#they’re basically saying jump wasn’t great but it was better than back down

[silverpiwon]

The way I gasped

[jishyucks]

Happy Holidays! The Universe Hates Me. — hrj

‣ pairing: huang renjun x reader

‣ genre: fluff, academic-rivals-to-(implied)lovers, forced proximity, kinda slice-of-life

‣ wc: 3.7k

‣ summary: You don’t hate many things, but you could proudly say that you hate snow and Huang Renjun. And now that the universe has decided that it was a great idea to have you snowed in with the smartass himself, you’ll gladly add the universe to that list.

‣ warnings: slightly one-sided rivalry (more so Renjun’s developed feelings before reader so he’s acting on it before reader even gets what they’re feeling), the pair eat some cup ramen, set in that weird period where they dk how they feel

‣ an: I rly thought this was going to be easy to write but sike (⊙_⊙) ig its bc its basically e2l and these r difficult to write,, I was excited to write Renjun's but idk if I did my own idea justice,, anyways I hope it's still a fun read!

Series Masterlist

You’ve never been so nervous for a final in your life.

Sure, you didn’t find the content difficult, nor did you feel lost. Hell, if you were asked to explain the content with no aids, you can confidently do it. 

The only reason why you were so nervous for a damn final was because you knew that Huang Renjun was going to do better than you. Why? You’re not sure. But you had this gut feeling that his name was going to be listed right above yours on that stupid list and you were not going to let that happen. 

“You need to go home soon, okay?” Karina frowns. She’s all bundled up, a scarf tightly wrapped over her face to shield her from Jack Frost. She knows how much of a workaholic you were, especially when it came to Renjun, “It’s getting late. It’s already dark out and there’s no one else here. Text me when you get home.”

You nod, “I will, I promise. I’ll just finish this last lesson and then I’ll leave. I’m hungry, anyway.” 

Her stern expression softens underneath her scarf and she teasingly ruffles your hair, “Talk to you later, honeybun.” 

You wave and watch her leave before turning back to the scattered papers in front of you, your laptop burning holes in your eyes because you’ve been staring at it for way longer than a physician’s recommendation. The final was on physics, something that wasn’t your strongest suit. It was probably because the way your teachers decided to word the questions on exams screwed you over—but then again, you couldn’t blame your struggles on that. 

Maybe you did just suck at physics. 

Your eyes scanned the lesson you were currently studying, quietly reading it under your breath so that you could process the information—critical threshold… velocity… laminar to turbulent… fluid and momentum… the dissipation of energy…

“Ughhhh!” 

Your heart drops to your stomach, eyes almost slipping out of their sockets at the sound of another person groaning. You clearly remember Karina just saying that there wasn’t anyone else here. 

Then who in the actual fuck…

Your mind jumps to conclusions and thinks up the worst-case scenario. It could be a ghost… were you Scrooge and the ghosts here to visit you? No fucking way… you loved Christmas… Or it could be a murderer. But what kind of murderer groans before he reaches his target?

Using this as an excuse to procrastinate, you quietly push your chair away from the table and stand up. You can recall that the groaning echoed from the back of the library, so you begin making your way down to the back of the room. Your attempt to keep your footsteps quiet, barely lifting them off from the ground.

You guess you were making your way in the correct direction because now you can hear the sound of muffled music. You suppose it was coming out of the other person’s headphones. 

As you approach the end of one of the aisles of books, you bend over and peek through the cracks between the books. Your eyes betray you, not focusing on the figure sitting at one of the tables because the books are in the way. Leaning closer, you squint to get a better look at the figure studying, head bopping to the music blaring through their headphones. 

Who is that?

When your eyes finally adjust, you curse under your breath.

Personally, you would rather it be a murderer on the other side of the shelf. 

Because Huang Renjun of all people? Here? With you? Did the universe hate you or something?

You let out a faint groan, squeezing your eyes before you go to turn back to your table. 

Of course, Huang Renjun would be here and studying late. There’s a small tiny part of you that wasn’t even surprised that Renjun was the only other person at school at this hour. There was a reason why you felt like he was seriously going to do better than you on this physics final. He worked for it despite being naturally intelligent. 

“Fucking Huang Renjun,” you gently let your forehead fall forward, making a gentle thud against the table. Fucking Huang Renjun because, suddenly, you no longer feel hungry and you now desperately wanted to finish a week’s worth of content before leaving. Sure the idea was immature—doing all this for some guy who thought he was smarter than everyone else—but you couldn’t help it. This was how it’s been since junior high. 

And old habits die hard, right?

For the next 2 hours, you push yourself to study for the stupid final, eyes straining as you continuously shift them between your laptop screen and your papers. And you say push yourself because now that you had the knowledge that Renjun was sitting metres away from you, you somehow could not focus for the life of you. It was like he had cast some spell on you to do anything but focus on physics. 

You groan. You have been reading the same paragraph on boundary layers for the past ten minutes, hyper-aware of Renjun. The words blur together, and you become hyper-aware of Renjun's presence nearby. Despite your efforts, your mind wanders, and occasional stolen glances in his direction betray your attempts at concentration.

With an irritated sigh, you shake your head, attempting to bring yourself back to the task at hand. Why the fuck is Renjun occupying so much of your headspace?

Feeling defeated, you reach forward, roughly shutting your laptop closed before you begin bunching your papers up together. Not a single fibre in your body even cared if it was organized or not—that was for you to worry about later—because you just wanted out of here and away from Renjun before he completely plagues your mind. 

Finally, you throw your bag over your shoulder and begin making your way out of the library. 

Meanwhile, Renjun, who was managing well with his work catches sight of your figure leaving, winter coat zipped up to your nose. 

“Wait, Y/N!” 

You turn back to find Renjun pushing his seat back, getting up to make his way towards you. 

“Ugh,” you roll your eyes. You continue making your way out of the room, ignoring Renjun’s calls for you to stop. 

The mature response would be to, well, stop and listen, but after Renjun just indirectly wasted 2 hours of your life trying to absorb some information on physics, you didn’t want anything to do with him. You just wanted to go home and eat, before you pull another all-nighter to make up for the lost time. 

“Y/N!” 

You were jogging now, treating the situation like Renjun was some kind of monster coming after you. It was odd that Renjun was keeping up with you, tailing you like he was one of those salesmen trying to get you to try a sample of their product. 

You’re relieved when you see the front doors of the school ahead of you, streetlights illuminating through the small half-windows. You feel your feet pick up its pace, eager to finally get out of the building and get fresh air. 

“Y/N!” Renjun’s out of breath, “You can’t leave!” He reaches out and quickly grabs your wrist. The contact causes shivers to run up your arm and you’re quick to pull your limb back. 

Brows furrowed, you sent him daggers through your glare, “And why not?” 

Renjun fishes his phone out from his hoodie pocket and he holds it up despite you not being close enough to see anything on it, “The news. All the roads are closed. No cars on the roads. We’re stuck in here until they say everything’s clear.” 

“You’re lying.” Your stubborn ass refuses to believe Renjun. 

Renjun huffs, “Just check it for your fucking self if you don’t want to believe me.” His arms crossed and he pushes all his weight onto one leg. 

Reluctant to look stupid, you slowly pull your own phone out. You realize that you actually haven’t looked at any notifications lately, all your focus directed toward studying. When you finally look at your phone, you’re met with tens of notifications, both from the news app and a handful from your family members and friends, mainly Karina, who are asking if you’re going home soon or if you’ve gone home because of the news the city sent out about the roads. 

“And why didn’t you leave?” you say awkwardly, “When they sent the warnings out?” 

Renjun swallows his spit, “I didn’t see any of them either. I was too caught up with studying.” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” you mutter. The realization of the situation starts to sink in—you're trapped at school, possibly overnight, and your only company is Huang Renjun, the boy who’s decided to make himself the bane of your existence. Then, you find yourself teetering between relief that you're not alone and frustration that you're stuck with Huang Renjun of all people.

Your eyes flicker at Renjun, who’s waiting for you to say something to him. And you do, “This is all your fault!”

Renjun’s mouth falls open slightly, the space in between his eyebrows wrinkling at your accusation, “How the hell is this my fault? I didn’t tell the damn city to close the roads!” Renjun holds himself back from raising his voice, but the emptiness of the halls causes it to bounce off the walls. 

“If I hadn’t seen you studying and being the overachiever you are, I would have gone home earlier,” you argue back. The second it slips from your lips, you realize how stupid you actually sound—but you don’t say anything. Without saying another word, you push past Renjun intending to return your spot in the library. 

Renjun, however, isn't one to let things slide. He follows you back into the library, his frustration evident in the tight set of his jaw. "So, it's my fault you chose to stay? That you didn’t see the notifications?” 

You shoot him a glare over your shoulder, not slowing your pace. "I chose to stay because of you! Trying too hard being a model student." 

Despite it being pretty clear that the argument was childish and that it was going nowhere, you and Renjun were far too stubborn to back down. 

Renjun scoffs, catching up to you. "Trying too hard!? I study because I take my education seriously. Maybe if you put in half the effort I do, you wouldn't be lagging behind."

"Oh, spare me, Renjun.” Your blood boils at his condescending tone, whirling around to face him and eyes ablaze with frustration. "You're insufferable, you know that?"

This is where you can see Renjun physically falter. The stress in his brows goes slack and there’s a shift in his expression, “Insufferable? Y/N I—”

"Whatever, Renjun. I really don’t want to speak to you right now.” You roll your eyes and turn your back on him, “Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have a fucking final to study for.”

Ignoring his attempts to keep the conversation alive, you make your way back to your table, your anger simmering in your chest. Renjun watches you go, a mixture of annoyance and something else in his eyes.

The library becomes a battleground of silent tension, each of you (mostly you) seething in your own space.

You set your table back up the way it previously was. Then, you quickly send your friends and family texts explaining what had happened and why you weren’t home by now. 

You attempt to start where you left off, the words Boundary Layers practically taunting you at this point. The phrase is pissing you off and you’ve read it enough times for you to be able to recite the sentence from the textbook perfectly. 

Wave interference, you read, eyes blinking at the screen—something about paths intersecting and creating new patterns of unity… discord… 

You let your eyes do the rest of the scanning, not exactly absorbing any of the material before you move on. At this point, you feel like not studying entirely. Besides, you weren’t exactly in the right state of mind to be absorbing material. 

The clock at the front of the library reads 8:28 and you feel like taking a nap is the best idea right now. It’ll help you cool off, pull you back in the right headspace and perhaps help you with the all-nighter you’ll probably pull tonight. 

Twisting your body, you pull your jacket off of your chair, folding it to create a makeshift pillow. Sliding your things aside, you place the pillow in front of you and shimmy your butt back against the chair before leaning forward to rest your head against it. In all honesty, it wasn’t the most comfortable place to rest your head, but it will have to do for now. 

⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆

The shuffling of feet and the clattering of objects woke you from your nap.

You don’t move, nor do you open your eyes, all you do is listen to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Through the fabric of your jacket, you can hear that Renjun is moving things around on your table and you can’t help but feel your anger shoot up. 

You keep your cool on the outside, pretending to stir in your sleep before you peek through half-opened eyelids. 

You’d honestly find this part funny if you were watching a drama. But the thing was, you weren’t watching a drama. And it was anything but funny. 

Slowly, you raise your head to get a better look at what Renjun was up to, fully expecting him to be messing with your belongings. You guess you were doing your job correctly because Renjun seems to not have noticed you looking at him. 

The scene (you embarrassingly admit) warms a piece of your heart just by a little bit—and you hate that it does.

Renjun’s trying to keep your papers organized, stacking them horizontally and then vertically to keep them grouped in the stacks you already had them in. He had even moved your laptop to a safer spot, off to the side. 

The reason why he was doing all this was sitting just across the table from you and to Renjun’s left. 

Two cups of instant ramen.

“What are you doing?'' Your voice comes out more hoarse than you’d like, but it was probably because you’ve been napping for what felt like an hour or two. 

Renjun freezes, lips parting slightly and eyes growing two times its size when he realizes that you’re awake. Sure, he would have had to wake you up sooner or later, but you waking up on your own wasn’t part of his plan. He should’ve done all this a bit quieter. 

“I…” He starts. Renjun gulps and pulls back, wringing his hands through sweater paws. 

You wait for him to give you a coherent reply, looking at him in hopes of forcing one out of him. 

Renjun’s at a loss for words, afraid that you wouldn’t quite get him if he explained his reasoning. He leans over and wraps his hand around one of the noodle cups, gently sliding it toward you. 

You blink at the steaming cup in front of you, caught between annoyance and a peculiar sense of gratitude. "Are you trying to make this situation bearable or something?" 

“Well it wouldn’t be fair competition if only I was able to eat, would it?” Renjun shrugs. From his hoodie pocket, Renjun pulls out a plastic fork wrapped in tissue, one he had probably taken from the cafeteria, and places it next to your cup of noodles, “Eat.” 

You blink at the noodles and eye the boy suspiciously, “You didn’t do anything to it, did you?” You mistrustfully pull the fork toward you, unwrapping it before you dip it into the soup. 

“Of course not… I’m not evil.” A scoff shoots out through Renjun’s nose. 

Renjun pulls out a chair from your table, taking a seat before pulling his own cup of noodles toward him. 

Your eyes linger on Renjun for a moment longer, contemplating whether or not you should believe him. Eventually, hunger wins over skepticism, and you take a cautious bite of the noodles. They taste surprisingly good, given the circumstances. 

For a while, there's a strange quiet as both of you focus on your meal. The only sounds are the occasional slurps and the storm outside rattling the windows. It's a bizarre scene, you and Renjun sharing instant ramen in the middle of the night, trapped at school. Who would have thought? 

As you dig into your food, you start feeling a shift in your mood. The annoyance from being woken up slowly turns into a grudging acknowledgement that Renjun tried to make things a bit less crappy. It's kind of funny when you think about it. You two had a small argument earlier, and now here you are, quietly sharing a meal. It's like an unspoken agreement, maybe a truce, even if neither of you is ready to admit it out loud.

Meanwhile, Renjun seems engrossed in his noodles, occasionally glancing in your direction as if gauging your reaction to the impromptu meal. He looks like he wants to say something, but he’s not choosing to do so despite the tension that is usually present in your interactions being strangely minimal. 

Finally, you break the silence. "Where did you get the noodles?"

He looks at you, brows raising at your willingness to start a conversation. "It’s not my first time staying past dinner. I have a stash in my locker."

“Not surprised,” you mumble. You pick the cup up and bring the rim up to your lips. Tipping your head back, you take sips of the soup, feeling the warmth of the fluids fall into your stomach like a hug. 

“Oh, shut up,” Renjun groans, “Or else I’ll take the noodles back.”

“Lucky for me,” you look at him and laugh, “I’m finished.” When you plop the fork back into the cup, it makes that noise you hear when you scratch the cardboard. 

Renjun hums. "Well then, I guess you owe me one. After all, you're enjoying the hospitality of my secret noodle stash." 

You roll your eyes, trying to maintain a facade of annoyance, but there's a glint of amusement in your eyes. Of course, Renjun would take this opportunity to gain something for himself. It was such a Renjun move. It’s always been like this. "I could've survived just fine without your instant noodles."

He chuckles, taking the last slurp of his own noodles before he deems himself finished, too. "And yet, you still ate it all up like a starved puppy.” 

There’s a beat of silence before you lean forward, resting your head on your propped arm, “I guess I should say thank you, huh?” 

Renjun grins and you only notice it because it’s more evident in his eyes than it was on his lips. He was seemingly pleased with your acknowledgment, but he quickly covered it up with a nonchalant shrug, "Don't mention it.” His voice comes out soft, mirroring the setting, “If you passed out from hunger under my watch, wouldn’t want that tainting my ‘model student’ image.”

You give him a side-eye, feeling the sudden need to tease him, “Don’t lie, Huang Renjun, you secretly care about me.” The statement was mostly a joke, so you think nothing of it. You stack your empty cup onto Renjun’s and stand up to throw it out. You don’t notice the way Renjun freezes in his seat for half a second.

“And what if I did?” Renjun shrugs. He gulps and feels the sudden need to flee the situation—Why did he say that? 

You turn to face him, surprised by his response. Renjun's casual demeanour, though slightly defensive, holds a hint of genuineness. It's a side of him you're not used to seeing, and it catches you off guard. 

"What if you did what?" you ask, feigning ignorance to see if Renjun would elaborate. A part of you is afraid of what he’s going to say. 

“What if I did care about you?” Renjun’s playing with the corner of one of your papers, creating a sound that fills the silence between the two of you, “I don’t hate you as a person, you know… I get that we always compete in grades and extracurriculars but… I don’t hate you as a person.” 

The confession makes your heart skip a beat and you catch yourself beginning to chew on your bottom lip, something you do when you’re nervous. The unexpected sincerity in his words causes you to halt your own, a momentary pause in your banter. You've grown used to the constant back-and-forth, the verbal sparring that characterizes your interactions with Renjun. This, however, feels different. 

"You're messing with me, right?" you reply, half expecting him to smirk and dismiss the entire conversation as a joke.

“What do you think?” Renjun retorts. 

You take a moment to think everything through. You have a good feeling Renjun’s not joking, that he really doesn’t hate you as a person, and you can’t help but think about the other possibilities of what this meant. Then you think about how you feel towards Renjun because you guess you at least owed him that. 

“You don’t need to say anything now,” Renjun assures, “It’s… confusing. Even I'm still figuring things out… I just know that I don’t hate you.” 

"You're not as insufferable as I claim you are,” you begin cautiously, “But it pisses me off that you both distract and motivate me when it comes to school.” And this was true. Today was a good example of that, though you weren’t entirely sure where these stem from. 

Renjun raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into a half-smile. "I'll take that as a compliment.” 

You roll your eyes. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Renjun. I’m just saying—” “—Saying that you like me more than you think you do?” Renjun interrupts, “I know, I know.”

Your eyes narrow at Renjun, “You wish.” 

A moment of understanding passes between you, and for the first time, the competitiveness in your dynamic softens. It's not yet a friendship, but it's a recognition that there's more to each other than the constant rivalry. 

Renjun laughs, which transitions into a yawn. He acknowledges your comment with a hum, “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up in a bit so I can study?”

You playfully roll your eyes, a small smile lingering on your lips. 

“Well it wouldn’t be fair competition if I didn’t, would it?”

tags: @tytrackfebreze @lovesuhng @hoonieji @niinjo @dinonuguaegi

an: the next few parts of the series might be posted a day late (until Felix,, but we'll see!). Next up is Jisung which I feel like will be ADORABLE. ty for taking the time to read! I would love to hear your thoughts even if its something short! hope you enjoyed it!

[qin-qin16]

OMYGOD THANK YOU SO MUCH 🙏

Basically reader has family issues, especially mommy issues, and killer finds out about that maybe seeing bruises, finding about them crying silently, idk. a scenario i would really like is going on a sleepover with killer, and then maybe as they want to try silly pjs, he spots bruises and as he asks reader about them they burst into tears

i would prefer reader to be female, but please dont make her act too feminine, maybe like you would a gender neutral act, even better masculine

thank you so much

cw: Killer x Reader, gn!reader, hurt/comfort, talk about past abuse, slightly mommy issues, Killer is trying to be a good shoulder to cry on… 

note: I hope this, even a little, makes your day better!

"I'm just giving you a heads-up: I talk in my sleep." 

"Is this for real, or are you just trying to freak me out?" You don't even lift your gaze to Killer, choosing instead to keep arranging the sheets on your makeshift bed on the floor.

"Totally serious! One time, Color threw holy water on me because he thought I was possessed." This made you snort a little and then, finally, you looked at Killer, one eyebrow raised.

"That doesn’t really sound like him."

"Come on! Have a little faith in your friend here!" he says dramatically, throwing his hands up, "And Color is way more of an idiot than he lets on! He might seem grumpy and serious, but he's just as goofy as any other Sans." He then crosses his arms, looking pleased with his point.

"Does that apply to you too?" His victorious look fades quickly, but then is replaced by a smug grin. 

"Of course not! I’m better than any other Sans!" You roll your eyes at his arrogant claim, but your smile mirrors his.

"Alright, alright, oh great Sans, hand me my pajamas." You quickly grab a pillow and throw it at him, but, as expected, he easily dodges it and then grabs the same pillow to toss it back at you, which you don’t even notice until it hits your face.

"Nah, I’ve got a better idea." He then jumps onto your bed and heads for one of the closets in his room. Before you could yell at him for messing up your freshly arranged covers, he comes back with two soft onesies,  both featuring a cat theme (which didn't surprise you at all).

"See? Best friends need matching pajamas for their sleepover." Killer extends the orange onesie toward you; the hood is adorned with two fluffy ears, and there are stripes on the back and sleeves made of the same fabric, resembling soft cat fur.

"They’re so soft!" you say after feeling the fabric against your hands. "Okay, you’ve convinced me: you are the best Sans there is." You dash to the bathroom in the room, eager to try on the onesie as soon as possible.

"I know, I know, I’m the best!"

"Don’t let it go to your head!" you call out with a laugh, imagining Killer’s grumpy face behind the door.

Finally alone, you start to undress. The light above the mirror flickers from time to time, but the dim light is enough to reveal the marks on your body: bruises, scratches; some old, others newer with redness still showing, and one near your left rib that had just recently gone down.

It wasn’t a pretty sight, you knew that, but it wasn’t like you could avoid it. The situation at home was unpredictable and chaotic, yet it was still the only scenario you could think of for your survival. For a while, you stayed like that: holding your shirt in one hand as your eyes scanned each of the bruises on your skin.

"Hey! You won't believe what I—" The door slams open, nearly knocking you backward. Both you and Killer tense up.

Your hands act faster than your words. One moment the door is wide open, with Killer's empty eye sockets staring at you in shock; the next, you’re shoving the door shut with force, not even considering whether you’ve hurt the skeleton or not.

"What the hell, Killer!" you shout, your hands still pressed against the now-closed door. Your shirt is lying on the floor now, along with any semblance of composure you had before. 

For a while, there’s silence from the other side. Your head rests against the door, your forehead giving a gentle bump in the wood.

What a mess, you think with a pang of regret, He must think I’m a crazy, pathetic punching bag… 

"Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean to startle you." His voice comes muffled, not only because of the closed door but also because he’s speaking softly, as if choosing his words carefully, "Could you please open the door for me?" 

I don’t know, why should I open the door? There’s nothing to see here, I don’t want to hear the same awful words I hear at home… The insecurities grow louder in your mind, your hands trembling slightly against the door.

"Please, sweetheart, I promise I just want to understand what I saw." he says in that same low tone again. You watch as the doorknob turns, but neither of you makes a move to face each other again. "Nothing bad will happen, I promise, and you know I don’t make promises I can’t keep." He tries to lighten the mood with a little chuckle at the end.

Still trembling, you slowly reach for the doorknob as your throat tightens, holding back the tears that are about to come. When you finally open the door, your eyes don’t immediately find Killer. Instead, they drop to a fixed spot on the floor as Killer’s shoes come into view.

"Thank you, sweetheart…" He only used that term when he wanted to reassure you. "You did very well, but I need you to do one more thing for me, okay?" His hand moves toward yours, moving as cautiously as his voice.

You consider pulling away, but then you remember that this is Killer, who, despite his name, would never harm you. Soon, his cold fingers gently clasp yours. The little you could see started to blur behind the tears welling up in your eyes. Your entire focus was on holding back your tears and not showing the pain you were feeling.

"Can you look at me, please?" But it was of no use. That simple question was enough to release what had been stuck in your throat. A sob escapes you before tears begin to roll down your cheeks, dripping to your chin and falling to the floor.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to do this, alright?" Killer tries to stay calm, but your sudden breakdown unsettles him. Still somewhat unsure of what to do, Killer pulls you into a tight embrace. "It’s okay, nothing will happen to you here…" he reassures, gently nuzzling one of your bruised shoulders and resting his face against the curve of your neck after he finishes speaking.

"I'm sorry," you say through your sobs. "I ruined our sleepover..." You mimic him, burying your face against his shoulder and smelling the cigarette smoke coming from the jacket he’s still wearing. Your arms soon wrap around him as well, holding him as tightly, if not more so, than he’s holding you.

"Shhhh, you haven’t ruined anything, you’ve never ruined anything." His whispers return; you feel his hand gently stroking your back, his thumb making small circles motions on your lower back. "My sweetheart, what happened to you?"

"My mom—" You can’t finish the sentence, the sobs and tears preventing any coherent words from coming out.

"Shhhh, shhhh, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to." He shifts slightly away from you, just enough to rest his forehead against yours in a comforting gesture, "We can stay like this for as long as you need." And so you did.

For a while, you forgot everything, simply just sinking into Killer’s warm and protective embrace. If anything bad happened again, at least you knew where to go now.

[toyybox]

Spiderwebs #13: Tape VI (Sugar-Coat)

Masterlist

content: lab whump, captivity, immortal whumpee, death wish

Jackie awoke to silence.

He realized that the lights were out. He didn’t turn the lights off last night���forgot to, honestly. Heather must have checked up on him at some point, but she had left without saying a word. That meant there was no new experiment. Yet. 

He didn't like the thought of her watching him sleep. He hoped—no, he wasn’t—well—

Better not to think about it. He was being paranoid. Old habit, paranoia, one that had protected him back then but was useless now. A burden that served only to haunt him. After all, what reason would she have to try anything? Why would she? 

He felt sick at that thought. There was no other way to describe that emotion—he didn’t want another way to describe it. Better not to think about it. Don’t think, don’t even imagine. What happened to that? Jackie had gotten so good at not thinking about it. Why did he have to slip up now? 

The trick was to distract yourself. Jackie got up out of bed, untangling himself from the covers. He turned the lights on. The items he requested were still on the nightstand. Oliver Twist sounded boring. He could read later. What Jackie wanted was the notebook and pen.

He sat back on the bed and took the pen, clicked it open. He took the notebook and spread it to the first page. A blank page, what a wonderful thing. He hadn’t drawn anything since coming to Heather’s house. Make no mistake—he wasn’t an artist by any means. Still, he liked to draw, the way a puppy liked to chase its tail. It was pointless, but fun. It occupied his hands and his thoughts better than anything else. 

The pen wrote smoothly, despite being a cheap thing of plastic. The ink came out thick and deep black. He scratched in a few lines before the door opened. 

“Sleep well?” 

Heather wasn’t holding a scalpel, which was nice. She instead held a piece of paper and the tape recorder. That all-knowing, eternally waiting thing. The only other witness. She also had a book bag slung around her shoulder.

“Slept great.” Jackie placed the book and pen into a nightstand drawer. 

“Don’t put the pen away.” The tape recorder clicked to life, an action that was starting to irritate Jackie. “We’re doing something more relaxed today. I thought I should give you a break. And we’ve already covered the basics.”

“Sure.” Jackie took the pen out of the drawer. 

“Right, so… you can sit there.” She pointed to the writing desk. “Take the paper and write something.”

He took the sheet of paper. “What should I write?”

“Whatever you want. Nothing inappropriate, of course.”

Jackie did as she asked and sat down to write. He was still too fuzzy from sleep to think of something clever, so he stuck to the basics—the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Heather watched over his shoulder. “Subject has not lost their fine motor skills, despite their severe injuries. You have nice handwriting, by the way.”

“Thank you.” He put the pen down. “Was that it?”

“I need you to answer a few questions first. How is your pain now? Using the scale of ten, again.”

“One or two.” 

“How have the scars healed? Are they still there?”

“They’re still there. Healed fine.”

“I see.” She then brought a thick journal and a much nicer fountain pen out from the book bag. “Now, I never got an answer to those questions. Age, family, and birthplace, please.”

“Why does it matter?” Jackie didn’t want to answer. Where were those fighting words he wielded only weeks ago? Answering honestly felt like giving up. 

Heather didn’t register this comment as rude or snarky, although it was his intention. “It’s good to have that information later on, for my studies. In case I ever need it.”

“Let me guess. If I don’t answer, you’ll torture me?”

She looked up from her journal with an amused, yet puzzled, expression. “It’s only three questions.”

“Will you, though?”

“Torture is a strong word.” She tapped her pen against the journal. “I can take away your privileges. Would you rather sleep on the concrete?”

Jackie almost said yes, asshole, I’d rather sleep on the floor than be your lab rat, but that wasn’t a good idea. He needed to gain her trust. He needed to be patient.

“Why didn’t you say so?” he replied, forcing the enthusiasm into his voice. “I’m Jackie Rockwell, age twenty-one. I don’t remember my family’s names. I was born in Washington. I’ve lived here my whole life.”

Heather scribbled something down in the journal. “What do you mean, you don’t remember their names? Do you have memory issues?”

Absolutely not. He was not discussing this, not with her. “No, my memory’s fine. It’s a long story. We don’t talk anymore. Most of them are dead, anyway.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” She looked more relieved than anything—probably happy that nobody would notice him gone, that sick freak—but she didn’t push the topic, at least. “Let's move on to the next question. Before all this, were you aware of your immortality? Or any sort of advanced… I don’t know, healing?”

“Not the immortality,” he said. “I guess I’ve healed pretty quickly my whole life. Never had any health issues. Never gotten sick before. I’ve got a good immune system.”

This all must have been fascinating, because Heather was writing like there was no tomorrow. “Never gotten sick? At all?”

“Yep, pretty much.” His usage of the term was strictly metaphorical.

“How curious.” She scratched a final sentence into her journal. “You don’t know why you’re immortal, I assume?”

Jackie nodded. 

“That’s fine. We’ll find out eventually.” 

Not if I can help it. “Are there any more questions?”

“No.” Heather opened the book bag up and stuffed her journal back inside. “What do you want for breakfast, by the way? I can make eggs again. I have cereal. If you want something specific, I can go buy it.”

“Cereal is fine, thanks.” 

Heather nodded and hurried up the stairs. The door opened, then it closed. He waited in silence. 

She returned with a bowl of milk and cereal, which he recognized as cornflakes. The spoon stuck out the top. The ceramic was cool in his hands. 

Heather didn’t move. The tape recorder was still running.

“I’ll eat this now, then,” Jackie said.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

He took a spoonful and put it in his mouth. Heather didn’t make any move to leave.

“Are you going to watch me the whole time?” He set the spoon back into the bowl with a tautness in his movements. It clattered against the smooth surface.

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“The plan.” He placed the bowl onto the writing desk. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

She took the bowl and shoved it into his hands again. “You need to eat.”

“No.” He handed the bowl back to her.

“Jackie.”

“What?” he snapped. “I’m sorry I don’t want to be drugged again. I’m not hungry. Leave me alone.”

“That was one time. Did I drug your breakfast yesterday? Or the day before that? Or the day before that, even?” She took his hand and placed it on the spoon. “There’s no sedatives in this. Trust me.”

Trust. Like they were friends. Like he could afford to have trust. Unfortunately, it was eating the damned cereal or getting shoved into a freezer. Either way, she had a point. Nothing else he ate had been drugged, not since that fateful first escape attempt. 

But he wasn’t giving in that easily. "Do you have to stand there while I eat?" 

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

His grasp on the spoon was deadly. He considered chucking it at her head. Considered being the key word, because he was certain that freezers were much more uncomfortable than basements. "The problem is that it's creepy."

"Oh, calm down." She rolled her eyes. "You’ll be fine. Just eat."

It was a struggle not to throw the spoon now, but he managed. Instead of using it as a projectile weapon, he began to eat the cereal. It wasn’t particularly delicious. Kind of bland. Still, he hadn’t eaten anything else that morning, so he didn’t dislike it. All the while, Heather stared at him with growing curiosity.

Halfway through, he stopped. "What’s your problem?"

She shook her head a little. "Nothing. It's nothing. Carry on."

He continued, but not before giving her another scathing glare. He ate the cereal without any further problems. Other than whatever was going on with his captor, of course. She was looking at him like he was sprouting daisies from his mouth. Had he done something wrong? Maybe she was losing her grip on reality—it wouldn’t surprise him, to be honest. 

She checked her watch. It, too, was expensive, the face inlaid with what looked like real diamonds, the strap woven of solid gold. A small smile shadowed her face.

"What's happening?" He leaned forward a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of the time. Eleven o'clock. That number was meaningless to him. 

"Nothing. Nothing's happening. That's what's so interesting." She tried to stifle that smile by biting her lip, though it still managed to crack through. "Subject—"

"What do you mean, subject?' He leaned back, his posture sharply upright. "I thought the experiments were over."

Now she was—she was having a seizure? Choking to death? No, she was laughing. Laughing. Because he ate a bowl of cereal. It was quiet, muffled through her attempts at keeping a straight face, but nonetheless audible. 

"Subject—" She took a deep breath, and her voice returned to normal pitch. "Subject can survive lethal doses of poison. Enough dosage to kill ten people, ap—apparently." Another fit of giggles. "It's—oh my God, I'm sorry, I just—"

"Heather!" He scowled as she grinned even harder. His voice took on a flustered, awkward pitch. "You said this wasn't drugged! Hey! Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not—I'm not laughing at you—" She covered her face with one hand. The laughter ceased, unsteadily, the way ocean waves gradually crashed into gentler and gentler motions, cut through with brief fits of coughing. "I wasn’t—I didn't lie, did I? There weren't any sedatives. It was just arsenic."

"Arsenic?"

"Just a little bit!"

"Enough to kill ten people?"

"Don't sound so offended." Her hand dropped to her side. She was still smiling. "You're fine, aren't you? You're perfectly fine. God, Jackie, you really are a miracle."

He didn't know how to reply. He could see the comedy in the situation, yes, but his bewilderment at her sudden amusement and his ire won over. Why ire, he wondered, when he expected some sort of betrayal? Maybe a part of him wanted to be proven wrong. Maybe he wanted to finally trust, finally let his guard down, ridiculous as that was. Maybe he just didn't like being laughed at for not dying.

"Well, then, I suppose I can cross poison off the list. Experiment concludes here." She took the recorder and turned it off. Her face was a little flushed. From laughter, most likely, or maybe even embarrassment. Giggling was unprofessional, as Heather would put it. Doctor Moreau probably never giggled. Especially not at his Hyena-Swine. She swallowed, setting her face back into neutral. Then, she stood straighter, cleared her throat, and took the empty bowl from his hands.

"Where did you even get enough arsenic to kill ten people?" Jackie asked, ending the lingering break in conversation. 

"I have my ways." Her head tilted a little at his expression. "Come on, I needed to test it somehow. Would you rather I force feed you arsenic?"

"I don't care. It’s not like I get a choice, anyway." 

He wanted the words to scrape her, cut deep into that guilt he'd seen before. It didn't work. She got up and walked away instead. 

"I'm glad to see you're catching on." Heather placed her hand on the door handle. "I'll be back in a few days. Yell if you need anything."

"You better not forget my lunch.”

"I'll set an alarm, don't worry." She waved his concerns away with her other hand. "I'll bring your dinner as well. Or supper."

“You’ll bring me dinner? Or supper? Bless your heart. What did I do to deserve such mercy?” He stood up with an affronted stiffness. “Honestly, this sounds like a lot of trouble for nothing. You wouldn’t even need to set any alarms if you just—“

“Spare me your escape plans.” She slipped through the doorway. “Don’t break any furniture, by the way. I’m not replacing that bed.”

“Oh, yeah? Well—“ Heather was gone before he could finish that clever retort. 

The lock clicked into place. A strange, echoing feeling struck a chord in his chest. He wanted to be left alone, yes, but not alone in the basement. Not in the eternal stillness of what was really a sugar-coated cell, stagnant and stuck in place until she decided to visit him again. He walked up to the door, hesitating all the while, listening to the sound of her retreating footsteps with bated breath. 

“Heather!” He knocked on the door, at last. “I need something. Get back here.”

No response, even as he repeated his call once more, then twice more, then a reluctant third time. His captor had failed to realize that it was difficult to hear anything behind a locked door, unless you were close by. Heather must have already reached another floor by then. She, unlike him, was free to move, free to leave, free to indulge whatever whim struck her. 

Otherwise, she had heard him clearly, and had simply chosen to ignore him. It wasn’t hard to believe.

Jackie turned back to his room—not his room, just the room he was locked in, Jackie reminded himself—as the feeling rose in pitch, plucking every taut sinew in his body. He could draw, or he could read, or he could scream into a pillow. He could think about things, talk to himself. He could break every single piece of furniture in there, just because. He could let the tap run until the whole place was flooded. He could throw his comb at the walls until it snapped. But he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to do any of those things. He didn’t want to do anything at all.

What did he want? To die, of course, but other than that? Sleep was the closest thing. It was good enough. A few hours of forgetting. He could escape the concrete floors and blank walls, if only until he woke up, if only in his dreams. 

He collapsed into bed with a small groan. All things considered, it had been a good day, but it had exhausted him nonetheless. A break from reality would be more than welcome.

happy Friday the 13th! :)

Taglist:

@theelvishcowgirl

@lthrboy

[countessofravenclaw]

To grow up…Love…let go: act one

Growing up is hard when you're trying to find your own path. You live, you learn, you fall in love, and when you find the one, your heart will never break... ...or at least thats what Laura Perida thinks right before she's about to start high school. She's ready to find her own fairytale romance, just like her parents, but maybe she doesn't realize that life is not always that simple, especially given what we know about her parent's actual romance.

“You got everything?” 

“Big bag, small bag, backpack, skating bag,” Laura read off her list, “Yep, I got everything.”

“You look exactly like your mother when reading that checklist,” Gastón smiled at his 14-year-old younger daughter, as he closed the trunk of the car. 

“That’s great,” Laura rolled her eyes lightly while pulling the backpack on her back and looked at Ivory. “Ready?”

“Yep,” Ivory nodded. 

Laura was going to be attending a two-week skating camp with her best friend Ivory Alvarez. What could be a better way to celebrate the start of summer than two weeks of fun and skating away from parental supervision. 

“The sign ups were in that building,” Gastón looked around, “You want me to come in with you?”

“Dad, we’re high schoolers,” Laura made a horrified face, “We don’t need a chaperone.” 

“I’m not a chaperone. I’m your father.” Gastón looked amused, “And you are starting high school in two months, so I don’t think you can call yourself that quite yet.”

“You can be the Queen of Sweden,” Laura rolled her eyes again. “No one else is gonna have an escort.” 

“Okay, little miss independent, I get that it’s super embarrassing,” Gastón brushed a lock of hair behind Laura’s ear, that had fallen off the confines of the headband, before kissing her on her cheek. “Have fun sweetie. You too Ivory.”

“Yeah, thanks for the ride Gastón.” 

“Bye Dad!”

“Call Mom and I at least once!” Gastón yelled as the girls grabbed their stuff and headed inside the building. 

***

“Hey! I’m back!” Gastón pushed the door shut in his house after he had walked in. He saw his wife sitting on the couch in the living room, reading something off a tablet. She jumped when hearing his voice, in that adorable manner she always did. “Did I scare you?” 

“No, but how are you already back? You just left,” Nina put the tablet down. 

“We left before 12, it is almost 2 pm.” Gastón pointed out as he sat on the couch next to her. 

“It is?” Nina glanced down at her watch. 

“Must have been something interesting if you lost track of time.” Gastón pointed toward the tablet. 

“It was,” Nina nodded and turned the tablet back on, “While I was researching Agatha Christie, I found this indie short story that was extremely intriguing. I got stuck reading that and not doing research that I was supposed to be doing for my story. I still don’t know who actually killed Renese in the current work. My editor is about to go crazy, like you know.”

“Well, how that’s solved is by not rushing.” Gastón squeezed her hand. “You are the publishing company’s star. They’re basically wrapped around your finger, as they should, so what you say goes.”

“They’re also the same people who didn’t want me to change my name…” Nina shook her head, “Anyways, enough about that. Did the girls get off at the camp alright?”

“Definitely,” Gastón nodded grinning, “Can it be considered a parenting win when your kid can’t wait to run away from you?”

“Maybe…” Nina laughed. 

“I wasn’t even allowed to set foot out of the parking lot, because they can do it themselves.” Gastón shook his head, “Teenagers, am I right? But they’re gonna be more than okay. We’ll be lucky if we hear from Laura once during these two weeks.” 

“I wouldn’t have ever been brave enough for that at her age. Go to a camp all alone.” Nina shook her head.

“Well, she’s not alone. Ivory’s with her.”

“Still…” Nina continued and leaned toward her husband, “I'm glad they all got your confidence.”

“There must have been some reason why you keep me around,” Gastón leaned forward as well, placing his hand on her waist. 

“You know there are multiple reasons for that.” 

“Like this one?” He kissed her. “So, one is done, how are we getting rid of the other two, so we can be alone.”

“Didn’t we already have a plan for that?” Nina laughed, running a hand on his chest. She was about to kiss him again when his phone started ringing. 

“Did you already drop the girls off?” Ambar’s face showed up on the video call.

“Yep, long time ago,” Gastón answered. Nina leaned her head on his shoulder.

“How did it go?” Ambar asked. “Did you go in with them?” 

“Well,” Gastón shrugged, “and no, I didn’t. I wasn’t allowed to, you know, for the street cred. We all know they will be fine anyway.” 

“So, you didn’t see what sort of accommodations they got?” Ambar kept asking. 

“Darling, what are you doing?” Simon’s head showed up behind Ambar. “Oh hey! Did the girls get off alright?”

“They did,” Gastón nodded, “As I was just about to say to Ambar, I didn’t go in, but the place looked fine. Pretty standard sports academy. Not any sort of luxe hotel, but I think they’ll survive.” 

“Why were you even asking about that?” Simon looked at Ambar. “You weren’t expecting some sort of luxury, for a sports camp, right? You were the one who wanted the girls to go to the nearest public school so we can agree that they don’t need luxury.”

“I wasn’t expecting any luxury,” Ambar glared at Simon playfully, “but surely I am not alone when I don’t want them to sleep in a moldy cabin in the woods.”

“Yeah, there were no woods at all.” 

“I just still keep wondering how the camp fee was so cheap?” Ambar shook her head, “We didn’t have time to vet it when girls found it online.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about it,” Nina started speaking, “I wouldn’t call it vetting, but we did look it up. It’s run by a church sanctioned nonprofit.” 

“Oh.”

“Apparently lots of the kids attending those camps are being provided aid by the non-profit, because they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. They get it half free at least.” Gastón explained, “I have been meaning to look into the organization, see if they accept anonymous donations.”

“It’ll probably be a little different environment,” Nina nodded, “but would be good for the girls, before they start at Blake. Not that they care about those things, but a change of scenery is always for the good.”

“I definitely agree with that,” Simon agreed, “I grew up sleeping in a bunk bed, so you need to experience that at least once in your life. Camps are always so fun.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ambar shook her head, “It is very good that they went, even if two weeks is a little long… I’m just glad that Ivory has something to do. We’re so busy and summer has just started.”

“Sorry, can't relate with that,” Gastón grinned, “Corporations are on summer vacation and so is UCA, so I’m free, outside of a few thesis supervisions, but those are not a bother.”

Gastón was such a popular professor in UCA, that almost all of the students who had had his classes wanted him to supervise their thesis. He had had to put a hard limit on three students per year a long time ago. 

“Actually, on Monday we are taking off to Santa Cruz. Gonna go take some pictures at the Los Glaciares national park.” Gastón looked at Nina, “Now that Laura’s off at camp, we are giving Oscar and Aurora a chance to prove that the house won’t burn down if they’re left by themselves for five days.”

“Vacation? Ah, I would love that,” Simon groaned, “Not us. Pedro and I are going back to the studio to do some recording. We won’t be free before the end of January.”

“And I have at least two court dates in need of my appearances,” Ambar shook her head, “Maybe three, if that one case gets drawn out. We need to figure out something for Esme to do, since I can’t take her to the courthouse.”

“She used to love to come to the studio, but now she complains how boring it is there,” Simon grimaced.

“That’s how teenagers are.”

“She just turned 13, my little gemstone can’t be a teenager yet,” Simon’s face turned horrified. 

“We’ve all been there,” Gastón laughed, “There will always be the time when you little girl decides that she doesn’t want to be a child anymore.”

“We probably didn’t tell you that right before school got out, Laura got in her head that she wanted to dye her hair platinum white,” Nina explained, “We shot that down very quickly. Said that she can have some lighter highlights if she wants, but not that drastic of a full hair change.”

“When she’s 18, she can have full responsibility for those sorts of decisions,” Gastón continued, “but…about Esme. Doesn’t she like chemistry?” 

“Yeah, she does,” Ambar nodded, “Always gets mad at us, when we don’t allow her to mix kitchen soap with all sorts of things.”

“How did I not tell you about this?” Gastón questioned out loud, “There are these summer science workshops held in UCA this summer, for middle schoolers. Few of my star students are TA:ing that. You’d think Esme might like that?”

“She would probably love it,” Ambar exclaimed. “It’s held at UCA? With what sort of timetable?”

“9 to 4 I think.” Gastón responded, “It starts next week.” 

“Is there still time to sign up?”

“Check the website. I’m not involved with it myself, if I wasn’t a part timer, I probably would be.” Gastón thought. 

“We'll try. That would be perfect.”

“Tell me if you can’t get her in.” Gastón nodded, “I do know the professor running the program personally, so I can get her in.” 

“Thank you.” Simon made a few gestures with his hands, “Who knew that your kids growing up would be such a hassle?”

“Tell me about it,” Ambar chuckled, “We need to figure out when the Blake Freshmen parents’ conference even is.” 

“At the end of February,” Nina responded, “it’s always the same day, and has the same contents.”

“We probably wouldn’t even need to attend it anymore, we know it by heart,” Gastón rolled his eyes, “Third times the charms and thankfully the last.”

“Well, this is our first,” Ambar remarked. “Ivory is seriously starting upperseconday school.”

“We’re getting old.”

“We really are. We’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, bye.”

“Why would we burn the house down?” Aurora walked down the stairs. 

“I don’t know, Firecracker” Gastón shook his head, “I also really don’t want to know, so we better not find that out. You’re not allowed to taint your great grandfather's legacy, and I don’t want to be hearing from Lieutenant Otero. William would never let it go.” 

“There is no reason why Uncle William should need to come here on a call,” Aurora rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure that Oscar doesn’t burn anything.” 

***

“Come on!!” Laura urged Ivory as they walked into the lobby of the sports academy. At the lobby there was a desk, above which read: Sports Academy, freestyle and artistic skating training camp. Registration.

“Hello,” The 20 something woman greeted them from the desk. “Here for the camp registration?” 

“Yep,” Laura nodded.

“Names and IDs?”

“Laura Perida.” Laura handed her passport to the woman, and she scanned it. 

“Ivory Alvarez.” Ivory did the same. 

“Okay,” the woman nodded and clicked something on her tablet. “Do you already have the app?”

“Yes, we do,” Laura nodded. She and Ivory had poured over all the information possible.

“Good,” The woman nodded again, “It’s now activated for the both of you. You’ll find everything there. The daily schedules, room assignments etc. The first event is happening in one and half hours in the main sport hall. The tour of all the places will be happening later today. Any questions?”

“Nope,” Laura shook her head and she and Ivory dragged their stuff through the lobby towards a staircase. 

“Okay, we’re in room B25,” Ivory read from her phone. “There’s a map here… Upstairs, and then left.”

“It feels like we’re in some sort of Uni dorms or something.” Laura remarked as they walked up the stairs and flung her arm around Ivory’s shoulder. “Just think. This is the start of our new life.”

“New life?” Ivory looked at her confused. 

“Yeah, new life.” Aurora repeated. “We’re teenagers, almost adults. We’re gonna get to be in the same class and the best thing is that we’re gonna be part of a professional skating team! All that’s missing are hot boyfriends.”

“You got over that crush on your cooking class partner real fast,” Ivory noted to Laura. 

“Michael?” Laura stared at Ivory. “Nooo, I never had a crush on him. It doesn’t matter anyway… Now I’m looking for love. My fairytale is ready to find me.” 

“Lets first find the door,” Ivory laughed. 

“I mean just imagine, if we both find guys, we could go on all of these cute double dates and be bestie couples. Just like Mom and Dad and Luna and Matteo.” 

“We can hope,” Ivory pointed toward a door at the end of the hallway. “There. That’s the door.”

Laura and Ivory pushed the door open to a moderately sized room that had two bunk beds, two wardrobes, a few cabinets and shelves and a desk. There also was an “en suite” bathroom. 

On the lower bed of the other bunk bed, sat a black-haired girl, who looked like she was of Asian descent. 

“Hi!” Laura greeted her and the girl pulled her headphones off. 

“Oh, hi!” The girl greeted them. “You’re gonna be my roommates?”

“Yep,” Laura nodded, and Ivory gave a small wave. “I’m Laura. This is Ivory.”

Ivory wasn’t shy in any means, but she was a tad bit soft spoken and took her time to warm up to new people. Laura on the other hand was an absolutely social butterfly, so much so that she had given her parents quite a lot of trouble with her having no strange danger whatsoever as a toddler. 

“Great to meet you!” The girl got off the bed, “I’m Amida. I’m glad to see that I wasn't the only one who came here so early, Mom called me crazy, but it’s just my thing at this camp.”

“Dips on the top bunk!!” Ivory yelled as she and Laura had finished dragging their bags inside. 

“Hey!” Laura protested slightly before settling on the lower bed. She looked at Amida again. “So, you’ve been to this camp before?”

“Yep,” Amida nodded, “I usually came here with my cousins, but now they’re too old, so I came alone. You two have not been here before, because I would remember you.”

“Yeah, we have not.” Ivory responded as she was climbing up to the upper bunk, “We found this online, but we’ve been skating like we have been like five.”

“That’s cool,” Amida nodded, “To me it's more of a hobby and I do tik toks with tricks. I know there are teams that compete. Do you do that?”

“Yeah, we do,” Laura exclaimed, “We have done pretty much all of the junior competitions when we were little, and now… You’re talking to the newest members of the official Team of Jam & Roller.”

“Oh, I have heard of them.” Amidas eyes widened, “That team is quite iconic, and has brought up a lot of successful skaters. Marisa Mint used to be their trainer once upon a time. You’re really part of that team?”

Since Ivory was sitting on the top bunk and Laura on the lower one, they couldn’t make eye contact, but they didn’t need to do that. They had previously agreed, and also been told by their parents, that it wasn’t maybe the best idea to start bragging about the fact that they knew Juliana or other skating world stars like Luna and Ramiro personally. 

“Well, we aren’t in it quite yet,” Ivory remarked, “The auditions were two weeks ago, and we haven’t yet heard back. We were part of the Junior Rollers and did intermediate training before we were eligible for the main team.” 

“But we’re gonna get in,” Laura continued, “It’s basically in our blood. My Dad was in the team and so were both of Ivory’s parents. So Amida, tell us, what sort of things are we gonna do here?” 

“Their program is really good, especially for a church sanctioned camp,” Amida explained, “The trainers are really good. Last year we did all sorts of things. Theory, boring… strength training, basic technique, acrobatics and partnering.” 

“We're doing partnering?!” Laura exclaimed excitedly, “Yes!! Finally. We never did that in Junior Rollers, because apparently, we were too young. I’m so looking forward to learning all of those tricks in the actual team. If we’re doing that here, then we’re not gonna be completely unprepared.”

“Do they usually have enough guys in this camp to do that?” Ivory questioned. 

“Yep,” Amida nodded, “We usually have had pretty even split. “I’m more of a spin person myself. Lifts aren’t always my thing.”

“They definitely are mine,” Laura noted, “I love all that stuff, and not just in skating. We went to see Sleeping Beauty by Colon Theatre Ballet once. It is so romantic… How do people not just fall in love while dancing like that?”

“I mean… Some do. Some did.” Ivory remarked.

“What do you mean?” Amida asked. 

“My parents,” Ivory responded, “And my godparents, they were all in the team in the late 2010s, ancient times, and were each other's partners.”

“It was all so romantic,” Laura leaned her head in her hands. “I wish we could have seen it all. Sad that Mom and Dad never skated together… I mean Mom didn’t really ever skate, except for that one event, but Dad was at college at that time. Maybe they would have fallen in love faster if they had… Although, no one can convince me that they didn’t like each other in high school.”

“What are you talking about?” Amida asked again. 

“Well, my Mom and Dad started dating when they attended University of Oxford together,” Laura explained, “but like, they had been friends years before that. Went to high school togther and everything, and Dad was in the team, and so was Mom’s best friend so they all hung out at Roller. Mom and Dad’s besties are also married and are like my big brother’s godparents. I swear they definitely already liked each other then, probably weren’t able to fully express it before they got to be alone in England.” 

Suddenly all of their phones dinged. The app was sending them a notification. 

“We need to get to the auditorium,” Amida got up from the bed, “First, there is this briefing of sort of official stuff, like safety, super boring… but then we’ll go onto our first rink session so take your gear with you.” 

“Good thing we have a guide,” Laura laughed as they left through the door. 

*

“That was the fire debriefing,” The camp director switched slides on a slideshow. 

“Thank god,” Laura whispered to Ivory, “Literally, I knew almost all of that just by common sense.” 

“Or you just happen to be a descendant of a firefighting family,” Ivory whispered back. 

“Okay, and the last order of business,” The director continued, “the skating partners. You’ll be assigned a partner, who will be your partner during the whole camp.”

“Yes.” Laura and Ivory whispered. 

“Alvarez and Rodeira, Delia and Wereze…” The director read of the list, “...Mendera and Butyyli, Orei and Rixe, Perida and Diaze…”

* 

“Now, if we got this down,” The skating instructor continued, “now find your assigned partners for the first time. Review the three counts of choreo, so you’ll be able to do it together. The guys are supposed to mirror the girls.”

The group scattered when everyone tried to find their partners. 

Laura scanned the group. They had done a name round, but she didn’t remember anymore. Immaculate memory of details was Aurora’s thing. 

Which of the guys looked like a Diaze?

“Perida?” a guy wheeled in front of her. He had blonde curly hair and clear blue eyes. 

“Yes,” Laura nodded, “Diaze?” 

“That’s me,” The guy nodded, and seemingly looked Laura up and down. “You’re really short.”

“I am still growing,” Laura rolled her eyes, “My brother is really tall, so just you wait. I’m Laura.” 

“Alex.” The guy nodded. “Sooo…the choreo? It looked like you really got a handle on it.”

“You’ve been watching me?” Laura looked at him. “Well, how are you handling the choreo, since I have not been watching you.”

“I think I got it,” Alex stretched his arm, “flipping it though…”

“Well, you better keep up.” Laura brushed some hair off her face. “cinco seis SIETE OCHO.”

They started marking up the choreo, and to Laura’s surprise Alex hadn’t been excarating about his handle on it. He really did know it, and flipping didn’t seem to cause any trouble for him. So, he truly had skill… 

“Ah!” Laura tripped on her spin as she put the break of the skate on the ground too early and lost her balance. Then her arm was grabbed so she didn’t slam face first into the rink. 

“Careful.” Alex pulled her back up. “I don’t want to be benched because my partner gets herself out of commission.” 

“Yeah, thanks.” Laura nodded as she got her footing back. 

“By the way, really cool skates.” Alex pointed to Laura’s feet. 

For some reason the comment made Laura feel really shy all of a sudden. She was extremely proud of her skates, which had started out as a plain holographic silver pair with turquoise laces and wheels. The swirly patterns in the side she had painted there herself, just like she had attached the rhinestones to the laces. 

“Thanks, I’ve made them myself,” Laura twirled her ponytail around. 

“Don’t tell me those are real diamonds.”

“Nope, they’re really fake,” Laura laughed, “Dad doesn’t let me wear real gemstones, so he definitely wouldn’t allow me to put them on skates.” 

“He’s that stingy?” Alex joked.

“Dad’s like the opposite of stingy,” Laura shook her head, “but real diamonds and gems are reserved for Mom only. My sister and I will probably get something when we get married.”

“Oh well…” Alex seemed to smirk, “I guess we’ll have that to look forward to then. Go again?”

“What?” Laura’s thoughts for some reason completely blanked out. 

“Should we mark the choreo one more time?” Alex asked her. “If you can keep your breaks under control.”

“Sure,” Laura nodded, “but it is scientifically proven, that failures actually just increase the determination…”

“Where have you read that?” Alex laughed at her. “Have you swallowed a dictionary?” 

“Some research paper Dad showed me.” Laura shrugged, “He’s a uni professor and came across it somewhere from the archives. But I’ve done research about that myself too.” 

“Okay,” Alex nodded and ran his hand through his hair. “Soo, the choreo?”

“Yep, yeah,” Laura blinked for a moment, “Let’s do it.”

***

“How’s Laura doing at that camp?” Luna asked as she took a sip of her drink. Gastón, Nina, Luna and Matteo were having their bi-weekly “kid free” brunch that they had had every other Sunday for almost ever since Gastón and Nina had returned from England—Okay, it had been canceled once when Luna had literally been in labor. “I am so jealous. I wish we would have had skating camps when we were kids.” 

“Well…as far as we're aware.” Gastón responded. 

“Since when are you not fully aware?” Matteo raised an eyebrow.

“We haven’t had a full-on conversation since she left,” Nina clarified. 

“I think Simon and Ambar are requiring Ivory to text them every night,” Luna noted. 

“We don’t need to do that,” Gastón responded, “There have been plenty of selfies, emojis, videos of Laura doing some tricks, so we know she’s alive and apparently having the time of her life. That is great. We're planning on calling her soon, as the half point of the camp has passed. I think we are allowed to check in.”

“How are they so big already?” Matteo shook his head, “Stella keeps going on and on about the Roller Team. They can avenge the Roda Fest for us.”

“I don’t get why they are making them wait this long for the audition results,” Luna complained. “I almost want to ask Abigail−”

“I told you that you can’t try to influence the coach,” Matteo looked at Luna, “This isn’t the time for nepotism and Stella wouldn’t want you to do that.” 

“But I want to know!” 

“We all do,” Nina smiled, “But they need to achieve it with their own merit. We need to allow them to−” 

“Exactly,” Gastón nodded, “One of the reasons why none of our kids will never want to attend the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. It’s probably better for me too.”

“Speaking of Universities, has Oscar come to any decisions?” Matteo asked. 

“He actually has,” Nina looked at Gastón and smiled. 

“Are we gonna be surprised?” Matteo questioned, “Is that why it’s a secret?”

“It’s not a secret,” Gastón shook his head, “He hasn’t changed his mind. Medical school it is and Oxford. We can blame April for that…and ourselves.” 

“Of course.” 

“Obviously, it is an extremely ambitious undertaking,” Nina continued, “You don’t just get in there, but we’re letting him go for it.”

“We all know he’s gonna get in if he tries,” Luna piped up.

“We have all the faith in him. We’ll see what happens.” Gastón wrapped his arm around Nina, “Backups are a little up in the air, but he has time. The applications aren’t even open yet.” 

“But it’s a really good thing that he feels so strongly about what he wants to do,” Nina squeezed his hand, “Although, he still has his whole Senior year left. Anything can happen before he graduates—” 

“Well, as far as we know right now history shall be repeated,” Matteo joked, “If you’re lucky, you end up with another doctor as a daughter-in-law.” 

“Maybe it is the best that history stays in the books,” Gastón made a few faces, “Don’t want Oscar making my mistakes…” He looked at Nina again, “He might not get as lucky as I did. Plus, it is not really possible, because he doesn’t have a girlfriend.” 

“As far as we are aware…” Nina added, and she and Gastón shared a somewhat meaningful look. 

“How do none of our kids have anything going on?” Luna questioned. 

“What are they supposed to have going on?” Matteo looked at her amused. “Let's be relieved that they’re not living the chaos we did.” 

“We are in no rush to plan any weddings,” Nina agreed, “Some things may start happening while they’re in high school, but we can’t know what will happen in the future. Not everyone is going to find their true love at 16.”

“Aww,” Luna looked disappointed, “Maybe I should ask Delfi what’s going on with Victoria. Unless you know something,” She looked at Gastón. 

The oldest of the off-springs of the team, Delfi and Pedro’s daughter, 19-year-old Victoria, had started studying at UCA—the school Gastón taught at—last fall. 

“I don’t know, and how would I even?” He shook his head, while taking a sip of his drink. “I don’t teach her, and the campus is huge. I don’t see her very often. If I started paying attention to student's love life, I'd have worse headache that I have alredy. I keep forgetting to drink, which is not very smart in this heat.” 

“Uuuu, can we go get dessert!!” Luna suddenly exclaimed, clearly having forgotten the topic she had brought up in the first place, “I'll go get the pie.”

“I’ll come with you.” Nina said and the girls got up from the table. 

“I am pretty sure that if Victoria had a boyfriend, we would have already heard it from Pedro,” Matteo remarked to Gastón. “Remember the last existential crisis he had when she was dating last?”

“It was funny,” Gastón laughed, “But would he have one like that again honestly? I mean, it is a little different when your 19-year-old daughter has a boyfriend, to when she was 15.”

“Is it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Gastón shook his head, “My 15-year-old daughter doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Nor does mine,” Matteo agreed, “Thankfully. Luna though, she’s kind of convinced that Stella is crushing on someone… But I am honestly not that sure.”

“Maybe you’re the one who needs to be careful.” Gastón teased Matteo. 

***

“We’re preparing this choreo that the coach says we’re gonna film and put it on the website at the end.” Laura was sitting on the grass behind the camp building and holding her tablet up so her parents could see her face. 

“That sounds great,” Dad responded, “We get to see it too then. How’s everything else? You've been eating and sleeping?” 

“Yes,” Laura rolled her eyes, “The curfew is at 10, so in two hours. The food in the cafeteria is as mild as it was at Hoja, but I’m not starving if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Well, gourmet wouldn’t make any sense,” Mom smiled, “I’m sure it’s actually good enough.” 

“Everything has carrots in it,” Laura whined, “Can we get food from La Dorita de Palermo when I get back?”

“We can think about it. We miss you.”

“Come on…” Laura rolled eyes again, but this time more affectionately, “I miss you too. Don’t tell thet to Aurora and Oscar!” 

“We won’t,” Dad laughed, “Simon is picking you and Ivory up on Friday. We’ll see you then. Love you.”

“Me too. Bye!” Laura said as the call disconnected. She opened her tablet’s tool pack and opened the sketching software. Behind the building was a hill where a particular maple tree grew, behind it came a most beautiful sunset. Laura had been looking at those multiple times in the evenings, and today she had finally found the time to come spend some time watching it and immortalize it in a drawing.

“So, she’s a master researcher and a star skater, but also an accomplished artist?” A voice startled Laura so she momentarily dropped her pen. 

“Did I scare you?” Alex sat next to her on the grass.

“No,” Laura shook her head, while searching for her pen from the grass. 

“Good. Here you go,” Alex handed the pen to her, and Laura smiled. At the start of the camp, she had thought that Alex would definitely get too annoying at some point… Now she didn’t even know why she had ever thought that. He was the sweetest person alive, and so cute. 

“Thanks,” She nodded, “I wasn’t even scared, I just…was zoning.”

“Zoning?” Alex looked at her unconvinced, a blonde cur falling on his forehead, framing the blue eyes.

“Yeah, it’s this term that Dad uses about Mom, when she’s so focused on her work that she totally dissociates from reality.” 

“What on earth does she do?”

“She’s an author,” Laura explained, “Regarded as one of the best female non-english authors of her generation, or something like that.” 

“Okay, that’s cool. So, artistry runs in the family,” Alex nodded.

“Something like it,” Laura brushed some hair behind her ear, “Mom and Dad have both been really into photography, but no one like draws like I do.”

“Doesn’t hurt to stand out,” Alex looked at the sunset before looking back at the grass, “The years I have been coming here, I have always been trying to find the four leafed clover, no luck yet.”

“That is gonna take a while,” Laura nudged him playfully, “those don’t exist.” 

“You may never know,” Alex shook his head and picked up a flower of the clover and put it behind Laura’s ear. She felt her breath get taken suddenly as they looked each other in the eyes. “Your eyes are really beautiful. How do they have that golden shine?”

“Oh, that’s genetic actually.” Laura laughed shyly. The golden iridescence in the irises was a trait carried by the Vazques lineage of Dad’s family. So, him, Grandma, her sisters and all of Dad’s cousins, they all had it—Laura had been the first one with green eyes to inherit it, which had revealed that it had nothing to do with the eye color itself. 

Mom always said how it was one of the first things that had made her fall in love with Dad… Grandpa had once said something similar about Grandma.

Now Alex was noting it about her… Laura had been about 70% sure that he felt the same way about her as she did about him. They had an incredible connection on the rink. What else could it possibly be? He had to like her too.

***

“Come on, where are you?” Ivory paused her playlist and pulled her headphones off as she looked at the time. It was already 9:40 pm!!!

Was Laura still outside? 

“You didn’t see Laura in the hallway?” She asked Amida.

“No,” She shook her head, “Relax, she’ll be here soon.”

“She said that she wanted to draw the tree with the sunset,” Ivory shook her head, “She has lost track of time. She’ll get in trouble if she doesn’t come back soon.”

“Getting in trouble isn’t the end of the world.”

“You don’t get it.” Ivory looked out of the window, “Perida kids don’t get in trouble. Laura wouldn’t even risk it. Something must have happened.” 

So, Ivory decided to go against her own judgment. Her parents wouldn’t be happy either if she was found outside after curfew and got in trouble for it. All that aside, Laura was her best friend and they’d be in this together. 

She had 15 minutes. Ivory sneaked out of the building through the side door and started heading toward the hill where Laura had said she would be. 

And there she was, but she wasn’t alone. 

“Membere is like next to where we live.” Alex’s blonde curls were easy to recognize even from afar. “I don’t want to attend a school Mom teaches at, but I don’t have a choice.”

“Dad has pretty much forbidden us to attend the uni he teaches at,” Laura laughed, “but for high school, we don’t get a choice either. It has always been Blake. My brother and sister are like top students there already.” 

“Are you a straight acer too?”

“Maybe,” Laura tilted her head. Ivory could see the look in her eyes, and she knew that look. How had she not seen that sooner? “I have pretty good scholar genes from the University of Oxford. Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. I like smart girls.” Alex responded and a blush flushed into Laura's face. 

“You’re literally calling me “smart girl”? What am I? Annabeth Chase?” Laura laughed again. 

“If you were, that would be a compliment—”

Ivory felt bad at interrupting, but the time was ticking. She started climbing the hill and cleared her throat. Laura and Alex turned around. 

“Ivory?” Laura looked extremely startled and a tad bit annoyed. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to look for you. We have like under ten minutes before curfew.”

“What, no, that can’t be right…?” Laura looked at her phone, “Oh noh.”

“I didn’t realize either.” Alex got up from the ground and helped Laura up. 

“Yep, and WE really need to get going,” Ivory grabbed Laura by the arm, “See you at the rink tomorrow.”

Ivory dragged Laura inside the building. “What were you doing? It's one thing getting caught outside after curfew, but with a boy, it’s another. What will your parents say?”

“I know, I know…” Laura was shaking her head smiling, “I just lost track of time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ivory asked, “You and Alex?”

“Well…” Laura blushed again, “I mean, there isn’t Alex and I—Yet. But, like, he’s so adorable and he complimented my eyes and thinks I am smart… How can I not like him? He must like me too.”

“I can’t believe it… No wonder you’re the coaches' fave pair,” Ivory squeezed Laura’s hand and girls jumped in a circle squealing, “What are you gonna do?”

“What do you mean?” Laura looked confused. 

“We’re leaving on Friday.” Ivory pointed out. “You might never see him again if…”

“That won’t happen,” Laura shook her head again horrified, “He lives at Recoleta. It is not that far. We definitely can—”

“Ladies, what are you doing in the hallway?” One of the camp directors suddenly walked behind them. “It is 10:05 PM. You two should be in bed.”

“Oh, we were just…” Ivory started staggering.

“Just doing some stretches, Laura jumped in and got into an absurd yoga pose. Ivory followed suit. “Our room didn’t have the room for all the moves.”

“Okay…” The director looked at them suspiciously, “I am glad you are taking the sport seriously, but now I need you two in your room. Next time, you’ll get a warning.”

“Yes, Maam,” Laura did a salute and grabbed Ivory’s hand. 

“That was close,” the girls giggled as they ran down the hallway. 

“Maybe, but what wouldn’t you do for love?” Laura laughed as they pulled their room’s door open. 

***

Bag, other bag, backpack… Laura was going through her check-list. The camp had ended 30 minutes ago, and now it was time to go home…

“How do girls have so many bags?” Speaking off, Alex caught up with her in the hallway.

“How else would I be able to bring all the important stuff?” Laura dropped her stuff on the floor in the lobby. 

“Well, I guess this is it…” Alex started a little awkwardly. He had grabbed Laura’s hand as she had set her last bag down. 

“It doesn’t have to be,” Laura protested, “We can see each other. I need to show you Roller. I’ll be a member of the official team soon, but I can’t forget about my fave partner.”

“I thought I was the only partner you have had?” 

“And the best.” Laura tilted her head. 

“Don’t forget me, when you’re dancing in the world championships.” Alex remarked. 

“How could I ever forget you…?” Laura said and at that moment she decided what she was gonna do, to resolve this. She learned forward and kissed him on the lips. “Now you can’t forget me either.”

“Laura!” Alex wasn't able to say anything, as Ivory ran into the lobby. “Dad’s at the parking lot. We need to go.”

“Oh okay,” Laura nodded and looked at Alex. She squeezed his hand tightly, before hugging him. “Call me.”

He nodded. 

“Soo…?” Ivory asked Laura as they were walking toward the parking lot. “You didn’t? … Or did you?”

“Let’s talk about it in the car.” Laura made a few different faces. 

*

“It has been a pleasure to act as your personal taxi service,” Simon remarked as he stopped the car in front of Gastón and Nina’s house’s gate. 

“Thanks,” Laura laughed as she took her seatbelt off. 

“Remember to tell me all the updates about…” Ivory whispered to her, “...you know who.”

“Who knows who?” Simon looked at his daughter, “You two aren’t scheming something devious, are you?”

“Just about the team admission results,” Laura explained away, before looking at Ivory, “Of course. But about the team, seriously, if you get the email first, you call me.”

“And you call me if you get it first, or hear that Stella has gotten it, since she’s gonna call Aurora.” 

“Yep.” Laura nodded and grabbed her bags. “Thanks for the ride, Simon!!” 

“Bye!” 

“Byeee!” Laura watched the car pull away before she inserted her finger on the gate's fingerprint scanner—the gate was practically a 2040s version of the gate at dad’s childhood home. Although, Grandpa and Grandma had updated that as well over the years—and walked into the yard. 

“I’m back!!!” Laura opened the front door and dropped her bags onto the entrance hall’s floor. 

“Hey!” Mom and Dad both walked to her in a flash. They had been sitting at the dining table with Oscar and Aurora. 

“It’s so great that you’re back,” Nina said after she and Gastón finished hugging their youngest daughter. “Are you hungry? We were just eating.”

“No, actually.” Laura shook her head, “We picked up take out with Simon on the road.” 

“Of course,” Gastón smiled slightly, “Then you came in just in time for dessert.” 

“Sure,” Laura nodded and followed her parents to the table and took her seat next to Aurora, “Hey.”

“Hey! You did survive alone in the forest for all this time?” Oscar asked. 

“There was no forest,” Laura rolled her eyes, “Although, there was this super pretty mabel tree. I tried to draw it…but didn’t have enough time.” 

“So, tell us everything you did,” Laura watched her parents sit down on the other side of the table as she dug into a piece of Pionono. The one thing camp didn’t have was desserts. 

“I already gave you an itemized list when you called.”

“That was days ago now,” Gastón protested. “Tell us about the rest of it. Plus, Oscar and Aurora have not heard anything yet.” 

“Well, most of the last days we just honed the final choreo and our partnering routines.” Laura explained. 

“Wait, you finally got to dance with a boy?” Aurora looked at her, “Was it the most romantic experience of your life?”

“Yes…” Laura started saying, before stopping herself, “I mean, yeah it was fine. It was good to get experience.”

“So, it wasn’t this magical fairytale that you have always dreamed about?”

“Leave your sister alone, Firecracker,” Gastón interrupted Aurora, “There is nothing romantic about skating. Luna and Matteo are an extremely rare exception. I skated with both Delfi and Jim, the connection has nothing to do with real feelings.”

“Way to destroy all the innocent childhood dreams Dad,” Oscar joked. 

Laura just rolled her eyes. Her phone suddenly dinged, and she picked it up from the table with lightning speed. It had been Alex! He sent her a short text saying that he was not back home. 

“Laura, put the phone away. We’re at the table.” Nina reminded her as she was typing up a response. 

“Oh, sorry.” Laura quickly clicked “send” and hid the phone under the table. “I was just…checking my emails. You know, if Roller has sent anything. There hadn’t been any letters that had come here while I was away?” 

“Who sends letter post anymore?” Oscar was rolling his eyes. 

“Nobody,” Gastón shook his head and looked at Laura. “Nothing has come. Be patient.”

“The admission process can take time when there are so many good candidates,” Nina continued, “You’ll get to know. The season isn’t starting in months.” 

“But I have to get in.” Laura continued, “It is my birthright.”

“Uhm, I don’t really know about that,” Gastón shook his head, “Our rendition of the team disbanded at the end of 2018 and the systems have gotten so much better over the years. You’ll make it there on your own merit.”

“Our legacy will have nothing to do with it.” Nina nodded. “Especially mine. I barely even was in the team.”

"But like, if I get into the team, I'll get acess to the open hours and everything," Laura continued, "I'll have so much more time to train."

The "Open Hours" was a relatively new implemention at Roller. The mebers of the official team were able to access the rink during limited hours, through a side door with a key card, in the morning and evening outside of the standard business hours of Roller.

"Rememvber what we talked about," Gastón interjected, "You can't go there alone, if there is no supervision."

"I won't," Laura rolled her eyes, "We'll go with Ivory once we're in the team—"

Aurora’s phone started ringing. “It’s Stella.” 

She got up from the table and answered the phone. 

“IT CAME!! I’M IIIIIN!!!” The call definitely had not been on the speaker, but everyone in the Perida household could hear it. 

“Wait,” Laura stared toward Aurora. Stella’s yelling could only mean one thing. She had made it to the team. “The results actually came?”

“Didn’t you just check them?” Oscar asked as Laura clamored for her phone. Of course, she had never actually been checking her email…but now if the results were in… 

There in fact was a new message.

“I’m in!!! I’m in the team!!” Laura jumped up from the table.

*

“So, now that we’re not in Mom and Dad’s interrogation—” Laura had been lying on her bed in a daze until a voice abruptly shook her back into reality. Aurora was leaning on the bathroom’s door frame—two girls had a conjoined bathroom, with doors to both of their rooms. It was an everlasting mystery why Dad had built the house like that, with a bathroom between two bedrooms. He didn’t even have two daughters at the time when he had designed the house, which had ended up being a big part of his Ph.D. “—what’s up with you?”

“What do you mean?” Laura got up and stared at her older sister. 

“Don’t try and think you can fool me,” Aurora rolled her eyes. “Come on now. You got to skate with a boy for two weeks and you barely gushed about it. You, who has dreamed about your fairytale, dance in the clouds, romance since forever. Was your partner that horrible?”

“No, he…he was amazing…” Laura sighed. She couldn’t keep everything about Alex in.

“Oh…” Aurora had seen her face. “Don’t tell me…” 

"His name is Alex. We were in such a sync the whole camp, almost like we could read each other's minds. And he’s so cute, those blue eyes… How could I not like him?”

“Does he know that?” Aurora looked at Laura skeptically, “You’ll never see each other again.”

“Not true.” Laura shook her head, “He doesn’t live far, and we’ve been texting. He wants to see me too, because he likes me too. Aurora, look, I know you don’t believe in love, but I know that this is real.”

“I have never said that I don’t believe in love.” Aurora sighed, “I mean how can I not, when we’re forced to live with Mom and Dad and all that sweetness. I’m also just a realist. Speaking off, when are you gonna tell them?”

“Tell what?”

“I wonder what?” Aurora rolled her eyes again. “How long are you planning on hiding this wonder-boy Alex? Mom and Dad aren’t blind. I’m not going to start lying for you…” 

“Please please don’t tell them,” Laura looked Aurora in the eyes, “I promise I will, as soon as it’s official.”

“When will that be?” Aurora asked, “We’re leaving for the beach in Mar Del Plata next week, and we’ll be there for two weeks.”

“Oh noh!” Laura’s face turned horrified. “I completely forgot… We’ll be gone for two weeks!!”

“So better do whatever you’re gonna do soon.” Aurora stated and walked back into her own room.

Laura blobbed back onto her bed. TWO WEEKS!!! She couldn’t… She couldn’t possibly leave Alex for that long without knowing…

She grabbed her phone and started texting.

*

“Hey!!” Laura started running toward Roller as she saw him. She jumped onto Alex’s neck as soon as she reached him. “You found the place.”

“You gave very specific instructions.” Alex responded, “Few busses came straight here.”

“You came by bus?” Laura asked him. 

“You didn’t?”

“I walked. Our house is close by.” Laura explained, “I don’t usually use busses.”

“How are you planning on getting to that school of yours then?” Alex raised an eyebrow at her. 

“My brother drives, he’s gonna be a senior so I have a free chauffeur.” Laura joked while quickly stroking her hair, “Enough about school, it’s summer. I’ve missed you.”

“It has been two days.” Alex pointed out. 

“Yeah, but still,” Laura rolled her eyes and pulled the strap of her skate bag better on her shoulder. “Come on, let's go in. I’ll give you an official tour, as I now officially represent the place.”

“Congratulations on that by the way.”

They walked in and almost ran into two people at the entrance. 

“No running on the rink. Laura?” Sandra Jordana, a woman in her mid-20s and the trainer of both Junior Rollers and the Roller’s intermediate training group said. She was with another woman, this time in early 30s. 

Laura knew at once who that was. Abigail Noelia, the official coach and director of the Team of Jam and Roller. She was a former South American Roller Skating Solo Champion—Fellow winner of the crystal skate, just like Juliana and Luna. She had retired a few years prior, and Luna had actually contacted her to train the Roller Team. 

“Oh, sorry Sandra.” Laura lowered her head. 

“Well, great to see you.” Sandra smiled, “Abigail, this is one of your new recruits and one of my star pupils, Laura Perida. She’s one of the descendants of Juliana’s team from 2017—2018.”

“We met at the auditions,” Abigail nodded and looked at Laura, “You truly have a gift for artistic movement. I’ll see you at training.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Laura nodded excitedly, “Oh, this is my boyfriend Alex, I’m showing him the place.” 

“You girls will do great things,” Sandra agreed. “I will miss you.”

“Sooo…?” Alex asked as they were tying their skates at the locker room. 

“What?” Laura asked, confused. 

“I’m your boyfriend?” 

“I mean yeah,” She nodded, “I like you, and… You like me right?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious already.” Alex shook his head laughing, “but I was supposed to ask you. You can’t steal all my moments.”

“This is not a competition. Now that’s settled,” Laura smiled while she double knotted her laces, “Oh, we could go to mine after we’re done here. Like I said, it’s really close.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Alex looked at her verily. 

“Yeah,” Laura nodded, “I mean if we are together, then why shouldn’t you come to my house?”

*

“Uh, I was joking about those diamonds,” Alex looked up as Laura opened the gate to her house, “I knew that those in your skates were fake, but what sort of a palace do you live in?”

“It’s not a palace,” Laura laughed, “You’ve never been to an actual palace, have you?”

“No, not really.”

“Buckingham Palace is super beautiful,” Laura continued as they walked on the yard, “I did tell you that Mom and Dad both studied in England, so we’ve been there a bunch.” 

“I’ve only ever been to Sevilla,” Alex responded, “kind of because I was born there, before Mom and Dad decided to move to Madrid. You really have been all over the world.”

“Mom and Dad wanted us all to learn while experiencing,” Laura shrugged while opening the front door.

“Laura?” Nina had been on her laptop in the living room. She raised her head as she heard the door.

“Hi Mom!” Laura greeted and pulled Alex inside. 

“You never come back from the rink this fast,” Nina got up from the couch and closed the computer. She noticed Alex quickly. “Who is this?”

“Oh, this is Alex,” Laura said quickly, “He was that partner at camp I told you about. He and I…”

“Well, that is great.” Nina interrupted and looked at Laura a little confused, “Nice to meet you. Laura, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“What is it?” Laura followed her mother to the hallway that led to the library and Mom and Dad’s bedroom. 

“Was the rink closed today or…?” Gastón walked out of the bedroom at that moment and his eyes caught the unfamiliar boy in their living room. “Who is that?”

“I was just getting to that,” Laura watched her mother give her father a meaningful look, before looking at her again, “Laura, you know the rules. You can absolutely bring people over and it is great that you’re making new friends, but you need to tell us first. If we don’t know or have met them, you’re supposed to inform us before you bring anyone here.”

“But Alex isn’t my friend,” Laura protested, “He’s my boyfriend. That’s different—”

“Boyfriend?!” The question came unanimously from both of her parents' mouths.

“Dad! You ready?” At that moment Oscar walked down the stairs to the living room and saw Alex. “Who are you? Actually… I don’t want to know, nor do I care. Dad, come on, we’ll be late!”

“Wait a moment!” Gaston yelled back at him and looked at Nina, “I promised him. I have to go. You got this?”

“I think so.” Nina squeezed her husband's hand, and he kissed her on her cheek before looking at Laura.

“We’ll be talking about this later, young lady.” He placed his hand on Laura’s shoulder before walking away.

{}

Welcome to my second SL next gen story!!! After Aurora's little ime travel escapade, we're getting into some more classier next gen content within the actual canonically timeline. What is fun about that is that we can now actually see the Roller Crew as the grown ups and the actual parents. Like here, we'll see how Gastina's gonna deal with this fun situation, especially after...if you have intrepreted the tittle correctely...with what's to come

[strangelysamantha]

hey, i have a jj maybank request! fem!reader, possible angst!

so basically, y/n is a pogue and gets along with the other pogues (john b, pope, sarah, kiara & cleo) except for jj. y/n is always bright, a total sweetheart and bubbly and jj…hates it.

john b recently opens up a surf board shop on that stranded island that they’re on?? and he leaves y/n and jj alone to polish some boards hoping that they’d get along. jj complains about every little thing y/n does and starts calling her names. she gets really upset and storms out the shop to clear her head. she goes by the water for a swim but a dangerous tide picks her up and jj notices and saves her?? hopefully this makes sense!

the deep end ☆

jj maybank x fem!reader.

warnings: mentions of drowning, jj being an asshole, swearing.

words: 1,674.

summary: jj somehow finds everything you do annoying to the point he criticizes everything you do. john b thinks of a plan that will ensure his two friends will befriend each other. it was working at first, until it wasn’t.

request? yes!

a/n: y’all have such good ideas what the?! thank you for the request! if you enjoyed please like and comment. this is angst with fluff at the end. <3 BTW i am from missouri and have never surfed so i hope i got the polishing of the surfboards correct. :)

my masterlist

——————————————————————————

john b always had a plan, well usually he did. if two of his friends were fighting, he would always find a way to get them to get along. he knew that stranding kiara and sarah on a boat together in the middle of nowhere would force them to fix their friendship. so, with that knowledge, he knew that he could do the same thing with jj and you.

you were always nice to jj, he just seemed to get annoyed with you all the time. you didn’t know what you had done, if you had even done something. he just always felt the need to critique you. it became harder and harder everyday to ignore him.

since washing up on the abandoned island, john b was ecstatic for his brand new start. unsurprisingly to anyone, his first idea for creating a new civilization would be a surf shack. he started building it right away. you would occasionally help, but he was determined to do it on his own so he would always send you away.

“okay! john b what would you like my help with? i can do anything you need. just let me know.” you smile brightly at john b, while he stared at you. “listen, i love you. but, i don’t need your help at the moment. you should talk to everyone else.” you frown at his words, “fine. but you better get me the minute you need assistance.” he nodded. “will do.” and with that, you left joining the others.

jj was talking to cleo before silencing upon your arrival. “hey everyone!” you smile at the group in front of you. “hey! how’s john b?” kiara asked. “i think he is good, he’s actually pretty much done.” you play with the bracelet on your wrist. kiara nods, “that’s great.” pope smiles, “statistically speaking, we can’t ensure that his shack will be entirely safe as he built it all on his own.” you stare at pope. “true… we’ll let’s hope it doesn’t collapse on him.” pope smiled at you, glad you listened to his random fact.

jj groaned. “awe, how sweet pope!! you found a girl who wasn’t disgusted by your weird and useless knowledge.” you gasp in shock, “jj! shut up you are so rude.” jj laughs, “it’s just a joke, why do you always have to be so offended?” you glare at jj. “jj it’s not funny, you’re just a dick.” pope sighs. “it’s okay, don’t worry.” you frown in popes direction. you quietly pull away from the group. you walk to an area of sand, plopping yourself down. that’s when john b approached you.

“hey, remember when i told you i would come get you when i needed help?” john b smiled at you. “yes! do you need my help?” you tilt your head to the side, waiting. he nods. “i need you to wax up some of the boards i made.” you nod. “okay! sure.” he walked you to his shack, helping you set up. you began waxing the board, paying attention to the direction and the amount of wax you were applying. john b waits a minute watching you, before he decides to leave.

after a minute, you see jj approaching the shack with john b who held a smug smile on his lips. you shake your head, confused. “friends.” he looked between you and jj. jj held an unamused look on his face. “as my close friends, you will wax these boards for me. you can’t stop until you guys fix whatever feud is going on between the two of you.” john b stands his ground. jj scoffs, “we don’t have a feud.” you nod your head in agreement. “jj is right, his hatred is definitely one sided... it is not a feud.” you laugh softly seeing jj send a glare your way. “yeah okay. whatever guys. just fix it, and if you even try and leave, i’ll send cleo after both of you.” your eyebrows lift in shock. you mutter a quick okay, returning your attention to the board.

jj stares at you, watching you apply the wax. he couldn’t help but get upset. everything you did just made him annoyed. he grabbed the wax, working on the board right by yours. silence falls over the two of you. it’s not awkward or weird, it actually feels quite normal. until jj interrupted it so he could judge you.

“youre doing it wrong. i mean come on.” you stare at jj, “jj please just focus on your own board.” you shake your head, continuing to polish the surfboard. he glares at you. “whatever. just keep doing what you are doing, and then john b or i will fix it after you.” his attention turned back to his board. you rolled your eyes. “i will, thank you.” he breathes in, inhaling the waxy scent. “you are so annoying you know that?” you ignore jj’s words, focusing on the board. he continues, “i mean everything you do. everything you say, it pisses me off.” you nod slightly. “you done?”

“no, actually i’m not.” you bite your lip, fixating on the wax that is spreading along the smooth surface. jj stops waxing the surfboard. you look up to see he is already staring at you. “you know, you act like you are better than us, i mean why do you hang out with us anyway?” jj waits but continues when he realizes you won’t reply. “you are fake, you are so upbeat and bubbly that it’s annoying. you are a double sided two faced bitch who says anything to get in good graces.” you inhale, looking up at him.

“listen jj. we are stranded on this fucking island. TOGETHER. so either drop it and move on, or just shut the fuck up and stay away from me.” you place your hands on your hips, breathing slightly staggered from anger. “everyone speaks so highly of you saying how great you are; but the only jj i’ve met is a total douche. if you hate me so much then just stay the fuck away from me. if you continue you’ll just be wasting your breath and energy anyway.” jj holds back a laugh at your sudden outburst.

“you really think if i had the choice, i would want to be here? especially with you?” jj asked, you already knowing the answer. you stay silent. “exactly. no one can deal with you for that long anyway.” you roll your eyes.

“whatever jj. you win.” you toss the wax to the side, frowning. you don’t turn back to him, you just ignore him. you start to walk towards the beaches seashore. it was getting slightly hot, so you decided to take a dip into the water.

you were salvaging the few moments of freedom you had, before you got john b’s and cleo’s wrath from leaving the scene before mending the friendship with jj. it was practically impossible. what did jj have against you? you tip toed into the water, getting deeper and deeper. you floated at the top of the water; the coolness feeling great on top of your hot skin.

jj truly had the biggest nerve, your mind was overwhelmingly clogged. you felt seaweed scratch against the bottom of your foot, this caused you to jump, your adrenaline levels rising since you thought it was a fish. you try to remain afloat, but the high tide caused the waves to crash right over you repeatedly, being faster and higher than ever. you went above water trying to shout for help, but your mouth was filled, causing no sound to come out. you thrash against the water, kicking to stay afloat. your throat was burning, your legs tired from kicking, and your lungs filled with liquid.

a pair of hands wrap around your stomach, dragging you out the water. you were placed on the warm sand. “shit.” jj stared at you. your head felt light. jj’s hand began pumping your chest, curses falling from his mouth. “come on, just breathe. please.” you cough, the salt water exiting your lungs, and dropping onto your neck. you gasp for air, opening your eyes to be met with jj’s face. you breathe heavily for a minute.

“jj… thank you.” you sit up, pulling him into a tight hug. your hands wrap around his neck, one of them grabbing his hair. his arms held tightly around your waist. his chest was heaving heavily, shaking slightly. “i hate to be so cliché j, but you genuinely saved my life.” he frowns at you. “i almost lost you.”

jj’s confession confused you. “what?” you say softly, your hand combed through his hair. “look. the reason i’m so mean to you, is because i knew that if i was nice to you, my already intense feelings for you would only amplify.” you frown at him. “you’ve had a crush on me this whole time?” jj nodded. you went to talk, but your friends interrupted the moment.

john b rushed to your side, kiara and pope swiftly behind him. “what happened!! we were watching from over there.” john b pointed in a direction farther away. “one minute you were swimming… the next you we’re gone!?” you wipe your neck, trying to dry it off. “jj saved my life. i almost drowned.” you frown, the group in front of you nodded. “im so glad you are okay.” kiara bent down pulling you into a hug. “i’m glad you are safe now too.” pope joined in on the hug; as well as everyone else.

sarah, kiara, and cleo bend down, reaching for your hands. they help you up, dragging you to your feet. they walk you away from the crowd, bombarding you with questions. “so when you were drowning what did it feel like??” you turn around watching jj, you smile slightly before turning to them. “oh get ready for the amount of details i’m going to give you guys.”

possibly a part two…??? not sure yet :) <3 also!! i’m proofreading this tomorrow since i’m not entirely sure if it has errors or not! ily!!

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E131 (March 30, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are Liam O’Brien and Sam Riegel!

Brian points out that a lot of Caleb’s greatest fears have come to pass. Liam: “It’s funny, because he’d kind of believed for a while that those things weren’t going to happen. After a while, he got complacent.” He notes that it was extra wild because everything with Trent popped up again in the midst of that complacency. And how did it feel to be defiant toward Trent? “I think Trent successfully made Caleb question if Caleb really was in control“ at the dinner party. “I feel like anything that I do is part of his plans for me, or is that just gaslighting? I’m legitimately scared of that dude.” Sam: “Of Matt?” Liam: “Sure.” He highlights the disconnect between knowing that the M9 is mechanically powerful and could possibly defeat Trent in a dice-and-stats battle, versus fearing him in a story sense and being convinced he can do almost anything.

Sam, on Luc’s death: “That was brutal, man. Matt Mercer is a-- he hates children! Clearly. He actively sought to kill a child in the campaign in as brutal a way as possible. He hates children and wants them dead. Canon. No, but to RP, that was horrible.” He highlights that so much of Veth’s arc has been about trying to get back to her family. “We had to choose something and we thought we were making the right choice. It was all Veth’s fault, and it was pretty rotten. My heart was beating pretty fast, and I certainly didn’t want to have my son die live on the stream. I don’t know what Veth would have done. That’s the end, that’s over. It’s almost worse than when your own character would die. This is something that would also kill Veth.” After the episode was over: “just shaken. I also didn’t know what to do next! That felt like a turning-point moment for my character, weirdly so close to what we assume to be the end arc of this campaign. I texted Matt later that night and was like, that’s it, Veth’s out, I’m tapping out.”

There’s an interlude in which Sam discovers a new dream to record an episode of this show from his Peloton. Dani informs him that she will not be inviting him back.

On Astrid, Liam: “I literally don’t know what she’s doing. I know that she’s dangerous, she always was ambitious, and there’s not been a moment where Caleb let his guard down with her. He’s not trying to reestablish what they had. He cares for the both of them, for Astrid and Eodwulf. He thinks about it a lot, still. He can’t tell how much she buys into everything that she experienced and is now living as a full-grown adult. He suspects that she’s bought in and is not going to change things, because she believes in the system, as much as he’d like to peel her away. He does believe that they want what’s best for the Empire, and stopping whatever wants to come vomiting out of a hole in the frozen north is good for everyone. And they’re powerful. They’re not trustworthy, obviously. But there’s enough at stake to make it worth it. He could imagine a situation where they fight each other to the death.” He was convinced Astrid was going to stop them when they left the tower and was really shocked when she held back. Sam: “Not me! I’ve trusted Astrid since day one. She’s the greatest! I sent a letter to her, she’s very nice, I think you guys would be a nice couple. I believe every word she says.”

On having to decide on Veth deciding to go off and save the world after Luc’s death. “Like I said, I was ready to be done. And then I decided somewhere in there that that’s not very D&D. So I thought I’d leave it up to somebody else, so I asked Caduceus to decide for me, essentially. She knows she’s putting her other family in danger if she doesn’t go. It’s an impossible choice, you know?” Liam: “I love watching you grapple with it, because you’re a lovely father and love your kids.”

On the Sanatorium, Sam: “That was brutal, man. Matt lulls you into a sense of complacency. We’d forgotten that Caleb was a stone-cold killer! It had been a while since he went on a murder spree. Still got it!” Liam: “I never meant for this character to be perfect sunshine.” Brian: “You don’t say.” Liam: “He’s very not-perfect, and I think in his brain, he was going in with the impression that they needed to get in and get out as soon as possible. The place is crawling with people with magic ability, and I didn’t have faith that we wouldn’t be sussed out or something wasn’t going to blow an illusion.” Everything was about getting out of there as fast as possible.

Did the conversation with Yeza help with Veth’s decision? “First of all, every conversation with Yeza is a beautiful one. Every time she talks to Yeza, it makes her feel good. In some ways, she’s gotten to the point now where she knows Yeza’s going to be supportive, she knows he’s going to allow her to do what she wants, but maybe that’s too much. Maybe she needs to not listen to him, basically, and be like, no, you need to be selfish now, dude, you need to say ‘come home, I’m sick of you leaving’. At a certain point, being supportive can turn into being enabling.”

Cosplay of the Week: Jester in the snow! (liljerbear47, photography by kairiceleste on Instagram)

On Trent’s motivations for chasing Caleb: “I really don’t know. The simplest explanation is to just hammer down the nail that’s sticking up. It has crossed his mind that all high-level wizards are in danger of their own ambition and egos, so it’s occurred to him that Trent might have the same kind of ideas that Halas had in the past, and maybe Caleb was always meant to be another body to jump into. Maybe in some sick, disgusting, twisted way, he wants him to be his successor. I am thinking of the next campaign, without getting too deep in, trying to do something that is much more ride-along. Caleb is very, very specific, and I thought long and hard about all the different pieces on the chessboard for him. For campaign three, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”

Dani: “Do I need to be keeping lore on your fucking ads?”

On the cursed dagger: “It was a tricky one, because in campaign one, one of the characters was under the influence of a cursed weapon, but it interacted with him and he knew what it was and what it did. And it affected his gameplay as a character. For me, Veth didn’t know what it was, ever. I as a player knew what it was doing, but Veth didn’t know at all. So it was kind of like my dirty, dark secret for many months. I knew this thing was coming perilously close to killing me, but my character didn’t know enough to bring it up to her friends. Nobody ever asked! So I was like, well, I guess this thing’s just going to kill me one day, and it’s kind of going to be a surprise.” Liam: “Sam, you love danger and self-destruction so much, you might as well be Mollymauk.”

On the fight in Yasha’s sequence, Sam: “You gotta put a character in your storm giant creature. It was so fun! It was so great of Matt to involve us in this encounter. It would’ve been fun just to watch, because Matt would have made it amazing and Ashley was sweating bullets, which is always fun to watch.” Sam notes he felt guilty, but Liam was going for the kill. Liam: “Matt’s gotta be careful about giving me that kind of story beat. I do not fucking care, I just fucking flip, I’m like, well, I’m going to destroy you, and I have no qualms about it. It’s too much fun!”

The Beau/Yasha tower date was in part inspired by not being able to give gifts as easily this last year. “This thing that we do together is a gift, but I love finding these moments, like the book for Jester and the tower for Yasha and for Beau. I really just wanted to give both of them a little magic for a night. I wanted them to leave this-- we’re trying to be as entertaining as possible, but shit is having an effect on all of us too, and I wanted them to have an escape, a great place to escape to.”

Fan Art of the Week: an amazing group shot, plus Marion, Yeza, and Luc! (vocaz on Twitter)

On choosing Essek over Trent, Liam: “It would have been so interesting and awful and great! Essek and Astrid and Eodwulf are everything that Bren used to be attracted to that are terrible for him. Essek, hopefully he can with time find a way out of the hole that he dug himself into, but it was only two months ago where he was found out and his ambitions came crashing down around him. Long-term, I have high hopes for him, but I think it’s going to be hard.” In contrast, Astrid and Eodwulf are still “deep in the shit. It would have been really hard to navigate, but fun to play at the table. We made the right choice with what we went with. Essek’s just getting started, and Caleb doesn’t trust him entirely, because he was burned so hard not too long ago. He’s still more trustworthy than the other three. So it’s the better choice. While Caleb has all these ties on the other side, they’re really fucking dangerous. So if you have to choose, you choose Essek. But fuck that die.” Sam: “Veth, much like Sam Riegel, makes instant decisions about whether to trust someone or not and sticks to it forever. Astrid, 100% trust. Eodwulf, 100% distrust. Essek, completely distrust. I still don’t think he’s a good guy. Ikithon? Trust. 100%. Because you know where he’s coming forward, you know what he wants. I still want him dead, but I trust him.”

On Veth’s post-adventuring plans: “Veth is probably still too in it right now to think about what comes next. I, Sam Riegel, have a good idea of what I want Veth to do post-campaign.” Brian: “Maybe you shouldn’t tell us. Save it for the show!” Sam: “All she knows is she can’t do this anymore. It’s very unhealthy to be battle-wounded every other day. It’s fun for a while, but college has to end at some point, and she’s gotta go home.”

On Frumpkin changing appearance and returning to the Feywild: “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but the way it feels now for Caleb is that he feels too enmeshed in everything that has happened, and too much good has happened, and too much needs to happened, that that really narcissistic, selfish goal has the risk of harming everything else, which is more important. And that’s how he looks at it now. So he’s gearing towards letting everything from the beginning of the campaign, and where he started, go, and trying to figure out what use he’s going to be now and what he’s going to do if they’re not all dead. If Matt throws that shit down, I don’t know what I will do, I think about it a lot. But turning Frumpkin white and saying you’re free either way is him preparing to let go of everything he’s been holding on to for a really long time. He’s addicted to that idea that he can fix himself, and we’ll see if that hard choice gets presented, what he might do. But where he stands now, he doesn’t think that’s going to be reality, and he sees a way that he can be of use that he never really anticipated before, so he’s slowly shifting gears towards living with the pain he was trying to remove.”

On the last request scene and confidence heading into Aeor, Sam: “I feel like that’s a good request. I think all of us realized that if we die, that probably bodes badly for the world. I feel like all of us are at a point now as characters and as friends, that the first order of business would be to take care of everybody else’s shit, although we probably have different ideas of how to do that.” Liam: “I want the Empire to be healed, Caleb has all these memories of his parents and what they wanted for the world, and he wants that too. It’s clearly not in place now, the system needs to be broken and replaced. That could be a part of Caleb’s sunset. I don’t want Caleb to die, so maybe he can work on that after. As everything starts to shake out and we start heading towards our destiny, Caleb’s just free-floating. He’s not even going after the same thing he started for. So he’s looking at Veth’s family, and Luc specifically, and seeing that’s me, that’s a little boy in the Empire.”

[storiesforallfandoms]

sweethearts ~ devon bostick

word count: 1446

request?: yes!

“I’m not sure if you do this but can you do a Devon Bostick imagine where they met on the set of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and they’re still together till this day? Possibly like them being asked about their relationship in a interview or something. Thank you so so much :))”

description: in which they’re teenage sweethearts, and everyone finds this fact absolutely adorable

pairing: devon bostick x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

Landing the role of Jessie Jones in the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie was a massive deal for me for many reasons. First, it was my first starring role - I was playing a family friend of the Heffley’s and would be featured heavily in the movie. Then there was the fact that this was a movie adaptation of a very popular book series, a series that I had also been into at the time.

Walking onto set that first day I was shaking with nervousness. There were so many people - cast and crew - and they all looked so professional and used to a film set. I felt so out of place and I wondered if I should’ve been there.

“Hey!”

I looked up to see a boy around my age approaching me. I tried to swallow my nerves, but I found them just becoming heavier with someone actually talking to me.

“Are you our Jessie?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m (Y/N).”

“Devon, I’m playing Rodrick.” He shook my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

I felt so awkward and I was so sure Devon could feel that. I just wanted to melt into a puddle on the ground and have the awkwardness be over with.

“Have you been to costume and makeup yet?” he asked. I shook my head. “Well, I have to go to costume now, I can show you where it is.”

I sighed with relief. “That would be great.”

“Follow me.”

He led me from the set to the group of trailers outside. I tried to peer at the signs on the trailer doors to see what they were, but we were walking so quickly I didn’t really have time.

“Is this your first movie?” Devon asked.

“Kind of,” I said. “I’ve had mainly small roles or background work. What about you?”

“A few bigger roles. I’m in the Saw movie that’s coming out this year, actually.”

“That’s awesome! Although I am a massive pussy so I think I’d skip on that one.”

Devon laughed. “I don’t blame you. They’re scary movies. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to watch the movie.”

Our conversation was interrupted when we arrived to the costume trailer. We were both whisked away to get ready. I didn’t see Devon for nearly an hour, but by the time we reunited we were preparing for the first scene of the day.

It didn’t take long for me to lose my nerves. Within a few minutes of shooting I got into the character and almost forgot about the cameras and the crew watching me. At the end of the day I didn’t even want to go home, I just wanted to keep filming.

Devon found me as I was waiting for my ride home. “Hey, great job today rookie.”

I chuckled. “Thanks. It helps to have such great castmates.”

“You seem pretty professional as is, but maybe we could hang out and run lines for tomorrow’s shoot. If...if you want?”

He seemed so shy and awkward, the exact opposite of how he had been all day. It was kind of cute...okay, really cute.

“That’d be great actually,” I said. “Where did you have in mind?”

“There’s a fast food place not too far from here. We could walk there.”

“Sounds good. Lead the way!”

~~~~~~

10 Years Later

My giant husky, Heimdall, came bounding into the room and onto my lap as I was talking to the talk show host on my laptop. I let out a groan as I felt the air being knocked out of me.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” the talk show host chuckled.

“For you maybe,” I joked. “I don’t quite enjoy my big dog thinking he’s still a puppy or a lap dog, but I can’t really pretend like this is something new for him.”

Heimdall licked at my face as I scratched his head. Devon appeared in the doorway moments later, a guilty look on his face as he tried not to be too much on camera.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize the door was open,” he said.

“It’s okay,” I said to him.

Devon whistled for Heimdall to follow him out of the room, which led to the giant dog digging his paws into my stomach as he jumped off of me. I groaned again, playfully glaring after him as he trotted out the door.

“Interesting interlude there,” the host teased. “Was that Devon Bostick we heard in the background there?”

“It was indeed. He took Heimdall out for his daily walk while I’m in the interview. I’ll likely get tackled by the big brute again when I leave the room.”

“How often do the two of you get asked about Diary of a Wimpy Kid and your relationship starting there?”

“Not as often anymore. It’s been nearly 10 years since we started dating and eight since the last movie in the trilogy, which I wasn’t really in. I’ve been asked every now and then about it, but not as often as you would think.”

“Pardon my brief gushing, I just think the two of you are adorable. I mean, you were both teenagers when you met on set and started dating shortly after, and you’re still together all these years later! Most high school sweethearts don’t make it this long as it is, let alone being in the public eye for basically your entire relationship.”

“Well that’s the thing, we haven’t really been in the public eye all that often. We kept pretty lowkey when we first started dating, which wasn’t hard cause neither one of us was all that famous. Once our careers got bigger and we started getting noticed we had basically figured out how to hide from paparazzi and cameras and all. We don’t post about each other on social media all that much either, just a picture every now and again. We’re not sharing our day by day lives with the world basically, which I think is the best way to keep a relationship private and to navigate through being two celebrities dating.”

It had worked thus far in mine and Devon’s relationship. Even after confirming that we were dating just before the release of Rodrick Rules, neither one of us posted the other on social media at all. It wasn’t until the first set of breakup rumors started swirling that we decided to make tiny posts about each other when we felt like it, which was mainly on birthdays and holidays really.

Although, even if we were super public with our relationship, I didn’t think anything would pull us apart. As cheesy as it is to say, I did think Devon was my soulmate. We clicked so quickly after that first time hanging out (which we decided had been our first date years later), and I had never felt so confident that I was meant to be with someone. I wasn’t surprised that we were still together all these years later.

I continued with my interview for a while more before saying goodbye to the talk show host and leaving the video call. I sighed and stretched my back out, feeling the tensed muscles from sitting for so long popping. As I expected, the moment I opened the door, Heimdall came running for me.

“One of these days you’ll realize you’re not such a small dog anymore,” I told him, kneeling down to pet him. He licked at my face in response, which I figured meant he would never realize that.

“Did we derail the interview too much?” Devon asked, coming to join me on the floor.

I shook my head. “Not much. We talked about our relationship a little bit, but we moved on almost immediately after that.”

Devon smiled. “Yeah? What were you talking about?”

“Oh, the usual: meeting on set, keeping our relationship lowkey, when you’re gonna put a ring on it.”

He gave me a playful look. “You say that as if you’re not the one who said you’re more than okay with just being common law married until we’re 30.”

I nudged him. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s go take this oversized baby and watch some movies downstairs.”

Devon nodded and leaned forward. I gave him a quick kiss before pulling away and shoving the massive dog towards him. While he was incapacitated, I took the opportunity to run down the stairs. Heimdall was to his feel and chasing after me, Devon following closely on his tail.

I couldn’t imagine a better life than this, with my teenaged sweetheart and our fur baby. The perfect happily ever after if you asked me.

[diavolosthots]

Hello♡ I'd like to request a small fic where Diavolo is finally invited out on a fun activity. The boy is always so lonely and busy he needs time to relax! Maybe shopping with MC or just a walk in the park. Just some wholesome fun for the lonely man. ♡♡ thank you.

He is lonely boy but not with me around ! 😤😤😤 also I kinda came up with a separate idea

You Got a Friend in Me (DIAVOLO X GN!READER)

The rules were simple: Diavolo is to draw from a hat that had several folded pieces of paper in it, all of which have different activities written on them. Things like hiking, stargazing, going to the club, making homemade pizza, having a movie marathon, among other things have all been taken into consideration and you hoped Diavolo would choose one that he actually liked. “You can only pick one but if you absolutely hate it then tell me so we can switch it out.” He’s honestly just excited that anyone is willing to spend time with him so even if it was something that wasn’t quite up his alley, he would still do it because it came from you, a very considerate and kind person, and because it will get him out and about. Barbatos approved all the fun activities first hand so Diavolo knows it can’t be anything terribly bad. Although, you did find it weird that Barbatos had to monitor what you wrote down? Did he actually think you’d put Diavolo in danger? Something tells you that even the thought of putting the future King in danger could get you executed and you’re not too keen on that. 

“Did you get one?” He’s had his hand stuck in that little hat for ages now and you were growing just a tiny bit impatient from it, but he only laughed a bit before jumping on his feet once. “I have to make sure it’s the right one! Feel it out a bit!” But then he pulls his hand out, holding one of the folded pieces of paper with a grin on his face before wiggling his eyebrows at you, “I feel like this is the one…. I’m so excited! I wonder what it is?” You rolled your eyes, although you were smiling. His happiness was truly contagious and you can’t help but be just as curious as him. The hat was put on the table before you moved a bit closer and urged Diavolo to unfold the tiny piece of paper, nudging his arm a bit, “open it!” And he did, but oh so slowly. He’s messing with you at this point but whatever, you had all day and you’re sure the demon just loved the idea of free time and potentially getting away from the castle, depending on the paper he chose, but you also wouldn’t mind staying inside. 

“Make ice cream cones for each other….” He’s reading it with less excitement than you would have hoped but your own excitement started to show and you quickly snatched the paper from his hands and then jumped up in front of him with a grin, “yes!! You like ice cream right?! Great!” You didn’t even give him time to answer before grabbing his hand and dragging him off to the castle’s kitchen where Barbatos already had several pints of ice cream flavors laid out. Sneaky butler and his stupid ability to look into the future, but whatever. Diavolo started to smile behind you although he doesn’t fully see yet how this could be exciting. You seemed happy though, so that made this a little bit better. “Okay, so! Basically you and I are going to take one of these…. “ You turned around and pointed at Barbatos who pulled out two waffle cones but instead of cones they were in the shape of boats. Clever, right? “And we’re going to take these flavors of ice cream and some of the candies to decorate and basically make an ice cream boat that represents us. So I will make one that I believe represents you and you’ll make one that you believe represents me! I made sure it’s human world ice cream since Barbatos couldn’t guarantee that Devildom ice cream won’t kill me.” You smiled sheepishly, handing him one of the waffle boats before stepping back. 

“So your station is over there and mine is here. We all have the same ice cream flavors and the same candies for decoration. You can try some of them if you’re unsure on what they are but… have fun with it, okay? And after we exchange boats, we can eat them!” Seriously, how is this not exciting? Diavolo was still staring at his waffle boat, trying to comprehend everything you told him. “So… I’ll make an ice cream boat that I think represents you…. Got it.” He’s just mumbling and acting kind of serious but not because he thinks it’s lame or he wishes he would have picked something else, no. “Okay. But mine will be better than yours, (Y/N).” He grins at you and you couldn’t help but grin back, adding a wink too. “We’ll see about that, hot shot.” A soft blush was tinting his cheeks when you winked at him and he quickly turned around to start looking at the ice cream flavors. 

To you, the best part about this is that you can let your creativity flow and also eat it afterward. You get to work and be rewarded immediately after. This is definitely a win-win situation, at least in your eyes. Diavolo reminds you of fun times and way too many responsibilities that you’d rather hand to someone else, like Lucifer! So you decided to build a little man. You started with three scoops of raspberry ice cream on the bottom of the boat before stacking it with one pistachio and one cotton candy before topping it off with one scoop of chocolate. It made you smile because it’s so colorful but also somewhat serious with the raspberry and chocolate. An idea for using M&Ms as eyes and pretzels as arms came into your mind and of course you used airhead extremes as a tongue because Diavolo is a silly man. One Reese's cup was used as a hat because if anyone would wear something silly, it’s him. Lastly, you filled the boat with gummy bears and more M&Ms before taking a piece of a twizzler and using it to make a smile. “I’m done! How is yours going?”

Diavolo honestly thought this was kind of silly at first but you seemed happy so he did his best. “One moment….” He’s been trying some of the candy because he was unsure what all of them were. Some were good and others he secretly spit out again, but now he has finished his masterpiece as well and proudly holds it up, turning around to look at you, “Here. Do you like it?” He managed to do something similar to yours, kind of. He filled the bottom with pretzels to kind of imitate grass before making a little person. He used vanilla, orange, strawberry, and lemon ice cream on his because you remind him of bright, happy days and he likes it like that. For the eyes he used blue M&Ms and a piece of a twizzler for the smile, just like you. However, he also used some of the twizzler to make something that resembles hair and then he managed to make a little bouquet of flowers that the ice cream you is holding. Pretzels, marshmallows and skittles go a long way, you know? 

“Wow… wait… that’s… I love it.” You smiled happily and stepped closer before looking at him sheepishly. “I chose some of the colors based on your every day life…. You always look so happy but you also have so much responsibility, which is why I used some of the darker ice cream colors like chocolate and raspberry… but there’s still brightness and love inside so those are the brighter colors. And then you’re really silly so I gave you a hat and a long tongue with the candy. I kind of ran out on what I should do with the bottom but… I hope you like M&Ms.” Your words touched him in a weird way. No one ever pays attention to him outside of what they need to pay attention to, but you managed to make a whole ice cream sculpture of what you view him as and that makes him feel super special. “Thank you…” and he actually leans down to kiss your head before pulling back with a smile and handing you the boat he made before taking his own. “You’re always bright and happy, too, which is why I used only the bright ice cream colors. I don’t know what they are but they look like they represent fun and excitement, which is what I get when I’m with you. The stick thingies on the bottom are supposed to be grass…. And then you’re holding a little bouquet because every wonderful person deserves flowers… I do hope I got your hair right, though.”

You giggled a bit, holding the boat up higher and then looking at it with a smile, nodding. “I love it. Thanks…. I really hope you like your ice cream boat. Do you want to eat them? And then you can maybe pull something else from the hat since this wasn’t super exciting.” But Diavolo shook his head, snorting a bit before wrapping an arm around you and pulling you in tightly, making sure that the boats didn’t get crushed, “Please do tell me you’re joking. No one has ever done something so extraordinary, yet so silly with me. I would love to eat them with you.” Honestly when you’re so close to him and he’s showing gratitude and happiness, how can you say no? You pulled back just enough to lean up and kiss his cheek before setting your boat down and going off to find some spoons. “We should take a picture with them before we eat them…” “Actually…. They’re missing one more thing.” you turned back around to look at Diavolo confused but as soon as you did, he sprayed a huge chunk of whipped cream on your head and then your lips before leaning down and licking it off of them. 

“I knew it. Your lips do make everything taste better.” 

[loserchildhotpants]

Destiel prompt from Twitter; kissing each other to prove there’s nothing there, even though, it’s a lie, and the kiss proves it (from this prompt list)

“I’m just saying that I don’t think you’d get this defensive if there really wasn’t anything between you two -”

“There isn’t, and I’m not getting defensive!” Dean argues, decidedly defensively.

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Sam offers with a shrug and a smirk.

Staring down into the open grave the boys are in, Castiel glances between the brothers and tilts his head, wondering if perhaps by a different angle, he may better understand what their expressions mean.

“We’re bonded or whatever - that’s it, man! There’s nothing else going on!”

“I’m not even saying there is anything ‘going on,’ I’m just saying there could be, and if that were something you wanted -”

“I’m not qu -”

“I know, I get it, I hear you, humor me for a second, okay? All I’m saying is just - if there were something between you two, and you wanted there to be something ‘going on,’ where there is currently nothing ‘going on,’ I just think you should, hypothetically go for something rather than settling for the nothing, because, personally, I think there is something there, and you could have a great thing going if that were what you wanted.”

“Even if - which I don’t - I’m not - listen, though, okay? I’m not, and I don’t want that - not that there’s anything wrong with it, or something, just - even if that were the case, Cas isn’t like that. He’s not a being that experiences shit like that -”

“I’m telling you you’re wrong, Dean! The way he stares at you -”

“He stares at everyone!”

“Do I?”

The Winchesters jump in unison, both with hands on their guns faster than should be possible. They both visibly relax again, though, when they realize it’s only Castiel interrupting.

“Oh, hey, Cas,” Dean greets, his voice markedly more gentle than it was with Sam only a moment before.

Castiel appreciates it.

“Hello, Dean.”

With a cheeky grin, Sam clears his throat, and says to Cas, “your timing couldn’t be better, actually, Cas - Dean and I have some questions -”

“No, no, we do not have questions,” Dean growls at Sam, eyes blazing dangerously.

“I am always available to you boys for whatever inquiries I can assist in. Is this pertaining to my staring? It’s academic in nature, I assure you - frankly, I am used to having a form that hosts many more eyes; being in this Earthly form can present obstacles, as my perceptions are more limited than I can remember them ever being. I promise I do not mean to insult anyone.”

“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s thinking of it as an insult,” Sam intones; Dean shoves his elbow into Sam’s kidney to shut him up.

“This is you being defensive, by the way,” Sam wheezes, doubled over, but still smirking at Dean, “What’s the big deal if there’s nothing going on?”

Flushed, Dean scowls at Sam, drops his shovel, and tells him, “I’m not being defensive! There’s nothing to be defensive about! And I’ll prove it!”

Clambering out of the grave, Dean brushes the soil from his hands onto his dirtier jeans, and stomps more than walks up to Castiel.

“You’ve a cut,” Cas murmurs worriedly, spotting a knick Dean got on his cheek earlier in the day.

“It’s nothing. Listen, Cas -”

Before Dean can get anymore out, Castiel reaches for his left-side cheek, cups that side of his face, and spreads a cooling sensation that knits the skin back together neatly and cleanly.

“Uh - thanks, Cas,” Dean mutters gruffly as Cas takes his hand back.

“My pleasure, Dean.”

Uncharacteristically nervous, Dean glances down at the ground, his hands shoved in his jean pockets, then his eyes skim the ground until they happen upon Sam’s again, and whatever silent exchange they have works Dean up again.

“Cas,” Dean begins, looking into his eyes with determination, “We’re friends, you ‘n me, right?”

“Yes, Dean. You are my most cherished friend,” Castiel answers.

That gives Dean a moment’s pause where he seems to be searching Castiel’s face for some sign of sarcasm or deceit; there is none to be detected, of course.

“I - thanks, man. Uhm. Now - this is gonna sound like a weird question, but bear with me, ‘cause I’m not about to assume consent or something.”

“Okay,” Castiel says in confusion, tilting his head again.

“I’m tryin’a prove a point here to Sam, and to get it across - just - would you be okay with me kissing you? Like, just this once - I promise I won’t make it weird or anything, but I gotta ask, you know? I know you’re not into physical stuff like -”

“You’d like my permission to kiss?” Castiel intercepts neutrally, “Like people do?”

Something about that is funny - or startling? - to both Sam and Dean, and Castiel can’t tell which or for what reasons.

“Yeah. Just this one time,” Dean repeats.

Though he takes a respectable count of four seconds to seem as though he needs to consider his options, Castiel nods, and replies, “of course, Dean. Of all the favors you’ve asked of me before, I assure this is certainly the most convenient and pleasant of them.”

Sam snorts a laugh, Dean tosses a glare at him, and then settles gentle, if a little nervous, eyes back on Castiel.

“Okay…”

Dean steps closer into Cas’ space, bringing them toe-to-toe and he finds himself staring down; he’d not realized Cas was shorter than him. It’s not by much, not really enough to be remarked upon, even, but it means that Cas winds up looking up at him from under the cover of long, dark lashes, and even in the dark of the night, his eyes shine like twinkling gems.

Swallowing with some difficulty, Dean holds loosely onto the lapels of Cas’ trench coat, and he means to go in chaste, he really does, it’s just that he’s actually struggling to breathe a little, so his lips are just barely parted, and Cas - as far as Dean can tell, Cas takes that as a cue.

Because Cas’ full lips press in, but so does his tongue; before Dean can even secure his footing, Cas makes his loose hold on the lapels go tight, licking up into Dean’s mouth without hesitation or mercy.

Praying his shocked gasp wasn’t audible to Sam, Dean just tries to hold on while Cas turns his head, bites Dean’s heavy bottom lip, and then pushes Dean’s mouth more open with his own, and then he drags his hot tongue against Dean’s, coming in broad, and soft.

Dean hears himself make some kind of noise - he can’t tell what it is, because there’s too much blood rushing in his skull - there’s stubble. Stubble. There is stubble in this equation other than his own, and that’s new, and terrifying, and should be wholly unwelcome, but every synapse in his brain dedicated to pleasure is telling him otherwise.

One wide hand insinuates itself under the hem of Dean’s weathered flannel, calloused fingers pressing into his left hip possessively while the other hand glides over his pec, and shoulder to the back of his neck, pinky finger teasing the sensitive skin just under the back of his cotton collar, and thumb brushing the fine hairs at the base of Dean’s skull.

Dean thinks he may be swaying - he’s dizzy.

Cas is dragging him closer, pressing their hips and abdomens together, and Dean’s hands have somehow found better purchase on the front of Cas’ button-down dress shirt than his lapels.

Dean thinks he hears one of the buttons pop off with the strain of his hold, but neither of them seem inclined to do anything about it, so he figures it doesn’t matter; he tries to establish himself as a bit more dominant, thrown off his usual groove by the absolutely sinful way Cas apparently kisses.

To Dean’s simultaneous horror and delight, Cas doesn’t relinquish any control; he won’t be moved, his hands get tighter and hotter where they touch Dean’s skin, he only presses them harder together, and he kisses Dean like he wants to eat him alive.

He kisses Dean like he wants to crawl inside him, like he’s hungry - starved - like kissing is an act of carnage just as much as an act of love, like those things aren’t mutually exclusive.

He’d rather die than admit it to anyone, but Dean’s knees get a little weak, and Cas basically holds up his entire weight by just the grip he’s got on Dean’s waist.

Before he knows it’s happened, Dean’s hard enough to carve stone, and Cas readjusts how they’re slotted against one another to better accommodate Dean’s failing balance, and Cas feels it - he must. Even if he doesn’t feel how hard Dean is against him right away, the guttural moan Dean will deny having made til his dying breath clues him in.

What sounds like hundreds of cherry bombs going off has them stumbling away from each other, and frantically looking about.

The streetlights have exploded. There’s glass everywhere, and based on the echoes of car alarms and distant voices, it’s becoming more and more possible that Cas destroyed the windows and lights of several cars and nearby homes.

Even he and Sam’s flashlights are busted.

In the blanket of darkness that’s settled over the graveyard, Dean can still see clearly, because Cas’ eyes are high beams cutting through the fog of the night.

They’re both panting, Dean’s pretty certain that a resting heart rate isn’t meant to feel like this, and Cas is looking positively feral.

“Jesus fuck!” Sam curses, his arms crossed over his head where he still plucks a shard of glass from his hair.

Reminded of Sam’s presence, Castiel’s head swivels to him, the glow of his eyes dims down, and then he looks back at Dean, visibly frightened.

Dean takes no pleasure in Cas ever being scared, so he reaches out, takes a step back into Cas’ space, but that spooks him more, and in less than a blink of an eye, he’s gone.

Not cool, Cas, Dean thinks loudly, hoping it counts as a prayer that Cas will hear.

Reaching into the front of his jeans, Dean uses the near blackness of the power outage to his advantage, and readjusts himself to the best of his abilities.

It really doesn’t do much.

“Well,” Sam starts pointedly.

Dean, weak at the knees, lips criminally swollen, face flushed, hair mussed and harder than he’s ever been in his life, turns slowly to scowl at Sam.

“That was not nothing.”

Dean doesn’t see a way of winning the argument, so he kicks dirt into Sam’s hair, and leaves him to finish burying.

[allywritesforfun]

{Sunflowers} Georgenotfound x Reader

summary: George has decided to take you on a surprise date to a sunflower field.

pronouns: not mentioned 

word count: 972

masterlist

“Where are we going?” You asked your boyfriend, George.

George wanted to surprise you with a ‘fun and romantic date’. But having to drive yourself there wasn't the most romantic. George wasn't the best at giving directions. He would always give them to you last minute, which wasn't safe nor fun at all. He wouldn't let you put the directions in your phone because you would've known where you were going.

You had a feeling that he was going to turn this into some type of vlog; he put a bag in the back that you could only assume was his vlogging camera. You never minded the vlogging. It would be really cute to make a compilation with at your wedding.

“You’ll see!” George promised. “You need to take the next right.”

George smiled and grabbed your hand. He always felt bad that he couldn’t drive, but he made up for it in all the easy going attention. It was never too much to distract you, but never not enough to make you feel like you were just his driver.

You took the right and saw a few hills in the distance. You haven't been out this way since you were a kid. Small memories started to wash over you. You remember being in the back seat, just yelling: ‘Are we there yet?’. You were never that close. You always ended up falling asleep.

“Come on Georgie,” You begged. “How much longer?”

He looked at his phone, “We’re literally almost there. Just be patient.” He kissed the top of your hand. “Trust me, y/n, it's worth the drive.”

“Well any drive with you is worth the drive,” You smiled.

“Oh hush,” You couldn't see George blushing, but you knew he was. His hand gripped tighter around yours and he looked away, basic signs that he was getting flustered. “On your left you’re going to see a parking lot. Go park there.”

You veered off to the left and did your best to park in the lines. You were a good driver when it came to actually driving, but parking was never your thing.

“There’s no one here!” George exclaimed. “How did you miss the lines!”

You shook your head, “Says you! You can't even drive!”

“Okay fair enough,” George unbuckled and got out of the car. He grabbed the bag from the back and went to your side.

George was always a gentleman. He was the type of the guy that wouldn’t let you do unnecessary work. He opened the door for you and offered his free hand to assist you out. You didn't need the help getting out, but you always took it to make you feel better. He closed the door behind you and pulled you closer, lightly pressing his lips against yours, “Thank you for driving.”

You smiled, “Thank you for the horrible directions.”

“They weren’t that bad!” George playfully shoved you. “It got us here didn't it?”

You nodded, “Fair enough. Whatcha got planned?”

George didn't say anything and walked over to the entrance of the center. You could tell by the surroundings that it was some nature reserve. You don't think you’ve been here before. He took you around the paths and stopped at a map, “You always said that you wanted to go to a sunflower field right?”

You jumped up and down, “Yes! Did you really find one?”

He nodded, “Yeah, he just have to take…” His finger traced the line. You could tell he was trying to figure out if it was green or yellow.

“The yellow path,” You told him.

“You can lead the way then,” He laughed.

The path took about five minutes to walk before you could see the sunflowers in full blossom. They were absolutely stunning, better than you could’ve ever imagined.

“They’re really pretty, Georgie,” You told him. “Thank you for taking me here. It’s lovely.”

He kissed the top of your head, “Anything that you ever want, I’ll get for you. I promise.”

He walked over to the clearing and set his bag on the ground. He pulled out an old blanket that you kept in the closet and laid it on the ground, “I brought your favorite snacks!”

You smiled as he pulled out some of your favorite snacks currently, and ones that you’ve talked about from your childhood. George really did care about you. He listened to everything that you said and absorbed every small detail that he could bring up later to show you that you meant the world to him.

You two had some snacks and talked about your future plans. Yours stayed more close to home and George was going on and on about new stream ideas. He had a great idea for a stream with you, but it definitely needed more time to plan. You didn't really feel like talking about videos right now. This was a good time just to enjoy his company.

You pulled George off the ground and led him into the middle of the patch. He followed you around and let you explore. He was very cautious of where he stepped. He was afraid of garden snakes. At this moment, you couldn't care about anything else except George and the sun.

“Come here, y/n,” George called. He held a picked sunflower in his hand. “I think this would look good on you.”

You smiled at how nervous he was. Any bypasser would think that you two were on your first date. That was one thing that you loved about George, he always made you feel new and fresh. With one hand he rubbed your cheek, the other tucked your hair behind your ear as he placed the flower on it. He took a step back and admired you.

“I was right,” He giggled. “You look beautiful.”

[hyunjilicious]

the set up [chris evans]

A/n: this is the reworked version of an older fic that I wrote!!! I loved the vibe so I didn’t want to allow it to get lost in the void!!

Summary: Some mutual friends decide you and Chris would make a cute couple and decide to set you two up!! (SMUT) 6.4k

Warmings: smut, unprotected sex and they also just met so I strongly advise you to not follow their example, oral (both), brief mentions of spanking, hair pulling and dirty talk. It’s chill y’all.

This is a standalone fic, and not part of any series!

“If this girl-”

“She’s great!” Scott cut Chris off harshly, already above tired of his brother’s endless flow of nasty comments.

“I feel uncomfortable doing this!” Chris protested again from the passenger’s seat, shifting around, eyes fixed on the road ahead, “At least tell me what she’s like!”

“Gorgeous” Scott belted, nodding his head to accentuate his point, “Smart as fuck so you better control yourself” he said so sternly, not even a drop of sarcasm escaping his lips, “She’s also into old music so you can talk to her about that? Kind of-”

“So then- God this is still weird” Chris sighed, rubbing his hands across his face, not used to the idea of being set up with a girl. Maybe he wouldn’t be as terrified and nervous if all his friends hadn’t been constantly going off about how great you were, because considering their history, Chris was sure there was something horrible Scott forgot to mention.

-

“God what the- oh no!” you managed to exclaim as your feet ran laps around your bedroom, “How the fuck do you forget to mention he’s Chris Evans?”

“Calm down” Anne sighed burying her face into the scattered pillows around your bed, “Seriously, that doesn’t change anything, we’re all meeting in a pub, I promise you, it will be fine” she added, giving you a reassuring smile.

“Like I’m not awkward enough around idiots...” you complained again, walking to your friend to zip up your short dark blue dress. “I got this” you said as you felt the material tighten around your body, giving you a well-deserved boost in confidence.

 -

Seated at the round table, you were so absorbed by the conversation that was being held that you failed to realize the two tall boys that approached your booth. Chris’s presence made something inside of you shift; and it wasn’t only the tingly sensation in your stomach at the sight of him, you also felt your walls build up, blocking all the confidence you ever had.

“Hi, (Y/n), right?” he greeted you, extending his arm.

With a shy smile on your lips, you stood up to shake his hand. As if your already existent butterflies didn’t exhaust you enough, his liquid touch managed to send shivers in waves, propagating across your whole body, reaching places you didn’t know could buzz like that. Chris sat down next to you, and after every time you told him something, you mentally scolded yourself for not participating more; for letting the shy side of you take control tonight.

“OK guys, next round, what would you like?” Dan, a friend of yours, raised his voice in order to get your attention as a waiter made his way to your table again.

“Vodka rocks please” you said when it came your turn, and your cheeks couldn’t help but burst into flames when Chris’s head snapped in your direction. That’s what you always had, your always go-to and everyone knew it, but to him it was new, and it certainly didn’t fit the appearance you put on.

The first part of the night flew by smoothly, at least in your opinion. If before Chris arrived you were leaning over the table trying to make a point to one of your friends, now you barely managed to gather enough courage to express your point of view in a completely trivial discussion. Maybe it was the alcohol you had ingested but you were pretty sure Chris’s eyes lingered on your bare shoulders or your lips as you talked, more than once and more than just for a second. All these thoughts, that maybe he found you attractive, maybe he cared what you had to say, everything that roamed through your head made you even more self-conscious, afraid your next action or words would let him down.

“Everybody up, I love this song” Anne commanded jumping to her feet. When you shook your head and explained that you’d rather sit through the first few songs she was quick to object. “Come on!”

“I swear, I’ll be there in 5 minutes” you promised your friend, but you were sure that what made her let you have your way was the fact that her favorite song was approaching its end and she was wasting her time at the table.

After everyone stood up and moved to the dance floor, you realized Chris hadn’t; he was on his phone, making the situation even more awkward than it had to be. You took another long sip of your drink, looking around the carefully decorated rustic pub you were in, before finally turning to him, and taping his forearm.

“Don’t you wanna dance?” you asked

“Yeah I do-” he muttered looking back and forth between you and the screen of his phone, “Just a second��

You tucked your hands under your legs, shamelessly studying his side profile. You could tell his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and the moment one of his hands traveled up to scratch the bridge of his nose, you unconsciously tilted your head to get a better view.

“Aren’t you going?” he chuckled after realizing you’ve been staring, pulling you out of your thoughts; everything about his attitude making your insides turn in embarrassment.

“I was wait- No, I’ll go-” you mumbled, preparing to stand up before his hand flew to your knee to stop you.

“No, actually don’t go, just a second” Chris said, still concentrated on his phone, apparently trying to get rid of the distraction as soon as possible. Your eyes worked their way up from his long fingers that were pressed flush against your skin, to his silver watch, further up his forearm, studying the thick veins that were protruding through his skin, to the halfway rolled up sleeve of the black shirt that wrapped itself so perfectly around his frame. You nodded when he told you to wait for him, but he had already turned his head and now you wondered if you seemed off, but before you managed to over analyze everything, he let go of your leg and tucked his phone in his back pocket.

“I’m so sorry about that” he said leaving his seat and turning, “After you”

You happily followed his actions, stepping beside him, as he placed his hand on your back, bringing you closer as you made your way to your group. After joining the small circle your friends created, you distanced yourself from Chris a little in order to have more room to dance, even if all you were actually doing was swaying and waving your hands around your body. Chris turned out to be as inexperienced as you were, his moves basically consisting of shifting his weight from one leg to the other to the beat of the unfamiliar song that was playing. The atmosphere changed soon enough, as “I got my mind set on you” started echoing through the speakers, bringing a well awaited smile on your lips. As the first lyric repeated itself a few times, you filled yourself with all the good energy of the song, your feet elegantly dancing, as if they had a mind of their own.

“Hey” you heard Chris call softly moments before he grabbed your hand to turn you around. You welcomed him with a giggle, wrapping your arms around his neck, careful to keep a decent amount of space between your bodies.

“Whole lotta spendin’ money” you mouthed the words, as his own hands sneaked behind you to pull you closer.

“You like George Harrison?” Chris asked smugly, remembering what Brian said about your love for old music.

“Isn’t he everyone’s favorite beatle?” you answered, extracting yourself from his hold and doing a childish pirouette before coming back against his chest.

“George Harrison is no one’s favorite Beatle” Chris retorted confused.

“That’s Ringo” you corrected him, “But I have no idea what everyone has against him”

With a shrug of his shoulders signaling his lack of an answer, he sighed heavily, his hot breath reaching your lips, before he spoke again, “Then who’s your favorite?”

“Who do you think?” you played, tilting your head to the side.

“McCartney?” Chris asked hopeful, biting his lower lip as he waited for your answer.

“Nah, Lennon” you chuckled, “Actually no- I don’t even know, I’m not even that big of a Beatles fan”. Your honest answer was as unexpected as it could be and judging by the smirk that made its way across Chris’s lips, you knew he appreciated the way you played it. “Do you like them?”

“They’re alright I guess-” Chris trailed off feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. You smiled kindly taking a step back in order to give him privacy, just in case he needed it. However, you didn’t get to distance yourself too much before he wrapped one of his arms around you from behind, and settled his chin on your shoulder. You were taken aback by his gesture, as from this position you could easily see everything displayed on his screen, but he didn’t seem to care.

“I’m really sorry about this but I wouldn’t answer if I didn't absolutely have to,” Chris explained as his thumb worked its way around the screen. His hot breath hit the bare skin of your neck and shoulder, and you just turned your head, pressing your forehead against his temple; the fire between your legs not allowing you to stay still anymore.

You felt his cheeks gather up a smile under your touch, and you remained like that for a few more seconds as he finished typing. Once he was done, Chris locked his phone and secured his arm around you, turning his head slowly to meet your gaze. You welcomed him with a smile of your own, but in contrast with the sweetness that was plastered on his features, yours held a more fervid kind of feeling. He was the one to close the distance, his strong hold around your frame tightening as his mouth pressed softly against yours. You felt delight bubble inside you under the careful weight of his touch, and you soon felt his tongue trace slowly along your bottom lip, begging. Doing your best not to break the kiss, you turned around in his hold and planted yourself against his chest, this time not waiting for him anymore, diving in directly, going after what was yours. Soon, one of his hands traveled up your spine to grab the back of your head, his actions growing more and more rapturous with every single grunt that escaped his throat.

Judging by the fact that three hours later your dance moves were just as elegant as they were before, you decided to grab one last drink before making your way home. With your arms folded and elbows rested on the bar, you were waiting for an employer to notice you when you felt Chris’s hands on your waist as he placed a quick peck on your cheek before plopping down on the stool to your left. He spread his knees wide apart and pulled you between his legs.

“Vodka, rocks” he said before gesturing with his hand to the waiter to bring two drinks, “How long would you have waited?” he asked, turning his attention back to you. Sarcasm was dripping off his lips, as his lazy eyes didn’t miss any detail of your features.

“It wasn’t my turn yet” you protested

“You know it doesn’t work like that, don’t you?”

“I think it does”

A tight-lipped grin appeared on his features helping his cheekbones stick out ever more under the warm, dim lights of the bar. His boyish charm may have been amplified by the way his chest hair peaked through the open buttons of his shirt, and you were all for it. You pressed your lips to his and he didn’t wait a second to reciprocate your actions, the kiss feeling as natural as if you had known each other for ages.

“Copying me?” you giggled after the bartender brought your drinks, interrupting the two of you.

“Inspired? I’m inspired!” Chris chuckled before taking a sip.

“Drunk, that’s what you are,” you answered, mocking his state, a state you weren’t far from either.

“Nah” he countered, “I’m just feeling good!”. Belting the words he threw his head back, confirming your assumption, and also giving you perfect access to the skin of his neck, which you didn’t hesitate to attack with rough kisses and soft bites. His attitude changed in an instant, becoming a weak mess under you, “Oh god, (Y/n)” you heard him moan into your ear as you worked your magic along his jugular.

Realization hit you suddenly, and remembering you were still in a public place you detached yourself from Chris and grabbed his hand to pull him back to your group.

“Are you seriously doing me like that?” Chris complained following you, fingers intertwined.

“Sorry, I got carried away”

Your night out didn’t last much longer after that, as the tension between you and Chris reached the point where none of you was willing to deny it anymore. After saying your goodbyes, you headed out through the front door and made your way to the main street in search of a cab. Despite having gathered up the courage to go to his place, the whole car ride was perfectly silent as your head quietly rested on his shoulder.

Once inside the apartment, his lips found yours faster than he had found his keys less than 5 seconds before. With your back pressed against the door while Chris sucked mercilessly on the skin of your neck, you managed to get a quick glimpse of the city lights poking through his huge window, setting an even more intoxicating atmosphere than before. You lost yourself under his touch, feeling his hot body wrapped around yours as his hands roamed shamelessly over the thin material of your dress.

Sighing, you pushed him off of you, “Bedroom” you whispered and after giving you a quick nod, Chris dived back in for a kiss, grabbing your waist and guiding you through his dark home and into his room. You sat down on the bed, as he knelt in front of you on the floor, taking your feet into his lap to undo your sandals.

“God” he muttered annoyed, as the strap refused to come undone. Giggling, you leaned forward to take them off yourself, appreciating the gesture and loving his cuteness. After getting rid of your high heels, you grabbed Chris’s collar as you leaned on your back, pulling him on top of you. This time his hands didn’t hesitate as they found their way to your ass in no time.

“You have no idea what you did to me in that dress” Chris grunted against your lips as his fingers dug roughly into your skin. He traveled down your body, peppering kisses down your chest, before resuming his position on his knees on the floor.

“Spread your legs for me” he commanded and you obliged, crawling to the end of the bed, settling your legs on each side of his frame. His hands caressed your thighs passionately, inching closer to your heat causing your breath to fasten. Chris lifted up your dress, and pushed you to lay on your back.

“Oh god” you whimpered, feeling exposed and completely vulnerable. As you leaned your head to the side and closed your eyes, the feeling of Chris’s wet lips centimeters away from your core caused you to buck your hips in surprise as he started paving his way along your thigh with soft kisses.

“You want this?”

“Please” you begged suggestively

“Look at me” he demanded in a new harsh deep tone that sent shivers down your spine. You raised your head and looked down at Chris, who upon making eye contact, tapped your hips twice. You took the hint and propped your feet on the wooden edge of the bed as he circled his fingers around the sides of your underwear, pulling it down your legs in one swift motion.

After settling back into his position, Chris probed your folds with his thumb, smiling, more to himself, pride most likely pumping through his veins at the sight of his effect on you. He finally leaned down, his mouth volunteering to take his fingers spot, as he teased his way to your clit.

“Chris-!” you hissed at the feeling of his wet tongue working carefully on your bundle of nerves.

“Mmm..mm” he hummed lowly against your sensitive spot, the vibrations of his lips adding to your pleasure, “So fucking sweet”. His voice was hurried, as he lifted his head only for a second in order to look at you. His hands came around your thighs, as he released some of his own tension by vehemently slapping and gripping your skin.

With every lap Chris worked on your clit, a painful need inside of you to spill out profanity after profanity only grew bigger, but you managed to control yourself.

“Are you gonna cum for me?” he asked smugly, and before managing to give a decent answer, you felt one of his fingers enter you slowly.

“I- Uh, god” you cried out, arching your back as your left hand flew down so you could curl your fingers around and pull on the elegant collar of his shirt. Feeling every muscle in your body tense as your hips quivered uncontrollably, you secured Chris in his place by bringing your other hand too into his hair. Realizing how on the edge you were, he added another finger, swirling them against your wall, as his lips maintained the same avid pace around your clit. Impossible to tell how much longer it took, but most likely in a matter of seconds your orgasm came thundering down on you, curling your toes as the muscles of your legs trembled furiously. Chris kept going until you let your body fall flush against his bed, when he came up to your level.

Your eyes were closed, still enjoying the last waves of bliss that traveled along your legs as he teasingly caressed your cheeks with his lips and the tip of his nose.

Coming back to your senses, you gripped his neck, wrapping your legs around his middle, pressing him down against you. His mouth slowly met yours, igniting sparkles in your chest as he tugged on your lower lip before allowing your tongue to meet his’.

After pulling away, Chris straightened up at the edge of the bed and started working on undressing himself. The metal clicking of his belt buckle prompted you to suck in a long breath, smiling to yourself at how this man could make you feel so much, as you were already craving more.

You steadied yourself on your knees and crawled over to Chris, turning your back at him and getting your hair out of the way. He didn’t waste a second before getting back to you and pulling down your zipper of your dress, which allowed his hands to roam freely under the thin material. His fingers softly caressed your sides before sneaking to the front and cupping your breasts as his lips found your neck again. He lowered himself forward, pushing you down on the bed on your stomach and climbed on top of you.

Feeling his lips burn icy tracks along your shoulders, you pushed yourself up, flipping the two of you over. You slipped out of your dress fast and straddled his hips, not caring the slightest bit about being in any way seductive; you already had him. Under you, panting in anticipation, long fingers digging mercilessly into the smooth skin of your thighs.

Your lips were again on his’, working slowly, doing your best to tease him and push his buttons. Your hands traced his sides, making their way up his body,

“Yes, fuck” Chris whined. He had managed to take off his dark shirt before you distracted him, so he was now laying on the bed, half naked with his jeans undone, waiting for you.

You slowly lifted yourself off of him and tugged at his pants, pulling them down with a little bit of help from him.

“Tell me Chris” you teased looking up at him, your face inches away from his erect cock, “You want this?”. Following your question, you licked your lips as they fell into a one sided grin.

Squeezing his eyes shut as his head went from side to side, Chris chuckled bitterly at the taste of his own medicine, “Show me what you can do”

You placed one of your hands at the top of his thigh and lowered yourself even more, maintaining the eye contact as you carefully lifted him up. With your fingers wrapped around his cock, your lips barely brushed his base before you made your way lower.

“Fuck- fuck, (Y/n)” Chris hissed, bucking his hips violently at the way you kept pushing him. He brought his hand to the top of your head, his thumb softly caressing your hair as you worked on his balls.

At an agonizingly slow pace, your hand made its way up his length and when you reached his tip, your fingers continued teasing.

“Fu- take me in your mouth, baby” he tried to demand but under your burning stare, his words came out more as a plea, a struggling moan.

You gave him a false approving nod before you licked your way up his dick, wrapped your puckered lips around his end and sucked harshly a few, short times. When his head flew black as he white knuckled the sheets, you took it as your cue to stop.

“Hey Chris” you whispered as you let his cock fall against his stomach and you climbed on top of him.

A weak chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to smile when he realized the way you were going to play this. You leaned down to his level and slipped two fingers into his mouth before gripping his chin tightly and engulfing his lips in a fervid kiss. After caressing their way up and down your thighs, his hands settled on your ass, gripping tightly as he pushed himself up to meet your core.

You lowered yourself to add to his pleasure, your tongues not parting as you started pressing down on his cock.

“Please?” you teased, your hot breath hitting his damp lips.

“You’re not going there” he stated, his dominant side starting to show as his expression darkened.

“No?” you asked guiding one of your hands between your bodies, against his hard abdomen, wrapping your fingers around his dick. You nodded your head ‘no’ as you pumped him slowly, his squinted eyes prompting a smirk to appear on your lips. You had him; no matter what he said, you could go anywhere you wanted, “No, I’m not”

You guided his tip to your folds, slipping around him without any kind of warning. Straightening your back and supporting your weight by gluing your hands to his stomach, your hips started working in circular motions along his cock. You let your head fall forward before you pushed all your hair to one side, in order to be able to look him in the eyes. His body was responding to your actions, as he kept pushing himself up in sync with your movements.

It didn’t take long before you felt your second orgasm approach, and lost in the moment, you didn’t realize Chris took notice of the choked back whimpers that escaped your throat.

“Hey gorgeous” he grunted, his big hands digging holes into your waist, “As much as I love this-” he tried to speak but ended up concentrating all his energy into picking you up and flipping the both of you over, “-this is what I want right now”. He finished his sentence with a harsh whisper in your year from behind, as you struggled to maintain your balance on your elbows under his weight.

You smiled to yourself feeling his wet, hot chest against your naked back, before he rapidly guided himself inside of you.

“Mmh- Chris-” you moaned feeling his hands roam around your body as he maintained his avid pace.

“Taking me so well, hm?” he hummed in your ear. After caressing your cheek clumsily, Chris trailed his hand on the side of your head, his fingers losing themselves in your hair as he tugged back, forming a makeshift ponytail. The forcefulness of his touch caused you to tilt your head, eyes gluing to the ceiling as he grunted in your ear.

“Hell ugh-” you screamed as your body rocked back and forth under his’.

“Who would’ve thought?” he growled, exploring the skin of your neck with his lips as he kept your head back, “The way you act- so sweet and innocent, but then you down vodkas and take my cock like a good little slut”. Chris’s words were carelessly spilling out of his mouth, the pleasure of each thrust giving him more and more trouble forming coherent sentences, “Fuck, (Y/n)-”.

He let go of your hair in order to steady himself, as his movements became sloppier and angrier by the second, “Sh- Chris!-” you yelled gripping the sheets into your fists to keep yourself up, even though one of his arms was wrapped around your abdomen. “I’m so close, fuck, Chris!” you exclaimed again, letting your head fall against your shoulder.

He moved his hand to grip your ass tightly, before detaching it and then sending it to connect forcefully with your butt cheek again, causing a loud slap to accompany both your moans.

It’s all a blur what happened after that; his fingers kept digging into your skin hard as he was enjoying his high, the loud profanities he screamed sending you over the horizon. You soon went limp in his hold, but he didn’t pull out until he placed a loving kiss between your shoulder blades. Your whole body was trembling, from your lower lip to the tip of your toes, but the way he was still inside you as his lips carefully treated your skin, still managed to electrify your mind.

After that your night didn’t last much longer. A fragile amount of comfortable small talk emerged as you both settled under the covers but your mind was somewhere else. You had a lot of fun with him and your heart ached when you thought that this was a only one night stand after all. With your gaze getting lost in the darkness of his room, you found yourself fighting the urge to snuggle into him. As much as you wanted it, as bad of an idea you thought it was. Chris was laying on his stomach with his head in your direction, as you rested on your back. Honestly, you hoped he’d make the first move and pull you closer but he didn’t so you pushed your thoughts away. Or at least you tried. After saying your 'good night’s, much to your surprise, Chris’s hand found yours under the covers as he started to lazily play with your fingers. You smiled to yourself a little even though you knew he couldn’t see it. Your palm was against the sheets as he softly rubbed your thumb with his own. This didn’t help, all it managed to do was make you want to cuddle into his side even more, to rest your head in the crook of his neck and to fall asleep listening to his heart beat. Though none of those things happened, you managed to fall asleep on your own, despite the fact that the few inches of space between your bodies was killing you.

Surprisingly, at one point during the night you woke up. This time you were laying on your side, and it took you a couple of seconds to realise what it was that disrupted your sleep. You turned your head slowly to peak over your shoulder, and you physically felt your soul break. Chris was cuddled into your back, his whole body pressed against yours as his face was tucked into the back of your neck. You didn’t mind it, but the simple fact that his arms were gathered around himself and not around you, made it all clear. He was shivering in his sleep as the night breeze made its way in through the window that somehow was left open, and as you apparently had hogged all the covers, his pair of boxers failed to keep him warm.

“Shit” you muttered to yourself, turning around and doing your best to wrap the blanket around him. Your warm hand connected to his freezing shoulder in a pathetic attempt to warm him up, and instinctively, moments later, Chris wrapped his arms around you, pulling you even closer. You didn’t fight him this time, you just helped him cuddle into your chest before you fell back asleep.

-

Ironically enough, in the morning, you woke up to Chris pulling the blanket higher up your body. You didn’t open your eyes immediately as it took you a moment to come back to reality. Right now, you were facing him but not one inch of your body was touching his. When you finally looked at Chris, he was resting against the headboard, typing away on his phone. You wondered how long he must’ve been awake for but judging by his squinted eyes, you figured that not for too long.

“What time is it?” you finally mumbled

“Shit, I’m sorry I woke you up,” he said. He turned to look at you apologetically, but a smile still made its way to his lips as soon as his eyes landed on your figure, “It’s 10:12”

“Why are you awake?” you asked, not moving a muscle.

“My phone kept ringing, I have no idea how that didn’t wake you up”

You just shrugged your shoulders and crawled a bit closer to him before closing your eyes again.

“You can go back to sleep” he whispered, lowering himself to be at the same level as you.

“No, it’s ok” you protested, bringing your arms over your head to stretch, “I just need a minute”

He settled under the covers mirroring your position. His tired eyes matched his tired smile, and his cheek squished against the pillow made him all the more adorable, “I could make you breakfast, do you want some?”

Your stomach was begging for food, but this wasn’t an offer you expected. The dudes you’ve had hook ups with like this one, usually woke up horny and then that was it.

“Oh, yees, thank you”

“I could make you pancakes, like they do in movies” he offered chuckling in his groggy morning voice.

“Pancakes…” you repeated content, mouth starting to water at the thought.

“You can sleep some more while I make them,” he suggested.

“No” you argued, rolling into your back, “I’m coming with you, the girl makes breakfast in movies”

Chris raised himself up, prompting his weight on his elbow as he hovered over you with a bitter smirk on his lips, “The girl usually leaves before the boy wakes up”

His words stung a bit, “Are you trying to kick me out?”

“God, no!” he exclaimed, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer. Finally something. “That’s just what usually happens”. He was weirdly right, that was what you did most of the time too, but apparently not today.

“I guess” you agreed, looking into his big brown eyes. Before allowing the situation to slip into a direction you weren’t too fond of, you stood up on the bed, “Can you give me a shirt, please?”

“Of course” he said in an instant, jumping up from the bed and running to his closet. “This one ok?” he asked, showing you a navy blue one with long sleeves.

“Yeah” you smiled, extending your arm to grab it.

“Or this one?” he suggested again, this time a black t-shirt in his hands.

“Chris, give me the black one” you laughed before he had the opportunity to offer you another one to choose from.

You hurried to pull it over your head as he put on some gray sweatpants, and then you both left for the kitchen.

“Is this the bathroom?” you asked, pointing to a door right next to the one just came from.

“Yeah, but no” he laughed grabbing your shoulders and turning you in a different direction, “Go to that one” he gestured towards another door on the opposite side of the hallway, “This one is messy”

You wanted to protest for a second, as you were curious and maybe you wanted to snoop a little, but eventually nodded and went where he told you.

-

“Do you have Nutella or some kind of chocolate?” you asked, eyeing the pancakes.

“Um, no..” he mumbled, “But I can go grab some”

“What? No!”

“It’s just around the corner, I’ll be back in like 5 minutes”

“I was just asking” you giggled, grabbing his wrist, pulling him towards the table.

“It would take me-”

“Chris, no” you laughed, this time your tone was more serious.

He eventually caved, and you sat down to eat. The conversation picked up instantly and not for one second did it feel forced or uncomfortable. The awkwardness of getting too close to him disappeared immediately, as when you were halfway done, he pulled you into his lap, to demonstrate how a proper pancake should be eaten. Maple syrup and strawberry jam got everywhere but it wasn’t like any of you cared. Unlike last night, his lips were now sweet, kinda sticky even but it was perfect.

-

“So, like, last night you came with Anne, right? How do you know her?” he asked as he struggled to pour some more syrup  on his pancakes with his left hand, as his right arm was locked around your hips.

“She’s my best friend” you answered smiling, “We actually met at the gym a few years ago”, you paused to shake your head, “God, I hate gyms”

“Why?” he asked curious

“I’m an embarrassment, I’d much rather work out at home”

“Oh god” he laughed dropping his pancake and throwing his head back, “I can make you feel better about that if you want to”

“Sure.. go ahead” you hesitated, afraid of what might come out of his mouth

“So like I was at the gym a few days ago, and there was this lady lifting some weights that, by the way, looked way too heavy for her but who am I to judge. Anyway so as she’s squatting, you know, when she tries to straighten her legs and go back up, this loud fart comes out, and I swear to god it echoed through the whole room-”

“Oh god, no!” you exclaimed, covering your eyes with your palms, “I feel so sorry for her”

“That’s not even the best part” he laughed tapping your tight to get your attention.

“We’re eating Chris, please tell me she didn’t-”

“She didn’t don’t worry” he chuckled, “So like after it comes out, she starts rummaging like crazy through her stuff, pulls out her phone and goes - I’m sorry I didn’t answer faster, it was on vibrate-”

“I’m so embarrassed for her” you whined

“Yeah, like a part of me wanted to reassure her that it’s ok but I’m sure that would’ve made everything worse” he said laughing.

“Definitely”

“And like she left for the locker room but when she came back she was still pretending to be on the phone and headed straight to the door and didn’t look back”

“I can’t” you managed to say between your giggles

“Now I’m so afraid I’ll fart in the middle of the gym” he confessed

With your pancake still in your hand, you felt your eyes start to water, trying to picture him all flustered and embarrassed and you couldn’t help but laugh even louder.

“It’s ok, you won’t” you tried to reassure him, but he was just as amused as you were

“I hope” he sighed

After you were done eating, and then done arguing about Chris not allowing you to help him clean up the mess, it was time for you to leave.

“Do you want me to drive you?” he asked, most likely sure you were going to agree, so probably that’s why his face fell when you declined.

“No, it’s ok, but have you seen my jacket?”

“You didn’t have one”

“Yes, I did, a long maroon one” you explained thinking about where you could’ve left it.

“Trust me, I know what you were wearing last night” he said smirking

“Then I must have left it at the bar, I hope someone saw it and took it”

“Wait, let me give you something to wear” he said, sprinting to his bedroom. You waited patiently for him in the hallway, realizing that this meant you had to see each other again. But you had mutual friends, someone could give it back to him for you, right? This was usually the time you blew the guy off, but this time, something inside of you simply didn’t let you.

“What about this one?” he asks, handing you an army green hoodie.

“It’s perfect, thank you”

“I don’t have your number, and I kinda want it back,” he joked, pointing to the jacket.

“Give me your phone” you laughed, and after he gave it to you, you added the number quickly and handed it back to him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you, I feel bad for letting you walk home”

“No, it’s ok, it’s not that far, I’m gonna cut through the park and listen to music, it’s ok” you reassured him, stepping away from the door so he could unlock it.

Once you passed the threshold, you turned around wanting to kiss him one last time, but the moment his hands caught your waist, the teasing side of you awakened, so you just placed a long peck to his cheek.

“Bye” he laughed at your antics, before closing the door after you.

As you were walking home, you wrapped your arms around yourself, causing the smell of his hoodie to reach your nose. You were happy he didn’t give you a clean one, this one smelled like him, and maybe he chose this one on purpose. Your mind drifted back to the events of the last 15 hours and unconsciously, they put a smile on your lips. You had so much fun with Chris, and grew so fond of his sweetness, that you almost felt bad for giving him the number of your 50 year old laundromat lady.

[thefanficmonster]

The Five Scares (and one revenge)

Corpse Husband x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing 

Genre: FLUFF, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Having a tendency to scare people, Corpse has gotten used to his friends being jumpy whenever he appears from the void into a Discord call with them. However, the one who has it the roughest with the spooks has to be his partner Y/N. Basically: The five times Corpse scared Y/N and the one time they scared him

Requested by Anon. Hi darling! Thank you so much for your lovely request it was a real joy to write and I had a ton of fun doing so! Hope you have equally as wonderful of a time if you happen to come across it and give it a read despite the long wait you’ve had to endure which I apologize for. Love, Vy ❤

I

Having had to go home for the night to keep an eye on their roommate’s dog, Y/N and Corpse agreed to have a video call before they fell asleep. They didn’t want to appear like that typical clingy and cheesy couple but after spending almost a whole week curled up in Corpse’s apartment, the two would feel each other’s absence to a very saddening degree to the point where they’d even forget the other isn’t around and would call out to them. 

Letting the call ring, Y/N’s hand comes up to smooth out their hair. However, the touch reveals to them that their hair needs a bit more than a simple tap or a pat to be tamed so while they wait for Corpse to answer the call, they quickly head to their bathroom. Flicking the light on, their reflection greets them with the underwhelming news of the actual state of their hair at the moment: an absolute mess. They proceed to do their best with the single hair-tie they have handy. A bobby pin or two would be neat but they have no time to go and grab one right now, seeing as how they can’t recall if they even brought them back from Corpse’s apartment. If they didn’t, they would have to search their roommate’s room for some which would take an even longer amount of time.

Eventually, they manage to tame it in something closely resembling a presentable ponytail and exit the bathroom feeling more exhausted than before. With a loud sigh, they crash onto their bed, face-first into the sea of pillows, groaning at the slight sting of their muscles relaxing at last.

“Y/N?“ The decently loud mention of their name by a deep, familiar yet sudden and unexpected voice startles them to the point of squealing and jumping an entire inch away from where they were positioned.

They look around their room in a frenzy, wondering where on Earth that voice came from and how it could be here with them right now.

“Y/N, you there?”, before they could locate it, it emerges once again, helping Y/N get an ide of where it’s coming from - somewhere in the messed up bed sheets.

“Corpse?“ They finally find their voice, “Y-yeah I’m here. Question is: how are you...“ and then it all clicks, causing them to twist their face in an expression of utter disappointment and bury it in the palms of their hands, groaning.

“You forgot about the video chat, didn’t you?“ Corpse asks, amusement not even attempted to be hidden in his voice.

“Yup.“

II

It’s been one hell of a day. Y/N’s college lectures exhausted them to a max and their six hour job following their classes did nothing to help them AT ALL. Quite the opposite actually. Makes sense why they look, move and talk the way they’re doing right now: like a ghost, zombie and an elder combined in one. To add to their misfortunes for the day, they were met with the mocking ‘OUT OF ORDER’ sign taped to the doors of the elevator, laughing in their face with the information that their hellish experience for the day is far from over.

Just the thought of having to climb to the fifth floor made their stomach turn in the most unpleasant way possible, but the though of how long that would take made matters even worse. Arriving at their designated apartment, they have every right to be pissed, cussing their heart out. 

However, then comes a new problem: the inability to pinpoint the correct key. They proceed to curse themselves, the keys, the door handle and the door itself before punching the poor wood that did no wrong and just stands here, serving its purpose of keeping unwanted people out of the apartment it’s guarding.

Following their anger outburst and front-door-abuse, they proceed to try finding the correct key once again, this time slightly more calmly as to not accidentally miss it in their frantic rifling.

Right as they’re about to try the third key, however, the door opens. Well, it’s opened by someone on the other side, that someone being none other than their boyfriend Corpse who’s currently staring at them wide-eyed, one eyebrow raised, the word ‘confused’ basically written across his face.

While he’s processing the sight in front of him, Y/N lets out a little scream, jumping back and away from the door, a hand placed over their chest as their wide eyes scan their boyfriend who now seems equally terrified as a result of their reaction.

“Corpse?!“ They manage to gasp, barely hearing their own voice over the loud thumping of their heart and the rush of blood in their ears, “What the hell are you doing here?!“

The confusion on Corpse’s face deepens, reaching whole new levels as his eyes gaze deeper into theirs, searching for the meaning behind their bizarre question. “You mean...at my own apartment? What am I doing, at home?“

For a few seconds, the two just stare blankly at one another, processing everything that’s just happened. Suddenly, it all just kinda caves for Y/N and they burst out laughing, doubling over, their arms clutching at their stomach as they do so. Their laughter is contagious, so Corpse can’t help but let out a few chuckles himself.

“Alright, you’ve been driven to insanity, I can tell.“ He mumbles at his reckless partner, coming up behind them and wraps his arms around them, lifting them up and carrying their laughing ass inside.

III

Finally deciding to sit down and get this damn project started, Y/N already feels like they’ve had enough of it, burnout already creeping in and threatening to ruin their work and trip them up every step of the way. It wouldn’t have been so bad had the subject not been one they absolutely despise and wish they could get out of studying but alas they’re stuck with it.

They equip their headphones as soon as they plant their butt on the desk chair in their tiny room in their tiny roommate-shared apartment, putting their Spotify playlist on shuffle as they open a blank Power Point document. They work better with music blasting in their ears since the silence tends to be too loud and distracting when they’re trying to focus. So, that way they can also sing their heart out in peace and not get disturbed by the sound of their own off-key singing. Win-win, basically.

Singing ‘Never Forget You’ by Zara Larsson and MNEK, they get a little carried away, ditching the project to enter a full-blown music video they can imagine down to the detail in their mind.

However, there’s a surprise awaiting them.

As soon as MNEK’s part of the song begins, another voice apart from his echoes through their headphones, singing along to the song. Freaking the fuck out, they let out a loud scream, smacking the headset off them, sending the object falling and landing on their laptop keyboard with a crash that only serves to further startle their roommate’s dog which comes to check if they are being attacked or something only to be disappointed by the lack of action.

When pushing the headphones off, they did so with a force strong enough to snap the cable out of the laptop entirely so now the room is filled with the sound of that same foreign voice laughing his ass off.

A voice that belongs to no other than Corpse Husband himself.

“You gotta learn to disconnect from Discord calls, Y/N.“ The fucker says, still cackling wholeheartedly at his partner’s misery.

Pissed off or not, Y/N would have to admit he’s got a point. But they’d also rather never speak again than admit it so...

“Fuck you!“ is what they say instead, seconds before disconnecting.

IV

Making breakfast is not something either Corpse or Y/N are used to, mostly cause they both either wake up late or skip the meal entirely. Regardless, having been given a day off from work and having no classes since it’s Saturday, Y/N saw no better way to start their day off than to prepare a nice breakfast for them and their boyfriend to enjoy. Problem is: they aren’t the most skilled in the kitchen. Sure they can scramble an egg or make mac and cheese, but in order to do it correctly they are not allowed to have distractions of any kind. Not even music, that’s how you know it’s serious.

Seeing as how Corpse has never seen them cook, he’s obviously unaware of theirs. The dummy straight up waltzes into the kitchen, unintentionally remaining unspotted and unheard by Y/N because he’s barefoot and because they have their back turned to him.

“Whatya cooking over there babe?“

Y/N’s focus bubble, being as thin as it is and considering they initially thought Corpse was still asleep, they have every right to let out the yelp they just did, dropping the egg they were gonna crack over the pan in said pan in its entirety - yes, shell and all.

A moment of silence commences: regretful on Corpse’s end and frustrated on theirs. Neither of them dares to say anything to avoid triggering the other. Well, that’s the case until Y/N decides enough’s enough and they turn to look at him, a wide, obviously fake smile plastered onto their face.

“Scrambled eggs, following a secret recipe, property of the L/N family.“

Seems like your pre-breakfast snack is an extra large dose of sarcasm, huh?

V

“So, how was your day? You sound pretty chipper so I take it wasn’t a nightmare like a few days ago.“ Corpse comments over the phone, listening to shuffling and shifting as Y/N moves around the apartment, getting ready to head out.

“It was great actually. Got some important results back and, not to brag or anything, but they were higher than I expected.“ They reply, a genuine wide grin refusing to leave their face as they silently count the amount of money they’ve got in their wallet. “I’m gonna go buy a cake so we can celebrate it. It’s no small deal, trust me, especially not when I initially thought I’d fail both these exams to the point of being pitied.“

“Wait...-“ Corpse attempts, his voice suddenly sounding strained and urgent but that’s the very reason he cannot seem to find or get the right words out of his system. Not that Y/N gives him any time to figure it out.

“No Corpse, you cannot change my mind. Cake and beers, we’re celebrating toni- SHIT!“ They scream as they throw open the front door, bumping square into someone standing on the other side, almost dropping their phone.

Taken aback by embarrassment and fear, they leap back, their eyes searching for the ones of the person whose personal space they just invaded. Well, to be fair, he was the one invading their personal space by standing right outside the door to their - well, to Corpse’s apartment.

The fear and irritation die down almost instantly when Y/N recognizes the person standing opposite them.

“Mind telling me why we’re talking on the phone when you could’ve come in and we could’ve had a normal person conversation?!“ They snap, ironically enough - they’re still holding the phone to their ear.

So is Corpse whos is smiling guiltily, “That’s why I called, I forgot my keys, but I got...carried...sorry.”

Well, at least this serves as proof Y/N’s not the only forgetful one.

                                                            ~  ~  ~

Corpse has been stuck in his recording room for four hours now, never stopping his stream to take care of his basic human needs such as eating or going to the bathroom. This behavior of his has Y/N worried sick and unable to focus on the task at hand - an assignment they’ve been trying to finish for two hours now, sitting with their computer on their lap and looking hopelessly at the blank Word document waiting for them to fill it up while they are waiting for it to start writing itself.

Seeing as how neither are gonna happen, not until Y/N puts their mind at ease, they slowly put the laptop aside, standing up to carefully skip on over to Corpse’s recording room to check on him, stopping by the kitchen to grab him a snack and a bottle of water along the way.

The door to the darkened room is open a crack, as usual, suggesting they can enter without knocking - this also means he’ll probably not hear them even if they knock so the whole gesture would be pointless. Not that Y/N has a tendency to knock or anything... Waltzing in, they find that the only light in the room is the very faint and dark glow of the computer screen which is displaying a dark and dingy room from a first-person view of the protagonist of whatever game Corpse’s currently playing.

“Corpse?!“ They whisper-yell/hiss at him, trying their best to grasp his attention without startling him - they don’t need to be told that the game is of the horror genre and the last thing they need is for their boyfriend to flip backwards and fall out of his chair because they scared the shit out of him. “Hey?!“

Neither attempts prove futile so, despite their best instincts telling them differently, they walk over to him and tap him on the shoulder. The reaction, while within the realm of expectancy, is a lot more startled than they expected, accompanied by a scream on top of all. They’d never heard him scream in fear before, it’s quite amusing if they’re being honest.

They suppress a snicker as Corpse’s wide open eyes meet their squinting ones in the darkness, “Y/N...babe...what is it? Is everything ok?”

Y/N rolls their eyes, “No, everything isn’t ok. Your unhealthy habit of forgetting to take care of yourself, for example.” They put the snack and the bottle on the his desk, giving him their best disappointed-parent look before turning on their heel to strut their way out of the room. However, just as they are about to make their exit, they stop right at the doorframe, giving their stunned one final glance over their shoulder with a smug smirk playing across their face, “Oh and by the way, that’s what I like to call revenge.” Just like that, they leave, pushing the door back into its previous position.

And boy, is it some sweet, sweet revenge.

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Podoboo

Debut: Super Mario Bros.

Before I start this post, I’d like to clear something up. Podoboo? Yes, Podoboo! I’m well aware these enemies are often called Lava Bubbles and that’s the name Nintendo has been trying to make standardised these days, but you know what? You can’t make me! Podoboo is a lot cuter, plus its the name I grew up with and changes in society scare me and cause me to lash out! Maybe Lava Bubble is closer to the Japanese name of just “Bubble”, but since when has that been a factor in any of the localised names? Do you really want to refer as Lakitu as “Jugemu”, huh? I’ll have you know one of my civil rights as a citizen of Wet Dry World is to refer to Mario enemies with whichever official name I please. Like it or leave it!

So this is a post about Podoboo. Do you like Podoboo? I certainly Podo-do! They are perhaps the most generic design you could give to a Mario enemy, a visibly Dangerous Thing with two eyes, but they have always charmed me! It’s the little things, like their distinct shape and the fact their pupils are somewhat wider than most obstacles like this. They bring me comfort in dire times. No matter what happens, I know Podoboo will be there, jumping at a set height in a particular spot of lava! Without them I would be nothing! 

So simple is their design, isn’t it weird to think they started off as even simpler? The Podoboos in the first SMB game are completely blind, and with no eyes they may as well not be creatures at all! Of course, I’m very glad they are creatures, and their iconic behaviour was there from the start! They love to jump, of course! There is nothing they would rather be doing!

Awaken! As of Super Mario World, they have been gifted sight and are no longer blind to the sins of this world! Hurray! What do you think they see as they jump up and down? I’m surprised it doesn’t make them dizzy!

You’ll be glad to hear Podoboos have had an expansive career ever since, now with their new trademark eyes! After all, they are THE lava enemy! Anywhere you’ve got that tasty hot fire juice, these guys are soon to follow! Here they are in Super Mario RPG, called Sparkies here because they couldn’t make up their minds on a localized name and probably because they confused them with Li’l Sparkies. In Yoshi’s Story they even called them Spark Spooks! Geez, I’ll even take the name Lava Bubble over this! But doesn’t this render look nice and juicy?

Though any great career has its flops, and I have to say... I am usually the first to campaign for the unique designs from the first three Paper Marios, but I do not really like this Lava Bubble! This takes away from their distinct Mario-y charm and makes them look like a Fire Enemy you could find in any other game! Though in the RPGs they are able to float around without needing any lava, the ones in Super Paper Mario act just like the platformer ones, jumping around despite not looking like they should be doing that! Ok!

The Podoboo from New Super Mario Bros. DS just wasn’t trying very hard at all. Come on! They could’ve it a bit more justice than this! 

Ah, there we go! The Podoboos in New Super Mario Bros. Wii decided to finally stop messing about and go back to what everyone loved from them in Super Mario World. I encourage experimenting with your identity, of course, but it’s good to be back, and now they are more mortal than ever! A single shot from an Ice Flower is enough to instantly vaporize a Podoboo in a puff of smoke, which is a bit scary! Are they really just pure fireballs that can be put out just like that? What a frightening life to live!

And in Super Mario Galaxy 2, they... hey, wait!! You took away their eyes again! Now you are just being inconsiderate. This outraged me as a kid! One of my most vivid memories of playing this game with my brother involved chanting “Podoboo rights! They deserve eyes!” because this upset me so much. Maybe my past as an activist is why I am so passionate about Mario enemies these days... I think I was 100 percent correct in hindsight, and now you know some of my backstory, too!

What relief it gave me to find out they were back to their usual selves in 3D Land! And they have been ever since, of course getting redesigned for the modern Paper Mario games and everything. 

What’s this? Blue Podoboos! Podo-blues, even...! They show up in 3D World, in its incredibly cool-looking blue lava levels! It’s a well known fact that blue fire is objectively cooler than red fire, and it seems even the Podoboos wanted in on the action! Blue Lava is an actual phenomenon I’ve just learnt, though it’s a sulfuric fire rather than lava. Could it be that Podoboos, being made entirely of lava, adapt to their environment? I’m not sure...

As an aside, the blue Lava Bubbles aren’t to be confused with Lava Bubble (Blue), which are from Mario Galaxy and show up during King Kaliente’s fight! They hop around on the ground and have square-ish eyes, which is enough to make them different I guess!

The Podoboo’s next big appearance, in Super Mario Odyssey, was in Soup! Yes you heard me- Soup! Some delightfully pepto-bismol pink coloured soup, no less. This is why I wasn’t too sure about Podoboo’s being able to adapt to their environment earlier- the Luncheon Kingdom is a big soup volcano after all, but the fact these Lava Bubbles are able to live in it is very interesting!

There is simply no way I would talk about Odyssey here without talking about possibly its greatest achievement, the best game design decision ever made! After decades of begging from fans, they finally did the impossible- they made Podoboo playable! Now it is Podo-you! It is quite unlike the other captures in the game, since it keeps the Podoboo’s simple-looking eyes and simply adds onto it a nose and a mustache! You may very well be the world’s first Podoboo with a sense of smell! I wonder if that is a benefit or not. The constant smell of soup might be a bit overpowering. 

Not only is this delightful, but it gives us more insight into the life of the humble Podoboo. First of all is the fact that they can swim around in lava, not just jump in one spot! Do you think they do this when we aren’t looking? I really hope so! Imagine a school of Podoboos swimming through molten lava in a castle’s moat. How delightful! 

The Luncheon Kingdom is also home to a number of Lava cannons, marked with a Podoboo’s lovely face. These are cannons for only for Podoboos to launch themselves across the kingdom, from one body of lava to another! My question is whether this was technology made by Podoboos themselves or whether it was made by some generous Podoboo lovers as some lava equivalent to the Fish Tube. I think I would take either explanation! 

And last I have a Podoboo appearance that even I, the world’s biggest Podoboo fan, didn’t know about! Paper Mario Color Splash has a Big Lava Bubble boss which speaks with you through a Shy Guy translator! It is quite upset that you barged into its volcano and decided to change the temperature. Mario, of course, kills it anyway, and also the Shy Guy translator without a second thought.

Still, just take a look at this sprite sheet! How cute! A little disappointing that they thinned out the eyes, but wow! They more than make up for it with this range of expressions! An angry Podoboo! A sad Podoboo! And my personal favorite is of course the shocked Podoboo with its assymetrical dot eyes, which might be one of the best things I’ve ever seen. 

To be honest, I could talk about Podoboo forever! If you didn’t stop me, I would go on all day about their every appearance, but I kind of had to limit myself to some of the most relevant ones. I just think they’re neat! And cute! And silly! Besides, I’m Mod F Boy, so I’m basically obliged to talk about fireballs with eyes! But for now I must bid you Pod-adieu! 

...Not! What, did you really believe me? Well you clicked the Keep Reading button, so you only have yourself to blame for this. Here I am talking about more Lava Bubbles from all over, because Lava Bubble’s career has taken it BEYOND the Mario series! Wow!

Podoboo’s had quite a few appearance in the Zelda series, appearing in Link’s Awakening, both the Oracle games, and even Cadence of Hyrule! Their Zelda wiki page is still called Podoboo instead of Lava Bubble, which means those Zelda fans have it better than we do. But wow, this is a pretty angry looking Podoboo! I wouldn’t mess with them! 

Both the Oracle games even had a Podoboo Tower! Amazing! They look quite a lot like a Fire Snake, but they are simply a tower of Podoboos! Why don’t they do this more often?

Hm... The Cadence of Hyrule one doesn’t have any eyes. Come on guys! It’s 2019! Podoboos having eyes should be standard! Though they still made the conscious decision to call them “Podoboos” in 2019, so I can’t be too mad. 

And they have even spread to Minecraft! In the Mario Mash-up Pack, they replace the Magma Cube enemies, and really there was no better choice for this. And now we have a Podoboo Cube! What more could possibly be left for Podoboo?

The answer is obvious- Podoboo in real life! Thanks to a certain Lego Mario set, Podoboo is now real and can be in your home for the small price of 19,99 US dollars. Please give a Podoboo a home today! Just make sure you don’t own anything flammable. 

[mypoisonedvine]

The Kind of Girl You Take Home to Mom | Andy Barber x reader (part 1)

summary: Jacob was finally taking his college girlfriend home to meet his family.  how was she, a sheltered Harvard girl, supposed to know not to trust the famous, respected lawyer who just so happened to be his father?

word count: 3.5k

warnings: smut (dub con??), age gap, infidelity, fingering, dirty talk, a lil choking, wedding ring kink, lots of awkward conversations lmao

@donutloverxo @evnscvll @ballyhoobarnes​

“They’re gonna love you,” Jacob beamed at you as you buckled into the passenger seat.

“I dunno, Jake, I’m not usually a parent’s favorite…” you mumbled nervously, adjusting to be comfortable for the drive.  It wasn’t that long of a trip— just from your dorm at Harvard to the southern suburbs of Boston; your discomfort was a lot more psychosomatic, in fact.  Isn’t it normal to be afraid to meet your boyfriend’s parents?

“Well, my parents are pretty chill,” he assured you.  “Besides, what’s not to like?”

You still felt a little dizzy as you tried to prepare yourself for a weekend with them.  You’d hoped Jacob would just have you guys meet at lunch or something but nope, he insisted that you come with him the next time he visited over a three-day weekend and you’d agreed cause you didn’t know how to say no.  Now here you were, practicing ‘Hi, it’s so nice to meet you!’ in your head as if you were going to forget how to speak English in the next fifteen minutes.  

Honestly, with how nervous you were, it was plausible.

The sun through the trees cast flashing light and shadows through your window as you watched the scenery roll by.  Something by Bon Iver was playing through the car speakers, but the mumbled lyrics were lost to your distracted mind.  You’d heard a decent amount about his parents through him— his dad was apparently quite the bigshot lawyer— but you had no idea how much they knew about you.  You hoped he talked about you a lot but you also sort of hoped he didn’t, so that you’d have a clean slate to start with.

“Your destination is on the left,” Google Maps informed you both.

“There it is,” Jacob smiled as he lifted a hand from the wheel to point to the house.  It was nice, really nice, and a little tinge of jealousy hit you.  

You took a deep breath and gave him a weak smile as you prepared to meet Mr. and Mrs. Barber.

~

You went through the motions of every great introduction to people who need to like you.  So nice to meet you, I’ve heard great things, you have a lovely home, all that good stuff.  Laurie, his mom, was bubbly and kind, and insisted you not call her Mrs. Barber because it made her feel old, apparently; Mr. Barber was a little more stern but still seemed warm enough.

After some basic hand-shaking and introductions, Laurie had explained that she was making dinner.  You offered to help but she insisted that you wouldn’t lift a finger while staying in her home.  That sure did sound nice, though you felt guilty.

So, while Jacob unpacked your and his stuff in the guest bedroom, and while Laurie was cooking, you and Mr. Barber were stuck together in the living room.

“We’ve been hearing a lot about you,” he informed you.

“Oh, r-really?” you stammered.  “Only good things, I hope.”

“Only great things,” he assured.  

You nodded, not sure what to say but realizing the conversation was going to peter out quickly…

“You can relax,” he encouraged with a smile, “we’re not giving you the third-degree or anything.”

You let out a little laugh of relief, trying to keep from looking too rigid.  “I’m sorry,” you sighed, “I just really want to make a good impression.”

“You already have,” he assured you.  “You’re a natural.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” you laughed nervously, “I’ve never met anybody’s parents before.  I mean, of course I’ve met people’s parents, just not a boyfriend’s or anything— that’s not usually my sort of thing…”

His eyes went a little wide, and you mirrored it as you realized the implication.  “Oh, I don’t mean— it’s not like I only do hook-ups or something, I don’t do that, I just meant I’ve never really had a serious relationship before—” oh god, is that a bad thing to say?  Does it make me seem like I’m too immature for Jacob; or does he not think we’re serious?  “I mean, it’s not like we’re serious serious, it’s not— we haven’t really— we’re not thinking that far ahead, we’re young and all that…” God, even Jacob and I haven’t had this conversation, why am I having it with his father?!

“Well, whatever it is that you two are, he seems to care for you greatly.”

“That’s… good to hear,” you sighed, hoping you could just keep your mouth shut for a few minutes.  Awkward silence was leagues better than this.

“The weather’s great so I thought we could sit outside for dinner!” Laurie suggested.  

“Sounds lovely, honey,” Mr. Barber nodded, jumping off of the couch at any excuse to get out of this conversation.  You resisted the urge to hide your face in your hands.

Their patio was spacious and covered in meticulously-gardened plants, with a glass table that had already been set with four place settings.  You helped carry out some of the food and took your seat in the wrought iron chair.

“Do you want any wine, sweetie?” Laurie offered as she turned towards you, bottle in hand.

“Oh, I’m not twenty-one yet,” you explained quickly.

“Well, yeah,” Laurie raised an eyebrow, “but we’re not so sheltered, we know what college kids get up to— just a glass won’t hurt.”

“You’re kind to offer,” you relented, “but I don’t drink.”

“Really?” Laurie questioned, looking a little incredulous.

“Really,” Jacob butted in.  He laughed when his mother gave him a look of surprise.  “Yeah, I know, she’s like, the one person at Harvard who’s sober.”

“Finally, a little respect for the law in this house,” Mr. Barber added as he stepped out onto the patio.  

“You want a glass, honey?” she asked him, seeming to ignore his apparent distaste for her offering alcohol to you.

“Sure,” he nodded, taking a seat.

“So,” Mr. Barber addressed you as he sat down, “what are you majoring in?”

“English,” you answered with a nervous smile.

“And what do you wanna do with that?”

“Whatever lets me read as much as majoring in it allows me to,” you chuckled.

“Do you think you’ll go to graduate school, get a Master’s?” he pressed.

“Actually,” Jacob interjected, “she’s thinking of going for a doctorate.”

Mr. Barber turned back to you with an impressed expression.  “Wow!  Smart girl.”

Something about him calling you ‘girl’ made you feel yourself blush slightly, and shift in your seat.  Or maybe it was the praise.  Still, for some reason it coming from him felt wrong but wonderful at the same time.  “Um, I suppose so…”

It continued on like that for a while; he and Laurie asked you questions, you and Jacob told a few stories.  Mr. Barber managed to get you to open up a little and not be so worried about him judging you or assessing you all the time.  But then again, you’d heard he was a bigshot lawyer so he probably knew how to get people comfortable and talking so he could go in for the kill.

Sometimes you caught him looking at you like he was about to go in for that kill at any moment.

~

“Do you think it went okay?” you asked with faux nonchalance as you slipped into bed, watching Jacob brush his teeth in front of the mirror.

“Okay?  I fink it went greaf!” he responded, the toothbrush in his mouth making his words difficult to parse.

You laughed a little at his silliness, though you were glad to hear he thought it was a successful day.

“And they don’t mind us sharing a bed?”

Jacob snorted with a quick laugh before spitting out his toothpaste into the sink.  “They’re not conservative like that,” he dismissed with a shake of his head.  “I mean, we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, it’s normal for us to share a bed.”

You nodded because it was true, but you also found yourself twisting a piece of your hair between three fingers; you wondered if his parents assumed that you two did everything that was normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to do… and, as always, you wondered if Jacob was growing impatient with you in that regard.  He always said that he didn’t mind and was going to wait as long as you needed, but it was still hard to believe.  Sometimes you just wished he would break up with you so that he wouldn’t have to deal with celibacy and you wouldn’t have to deal with the guilt.

“You ready for bed?” he prompted, tearing you from your train of thought as he sat down on the other side of the bed.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” you agreed with a nod, laying down completely and plugging in your phone.

Jacob switched off his bedside lamp, and you were ready to fall asleep, but he quickly pulled you into him.

Oh, yes, cuddling.  This was normal, this was expected; you should feel relaxed right now, and not nervous and confused.  You tried to force yourself to, but it didn’t really work. 

He hummed contentedly, kissing behind your ear.  “Goodnight, honeybun.”

Another girl would love this kind of attention.  Any girl should.  You smiled, but it was fake.  “Goodnight, Jake,” you replied quietly.  You really did like him, you never doubted that.  But as he drifted to sleep beside you and you took in the surroundings of Jacob’s old room— renovated and updated, but still feeling like the graveyard of a childhood— you couldn’t help but question why you were here at all when you knew, deep down, that this relationship was missing something that couldn’t be found.

~

You woke up for no particularly good reason in the middle of the night, a habit of yours.  Squinting as you lifted up and unlocked your phone, you read the clock: 2:16 a.m.

You sighed and realized that you weren’t going to be able to get back to sleep, at least for a while.  

Peeling Jacob’s limp arm off of you and slipping out from underneath the comforter, you tiptoed out of the bedroom and shut the door behind you.

The streetlights cast faint yellow light into the kitchen, enough that you could see somewhat; enough that you didn’t stub your toe, thankfully. 

You did your best to open the refrigerator quietly as you searched for a snack.  I could make a sandwich but that’s a bit too much food.  There’s so much weird diet food in here, is that Mr. or Mrs. Barber’s?  A glass of juice probably isn’t enough.  Yogurt?  Hmm, maybe…   

“Burning the midnight oil?” the deep and smooth voice of Mr. Barber came from behind you.

You jumped a little as you spun around, finding him standing in the entryway to the kitchen, wearing pajamas and a smug little smile.  You let go of the door and it slowly closed itself; Mr. Barber turned on a dim light and you were able to see him a little better.

“I think we’re a little bit past midnight, sir,” you chuckled softly.

He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the title, shifting awkwardly and clearing his throat.

“Did I wake you up?” you asked, concerned.

“No, no, not at all,” he shook his head.  “I haven’t been sleeping so well recently.  A finger of scotch usually helps…”

For some reason, him telling you this felt too intimate.  You cleared your throat nervously as he poured the aforementioned drink into a crystal glass.

“You really don’t drink?” Andy asked you suddenly, and you laughed a little.

“I don’t know why it’s so hard for you guys to believe!” you replied.

“No, no, I believe you…” he trailed off.  “I guess I’m just surprised because Jacob seems really into the party scene.  You two seem sort of opposite in a lot of ways.”

“Yeah, we are,” you admitted.  “I think it works for us.”

“You keep him honest?” 

“I keep him from failing out,” you scoffed, though as soon as you’d said it, you instantly regretted your brutal honesty.

“Ah, I get it,” Andy smirked.  “He’s partying while you’re back in the dorm studying enough for the both of you.”

“That’s not—”

“Don’t lie to me,” he instructed, a little more stern than you anticipated.  “With what I do for a living, I’ve learned to spot a lie from a mile away.”

You swallowed, thinking this was getting a bit out of hand already.  “Well, I ought to get back to bed,” you realized, “and… so should you.”

As you stood up and started to walk past him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed your arm, stopping you.

“Mr. Barber, I—”

“Call me Andy,” he encouraged, stepping closer until you were pressed against the wall and he was pressed against you, finally releasing your arm but leaving you just as trapped.  This close up, your height difference was staggering.

“O-okay, Andy, I don’t—”

“Has he fucked you yet?” 

The question made your eyes shoot wide open and your stomach burn with embarrassment.  How could he ask you something like that?  But he seemed cool and collected, staring down at you as he took the last sip of his scotch and set the glass aside.

“I think as his father, I have a right to know,” he added firmly.

“I… we don’t… he and I aren’t…”

“So, no?”

You nodded quickly.

“Well, why not?  Is there something wrong with him?”

No, there’s nothing wrong with him at all, and I hate that about him because I should love him but I don’t.  “N-no!”

He looked you up and down quickly before responding.  “I can’t imagine how he keeps his hands off you…”

You knew you shouldn’t be enjoying this kind of attention, especially from your boyfriend’s father, but something about his gaze made shivers erupt in its wake.  You looked away and forced yourself to remember everything great about Jacob.

“He’s been very patient with me,” you explained shakily.  “He knows I’m not ready.”

“Not ready?”

“To be with someone… that way…”

You shivered when his fingers began to toy with the hem of your nightgown.  “This is nice,” he complimented softly.

“Um, thank you…”

“You’re a very beautiful girl,” he informed you, leaning in a little closer.

“I—” you began, but he was already about to kiss you.  You almost melted into it, you almost let your eyes flutter shut as you tilted your head; thankfully, you stopped yourself at the last second, pushing your hands against his chest.  He was strong enough that your protest would’ve been useless if he hadn’t chosen to stop in the moment.

“Andy, your wife…” you explained weakly.

“She hasn’t touched me in years,” he grimaced.  “She just wants my money, and the appearance of the perfect family.  You have no idea what it’s like to lie next to someone every night and still be completely alone.”

For a split second, Jacob flashed in your mind and you wondered if you did have an idea.  

“I’m… sorry to hear that…” you mumbled.  “But I can’t— you can’t—”

He lifted your chin with one finger, and you looked up at him with wide doe eyes.  “Is he treating you right, sweetheart?  Is he everything you deserve?  Don’t lie to me…”

“He’s…” you whispered shakily, unsure how to respond, “he’s great.”

Andy chuckled incredulously, seemingly not believing your answer.  “Listen, he’s my son; I love him, obviously.  But I know his flaws better than anyone.  And even though I like to think he’s smarter than a lot of boys his age, they’re all the same when it comes to one thing: girls.”

“I think he’s pretty smart in that regard,” you defended.

“If he was smart, he would be taking you to nice places, buying you nice things, treating you right.  If he was smart, he would’ve fucked you already.  If he was smart,” he smirked a little, “he wouldn’t have left you alone with me.”

His hand slipped under the bottom of your nightgown, grabbing your thigh.

“Andy!” you yelped, but he lifted a finger to his mouth with a soft shushing noise.

“Don’t wanna wake anybody, now do you?”

I kinda do though… you thought to yourself.

His fingers travelled higher and higher, nearly brushing against the edge of your panties; you shivered, wondering if you should stop him, and if so, how.

Your hands were still resting on his chest from when you’d tried to push him away, but instead of fighting back all they did was clench and pull at the soft cotton of his t-shirt as his pointer finger hooked into your underwear and pulled them down.

The thick, calloused pad of his finger swiped through your folds, and you bit your lip.  Something about it being the middle of the night, about the forbidden nature of it all, about the way his gaze burned right through you made your entire body so sensitive.  He found your clit instantly, and barely had to touch it to get you bucking your hips into his touch; you only somewhat managed to suppress your gasp.

He leaned in to kiss you again, but this time it actually came to fruition and his lips were soft but determined against your own.  You reciprocated eagerly, eliciting a little smile from him as you both realized how bad you wanted this even when you shouldn’t.  The moment his tongue slipped into your mouth was also the moment his middle finger slid into your tight and pulsing channel.  You moaned with surprise and it mixed with his own soft groans while your tongues intermingled.

A second finger joined his first, stretching your walls and making you nearly bite down on his lip in your mouth.  He smiled and twisted them within you, pushing right against a spot that made your knees weak, while his thumb stretched out to keep circling around your clit.

He broke the kiss to watch your face, admiring the way your brows furrowed together, and your eyes fluttered shut, and your swollen lip caught between your teeth.  Your head fell back against the wall, the effort of supporting it suddenly seeming too much, and it caused you to look up at him and make some awkward yet sensual eye contact.

“Has he ever made you come like this?” he whispered, jealousy apparent in his tone.  You shook your head ‘no.’  “Has anyone ever made you come like this?”  You shook your head again.  “Fuck,” he groaned.  “Including yourself?”

You nodded and he laughed a little, stooping down to kiss your neck.  “Always such a good girl, huh?”

His tone shifted as realization crossed over his face.  “Baby… am I the first thing that’s ever been inside you?”

You bit your lip, feeling a bit embarrassed, and nodded again.

He groaned and pressed his hips forward into your hip; the hard shape of his cock against you made you gasp.  “Feel what you do to me?” he smirked.  “God, you’re too fuckin’ perfect…”

“A-Andy, ‘m close,” you whimpered 

“Come on my fingers, sweet girl,” he encouraged.  “I wanna see how pretty you look when you let go.”

It felt like a wave of sensation was about to crash over you, faster than you knew how to handle it.  You reached down and tried to push him away by the forearm, an instinctive way to run from the intensity of the feeling as it started to make your eyes roll back and your toes go numb.  But he was too strong; your fighting was useless as his fingers kept fucking into you and pressing against your constricting walls.

“No, baby, you can take it,” he hissed.  “Come for me, sweetheart.”

Just as you were sure you were about to scream, his other hand clapped over your mouth.  You could feel the hard shape of his wedding ring against your lips and just as guilt hit you, so did your orgasm.  Your knees went weak; you would’ve fallen if it weren’t for the hand inside you all but holding you up.  

Your moans were muffled into his calloused palm as pleasure rippled through you.  You felt your channel grip his fingers at the same time as a gush of arousal coated his hand and even began to drip down to his arm.

Your breathing slowly stabilized, and Andy trusted you enough to finally take his hand away.  He pulled his fingers out of you and brought them to his lips, licking them with a smirk.  “You taste like heaven, honey,” he praised.  “Go ahead, clean off my fingers,” he instructed as he pressed the fingers into your mouth; it was already hanging slack from exhaustion.  You closed your lips and sucked on his fingers, moaning at your own taste and at the way his skin felt on your tongue.

Once he was apparently satisfied with your work, the hand in your mouth moved back and instead wrapped around your neck as you whimpered.

“Tomorrow,” he growled against your ear.  “I’m gonna get you alone, and we’re gonna finish this.”

You were a little too busy panting to respond to that.  Honestly, you had expected that you would have some post-nut clarity at this point, or even just be satisfied once you’d reached your peak.  But apparently not; even still coming down from it, you already wanted more.  With a sigh, you realized that you were already completely addicted to Andy Barber, and you were going to come back for more as soon as you could.

“Tomorrow,” you agreed in a raspy whisper.

(part 2) // (part 3)

[boredfanwrites]

Buddie #1

There is not a bone in my body that can accept that in any other universe they wouldn't be perfect together. Post 4x14 so SPOILERS for that. This got so much longer than I thought it would be. Sorry in advance, there's much more under the cut.

· Eddie tells him about the will. Chris goes to Buck if anything happens to Eddie. Which it very nearly did.

· It causes Buck to actually stop and think things through before rushing into danger.

· The rest of the team question it while Eddie's recovering but he just says there's someone relying on him now.

· They take it to mean Taylor - well Chimney and Albert do, Hen and Bobby are more clued in.

· Buck talks about Eddie and Chris like he did when they quarantined together - like they're living together again.

· They are.

· Buck moved in to help Eddie and his recovery, with Ana stepping in when he was on shifts - even if she tended to undo everything Buck had done.

· He tells himself it's because she's not used to the way he and Eddie do things - yes that one singular bowl and plate live in the lower cupboard, it's so Eddie can reach them easily. Chris always picks the movie on movie nights, Eddie and Buck alternate when he's gone to bed.

· Eddie is stubborn as always, but has managed to allow Buck to help him dress and shower - Ana is very much not allowed, despite her protests they're barely in a relationship.

· Eddie explains to Buck that yes, they've been together for six months but they've not really been togetherand he quietly admits that he regrets telling Chris so soon.

· Buck calms him and says that it was right to introduce Chris to the idea of Eddie dating, but yeah, maybe it wasn't smart to spring Ana on him so early - especially because she decided she had to be a bigger part of his life now he was aware.

· Chris manages to get to the station once while Buck is on shift.

· Buck comes back to Albert making him pancakes and Chris scribbling with the things they keep for the school trips.

· 'What are you doing here, bud? Does your dad know?'

· 'Kinda.'

· 'What does kinda mean here?'

· 'He knows I wanted to see you. I don't think he knows that I came here.'

· Albert quickly jumps in saying he's texted Eddie and he and Carla are on their way, it just happens that the rig got back before they got there.

· Buck sits down with Chris, leaning his head on his arms and looks at the picture. It's him, Eddie and Buck with Carla and her husband in the background.

· 'What's wrong, Chris?'

· 'Ana.'

· 'Ok, what did she do?'

· 'Tried to get me to bath before I ate and then said I had to do my homework before TV time.'

· 'Buddy, you always have to do your homework before TV time.'

· 'But she tried to help me.'

· 'Your dad and I try our best to help you. She's a teacher, she's better use than us.'

· 'No that's not it.'

· Chris has tears in his eyes and a death grip on his crayon.

· 'She told the poor boy his handwriting was ineligible and took his pencil, tried to get him to tell her the answers and that she would write them for him.' Carla sighs.

· She stands with her arms open and Chris runs into them. Eddie looms behind them, looking sad.

· Well, neutral really, but Buck knows his micro expressions well enough.

· After that Ana is banned from the house in the afternoons/evenings and Carla steps back in. The new problem is Ana turning up when Buck has days off - their schedule was she was here when Buck wasn't, for multiple reasons.

· Ana's great, there's just something about her that Buck doesn't like and she definitely doesn't like Buck. Maybe it's because they're just opposites.

· Eddie tries to gently tell her that he barely gets to see Buck anymore and he needs it for his mental health. Ana starts pestering about the fact that he should want to see his girlfriend more than his best friend.

· It's one of their biggest fights and turns into a screaming match one night (Chris is at Hen's with Denny but Buck is hiding away in the guest room) where Eddie shouts that she had decided that she was his girlfriend without asking Eddie if that was what he wanted and she was suffocating.

· She leaves pretty quickly after that and Buck is incredibly happy as their paths never cross again.

· There's an emptiness settling in his chest when he finds out that the two are still together and are treating the relationship as though they're just dating again. He hates that he really doesn't like the idea that it's working out now that they're on even footing.

· He decides to push it away and starts getting reckless again. Taylor's hanging around the station more like she wants more from Buck, but he'd given up. She liked being chased and now that he's tired of it, she wants him. He knows she'll get bored if he shows interest again.

· It's interest he doesn't have. Eddie had called him Evan and told him he deserved more. How was he supposed to go back to normal after that?

· Why doesn't Eddie see how life changing that was?

· Eddie does. But in typical Eddie fashion, he pushes it deep down and replaces it with his content being with Ana. She makes his parents happy, which makes him happy. She gets along with Pepa and Isabel and his sisters, but they act a lot more familial with Buck.

· It makes sense, he tells himself - they've had years with Buck.

· Nothing really changes for Buck until TK and Judd find themselves in LA. Buck hastily explains to TK that he wasn't asking him out back in Austin, he just wanted a friend and really he wasn't attracted to guys.

· TK just straight up laughs at Buck.

· 'Buckley, you checked me, Carlos, and the barista out in the span of like five minutes. You're a little attracted to guys.'

· 'Wait, you mean you and Diaz ain't datin'?'

· Judd's question throws Buck through a loop.

· 'What? No...we're just...we're friends. Best friends.'

· TK laughs again, patting Buck on the shoulder.

· Once they're on their last day, TK takes Buck out for a drink like he'd promised. Buck tries to ignore the fact he's brought him to a gay bar.

· He gets hit on at least three times in an hour, not to mention the building collection of beers for both him and TK and he decides he doesn't actually mind it.

· 'Ok, I want you to do something for me. Scan the crowd and pick a guy, any guy, and tell me what you find attractive about him.'

· Buck picks out a shorter man, tanned skin and dark hair.

· 'He's got a cute smile.'

· 'Oh boy, you have a type.'

· 'Huh?'

· 'He looks like Eddie.'

· And he does. Like a Walmart version of Eddie though. He didn't laugh like Eddie, didn't have the same laugh lines. Or frown lines. His eyes weren't as warm when he met Buck's nor did he smile as fondly. And...

· 'Fuck.'

· 'You just now realizing your feelings for him?'

· 'Yeah. How did I not know?'

· 'Honestly, it was probably such a subtle shift. From what you've told me you've basically been a couple for a year and a half, so you didn't realize anything had changed for you.'

· 'I've never denied it.'

· 'I mean you clearly must have.'

· 'No. I meant that there have been so many times people assumed Eddie and I were a couple and I never denied it, I went along with it all.'

· 'Shit man, you had it bad before you even realized.'

· Buck groans as TK throws an arm around him, leaning against his shoulder.

· Things change after that. Buck is hesitant with physical touch with Eddie - it's his main love language and he needs to make sure he's not overdoing it and making Eddie uncomfortable.

· Eddie notices because of course, he does. Buck has pulled away from him for seemingly no reason. The second Eddie can dress, shower, and reach the high cabinets himself Buck is talking about going home.

· He is home.

· Eddie doesn't say it, he just hums, not really agreeing. He's gotten used to Buck being around and so has Chris. They'd easily fallen back into their quarantine routine and now Buck would be leaving again.

· A quick thought of getting shot again fills Eddie's head. Though this time it's nothing to do with his PTSD and more so that he doesn't want Buck to leave. So he exaggerates just a little.

· 'You know, my PTSD is still acting up. Maybe, you could stay until it balances out a little?'

· 'You'd want me to?'

· 'Yeah, you're great at getting me out and calming me and Christopher down.'

· 'You don't think Ana should start taking up some night shifts?'

· 'I don't really want her to deal with that side of me yet.'

· 'Okay.'

· 'Okay?'

· 'Yeah, I'll stay.'

· Eddie keeps an eye on Buck just as much as he keeps an eye on Eddie. He quickly realizes that Buck is holding in his own troubles. He knows from experience that Buck does not think his problems are anywhere near as bad as everyone else's. He has a lot of unlearning to do.

· Subtly, Eddie starts talking to him about his mental state, his worries, trying to let Buck know it's ok to do the same.

· When he and Ana inevitably break up not even a month later, it's Buck that he tells first.

· Buck, who has his back.

· Buck, who loves Christopher as his own.

· Buck, who is insecure about everything he does except saving people.

· Buck, who thinks he is unworthy and undeserving of love.

· Buck, who shows his love through acts of kindness and physical affection.

· Buck, who Eddie is so unapologetically in love with and probably has been for years.

· The revelation doesn't shock him like he thought it would. More so, it was a natural progression of their relationship.

· Friends. Best friends. Co-parents. Co-habiting. Partners. Partners.

· Eddie sees a future with Buck, a future he'd only ever seen with Shannon but it's so much brighter.

· He comes home from his first shift back - Buck wasn't working and offered to look after Christopher so Eddie knew he was safe - to find Buck on the couch, staring into an empty beer bottle.

· 'Hey?' it's broken and Eddie drops his things to rush over to him.

· 'You good?'

· 'No. I'm not.'

· Buck looks up, tears in his eyes, cheeks red and puffy.

· 'What's going on, Evan?'

· That's all it takes. He breaks. He babbles about watching Eddie die over and over in his dreams. How sometimes the shower will splash his face just so and he's thrown back with Eddie's blood on his face. How he was trying to get through it with Dr. Copeland but it wasn't helping.

· Nothing was helping.

· 'It's ok. I'm here, I'm okay.'

· 'You weren't. You died, Eds. You died on me.'

· 'You saved me.'

· 'What if I hadn't? I don't know a life without you anymore. I can't lose another person I love.'

· 'You love me?'

· 'Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?'

· Buck registers his words, quickly backing away from Eddie and tries to make a break for the open door. Eddie isn't letting him run away anymore. His wrist snakes around Buck's.

· 'Evan. I told you there wasn't anyone else I'd want to look after Christ. I told you you weren't expendable. I said that because I love you and you needed to hear it. You had to learn you deserved love. Love that Chris shows you. Love that I can show you. I love you so much, Evan Buckley.'

· Buck crumples in Eddie's arms, Eddie rocks him gently until the sobs subside.

· It's not an immediate or obvious change. There are still things the two need to work through.

· It's different but the same. There's more contact now; hugs, tactile hands on waists, and backs at work. Kisses in the bunk, soft and slow.

· It's new and exciting. Especially when they finally get together, officially and exclusively.

· Chris loves telling everyone about his two dads.

· Eddie and Buck are happier, closer.

· Buck had always been a Diaz. He'd always had a family who loved him. The big change was he got to love them both endlessly in return.