#they keep running over us with this SHIT every single day and we're still here and for fucking what

[kuvvydraws]

Fuck my company

They have my schedules locked for the whole month, they have me leaving the airport past 10PM like an idiot every single night, and they at last grant me Xmas Eve and Xmas with a morning shift so I can have dinner and lunch respectively with my family

With every shift blocked for the whole fucking month

They still changed them! And now I'm going to miss everything because I can't change my shift with someone else but they can do absolutely everything with no consequences and of course the union can't do shit about it because the company is allowed to do that based on operational needs

No fucking flight I'm assigned to leaves at that hour and my check in hours were already LOCKED FOR THAT AIRLINE and now I have them locked FOR THE SAME AIRLINE but in the fucking afternoon when I can't do shit with my family

Fuck them fuck then fuck them

[mecachrome]

silverstone 2024 landoscar post-race stage > full transcript + gifs

watching recordings of this stage genuinely makes my ears hurt because of the crowd noise and i also find the 132843 videos and photos so hard to keep track of so i was like... fuckit, let me transcribe it once and for all so i can have access to a written recap for reference! figured i'd post here in case it's of any use to anyone else... i compiled different fan-posted material to provide visuals from multiple angles whenever possible since i wanted to piece together a somewhat comprehensive summary; sources are linked but if any ops run across this post lmk if you'd like something removed 🙏

(tbh i mostly made this because i wanted the Three (3) instances of them touching in one post. sorry)

Host: Lando and Oscar. What can I say? Wow! Lando: Hello! Beautiful, huh? It's beautiful to see so many people here. H: This is the most people we've had all weekend. They've all come back for you guys, who've come and seen us after the race. How are you both doing? Oscar: (pauses) A lot better now! L: Yeah, better now. We're—we're both... (strokes Oscar's shoulder) we're both a little bit unhappy with how the race ended, but uhhh. You made our day.

"We're both… we're both a little unhappy..." (x)

O: Yes. You really have, so thank you! H: As you said, you were a little bit unhappy, but I have a feeling that every single one of you [fans] is absolutely ecstatic to have these guys up here. I mean, this is... potentially like one of the best crowds you guys have ever had, right? L: Oh no, this is, uh. I think this is even better than last year, so. O: Yeah. (crowd cheering) H: Oscar, what is it like getting all this love from the Brits? We love you! O: (slight pause) Weird, but I love it. So thank you everyone. I know there's a few Aussies here as well, so thanks everyone that's traveled far and wide, thanks everyone for putting up with the weather… Ummm. And yeah. Thanks for supporting us. H: We've got several Oscar signs. I just saw an Oscar sign here— (O: Thank you.) We've got "Let's go Oscar" here… (Crowd starts chanting Ohhh, Oscar Piastri) Lando. I've seen so many signs here saying that next year is your year, mate. "Champion next year." World champion next year for Lando Norris! (crowd cheering) O: (looks over and gently elbows Lando's arm)

(x) / (x)

H: These guys are all behind you! L: Aww... shit. Nah, I'm uh… I'm good. I'm just—you know, there's one race every year where you want to do better than anywhere else, and that's here. This is the one race, and things were going so beautifully, I was leading the majority of the race, and… yeah. It hurts! It hurts coming away from it knowing I almost could've won in my home race, and that's been my dream since I was a kid. So. I'm sorry! But… I'll save it for next year.  H: Hold on a minute. I don't think you need to apologize for anything. I think these guys are still absolutely over-the-moon. I think I can speak on behalf of every single person here to say that they're immensely proud of you and your performance this year. And that goes for you too, Oscar! The team as a whole. This is your team's home race... L: (stares at Oscar intensely and quickly pats his arm) O: (giggles)

(x) / (x)

H: And look at all the papaya! That's all I can say, look at it. O: Yeah. We have the best fans, so thank you very much. To steal that line from Lewis, we have the best fans.  H: What is it actually like being up here, though? Soaking this up. I mean, we never do this any other race; this is the only race we come back to after the race is done and see all of the fans. How special is it? L: It's, uh… it's quite easily the best race of the whole year. It's genuinely the most incredible feeling standing here, having so much support. It was a hard act to follow after Lewis was here, but we want to come back and we want to do better every single time. (gestures at teleprompter) You've only got two minutes left, but I could stay here all night. H: Okay! I just want to say, you do this to me often on stage. You always read my [teleprompter] and tell me when I need to wrap up.  L: (shrugs) H: (sarcastic) I've got it, thank you. Thank you very much. (notices crowd chanting for a shoey) Oh, they want a shoey! L: (softly, shaking head) No.  O: Not happening. H: I think that's a you thing, that's definitely an Aussie thing. O: Last year I got peer pressured. I'm not going to have it again. H: Can we peer pressure you again? O: (shakes head)

(x)

H: Lando, can we peer pressure him again, d'you reckon? L & O: (exchange knowing glances) O: I did one last year, though. L: (teasing) You're going to let down sooo many people!  O: …Well, since you put it that way. 

"You're going to let down sooo many people!" "...Well, since you put it that way." (x) / (x)

H: We've got the beer here! It's happening! (crowd cheering) L: (shakes can) H: Right. Get the shoe off, get the shoe off. (Oscar toes off his right shoe) Oh, the shoe is off! L: (chugs from can, then bends down to fill up Oscar's shoe) O: (pointing between them while Lando shakes his head) You're doing it too!!!  O: (drinks) H: Lando, I think you've got to!  O: (insistently hands Lando his shoe)

(x) / (x) / (x)

H: Everyone, make some noise for Lando. Top it up, Lando. Don't hold back. L: Cheers. (drinks, dumps out the rest, shakes Oscar's shoe out and then tosses it into crowd) O: (bends over and giggles helplessly) [x2]

(x)

H: Guys, absolutely sensational effort from you both. Fantastic. (to Oscar) I hope you've got a spare pair of shoes. O: (lilting) I don't even think that was the worst part of our day!

"I don't even think that was the worst part of our day!" (x)

H: Of course that wasn't the worst part of your day. You're up here with the best fans in the world. I'm being told that I've got to wrap up.  L: Wrap it up. (takes out phone) O: (shuffles behind Lando to snap a crowd selfie)

(x)

H: We have to let Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri go. (crowd booing; L: Boo!) But before we do, please make noise for the incredible, incredible McLaren drivers, and for their fantastic [inaudible] shoey! One last word before you go, for the fans. L: One last word? Uhh, I love you all, thanks so much for all the support. I can't wait for next year already. I'm excited, I want to come back. Um. (waves) O: (smiling) Yep. Thank you everyone. We've had a 2-4 and a 3-4 at Silverstone, I think next year is the year to make it a 1-2. L: Next year [inaudible]. O: Thanks for all your support. Thanks for putting up with the weather, uhhm. I know most of you choose to live in this country, but. Um. Anyway. Thank you very much, and we will see you next year, better! L & O: Thanks everyone. Thank you. (take official crowd photo) H: Fantastic. L: (hypes the crowd by waving his arms up and down) O: (takes signed cap to give to a fan before noticing and giggling at Lando's antics) O: (crawls to the edge of the stage and puts the cap on a young fan's head, signs her poster with Lando)

L: (goes around collecting things thrown onto the stage; first picks up 2 friendship bracelets that say ♥OSCAR♥ and ♥LANDO♥ (can be seen on the underside of his wrist in this video), then picks up a fanmade Oscar doll that he shows Oscar, then picks up one last friendship bracelet and holds it in his left hand as he leaves the stage) O: (takes a few steps away before turning back and chucking his remaining left shoe)

+ bonus: lando keeping the bracelets on

😵‍💫 end scene.....

[threepandas]

Bad End: Happy Hunting! (1)

I should have known better. They told us. TRAINED US. Over and over, drilled into our heads! Don't assume! Don't PROJECT Human body language onto alien species! Think that just because they look similar, are ACTING similar, their brains are in any way WORKING similar!

Not every species pack bonds! Some of them are PREDATORS. Be CAREFUL!

I was an idiot. A fucking IDIOT!

I gasped for air. Ran. Ran and ran and RAN. Desperately trying to put distance between me and the hunters behind me. I could hear screams. Crashing. The sound of weapon fire. The air here wasn't RIGHT. Too high in oxygen? Too low? Some other trace element, slowly poisoning my lungs?

I didn't know. Scared! Oh god, I'm so scared!

I thought he was my friend!

Thought THEY were my friends! Stupid. So God damned stupid! You really will pack bond with ANYTHING, won't you?! They bare their teeth and you fucking thought it was a SMILE! No wonder I barely graduated. They never should have-!

A root catches my foot.

Crashing to the mulch of the forest floor. Scramble to get up. My ankle on fire. Hurts. Oh god it hurts! Ignore it. Go! Keep going! Gotta get OUT! Find a ship. Any ship! Radio for help!

All the trees look the same. Am I even going in a straight line? Deeper or across? Away from civilization? I don't know how to survive here! Can I even drink the water? No. Run! Just RUN! Nothing else!

I can't hear them.

Him.

I thought he was my friend.

My grades were shit. Worst of the Best, but ultimately good enough. Got to see the stars. The galaxy. Meet real life aliens. Was a glorified gofer for the Earthling Diplomat's Entourage. Galactic Council offered staff. Wasn't really an offer. We took um. Some of them were the "better" guards then the super military badasses we had brought.

Military badasses were pretty offended.

But I was a gofer. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Just here for the aliens, right? Yay getting to meet some, right? I couldn't even PRONOUNCE their species name. I was mortified. Tried my damnedest. They thought it was hilarious. My pronunciation was god awful. Was calling them the cutesy babified version of "office chair".

Met Wolfe. He seemed FRIENDLY. Kind. Considerate. He told jokes. Asked about my day. I started sharing. Hobbies and interests. Stories about home. Explained weird human behaviors. We were close. I... I thought we were close! Was it a lie? Was everything A LIE!?

When my rotation in space was coming to an end, I was SAD! Fucking HEARTBROKEN! That I might never see my friends again. Since communication between our two planets wasn't even stabilized yet. Might never be. I wanted to savor our time together. Treasure it!

But then things started to go wrong.

Random malfunctions, that delayed and delayed us. Lost communications that nearly caused interplanetary incidents. Took days and weeks to fix at a time. People went MISSING. We looked. Every time we LOOKED!

They're dead, aren't they? Oh god. Dozens of crew members DEAD.

Then the engine "broke". Conveniently just close enough for us to make an emergency landing on this planet! And oh, would you look at THAT! A sacred cultural festival!? They won't help us unless we join in.

It's a MARRIAGE HUNT.

Heavy emphasis on the HUNT part!

They weren't surprised. Not a single one. Every last one just turned too different people and... and...! Wolfe planned this. THEY planned this! We're gonna die. I trusted him and now I'm gonna DIE! Can't breathe! Branches whipping at my arms and hair and face, as I RUN. Down slopes. Across shallow rivers. Even as my limbs BURN. I... I HAVE TOO-!

A powerful wall of muscle slams into me.

I scream. Thrash, even as I fall. My arms are easily tucked and pinned against my side, as the body covering mine rolls with me down a slight incline. The smell of wet plant matter and upturned soil thick in the strange air. Dizzy. I feel sick. Oh god please no!

Heat and pressure pin me down. Arms like thick steel bands. Still, I struggle, like a cornered animal. I have too. They always tell you to FIGHT. Only chance and survival. The deep rumble of crooned reassurances in an alien dialect fill my ear. I can feel how DEEPLY he breathes me in, before each sentence. Like hes been holding back and finally no longer has too, is giddy with it. How his hands already spread possessively, eager to explore.

And he's strong. Oh god, he's so strong! Please please please! Let go. LET GO!

"Shhhhhh shh shh, is 'okay' now. I have you. You ran so hard! Did so well! My precious little human~ so brave. So strong. You did it! Now, no one can EVER seperate us! You don't have to worry anymore. No more tears~" Hunter, Warrior, oh god it was never a GRIN-! His teeth are so sharp. Pressed so close to my skin!

"I'll take care of EVERYTHING~"

I'm scared.

[joyswonderland1108]

Drama. Drama everywhere.

Hello Loves, hope you are all doing okay and having a good life.

Quite honestly i was not going to talk about this because i was trying to stay drama-free for the longest time as i've been busy with uni but also wanted a bit of a break from all the bullshit while i continue to support, appreciate and wait for our boys peacefully.

My reactions for this situation were :

This shit is funny af because here we go again making a scene out of basically nothing.

As much as the situation is funny it is also unfunny when we're looking at the whole scene from different angles.

So to begin we all know why this shit is funny, same story, different day. People will continuously feel pressed about Jimin or Junkook or Jimin AND Jungkook, people always have this obsession of bringing down their bond because for some reason people can't even accept them as two bandmates, it HAS to be two strangers or nothing to them.

The whole "we do not support content that has shipping material" argument is silly to me because darling, if you see member X with member Z doing something totally normal that anyone can do and can still call it "shipping material" that's a you problem, you must be having serious untreated problems and should seek help from a therapist ASAP.

To think that "Tteokbokki by JK" caused so much fire and for what? We've all been knew that the members have been eating together many times before and it wouldn't be the first time that a member would've cooked something that was appreciated by other members. We were even able to see through the moments the boys decided to share with us that Jungkook did in fact cook for Jimin and if anything to me whether it was Jimin who said it or any other member, picking the Tteokbokki by JK as his favourite dish, that to me at least is a really good praise for JK because this could only mean his Tteokbokki is a banger!!

Now moving on to why it is also unfunny and i'm not even going to get into the details that we talk about every single time about how both Jimin and JK get unnecessary hate but i'm going to talk more about the fans.

We should all keep in mind that stan accounts are run by actual people not bots, so this whole thing about making a big deal out of a very small thing and making up lies to justify this hate is absolutely mental. People are receiving death threats through their dms, they're being lied about, they're being doxxed and basically their lives could be in danger and over what? Childish behaviors that are not assumed.

What irks me is those with big platforms who can't bother to do things correctly, and i'm not saying they should not do any mistakes, we're human we do make mistakes and it's okay but what's not okay is knowing damn well we are wrong and not apologizing for it, being able to fix it and not even try but instead proceeding to block the people they were wrong about.

I don't want anyone to tell me that those people behind those big accounts are not responsible, when you have a certain amount of followers you become responsible of the behavior they show after they followed YOUR advise. Like any influencer on the internet, they are responsible for their audience, as the word itself is "influence" which means that the behavior, decisions, actions, etc.. of the audience can be diverted by this person.

Seeing how these big accounts caused a lot of damage to many people over false information that they did not bother to fact check before but even worse didn't even think about making a follow up post apologizing not only for the misinformation but also to the people who have been impacted by it, this says a lot about what kind of people they are and the type of values they grew up with. Because those accounts are owned by real people too, which means that the posts are also influenced by their personality and values, knowing damn well that because of YOU people are being sent death threats and not even a simple "Sorry"?

It is quite sad actually because we're seeing fewer and fewer big accounts in this fandom being completely honest and unproblematic. Ship whoever you want, stan whoever you want, heck if you want to be a solo go ahead no one is stopping you as long as there is no disrespect out there, as long as there are limits, literally no one gives a fuck what you chose to do or believe in.

A this point i feel like i used up all of my energy in writing this post and if i go any longer it would no longer make sense so i'm stopping here. Please, let's do better for our boys, i know there's like a whole year for us to wait for all of them to be together again but i swear a year is not as long as you think it is, so in the meantime please let's work hard for them, if we can't be present on social media as in actively posting and all that's fine but at least let's be supportive and let them know that we did NOT forget them and we are still here for them, we still love them and we will continue to do so.

With that being said, take care of yourselves and have a very nice day.

[nessagigglebox]

Chapter 27 Xaden POV Fourth Wing Favorite Quotes

“Shit like that is why I keep my inconvenient feelings about Violet to my damned self, no matter how good she looks today or how delectable she smells sitting next to me, like some kind of citrus that makes me want to bury my face in the side of her neck and see just how pink I can get her cheeks to flush. No, if I did that, every rider in this room would look at her differently, and not in a good way. Leave it to me to fall for the one woman on the Continent I can never fucking have.”

“Still, I'd put myself right between her and Liam, ignoring his knowing little smirk, when I took the chair closest to Violet. There's nothing going on there, but he can back the fuck up when I'm around.”

“My mind runs through three other battle strategies, then stutters on a fourth as I glance in Violet's direction and catch her lips pursing in concentration. Gods, that mouth. I dream about that mouth. Fantasize about that mouth. That kiss is burned into my memory like a relic, taunting me with what will never happen again, with what I never should have tasted in the first place.”

“My chest tightens annoyingly. Whatever look Violet shot her sister, it was obviously in our defense, and damn if that doesn't hit me straight between the ribs.”

The wispy silver bond solidifies, an emotion - pride —dancing down the pathway even though Violet doesn't move a muscle. Holy shit, we really are connected. This could be —

"Dangerous? Reckless? An unaffordable distraction?" Sgaeyl snaps, and I swear I hear her teeth clash.

"Fun." There's no denying the bond between us when it's shining at me like a fucking mage light. "We can pretend I'm not here, just for the sake of the exercise." I put my figurine on the table and settle in my chair, then wrap my arm around the back of Violet's seat and enjoy the sight of Dain grinding his teeth. "Give Aetos here the position we all know he craves." His jaw flexes, and I leave my arm planted like a battle marker. The command, he can have. I'm mildly curious to see what he does with it. But that's the only position I'm ceding to the spoiled whiner.

"Don't be a dick," Violet whispers.

"You haven't even seen me start to be a dick." I send the words down the bond.

Her head whips toward mine, her lips parting as she openly gawks at me.

It worked. My heart stumbles, and I bite back a laugh. I was wrong.

This isn't just fun, it's instantly vital to my existence. I turn toward her, letting a corner of my mouth rise, and look straight into those hypnotic hazel eyes. "You're staring. It's going to get awkward in about thirty seconds if you don't stop."

"How?" She spits out the whisper like an accusation.

"The same way you talk to Sgaeyl. We're all gloriously, annoyingly linked.

This is just one of the perks. Though I'm starting to wish I'd tried it sooner.

The look on your face is priceless." I wink and turn my attention back to the seething pot of jealousy boiling over across the table.

"You're. The. Wingleader." Dain chokes out the words, and I can't help but wonder if he's submitting to my rank or accusing me of inappropriate behavior with a subordinate.

Not that I give a fuck either way. If it were safe for Violet, I'd be ecstatically guilty of inappropriate behavior. Wickedly inappropriate. In my bed. In hers. On a table in the Archives. In the bathing chamber and every room with a door to lock so no one else can see what's mine. I'd be so decadently inappropriate that her voice would turn hoarse from screaming my name every single day.

But though she'd be the best thing that ever happened to me, I'd be the worst thing that ever happened to her. The truth of it sinks like a stone in my stomach.

"Why are you even here?" Dain whines. "No offense, sir, but we weren't exactly expecting senior leadership on this trip."

"Yes, why are you here?" Sgaeyl doesn't disguise the mockery in her tone.

"You're more than aware that Sgaeyl and Tairn are mated." My voice stays respectfully level. "It was your idea to bring the daggers." I'm careful to only speak down Sgaeyl's bond.

"It seemed a prudent course of action, considering your insufferable intolerance to being separated from the general's daughter." She huffs.

"Three days?" Dain fires back, leaning in. "You couldn't make it three days?"

"Insufferable? That's a bit far."

"Where's Violet now?'" she mocks. "What is she doing? Is she thinking of me? Is she missing me? Is she getting closer to Aetos? Does she dream about that kiss? How many days until Violet's -'"

"Point fucking taken." She's going to be unbearable on the flight home.

"It has nothing to do with him." Violet slams her dragon figurine on the table. "That's up to Tairn and Sgaeyl."

And there she goes again, defending me. Fuck, I love this woman.

"You never considered that it was you I couldn't stay away from?" I ask her. She jabs the point of her elbow into my biceps, and I fight the upward curve of my mouth. I love that she isn't scared of me, that she'll call me out in a way no one else besides Sgaeyl does. Everything she does - even blatantly elbowing me in front of her squad —turns me on. I'm fucked on every level known to man when it comes to Violet Sorrengail. "Now, now, you’ll give our litte communication secret away if you can' keep from being so….violent”

Of course you rush to defend him," Dain whines yet again. "Though how you can forget that this guy wanted to kill you six months ago is beyond me."

He's not lying, but that was when i hated the idea of her, before I knew her -loved her.

Violet stiffens. "I cannot believe you went there."

The hurt in her tone sets my teeth on edge. "Good job remaining professional, Actos." I scratch the relic on my neck to remind him exactly who the fuck I am. "Really shows those leadership qualities to their best advantage."

A rider stationed here whistles. "Do you boys just want to whip it out and measure? It would be faster."

Liam stifles what's obviously a laugh, and I shoot him a sideways look.

"You want to do your job?" Violet's smile practically drips venomous sugar as she turns it on Dain. "I mean, how you can forget you're the squad leader is beyond me."

Fucking love her.

Panic skitters down the silver bond.

"Relax. I's just me." I crook a finger, and a strand of shadow solidifies to skim along Violet's cheek.

"Fuck me," a rider to the left says.

"I can surround this entire outpost, but I think that might freak some people out." I close my hands, and the shadows jolt back to their natural state, letting light pour in through the windows. Damn, that was fun. It was even worth the threat assessment I'm getting from Mira. Violet tenses like she spotted it, too. "I hope you didn't get any ideas while we were in the dark there."

She lifts her middle finger without even looking my way, and a laugh sneaks past my lips as Mira leads us through the rest of the exercise.

"Wasn't my choice." I shrug. Lying is easy, except when it comes to Violet. I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

The truth of the words stings. I might be accomplishing a very risky run, but Sgaeyl is right. We're here because I couldn’t concentrate for shit knowing that Violet was this close to the border. I chose Violet over my wing.

"And next year? When you're a brand-new lieutenant? What shit is she going to miss out on then?" Mira asks.

Yeah, fuck if I know. At this rate, they'll have to station me at Basgiath if I can't get my shit under control and get over —

"Love isn't something you get over," Sgaeyl reminds me. "Why do you think I flew you all the way out here?"

"To mock me while cavorting with your mate."

"I didn't say it was without its perks."

Fuck. What are the rules when it comes to interfering with sisters? Am I supposed to step in? Let Violet handle it? Lewellen let Liam and me beat the shit out of each other when we fought, but I'm not sure that's the right approach here. I'm also not about to infantilize Violet when her sister is doing a damned good job of it herself.

The way she's made? She's fucking perfect. Everything about her is what makes her... Violet.

Or so help me, Dunne, I will throw her over my damned shoulder right in front of everyone.

That approaching drift- and whoever is responsible for compromising the power supply tor the wards - will kill her if given the chance, and that's not something id ever let happen.

"Approaching," Sgaeyl informs me.

But damn, her courage has me tripping over my feelings for her.

"Not fast enough."

Violet isn't going to leave of her own accord; I can see it in her eyes, feel it in the tense lines of her back. I drop my shields, and her emotions hurtle down the bond. Determination. Fear-

She's going to bolt.

And there's only one way to stop her. I lift my hands from her waist to the velvet-soft skin of her cheeks, memorizing every color in her eyes as I cup the back of her neck, preparing to commit what she'll think is an unforgivable sin.

I kiss her. It's hard and raw, wild and desperate, and the way she opens for me, kissing me back with abandon, nearly takes me out at the knees.

Gods, I'll never get enough of this woman. Her mind. Her tenacity. Her mouth.

I kiss her like this might be the last time she'll let me, like this is an alternate reality and there's a chance she could love me back.

I kiss her like she's mine.

It's a stolen moment —it can never be anything more —but it's ours.

Wingbeats approach, and I ignore them, stroking my tongue against hers again and again, keeping my hands at the nape of her neck by sheer force of will, denying the urge to explore every curve, every hollow of her tight body. I've never wanted anyone the way I want her, never craved a woman's laugh as much as her touch or needed her trust more than my next breath. Only Violet.

I tear my mouth away, the steady pulses of wings undeniable as Tairn and Sgaeyl approach. Wind gusts, catching the loosened strands of her hair as I lean my forehead against hers. "Leave for me, Violet."

She stiffens, accusation filling her eyes so quickly that I know she's figured out that I just used our attraction to distract her. "I will hate you for this." Ouch.

"Yeah." I nod, accepting the consequences of my actions. "I can live With that." I can live with anything as long as she's still breathing, so I drop my hands to her arms and force them out at her sides, "Arms up. Hold tight."

"Fuck. You." She hisses out the words as a shadow falls over us, and I hit the floor, catching myself with my hands as a black claw fills the space I just occupied, hooking Violet's arms and snatching her into the sky.

"She'll never forgive me," I tell Sgaeyl as she lands on the narrow perch ahead of me. "Especially if something happens to her sister."

She tilts her head, staring at me with typical impatience as I launch to my feet and sprint down the rampart toward her. We're airborne in seconds, her wings pummeling the air before I even reach the seat. "If she can't forgive you for the least of your transgressions, then she doesn't deserve you."

"I don't think she'll see it that way." I get a good grip on her scales and settle in for the flight.

"Then you'd better start praying to your gods that her sister survives."

So pretty much the whole chapter 😍 Rebecca just pull a “Midnight Sun” already. I’m dying over here 🥹

[armoricaroyalty]

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author's note: now here are those wholesome sibling relationships we have all come to love and expect from my story!

Transcript under the cut.

Nakawe Palace // Armorican State Visit - Day 2

REPORTER | ...I'm live outside of Nakawe Palace, where the press and members of the public alike have gathered following unconfirmed reports that Crown Princess Rosalind has, for 3 years, conducted a secret relationship. REPORTER | This afternoon, Uspanian tabloid The Concordia Times broke the story of the Crown Princess's relationship with Komrebigan national—and accused murderer—Hakane Satō, also known as Mary Yokoyama. REPORTER | [offscreen] In 2013, Yokoyama was named as a person of interest in the still-unsolved disappearance of her husband, Noah Satō. She was questioned by Komorebigan police in 2013 and again in 2014, but released without charge. Blackwell Palace has yet to comment on this developing story... MARY | [offscreen] Are you sure this is a good idea? ROSALIND | Do you have a better one? MARY | No, but give me a week— ROSALIND | We don't have a week. ROSALIND | [in Komorebigo] Darling, is everything alright? You seem upset. MARY | [forcing a smile] I'm fine. [knock on door] ROSALIND | That's them, now. ROSALIND | You're late. MARY | Good to see you both. EMILY | Don't look at me! I was ready to go while he was still putting his contacts in. FREDERICK | Sorry. I was late getting back from Canarís. I ran into an old friend... ROSALIND | Well...whatever! Come in! Sit down! We need to talk... ROSALIND | So...I'm sure you've seen the news by now. FREDERICK | Heck, I've seen the reporters. They're still all outside, by the way. EMILY | Frederick... ROSALIND | Can you not be a smug know-it-all for 15 minutes? This is serious. ROSALIND | We don't know how the story got out. We're looking into potential leaks, but in the meantime, we can't allow the press to run with this. The longer it's in the headlines, the worse it'll be for the family. EMILY | I'm so sorry, Your Highness. This must be so difficult— FREDERICK | You've got friends in the press. Can't you get Vance Marshall or one of his cronies to kill this one for you? He's done it before. ROSALIND | It's too late for that. It's all over the Uspanian press and the major Armorican networks have already picked it up. Our only option now is damage control, and we'll need something big to bury this one. ROSALIND | [sighs] We need you. Both of you. EMILY | Both of us? FREDERICK | I don't think I like where this is headed... ROSALIND | [offscreen] The only thing that people love more than a royal scandal is a royal wedding. EMILY | ... FREDERICK | ... FREDERICK | Roz, are you shitting me? EMILY | Frederick— FREDERICK | You want me to propose just to bury an embarrassing story? ROSALIND | What's the big deal? You were going to do it, anyway— FREDERICK | get shit from the press every single day of my life! And you have never once lifted a finger to defend me, but I'm supposed to make major life decisions to spare you a couple weeks of bad press? ROSALIND | [offscreen] I am the Crown Princess— FREDERICK | Yeah! I know! You've never once let anyone forget it. ROSALIND | [offscreen] —I have to be beyond reproach. ROSALIND | Unlike you, I do not have the luxury of making mistakes. Everything I do has to be perfect, for the sake of the entire family! Everyone depends on me, Freddy! Do you really think the Armorican taxpayer would keep paying for your fuck-ups if I wasn't included in the bargain? FREDERICK | Oh, poor you, it must be sOoOo fucking hard being the chosen one! ROSALIND | IT'S NOT MY FAULT I WAS BORN FIRST YOU ENTITLED LITTLE— EMILY | [offscreen] [sobs] FREDERICK | ...Em?

[ghostboneswrites2]

Doe Eyes || CH4 - Worth Being Sore Over

See CH1 for warnings! || Chapter list || Masterlist

        Thirty days had passed. You marked each day in a little notebook, and wrote down a song title for each day. Aside from Beth's occasional singing, you hadn't heard real music in a long time. Music was the thing you missed most from the world before, and you thought it would be a good method to keep music alive. Even if you couldn't hear it, you could remember it. The songs weren't even necessarily songs you likes, just the ones you remembered.

        Day 28 - Don't Fear the Reaper ~ Blue Oyster Cult

        Day 29 - Nights in White Satin ~ The Moody Blues

        Day 30 - 21 Guns ~ Green Day

        You guys had a run to make, so you scribbled your entry quickly and got dressed, grabbed a bite, chugged some water, and did a few stretches. You had learned the hard way how sore you could get doing so much labor with no warm up. So, every day you stretched. 

        The council was wary of you at first. Michonne recognized you from the time the Governor sent you after her with Merle, who you learned some time ago was dead, and she made her concerns known. Brandy stuck up for you, though, reminding them that it was you who hadn't gone after her when you could have. You also reminded them that you were on guard when they broke in to rescue Glenn and Maggie, and you didn't go after them. You asked to prove yourself and you did, taking down seven or eight walkers outside the fence on your own with just a crowbar. It worked, and you got to earn your place. So, when you were called upon to make a run with the group, you didn't protest. 

        Brandy hated it, though.

        "You're really gonna go?" She asked you as you made sure your bag was empty to ensure plenty of space for loot.

        "We've been over it." You shrugged. "Every single time, might I add. This is my job. It's how I earn my keep."

        "There are so many jobs that need done around here." She argued. "I mean, I'm up to my ears in laundry. Why the hell are there only three of us on laundry duty? There are like a thousand people here!"

        "A thousand?" You laughed. "Try again."

        "Details aren't the point! Just stay and do a normal job!" She pleaded.

        "This is a normal job, Brandy." You told her, stepping past her and exiting your cell.

        "No it's not. It's like, betting with your life or something every time you go."

        "Come on, stop being such a drama queen. We haven't had a single incident the entire time we've been here." You sighed. When her glare was unrelenting you decided to lay a hand on her arm and offer her a half smile. "Chillax, cowgirl. We're professionals and shit."

        She laughed at that and shook her head.

        "You better come back in one piece." She scolded.

        "Always do!" You chirped as you skipped away before she could protest any further.

----

        "Just give it a second." Daryl said after banging on the glass outside the grocery store to lure out some walkers.

        "Okay, I think I got it." Zach announced.

        "Got what?" Michonne asked, walking up behind him. You raised your eyebrows at him, awaiting his response.

        "I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." He said.

        "He's been tryin' to guess for like six weeks." Daryl complained.

        "Yeah, I'm pacing myself." Zach defended. "One shot a day."

        "Alright, shoot." Daryl sighed.

        "Well, the way you are at the prison," Zach began. "You being on the council, you're able to track.. You're helping people but you're still being kind of.." He trailed off for a second, gathering his thoughts. "Surly." He nodded. "Big swing here... Homicide cop."

        Michonne started laughing, and you couldn't help but stifle a laugh yourself.

        "What's so funny?" Daryl asked defensively.

        "Nothing." Michonne shook her head, still smirking. "It makes perfect sense."

        "Actually, the man's right." Daryl nodded. "Under cover."

        "Come on, really?" Zach asked.

        "Yup. I mean, I don't like to talk about it, 'cause it's a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

        "Dude, c'mon. Really?" Zach scoffed as Daryl turned his head away and smirked a little. He turned his head back to Zach and gave him a look. One of those 'be fucking for real' type looks. "Okay. I'll just keep guessing, I guess."

        "Yeah, you keep doin' that." Daryl nodded. 

        A walker slammed up against the glass, snarling. You scrunched your nose in disgust at its bloated neck and flaky rotten skin. 

        "We gonna do this, detective?" Michonne asked sarcastically.

        "Let's do it!" Daryl said, strutting toward the entrance.

        The group of you cleared the walkers that crowded up inside, hungry for your flesh. 

        "Alright." Sasha breathed. "We go in, stay in formation for the sweep. After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?"

        "Was there any time that you weren't the boss of me?" Tyreese asked.

        "You had a few years before I was born." She teased. 

        You shook your head and smiled at the siblings bantering as you guys filed inside. You pulled your bag off your shoulder and began searching the aisles for hygienic things, like soap, first aid, pads and tampons, diapers, lotions, just whatever. It wasn't long before a loud crash erupted, and you all rushed to find Bob stuck under a shelf of wine. As soon as you all went to help him, walkers started falling through the roof.

        "Uh, we should get out of here." Glenn said.

        A walker fell down on Glenn but he fought it off and shot it. They just kept coming. You looked around frantically, unsure what the next move was. A walker came up on your side and you whacked it once, then twice, and down it went. Thanks, crowbar, you thought to yourself. 

        You decided to just keep taking them down, until someone shouted some order into the chaos. You definitely couldn't leave anyone behind. You noticed Daryl and Zach working to get Bob out from under the shelf, so you hurried over to help. When the weight was lifted just enough, Bob slithered out from under it. Unfortunately, so did a walker, and it took a big chunk out of Zach's leg.

        You all froze, stunned. Thirty days of good luck, and of course you had to witness the first tragedy in a month. The walkers swarmed him, taking bites from anywhere they could reach, including his face. You gagged at the grotesqueness, but ultimately you all had to go and preserve your own lives. You were teary eyed as you all made your escape.

        The ride back was a solemn one. Nobody spoke, and you personally were filled with dread. Who was gonna tell Beth about her boyfriend? 

        "What about Beth?" You asked, clearing your throat first to break the silence.

        "What about her?" Michonne asked.

        "Who's gonna tell her? About Zach?"

        "Me." Daryl grunted.

----

        "His face?" Brandy asked in horror. She shook her head as she passed the wine you snagged back to you after taking a sizeable gulp. You nodded and tilted the bottle back, chugging a few mouthfuls for yourself. You and Brandy shared a cell, partially for space conservation but mostly because Brandy said it would be just like sharing a dorm in college. You wouldn't know, you never made good enough grades for a college.

        "Yeah, man. It was sick. I can't get the image out of my head, you know? He was just screaming in agony and we couldn't do anything but run."

        "Well, get some rest. We both need it." She sighed. You agreed as you closed the wine and climbed up to your bunk. You didn't get much sleep, though. Your thoughts ran rampant, and you weren't drunk enough to quiet them. You tossed and turned for a while, earning a few complaints from Brandy, but your eyes eventually fluttered shut.

        The next morning you woke with a headache. Brandy was still asleep, so you went and found some instant coffee and made yourself some with room temperature water. No sugar, no cream, exactly how you didn't like your coffee, but at least it was caffeine. You were always more of an energy drink person, anyways.

        You yawned and took a sip, rubbing your eyes. D Block was always quiet in the mornings. You heard shuffling walking toward you but you didn't look up. You assumed whoever it was, they were just as groggy as you. No need for chitchat. That was, until  you heard that familiar guttural hissing. Your head snapped up and your heart dropped.         

        "Shit!" You shouted. "Fuck! What the fuck!" 

        You jumped up, dropping your coffee. Quick thinking wasn't always your strong suit. Your first idea was to throw a chair at them -- the two walkers that were headed straight for you, that is -- but of course in a prison they were all bolted to the ground. Your next closest option was a coffee mug, which did no damage when you chucked it at it's head. That was when you realized it was a familiar head, the kid with the glasses that always followed Carl around.        

        "Shit, man." You breathed. "How'd you die?"

        Gunfire and screams followed shortly after. People filed in with guns as chaos ensued, gunning down walkers and being taken down by them. Rick and Daryl rushed in, so did Carol and Glenn, and eventually with their joint efforts the walkers were taken down. Lizzie and Mica's dad was bit, and Carol tended to him. You searched around for Brandy and found her crying on her cot.

        "The hell was that?" You asked in disbelief as you plopped down beside her. 

        "How did they get in?" She cried.

        "No clue." You sighed. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

        At least I'm awake now, you thought.

----

        Patrick died from some kind of flu, that was what started it. Now you were all quarantined to D Block, just in case it spread. How funny was it that a common flu could end a life so quickly. Patrick was fine yesterday, and so was Charlie. It killed fast. You and Brandy decided if you were confined to a cell, you'd finish off the wine and play the uno cards you took from the library.

        "Draw four." Brandy gloated triumphantly. 

        "Asshole." You grumbled, pulling four cards from the deck.

        "You know, if I survived all this, just to get taken out by a fucking flu, I'm havin' a personal conference with the big man upstairs when I get there." Brandy said.

        "Oh yeah? What makes you think that's where you're going?" You wondered.

        "And just what is that supposed to mean?" She inquired.

        "Didn't you know? All rich people go to hell." You joked. She rolled her eyes.

        "You're a real sore loser, you know that?" She said. You glared at her. "Uno." She smirked.

        "I'm just sad." You admitted, throwing your cards down. "Thirty good days, and then like ten tragedies within twenty four hours."

        "Yeah." She nodded. "That's a loss worth being sore over."

[mellodyevangeline]

I'm imagining a BNHA adjacent world where there's this schlubby middle-aged ace dude named Fred or something has passive succubus style pheromone abilities that he cannot turn off, so everywhere he goes people are just falling all over themselves hoping to get a piece of him.

The thing is, while he doesn't enjoy having these powers, he still finds ways to make use of them. He wins almost every dating show because both the bachelors and bachelorettes want him so badly. Eventually the production crews learn to recognize this guy because Holy Shit he's ruining the entire industry at this point, but every time they try bar his entry he hits them with that "If you let me through I'll love you forever" bit and it works EVERY SINGLE TIME.

He makes a lot of money using these tricks, but after not too long of this every villain is wearing a hazmat suit on every mission, and he realizes that it's because of him. He's changing the entire villain meta and it's wiggin everyone out.

Without warning Fred just falls off the face of the earth. Just completely dissappears. Everyone assumes he had a rival that took him out or he just died in a car crash or something, but either way no one sees him again.

But 10 years later a man runs for president of the United States and he is unilaterally accepted as the president before the votes can even be cast. Law makers are falling over themselves trying to get him in the oval office ASAP.

As soon as he's in office, he passes through several laws that are widely adored, things like bans on fracking, UBI, defund the police, etc. He attends a UN meeting and everyone LOVES his proposals and every member of the UN agrees to sweeping social policy changes as well as complete disarmament.

And after his 4 year term is over, much to the chagrin of his international fan base, he decides to never run again, or pursue a monarchy as some had begged for.

Shortly before his death, Time Magazine's "The Most Beloved President of All Time, Like We're Being So Cereal Right Now" publishes a memoir detailing his rise to fame.

Of course he had been Fred. But after giving it a lot of thought he decides to meet with 3 people: A plastic surgeon who changes his face in exchange for a kiss, a chemist who synthesizes his unique pheromones for a hug, and finally a surgeon who carefully removes the mutant organ that was pumping out this super strong love juice in exchange for the privilege of keeping it in a jar on his desk.

Using the synthesized pheromone, Fred uses it at strategic times to get what he wants here and there in small, almost unrecognizable ways.

He convinces a CEO to sell him majority stock in his lucrative tech company. He convinces many unconnected contractors across the US to install aerosol cannisters throughout every major US city. Finally He convinces every metropolitan area mayor that these cannisters are his way of giving back to community and cleaning the smog out of the air for good.

Of course, these were lies. Over the course of his election cycle, Fred slowly releases his synthesized pheromones from these canisters, convincing more and more people each day to vote for him.

His universally loved "Clean Air Towers", accepted by the UN and eventually every nation on earth, also spread these pheromones to most every corner of the globe.

But after his work was done and people finally began to leave him alone once more, he turned off these machines and got back to what he was doing before he developed these annoying powers.

Eating meat lovers pizzas and watching ALF reruns.

[sidhewrites]

22! Someone else write this for me i'm just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. We got the end of the renfield arc and setting up for the climax of the book, but god knows if any of it makes any sense.

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"Right," I say. "Cool." We're fucked. "What's next on the list?" When Josie doesn't answer, I look over to see her wide-eyed, mouth agape. "Josie?"

"I don't know. This is..."

"We've got to convince him to trade his body for this one," Lucy butts in. She's flickering in and out of visibility. Magnus' magic ghost power shit is messing with her own tether to this world as she stares down the ghosts around us, daring them to come closer. "It's a banishing ritual, right? So we've got to drag him out of there quickly."

[They go up, and have to basically distract him while the world is being sucked into the grave, while Lucy and Josie say a spell. Rocks are floating, bits of the church are starting to crumble.]

I feel a piece of my heart break off with every brick that starts to crumble. The church hasn't been used in decades, but it's part of the graveyard. My graveyard. And I won't let some old fart with a noise complaint ruin it.

So I renew my efforts to get his attention. I jump around and wave my hands. "Hey! Mags! Over here, asshole!" He spares me a single glance, but it doesn't work for long. I throw a rock, but it misses him entirely and falls into the grave with the rest of the rubble. I try again, but my aim really is shit, so I resort to something else.

"Behold the power of..." I pull my phone out and search for the most annoying song I can think of. It blares out of the tinny speakers, pathetically quiet all things considered, but it's enough.

Magnus whirls on me, eyes glowing. "Turn that off."

"Welcome to the 21st century, Maggie! We got music everywhere!"

He lashes out, throwing a wave of ectoplasm at me. I dodge, barely managing to keep a hold on my phone as I circle him as fast as I can. "Any time now would be good!" I shout. I don't know where Josie and Lucy are anymore, but it doesn't matter. I just have to keep him distracted long enough for them to finish the invocation.

The song ends, and I press play again, ready to loop it for as long as necessary. My heart's hammering, and my lungs burn, but I don't have time to waver. Instead, I push through, drawing on as much strength as I can to keep circling Magnus, staying just out of reach and just ahead of his poorly-aimed attacks.

He scolds me and monologues as we go, telling me I'm stupid and useless and kids these days, but it doesn't matter.  I can outlast him. I have to.

And, sure enough, a few minutes later, his rambling stops. I let myself slow to a walk, ready to sprint away again in a second if I have to, but there's no need. He's bent double, apparently having the world's worst stomach ache as the ghostly body around his bones starts to waver and deform. Blobs of light pull away and break off, pieces of him coming apart one by one, until there's nothing left but bones.

With the glowing power gone, there's nothing left to hold Magnus' corporeal body together. The skeleton falls apart piece by piece, nothing but a crumpled heap on the ground. What I can only describe as ghost goo remains floating above the pile, waiting a moment before flying at me.

"Run!" I shout, but we don't have a chance. It hits me in the chest, leaving me feeling sick and dizzy for a second, but it fails to do anything more. Instead, the ball of goo simply goes right through me, towards where Josie and Lucy have hidden. Josie's still got Renfield in her arms when the lights hit him and begin to melt into his fur. He wakes up with a start, yowling and hissing -- and then heaving. For a second, I'm terrified Magnus is possessing Renfield again, but it doesn't last long.

The light centers into a single point in Renfield's chest, and he hops down from my arms. Slowly, it rises up his throat, and with the familiar hacking that comes with a hairball-prone cat, he vomits up what looks like a glowing glob of goop that slithers over, slug-like, to the urn.

I feel my mouth twist into a scowl of disgust. "Is that...?"

Lucy nods. "That's Sunthorpe's soul. Or, rather...what's left of him."

"Do we banish him? Sweep it up?"

She shakes her head, and looks to Josie. "You're the expert on this sort of thing."

We watch for a second, scowling in disgust as Magnus' soul slorps into the urn. It takes all my will not to go kick the damn thing, if only because I'm afraid that touching it might fuck something up.It doesn't make me feel less angry, but I'm doing better at the whole thinking-before-I act thing.

Plus I'm exhausted, so. "Now what?" I want to go to bed, but I don't think that's going to be in my immediate future.

"We should get Renfield checked out again," Josie says. "Just in case."

"Poor thing," Lucy agrees. "He's been through a lot in so short a time."

I sigh. He didn't deserve to get mixed up in all of this. He was just a frightened old man with kitty Alzheimer's and kitty arthritis and kitty asthma and... well, now, he deserved a trip to a kitty spa, or something. But I can't just leave. One look at the mess around us makes it clear that won't be happening any time soon. I don't have solid proof that Mr. Ngo would blame me for whatever is happening here, but I don't want to risk it after my behavior the past few days.

Helplessly, I turn to Josie. "I'm sorry, but..."

"I got it." She puts a hand on my arm. "Am I still your emergency contact at the vet?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

She nods, and squeezes my arm. "You both owe me an interview later." She points first at me, then at Lucy -- who starts. "I can see you now, Mrs. Blue, and I intend to make the most of it." Before heading off into the night, Josie whispers a quick, "She's really hot," into my ear. I don't get a chance to respond before she slips away. I don't let myself dwell on it for long before getting to work. There's a lot that needs cleaning up before Mr. Ngo shows up today, and I don't want to risk being caught out here in the rubble.

My first target is Magnus's skeleton, gathering his bones and funeral suit up in a sloppy pile and dumping it into the coffin lying in pieces at the bottom of the hole. As soon as they land, a twinge of regret has me thinking I should have been a bit more ceremonious about the whole thing. But what's done is done, and I tell myself I did more than enough by not spitting on him again, especially now that my lip isn't bleeding. Fucker.

I'm nicer to the urn, at least. I don't want to risk it breaking and releasing him back into the world.

Lucy waits at the grave while I sprint to retrieve a shovel and work gloves from the shed. When I return, she says "I feel it would be appropriate to say a few words." Before I can blanch in terror, she rushes to add, "I'll take care of it. You take care of him."

I nod, and begin to fill the grave as she gives her eulogy.

"Here we lay to rest Magnus Sunthorpe -- again -- and, hopefully, this time for good. In life, he was a steadfast man who knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to get it. He was much the same in death. [She gives a two-sided pointed eulogy.]"

"Good?"

"Good."

She stays off to the side, watching as I move the dirt. I even catch her ogling a few times, gaze shamelessly trailing down my gross, sweaty bare arms and my sexy muscles.

I totally don't flex. But, if I had, it would have been extremely subtle and suave and not obvious at all.

"You okay?" Lucy says, in the minutes before dawn.

I hesitate. Then, "I will be. I think. Things will be better after this."

"Come back at sunset, all right? Let me know how the little boy is doing."

"Yeah. Okay."

"Okay." She gives me a weary smile, and wanders off into the shadows to fade into nonexistence until night. Now all that's left is to review the work. It's not exactly pretty. Even if I've done what I can, it's all too clear that the dirt's been freshly dug. My job is in enough jeopardy as it is, and I don't want Mr. Ngo thinking I was one who dug it up and destroyed the coffin and skeleton, even if the dead guy totally deserved it.

So instead, I don my thickest gloves, and wander around the overgrowth. There are hundreds of people here, names lost to time, with nobody left to mourn. I spend the day at war with the wildflowers. By noon, I'm covered in sweat, and I've scraped both my knees and tried not to think about any potential consequences that might arise from accidental blood sacrifices to the dead. But the scrapes, the blisters, and the aching back are worth it. I've made a rudimentary walking path to each grave and cut roses to lay at the head of each grave.

"I know it's not much," I say each time, "but I hope it helps you have a nice day."

Next, I retrieve Ruby's spell book and find one of the tour guides -- Aiden, a young kid who still doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. I ask him to see if he can find a list of everyone who's been buried here. I promise to pay him under the table, since anything on the books would be wildly expensive with overtime.

"It'll likely be in basement level two at the library. If the librarian's there, don't make any Star Wars puns or anything. Just ask her for what you need. Oh-- and give her this." I hand over the spell book. "Don't open it. Just tell her Kaz says thank you for the help, and that I owe her my life. Literally." I hope that mentioning my name doesn't put him on Ruby's bad side immediately. For a moment, I think she might like me after yesterday, but I don't want to push my luck with someone like her.

Aiden gives me a salute and heads off to his secret mission. I look and feel half dead, but dutifully take his place as a tour guide to a group of costumed visitors, talking them through the history of Sutton Cemetery and its purported ghosts.

I'm standing by the old tree -- by Lucy's grave, I now realize, and pause for a moment, my face growing warm. I know she can't manifest during the day, but it's hard not to almost expect her to leap out from behind the tree in an attempt to spook me.

And then something rustles.

I frown, and turn back to the group. "One second, please." Abandoning them on the walking path, I step carefully over to the tree. Footprints lead around the grave, crushed leaves and flattened grass painting a clear picture of someone's trail through the graveyard.

A low groan emanates from the other side of the trunk.

Jesus fuck, I think. If zombies are real, I'm going to sacrifice to the horde just to get it over with.

It gets louder as I approach the tree, and more frenzied. More hungry.

"Hello...?" I say.

The zombie leaps out at me with a snarl -- and comes up short as I fall back, cursing and swearing. It's silhouette looms over me, blotting out the sun, viscera dripping from its limbs.

It bends low over me, and tilts its head. "Kaz," Mr. Ngo says. "I'm very disappointed in you for stealing my costume idea."

I have no words.

Mr. Ngo helps me up, giving me a long and disapproving once over. He's clearly spent hours on his costume, with fake wounds, an eye bulging from the socket, green and grey mottled skin visible through bloody, tattered clothes.

It's a fair assessment on his end. I'm covered in dirt, sweat, and band-aids, and my clothes are only mildly less disgusting. With a heroic amount of restraint, I avoid going into detail, and answer,  "I had a personal project to take care of."

He looks distinctly unimpressed.

"In the historical quarter. Wanna me to show you?" I think I'd rather melt into my shoes.

Still, he raises a brow, and nods. "Excuse me," he says over my shoulder. The crowd of tour-guests aren't quite sure what to make of the zombie currently talking to them as if he was in charge here. "I'm afraid the tour has to be cancelled for now. See the front desk for refunds."

When they disperse, I look at him helplessly. "Mr. Ngo, I--"

"I don't want to hear it, Kaz. You've been causing trouble for weeks now. Is something going on outside of work I should know about? Is something wrong?"

"No -- well. It..." I fumble. "No, not anymore."

His look doesn't waver. I know I've fucked up royally from the first time I called the Haunted Archivists begging them to come back. I guess I should be more grateful he isn't firing me on  the spot, when showing up to work the way I do would count as a serious warning to anyone else.

"Let me...just show you." I gesture vaguely, and take him out towards the oldest part of the graveyard, shadowed by old growth trees and, until recently, overrun with tall grass and weeds. But now, you can see each headstone, scraped of all moss and lichen, weeds removed from the immediate area. I've got weeks worth of work left to make the whole area presentable, but it's easy to see how much work I've done in just one day.

Mr. Ngo doesn't want to look impressed, but I can see the corner of his mouth twitch under the latex and costume makeup. He has every right to be angry with me, but I know that, were the circumstances better, he'd be over the moon. In the end, however, he holds back from saying anything about it at all. "Go home, Kaz. I'll see you tomorrow."

I let out a breath. I still have my job. And, now that Magnus is dealt with, I won't be doing anything to put it in jeopardy ever again.

"Can I get you lunch or anything?" I ask. "The flesh of the living? Brains, maybe?"

"Don't forget to shower."

I don't have to be told a third time.

Tag List

@adaughterofathena

@ambreeskyewriting

@carnelianflames

@feather-dancer

@halfbloodlycan

@nadunacreates

@serenanymph

@vigilantdesert

[the-firebird69]

tommy F is still plotting along with the little baby boy he is yelling threats promising things is not really gonna do anything for the most part but last night it blew grabbed his people in the gut information and on ships and in this area and areas like it and when sets it apart is that you have one or two 100 mile ships above it and you're forcing things out of people and you're forcing it out of the area and you're bringing it right to the area you're forcing it out now you find out you were doing this a while ago and they fight you on it you refuse to stop now they're going after you and they're gonna have to pretty good they are taking big strides to collect you and you can just sit around and say stupid **** or threaten that sign and get nothing I can actually go to work and leave them alone you're hopelessfaggot and we mean it your a homo. weak shit too. They're going around cheating screwing people over acting the big boss threatening your own kind when it comes down to it you're just another **** **** you're not acting and you're not doing anything you're sitting there like nothing happened you went out to these people they stopped you now you're having a war it's your fault and you started it if you wanna blame us we are going to take your ships and what he says is if we don't take them the Empire will and they don't know who I am I definitely don't know who we are I've heard this before too you people running around saying he's a stranger when he's here everyday so we are going to go after you and make sure that you learn you're never to talk to us the way you do or to treat him that way you're a fucking piss boy . you had it last time too strategies **** and we're starting to believe people that you think the clones killed your kids and your wife and some things it's the matte proper and it's got some proof and you ignore it so all I can say is have a nice day get out of our face or we're going to crush you and every single teeny remnant of you for your laughing and chortling and our son's problems it really is not going to help you that's what we have to say as a whole

Thor Freya

andw e have this to say we did it knew what we were doing and did push it to force a launch prior to macs just taking it. now we have to.

so that is that and is why

tommy f

we see. so you sit back and fart now. good. how lame.

Thor Freya

We're not sitting back and farting it seems like we are but we're not really doing that. We are trying to get it together and we're trying to do things and it doesn't seem to be working and this guy trump is a big rap and we do understand that he's the one doing it so we would like to clear that up with everybody that we're not telling on ourselves to get it done and stop seeing we are. We're gonna try a few things and we're gonna try and get it going and if we can we will end up launching that's what we're up to if you have any complaints you should direct them at someone else and my friend says I don't think so and if you try and shoot at me your brain is going to leave your skull so fast it'll be in pieces tommy F and I do get that there's no chance at doing it again unless I wish to die permanently and that's right and that's what everybody is saying and that's what it's gonna happen if you don't understand it like you don't goodbye and good riddance because you're so freaking dumb.. And I'll say this I intend on trying And I'll say this I intend on trying to say goodbye and he says that and it will be over I guess it says good guess you freaking jerk and that's what people are going to do to you they don't need a flippant crow Magnum **** to steal from them 24 hours a day they need an inventor so they're saying if they try and shoot you again we're going to shoot him badly and I heard it and it went silent and then you got shot in the head so I understand what they're saying now you're admitting that you're gonna keep trying so you're probably gonna get shot in the head so goodbye he says. And I guess that's what they're gonna do

tommy f

yup

mac daddy

your darn tootin

trump

we shoot you not him and shoot you again if you try it again and now too

woody

we shoot you too

bill

and us

mmichael tew

and us too justin ken

and us too

preston

and us

bja brad jason and more

ustoo grandkids of trump and yeh we think you shot us that day. and tons say it too. so we shoot you prior to you trying

paul bammens and thankyou

and we use this need ot and shoot you tommy f in the head if you ry on us or him

garth

and all of us too

Thor Freya

Olympus

[casspurrjoybell-27]

Claimed by the Beast - Everett's Epilogue

*Warning: Adult Content*   

YEARS LATER - Part 1

When Everett rolls to a stop in the driveway of his home, seeing several cars parked randomly around the front yard makes him curse under his breath.

"Everyone is here already? Shit. I didn't get time to wrap the twins' presents," he mutters while exiting the car in a hurry not to get spotted.

He pops the trunk to grab a pair of plush lions from his latest conservation project in Africa, along with several other unwrapped gifts.

He juggles them awkwardly as he makes his way up to the front door.

It swings open before he can balance the presents to fumble for his keys.

"Need help?" Knox greets him with an amused grin while taking a portion of the gifts.

"What's the frown for?"

"I should've listened to you," Everett says with a pout as they step inside together.

"I should've bought the gifts earlier instead of at the last minute. I didn't get time to wrap them because my meeting ran over..."

"Calm down, Kitten." Knox's strong arms wrap around him from behind once their hands are free.

Everett allows himself a moment to melt into the man's warmth.

"They're just kids. They don't give a shit whether their gifts are wrapped or not."

"Watch your mouth," Everett playfully scolds.

"They might hear you."

"Not possible. We're still in the foyer and they're too busy kicking Finn's ass to notice."

Just then, Everett hears the lively shrieks coming from the living room.

He orders Knox to hide the gifts in one of the spare bedrooms before making his way over to greet the birthday boy and girl.

He finds Finn, red-faced from exertion, trying in vain to wrangle his and Rachel's twins and keep them from jumping on the couch cushions.

"What's going on in here? Sounds like a party is happening without me," Everett announces, his arms open wide.

"Come here, munchkins."

"Uncle Eve. Uncle Eve."

Two small bodies scramble off the couch and barrel into him at high speed, nearly knocking the breath out of his lungs.

"Happy Birthday, Uncle Eve," Lillian giggles.

"Hey, it's not my birthday, silly girl. It's you and your brother's birthday today." Everett chuckles, tousling the twins' hair before they start to run circles around him.

"Slow down before you hurt yourselves. I don't want to get yelled at by your Mama."

The kids laugh him off and return to play fighting with Finn.

"When are you and Knox gonna be available for weekend sleepovers?" Finn asks, only half-joking.

Everett snorts.

"I love you guys but literally never."

The front door opens again and in walks Alissa and Michael, their arms laden with dishes covered in aluminum foil.

The smell of grilled pork and beef has Everett's stomach rumbling louder than Finn's pained wail after Finley Jr. accidentally socks him in the eye.

Now, this kind of chaos?

Everett could live in it every single day.

"I think someone else needs to man the grill because I'm pretty sure Mikey overcooked the pork chops," Alissa announces.

"And the bratwursts..."

"Thanks a lot, snitch."

Michael greets Everett in passing.

"Hey, man. When's the next big trip?"

"Not for a couple more months."

Everett smiles, following them into the kitchen where he finds Rachel making a massive salad.

"Hey, Racheal."

"Hey, Everett. Thanks for having us over this year."

She washes her hands after finishing up, and then pulls him into a brief hug.

"I'm absolutely obsessed with the new floor that you guys got installed. You'll have to give me the names of the people who did it."

"Oh, it was just Knox. He didn't want people coming in and out of the house, so he decided he'd do it himself," Everett chuckles.

"The guy is a quick learner."

'Speaking of which, where'd he run off to? Shouldn't take this long to hide a few presents.'

"Well, let him know I'd pay him to re-do our floors the next time he gets bored and wants something to do," Rachel says.

"I'm gonna take over the grill before Michael scorches everything we've bought. See ya out there."

Everett laughs.

"See ya."

As she walks by, Finn's gaze trails appreciatively after his wife.

"I fucking love that woman."

One twin giggles.

"Daddy, no bad words."

Extracting himself from the Monroe's and Alissa and Michael's playful bickering, Everett sneaks off upstairs to his bedroom to change clothes and freshen up.

Having only lived in the small bedroom at The Fallen's Angels' clubhouse, Knox knew exactly what he wanted when designing this house with Everett.

He specifically wanted the master bedroom to be grand in size with a minimalistic style, the colors a mix of black, gold and white.

Everett had minimal complaints throughout the construction process.

He was just happy to watch Knox work on a dream that he created for himself and watch it actually come to fruition.

Everett quietly slips inside to find Knox fiddling with something at the dresser.

He hastily shuts a drawer as Everett tosses his jacket aside and begins undressing.

"You good in here?" Everett asks, shrugging out of his jeans.

"Thought you might've gotten lost on your way back."

"No, I was just, uh...meddling with something," Knox replies, sounding oddly flustered.

He slips a hand in his pocket, then turns to face Everett.

"How was work today? I didn't get to ask you earlier."

Everett sighs as he walks into Knox's waiting embrace, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Rewarding and exhausting at the same time. You?"

"Same," Knox murmurs, pressing a kiss to Everett's temple.

"Want me to join you in there?" he smirks, suggestively, nodding toward their en-suite bathroom.

"Absolutely not," Everett shakes his head and playfully shoves Knox back.

"We're the hosts, remember? At least one of us has to be out there at all times helping to entertain our guests and making sure Michael doesn't burn anything down."

"Who even let him on the grill to begin with?" Knox groans but relents.

"Fine. I'll head back out there but you hurry up in here. It takes a village to monitor those crazy kids."

"I'll be quick."

Everett gives him one last peck before entering the bathroom.

"I love you."

Knox smiles after him.

"I love you more."

********

By the time Everett returns to the party, freshly showered and changed, everything is in full swing.

After Knox purchased the land, it took about a year and some change for their house to be built.

It's two stories of sleek design surrounded by tall trees and a gated perimeter with a state-of-the-art security system.

It provides the safety and privacy they both crave, especially given Knox's MC affiliations.

'I still can't believe this is all ours'.

Everett's gaze sweeps across the few acres they call their own... a big beautiful stretch of land that feels infinite in moments like this.

The expansive backyard where the party is held, visible through the glass sliding doors, was once home to Knox's motorcycle shop, Hansley Restorations but as his clientele grew, Knox wisely chose to move the business elsewhere, keeping their home separate from the shop's dealings.

That never stopped his brothers from coming by to pay a visit, though.

These days, Knox's involvement with The Fallen Angels MC is minimal, only helping out when absolutely necessary.

His priority now is Everett and his business.

Loving him, maturing with him, growing old with him and helping tend to the needs of their new home.

Everett is on the exact same page.

It's just too bad that his father isn't.

Gary and Sarah are the only ones missing from today's fun.

Gary's relationship with Knox has come a long way, though traces of distrust still linger.

'Baby steps,' Everett constantly reminds himself but on a positive note, at least his parents allow him and Knox over for family dinner every other Sunday now.

Progress.

Another round of laughter rings out, drawing Everett's attention and pulling him out of his head.

He looks on to find Knox chasing one of the twins around the lawn, both of them grinning from ear to ear.

The sight makes Everett's heart swell tenfold.

There was a time when Everett feared their relationship was doomed to end in heartbreak and at one point, death.

He feared that the baggage of Knox's past would be too much to overcome but watching his man now, so carefree and happy, Everett has never been more grateful to be proven wrong.

With a smile, Everett jogs forward to be one with the beautiful madness that is his new life. 

[enchantechante]

I just gotta vent real quick Tae.I've been following you for forever and you always tell us the truth without sugarcoating things.

So I'm involved with a man and this is our second time around.The first time we were together,I ended things because of a lack of communication.He use to call and text me every single day for months then he stopped.I talked with him about it and I told him how I felt like he didn't care about me because I only started hearing from him when I text or called.I felt he didn't care so I ended the relationship.

Months went by and we kept in touch.Also hung out a lot and we randomly started talking about us again one day while we were hanging out.He said he loved me and had been working on himself.He also said he would do better with his communication and wanted to be with me.I wasn't over him and we decided to try again.

Now here we are a year later and we're back to the bullshit of a man almost twice my age.He messaged me last week and I decided to not respond to see if he would call or stop by(he works up the street from my house)and nothing.Haven't heard from him in five days.I get tired of him ONLY messaging me all the damn time.I told him I hate that shit and he needs to pick up the phone to call like any other grown 50 year old.He says he hates talking on the phone and texting but responds to my text and calls because he loves me and I'm like...wtf?

He said he was going to stop with all the texting and no communication for days and weeks but has not.And to not hear from me after asking me a question for five days and works up the street is pathetic.

I have been there for him through so much bullshit including his mental problems,cook for him,take food to work,get off after working multiple shifts in a row just to spend time with him because he wanted to and I would be hella tired,let him drive my car when we would go on dates because he gotta get his fixed but he would put gas in my tank since he would also run his errands while we were out. Smh.

I'M TIRED AS THE FUCK OF HIS SORRY ASS!

How you not going to check on me or stop by?But you love me?Bitch,please.

Am I wrong to just go on with my life with ZERO contact ever again? Because why should I repeat myself again to a MF who heard me all 15+ times of pouring out my damn heart expressing my feelings amd still showing me he don't give a fuck?

I feel like I've wasted enough time + he didn't get me shit for Valentine's Day or my birthday.Talking about he was low on funds but keep buying whatever the fuck he wants and shit for his siblings who 40+ tf?And had the nerve to tell me he hated the box of chocolates I got him for Valentine's but didn't even get me a damn + no phone call,no pop up , nothing.Same for my birthday.All I got was a happy birthday text.Smh.I clearly have issues because wtf is wrong with me dealing with a nigga like this?

Now Sis...

I hate assumptions but this is how married men act when they have side chicks. Thats why I put it in my ⛳️ Dating Red Flags video.

You can ghost him, but avoiding the reason why you stayed in the first place will rear its ugly head w a new man until you address it.

"Why am I dealing with a nigga like this?" is a question for you. I cant answer that. But its the only question that matters here imo.

Wishing you a happy healing, Anon 🫂🙏🏾

[giselle-archive]

Maybe it was Santana's poor wording the other day, or her own conversations with other people that left her reflecting on (and judging) her own behavior as of late, but Giselle had accepted now that she'd been exhibiting a bit of a victim mentality. Not intentionally, but it seemed as though Santana did more apologizing and took responsibility for majority of their fights when most of them were her own fault, and here she was doing it yet again. Sighing as she tapped her fingernails on the tabletop, she willed herself not to try and slip back into her habit of closing off at the mere thought of having to be the bigger person for once. "You can't always take responsibility for every single thing that goes wrong with us, San." Her voice was much lower this time, and she groaned right after the words came out of her mouth. Three years of not having to do this emotional stuff had been bliss, and now ripping off that bandaid hurt ten times worse than she'd expected it to. "You've told me how you feel more times than I can count since I've been back, and I'm the one who didn't want to hear it, so it wasn't on you. You handled that exactly how we needed you to. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably still be running away from you and all of this sappy shit, which is exhausting. I should be thanking you, really." The more she actually opened her mouth and said something vulnerable, the more she could feel something stirring in the pit of her stomach, and she would blame the queasy feeling washing over her on the fact that Santana had gotten her on a boat if not for the fact that she vividly recalled feeling like this back in high school. As if she wasn't down bad enough, leave it to her to start swooning over her ex already.

Giselle had probably devoured an insane amount of alcohol over the duration of the week, but as the champagne was being poured into their glasses, she knew she was in desperate need of it to settle her nerves. Who knew bearing one's soul could cause so much trepidation? Luckily the reception to her blurting out honesty was better this time around, and she rolled her eyes playfully as Santana settled on making a toast now but raised her glass anyways. And just before she could take a sip, Santana said something in Spanish and while part of her brain did translate most of it, the other half short circuited for a moment as a slight chill ran down her spine. "Jesus Christ." She whined in response before she chugged all of the contents of her glass, and then put the now empty glass back down. Her eyes darted down swiftly as her ex took her hold of her hand, and she'd be lying if she said it didn't feel like home. Giselle smiled as she took in Santana's words, or oath was more like it, and she didn't hesitate before nodding in agreement. "We're gonna need a lot of work, and God himself will probably have to intervene a few times but yeah, I think we can." She teased before squeezing her..ex's? hand gently. "Wait, does this mean we're officially back together now? I know I'm the one who suggested taking all of this slow, but...slow was never our thing anyways, and at this point, the only way we're going to keep anyone else out of this is if we just dive right back in, right?" She rambled before taking a moment to pause. "Sorry..we don't have to label this now, if that's too much pressure, but I'm pretty sure every third party to this train wreck assumes we're back together anyways, or is waiting for us to just fuck and make up so they're all clear where we both stand, so it kinda makes sense to.."

As per her morning ritual, Santana's day started with a five mile run through the quiet streets of Mexico. Most people were either still asleep or just turning in after a rowdy night of drinking, so it made for the perfect time to collect her thoughts. The fact this was their last day in Cancun filled her with both relief and remorse. Despite how relaxing this vacation had been, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd squandered this opportunity to mend her relationship with Giselle. Instead, the two of them had spent most of the week avoiding each other, all while turning to alcohol for comfort. It'd made their living situation unbearable, to the point that Santana was ready to wipe this memory from existence. For two people who loved each other as much as they did, they sure had a fucked up way of showing it sometimes. She'd decided on her return to their hut that she would apologize for her behavior and find a way to make up for it. Fortunately for Santana, her ex seemed to struggle just as badly as she did at staying mad at each other, and agreed to them spending the day together without much hassle. It also wasn't lost on her the way Giselle's eyes trailed over her body, her sun-kissed skin still glistening with sweat after her run through the city. No doubt that factored heavily into her decision, the Latina thought.

Given that these were their last few hours in Mexico, Santana wanted to make it as authentic of an experience as possible. That, of course, meant speaking Spanish for the majority of it, much to the chagrin of her ex. By the time they made it onto the boat, she was sure Giselle had grown tired of her antics, even if a part of her secretly loved it. She ordered a bottle of champagne once the waiter handed them their menus, and was debating between hors d'oeuvres when the other woman decided to speak up. At her admission, Santana's face fell a bit as she folded up the menu and placed it back down on the table. Poor communication had always been their biggest issue. When they were together, Santana felt secure in their relationship. It was only when they were arguing or ignoring each other that she started to get in her head about things. She could make a mountain out of a molehill without Giselle there to talk her down, and it resulted in reactions like the other day occurring. "I should've worded that entire conversation more delicately, I'm sorry. Those were insecurities I've had for a while, and I guess it all boiled over at once. If I'd stopped being stubborn and came to you about how I was feeling sooner, we probably could've resolved most of this shit by now." Santana knew she wasn't entirely to blame, but she would take responsibility for it anyway. She had no problem shallowing her pride if it meant they could stop fighting and put all of this behind them.

She half-expected her to be done there, as their waiter returned with a bottle of champagne and a bucket of ice. Santana poured each of them a glass, ready to listen to whatever her ex had to dish out, only that her response caught her off guard. As she watched Giselle's walls finally start to come down and let her in, the Latina leaned slowly back in her chair. It turned out she'd been right about her pushing her away. Santana could've told anyone weeks ago that Giselle was terrified of jumping back into a relationship. After how things ended between them, she'd be crazy not to have her reservations. What she hadn't been prepared for though was the emotional distancing and lack of affection. She'd never known her ex to be that way towards her, so it made sense that she'd question how much she really wanted to be with her. Taking a few more moments after she'd finished to process everything, Santana raised her glass in a toast as a small smile graced her lips. She thought briefly about pouring her heart out like she'd done countless times before, but opted for something more lighthearted instead. "Here's to...fixing our issues one day at a time," she proclaimed, before taking a sip of her champagne. "El  amor verdadero  siempre merece la espera." She set her glass down and reached her hand across the table to lace her fingers with Giselle's, rubbing a soothing thumb over her palm as she spoke. "I know we've had our ups and downs, and I haven't always been there for you when you've needed me to, but I don't want that to hold us back from giving this relationship another shot. You've always been the most important person to me, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this work as long as you promise to always be honest with me. You think we could manage that?"

[hellfirebarnes]

Anniversary - Eddie Munson

The groan you let out as you hauled the last bag into the car was near animalistic. And the humidity was doing nothing to help against the sweat running down your neck. The previous relief of your ponytail and the thin material of your tank top subsided. You thanked all the possible gods that you'd had the car's AC fixed a week prior.  

You latched your hands together above your head, leaning side to side to stretch your back before getting in the driver's seat. As you turned the keys, a pair of feet were slammed onto the dashboard, and you scowled at the beat-up Reeboks. Your eyes moved from the shoes up the legs and onto the face of your much too-satisfied companion. He had a lollipop hanging from his mouth that was threateningly close to falling out when he grinned at you. 

''Do you mind?'' You motion towards his shoes. ''I just had it cleaned.''

He shrugged, ''I'd take them off, but I doubt you'd be happier with the smell.''

You narrowed your eyes at him, pondering if it was worth it, but exhaled loudly through your nose and turned away from him again. ''There's only so much of your shit I'll put up with before the love I have for you isn't enough anymore.'' You started the car, pulling out of the driveway. ''See this as a formal warning.''

His robust laugh made you smile, the mask finally falling. ''You've promised to love me for the rest of your life,'' he reminded, ''don't think I'm gonna let you chicken out on that.''

''Whatever,'' you rolled your eyes, biting the inside of your cheek to contain the smile. ''Remind me why we're even going back to Hawkins? The trip there is awful, especially this time of year.''

He fiddled with the radio, sticking his tongue out and giving a triumphant ''aha'' when he got rid of the static. And when he leaned back in his seat, he rolled his head to the side to look at you. ''Anniversary, you wouldn't shut up about it all week.'' He chuckled. ''Last few months, actually. How you and Steve kept going on and on about it over the phone nearly made me gag.'' 

You shot him a glare, shaking your head disapprovingly. 

''Don't give me that look! This is all you.''

There was a few moments of silence, the radio playing softly and the breeze swooshing through the crack in Eddie's window. It was almost peaceful. Almost. 

''It's also only March, so the heat will only worsen from here.''

''Oh, shut up, Eddie!''

His laugh roared through the car, and you wanted so badly to keep from smiling, but you never could around him. 

''Do you think Harrington has gotten a haircut yet?'' he asked suddenly, a smirk on his face. ''Cause I've gotta feeling he's taken some inspiration from a certain rockstar among us.''

''Don't flatter yourself.'' You shot him a look. ''I do, however, think Robin might still be wearing that vest she made from Steve's old jean jacket.'' 

Eddie fake-gagged, making you laugh again. ''I swear that thing is gonna crawl away soon. Honestly, has she ever washed it? Splattered some water on it? Worn it in the rain!?''

''You're one to talk, Eddie, was yours ever washed?'' you countered, scrunching your nose at the memory of his battle vest and everything it went through. 

''Mine was perfectly fine and good until Harrington bled all over it!'' he pouted, crossing his arms like a child. ''I still mourn it every single day.''

''Don't we all,'' you mumbled, more to yourself.

You could've sworn the ride was going perfectly. The AC, in combination with open windows, made the heat bearable, and the roads were close to empty. It made you wonder when something was gonna go wrong, waiting it out impatiently. 

''What song is this?'' Eddie said suddenly, and when you looked over at him, his eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes trained on the radio. 

''What'd you mean? It's Metallica.''

His eyes remained on the radio, not even flinching. ''I can hear that, but what's the song?''

''Uh...'' you racked your brain, trying to remember the name, ''Harvester of Sorrow, I think?'' You gave him another look, chuckling at his confused face. ''I was released last summer; you can't possibly tell me you haven't heard it?''

''Huh,'' he leaned back in his seat, shrugging, ''guess I must've missed it.''

Your eyes widened, flicking between him and the road repeatedly. ''You, Eddie Munson, missed a Metallica song?''

He rolled his eyes at you, shrugging again, ''I, Eddie Munson, missed a lot of things.'' His finger pointed out the windshield. ''Now, I know I'm pretty, but you're gonna have to watch the road a bit more.''

You swatted to make him put the hand down, making him laugh again. ''Don't flatter yourself.''

''Don't have to when I've got you to do it for me.''

''Oh, shut up, will ya?'' 

The final four hours before stopping at a motel consisted mainly of guessing games made up by Eddie that half of the time didn't make sense. But his confusion was worse than yours, which made it easier to convince him you repeatedly won until he decided to change to a different set of rules. 

But as you put the car in park and watched him bounce out of it, his hair falling out from the bun he'd made a couple of hours ago, a single thought kept gnawing at the back of your head. He missed a lot of things.

Mere seconds after you'd paid for the room, Eddie snorted in your ear from behind you. You tried to ignore him, picking up your backpack and going to the room with him hot on your heel.

''Did you see that?'' he laughed, throwing himself on the bed. ''The guy upfront totally had a thing for you.''

''That's disgusting, Eddie, don't say that.'' You frowned. ''I'm taking a shower.''

''Hot.''

''Shut up.''

A couple of hours later, you'd had a questionable burger for dinner and were tucked into bed. Which was surprisingly comfortable for a motel, and you made a mental note to go here for the ride home too. 

And when you turned, you were met by Eddie's smiling face. His hair was sprawled out on the pillow, and the covers were tucked snuggly under his arms. 

''You're gonna stink them up with your pits.'' 

''Don't be mean, or I'm gonna cry.''

You shook your head, pulling up the covers to hide your smile. And you thought to yourself how you'd be willing to give anything and everything to have moments like this forever. 

''What're your hopes for this year's anniversary?'' he asked quietly, still looking at you. ''It's already three years. Do you think things will be different?''

''Partially,'' you whispered back, looking down at his ink-covered arm resting on the white covers. ''But things are always gonna be different, ya know?'' 

He nodded, chewing on his lip. ''The sheep are graduating this year. Crazy.'' 

You laughed, ''I was worried they'd take after you too much; it's good to see they didn't.'' His laugh flooded your ears, widening your smile. ''I'm excited to see them in those ugly caps.'' 

''You're just bitter because you looked awful in it,'' he shot back with a smirk. ''I'm sure Henderson will make it look cool.''

''Are we thinking about the same Henderson here? He'll probably have a Hellfire logo sewn onto it.''

Eddie gasped excitedly. ''You really think he'd do that?''

The two of you laughed, simultaneously realizing he probably would. And you wouldn't admit it out loud, but that thought was sweet to you. He would likely have it on his gown, too, pissing off the jocks and the principal further, knowing they couldn't say anything about it anymore. 

''Are you nervous?'' Eddie's voice brought you out of the visualization of Dustin on stage, covered in Hellfire. 

''Yeah,'' you took a deep breath, ''I always am.'' 

''Who are you gonna visit first when you get there?''

''Probably Steve,'' you said, moving onto your back. ''He's been stressing about this more than me. And I haven't seen him in nearly a year.''

Eddie nodded, moving closer to you. ''Just a few more hours.''

You looked at him again, enjoying the image of him cuddling up next to you in bed. And you hoped it wouldn't fade from your memory as you fell asleep to the sound of his soft snores. 

The setback eventually happened in the third hour of the next day. Your car whined and groaned, and you barely had time to pull over to the side before it broke down completely. So now you had your head ducked under the hood, trying to figure out what was wrong. 

''I wouldn't complain if you wanted to offer some wisdom,'' you called out to Eddie over your shoulder. 

He plucked the cigarette from his mouth, grinning through the exhaled smoke. ''Honestly, babe, there's nothing I can say that won't just be repeating things I've taught you before.''

You grumbled under your breath, cursing him for being a know-it-all. ''A little refreshing of the memory hasn't hurt anyone.'' 

''There's nothing wrong with that memory of yours,'' he countered, ''you just didn't listen to me.''

You gasped, flinging around to look at him with your hands on your hips. ''I listened to you plenty, Munson! It's not my fault that mouth of yours never stopped moving.'' 

''Yeah, yeah,'' he moved closer to you, ''didn't really make you complain before.'' 

''I hate you.''

''You could never.'' 

Fourty-five minutes and a handful of miracles (that Eddie took credit for) later, the car was up and running again. It should've made you happy knowing Hawkins was nearing, but it formed a familiar knot in your stomach. This was the third anniversary, but no matter how many years passed, you still didn't know how to handle it, and no one seemed to know. So yeah, you made unnecessary stops to drag it out, but who would call you out on it? No one. Because they were most definitely all doing the same as you - trying to win more time to settle your thoughts. 

Eventually, you got to the first bumpy part of the road where one of the cracks had been. But the chill running down your spine had told you Hawkins was right around the corner long before the attempted fixed road did. 

You glanced over at Eddie, who had gotten very quiet, and his eyes were trained out the window. But he still sensed your uncertainty and spoke, ''Isn't it crazy how nothing and everything has changed about this place?'' 

''I'm not sure if it's the place or the people that's changed,'' you said, slowing down the car when you got to a rougher part of the road. ''The best ones left too soon, y'know.''

This made him look at you, grinning. ''Are you trying to flatter yourself or me?''

You hummed, ''Why not both?'' 

''Well, that just wouldn't make sense, sweetheart.'' 

You laughed at him, shaking your head. ''Most things don't.''

Twenty minutes later, you were parked at the gas station, smoking a cigarette to calm your nerves. Eddie was sitting on the car's hood, and you stood beside him, leaning against it. 

''Are you coming with me to Steve's?'' you asked after several minutes of silence. 

''Nah,'' Eddie said, jumping down from the car, ''think I'm gonna pay Wayne a visit.''

You looked at him with a tight smile, nodding. ''Okay.''

''Okay.'' He chuckled. ''You'll come to me later?''

''Of course.'' You watched him walk away, exhaling shakily. ''Oh my God, fucking hell.'' 

The ride to Steve's was quiet, your mind numb. But seeing his car parked in the driveway lit some sort of warmth in your chest. Every step to his front door felt like you were floating, and if you'd had to knock, you're not sure it would've even made a sound with how numb your arm felt. But you never had to; the door was flung open by a beaming Steve Harrington before you reached it. 

You paused to look at each other, then he reached you in three long strides, his arms wrapping tightly around you. And the warmth of his presence made tears sting in your eyes. 

He pulled away, keeping his hands on your upper arms, ''Come in.'' The two of you walked into the house, one of his hands always in contact with you. ''I'll get us some coffee; feel like home.''

You looked around as he went into the kitchen. Most things were the same as before, except a red pillow on the couch you're relatively sure was new. However, the new picture on the wall caught your eye; it was of you and Steve from Robin and Nancy's graduation. You were standing outside the school, his arm flung over your shoulders and yours wrapped around his middle. If you looked a bit closer, you could see the scar around his throat and the tan lines on your hand you'd gotten from the cast. But if you took a step back, all that was noticeable were the big smiles on your faces. And maybe that was all that mattered.

''We looked quite good, don't ya think?'' Steve asked as he walked up beside you, smiling when you caught his eye. ''Thought it'd be a shame to let it be forgotten in an attic somewhere.'' 

You chuckled, nodding. ''Wayne's really got a knack for photography. Too bad he never pursued it.''

''Wish we'd have him around for our graduation; those pictures Dustin took were awful.'' He looked down at you with a fond smile. ''How've you been?''

''Oh, you know, same old.'' You shrugged, wrapping your arms around yourself when he hummed. 

''Same as last year?''

''Honestly?'' you looked up at him, cringing at your confession. ''A bit more intense this year. My psychiatrist says it's normal. Still makes me feel crazy, though.''

Steve grabbed your hand, squeezing it softly. ''Everyone copes differently; I don't think reminiscing and remembering make you crazy.'' His eyes dropped, sighing. ''Sometimes I wish I could remember more, but most of it is blurry or completely gone.''

You looked at him sadly, pinching your eyebrows together.

''Guess there's only so many hits you can take to the head before it affects you somehow, huh?'' he chuckled, shaking his head, his eyes glossing over. 

You spent the next three hours with Steve, discussing what had happened since the last time, and planned for you to be staying with him when you came back for the kids' graduation. But then you were standing by his front door, smiling as he assured you it was okay if you stayed with him now too. And it was like a broken record how you told him you'd already paid for the hotel and him saying he'd give you the money you spent. 

''Alright, well, if you're sure,'' he said eventually, giving up. ''Don't hesitate if you change your mind. I'll be a call away.''

''You always are, Steve.'' You smiled at him. ''Thank you.''

He nodded, wrapping his arms around you in what felt like the millionth hug today. Still, you craved more when he let you go. Saying goodbye always felt hard, even now when it was just until later. And it didn't get any easier when he looked at you like that. But you had to go to Eddie, and he knew that too. 

The drive to him felt like slow-motion. You passed several familiar faces, but they all felt like strangers these days. Some you'd gone to school with and some old neighbors, but none that mattered to you anymore. 

When you parked the car, you took a moment before exiting, taking deep breaths, and brushing the hair out of your face. You took a knitted sweater from one of your bags, the Indiana air making you shiver. And once you got the courage, you knew the path like the back of your hand. You didn't have to stop and think for a second; he was just pulling you to him. 

''Hey, stranger,'' you said with a chuckle, looking down. ''It's been a while, huh?'' You sat down, pulling your knees to your chest. ''It doesn't feel like it. Still feels like you're right there with me through everything. I talked to Steve about this earlier, and he said it's a good thing.'' You moved closer, pulling on the grass.

''It's funny, you're always much more talkative before we get to Hawkins.'' You chuckled. ''It makes me wonder if I actually remember your voice or if I'm just making it up.'' 

There was no answer, and there never is anymore. Not really. 

A rush of wind blew past, and you could've sworn you heard his laugh hidden in it. It should've made you shiver, but it felt like a warm blanket over your shoulders. You rested your forehead against the cold surface. If you imagined hard enough, it felt like his forehead pressed against yours. 

You sat back up, looking at the gravestone, reaching out and letting your finger trace the letters carved into it. 

Edward Munson. 

''What do I do with all this sadness, Eddie?'' 

[makeste]

Question. Do you think BNHA has been too fast? Like. Everything that's happened, from Deku not having a quirk, to gearing up to taking on the big boss who even his mentor - who no hero has previously been able to surpass - wasn't able to defeat at full power. Has happened, pretty much, within a single year. That's... an incredibly short time-frame honestly. Would it have been better if there was more timeskips and training involved before the final battle?

a lot of this actually depends on what you mean by "too fast." because the thing is my answer changes depending on what the question actually is.

do I think BnHA has been too rushed at times? - yes.

do I think BnHA has been too short/would be better if it was longer? - no.

let me start by saying that I'm often curious about what portion of BnHA's readership has actually read the three iconic early 2000s-era series which collectively used to be known as Shounen Jump's own "Big Three" -- Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. all three of these were long-running flagship WSJ series much in the same vein as BnHA, and in fact BnHA is often seen as a spiritual successor to them. and all three series ran for a very long time. Naruto and Bleach each ran for 15 years and upwards of 600 chapters (Naruto actually ended on chapter 700, and Bleach came close, clocking in at 686). One Piece, meanwhile, is somehow actually still running, currently at 1031 chapters. all three series include all of those bucket list items that readers of BnHA are constantly clamoring for:

loooong, long arcs with plenty of room for the plot to breathe

numerous one-on-one showcase fights for all of the main characters, and a good chunk of the supporting casts as well

training arcs where we spend time watching the heroes learn their new upgrades

and last but not least, timeskips

all that stuff. and all three of these series had one other thing in common as well: they all fell completely off the rails after about five years, and spent the next decade afterwards lingering on as shadows of their former selves. (OP is maybe the one exception, because it still has fits and bursts of energy from time to time, and actually seems to be moving steadily (if very slowly lol) towards some kind of thoughtful, actually-planned-out resolution. that said, it has absolutely had a sharp decline from its glory days, and I will stand by that hot take even if I still enjoy the series.)

there's a gap, I think, between what people imagine a long manga will be like, and what it actually is like. actually it's less of a gap and more of a chasm tbh.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to explore all those interesting plot threads and angles that he keeps glossing over and never elaborating on"

what it actually is like: you know that cool side character/sideplot thing we got introduced to a couple chapters back? here's an entire arc focused on them and their life story! unfortunately this means that we won't actually get back to the main plot and characters for approximately six months. but hey at least we're expanding our worldbuilding.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to focus on character development"

what it actually is like: FOR EVERY. LAST. CHARACTER. including all of the characters that you don't actually give a shit about, unless you're one of those miraculous but lovely people who are genuinely fond of every single one. either way, once again I hope you're good with saying goodbye to the main cast for half a year or more.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to write realistic training arcs and develop the characters' abilities at a more reasonable pace"

what it actually is like: do you know what training montages are. do you know why they were invented. I will tell you why: because realistically-paced training arcs are actually the single most boring thing on the planet. training is literally just repetition of something. the process is always exactly the same, every single time. there's a reason why most writers tend to avoid focusing on it, realism be damned.

what people imagine: "a timeskip would make it more believable for the characters to be at the level that they're at, and would make the story more mature"

what it actually is like: we miss out on months or even years of character development. the characters for some reason always split up over the timeskip period, and so they miss out on months and/or years of relationship development with each other. every single battle suddenly becomes "here is so-and-so's shiny new upgrade, now watch as they either effortlessly win their fight, or else struggle to do so thus making us question whether all that time spent training was even worth it." and also suddenly the series is inexplicably trying to be more mature, which for some reason always seems to mean (1) more character death, and (2) romance!! and not the kind of romance tumblr actually likes, lol. we're talking that good old-fashioned forced heterosexual EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET PAIRED OFF WITH SOMEONE romance up in here.

what people imagine: "a long series would give Horikoshi more time to breathe so that he doesn't feel pressure to keep rushing everything"

what it actually is like: imagine being forced to continue doing something for literal decades of your life, long after all of your motivation and inspiration has dried up, all because your work is continuing to bring in $$$ and the fans don't want it to end. imagine just phoning it in each and every week, pulling new story arcs and new characters out of your ass until the plot has become so convoluted that there's no hope whatsoever of ending it clean, and no chance in hell of every character getting a satisfying resolution, because your cast has simply grown too expansive.

that's what long-running shounen series are like. that's what Horikoshi is trying to avoid (and in fact some would probably argue he's already reached that point lol). yes, the series has been rushed lately. a lot of people have been saying that Horikoshi is burned out; I personally have gotten more of a vibe that he is close to being burned out, and so he's trying to rush to the ending before that happens so that he can give the series the send-off he feels it deserves. I think he has a clear plan for the endgame, but the path to the endgame isn't quite as thought-out, and so he's chosen to fudge a lot of it simply because he doesn't have enough fucks left to waste on stuff that ultimately isn't important. which might not be ideal, but it is what it is.

but just to be clear, no matter how rushed things are, or how rushed they continue to be, I will always, 10 times out of 10, take this over the Naruto/Bleach/OP route. because I have seen that play out more than enough times already, thank you very much lol. and honestly, if the latest arc has taught us nothing else, it's that history would easily repeat itself with BnHA given half the chance, because Horikoshi is just as human as those other writers, and has already spent the past seven years throwing all of his best ideas at us one by one. and eventually he's going to run out, you guys.

so yeah. all good things, etc. this may be one of my most unpopular opinions, lol, but I stand by it.

[i-need-air]

Hybrid!AU Wolf!Bakugou Katsuki HCs Part 2.

Summary: Part 2 is here! While in part 1 it was mostly adoption and how he'd behave with you as a roommate, part two is him ✨ realizing things ✨ followed by how he'd be in a romantic relationship.

Word Count: 2k words [ oops, I did it again ]

Notes: So I said it'll be out in a few days but three [3] people asked me for part 2 and I'm a sucker soooooooo!! I could've just written a long ass fic but whatever, I thought I'd make it shorter in headcanons... hah lol right. Enjoy!

Part 1 here!

× he's a wild wolf so he's very active; like you need to understand he needs to go outside if not he'd get impatient, more aggressive, snappy, so once you took him on an easy hiking trail near your house and he loved it so once or twice a month you both go together to different places [ he demands it ]

× it's hard to keep up with him bc he's literally genetically engineered to be better than any very fit human being but he slows down for you

× morning runs at 5 a.m. bc he's insane

× is also a grandpa

× watched all documentaries on any streaming platform you could provide to him, also loves reading

× as months pass and you start to have your routine in order, word comes to you that an acquaintance is looking for a security guard at his mechanical shop two streets away from your house

× you casually mentioned it to Bakugou because he was starting to act anxious whenever you'd leave the house, so you assumed he was extra bored

× seriously, the house was spotlessly cleaned, he cooked amazingly and was occupied with your old laptop and going around the city to explore, but you guessed he wanted more independence?

× little did you know you were right but so wrong lol

× so Bakugou stared at you intensely and asked "Where?"

× it was as easy as telling him the location, him nodding and you thought he'd consider it; you didn't put any pressure on him because he already did so much to help around anyway

× well guess what bitch, next day he comes up to you saying you gotta co-sign his contract [cuz fuck society] meaning he got the job

× he was perfect for it because tall, intimidating, muscular wolf guy? who'd even mess with him? do they have a death wish?

× well, even before this he started to be... soft

× but once you really did show him you support whatever he wants to do, you give him his freedom and liberty of choice, he just reaaally changes, man

× he gets touchy, like his hands stay one second longer on your skin, he uses any excuse to have them on you, even his eyes follow you everywhere

× like c'mon, it's obvious but you didn't wanna put too much thought into it because we're respectful here

× not like you had a big fat crush on him and slowly started to realize it too

× sike bitch he knows

× you think his super-hearing didn't catch the way your heartbeat spikes up every single time he touches you? *please*

× i think he knows before you know

× meanwhile he is working to discover his feelings too

× so your relationship slowly turns into a couple's like relationship but without anything official and of course no kissing or such [ sadly ]

× would get jealous easily

× basically because nothing is talked between you two and deep down is insecure

× why the hell do you smell like other people? was it just a hug or something else? hell, why would you even hug people when he's right there??? just ask and don't touch some extras????

× another thing he does is getting very close to you while you talk to somebody else; scoffs and glares at them too

× ok so!! gifts! he really appreciates any gift you give him but scolds you if you do because you genuinely don't need to do that

× of course he just scolds you and calls you an idiot so I do hope you already learned his language

× it basically means that you shouldn't have done it, he's really grateful but seriously you shouldn't have

× like that one time you saved up money to get him a good computer and he forgot how to speak for like an hour

× the softest thank you ever afterwards

× still sounded rough but he was shocked as fuck

× one thing that remained in your brain were his friends, as sometimes he'd mention them

× so you took it upon yourself to find them, of course with his permission

× gets genuinely overwhelmed and plays it off saying he wouldn't mind knowing where those idiots ended but you didn't miss the way his voice trembled

× for you to find them you needed names and any information he could provide so that's when he, after a long silence and a mesmerized look on his face, started really talking about his life

× which was fucked; won't get much into detail but he was indeed in a fighting ring, people came and bet on whoever was stronger, he even had to fight his friends, everything was filled with abuse and their conditions were subhuman...

× just overall awful

× you couldn't help but hug him tight, feeling him shake in your arms

× with a hesitant voice he asked if you really did think there was a chance to find them

× just couldn't believe how amazing he felt in your arms

× or how your determination that night made his heart clench and took a big weight off his shoulders

× anywho;;;; after his first paycheck he takes you out on cute dates

× never calls them that, just demands you dress up [helps you out cuz boy got style] and takes you to a nice coffee shop or something

× AND on your fifth not date cuz you're not official but there's this weird tension between you date he finally kinda s n a p s

× you honestly didn't expect the waiter to flirt with you, he came out as very pushy and even if you were a lil uncomfortable you smiled and brushed it off

× when the waiter suggested giving you his number the sandy blond hybrid growled

× which i shit you not made the whole coffee shop freeze

× and you froze too

× but neither of you could say anything because the oblivious fuck kept talking

× basically joking about how you should keep your pet in a leash, to which you got up, threw some money on the table, grabbed Bakugou by the hand and leave before he'd rip someone's head off

× it only took you to touch Bakugou's arm to calm him down as he followed behind you wordlessly

× so you stood outside, angry, deep red eyes on your figure

× and silence

× his hand still in yours

× it was warm and amazing and you felt angry but your heart was beating loudly; angry at the waiter that you wanted to go full Karen on and get fired but excited because that growl shook you to the core, as if you could tell it was territorial and it was because of that pig flirting with you and did Bakugou Katsuki just lace his fingers with you?!

× "Oi." he interrupted your thoughts

× he turned your frame towards him and pulled you [kinda harshly] into him

× you'd make a comment about it but brain empty, just Bakugou Katsuki blushing

× "You're mine, you get it?"

× skdjflglykshs

× it sounded like he asked but it was a demand so oops you're his now ok bye

× like I said, boy isn't dumb so he lowkey knew you felt something too

× legit from there on he's just soft as fuck

× has a hard time opening up but visibly tries for you

× still continues to be a pain in the ass, Bakugou Style, but with a loving teasing attitude behind it

× his eyes give him away all the time

× they shine whenever you're in his field of view so congrats because, and this is the best part:

× WOLVES MATE FOREVER 💕💓💞💗💝💟

× oh yeah, he's yours, no takebacks

× he isn't one to half-ass the relationship; you're his now and he'll do anything for you

× big time touch starved it hurts

× because he is shy

× so whenever you introduce him to hand holding and cuddles, he can't get enough

× not big on PDA [ and not recommended since human-hybrid relationships are kiiiinda frowned upon but it's getting better ]

× although at home it's another deal

× seriously cuddle him; he's big into the protector vibe so he's a big spoon almost exclusively unless it's to sleep on top of you

× speaking of! accept that even if your relationship isn't that intimate, he'd still hint about sleeping together in the same bed

× so you better catch on when he does because he'll just click his tongue and call you needy

× while dragging you to bed

× sleeps holding you, his nose in your hair or in the crook of your neck

× unless it's summer then stay on your side 💅

× you know those kisses that just scream "I can't get enough of you"? that's his whole kissing vibe in a sentence

× hell, even the gentlest kiss gives that vibe away and it'll 100% leave you breathless

× doesn't have experience but is a very fast learner

× pays very close attention to your body language

× really into biting your skin enough to leave marks

× wear his hoodies

× no, I'm fucking serious, wear them now

× his chest puffs and he turns into a blushing mess when you do it the first times because his scent is on you

× scenting is a big thing for him so of course he's gonna love it

× 10x more territorial because now he has a mate to protect

× jealous but trusts you

× still very jealous though

× let's all pretend he is definitely not scenting you before you go out because it's in his nature and it is embarrassing

× the first time he tells you he loves you it's when he's feeling vulnerable

× the search for his friends is still on-going, he feels less than adequate as a providing mate, is pissed at the world for treating him like an inferior animal when they created him, everything is piled on his shoulders and whenever than happens he closes off

× you notice immediately

× will not tell you at first

× it's only when you go to bed and he turns his back to you when you really know it's bad

× even if you fought before, he'd angrily snuggle you at night-time

× now it's so different

× hug him, whisper sweet nothings in his ear, pull a blanket all over you both and big spoon him, he'd start shaking and talking in no time

× will hide his tears from you but you'd know

× "You're the best fucking thing that happened to me, [Y/N]... I—... Shit... I love you so much."

× neither of you slept that night

× excuse you? drink some water and pray to jesus;;; you talked about feelings, ok? communication is key in a relationship, puh-lease

× [ i have this whole nsfw hcs post already cookin in my brain so maybe I'll make it happen cuz y'all know he has a mating season and all that comes with it 👀 ]

× back to being children of jesus here

× thanks the moon, the heavens and all the gods for putting you in his life; boy didn't believe in destiny but deep down he thinks you were meant to be

× you still better wash the dishes or you'll get your ass kicked.

Extra:

× you did find some of his friends, little by little, and even if he acted nonchalant, like k das cool, it was obvious he was extremely happy

× so they did get adopted too

× you got in contact with them on social media and they were all very excited about meeting

× so it was a chaotic meeting with a dog hybrid called Kirishima and a mouse like vibrat yellow guy called Kaminari

× they all were looking for Bakugou too since they were very worried about where he ended

× Kirishima shed manly tears when seeing Bakugou

× as they instantly welcomed you in their small group, they informed you both that the majority of the squad was adopted and they're in contact, while they're still actively looking for the others

× cue to the softest expression you've seen on Bakugou in public followed by "That's good"

× silence

× shock and silence

× Kaminari turning to you and whispering "You did this" with a hand on his heart, lips trembling as he wiped an imaginary tear

× insert instantly snappy Bakugou

× when everyone laughed and continued to make plans to meet up with the others, he just looked at you conversing with them, soft expression again on his features and his chest warming

× "Oh! Look, he's doing it again! Quick, take a pictur—"

× "SHINE!"