off of ghost hunting forever and started dedicating his time to “engoodifying” the world in other ways, he and Molly have been spending significantly more and more time together. It seems like anytime Molly’s not out with Libby or Andrea, she’s cozying up in her room with Ollie, doing a terrible job at hiding the fact that she clearly still has feelings for the kid. Even worse, Ollie seems to be none the wiser, but Scratch just chalks that up to the fact that he’s also doing a horrible job hiding his own feelings for her. 

It’s gross. If not for being too lazy, Scratch would pack up his dollhouse and move it into Darryl’s room so he doesn’t ever have to see them being all mushy like that ever again. But…as much as he hates to admit it, he almost prefers things this way, because Scratch has never seen Molly happier than when she’s with Ollie. He’ll take those googly eyes over Molly lamenting over him by laying face-down on her bed and groaning loudly into her pillow any day.

Not to mention that Ollie’s been making large, active strides to being nice to him, too. The louder, more selfish part of Scratch is happy to admit that part’s over with, because that means he can actually start going places with Molly again without having to worry about being caught in another Spectral Snare or having a gun pointed at his head. Ever since the encounter with Blair at the video store, it’s been all smooth sailing from there.

Well, mostly.

Except for one glaring problem.

Which is why everything is not back to normal, despite Molly’s claims that they are.

Despite Ollie’s claims that he’s done hunting ghosts, and despite his claim that he’s gonna work his hardest to become a friend of all ghosts, just like Molly, the kid’s doing an awful job at hiding the fact that he’s still afraid of him, despite time and time again claiming that he isn’t. And okay, sure, maybe it was pretty hilarious at first, watching him jump and flinch every time Ollie noticed Scratch floating over his shoulder, and a petty little part of him thought it was deserved, but come on! Now he’s not even trying to scare the kid, and it still seems like he’s afraid for his life every time Molly leaves them in a room alone for more than two minutes. 

What’s the deal with that? Scratch thought they were over walking on eggshells around him after Ollie practically used him as a snot rag when he was crying over how guilty he felt for how he treated ghosts. That wasn’t all an act, was it? Because if it was, and he’s still conspiring with his family, he’ll-!

“Whoops!” Molly’s exclamation spooks Scratch out of his thoughts, and he shakes his head to clear his mind.

Oh yeah.

He’d almost forgotten.

Ollie’s here right now. 

He and Molly are squished up next to each other under a hastily-made blanket fort on her bedroom floor, watching a B-grade horror movie the two of them had discovered had a cult-following online. Scratch had gotten so caught up in his head that he’d also somehow forgotten that he agreed to watch the movie with them, seeing as he was sitting on Molly’s other side. 

“What’s wrong?” Ollie frowns, sitting up to meet Molly’s gaze. She meets his worried look with a playful snort, and taps at the empty bowl in front of her. 

“All out of kettle corn! I’ll go see if I can get us some more” She smiles, and stands to stretch before she turns to face the two of them. “You two behave yourselves,” she squints teasingly, and points to the laptop. “And I know how awful you both are with spoilers, so pause that for me until I get back”

“On it, McGee” Scratch salutes sarcastically, but Molly, ever used to his shenanigans, simply grins at him before disappearing down the attic steps with the empty bowl tucked under her arm. Scratch rolls his eyes at her, and moves to grab Molly’s laptop so he can pause the movie, but…

Ollie flinches at the gesture. 

As a matter of fact, not only does he flinch at the very simple gesture of Scratch moving slightly closer to him, but he also curls in on himself, bringing his knees to his chest and sighing loudly. 

Scratch groans.

Nothing’s gonna change unless he says something, is it? ‘Cause Ollie’s clearly hit a wall with Molly, and she’s not even the one he’s flinching at.

Curse Molly and her empathy for rubbing off on him.

Scratch sighs, rubbing at his temples. “Okay, kid, I have to ask. What could I possibly still be doing wrong?”

“Huh?” Ollie pulls his head from where he’d buried it into his knees. “What do you mean?”

Okay, no flinch at being directly addressed. That’s a good sign. 

“What do you mean, what do I mean?” Scratch crosses his arms, doing a terrible job at hiding all the frustration in his voice. “What’s with all the flinching? All the acting like I’m out to get you? Is there something I’m still not doing right? How else could I possibly prove to you that I’m not out to get you or Molly?” 

Ollie blinks at that, and adjusts his sitting position so he’s not completely curled in on himself anymore. He opens his mouth, closes it, visibly pauses to think, and just when Scratch thinks that Ollie’s about to drop his nice-boy facade and go on a vigilante ramble about protecting those he loves most, or whatever, he…droops.

“...Oh,” is all he says, which genuinely catches Scratch off-guard. “So you did notice,” he says, but then he scrunches his face in like he feels like an idiot for saying that out loud, like he’s aware how obvious he’s being about it. He finally seems to find the courage to look Scratch in the eyes, and as awful as Scratch is at reading people just from their expressions, even he can see that the kid just looks…tired. Truly, genuinely tired, not in any way that could be fixed by a good night’s rest.

And, well….Scratch knows that feeling all too well. 

“Can I…tell you a secret?” Ollie mumbles, which catches Scratch even more off-guard. If not for being the only other person in the room, Scratch would be sure Ollie was talking to someone else. “And…” he starts to curl in on himself. “...Can you promise not to tell Molly?”

Scratch raises an eyebrow at that, but before he has any time to question why Molly isn’t allowed to know such crucial information, Ollie quickly waves his hands around to defend himself. 

“N-not because it has anything to do with her, promise!” He squeaks. “Or ghost hunting. Or any of that.” He pauses, and turns a little red in embarrassment. “O-okay, actually, it might have to do a little bit with ghost hunting, but I promise it’s not because I plan to start back up again”

Well, Scratch will give him that. If he really were trying to start up ghost hunting again, why would he go to a ghost about it? Especially one who could very easily go and tell Molly about it?

Scratch sighs, his form drooping and relaxing around him. “Alright, kid, I’ll bite. What’s on your mind?”

That must’ve been some incredibly poor choice of phrasing for whatever Ollie wants to talk about, because his face momentarily goes pale before he’s quick to recover himself. 

Ollie sighs heavily as he looks towards the ground, no longer able to look Scratch in the eyes despite having just asked to talk to him specifically. Scratch decides it’s best not to question it, because he has a feeling they’re going to be here all night if he does. 

“It’s just that…” Ollie mumbles, and tugs on the sleeve of his jacket. “I keep having all of these…thoughts. And daydreams. And nightmares. And I can’t make them go away no matter how much I try to get them to.” He looks at his shaking hands, but doesn’t let Scratch ask any questions before he can continue. “I keep having all of these awful thoughts about ghosts. Every time I’m in a room by myself, I keep thinking some ghost is gonna jump out and attack me. Every time I leave the house I feel like a group of those Frightmares are gonna come back and attack my family while they’re vulnerable. I locked all of my old ghost hunting weapons away in one of my old moving boxes in the closet, but I keep thinking that someone’s gonna come at me in my bed while I sleep. Even when I sleep, I have these nightmares about being stalked, about being kidnapped, about…so much worse” 

He starts curling in on himself.

“Worst of all? I still find myself having those thoughts about you. I shouldn’t, and I don’t want to, but every once in a while I have these thoughts that you’re gonna do something to me the moment Molly leaves the room. I know you’re not, but it’s like the muscle memory part of my brain won’t buy it.” He raises his hands in defense again. “I’ve never had any thoughts about hurting or doing anything to you, so you don’t need to worry about any of that, but…” He sighs. “If you’re starting to notice when I get all jittery and nervous, it’s only a matter of time before she starts noticing, too” 

He meets Scratch’s gaze again, like despite all of this venting he’s the one who needs to make a promise to make it all better. “I don’t want to act on these thoughts, I never want to hurt a ghost or any other supernatural creatures ever again, but they won’t stop”

Ollie brings his knees to his chest again and buries his face in them. Scratch can’t make out the look on his face anymore, but the sound of his broken, shuddering breathing is unmistakable.

Scratch is…baffled. He wasn’t sure what to expect when Oliver “comes to Molly for everything because she’s the most reliable person he knows” Chen came to him for a crisis, Scratch “will sell your soul for one spicy chip and spill any secret to everyone he knows if it’s funny enough” McGee, but it certainly wasn’t…that. 

He’s…speechless. Sure, he’s always been awful at providing comfort, but rendering him completely speechless is a feat that even Molly finds hard to achieve.

Scratch awkwardly pats Ollie on the shoulder. “I don’t understand…” he replies, much softer than he intended to. “If you’re having all these awful thoughts about me, why come to me? Why not go right to Molly?” 

Ollie whips his head up at that, his face going pale again. “Are you crazy? I can’t do that! Do you have any idea how she’d react if I told her all of that? She’d never trust me again! She’s gonna think I’m backsliding!” He starts tugging on his hair. “If she finds out I’m having all of these awful thoughts of ghosts being awful she’s gonna hate me! She’ll never speak to me again!” 

Scratch feels terrible for the kid. 

He really does! He feels awful. He knows better than anyone what it’s like to feel like you’re the worst person in the whole universe. He knows better than anyone what it’s like to feel like all the eyes in the world are turning towards you as daggers.

But…does he really think that’s all there is to it? Does this kid really think that one or two bad thoughts he doesn’t even plan to act on makes him the scum of the earth? Does Ollie really think that someone like Molly would stop talking to him when she talks to a ghost like him every day?

Scratch doesn’t even realize that he’d started laughing at the thought until Ollie reacts.

“Hey! I’m serious!” He squeaks. “She’d hate me! I’m a terrible person!”

“Take it easy, kid!” Scratch wipes a tear from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you for being upset”

Ollie blushes. “Then what’s so funny?” 

“I’m laughing ‘cause they’re called intrusive thoughts for a reason, kid.”

“I don’t…” Ollie starts, but pauses to tilt his head. “I don’t follow.”

“You think you’re a terrible person for having intrusive thoughts? Puh-lease. If having intrusive thoughts made you as terrible a criminal as you make it seem, then I should be jailed for the rest of my afterlife.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Scratch sighs, scrubbing his hands down his face. “If you’re a bad person just for having bad thoughts, even those you don’t listen to, then what am I still doing here? I struggle with bad thoughts all the time and you don’t see me doing anything about them, do you?” 

Ollie blinks. “I hardly see you do anything at all.” 

Scratch squints. “Insult aside, my point is that they’re just thoughts, kid. If you’re having all these awful thoughts and you’re actively recognizing that you’re bad, how can that make you a bad person? A real bad person wouldn’t even blink an eye. A real bad person would act on those thoughts without a second thought.” Scratch grabs both of Ollie’s shoulders and shakes him gently. “I know you’ve got this whole savior complex thing going on, but I’ve said it to Molly and I’ll say it to you, too. You’re human. You can’t save everyone. And, well, you’re going to have awful thoughts for no reason sometimes. That’s just how people are.” 

“But…” Ollie frowns. “Mine aren’t for no reason. I did hurt all of those ghosts, and I did used to act on all of those awful thoughts.” 

Scratch raises an eyebrow. “But you stopped, didn’t you? And you’re not listening to those thoughts anymore. Trust me, I know a lot of ghosts who promise to do one thing but fall right back into their own habits the next day. Maybe you were that person then, but you’re not that person now.” Scratch taps at his head. “Your brain’s still fixating on ghost hunting? How’s about it starts going after the ones in your mind? ‘Cause those ghosts are gonna keep eating you alive if you never confront them.” He firmly shakes Ollie by the shoulders again. “Trust me. I know.”

For a few moments, Ollie doesn’t say a word. His eyes just dart nervously around Scratch’s form, but it’s not long before Ollie’s entire body relaxes and his shoulders droop in Scratch’s arms.

“You’re…” Ollie smiles shyly. “You’re right. Thank you”

Scratch smirks, releasing Ollie’s shoulder from his grip to cross his arms across his chest once more. “Don’t thank me too soon.”

Ollie tilts his head again. “How’s that?” 

“You have to talk to Molly about this. If you don’t tell her, I will” 

“What?!” Ollie squeaks. “I told you I can’t do that! Thoughts or no, she’s gonna think I’m backsliding!” 

Scratch only snorts in response. “Molly’s still friends with me, isn’t she? I’m the grouchiest, meanest person she knows and she’s still friends with me. She’s the most patient and understanding person you’re ever gonna meet. I’m sure she’d be happy to recount how long and hard she worked to get me to tolerate her hugs to the point of reciprocating them” Scratch rolls his eyes, but shakes his head when he realizes he’s starting to get off-topic. “Point is that she’s loving. She wants to help those she cares about and she’s not gonna turn away someone who’s struggling no matter the cause. You saw how hard she worked to chip away at you when you were still active in your family business, didn’t you? I’d be shocked if she weren't already ready to work twice as hard to help you figure things out now that you’re actively separated from it.” 

Scratch pauses, and mumbles his next thought, but not nearly quiet enough for Ollie not to hear. “...plus, you know, you make her really happy, and I like seeing her happy, so I’d get upset if you stopped talking to her because of some stupid thoughts. Hunt you down and haunt you for all eternity, and all that” 

He’s feeling too shy to put any real feelings into that threat, but Ollie seems to understand the general message of it all. His eyes turn to stars, and he squeals quietly as he grabs Scratch in a hug. If Scratch weren’t so used to the gesture already from Molly, it would’ve caught him off-guard for sure. 

“Awww, Molly’s right!! You really are a softie!!”

Scratch blushes at that, but before he can awkwardly reciprocate with a pat on the head, the sound of Molly starting her ascent back up the attic stairs startles Scratch out of his thoughts. He quickly (and gently) shoves Ollie out of the way, quick to put his grumpy facade right back on like a mask. 

“I thought I told you we weren’t there yet” He crosses his arms, squinting at the swoopy-haired boy in front of him.

Ollie only laughs in response. “Right, right, sorry” he grins teasingly, all the fear from earlier nowhere to be found. 

[anonymouscomrade]

aC on vacation

so here's a summary of day 1, more later when i feel like getting the photos off my phone

got to a hotel where my brother and his wife are staying because fuck driving several hours when i should be asleep. google maps sends me to a parallel fucking dimension where the hotel was built on the opposite side of the city. also the roads here are somehow iced over when most of the road leading here wasn't so go figure. we try to get dinner and almost everywhere is closed on account of the snow, except for this hole in the wall chinese takeout place, because if you can count on any place to be open, it's one of these. they make the best general tso's chicken i've had in a long time, it turns out

woke up at like four in the morning for our 7:30 am flight, because by airport logic being only two hours early is tantamount to no-showing. this was right after shit got polar so the roads were covered in ice. at the parking place, i tried and failed to get past a barrier before the lever arm came back down again because it was on a slight incline and i couldn't get enough traction to clear it before it closed. this happened like SIX TIMES, it was some Three Stooges shit

our shuttle takes us over to the airport. i stick to my brother like a little kid to his mom because he's done this before and i have not. the flight is going to be five hours. which doesn't make sense to me because the return flight is only supposed to be three and a half. i dunno, maybe headwinds or something? i'm not a fucking pilot. i'm anxious to get this part over with because, again, never flown before. after waiting for clearance for what feels like forever (justified, on account of ice) we're finally in the air. it's... nothing? it's kind of mundane and somehow boring. one of the greatest achievements in human history and the only difference between this and being on a bus packed full of strangers is there's no road to rumble against that eventually numbs your butt, and also it's several degrees of magnitude faster than a bus i suppose

we arrive at LAX and if i didn't already feel like a fish out of water then oh boy. how the fuck do people live like this? how do you figure out who's supposed to go where? it's like living in the Kowloon Walled City, thought the guy who grew up imagining anywhere big enough to have a walmart counted as a "big city"

we get another shuttle, this one absolutely cramped with people, to get to the rental car place. my brother argues with the guy (who isn't even actually *physically* there, he's somehow doing sales over Zoom or some shit) for like half an hour before telling him to cancel the whole thing. turns out they wanted close to four times what he was originally quoted and weren't budging. we decide to get an uber to the closest In-n-Out, because we're in California, and also starving, so why not. we're standing in line looking a bunch of huge dorks carrying around suitcases. if i was ever going to be mugged in broad daylight it would be right here, right now. i order a double double combo, swap out the tomato for onions because raw tomato has all the texture and flavor of a balloon filled with wet sand, and onions and cheeseburgers go together like chocolate and peanut butter. the burger's okay, i guess. the fries are the most boring fries i've ever eaten. at least it's probably the cheapest meal i'll have while i'm here

we take another uber to get to our airbnb, about 45 minutes out. every other billboard is this guy

we arrive and immediately notice something is wrong. it was advertised as 4 bed. there are TWO double beds. this is pretty good if you're two married couples and not so much if you're the double third wheel travelling with two married couples. there's one room with a folding leather futon and not much else that seems kind of pointless and i decide this is where i'll stay. turns out that futon is the least comfortable sleeping surface ever manufactured in human history and there are maybe three exact positions that are even kind of comfortable enough to fall asleep in while lying on it and not having an iron bar press up into your lower back or your shoulderblade or the back of your neck

END OF DAY 1

[bristolianbackpacker]

Day 17 - Cusco

We wake up at 7am as we are still on Rio time and get a delish breakfast cooked at our B&B. The accomodation is really nice - all centred around a courtyard with flowers everywhere.

We noticed that our hands and feet have pins and needles and wonder if it’s the altitude sickness kicking in but it turns out to be a side effect of Diamox - the medication we are taking to avoid the altitude sickness. I do have a bit of a headache today but nothing too much.

I make a quick pitstop to the ATM (the free one only allows 400 soles per card per day) and to buy Boleto Toristico - this costs S/130 each but allows us access to heaps of historical monuments in and around Cusco for the next 10 days.

After Jack is ready our first stop is Plaza de Armas. Cusco is such a cute city - the historic centre is full of historic buildings (albeit some in the main square had been turned into Maccas, KFC and Starbucks) and the flowers in the main square were meticulously maintained. People definitely seem to speak much better English here than elsewhere we have visited. Also everyone here seems to be so much friendlier than Argentina or Brazil! And as a bonus I feel so tall here - Peruvians are one of the shortest average heights in the world! We stop in one of the balcony cafes overlooking the Plaza de Armas for a coffee.

A few other observations we have made about Cusco - it must have the highest number of barbers per capita in the world!! Also the city is much bigger than we had expected. It’s not just a tourist town as was the case for Puerto Iguazú - people are living their everyday lives here too. The streets and footpaths here are sooo narrow (and the traffic and pollution is pretty bad).

We quickly realise that even though it was cold last night, in the sun today it’s baking so we head back to the room via the chemist to get sun screened up.

The second stop is San Pedro Central markets where we pick up some souvenirs and stop for an empeñada for lunch (plus custard flan - this seems to be a thing here - set custard in a glass).

On the way out we realise that heaps of kids are leaving school and think that it seems early to finish up (1pm-ish). However, we also notice that they are all carrying gifts for their mums for Mother’s Day. It’s so cute!!

Our third stop of the day is Qorikancha (the most important temple in the Inca empire). It contained the Temple of the Sun. When the Spanish arrived they destroyed much of the site but as with much of the other Inca ruins they used the foundations and first story walls to build on top of and create Santo Domingo Church. Cusco (and Qorikancha) were the centre of the Inca empire. There were 4 states surrounding Cusco covering areas south into Chile and Argentina and north as far as Ecuador.

Our next stop is Saqsaywaman, it’s a huge citadel on the outskirts of Cusco. We were thinking of walking as it was only 25mins from Qorikancha but we ordered an Uber. Thank goodness we did as it was all up a very steep hill. Once we got there we still had to walk up many more steps to enter the site where the car could not access. This is where we really struggled - simply walking up some steps at this altitude feels like you’ve ran a marathon! Anyway after taking a break and drinking lots of water we made it to the top.

Saqsaywaman’s purpose is thought to be as a fortress, and of course as a temple and for religious ceremonies. The site is absolutely huge but there is little information so without a guide it isn’t easy to understand what we are seeing. The name Saqsaywaman means full eagle, this is thought to be because the last Incan resistance battle took place here against the Spanish and a large number of Incans would have been killed on the flat open grounds which would have attracted eagles. After their success the Spanish dismantled much of the site and used the stones for construction in the city.

Time to pack up our bags again, we are off to the Sacred Valley tomorrow. For dinner we head out to a top rated restaurant in Cusco “Moray” - they seem to specialise in modern Peruvian cuisine. Jack has alpaca tenderloin whilst I order the Aji de Gallina (Creamy Chicken with rice and potatoes). Both are really good!! Back to the hotel it is.