#there’s not even 6 of them in the group

[jarofstyles]

The Favor 12

It’s been 800 years and I’m sorry 😭 now that we reached this point inspo has come and gone so fast. But I got this part done and the next one on Patreon now! I would love to hear thoughts and suggestions, I’ve already implemented some of what you guys have asked for in my planned parts 🩷 enjoy! And happy holidays

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WC- 6.6k

Warnings- mentions of a Dom/sub dynamic, anxiety mention, misogyny, we hate Danny club tee shirts being passed around, tooth rotting fluff, mentions of relationship trauma

Danny hadn’t always been a bad boyfriend. 

At first he had been kind and sweet. With him being a tad bit more outgoing than Y/N, he had brought her into his friend group and integrated her as one of them. He had brought her flowers for their 6 month anniversary, they went on dates on the weekends twice a month, and it was nice. Solid, steady. 

Until he got a little too comfortable. 

Y/N could see it now that she had removed her heart from the equation. Danny was lazy, and it had shown more and more as the year mark hit, and then two years, and she had to remind him of Valentine’s Day, make the birthday plans, schedule the dates, or go along with the plans he’d made with his friends. He would get her gifts on those occasions, yes, but the most stereotypical things. It had lacked thought. Flowers and chocolates on Valentine’s Day were nice! She didn’t want to come across as ungrateful ever- but when he’d gotten her dark chocolate when he should have known she really disliked it, it made it a little less sweet- pun intended. 

If someone were to ask Y/N why she stayed so long,  she wouldn’t have one singular answer. Comfort? Familiarity? Routine? Perhaps lack of self esteem? She wasn’t sure. Being raised to think you had a specific way of doing things, of dating, engagement, then marriage, she hadn’t really been given many other examples. Growing up, her parents had been high school sweethearts, as had both of their parents. There was no breaking up, it was a one and done type of deal. 

She wasn’t sure if that was set in stone, though. It was an unspoken rule, something left unsaid like a thinly veiled threat in the night air. They spoke of the great love story of finding your one and only and it made her feel like she had to stick to that too. She’d never asked her mother about it, because she never really entertained the idea of having any other partner. 

It was easy with Danny in the way that she knew what to expect. She knew his habits, she knew his work, his schedule. She knew his friends, his plans for life, there were no surprises. Nothing that would jump back out and bite her, catch her off guard as he slowly leaned into being less attentive.&

Maybe that’s why even when she started having doubts she had stuck them to the back of her mind. 

There was no denying that Harry had been a very, very big part in all of it. The funny part of it was, she wasn’t sure that the sex bit was what truly got her to reconsider even if it had started it all. As incredible, euphoric as she felt- it was the way she felt afterwards. Before, even. When they sat in his bed and he stroked her cheek, feeding her cubes of cantaloupe or strawberries sliced in half, or when he’d picked up a carton of her yogurt and granola after mentioning what she usually had for breakfast at home. 

It was how gentle he handled her not only physically, but emotionally. He checked in, he cared, he asked her multiple times what she liked and what she didn’t. If it was okay to touch her certain ways, if he could kiss her. Just little things that seemed so minuscule in size if you looked at it from the outside but felt so big to her that it tore at her heart. 

He’d gotten her that damn water bottle, he’d gotten used to washing her hair when they shared showered, he used that tender tone of voice that had her bones feeling flexible as she melded into him each and every time. 

And another thing she had found to like about Harry, was the fact that he was just… dominant in most regards.

It wasn’t overly so. He wasn’t this complete alpha, macho man, fists banging on the chest sort of guy. He didn’t walk into the room and demand to be the biggest and baddest in the room. It was understated, quiet. If you looked at him you could just… see. Feel it. You could see he held it together well, that he liked control in the way he kept things organized and held eye contact regardless of who it was. He very rarely shied away from a situation. In fact, Y/N felt very special for being one of the only people she had seen make him blush or get flustered. 

It was second nature to him to just do. To pick up where she left off. So it did make her wonder what else she could do for him. How she could help him relieve stress. Yes, there was the sexual aspect that she was more than willing to hand over whenever he wanted (no exaggeration- any time, any place) but she wanted to be the person he allowed himself to loosen up with. 

She’d seen glimpses. Silliness and joking, that sort of tenderness that he didn’t seem to give to anyone else, but she wanted to make his life easier. Researching the dynamics between dominants and submissives, she had some questions- but the first thing she needed to do was cut off the dead weight- the only thing holding them back. 

—-

Meeting at the park was a good idea. She could tell by his face that he had a clue what was going to happen and as much as she tried not to, she did feel a tiny sliver of guilt. 

Y/N didn’t necessarily cheat, no. She’d had full permission, ecstatic permission, actually. He’d handed her over to Harry. Being realistic she knew he didn’t realize it would be an option that he wouldn’t get her back. Danny was headstrong in a way she found a lot of men were. He didn’t consider the possibility that she actually did know what she wanted and once she had a taste, she would want that for herself all the time.

“You’re leaving me for him.”

“Not necessarily.” She sighed, crossing her arms around her body. “It isn’t just about him. It’s about the fact that we aren’t compatible anymore, and we haven’t been in a long time.”

Danny scoffed, tilting his head towards the sky. “So, what? I’m nice? I let you go and see and play around to explore that shit and now you’ve gotten addicted to that sort of stuff? We can get you to therapy, because it isn’t healthy. But obviously it was a mistake to hand you off to him-“

“Yes. If you loved me, if you truly wanted me, Daniel- you’d never, ever want someone else to touch me.” She remembered how Harry had said he didn’t want to share her. Look, sure. But never touch. “You said the shit I’m into is weird, you shame me, then pawn me off to your friend which… it’s dangerous. The both of us are lucky Harry is genuinely an amazing guy-“ she shot him a look as he let out a noise but continued anyways. “Harry is amazing and kept me safe. He taught me the safe ways of doing things. And I liked it. I’m not going to lie to you, I really liked all of it and I know you aren’t into it.” For once, her face softened.

“And you don’t have to be. I don’t judge you for not wanting to do it. I never have. I was upset by your reactions and how you made me feel bad, but I would never ask you to do something you truly aren’t comfortable with. But if this is something I want, something I find myself needing to be fulfilled, I’m not going to try to change you or myself to try and salvage a relationship that was barely working anyways.”

“Barely working?” Danny looked genuinely confused. “The fuck are you talking about.” Again, her anger bubbled under the surface, but the exhaustion of the whole thing kept her from exploding. 

“Danny, you barely gave me attention. When you apologized the first time and we went out to the bar, you brushed me off the whole time. You treated me like an accessory. There was no passion to our relationship.” Y/N wasn’t sure how he didn’t see that. “We had the same conversations every day, barely had any excitement. I don’t think you loved me- I think I was convenient. And I don’t hold that against you either, but I think I was convenient to you.”

“That’s just how relationships are! They even out and get a little boring.” He defended, nostrils flaring as he was obviously offended with her observation. She had a feeling he would get that way. It was just another reason why they needed to end things. 

“To a degree. After years of marriage and things settle down, your partner is supposed to become your best friend. And we barely speak to each other if it isn’t about plans, or something you want to. If I feel like talking about something I can physically see you tune me out. This was happening far before you even handed me off to Harry.”

“And he’s going to give you that?” He sneered, looking at her like she was some sort of idiot. It had been very clear since the beginning that Danny really did put people into boxes, and Harry was in the sexual deviant one. He had no ability to see the depth in people and that had always been something that bothered her about him, but seeing it now towards someone she was falling for made her angry. 

“I don’t know.” She snapped. “But regardless if it is him or not, you need to stop that. You just… you learn something about someone and you completely disregard them as people. You knew he was into some different stuff and all of a sudden he’s a whore, some kind of sexual deviant that can’t commit. He’s had partners, long term. He’s caring. He’s kind. He listens to what I have to say. It isn’t just sex every time I go over to his place, you understand that right?” 

He didn’t, obviously, but the way his brows pulled together and he looked at her like he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Did you expect him to string me up and hit me with a paddle a few times and me to run back to you?” She was positive that was the thought process as it was as soon as she saw the face he made. “We bond. We make breakfast or go out for it, we watch shows, we take his dog on a walk- the dynamic of this whole thing goes far past just sex, Danny. It’s trust. I know you did minimal research into what this actually is, but I’m telling you that we weren’t just going at it like bunnies. I’m not hypnotized by his dick. He’s so nice to me, and he listens, and he….” Y/N could feel herself getting emotional, so she had to reign it in. He didn’t need this sort of response from her. 

“Listen. I’m sorry. I know we had plans, but they’re not for me anymore. I have no idea if Harry wants to actually date me or not. I have no clue where my life is going, but I just don’t see us being together anymore.”

——

It was a bit anticlimactic. Danny couldn’t really argue with her, (even if he did try a few times). Not when it was so abundantly clear her mind was made up. It was over. Regardless of what he thought about Harry or her sexual preferences or anything she liked, it was her opinion that mattered. She’d been coasting for so long that she had forgotten how it felt to actually be behind the wheel. As terrifying as it was to navigate- it felt good. 

“A mixed box, please.” Y/N politely asked the worker at the donut shop, knowing Harry was a bit of a fiend for a donut with his coffee. “An extra chocolate though, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course! Half or whole dozen?” 

“Whole, please.” 

She checked her phone to see a text waiting from him, her mood lightening immediately as her eyes traced over the screen. 

H: You alright, sweetheart? Please text me when you’re on your way here x. 

H: p.s. I miss you a little. 

Her heart felt like it grew too big for her chest as she took a shaky inhale, thumbing over the keyboard to reply to the man. It had been ages since she had gotten giddy over a man texting her, Harry being the first one since she’d left school honestly. It wasn’t that she wanted to constantly compare her past relationship with him, but it was hard not to when everything felt so much better.

Y/N: hiiii ❤️ I’m good. I made a stop but as soon as I’m done here I’ll be on my way. Maybe 20? 

Y/N: p.s. I miss you a little bit too 

Tucking her phone back in her pocket, she thanked the girl and checked out at the register, tapping her card before taking the box and walking back out to her car. 

She was a single woman, now. Sort of? That was sort of a mystery. She was Harry’s. The fact was clear both in her heart and the bruises sucked over the swell of her breast, also coincidentally over her heart. The question laid in his hands, if they were an actual item or not. He’d proclaimed she was his what seemed to be a million times but how far did that go? 

It wasn’t like she was dumb- she knew there were feelings in both ends. Men didn’t act like that unless they were actually wanting you. She knew she wasn’t completely naive for feeling somewhat confident that Harry would want her, but it was the question of in what way. As a submissive? As a girlfriend? That question would be asked tonight, but right now she really just needed a hug. 

There was no need to knock anymore as she scales the porch steps and approached the door, instead punching in the code to his security system and pushing the door open. The clicking of nails alerted her to Buttons before she even saw the pup, eagerly running towards her with a happy yip. 

“Hello, my darling.” She cooed, hanging her purse up on the hook and toed her shoes off. “These are not for you, M’sorry. We can get you a treat though. Where’s daddy, hm?” 

“Kitchen!” He called through the house, making her smile widen. She could smell coffee, the dark roast permeating the air as she padded towards the room. It was one of the best times of day to be in the room, sunlight pouring through the wide windows. Even better to frame him as he leaned against the island, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. 

He was always beautiful, but seeing him in this light- literally and metaphorically- had her tummy swirling. His hair fluffy from the shower this morning and pushed off his head, the facial hair he had let grow because she said she liked it, the tee shirt tucked into linen pants, all of it was enticing. It felt more intense now that there was no real barrier holding her back from allowing her to think those sorts of things about him. 

“Excuse me, miss? What’s in that box?” His voice tilted as his smile grew, looking at the familiar pink box. 

“You know what’s in the box.” She hummed, placing it down next to him. “It’s where I stopped. I’m sorry to say I broke into them and ate a chocolate one on the drive here, but there’s 11 others in there for you to choose from.” 

“How will I ever forgive you.” His eyes rolled as he uncrossed his arms and pulled her into them, seeming to know what she needed before she could even utter a word about it. He knew what she went to do and while it was exciting, he knew she had been slightly anxious about the reaction. “You alright, darling? Seriously?” 

Y/N wasn’t sure if it was being in the safety of his arms and realizing that he was the only one she felt this safe with, if it was the slight exhaustion from not being able to sleep well, or the emotion of letting go of something that had once felt like her life, but she felt the wall hit her. Nodding into his chest, she stayed buried there as the tears bubbled over her lashline. 

“Oh, Angel. M’sorry. That’s a dumb question.”’he sighed, curling his hand around the back of her head and gently running his fingers through her hair. “I know. S’been a lot, the last few weeks. But you’re safe here, yeah? We don’t have to talk about it, or we can. It’s up to you.”

She knew he did want to. He wouldn’t press her because he was a good man and he was considerate of her feelings, but he wanted to know what happened and considering the entirety of this, she wanted to. It just… needed to be in a minute. Arms wrapped around his form as she took in unsteady breaths, trying to calm herself down. It was easier said than done when he felt like the lifeline now, but she didn’t want to cry over it. 

“We can.” She gave a watery laugh as she turned her cheek to rest on him, letting herself breathe properly instead of keeping herself shoved against his body. “I’m not upset because we broke up. I-I don’t really care about that, actually. I’m glad. He didn’t take it well but he also didn’t throw a tantrum. It just upset me because I was seeing him for one of the first times as who he was instead of m-making excuses and I felt a little dumb for staying for so long.” It was embarrassing.

Harry knew she wasn’t done so he didn’t interrupt, continuing the soothing strokes as she stayed leaning against him. “He puts people in boxes. Like he… he thought you were one dimensional and so was I. Thought that I didn’t actually know what I w-wanted, and that we were just fucking this whole time. Couldn’t believe that we were actually bonding and that you could possibly like me, or vice versa, outside a bedroom.” Her scoff made him chuckle just a bit, leaning his head down to kiss the top of hers, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. 

“And it really hit me how he couldn’t fathom that you have feelings that go past sexual deviancy or that I actually know what I want and I wasn’t just addicted to sex or something. Did you know he used to get me chocolates for Valentine’s Day but he’d get dark, and I hate dark chocolate.” She sniffled. “Or he’d make me plan stuff because I was ‘better’ at it. I just felt in charge of everything except plans with his friends, unless it had to do with getting a gift for a wedding or baby shower or birthday. Then I could handle it because… I don’t know. I was leading the whole thing and I wasn’t getting anything in return and I’m just now realizing how shitty I felt the whole time. I think I just coasted the whole time b-because my family did the whole high school or college sweetheart things and I felt like I needed to, too.”

It made a lot of sense to him, now, why she felt she needed this. The dynamic. Naturally submissive, he knew, but being forced to take the role that she didn’t want for the sake of a relationship she was trying to keep afloat merely because she felt a responsibility? His poor fucking girl. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I know it isn’t exactly the sort of thing you want to hear and it won’t make it better, but I’m sorry. It hurt you, it made you feel under appreciated and taken for granted. You didn’t deserve any of that.” 

It wouldn’t make a difference now but he wished he had met her first. Met her before Danny had gotten to her and been able to snatch her up, give her the sort of attention she properly needed, take care of her the way she had always been craving. For someone who didn’t naturally have that sort of instinct he had to imagine it was exhausting. Harry took pride in being the planner, the provider. He liked being in charge and knowing what was happening, making things easy and smooth. But for Y/N who already didn’t want to be doing it, he knew it had to have felt like she was trapped. 

“M’never going to make you do those things.” He murmured. “Not if you don’t want to. I don’t… it isn’t something that I’d ever want you to do if you didn’t want to. There is no right or wrong way to have a relationship, but the burden shouldn’t fall on only one person if they don’t want it to.” He smeared his lips in a ring of kisses around her hairline. “I know you don’t need me t’tell you that how you were treated wasn’t right, but I hope you know that you can tell me if you ever feel that way. If you… if you don’t want to do something, you don’t have to.” There was a pause. “When we’re not playing.” 

“I was gonna hold you to that.” She laughed against him, pulling her head back to look at him. “So, um.. I didn’t want to assume anything, but I’m gonna now and think that you want to.. that you like me enough to keep me around?”

Harry looked at her for a few moments before shutting his eyes, dropping his head to rest on hers. “If I hadn’t made it clear before, I think M’gonna make it even clearer now.” 

Y/N didn’t have a chance to breathe before he scooped her up to sit her in the counter, their lips fused together in a kiss she hadn’t fully felt before. Something he had held back, it lingered under it all as she easily melted into him.  It felt different, like a barrier had fallen off with the way he handled her. It was still delicate, still tender, but there was no hint of hesitancy in the way he led the kisses, smoothing his thumbs over her cheeks as he cupped her face in those massive hands she loved so much. Unhurried, unrestrained but no sense of urgency. 

Like he knew now he didn’t have to rush, that he had more time to prove to her that he meant every unspoken word he poured into this. 

The slight salt of her tears reminded him to pull back, to pace himself. Oddly enough, he had no urge to have sex right now. Everything was soft. Silky. Lovelaced and sweet, hinted with the motivation to give her the relationship that she deserved. It meant he’d have to ask her what she would want, but right now he just wanted to bask in the feeling of her in his palms and the warm sun and sugary donuts in the box and the strong coffee finishing its brew across the kitchen. 

“Hi.” He smiled lightly as he pulled back, eyes hooded as he watched hers peel open to meet his own. Her lips were bare of anything but chapstick he had faint taste of- strawberry, he was positive of it- and slightly puffy from the kiss that had gone on for a bit longer than they should have been able to breathe. 

“Hi.” Her voice was a peep as the shyness took over her face, but Harry didn’t let her move from it. As much as she wanted to burrow back into his chest, he kept her chin up. The energy was palpable, giddiness rocking his belly as he tugged her lip from her teeth. No biting of lips near him, not right now. Even if it was cute. 

There was a lot to speak about in regards to them as a pairing, but he wanted to soak in this warmth for a bit before getting down to the gritty bit of it. The girl had brought him his favorite sweets, and he wanted to enjoy them with her.

“Do you want some coffee?” 

“Tea, please.” 

—

Harry hadn’t been positive Y/N would go through with it. 

That wasn’t a fault or doubt of her person, not at all. But he knew that she really didn’t like hurting people. That much had been something he’d learned very early on in knowing her. She had been mindful of Danny’s feelings the whole time, trying not to flaunt any of it in his face and not giving details unless he asked- which he hardly did. 

They’d not really gotten any sort of response about what they’d done in front of him but Harry knew he wasn’t going to say anything about it because he would be too ashamed to admit it. He wasn’t shocked, though, when he got text messages during the day while Y/N slept soundly on his lap while watching a movie as Harry worked on his phone. She never could stay awake when the movie turned on and he played with her hair. One hand had been gently massaging her scalp while the other typed on his screen when the message popped up on his screen. 

D: I don’t know what the fuck you did to her but I hope you’re happy. I trusted you with her, man. And you fucking stole her. She was mine. That shit you’re into is disgusting and you’ve brainwashed her or something, it’s fucked up. 

Harry almost laughed at the message until he remembered what Y/N had been so upset about. The fact she hadn’t been seen as a person with her own emotions and feelings during the duration of the relationship had hit her. It may have started out good but it ended badly when she realized that he didn’t think she could choose what she liked. This was a prime example of it. 

HS: I get being upset, but I didn’t steal her. She isn’t property. She’s capable of making her own decisions and you texting me something like that proves you don’t trust her judgment yet again. I’ll do my best to make her happy, I care about her more than you can fathom. 

HS: I won’t be by any group gatherings, so don’t worry about that. Bye. 

Harry muted the conversation. 

It really wasn’t something he needed to talk to about with him anymore. He wasn’t sorry, he didn’t regret anything, he didn’t think what they did was fucked up. He could go back and forth about how Danny had been the one to hand over his girlfriend and push her right into Harry’s arms but at what cost? Why would he bother? 

She was curled in his lap, head on his thighs with soft breaths puffing against his shirt. Buttons laid at his dog bed near the fireplace and he felt that happiness bubble up in his stomach again. This was what he wanted. 

The dominant and submissive dynamic was something he loved and he enjoyed, absolutely. But the base level of his desires was wanting a real relationship with this before all the rest of it fell into place. Happiness at the most base level, trust, peace. Finding the delicate balance. 

His eyes traced over her features as his mind wandered a bit. Was a full dynamic what she wanted? Was she looking for commitment right off the bat? Or did she need a little breathing room? 

That didn’t seem as likely considering how she’d come right back home to him. 

The knowledge that she didn’t have anything holding her back was something that pleased him endlessly. He didn’t have to worry about stepping on toes. While they hadn’t expressed out loud that they wanted to be in a full and committed relationship, he knew she wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want to be. 

If he was honest with himself, he knew that an emotional affair had played a part in it. The both of them had been feeling things for each other for a bit, at least for him it had been a while. Y/N had poured her trust into him and he had taken that very seriously. He’d done his best to keep himself in check but now he really didn’t have to. 

It was astounding how fast emotions could form, how feelings could grow from a seedling planted in the pit of his belly to a full bloom that burst through his chest. She’d made a garden inside of him and he wanted her to see just how beautiful it could be, if she gave him the chance. A real one. 

Harry the dominant was one part of him but it wasn’t the whole part. He was a fully fleshed out human with faults. He was picky about keeping his house clean, he could be a bit pushy sometimes, he tended to isolate when he was upset about something. There was hints of insecurity and possessiveness in his personality, jealousy. God, he was a pathetically jealous person even if he tried to keep it under wraps. These were things she hadn’t exactly gotten to see, even if there were glimpses here and there. The underlying anxiety was there and prevalent that maybe she’d see those parts and not like him as much. 

The reminder that Y/N wasn’t that cruel circled back around and called him some, smiling as he felt her stir and scoot closer to him. Her nose nuzzled into his stomach, slow breathing evening out as she got comfortable again pressed up against him. The reminder that she also had faults that he hadn’t exactly seen yet was a comfort. He doubted that anything would truly scare him away, though. The obsession was already in place. 

“M’gonna do my best.” He whispered quietly, letting the back of his hand brush her warm cheek as she snoozed, unaware of his tender words under his breath. Unaware that it felt like he was holding the world in the palm of his hand now, and it was slightly terrifying as he tried to ensure he wouldn’t break it. “Gonna take care of you, sweet girl. Promise.” 

——

Their dinner was quiet. Harry had put on jazz music that was understated beneath their talking, the food was good, but there was no denying that they both knew a conversation laid ahead that would be a defining factor. 

As much as Harry tried to be calm about it, he was slightly nervous. Y/N looked slightly anxious and he tried to keep his shoulders relaxed but it was hard to when he was unsure what part she was anxious about. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long. 

“I’m over Danny.” She blurted out. The dam had splintered and she felt like she couldn’t keep it back anymore. “I think I was over him for a long time. if he was in love with me, he would have never sent me to fuck around with someone else. If I was truly in love with him, I wouldn’t have agreed. I wouldn’t have been so eager to come and see you. It has been bothering me for a bit thinking maybe I was a bad person for wanting to move on so quickly but I think I had accepted subconsciously that it had been over for so long that it made it easier for me to feel almost single when I was around you.” Taking a gulp of air, she continued. To his credit Harry didn’t interrupt, merely folded his hands on the table and looked intently at her. 

“The last thing I want you to consider yourself is a rebound, though. I’ve been torn because… while I know I like you a lot, and I do- I really do like you,” she paused to give him a nervous smile. “I wanted to make sure that you understand that I never saw you as someone to move on with when I wasn’t distracted by him in the first place. Every single time we were together I forgot about him. As cruel as it sounds… maybe the first time I had thought about how much better it was and how this was what I was missing, that I knew he’d never be capable of the things I wanted- but being with you was never about him for me.”

Y/N knew she was a flawed individual and it wasn’t a secret. It wasn’t morally right to most people and she understood that. But this had felt like a natural turn of events for her.

“You’ve been at the forefront of my mind since we first met up at the coffee shop. I always thought you were slightly intimidating and very handsome, very kind- but once I had the go ahead to think of you as more, it never stopped. It only grew.” Her eyes dropped to her mostly finished plate as she took a deeper breath. It felt like an avalanche of words were trying to come out, all the things she had held back coming out now that she felt safe enough to. 

“I thought at first it really was a favor to him, that you were doing this because you were a good friend. But I… I’d like to think I have good enough senses to know that you enjoyed it too. You paid me more attention than anyone else ever has. From the texting to check in and remembering things I said off hand, to getting me things that are so unique to me and our conversations… it blew me away.” Her fingers fiddled with the napkin before she braved his eyes again. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I… I really would like to try. With you. The um, the dominant stuff too, but… more? If that's something you’d want.” 

“It is.” There was no hesitation in his answer, knowing she was losing steam in her rant. “It’s what I’ve wanted for a while. I tried very hard to be respectful at first, you know…” he swallowed, trying to find the words. “I wanted to be respectful because of you. I didn’t want to get out of turn. And then… I started to care less about it when I saw how little he cared about your relationship himself. I didn’t take the favor on directly because he asked me.” This was a revelation, just a bit. “I took it on because I knew you, I knew the… I know how it is wanting to try something and feeling like you’ve got no options. I also know how dangerous it could be with the wrong hands on you. And I cared for you, back then more so as a friend but I cared and didn’t want you to have a bad experience. I wanted it to be safe and pleasure filled and selfishly, I was attracted to you as it was.” 

He may have fooled himself into thinking it was for Danny but he knew deep down why he had done it. 

“I think that you took me by surprise. How well we worked together from day one. It felt like… you were made for me. Y’know?”

“Yeah.” She peeped. “I felt the same.”

The small smile on his lips was a reward for her, the table being a good divider for now. If it wasn’t there he knew he would be distracted by wanting to touch her. “Good. I was taken back by it and I wanted more n’more, I got selfish and greedy for a bit. I broke a little, having you in the cafe bathroom. Doin’ that, it was selfish for me. For us. There wasn’t anything pre planned and I knew by how you reacted I wasn’t exactly alone in the want to do more but I didn’t want to make you feel guilty, so I kept it back for a bit.”

It had been so difficult not to beg for me. Ask her to come over during the week when he felt especially lonely. Even just to have her sit in his bed and leave her scent all over the sheets or hear her padding around while he worked. That was the domesticity that he wanted. “It’s been more than sex for me for a while. I know the dynamic is more than that too, but I found myself wanting you around more. Wanting to do more things with you than what we were supposed to do. When we went out the first time together, had me all sort of nervous in the good way and I realized I was getting myself into something that could be really good, or really bad.” His heart had been on the line the whole time. 

“Listen.” Leaning forward, he clasped his hands together again as he had her eyes. “I want t’be with you too. I want more. I want… the fun side where we play and go to the club, all of that. But I want more, too. The dinners and having you in my bed, without fucking. The softer things. I know that in the past you mentioned you had to control everything in your last relationship and I wanted to warn you that m’not like that- I like control in all areas of my life. It’s one of those things I’ve tried to work on a bit. Not necessarily of you in the traditional sense but… I like t’plan the dates. I like to feel needed, don’t mind bein’ the one to take care of you as long as you save that softness for me. Jus’ like you loving on me and being that sweet girl that you’ve shown me so far, and it’ll make me happy.” His hands itched to grab her. “Does that sound like something you can deal with.”

“It sounds like it’s perfect.” A shaky laugh left her as she felt slightly like she was dreaming. “I want to know more about how I can give back to you if you’re doing all the controlling but I… I really like that idea. I don’t mind you being the one to do all those things.” His version was exactly what she wanted. 

“Good.” The sigh of relief was enough to relax his shoulders. “Now c’mon over here. You’ve been far away from me for far too long.”

Y/N scrambled up and rounded the table, a shy smile lighting up her face as she sat in his lap and giggled in surprise as his mouth met hers, eager and languid as his large hand held her hip. She felt safe. Giddy. Warm. She could get used to this. 

[klldyousoz]

S.R x alt!reader

In which the team catches Spencer staring at the “alternative chick” across the bar.

Warnings/genre: Fluff, reader is referred to as a woman and girlfriend, slightly feminine reader (description of makeup,skirt etc), not so secret relationship, brief cm content in the beginning.

Second/third person (idk), Enjoy!

The team had been in California for a week to investigate a string of kidnappings in the downtown area. The case contained its usual horrific scenes and events but luckily the skilled team of agents were able to find the unsub and arrest him without any extra gore. Leading to where they are now. At a bar for drinks somewhere in Virginia.

Spencer’s eyes are focused on your every movement, zoning in on every feature of yours from your precisely styled hair and makeup down to your intricate flowy skirt, paired with the equally as intricate shoes he insisted on buying for you. He longs to hear your laughing and feel your touch but is unfortunately aware of his own rule to keep you two private from the world, not wanting any harm to come to you because of his line of work. Right now however, Spencer has decided he hates that rule.

The team were on their second round of drinks when people noticed Spencer’s sudden lack of attention in the conversation, but instead focused on a group at the other side of the packed bar. The smirk on his face was hard to miss and inevitably caught the attention of Derek and Penelope, having finished being in their own little bubble.

“Hey pretty boy,” Derek teases, “pretty boyyy?”

“Hm” Spencer responds, forcing his eyes away from across the bar to focus on Derek.

“Who over there has got you so caught up?” Penelope questions, the whole team now paying attention to their conversation.

“Nobody. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Spencer quickly defends, causing a giggle from the girls at his nervousness.

“Sure you don’t,” Derek replies sarcastically, “So you don’t mind if I just, go over there?” Derek teases again.

But before Spencer can answer in protest or stop the, Derek and Penelope are already out of their seats and making their way over to you and your group of friends.

Although Spencer can’t hear much of your conversation over the bustle of the bar, he can imagine you recognise his two colleagues from the many pictures in his apartment as he notices your eyes widening at the realisation and your gorgeous smile making an always welcome appearance on your face. He thinks you’re an angel.

Soon enough, you begin to head over towards the table him and the remainder of the team occupy, excluding Derek and Penelope who are a few steps behind you with cheesy grins plastered on their faces.

Your smile hasn’t faltered and is still adorning your face as you near the table.

“Hello everyone, you must be the rest of Spencer’s team!” You beam while meeting the individual gazes of everyone including Spencer’s gazes.

Most of them stare cluelessly except for Spencer who is blushes in your unprompted presence. After a few seconds of silence, Derek thankfully cuts the tension and explains,

“This beautiful woman here seems to know Spencer pretty well. Do you care to explain that to us all pretty boy?” He says with a wink.

Spencer blushes even more at the sudden turn of heads in his direction, feeling your piercing gaze along with his colleagues inquisitive looks.

“Well uhm everyone, this is y/n. My girlfriend.” He stammers saying the last part in a hurry whilst gesturing towards you.

The table erupts into a flurry of “hello, nice to meet you”, compliments directed towards you and your style with the occasional “I didn’t know Spencer had a girlfriend” to which you responded,

“He’s been keeping you guys from me for 6 months. Can you believe?” You joke with a fake pout on your lips.

“Well we need to make up for lost time then.” Jj claims.

“Reid, the next rounds on you. We have some questions to ask!” Emily demands in agreement. The rest of team then seconding her idea.

Spencer sighs, already feeling sorry for his bank account about to feel the consequences of his team’s expensive taste but all distain is gone as soon as you slip into the spot next to him. And as soon as you kiss him sweetly in greeting and then again for fun, he knows he’s going to have a good night even if he’s the target of all teasing tomorrow. He’s glad you’ve finally met his makeshift family and knows he’ll not regret this unplanned introduction.

A/n: Hi all, this is literally my first ever actual oneshot not just hcs! Any tips are appreciated and of course any interactions! Thank you guys for reading!

[hotcupoteckla]

There are other dangers when joining the military these movies never depict:

1. Because their job is to brainwash you, that leaves you vulnerable to other brainwashers.

Military base cities are rife with other grifters who look for shortcuts in life, and one of those shortcuts is taking advantage of new recruits who don't know themselves well enough to resist experimenting/outright lies.

A buddy of mine nearly got turned into a gay giggalo in the sex traffic surrounding his first base, because the brainwasher he ran into saw the hero/spy complex in his wardrobe and played into it as an "FBI Recruiter" who was "looking for candidates on a counter-intelligence mission." It devolved rather quickly from there. He got out of it, and did get help, but not before he became suicidal over it.

If you get lost and are being used and abused, the military will blame You.

They will get you help, provided you aren't AWOL, but their judgement regarding it is it's on you for getting brainwashed by bad guys. ( <_<)

He will never get to pursue his dream of becoming an FBI agent, because of the brainwashing and medical history on his record.

2. Rape is rife in the military, and even though it's really bad if you own a vaginas, it's Not Great if you have a penis either.

And you will be blamed for your own victimization.

3. How fucking close you are to Poverty at all times unless you make do while on base.

4. There ARE people/supervisors who will care about your survival, generally speaking, and it's mostly because it is inconvenient to retrain cadets/privates, etc.

The main way they show they care is in their level of preparation. The more prepared and informed the group is, the more likely you are to survive. If you feel unprepared, welp, it's on you and your supervisor to figure out how to make it work. Better hope your supe has connections and is friendly with the suppliers.

Even those generals do care about your survival, because of Money.

See, the less soldiers die, the more likely they are to get funding. Everyone likes investing in a low-risk, high-yield operation, particularly the corporate interests who asked for your life to be put on the line in the first place.

That's right, you are nothing more than dollar signs and budget lines.

You have to put your life on the line, obey all these obsequious abd detailed traditional rules, hurry up and WAIT for anything, all for what? College loans you might not have to pay back if you keep your grades high enough to qualify?

If you could do that, why are you here?

So they do care about your survival. They want to minimize their losses. That's why the Top Gun II movie plot was depicted as being so juicy.

They could get everything they want and only have to worry about losing 6 people and a trio of older generation planes? Yeah, they don't have to worry about losing 20 platoons of Marines, nor their other actual assets, the modern planes, the already trained fighter pilots?

Fuck yes, minimized losses! Only Maverick cares, and he only cares because he feels he killed this Rooster kids dad? Fuck him, he's never really been one of Us. He's Maverick. He's gonna do what he wants to do anyway. Short him and his options, and if he gets them all out, good for him.

Dollar Signs & Budget Lines, friends.

Don't forget to Buzz the Tower.

Mission Accomplished

[love-byers]

alright let's go through these

1. "will living with the wheelers"

though this hasn't been confirmed, it is very likely. will at one point is biking with holly and mike. what reason does he have to be with them if he lives nowhere near mike? the only other logical options are that he lives at the radio station or the cabin, which there is no proof for. and why would he be with holly then? there's also the bts pic where there are 3 extra chairs at the wheeler's kitchen table.

i mean, seriously, where else do you think will would be living? he's in school, he's not in hiding. he's biking with holly and mike. like let's be fr

2. "byler drunk in a bar"

this is just canon. confirmed. mike and will and some other characters were filming at a bar. leakers said it's a scene where the group are getting "shitfaced" because times are changing and they want to have fun. mike and will are a part of that

3. "subplot dedicated to the painting"

why would there not be a painting subplot?? the duffers literally said it will pay off to finn, like this is just a fact 😭😭

4. churchgate

churchgate was just a theory. it was never set in stone.

5. birthdaygate

okay can yall stop with this💀 birthdaygate isn't even a gate anymore it's just canon. the duffers never changed will's birthday, it still says march 22nd in the show and they've wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah himself posted a picture on march 22nd with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. -Joyce Byers"

what else do you think is going on here?? clearly something is going on with everyone's memories of will's birthday, and it will be fully explained in s5. like this is not up for debate anymore

6. flickergate

again, this was just a theory. many wanted it to happen but it was a THEORY.

meanwhile you rlly think three waterfalls is real icb💀💀

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi Miss Raven! Wanted to ask if you knew why Sebek calls everyone human even though human beastmen fae and merpeople are all referred to as different races? I think Lilia and Malleus also call all the non-fae races humans too so is it just how fae categorize races as "us vs them"? Thank you!

Yes, I do believe that fae tend to refer to other races as "human". This may stem from fae being a very isolated and exclusionary group compared to other races and/or general fae arrogance. However, I also think it's possible that they use "human" as a catch-all or even substitute for "mortal" or something similar. This is because (at the end of book 6), Malleus and Lilia have an exchange which implies that all other races have significantly shorter life spans than fae do, hence why, at least to fae, they see the world as "us" (fae/long-lived) and "them" (humans/short-lived):

Yuurei-san actually has an excellent post on this topic which compiles many examples of Malleus, Lilia, and Sebek using "human" to refer to all non-fae races. You should definitely check it out! ^^

Update: In the light novel, Ace says, “Here, we call everybody human - merfolk, beast people, and people like us, too.” Fae are not included in his wording.

[aventurineswife]

Stages of Shadows:

R O U N D 6

[Special thanks to Natto for graciously allowing me to use their incredible artworks. Please support their amazing work by following them on Instagram: @yattapan. Thank you, Natto (if you're reading this, lol), for once again allowing me to use your artworks with full credit given to you! I hope you enjoy this!]

The stage was dimly lit, the harsh spotlight casting long shadows across the stage. The crowd’s noise had faded into a low hum, like a distant storm that threatened to break at any moment. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, but Aventurine was numb to it all. His usual flamboyance, his mischievous grin, and the gleam in his eyes—those were gone. The man standing on the stage now was a shell of what he had been, his once vibrant persona buried under the weight of exhaustion and sorrow.

Aventurine stood center stage, his posture slumped, a stark contrast to the usual calculated, confident air he used to project. His hand gripped the microphone, but his fingers were tight around it, as if it were the only thing keeping him anchored to reality. He was clad in black clothing, an ensemble that matched the dark emptiness swirling inside him. His eyes, once sharp and calculating, were now hollow, distant, staring at nothing in particular.

‘Where are you, [Name]?’ He thought, the weight of their absence like a heavy stone pressing down on his chest. ‘Why did you have to leave me?’

The music began to swell, but it didn’t stir him the way it once did. His voice, when it finally came, was quiet at first—a murmur lost in the sea of noise. But as the lyrics flowed from his lips, they carried an emotional depth that seemed to shake even the hardened audience.

“Allow me, to the tips of your fingers

Allow me, to the ends of your feet

Dissolve me in your gaze

I don’t want to let you go”

Each note was a whisper of his heart’s agony. There was no passion, no fire behind the words anymore—just the emptiness of a man who had lost everything. The song was no longer a performance; it was a cry. His voice cracked once, but he pushed through, forcing the words out even though they felt like daggers scraping the inside of his throat.

The lights above him flickered, casting shifting shadows across the stage. But the audience—those cruel, apathetic spectators—didn’t care. They watched with eager, unblinking eyes, but Aventurine saw nothing but their hollow faces, staring like vultures at something already dead. He was dying inside. His soul was withering.

Aventurine’s voice faltered as the lyrics continued to pour out of him, desperate, raw, as though he was trying to will himself to feel something—anything.

“Please, leave me scars

Please, hurt me so that

Not a single drop of me remains

Let me drown in you”

His voice trembled on the final note, but he didn’t stop. Instead, it grew more intense, a plea laced with anguish, his throat raw from the pain of each word. The crowd’s cheers seemed distant, unimportant. As the words left his mouth, his mind spiraled, and everything around him began to blur.

The sounds of the audience faded, and Aventurine found himself no longer on the stage, but in a cold, sterile room—distant, isolating, suffocating. The memory hit him like a punch to the gut.

He was standing in front of a long table, a group of faceless figures dressed in dark suits sitting behind it. Their expressions were unreadable, but the weight of their gaze was heavy. They were the ###—the ones who had brought him into this sick game. They were the ones holding his life by a string, dictating the terms of his survival. The same ones who had made him promise everything—his soul, his loyalty—if he won.

Aventurine’s hands were shackled to the chair in front of him, his body tense, awaiting whatever came next. His heart raced as they pushed him, trying to force an answer from him about the deal—questions he didn’t have answers to. His mind was scattered, chaotic, filled with one burning question: Where is [Name]?

One of the figures slammed a file onto the table in front of him. It was a newspaper clipping, and at the top in bold letters, the word “ＭＩＳＳＩＮＧ” was stamped across [Name]’s profile. His heart dropped, and his stomach twisted into knots.

His pulse pounded In his ears as he stared at the image. There they were, the one person he had trusted, the only one who had shown him true kindness, now lost.

Aventurine’s vision blurred. He had no idea where they were. Had they died? Had they left him behind, abandoned him so easily after everything they had been through? The questions gnawed at him, but none of them brought any answers. Only emptiness.

‘Did I mean nothing to them?’

The words felt like chains, tighter with every thought, as though the walls around him were closing in, suffocating him. He couldn’t breathe. His mind raced to try to piece together the puzzle, but the more he thought, the more frantic he became.

Suddenly, one of the figures—too close, too invasive—grabbed the back of his head, forcing him down toward the table. His face scraped the cold surface as the pressure of the hands on his hair grew.

Aventurine’s heart skipped a beat as he saw the newspaper clipping slide closer to his face. He couldn’t get away from it. He couldn’t escape the sight of [Name]’s profile—lost, missing, slipping through his fingers like sand.

The world felt too small. He felt too small.

A flash of white-hot fury ignited within him. His heart pounded in his chest like a drumbeat, loud and unyielding. His body moved before his mind could catch up, his fist crashing into the face of the man who had pushed him down. The force of the punch sent the person sprawling backward, momentarily stunned. The clatter of a chair hitting the ground rang in his ears, and the smell of blood filled the air.

The memory shattered, and Aventurine gasped, back on the stage, the spotlight burning his skin. His breath came in short, sharp gasps, his pulse erratic, heart racing as if it would burst from his chest. His fist was still raised in the air, knuckles white, as if he had never stopped fighting.

“Until these falling stars

Are buried in the blur of time

On your icy lips

Read my soul

Yes, my soul”

Aventurine continued, his voice trembling with something more than just sorrow—rage, desperation, confusion, all woven together in the melody. His voice cracked again, the strain too much, but he pushed on, clinging to the song as though it were the only thing keeping him tethered to his fragile reality.

The audience was silent, watching, waiting for him to fall apart completely, but the man they saw on stage was not the same one who had entered. The flamboyant, carefree strategist was gone. In his place stood someone raw, exposed, and vulnerable—someone who had given too much and lost too much to ever smile again.

Aventurine continued singing, lost in the rhythm of the melody, completely unaware of the storm of emotions unfolding beside him. His voice rang out into the air, each note a desperate plea, but he was distant, trapped in his own thoughts, disconnected from everything around him.

The spotlight shifted, Ratio stepped onto the stage, his presence shifting the air like a cold breeze. He moved with deliberate grace, his white suit gleaming under the stage lights. It was almost too pristine, as if he were stepping into a wedding, an unspoken irony in the starkness of his attire amidst the chaotic tension of the contest. He grabbed the microphone, his fingers brushing it lightly as his gaze drifted toward Aventurine.

Aventurine stood motionless, the hollow look in his eyes betraying the storm within him. He appeared to have given up—like a man who had lost everything, as if the very air around him was a reminder of someone who was gone. His emotions were shut off, the vulnerability once so raw now replaced by an empty stillness.

Ratio took a deep breath before he began to sing, his voice smooth and controlled, though the weight of the lyrics cut through him like a blade. His eyes never left Aventurine, watching as the other man stood frozen in place, his thoughts clearly lost in the past, in someone who was no longer there.

“Even if your cold words

Carve scars beneath my eyes

May they linger on your tongue

You can break me apart”

The haunting melody filled the space, but Ratio couldn’t focus on the performance itself. His thoughts were elsewhere, taking him back to memories of the moments they had shared—moments that now seemed as distant as the stars.

The world of the contest, the games that had driven them all to the edge of madness, was one of cruelty and manipulation. But there were moments, fleeting and fragile, where there was kindness—moments where Ratio and Aventurine had found each other amidst the chaos.

Ratio remembered the time just before the show began, when they had shared a quiet conversation backstage. Aventurine had been quiet, more so than usual, as if the weight of the competition had finally broken him. Ratio had tried to reach out to him, to find some way to keep him grounded.

“Notice my pain

And mend me right now

To quiet my fears

I’ll drown in you”

But even then, Aventurine’s thoughts were clouded with something else—someone else. [Name]. The one who had stolen his heart, the one who had always been there to pull him from the edge when he faltered. Ratio could see it now, that deep ache in Aventurine’s eyes, the unspoken question that had plagued him since the moment they were torn apart.

It was the same unspoken question that Ratio had tried to answer himself when he had found a way out—an escape from this cursed contest. They had nearly made it, nearly freed themselves from the grip of the game, but at the last moment, Aventurine had faltered. He had chosen to leave Ratio behind in the pursuit of [Name], to go back to a place where he could never leave things undone, even if it meant abandoning his only ally.

Under the moonlight, near a secret passage where other contestants had found their way out, Ratio stood watching Aventurine. He could see the resolve in his eyes, but it was torn. He was a man caught between two impossible choices: the friend who had stood by him and the person he couldn’t leave behind, even if it meant his own freedom.

Aventurine had walked back, taking those last few steps toward the uncertainty of the contest, leaving Ratio standing there with a bittersweet smile, knowing that his friend would never truly be free until he could reunite with [Name]. The sting of that moment lingered, the taste of abandonment still fresh, even now.

“Sick of these nights to come

To be engulfed in silence

In your gaze where I’m seen

Consume me

Yes, me, oh oh”

Ratio’s voice cracked slightly on the final line, a hint of emotion breaking through his otherwise controlled façade. He couldn’t help but feel the weight of their shared history, the sacrifices they had made for each other, and yet the unbearable truth that some wounds would never heal.

He had seen the toll this contest had taken on his friend, and he knew the battle wasn’t over yet. But in that moment, Ratio understood. Aventurine couldn’t leave [Name] behind, not now, not after everything they had been through together.

Aventurine continued singing, lost in the rhythm of the melody, completely unaware of the storm of emotions unfolding beside him. His voice rang out into the air, each note a desperate plea, but he was distant, trapped in his own thoughts, disconnected from everything around him.

“To this everlasting melody”

Meanwhile, Ratio’s voice blended with his, but his attention was no longer on the performance. His eyes drifted toward Aventurine, watching him with a depth of feeling that he couldn’t articulate. He saw his friend’s weariness, the faintest hints of defeat in his posture, and his heart ached for him.

“Face to face we dance”

But then, Ratio’s attention snapped back to the stage as he realized something. Aventurine had stopped singing.

The silence in the air was sharp, thick with tension. He could hear the low hum of the audience, the murmur of uncertainty spreading as Aventurine stood frozen. The rules were clear: failure to continue meant disqualification. The moment was slipping away from him.

“With our story

Lost in forever’s embrace

Until these falling stars

Are buried in the blur of time.”

Ratio’s mind raced, his thoughts tumbling over one another. This was the moment—the moment he had to make a decision. A doctor of truth, he knew the consequences of his actions, but right now, his only concern was the gambler in front of him. Aventurine would never forgive himself if he failed here, and Ratio couldn’t let him face that.

Without another thought, Ratio dropped his mic onto the stage, the clatter of it fading into the silence. He stepped toward Aventurine, whose eyes were glazed over, unaware of the imminent danger. The weight of his decision pressed on Ratio’s chest, but there was no turning back now.

The rain began to fall, soft at first, then heavier, as if the world itself mourned the coming sacrifice. The droplets cascaded around them, a curtain of water, but all Ratio could see was his friend.

Aventurine lifted his gaze slowly, meeting Ratio’s eyes with an expression that was too tired, too distant, to fully comprehend why Ratio was standing so close now.

Ratio’s steps were steady as he reached Aventurine, his hand moving to gently cup his friend’s neck. He leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper against the damp air.

“Take care of yourself, Gambler. Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck.”

Before Aventurine could react, before he could even respond, Ratio’s grip tightened. His fingers dug into Aventurine’s neck—not with the intent to choke him, but to send him into unconsciousness. To ensure he wouldn’t see what Ratio was about to do, the sacrifice he was making.

But to the audience, it was a different story.

The moment Ratio’s hands moved, the security team took action, weapons raised. They had been watching, ready to intervene. Violence was strictly prohibited, and it was clear that Ratio had broken the rules. He would be executed for this.

Still, Ratio didn’t flinch. He didn’t fight. The shots came fast, the sound of gunfire cutting through the tense silence. His body jerked with each bullet that struck him, but it wasn’t until the fatal shot, aimed at a vital artery, that he stumbled, blood pouring from his mouth. His vision blurred, but he managed to glance up at the screen.

Aventurine’s scores were climbing. The crowd roared, oblivious to the price Ratio had paid for it.

His eyes locked with Aventurine’s one final time, and Ratio smiled—bitter, resigned, but sincere. The world seemed to slow as he released his hold on Aventurine’s neck, letting his friend slip from his grasp.

Ratio crumpled to the ground, lifeless, blood staining the stage beneath him. His body became a dark pool of crimson, the contrast to Aventurine’s still form standing in disbelief.

The music beat dropped, filling the space, but it felt like the entire world had stilled, as if the stage itself was mourning the loss.

Aventurine stood frozen, staring down at Ratio’s body, his fingers pressing against his neck in disbelief. His mind couldn’t process it—their shared history, the bond they had formed, had been shattered in a moment. Ratio was gone.

The black-and-white contrast between them was undeniable. Ratio’s pure white suit now stained with the blood that had once belonged to him. Aventurine’s own darkness, his own guilt and despair, a stark reflection of the sacrifice Ratio had made for him.

The stage, the contest, the audience—they all blurred away in that moment. There was nothing left but the realization that everything had changed.

But little did anyone know, amidst the chaos and the tragedy that had unfolded on that stage, [Name] was still alive and was back now.

They had made it, against all odds, and now they stood just outside the chaotic scene, their eyes fixed on the aftermath of the deadly contest. The silence hung in the air, but [Name] could feel the weight of the moment—the deaths, the sacrifices, the choices made in the name of survival.

They were here to rescue their friends, to end this madness once and for all. But unlike before, [Name] wasn’t alone this time. They had a new group with them, a new force, even if it came with complications. The Stellaron Hunters—each one with their own agenda, their own reasons for standing in the shadows—were now part of their cause.

With the Stellaron Hunters behind them, and their newfound strength, [Name] stepped forward into the fray. The world ahead of them was uncertain, but they would make sure it was their future, not the one dictated by fate or fear.

It was time to rewrite the story.

(@thijikoy on X/Twitter)

Thank you, Natto (if you're reading this, lol), for once again allowing me to use your artworks with full credit given to you!

[Navigation]

[susicheng]

𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ dm for prices      l.mk

chapter 6 perfect match

something that you pride yourself on is your easygoing nature. you're nonchalant. you don't really care what people think of you. it was honestly relieving, to exist in peace and not stress over every minuscule interaction you have throughout the day.

now, though, that nonchalance was nowhere to be found. it was just mark lee, seriously, what was the big deal? sure, he would be inside of your apartment. sure, you're also so attracted to him you may or may not have already had your fair share of wet dreams that can never, EVER be mentioned around ten lee (you knew he would never let you live them down). it's not like you guys were going to go at it like rabbits. he was just a guy coming over to watch spiderman movies with you. no biggie. 

a knock at the door startled you out of your thoughts. with one final glance at the mirror, you turned to welcome your (kind-of) drug dealer into your apartment. the door swung open to reveal mark lee, in all of his glory, carrying multiple grocery bags in either hand.

"hey, mark. i told you that you didn't need to bring anything." you reached out to take some of the bags from his hands, pointedly ignoring how domestic and natural it felt between the two of you to behave in such a way. 

"i know, it just felt wrong to come empty handed. it's just some more snacks and some drinks haha" he toed his shoes off and fully entered your apartment, shutting the door behind himself. "thanks for having me over, by the way."

"don't say that yet, you might be begging to escape later" you glanced up at him with a smile on your face, finding the same expression mirrored on his own face "i get more serious about marvel than you might be prepared for."

"little do you know, i'm so serious about spiderman that it's been banned at our friend group's movie nights."

"sounds like we're the perfect match then."

you had both gathered small snack plates, filing into your bedroom (ohmygod mark lee in your bedroom. getting into your bed. holy shit. you did not think this part through). the deep breath that you had to suck in was mildly humiliating, but the way mark almost tripped over a stray cinnamoroll plush on the ground was more humiliating, so you took that as a win. 

you felt comfortable with him. it wasn't necessarily surprising that you had managed to become so friendly with him in a short period of time, but it was surprising that you already wanted him this badly. you might need to stage an intervention for yourself, because there was no reason mark lee should look that good curled up in your bed, watching intently as tom holland flys across the screen. 

you could see why these movies were banned in his friend group, with mark's frequent commentary and analyses cutting into the movie. if you weren't so obsessed with his voice and his semi-alarmingly in depth theories, you might have even been annoyed. instead, this was filed away in your brain as "top 10 cutest things mark lee has ever done." 

you had a feeling you would be adding on to that list quite a lot in the coming weeks.

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⊹₊⟡⋆ mel's corner: sorryy for such a delayed update ahhh! the holidays + work are keeping me booked and busy but thank you all so much for your patience <3

© susicheng .. please do not copy, reupload, or translate my work

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[moociaoafterdark]

The last post was a rhetorical question, but, glad you guys want to hear me out!

Anyway, the Imperial Palace is haunted. "Haunted".

Surely, there are no such things as ghosts, right?

Except, when the Raven Guard Astartes began to report things disappearing when you don't look at them and also seeing pale ghostly figure stalking the hallways, people began to tense up, even though some just brushed it off as them confusing a ghost for one of their own. When the Custodes began to back up the Raven Guard's claims, the Primarchs got involved.

So, the main ghost hunting squad consists of Horus, Sanguinius, Corvus and Alpharius (and Omegon, but, shh). If we assign them the "Mystery Gang" roles, then Horus is Fred, Sanguinius is Daphne, Corvus is Velma and Alpharius is either Shaggy and Omegon is Scooby, or it's the other way around. No one notices the changes anyway.

A lot of their methods include things like a ouija board (from which they learned many interesting things about the ghost, particularly how many pickles it can shove up its ass), asking the ghost questions in the dark room, taunting the ghost (and screaming like little girls when the ghost retaliates), using a radio to try to communicate with it... That kind of stuff. A lot of the times, Corvus tries to negotiate with the ghost by offering Horus a sacrifice, much to Sanguinius' annoyance. Surprisingly, Horus doesn't really mind becoming a sacrifice (he thinks he can fight the ghost off) (he can't do shit). Alpharius and Omegon are both amused, however they initially didn't take the hauntings seriously. As time went on, though, they slowly started to plan their way out of the group.

The gang then turned to Lorgar for help. Their research led them to find out that numerous religions, in the past, had ways to ward off ghosts. Perhaps Lorgar can do something? Lorgar decided that a religious sacrifice could potentially pacify the paranormal ("No, Corvus, we are not sacrificing Horus"). He ordered Alpharius and Omegon to find and bring a small animal that they could sacrifice, while Lorgar prepared the salt, the candles and the prayers. Alpharius brought a little white rabbit from the Palace's kitchen. Sanguinius was sad to see such cutie get sacrificed, he made sure to give that rabbit some pats before the ritual. When the right time came, the Primarchs, all 6 of them now, stood in the circle made out of salt, in the room that was pitch black safe for some lit candles. Lorgar read the prayers and tried to stab the rabbit in order to kill it. The dagger, instead, bent to the side, as if the animal was made out of steel. The white rabbit then became possessed and jumped onto Alpharius, trying to bite through his helmet... And almost succeeding, had Sanguinius not grabbed and tossed the vermin out from the circle. Despite being tossed by a Primarch with full force, the rabbit didn't even break a sweat, instead preparing to pounce on its next victim. Thankfully it was put down by Horus and a couple of shots from his bolter pistol that he thankfully brought with himself. The killer rabbit was dead and Lorgar felt despair. Why didn't his faith in their father stop the malicious presence? He will make that ghost pay! Feeling wronged, he joins the ghost hunting squad and helps keep the group together and to coordinate the rituals.

Magnus thinks he can crack the case himself. He gets the photo evidence of paranormal activity, however, his recording skills are subpar. The photos and videos are blurry as fuck, as if Magnus covered the lense with a thick coat of vaseline beforehand. No one believes him or takes his evidence as, well, actual evidence... Except Jaghatai. His bike has been acting weird lately. Sometimes it turns on all by itself, drives itself for a good distance, sometimes it refuses to turn on, or strange things pop out on the display. Something is messing with his bike and the Great Khan is REALLY pissed at this. And, so far, he only trusts Magnus with this, so, they become a ghost hunting duo. Through the series of unfortunate events, the two have to race away from the pissed off ghost, with Magnus clinging onto Jagh and yelling "DRIVE FASTER, I'M SCARED".

The ghost also visited the Night Haunter himself. When Konrad realized he had an intruder he looked at the ghost, who decided to appear to him as a demonic looking old woman, taller than Konrad himself. Their eyes locked together and Konrad just... smiled, his rotting teeth revealed by a wide grin. He and the Night Lords were never bothered by the ghost again after that.

When news reached Roboute of what was happening in the Imperial Palace, he just made a shocked face and went "Oh no... Anyway!" and then went back to drinking the finest of wines you could find on Ultramar, while basking under Macragge's sun. Jackass.

Ferrus and Rogal were both working on the project together and didn't even notice the ghost. At some point, the ghost became a third participant: holding a hammer or shinning a light where it was needed. When Ferrus and Rogal realized what was happening, they just... Went back to work and continued to exploit the ghost. They would never say no to free labour.

[klarolinexluv]

Something has really stuck with me that some Anti Regulus Black person said and I want to share my thoughts on it.

Basically, they said that we, or people that like Regulus have been giving Regulus Lilys characteristics and traits and relationships instead of giving them to Lily and are using this to replace Lily.

From my pov, I can understand how that comes across. Moonwater, in canonical type universes, usually come together over their love for literature, something, that as far as I understand was how Lily and Remus used to become friends in fics.

When I think of this situation, I don’t see it as Lily being replaced, I see it as Remus having more friends then just the Marauders and Lily. I see it as Remus making friends.

In all the fics I’ve read, majority of them, Lily and Remus are always already friends! 9 times out of 10, if Remus has a POV and he is interacted with Lily or thinking about Lily, he refers to her has his best friend.

Idk who needs to hear this but Remus can have more friends than just Lily and the Marauders! In fact, EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. Can have more friends then just the friend groups that they have been assigned to from the fandom.

I personally love the idea that Regulus and Remus get close because of their shared interest in books and knowledge. In fact, I love it so much when this happens. I also love when Remus is the one to introduce (formally) Lily and Regulus. Because they have shared interests! They all have shared interests and that’s what they bond over.

If we just forget about ships for a moment - Jily/Jegulus - Regulus and Lily would and could actually be really close friends. At their cores they are very similar and have similar morals and codes.

Like my girl Lily defeated Voldemort the first time. You cannot tell me that she did not have some deep interest and understanding of Dark Magic that is really not talked about enough. I mean, she was friends with Snape for a LONG time! Even against all her Gryffindor friends and dorm mates advice and opinions. She was friends with Snape for a long time and they definitely studied dark magic together. The only reason they stopped being friends was because Snape called her a slur and began siding with people that would have gladly seen Lily and people like Lily 6 feet under.

And then Regulus! He may not have made the best choices but when it mattered the most, he chose to do the right thing and go against Voldemort. He is the first to have done so! My guy was smart. He definitely knew so much magic that he has likely forgotten more than anyone would ever even know.

Regulus and Lily are both so smart and they would have bonded over their shared intelligence, their love for knowledge and books. Remus was probably terrified the day he realised he was the reason these two evil geniuses even started talking.

Maybe instead of saying that Regulus is being given Lily’s characteristics and traits, maybe think about how this would affect the two characters when put in the same room.

I personally think that they would argue for a long time and then Lily would probably say something that gives Regulus pause and then Lily would gently press on that and then Regulus would go have a long hard think and then come back and hesitantly ask Lily questions that Lily would happily answer and then they would be tentative friends!

Regulily have so much in common but they also have a lot of differences and I don’t think enough people see that because they are too focused on ships rather than the characters themselves and their motives and actions.

I’m not shy in admitting that I fuck with romantic regulily. They are my guilty pleasure ship and I am not shy about saying that.

Regulily, platonically, romantically, it doesn’t matter. They have the biggest grounds for friendship and growth.

Regulus and Lily can teach each other so much and I honestly think it’s the biggest missed opportunity when they are pinned against each other rather than working together.

I fear I’ve gone WAY off topic.

In the context of relationships, the jily vs jegulus idea. I feel like I need to hold people hands when I say this because the two ships are very different.

WARNING! OPINIONS!

To me, Jily is a rivals to lovers relationship. I don’t think they are grumpy/sunshine purely because I don’t see Lily as the grumpy trope. I very much think that Jily are academic rivals. Where James just naturally understands everything and gets good marks whether he studied or not and Lily has to study heavily before she understands a topic enough to pass, like Lily to me has to study throughly before everything sticks and she understands the topic so much more than is really required for her coarse work.

I also don’t think Jily was James falls in love at first sight and Lily hates him for years until she gives in and goes on a date with him. Sure it’s a bit cute but i definitely prefer James developing a crush and not telling anyone other than his friends. I very much fuck with James being uncharacteristically shy about his crushes on people. I fuck with James losing his ability to talk or function around the person he fancies and it comes off as arrogance and a bit of a joke when he is actually being genuine.

I love the idea that Lily falls for him slowly, like initially, she thinks she hates him, she loathes the fact that he doesn’t need to study and he can just goof off and do whatever and still get perfect grades, I think Lily gets jealous of James and thinks she despises him because she thinks he is trying to make fun of her when all he is trying to do is talk to her and get her attention.

I love the idea that Remus is constantly trying to talk James up to Lily, “he’s really not that bad once you get to know him.” And “He’s harmless, Lils.” And things like that but Lily has NONE of it!

I think Lily starts to fall for James when they are paired together for a project that is a big mark on their finals. I think Lily goes into this thinking that she is going to hate it when actuality, James is kind and thoughtful and helps her when she struggles. He doesn’t make fun of her, he sits down quietly and gives her tips and tricks that he discovered when he studies privately, (this would be when she finds out that maybe it doesn’t all come as naturally to James as she thought) and then they end up getting the best grade in their year on the assignment but they don’t stop hanging out, they don’t stop studying together. Lily slowly falls for James because of his mind and they form a friendship and then James would ask her out one day and Lily would find herself stunned because if he had asked her a few months ago, she would have harshly declined but in the moment, she finds herself blushing and agreeing without a hint of hesitation.

And that’s how I imagine Jily.

Now, Jegulus.

Jegulus is enemies to lovers, they are grumpy/sunshine. I very much think that they did hate eachother. They did not like eachother for many reasons and they would argue and fight in the halls.

I’m very much into jegulus but I don’t think I’ve seen a fic that has written them as actually enemies to lovers in a canonical setting.

Jegulus to me is very push and pull. One step forward, two steps backwards.

I honestly think that sure, when they met at 11 and 12 when Sirius had his little brother trailing after him and introduced them to each other, they both had the moment of instant connection that they both immediately denied and dismissed and buried under hatred.

James and Regulus see each other as competition. Regulus sees James as the one that stole his brother. James sees Regulus as the brother that doesn’t deserve Sirius.

Because Sirius told James all about his little brother all through first year and James was exited to meet him for a long time until they met and instantly realised that Regulus is a two faced snake and doesn’t deserve Sirius.

Because Sirius told Regulus all about his best friend in every letter, in every stolen moment during the holidays. Regulus was exited to meet James for a long time until they met and instantly realised that James isn’t the golden ray of sunshine that Sirius claims him to be but a brother stealing asshole.

I honestly think that Jegulus is THE enemies to lovers.

I don’t think Jegulus even had a civil conversation until after Sirius ran away. And even this conversation started as an argument. I think that they only reason the argument stopped and they started genuinely talking to eachother is because Regulus’ mask broke and James saw the hidden emotions underneath that Regulus was trying to hide.

I think that James held onto prejudice for a long time. He saw all Slytherins as evil and then didn’t think about that for years until he sees Regulus crack and then James has to rethink everything he has ever thought.

That’s how I think Jegulus starts and I don’t think they ever really talk about what they are or what they are doing for a very long time, to the point (if we are talking in a canonical sense) that they break and fall apart. To the point where they end up on different sides of a war.

ANYWAY! (this is really long and if you've read this far, just know that you are my favourite person in the entire world and I adore you to the ends of the universe).

Regulus and Lily, though they share many characteristics and traits and fundamentally different people. Even in the context of the people they are shipped with, even in the context of their friendships.

I love them both so much and I think saying that Lily is being replaced by Regulus is incredibly wrong and also perhaps a little misogynistic.

They are both incredible characters, who should not be defined by their relationships.

Like I said before. In the context of war, both Lily and Regulus were the first. Regulus may have failed to complete his mission and Lily may have succeeded in killing Voldemort… but at the end of the day both of them did not do anything in the long run. Voldemort was still able to return, the horcruxes still need to be destroyed and Harry still had to finish what the people before him started, Harry still had to fight a war he had no part in starting.

[neiptune]

hello santa neiptune for your holiday servings i think christmas pudding with either shoyo + a prompt 6 (family invited an old crush/first love to a dinner party) or sunsrin with prompt 19 ("I'm going to buy/make the worst secret Santa gift humanly possible") or atsumu with prompt 13 (neighbourhood festive decoration competition becomes dangerously competitive) smooch smooch smooch smooch

rintaro suna x I'm going to buy the worst secret santa gift humanly possible

“Shut up everyone, it’s time!”, Atsumu’s comically authoritarian tone swallows the chatter, the living room of his apartment growing silent.

“Why can’t we pick who we want to get a gift for?”, Aran grumbles from his end of the couch. The setter frowns.

“Because I think none of you assholes would pick me”.

“Whatever gave that away”, Suna clicks his tongue. A soft, empty stocking collides with his face.

“Yer picking first!”, Atsumu holds the old dunkin donuts box under his nose, shaking it slightly to further shuffle the folded pieces of paper in it.

“I’m going to buy the worst secret santa gift humanly possible”, Rintaro, ever the grinch, grumbles as slender fingers randomly draw a name.

“Rin, you’re supposed to look at it later!”, you lightly elbow him in the ribs but he pulls back, avoiding the jab. The only sign of something flashing across his deadpan features is a slight twitch of the brow as he reads the name he pulled out. Then it’s gone, small piece of paper tucked safely into the pocket of his sweatpants.

“Your turn”, Atsumu brings the box to you with a grin. You know he hopes you draw his name, you’re notoriously the best gift giver of the group and he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about the Blue Lock themed calendar Osamu got him the previous year, especially with that insufferable Rin dude occupying the page dedicated to his birth month.

“I hope it’s me”, Osamu crosses his fingers from the other side of the room, where he’s resting his back against the fireplace. You chuckle, keep the small piece of paper in your closed fist as you patiently wait for everyone else to draw their names.

The boys make a whole spectacle out of unfolding the pieces of paper, Atsumu the most teased one between whistles, oohs and ahhs. You make sure not to let the small pang of disappointment shine through your smile: you’re happy it’s Kita, you love Kita. You just would’ve loved for it to be Rin more.

The designated gift exchange day is a week later, right on christmas eve. The anxiety churning in your stomach is suffocating because why would you even get something for him too? All you had to do was pick a nice gift for Shinsuke, the easiest person to please on planet earth. But now there are two extra nicely wrapped presents under the tree in your living room, one of them will make you look like a complete dumbass because there won’t be any logical explanation to justify an additional gift. Atsumu will never shut up about it, like, ever. Fuck.

You’re abruptly pulled away from your thoughts when the doorbell rings, the sound making you jump. Confusion is still written all over your features when you open the door, not expecting any guest or delivery.

“Hey”, Rintaro tosses you a tiny smile to balance the hesitancy out.

“Rin”, surprised, you blink a few times, “you okay?”.

“Yeah. Can I come in?”.

“Of course!”.

He takes off his shoes and slowly steps into your apartment, cheeks unusually flushed courtesy of the cold outside.

“What’s that?”, you curiously peek at the bag he holds in his hand while he walks to your couch and you gingerly trail behind him.

“I’m your secret santa”, he clears his throat, “didn’t wanna give this to you in front of everyone. Don’t make it weird”.

You sit next to him with mirth swarming in stupidly bright eyes. Suna feels his palms getting clammy.

“So you wanted to give me the worst gift humanly possible… early?”.

“Exactly. Here”, he hands you the small paper bag, “you’re welcome”.

“You’re a dick”, you giggle, unable to disguise the affection in your voice.

Inside the bag there are two numbered envelopes. You open the first, smaller one.

“What the…?”, it’s a regular yellow post-it, with a handwritten note.

Congratulations on your hardly earned free time. Make the most of it :)

“Check the other one”, Suna indicates the remaining envelope.

“I’m confused”.

The second gift is… handmade coupons for messy, scribbled options: concert, one meal, roadtrip, win an argument, breakfast.

“You get two coupons. I kinda already have tickets for your favorite band”.

“But”, your throat feels dry, “I don’t… I have to work?”.

“You don’t. I emailed your boss, got you some time off, something you never would’ve done for yourself”, Suna looks away, inscrutable as always. Your heart slams harder against your ribcage.

“Rin”.

He meets your gaze and you offer a smile.

“I got you something too”.

thank you for trusting my writing, hope you enjoy! happy holidays mwah

[homestuck-fanauthor-coalition]

OH SHIT ITS A MOBIUS DOUBLE-WHAMMY!!!

WE HAD NOT ONE, BUT TWO COMPETITIONS RUNNING AT THE TIME! In-server voting couldn't decide on one, soooooo we did both! These are Bus Driver Eridan and Rarepair!! Y'all should join us in reading and voting from now until January 3rd 6:45 EST!

There are 12 entries in Bus Driver Eridan and 12 entries in Rarepair- the most amount of participation yet! And to make things more interesting, some authors participated in both, and some fics are IN both! Feel free to vote in either one of the voting forms, the lists are below the cut!

Bus Driver Eridan 🚌

(1) dear diary!

At the behest of her beloved Nanna, Jade begins documenting the events of her life.

(2) The Last Flight of the Toreador

John Egbert-Crocker, a new face in the Skaia Wrestling Federation thanks to his connections to his sister, CEO Jane Crocker, and his girlfriend, famous heel Vriska Serket (AKA Captain Fang), finds himself struggling to find a way to help his fellow wrestler, and good friend, Tavros Nitram, AKA El Torero Fantasma, not get fired due to poor audience appeal.

(3) therapist, mother, maid

The Petropavlovsk-612 offshore mining platform supplies the fuel used by every ship, station and base in the entire quadrant. Two women work there, sharing the same shift, albeit under the male names Daniil and Yuri.

(4) wildflower and barley

The croached woman had long limbs and harrowing golden eyes. She was on the ground of her pen, sinking her thick white fangs into the carotid artery of one of the cows. Jadelynn’s survival instincts kicked in, and even if she was no longer in peak physical performance, she hauled ass back to the trailer like her life depended on it.

(5) Ma Meilleure Ennemie

It is a different kind of love. It is an appreciation and understanding.

(6) Sotto Voce

sotto voce - in a quiet voice, as if not to be overheard. It’s hard being an overachiever with a nitpicking older brother. It’s hard and no one understands. The exhaustion of not being heard is taking its toll on Karkat, at least until his voice catches the ear of someone else…

(7) the first few stones are the worst

In which Eridan Ampora is an Uber driver for the two most annoying assholes in the world.

(8) Just Another Hemoswap AU

A duel doesn't go as planned. Thousands of sweeps later a rustblood heiress goes on an search for missing treasure.

(9) Christmas Eve Party

Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and you just woke up feeling like shit.

(10) arachnidsGrip has made a new post!

Vriska writes a post about her day as a troll who ended up on earth a while back, cites Rose's earlier work before getting onto her actual life!

(11) damned if yoU do (damned if you don't)

Callie has always been very mysterious, never saying much about her home life, at least not intentionally. The fact she uses a typing quirk is the only clue to her being a troll. She most recently let slip that she not only lives on Earth, but in Seattle, and given the coincidence that John and the rest of their online friend group are in the city for a convention, he had thought he might be able to convince her to come meet them in a public space, if she was still afraid they might not be who they say they are. But John is beginning to wonder if maybe what Callie is afraid of isn’t found in the outside world, but much, much closer to home.

(12) Taxi Driver

You're Eridan Ampora. Human, alike everyone else. Taxi driver and man per obligation.

Rarepair ♥️♠️♦️♣️

(1) therapist, mother, maid

The Petropavlovsk-612 offshore mining platform supplies the fuel used by every ship, station and base in the entire quadrant. Two women work there, sharing the same shift, albeit under the male names Daniil and Yuri.

(2) wildflower and barley

The croached woman had long limbs and harrowing golden eyes. She was on the ground of her pen, sinking her thick white fangs into the carotid artery of one of the cows. Jadelynn’s survival instincts kicked in, and even if she was no longer in peak physical performance, she hauled ass back to the trailer like her life depended on it.

(3) the first few stones are the worst

In which Eridan Ampora is an Uber driver for the two most annoying assholes in the world.

(4) Two's A Couple, Three Needs A Chart To Hash Out

Karkat Vantas is the only one who thinks they should figure out this shit ahead of time, and his boyfriends just want to jump into it.

(5) The Conqueror Yaldabaoth

In the ring of the Dark Carnival, two princes duel for the future of the afterlife.

(6) Open Waters

When Marquise Spinneret Mindfang learned of her eventual fate - to be romanced by a troll who would learn to fly, who would eventually be the man to kill her - she did what any self-respecting pirate would do. She hijacked one of the seadweller vessels that could traverse both oceans and solar systems, and she got the hell out of dodge.

(7) A Loony Tunes Ass Sequence of Events

When Dave runs off to the Egberts' in a petulant rage, Bro has to go get him, and deal with the man who answer's the Egberts' front door.

(8) Christmas Eve Party

Your name is Roxy Lalonde, and you just woke up feeling like shit.

(9) Taking a Pointed Feathered Projectile to the Angular Joint Cover

Her Honorable Tyranny Neophyte Redglare's palmhusk has been fucked with. This is only the most recent of a very long series of attempts to make her life hard. She has decided it's time to confront the perpetrator.

(10) Cronus is a perv; the fic.

Cronus negs Jade. It doesn't end well.

(11) damned if yoU do (damned if you don't)

Callie has always been very mysterious, never saying much about her home life, at least not intentionally. The fact she uses a typing quirk is the only clue to her being a troll. She most recently let slip that she not only lives on Earth, but in Seattle, and given the coincidence that John and the rest of their online friend group are in the city for a convention, he had thought he might be able to convince her to come meet them in a public space, if she was still afraid they might not be who they say they are. But John is beginning to wonder if maybe what Callie is afraid of isn’t found in the outside world, but much, much closer to home.

(12) An Important Question

In which John Crocker asks his partners if they think they found each other in every universe. It's a universally agreed upon answer.

And a special shout out to all the participating authors! @jellysmudge @aspen1185 @bralsradoesfanfiction @myusernameisstolen @manifestmerlin @orangestorapples @neapolitangirl smellydotcom @tehstripe @dave2olkat @ambrosianlullaby @ghostedglitch @arealpeople

[kiyoyeon]

Santa doesn’t know you like I do.

Hongjoong x Fem reader

Word count: 1.3k

In which; one drunk call between two best friends leads to them getting together after a Hongjoong confesses his feelings after trying to bury them deep down.

The cold wind of winter had grown to a much stronger wind in less than a week, but that didn’t stop [name]’s friend group from going out and getting wasted.

the snowfall had begun as a small amount yet in a day it had already begun causing problems with the streets and roads.

“Kay are you sure this is a good idea?” Lauver asked the girl who had been waiting for the rest of the group to finish getting read

“No but I’m not missing the chance to get free Smirnoff” said the girl with a heavy British accent while the curly haired girl besides her laughed.

“Lennie can you hurry your German ass up!” Kay yelled at the girl who had only replied with a simple “fuck off!”

“Okay I’m ready so now who are we waiting for?” Chlo asked the two others who replied with “Lennie and [Name]”.

“Okay I’m done you little twats” [name] appeared behind Chlo while Lennie looked around for her lip gloss.

After a good minute of looking she had found it and they had been off to the bar.

The car ride there had been loud due to them singing Christmas songs or [name] singing any song of Jay parks.

“And we are here!” Chlo tossed the keys to [name] who had tucked them in her purse before catching up to the group.

The time at the bar had been spent doing karaoke, drinking and talking, but while her friends had been there chatting she’d been in her own world.

As she sipped from the martini her gaze had become focused on the bottle of Smirnoff that sat on the display shelf of the bar.

Drowning her thoughts down with the alcohol while Lennie, Kay, and Chlo had been doing karaoke while Lauver watched over the three.

As she had gotten more tipsy by the second she had decided to call an uber to pick her up.

After texting the girl a quick “I’m not feeling to well I’ll get a uber to pick me up btw I slid the key in ur purse” to Chlo she had stumbled out the bar doors the warm air growing to a cold winter air.

The cold wind nipped it her skin causing goosebumps to form, but with the amount of alcohol in her system she had been warm in her mind.

As her drunk mind had thought that she’d dialed the right number to get a uber ride she had been mistaken.

“Uh… hell-o?” She asked the other side with a broken up hello before continuing to speak, “can I order a uber?” She finished the sentence ask the other person on the line began to speak.

“[name]? Where are you?” The person said as her drunken self begun giving the address of the place “okay just wait there I’ll be there soon.” The person said as she hung up.

As she had stood with her purse and phone in hand while trying to create warmth in her body since she had quickly started to lose the feeling of warmth in her body since the alcohol was wearing off.

The small amount of layers she had on hadn’t been helping either, yet when she had started to really feel the cold a nice car had pulled up infront of her with the window rolled down revealing Hongjoong who unlocked the door so she could slid in.

“Get in the car [name]” he said sternly as the girl obliged “your freezing are you joking?” He said in a panicked manner while reaching behind the seat and grabbing a sweater and non-cuff sweat pants.

“Change into those.” He said before sighing and pulling out of the parking lot of the bar.

“Why are you even out here in this weather?” He asked he before reaching one hand to her face feeling how cold she’d been.

“Are you kidding [name] your freezing cold” he said as the girl just stayed quiet listening to the lecture he gave for another 6 minutes.

As they approached closer to her house he’d finally came to a stop in his lecture and focused on the road.

“We’re here.” He said unlocking the car doors as she got out. The sudden change of temperature being a big change.

Walking to the front door while trying to find her keys that’d been in her bag she didn’t notice Hongjoong following slightly behind her.

Upon opening the door she had kicked off her shoes, placing them on the small rack for them and swapping them for slippers.

“Ah!” She had made a noise of surprise when she spotted the taller male following her inside.

She’s been fine with it, she just didn’t expect it since he’d been acting rather cold around her for the past few days.

“I’ll leave you alone now ‘till you sober up.” He said leaving before she could even muster up the courage to say anything.

“Fuck…” she said before falling back into the couch while turning the tv on to try and distract herself.

After choosing out a show and turning the lights off she settled down wrapping a fuzzy blanket around her.

After around 10 minutes she gave into her thought and dialed a number. Was it her drunkness, no she sobered up as soon as she saw hongjoongs face. As the phone rang and rang her heart picked up its pace either In nervousness or something else.

“Hello?” The voice on the other line snapped her out of her thought as she stuttered a bit “I uhm hey.”

“What do you want [name]?” He said coldly as she sighed softly before continuing to speak “please just-“ she stopped herself from speaking and thought for a moment.

“Why don’t you just come over, you’ve been acting so cold.” She said as the other side went quiet for a moment “fine.” Was all he said before hanging up.

“Oh god.” Was all she said before going back to watching the show on the big screen.

The sound of three knocks had been heard and [name] wasted no time in answering the door.

“Hey… come in” she said as her heart beat raised rapidly as he nodded and stepped in taking his shoes on and slipping on the slippers she always had waiting for him.

“Can we talk?” He said avoiding eye contact with her as he stared at the tv screen “yeah, let’s talk” she said sitting back on the couch as he followed.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He said as his ears turned a light shade of red, and his cheeks were dusted with a pink blush.

“Yeah, let’s talk first” she said softly as she looked at the boys face who’d been looking anywhere else but her eyes.

“If we’re gonna talk at least look me in the eyes Kim Hongjoong.” [name] said in a firm tone that made him instantly look her in the eyes.

“Talk Hongjoong” she said fixing her posture Before speaking again “explain why you kept avoiding me? Please…” she said softly waiting for him to speak.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to figure stuff out.”

“Figure what out Hongjoong, I can help you with whatever you need help figuring out thsts why we’re best friends.” [name] blurted out.

“Thats the problem [name], your the problem.” He said before sighing as the girl stared at him with tears forming in her eyes.

“Fuck…” a soft whisper was heard “I like you [name] that’s why your the problem.”

As the words began to spill the more and more [name] realized what had been happening.

“You like me? Hah…” her voice wavered a bit as Hongjoong ranted on and on about why he kept avoiding her.

“I thought maybe if I avoided you maybe those feeling would go away, but maybe I was wrong in sorry [name].” He said opening his eyes when he felt her arms wrap around his waist.

“Your hopeless Hongjoong” laughed [name] as she placed her lips onto his “I like you too you idiot”.

“Ya know all this snow is falling, and I made you fall too” she smiled as he smiled softly at her reaction to the news.

“So will you [Name] yozuki, be my girlfriend?”

“Are you kidding me, fuck yeah.”

[moonteaa]

I have held out as long as I could. What Teba thoughts are currently swirling around?

OH MY GOODNESS! Finally got around to checking my silly inbox! My apologies!! I presume we’d like some more Dad Teba headcanons perhaps? hehe let me see here..

1. Teba gifted both Link and Zelda a hand crafted Rito headdress! Each headdress has each of their feathers (Teba, Tulin, and Saki) and next to the feathers (for Zelda) is a silent princess and (for Link) a blue nightshade to represent their place in their little Rito family! Hehe

2. Teba Knows Zelda’s favorite treat is fruit cake, always knows to bring her some when they see one another.

3. If any one in the group for some reason can’t sleep, or are struggling with nightmares and such, Teba is willing to stay up and whether they want to talk or just sit and be with each other’s company, then he’ll do just that.

4. I feel like Teba has very keen eyes for details and keeps in mind what everyone enjoys, dislikes, and needs.

5. Everyone likes to cuddle up against Teba, especially if they’re traveling in colder regions!

6. Teba is both impressed and bewildered when he sees Link eating rocks for the first time. There are many things about Link that impresses Teba, and eating rocks? Definitely up there.

7. Teba deeply respects Link, Zelda, and the sages but finds it difficult in his heart to accept the fact that kids are the ones holding the entire kingdom on their shoulders. It’s both admirable but heartbreaking.

8. Was so proud of Tulin when he became a sage but so worried. (Even if we don’t see it, I can imagine Teba feeling overcome with emotion when he gifts Tulin the Great Eagle Bow. His boy is growing up aksjs)

9. Zelda once gave him a silent princess flower and he safely keeps it wrapped around the belt of his armor.

10. Basically anything the others give him, it can be a tiny little trinket or something that held memories, Teba keeps it safe and at his home (or the flight range)

11. I like to think Teba has pictures around of both his family and his found family heh

12. Zelda likes taking the most silliest pictures of him with the Shiekah Slate/Purah pad

13. I think..when Teba sleeps he sometimes lets out little chirps ;-;

14. Teba really wants both Link and Zelda to rest.

(Often finds Zelda sleeping after working all night and tucks her into bed. Smh. She’s also fallen asleep on Teba many times.)

15. Teba struggled to get Zelda to open up about what was going on in her mind, eventually, they had a deep heart to heart and she opened up about her fears, traumas, and heavy burdens and weight she must carry alone and many tears were shed but with tears comes big and warm feathery hugs. He understands that she went through pain that no one her age should go through.

16. In fact..I imagine he’s had a heart to heart with all of his companions, he’s a very good listener and a friend and father figure to all.

17. Would not hesitate to die protecting the ones he cares for

18. Teba I believe is a Rito warrior who fights not just out of duty but out of love. Love for his home, his family, (blood related or not) friends. Overall, I think Teba is a warrior with a very golden heart which is why he was chosen to be Elder.

19. When he’s Elder however, he misses his companions, or as he likes to call them, his “kiddos”

20. Gets really happy when Link and Zelda visit (they visit their little Rito family very often.) Link and Zelda have their own little hammock for when they visit and stay the night!

21. Sometimes when Link and Tulin are off playing and being the best brothers, Zelda likes to sit with Teba and just talk.

22. Teba likely felt frustrated not being able to help search for Link and Zelda when they went missing after the upheval

23. Relief + Concern was felt when Link came back safely but ..WITH A NEW ARM??

24. Very happy to know link was safe but I can imagine not all was well knowing Zelda was still missing. The family wasn’t complete, you know? Agh!

25. When the Light Dragon (Zelda) flies by the regions of her companions (Sidon, Teba, Tulin, Riju, Yunobo) they all can feel Zelda’s presence but don’t understand why (yet)

25. Teba wouldn’t have fallen for Puppet Zelda, I think he would have been able to easily see through the disguise. That’s a dad’s intuition!

26. Yeah, Teba finding out about Zelda’s fate and becoming the light Dragon? He wasn’t okay. Not at all. Silent tears were shed. It was the closest experience to Teba “losing” a child and he never really recovered from that.

27. Teba once promised Zelda he would take her flying.

28. He did. When he flew beside the Light dragon and when he did he says with a bitter chuckle,

“This wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.”

IM SORRY.

29. Trust me, they had a very happy family reunion. Had a difficult time letting either Link, Zelda and Tulin out of his sight and became slightly anxious.

30. Cannot comprehend what Zelda went through and the sacrifice she made. Deeply admires her but his heart aches for her too.

31. (HAPPY ZELINK ONE I SWEAR) Teba is the one to walk Zelda down the aisle when she marries Link. 🤍

Hope you enjoyed these!! Ah! If you ever want more well..I’m always here! I love found family so much! Hehe 😭

[polo-drone-084]

Golden Mini-Golf Tournament

The bros of the Golden Army were ready for their annual mini gold tournament. Whoever scored the best would get bragging rights.

Hole one was a big success for head mascot, Grayden #84 as he landed a skillful hole-in-one. But everyone watched as Captain Brody proceeded to absolutely dominate the competition.

None of Captain Herc, Daniel, Trevor, Ezan, Hans or Ross could keep up. Grayden's hole-in-one kept him neck-and-neck with Brody for about 6 holes, but Brody just couldn't be matched.

As they neared the ending stretch, Brody was 5 under par. Captain Herc and Ross were 3 under par. Grayden and Hans were 1 under par. With only two holes left the group proceeded to hole 17. A par 3. Somehow by sheer luck Captain Herc and Ross both got their balls in the hole in 2 shots bringing them both to -4. Brody's confidence got the better of him though as he struggled, missing his par shot and having to sink the ball on the 4th shot. Tying him up.

All the bros watched as Brody, Ross, and Herc stood at the 18th hole. It was a fancy windmill and Ross shot first, he lined up his shot perfectly. But his timing wasn't so lucky as the ball clinked against the metallic windmill blade and came rolling back. Herc was next, watching the timing, but not realizing his ball was aimed a little too far left. His shot caused his ball to hit the windmill's body. Herc was frustrated as his ball landed in a bad spot for a follow-up shot.

Then Brody took his shot. It was like the Golden Gods had blessed him as all the bros watched Brody's ball rolling forward in perfect timing and going through the windmill. It went down the ramp and bounced against the wall landing a mere inch from the hole.

Ross and Herc tried their follow-up shots, but they knew they had lost. As Brody took his second shot and sank his ball, the crowd of bros cheered. Brody lifted his arms and putter in celebration.

Even though Brody dominated most of the round, the team felt an even stronger bond by just playing together. Each bro congratulated Brody on a game well played as they headed back to the Stadium.

Inspired by playing Putt Party with the bros.

Want to join the Golden Army and bond with the bros?

Contact Captain @brodygold , Captain @goldenherc9 , or @polo-drone-001 for brocessing or questions.

[didnt-hear-idsb-live-again]

it's the 21st of December, and now they really are ringing the last bells.

December 22, 2018, the first day of what seems like Act II of my life, feels like a world and a daydream away.

it was the morning I woke up next to you for the first time, and hangover aside, I had a thousand things jumbling around in my brain - which would, very quickly, morph into a thousand more: will I ever see you again? what could things be if I do? is everyone outside of my emotionally abusive ex as wonderful as you? was it this simple all along? was I just lucky to find you? how can I just never see you again? what if I did? what if what country I lived in didn't render this all moot? If I come back, how am I supposed to leave? what hope exists for me in the world if not a fantasy about a man and a country I can't have? when can I go back? what would a life look like if I lived there? why isn't it that simple? do you ever think about me? do I matter to you at all? you changed my life but do you even care I'm alive, after all you are to me? what would happen if I ever saw you again?

will I ever in my life return to find out?

It is December 21, 2024, and, I am pleased to say, I have answered every single one of those questions. I have found every answer, and found all the new questions that stem out of them. I have answered them all, and I have pulled threads and spun webs from them into oblivion. I don't have all the answers in life, and I have a lot of new problems and questions that stemmed out of living in Australia for a year and then leaving. But I do have all the answers to all of the questions you could ever, and will ever, exist at the center of.

This year, I lived a long-forgotten dream; one thats floated around my heart since 2007, that was half-heartedly tried and abandoned in 2016, that I brushed with in 2018. One that you had been re-sparking and lighting the fire of ever since. It's a dream I would've never come any closer to than an uneventful 2 month vacation, if not for the kindness you showed me, and the emotions you lit under me as a result, 6 years ago.

This year, I walked by the steps of the Victoria State Library more times than I can count. I traced back the walk to your house, your old address burned into my mind forever, and I stared at your yard, paved over and with all the love and life it once contained from your friend group and your housemates, extinguished with cold pavement. I sat across from you in a coffee shop and fumbled over my words, a complete fool who is not good enough written over my every misstep, whether you noticed or not (I don't think you did). I walked the laneways you unknowingly changed my life on, a few steps behind you, as you recounted some of my favorite memories to a group of tourists who were seeing my favorite city for the first time, knowing smiles exchanged between us.

I saw everything flash before me, like it was a lifetime ago and like it was all happening again at 10000x speed within each of those moments.

I cradled the broken, scared, December 21, 2018 version of me as I did all of them, and I kept the December 21, 2019 version of me, who wrote the first post of many like this in a cold Brooklyn apartment - devoid of absolutely all hope in the world - fresh in my mind as I did all of those things. I cared for them both the way you would something you could crumble in the palm of your hand. Those versions of me never left, and I lived almost every precious moment I breathed in Melbourne in 2024 in service of them.

But I, and those versions of me, did more than that in Melbourne this year.

The city of you became my city, instead. I did walk 'Cornelia Street' again. A lot. And it stopped screaming your name. Now it screams Jack. Emily. Aya. Emma. Katie. Ruby. Jack. Logan. Taylah. Tim. Hannah. Juliana. Emelia. Rain. Maggie. Katie. Laura. Johnny. It screams Jungle Boy and skinny dipping in St Kilda Beach in the winter and it screams watching Disney movies with Emma and Josh and it screams walking barefoot down Flinders Street after the Eras Tour, and skipping down Fed Square in the moonlight after seeing Maisie Peters. It screams for dumplings in Emelia's very dirty apartment, going up to the roof and looking at the skyline. It screams the lyrics to Espresso and Karma and Too Sweet while we close up the bar. It screams of the coffee shop I frequented, and its white brick walls and the barista who knew me and the wildflowers in vases on each table. It screams of the taste of daiquiris and aged rum, of British accents and mornings with Jack in the South Yarra market. It screams of Aya's friendship and sitting on her couch, and The Eras Tour Movie and wine at Katie's house, in the same exact living room she hugged me while I cried over you 5 years prior.

I once, 5 years ago, cursed at the sky for the fact that I was a spec of dust on the windshield of your magnificent life; for the way I felt myself growing smaller and smaller on your horizon. I could feel it every second that passed, and it hurt. And alas, seeing you face to face again last October felt like the universe coming together to give me a gift, the kind of full-circle perfection I never even dared dream about, and shot down from anons on this blog for 5 straight years. A scene from a movie I never thought I might live to see. But that wasn't the end of the story. The end of the story was you, too, fading back on my horizon, and me filling the road up with light and life and color all my own. It shines like a type of gold that 2018 me never could have even imagined existed.

Your story is not the greatest story I will ever tell. It is not my favorite. The story I carved for myself in Melbourne in the past 365 days is my greatest. That is my favorite. And it's mine. Yours is just the origin story, and it exists to me like something out of Greek Mythology.

It is magnificent. And everything that will ever come after stems from you. But it has nothing to do with you anymore. You gave me the gift of a second chapter of my life; one where I wasn’t afraid of sex or men in general, and one where I fell in love with and yearned for your city. The rest is now on me to write and carry, and I’ve done it.

For those who have read these posts, every year, for the last 6 years, I thank you so deeply for being on this journey with me and for caring about me; for caring about this and my absurd emotions and the storybook of it that I have written myself into.

There's lots of analysis to be had and lots of essays and discussions of unpacking Australia itself for me, that I may well still do for the rest of my life.

But I do know that this is the post where we close his book. I once cried while driving across Brooklyn asking, "if the story's over, why am I still writing pages?" I see and hear it vividly in my mind still. I remember waiting at the same set traffic lights in Bed Stuy with tears streaming down my face like it was yesterday.

But now all the dots are connected, all the stones are unturned.

It’s funny and it’s ironic that How To Make Gravy by Paul Kelly, the song that mentions the date and was the soundtrack to December 21, 2018, lyrics of which had been the headlines of all these posts, is a tune about a phone call from a prison, where the narrator gets incredibly nostalgic (and a bit chaotic) about holidays past and future - I found myself embedded in this song, subconsciously or not: for many of these 6 years, America served as a prison for me, and I longed for Australia and the unwritten future I could have in it the way the narrator speaks about the future in the song; the gravy he swore to someday make again being my long fantasized return and the memories I left unhad. I didn’t think about it this literally, but I felt the rush of the correct emotions whenever I listened to it, and that was the reason why.

Well: I did it. I got outta there by July, and I made gravy. I made plenty.

Of December 21, 2018, there are no more pages to write. Only the folkloric legend of a man who gave a lost girl the hope and light and tools to, 6 years down the line, not only be well past the emotionally abusive relationship he healed her from, but to write and create something completely for herself, too.

I owe you to the end of everything for that, and I always will.

[sturniololuv08]

On The Seventh Day Of Nickmas...

Day 7 of Juno's 12 Days Of Nickmas (Day 6 does not exist)

Jared hardly texted Nick all day yesterday. He wanted to but he just wanted to get his work done so he didn't have anything creeping up on him closer to Christmas. Christmas was in four days, and he had everything done, so he was finally able to reach out, but he didn't. Something stopped him every time he had his phone in his hands. He saw Nick posting on Snapchat and even did a TikTok with his brothers. He watched the TikTok on a loop seeing how happy Nick looked. He didn't want to disturb his best friend's peace but wanted to see him, badly. He couldn't explain what the feeling was, but he felt it when he watched Nick being driven away in the cab two days ago. He felt it when he saw him dancing silly with Chris and Matt. He felt it every time he was about to send a simple 'hey' text. He felt it the night in the car when they were filming. It was in his chest. He noticed that he was looking at it too eagerly every time his phone binged with a notification.

Vvvmp.

He grabbed his phone, and instantly, his chest was pounding. It was Nick asking to hang out. Jared's thumbs were quick to type out an acceptance text. Nick started calling.

"Hey." Jared felt his lungs tightening as he answered.

"Hey, Matt is gonna pick you up in 10 minutes. Can you be ready?" Nick was being a little more assertive than usual.

"Ugh, fuck. Yeah." Jared started frantically looking for some shoes.

"Wear something for outside." Before Jared could ask why, the phone clicked off.

"Outside?" Jared contorted his face. He looked around and found a light jacket and some Doc Martin boots, with his jeans tucked in behind the laces. Matt arrived in precisely 10 minutes.

"Hey." He said, and Jared slid in.

"Any idea what -"

"Uh, uh. I'm not allowed to say nothing." Matt shook his head from side to side.

"Well, fuck you too, then." Jared and he chuckled as Matt started driving them to their place. As the buildings and trees blurred past outside, Jared just kept thinking about the Space Camp advertisement. He wondered what happened to those photos. Were they scrapped, or were they going to appear online somewhere? They pulled into the underground garage and stepped out. Jared went into their little house like it was his own and started up the stairs past Chris' bedroom door.

"I'm just saying you look weird." Jared heard Chris mumbled.

"Nick?" He made his presence known. Nick spun around, and Jared realized what Chris was talking about. Nick was wearing Timberlands, probably Matt's, black jeans with suspenders that ran up past a red and black plaid long sleeve. He looked warm in the face from being inside the house. "What -?" Jared halted his speech when he saw Nick holding a small axe.

"I wanted to surprise you." Nick smiled as his plan finally unfolded.

"By chopping my arm off?" Jared stood awkwardly in the kitchen.

"Told you," Chris yelled as he went down the stairs past Jared.

"We are going to go pick out a Christmas tree." Nick tossed the axe around carelessly.

"Woah. Careful with that." Matt said dramatically as he confiscated the semi-sharp object.

"Nick, we live in LA." Jared didn't want to ruin his plans, but LA wasn't exactly the place to host chop-your-own Christmas trees.

"I found a place!" Nick pulled out his phone. "It's a drive, but you can chop your own tree down." He walked over to show Jared his findings. Jared looked at the phone briefly and then at Nick. His eyes were swirling with excitement.

"Let's do it." Jared was used to being Nick's partner in crime.

"Yes." Nick held out the 's'.

"Is it just us?" Jared glanced over at Matt on the couch. He shrugged and tossed the glance toward Nick.

"We can all go." Nick was fine with making it a group trip. He wouldn't mind alone time with Jared, but cutting down a tree and carrying it wasn't the alone time he wanted. They were only apart for one day, and Nick went crazy when he wasn't kept busy. He re-watched the car video they created and came to the conclusion he wished the timer hadn't gone off. Laura emailed him a sneak peek of the photo shoot, and the ones with Jared were undoubtedly the best photos. One, because they were relaxed and natural, but two, because the chemistry was undeniable. To make sure he didn't constantly think about their shared moments over the past week, Nick sent snap chats to provoke fan reactions. He forced Matt and Chris to make TikToks with him. He even went as far as to clean his room just to keep pushing the thoughts down. It worked until Jared was standing here in front of him again. Everything was immediately back.

"I'll get Chris." Jared went back down the stairs to see if Chris was up for the adventure. As he descended, he heard Matt and Nick talking in hushed tones.

"It's not too much," Matt reassured.

"Okay. Good." Nick's voice was growing confident. Jared helped Chris pick out a quick outfit, and they went to the car. Matt was already in the driver's seat, waiting. Jared slipped into the back seat, with the middle space between him and Nick. "Here." Nick handed Matt his phone back with the directions pulled up.

"A fucking hour?" Matt turned around to look in the back seat.

"It was the closest one." Nick shrugged like it didn't matter.

"An hour for a tree is crazy, Nick." Chris turned back, too.

"It's not just a tree." Nick fought his case. "It's tradition." He whispered, evoking giggles from Chris and Matt. Given their shared talk, Jared knew this was for him, but he didn't understand why Nick was pushing so hard for it to happen.

"Okay. But you owe me gas money." Matt started reversing out of the garage. The hour-long drive to the tree farm wasn't horrible. They all just talked about random things and passed the aux chord around. Jared was the only person vibing to Nick's music, but Matt was the only person vibing to Chris' rap; it made it fair. Eventually, they drove past an old wooden sign that read 'Wickerd Farm.'

"This is so pretty." Jared saw all the green pines plotted in perfect rows.

"Don't you think it's kind of sad that they grow trees to slaughter them?" Chris asked monotone. Nick gasped.

"I wouldn't exactly call it slaughter." Matt laughed as he turned to park.

"Are you okay, Chris? Do you need to talk to someone?" Jared questioned jokingly.

"Think about it." He urged for everyone to see his point.

"I'm good." Matt declined.

After some silence, Jared broke it: "And then we decorate their corpses," he added to Chris' vision.

"Oh my God. Stop." Nick shivered, hating the thought. Jared grabbed his hand off of his chest and smiled at him. Once the car was fully stopped, Jared dropped Nick's hand to get out on the opposite side of the car.

"Where do we start?" Matt looked at his older brother for guidance on his plan. Nick had no idea.

"I don't know. We've never cut down our own tree in LA." Jared looked around and saw a little kiosk to pay at.

"This way." The pack followed him. After waiting behind a few families, it was their turn.

"Small, medium, or large?" The woman asked.

"Medium?" Nick hesitated.

"And a small one," Matt added. "What? I want one for my room." He shrugged with his hands in his pockets.

"Twenty-five dollars." Nick paid, and they all started walking through the green aisle.

"So what makes the perfect tree?" Chris asked, brushing his hand over the prickly pines.

"Mainly, it just depends on how many decorations you are trying to put on it." Jared was examining one roughly a foot taller than himself. The smell of wood and pine was floating around.

"Are we decorating it?" Chris was unaware that it was part of the plan that day.

"No, we don't have to." Nick started.

"What?" Jared looked disappointed.

"I mean, we can." Nick gave him an inquisitive look.

"What about this one?" Matt stole everyone's attention. He was wrapping his arms around a tree way taller than any of them.

"Would that even fit in the house?" Nick asked.

"Forget the house, what about the car?" Chris examined it further.

"Nick, come look at this one." Jared stole his friend from his brothers. Matt and Chris debate the large tree while Nick and Jared inspect his choice. The air was starting to become heavy in their lungs.

"Definitely a good size." He touched the bristles. "It feels nice. Kind of soft." He wasn't a fan of getting stabbed by a tree.

"I think it's perfect." Nick looked up to see Jared looking down at him.

"You think so?" Nick asked, standing up a little straighter.

"I know it is." Jared's hand absentmindedly played with a branch.

"Then we'll get this one," Nick nodded in approval. "Guys, we are getting this one," Nick hollered to Matt and Chris, who were still heavily debating the other tree. They walked over to see the tree they lacked a say in.

"It's okay." Matt scoffed. Nick smacked him in the chest.

"Jared picked it out. And this was Jared's surprise so he has final say." Nick handed Matt the saw they picked up out of the bin by the kiosk.

"Oh, I have to cut it down."

"I wasn't gonna do it." Nick folded his arms—not pouty but in an in-charge way. Matt rolled his eyes, and Chris lifted up the bottom branches so he could see where he was cutting. While they sawed the tree down, Jared and Nick stood chuckling and watching.

"All this for me?" Jared questioned softly.

"Yeah. I remember you saying you missed this. I'm sure this," he motioned to Chris and Matt, fumbling and bickering, "isn't like when you'd go with your family, but it's something." Nick felt like his surprise was a success. It wasn't like when Jared would go with his family. It was different and new but he loved that it was with his best friends.

"It's perfect." Jared looked down at Nick as he was watching his brothers having their dispute. As Jared watched Nick smiling, he couldn't help but notice how vulnerable the brown-haired boy was being with him. Once the tree was cut all the way through Nick opted to help carry it to the car. His excuse for finally wanting to help was that it would complete his look. Jared felt bad he didn't do anything other than choose the tree but no one seemed bothered by it. As Chris strapped the tree tightly to the roof of the car and Matt picked out his smaller tree by himself, Jared and Nick were in the backseat, trying to get warm. "Come here." He grabbed Nick's hands in his own and breathed on them.

"Germs," Nick said appalled.

"Shut up." Jared rolled his eyes and pulled Nick closer to him. "You are a pain in the ass, you know that?" He asked him. Nick situated himself to be leaning up on Jared a little more.

"So are you." Nick countered.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Fine, we both are." Jared let him win. Nick didn't respond. He was in his head, thinking about the next right thing to say. Jared took the opportunity and spoke again. "Thank you for all of this." Nick shifted to look at Jared.

"You are my best friend." Nick wanted to tell him everything he was feeling. This moment screamed perfect, but for fear of losing Jared as his best friend, he said nothing more than that.

Taglist: @trevorsgodmother @strnilolover @chrissbug333 @kirby0strombolli @abbilmao @ksturnz @thenickgirl (BESTIIEEE)